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Munsey century in vain as Kent have victory ripped from grasp by seventh-wicket stand

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2021Worcestershire 323 for 7 (Leach 88, Haynes 77) beat Kent 322 for 7 (Munsey 108, Finch 84) by three wicketsCaptain Joe Leach and Ed Barnard powered Worcestershire Rapids to a dramatic three-wicket victory with a record-breaking seventh-wicket stand against Kent Spitfires at New Road.
George Munsey’s maiden List A century had enabled Kent to set a demanding 324 target and he and Harry Finch’s partnership of 184 was a Kent List A record for any wicket against Worcestershire.But Rapids opener Jack Haynes laid the foundations with a fine 77 and he received good support from Tom Fell before Leach’s late assault alongside excellent support from Barnard.Leach and Barnard came together at 184 for 6 in the 34th over and their stand of 134 in 15.2 overs was a new Worcestershire record for the seventh wicket in all List A cricket.Leach put the Spitfires into bat on a hybrid pitch and the move initially paid off.Spitfires captain Ollie Robinson (13) was caught at cover off Charlie Morris and Heino Khun (19) was run out by Jake Libby’s direct hit from mid on.Tawanda Muyeye (22) played back to spinner Josh Baker and was bowled but Scotland international Munsey and Harry Finch seized command for Kent.Finch was initially the more aggressive and reached his half century from 63 balls – 12 less than Munsey.Munsey, who had scored 96 against Durham in the opening One-Day Cup game, gradually upped the tempo and required only another 33 balls in moving fifty to three figures.Adam Finch broke the stand when he trapped his namesake lbw for 84 from 79 deliveries with one six and 10 fours working to leg.Munsey’s superb knock came to end on 108 and he also went lbw attempting a reverse sweep against Ed Barnard. His 113 balls innings contained two sixes and 14 fours.Darren Stevens hit a quickfire 23 and late order runs from Milnes and Marcus O’Riordan lifted the final total past 300.When Worcestershire launched their reply, Haynes drove Stevens for two boundaries and Dell collected three fours in a Milnes over.Dell, on 20, was caught at cover off Stevens but new batsman Fell and Haynes prospered.Fell reeled off a succession of impressive strokes and Haynes also looked in good touch although he had one left off on 23 to Henry Finch off Matt Quinn.He completed a 51 ball fifty and Haynes followed him to his half century from the next delivery, the 61st he had faced.The second wicket pair added 94 when Fell was caught behind off Grant Stewart for 57 with two sixes and six fours.Jake Libby, on 17, fell to a smart catch at backward point off Matt Quinn and Haynes top edged a catch to backward square leg off James Logan who played for Worcestershire Seconds earlier this season.Gareth Roderick and debutant Jacques Banton fell cheaply but then came the heroics from Leach and Barnard who finished unbeaten on 39 from 46 balls.

Jordan set to play for his fourth BBL club after Brathwaite is ruled out of the tournament due to shoulder surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2021Two-time defending BBL champions Sydney Sixers have pulled off a coup signing England quick Chris Jordan as an international replacement for Carlos Brathwaite after the West Indian was ruled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury.Brathwaite has undergone surgery and is unavailable for the entire BBL. Jordan has been signed at short notice to bolster Sixers’ squad alongside fellow England internationals James Vince and Tom Curran.Jordan has previously played for three different BBL clubs in three different seasons, starting at Adelaide Strikers in 2016-17 before a short stint with Sydney Thunder in 2018-19. He played almost a full season with Perth Scorchers in 2019-20 before having to leave the tournament late due to international duty.Jordan comes off a T20 World Cup where he was arguably England’s best seamer claiming six wickets at an economy rate of 6.84. Cricket NSW Head of Male Cricket Michael Klinger, who oversees Sixers’ list management, said Jordan was a valuable addition.”It’s disappointing for Carlos and the group that he has succumbed to injury but Chris is a world-class T20 cricketer and will provide the Sixers with fantastic versatility and high-quality skills in all three aspects of the game,” Klinger said.”His death bowling and changeups, as well as being one of the world’s best fielders, will be a huge asset for the Sixers early in the BBL.”He is experienced in playing in the BBL and has been previously successful in this tournament.”I know Greg Shipperd (Sixers coach) and the rest of the coaching staff are very excited to have Chris on board.”Sixers will open their new campaign on Sunday, December 5 against Melbourne Stars at the SCG.Sydney Sixers squad: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Daniel Christian, Tom Curran (Eng), Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Daniel Hughes, Chris Jordan (Eng), Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Ben Manenti, Stephen O’Keefe, Josh Philippe, Lloyd Pope, Jordan Silk, James Vince (Eng)

Hosts in precarious position as they could be pushed out of the top eight in the table to qualify directly for the next World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Jan-2022

Big picture

Where not so long ago, bilateral ODI series in T20 World Cup years lacked context, the ODI Super League has helped bring some importance to these fixtures. Neither Sri Lanka nor Zimbabwe are particularly well-placed on the table. Sri Lanka have 42 points, which puts them at seventh and could easily be pushed out of the top eight, where they will need to be to automatically qualify for the next ODI World Cup. Their position is especially precarious because they have played 15 of their possible 24 matches; every team below them on the table has played fewer.Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have played only nine of their matches, but are dead last on the table, with 25 points (equal with the Netherlands, but worse on net run rate).Related

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• Zimbabwe coach Rajput tests positive for Covid ahead of SL series

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• Craig Ervine to captain Zimbabwe for Sri Lanka ODIs

When the last time these teams met in a bilateral series on the island in 2017, however, Zimbabwe emerged victors in a closely-fought five-match series. Then, the runs of Hamilton Masakadza and Solomon Mire had been vital to Zimbabwe’s triumph. Both batters are now retired, however. Allrounder Sikandar Raza, who had also been instrumental in that series, has made the trip, however.As their Super League standing suggests, ODIs are perhaps Sri Lanka’s weakest format. They go into this series without a permanent head coach, with Rumesh Ratnayake filling in as interim coach. Also missing are Kusal Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga, who are injured, Avishka Fernando, who tested positive for Covid, Dhananjaya de Silva, who is on paternity leave, and Lahiru Kumara, who failed a skin-folds Test.Zimbabwe coach Lalchand Rajput, who had been in Sri Lanka since the Lanka Premier League, is also likely to be absent from his team’s dressing room for the first two matches, as he has tested positive for Covid as well.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Zimbabwe LWLLL
Sri Lanka WLWWLSikandar Raza has scored 45 or more runs in five out of the last nine ODI innings•AFP via Getty Images

In the spotlight

In Zimbabwe’s last ODI series here, Sikandar Raza had hit 137 runs at an average of 68.5 and a strike rate of 108, frequently producing important innings from the lower middle order. He had also taken four wickets with his offspin. Raza comes into the series with five scores of 45 or more in his last nine ODI innings. But Zimbabwe have not played ODIs since September, so this isn’t form exactly.Maheesh Theekshana has been one of Sri Lanka’s finds of 2021, and in the absence of Hasaranga, will likely shoulder more responsibility in the middle overs. He’s only played one ODI so far, but in T20s, he’s been economical in the powerplay, and difficult to hit in the middle overs, mainly because he has been as much an agent of accuracy as mystery.

Pitch and conditions

Pallekele, where all three matches will be played, has a reputation as one of the more seamer-friendly venues on the island, particularly under lights, when the ball can nip around. The forecast is largely clear for Sunday.

Team news

In the absence of several key players, Kusal Mendis may return to the XI for the first time since he was suspended for breaking Covid protocols in June last year. He may open the batting following an excellent LPL at the top of the order. Dinesh Chandimal may also slot into the middle order, following his good LPL returns as a finisher, as well. With Chameera only recently having recovered from Covid, there is a chance he will not play this match. Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Ashen Bandara/Kamindu Mendis, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Nuwan Pradeep 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Praveen JayawickramaIn the absence of the newly-retired Brendan Taylor, 28-year-old opener Takudzwanashe Kaitano could get an ODI debut. Elsewhere, legspinning allrounder Tinotenda Mutombodzi could slot into the lower middle order. Blessing Muzarabani, who had had a good tour of Ireland, will lead the seam attack. Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Regis Chakabva (wk), 2 Takudzwanashe Kaitano, 3 Craig Ervine (capt.), 4 Wesley Madhevere, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 8 Ryan Burl, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Blessing Muzarabani, 11 Richard Ngarava

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have won 44 matches and lost only 11 to Zimbabwe. They’d never lost an ODI at home to Zimbabwe until that 2017 series, in which they lost three.
• Raza averages 47.4 with the bat, and strikes at 103, against Sri Lanka, across 10 ODIs.
• Theekshana took 4 for 37 in the only ODI he’s played, against South Africa, in Colombo.

Ben McDermott will open in place of the rested David Warner while Australia will need to be wary of Wanindu Hasaranga

Andrew McGlashan10-Feb-2022

Big Picture

Australia take the field for the first time as the men’s T20 World Cup champions…and only have nine months until they need to fight to keep it. Such is the cricket calendar in the era of playing Covid catch-up that this is the beginning of the next build-up.However, if things go to plan it should not be the most taxing of preparations for Australia (we’ll leave aside for a moment the recent loss of a head coach). It will be in home conditions and there is unlikely to be much turnover in personnel from the side that won in the UAE.Two of the key figures from the previous World Cup – David Warner and Mitchell Marsh – have been rested for this series against Sri Lanka which gives the chance to have a look at two fresh faces in the top order: a recall for Ben McDermott to open the batting after an outstanding BBL and a debut for Josh Inglis at No. 3. Inglis, though, won’t take the gloves with Matthew Wade staying in that role at No. 7. With no Marsh, Aaron Finch will need to find four overs between Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis (unless Steven Smith turns his arm over).They are facing a Sri Lanka side that is in the process of rebuilding (isn’t it ever thus?) but showed some promising signs in the UAE even though they could not get out of the group stage and will again have to go through the qualifying section of the World Cup in October. In Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka they have two exciting young batters who are starting to bed in at the top of the order and legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga has a formidable record with the ball. He took 2 for 22 against Australia in Dubai and could be a trump card against a side that can still struggle against wrist spin.Sri Lanka have won more T20I matches than they have lost in Australia (5-4) but those four defeats have come in their most recent outings including a 3-0 whitewash in 2019.Josh Inglis will make his T20I debut•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Josh Hazlewood is back in Australia colours for the first time since the opening Ashes Test when he suffered a side strain that would end his series. Last year was a breakout one for him in T20 cricket and he was a central part of the World Cup triumph where he both used his Test-match skills of hitting a hard length but also showed the variations he has been working on.Dinesh Chandimal is the most experienced player in the Sri Lanka squad but his T20I record remains modest with an average of 19.79 and strike-rate of 104.51 and he was dropped during last year’s World Cup. However, in the recent Lanka Premier League he flourished in the finisher role for Colombo Stars with 277 runs at a strike-rate of 150.54. Now his challenge is to try and bring the same freedom to the top level.

Team news

Aaron Finch confirmed his XI on Thursday. The big three quicks play together for the first time since the Brisbane Test.Australia 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Ben McDermott, 3 Josh Inglis, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodKusal Mendis is unavailable having tested positive for Covid-19 since arrival. The batting order may not be set in stoneSri Lanka (possible) 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Binura Fernando, 11 Maheesh Theekshana

Pitch and conditions

The SCG generally produces very good pitches for T20 cricket. The bigger problem may be the weather with a high chance of showers during the day and some thunderstorms.

Stats and trivia

• Wanindu Hasaranga was the joint-leading wicket-taker in T20Is last year with 36 at 11.63
• The SCG has the second-highest economy rate of grounds to have hosted more than a single men’s T20I. At 8.53 it is marginally behind Hobart on 8.75
• This match will be the first time that Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood have played in a home T20I together

Quotes

“The first series after the World Cup win…so it’s really exciting to have a lot of new guys around the side as well and I guess quite a bit of pressure on after winning the World Cup. It does raise expectation. But we feel as though we’ve played some really good T20 cricket recently, so we’re excited about that.”
Aaron Finch“It’s always tough playing in these conditions but we have players who are in good rhythm and were doing really well during the last few months. These five matches will definitely help us with the preparation for the World Cup.”

Offspinner backs West Indies to run for World Cup title after winning “two games against top teams”

Firdose Moonda09-Mar-2022When Anisa Mohammed took the ball to deliver the 48th over in England’s chase in their World Cup game against West Indies, she her team was going to win. West Indies had just eight runs to defend, and England’s ninth-wicket pair had already plundered 61 runs, but Mohammed, West Indies most expensive frontline bowler on the day, knew she could do it.”I said to myself [that] I am a game changer. I am not going to leave it up to anyone else,” Mohammed said after West Indies eventually edged England by seven runs. “I just need six balls. And of those six balls, I just need two to be good. I just had to keep believing in myself, and I had to calm myself and just say one ball at a time, and I was able to get the job done.”As it turned out, she only needed four balls, and arguably, just one of them was really good: the delivery that Mohammed bowled full even as Anya Shrubsole went down the pitch. “I just told myself that I am going to bowl straight and she is going to miss. She’s tall and she’s going to miss.” And miss she did.Related

• Matthews-Mohammed magic stuns England as West Indies leave it late before coming up trumps again

Shrubsole yorked herself to give West Indies a second successive win in the tournament after Mohammed had also ran Kate Cross out at the non-striker’s end off the first ball. That dismissal came as a stroke of good fortune, as Mohammed stretched her right hand out in her follow-through to meet Sophie Ecclestone’s thunderbolt, and the ball ricocheted onto the stumps after brushing her fingers.Cross was backing up too far, as is often the case with batters looking to steal quick singles, but Mohammed’s quick reflexes underpinned her sense of belief that even if West Indies looked down, they were never out.”At no point did I think we were going to lose this game,” she said. “We knew we just needed one wicket or just keep building pressure. We kept saying every dot ball counts, and once we got one wicket, we were going to win this game.”That sense of belief has been a signature of West Indies in their two victories so far. In the first match, Deandra Dottin defended five runs off the last over, having not bowled in international cricket since September. This is after implored her captain to be given the ball. Self-belief like that, Mohammed thinks, can could see West Indies take down a few more big names and even challenge for the title.”We have quite a lot of game changers, and this time around, we have quite a lot of players who believe in themselves,” she said. “And as a team, we believe in each other. To win two games against top teams in the tournament is definitely a motivation for us. It gives us that confidence that we can defeat the top teams. Then once we play our best game, we can win this tournament.”A lot of teams count us as underdogs, and we have not been playing a lot of good ODI cricket lately. But we have nothing to lose. We have quite a lot of teams to surprise in this tournament.”Dottin was part of another game-changing moment when she leapt through the air at point to take a one-handed catch that dismissed Lauren Winfield-Hill. Mohammed, who had the “best seat in the house to see that”, said it speaks of Dottin’s commitment to contribute in all departments.”She sets a very high standard for herself in whatever aspect of the game she plays,” Mohammed said. “It was a spectacular catch, and I know we will continue to get more from Deandra.”But that is not the only player Mohammed thinks has more to offer more from. Her highest expectations are from herself, especially now that she lies just three wickets away from becoming the second-highest ODI wicket-taker of all time.”It’s one of the goals I set out when I was very young, and I am so close,” she said. “I am really excited.”Anisa Mohammed celebrates the win with Hayley Matthews, who played a key role again•ICC via Getty

So much so that she is memorialising her success. After West Indies’ warm-up match against India, Mohammed took a picture of herself with Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj to stand as a symbol of excellence in the women’s game.”Jhulan has the most ODI wickets, Mithali has the most runs and I am the highest [wicket-taking] spinner. I wanted to get a photo with the top players in the different categories in ODIs,” she said.Mohammed’s recent form is even more special to her because it comes after her career seemed headed for a premature end when she was dropped from the West Indies side to tour England in 2019. The preceding two years had been her leanest – she only played 11 ODIs in 2018 and 2019 combined, and took six wickets at 55.33 before a resurgence in 2021.She has since played 16 matches and claimed 26 wickets at 19.88, and has more in her sight.”I know I am a big player. Every player has a rough patch, and that was my rough patch,” she said. “Once I got back in, it was a matter of staying in the XI and contributing, and being able to win matches.”It was difficult but I am happy I am here and contributing. At the end of the day, it comes down to you and how you cope with pressure. As a player, I talk to myself a lot so it was just a matter of staying focused and believing in myself.”

Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh also made it to the quarter-finals

Sruthi Ravindranath06-Mar-2022Mumbai have qualified for the Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time since 2017-18, beating Odisha in the Elite Group D match by an innings and 108 runs in Ahmedabad. The win was set up by Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 165 off 181 balls, Armaan Jaffer, who made 125 off 223 balls and Shams Mulani. Mulani finished with a match haul of 7 for 117, including a five-for during Odisha’s second innings, which put him on top of the wicket-takers’ list this season. Odisha had posted 284 in the first innings on the back of Shantanu Mishra’s 89 after opting to bat.In reply, Mumbai got off to a strong start thanks to Prithvi Shaw’s fifty, but Rajesh Mohanty struck to reduce them to 76 for 3, as they lost three wickets in 12 balls. The strikes also included the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, who departed for a first-ball duck. But a 277-run partnership between Sarfaraz and Jaffer ensued before Prasanta Rana broke the stand with the latter’s wicket. Sarfaraz continued to pile on the runs, with Aditya Tare and Mulani pitching in with scores of 72 and 70 respectively, before Mumbai declared on 532 for 9. Sarfaraz now has 551 runs in three matches this season, at a staggering average of 137.75, with two centuries and one fifty. In the second innings, Odisha were off to a poor start, with Mulani and Raut running through the top order and reducing them to 66 for 5. Abhishek Raut fought back with a half-century but did not get much help from the other end as Mulani and Tanush Kotian wrapped them up for 140.Saurabh Tiwary and Kumar Kushagra made half-centuries in Jharkhand’s fourth-innings chase•PTI

Tamil Nadu were knocked out of the tournament following a two-wicket loss to Jharkhand in the Elite Group H match in Guwahati. With Chattisgarh drawing the match against Delhi, Jharkhand will now have to play a pre-quarter-final against Nagaland – the toppers of the Plate Group – as they have the least points among all teams that have topped their respective groups (and a lower run quotient among the teams tied on 12 points). Jharkhand captain Saurabh Tiwary followed up his first-innings half-century with a 93 in the second, while medium-pacer Rahul Shukla finished with eight wickets in the match, including a 5 for 29 in the second innings.Tamil Nadu’s first-innings total of 285 was set up by B Indrajith’s 100, his third century of the season. Jharkhand failed to erase the deficit in reply, making just 226, as M Siddharth and M Shahrukh Khan picked up seven wickets between them with their fingerspin. But Shukla didn’t let Tamil Nadu put up a sizeable second-innings total, restricting them to 152. Indrajith was the only batter to offer some resistance with a half-century, as he finished the season with 396 runs in three matches at an average of 99 and a strike rate of nearly 77. Jharkhand lost eight wickets during their chase of 212, but Tiwary stepped up once again and helped them get closer to the target in the end. It was Shukla who sealed victory, remaining unbeaten on 12.Related

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The other teams who have qualified to the quarter-finals from their respective Elite groups are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal.The Elite Group A match between Madhya Pradesh and Kerala finished in a draw, but MP are through to quarter-finals as they have a better run quotient. Electing to bat, MP declared on 585 for 9, as Yash Dubey made 289 and Rajat Patidar made 142. In reply, Kerala accumulated 432, with centuries from opener Ponnan Rahul and captain Sachin Baby.Ishan Porel, Nilkantha Das and Mukesh Kumar combined to bowl Chandigarh out for 260 in their defence of 412 in the Elite Group B match in Cuttack as Bengal booked their quarter-final berth. Abhimanyu Easwaran’s 114, and half-centuries from Anustup Majumdar, Manoj Tiwary and Sayan Mondal in the first innings helped them put 437 runs on board, following which their bowlers restricted Chandigarh to 206. They batted again and declared on 181 for 8, setting Chandigarh a target of 413. After Mukesh and Porel reduced them to 57 for 3, there was some middle-order resistance from Manan Vohra and Amrit Lubana, but Das broke the stand and a mini-collapse followed. Jaskaran Singh put up a fight with an 89-ball 60 not out but found no support from the other end.Karnataka thumped Puducherry by an innings and 20 runs in the Elite Group C match in Chennai. Devdutt Padikkal’s 178 and captain Manish Pandey’s 107 helped Karnataka amass 453 for 8 after they were put in. Puducherry replied with 241 thanks to captain D Rohit’s unbeaten ton. K Gowtham ran through the rest of the line-up to pick up a five-for. After being asked to follow on, Puducherry were bundled out for 192, despite Pavan Deshpande’s efforts to erase the deficit, as Shreyas Gopal finished with a five-for.Uttarakhand progressed to the knockouts despite a loss to Andhra in the Elite Group E match in Thumba. In reply to Uttarakhand’s 194, Andhra scored 226 as Shaik Rasheed scored a half-century. In the second innings, Uttarakhand crumbled to 101 as Cheepurapalli Stephen and S Ashish ran through the line-up, bagging five and four wickets respectively. Andhra chased down the target of 70 with relative ease, in 18.1 overs, with CR Gnaneshwar staying unbeaten on 42.Punjab wrapped up a six-wicket win against Tripura within three days in Delhi as they topped Elite Group F with 16 points. Baltej Singh’s five-for bundled Tripura out for 127, and in turn, Punjab were bowled out for 120 as Manisankar Murasingh picked up six wickets. Murasingh shone with the bat as well, making an 85 from No. 8 during Tripura’s second innings. Given a target of 240, Mandeep Singh stayed unbeaten on 97 to take Punjab over the line.Maharashtra declared on 211 for 5 in the second innings, setting Uttar Pradesh a steep target of 357. However, UP chased it down in the final session, with six wickets to spare, to grab a place in the quarter-finals. Almas Shaukat and captain Karan Sharma hit centuries to take them past 300. Rinku Singh also contributed handsomely with a 60-ball 78, which was laced with four sixes and five fours, to guide them home.Captain Ankit Bawne and Azim Kazi had taken Maharashtra to 462 after opting to bat first. In reply, UP made 317 on the back of Priyam Garg’s 156. Rahul Tripathi scored a century when Maharashtra batted again and they declared on the final day, following which UP achieved the target in 70.1 overs. UP edged Vidarbha by one point in the Elite Group G to progress to the next stage.Nagaland made it to the pre-quarter-final, after topping the Plate Group having beaten Mizoram at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Nagaland made 509 in the first innings, after being asked to bat, on the back of Shrikant Mundhe and Chetan Bist’s centuries. Mizoram were then bowled out for just 95 as quick Raja Swarnkar bagged 5 for 17. Nagaland, however, did not enforce the follow-on and went on to score 295 for 5 in the second innings, setting Mizoram an improbable target of 701. Mizoram could make just 261 in the second innings, as the line-up crumbled around captain Taruwar Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 151. Nagaland will be facing Jharkhand, who have the fewest points among Elite Group toppers, in the pre-quarter-final, which will be played just after the league phase.

Other results:

Yash Dhull raises his bat after reaching a double-century•PTI

Elite Group A: Gujarat beat Meghalaya by an innings and 139 runs in Rajkot. Captain Bhargav Merai and Het Patel starred with the bat, scoring 223 and 152 respectively.Elite Group B: Ravi Teja’s all-round show helped Hyderabad seal a win in three days against Baroda by 43 runs in Cuttack. He picked up 4 for 50 and then 4 for 70, and also contributed 56 with the bat in the second innings.Elite Group C: Railways were knocked out despite a big win against J&K in Chennai. Yuvraj Singh was named player of the match for his century in the first innings and two wickets in the match.Elite Group D: Defending champions Saurashtra ended their campaign with a huge win against Goa in Ahmedabad. Chirag Jani scored a century for Saurashtra, while Chetan Sakariya finished with a match haul of 9 for 93.Elite Group E: Services beat Rajasthan by 10 wickets in Thiruvananthapuram. After bowling Rajasthan out for 91, they went on to make 301, following which Rajasthan were able to erase the deficit only by two runs.Elite Group F: Captain Himanshu Rana’s first-innings ton took Haryana to a win over Himachal Pradesh. Himachal were set a massive target of 439 and were wrapped up for 157 as Amit Rana bagged four wickets.Elite Group G: Rajneesh Gurbani’s match haul of nine wickets helped Vidarbha beat Assam by five wickets. Vidarbha chased down the 156-run target on the final day even as Hridip Deka troubled the top order, as captain Faiz Fazal followed up his first-innings 86 with a 48-ball 41.Elite Group H: Chhattisgarh missed a spot in the quarter-finals after they failed to beat Delhi outright on the final day as the encounter ended in a draw in Guwahati. Amandeep Khare’s 156 not out helped Chhattisgarh declare on 482 for 9 in the first innings and then the team bowled Delhi out for 295. Following on, Yash Dhull continued his fine form in the tournament by scoring 200 not out, while Dhruv Shorey made 100.

Fast bowler focuses on Championship performances with Lancashire after Ben Stokes chat

Matt Roller16-Apr-2022Saqib Mahmood turned down an offer to become a replacement overseas player in the IPL in order to push his Test credentials by playing for Lancashire in the County Championship.Mahmood, 25, made his Test debut on England’s tour to the Caribbean last month, taking six wickets at 22.83 and impressing with his ability to reverse-swing the old ball. He has also shown glimpses of his skill in his 19 appearances in limited-overs internationals but opted against going to the IPL when an opportunity arose during the series against West Indies.”I turned down an IPL offer just to be here playing for Lancashire and try to push my red-ball credentials,” Mahmood said, speaking at a press day at Emirates Old Trafford. “I got an offer while we were out in the Caribbean and it was a decision I had to make.”I spoke to a couple of the guys around me and felt as though it was in my best interests at the moment to focus on red-ball cricket. Hopefully that can highlight my ambition to play Test cricket and to give myself the best chance to do that by performing here for Lancashire.”Mahmood declined to reveal which team made him an offer, and said that his decision had been informed in part by a discussion with Ben Stokes, who pulled out of this year’s auction following his release by Rajasthan Royals.”That was my choice,” Mahmood said. “It was funny because it came from a conversation I had with Stokesy over breakfast one morning. I got talking to him about why he didn’t go to the IPL and he said he wanted to prioritise red-ball cricket and be a part of the squad moving forward.”It was that same day that I got a call – a coincidence in timing, but for me the timing of that call was great because I had left that morning having had the chat with Stokesy, who would earn millions in the IPL but really wanted to push this team forward. I have that drive as well to try and be a part of that Test team and try to push that forward over the next few months.”I’ve had success with England in a white-ball shirt as well but how much I enjoyed myself out in the Caribbean – I have never enjoyed myself that much ever on a cricket field. It was a pretty flat wicket at Barbados… but I just thought the whole experience, and I did take it all in, playing Test cricket – nothing beats it.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Mahmood would have been granted a No-Objection Certificate since he holds a pace-bowling contract with the ECB. There is a cut-off date of February 28 for county-contracted players to sign for IPL teams, which cost Reece Topley the chance to replace Mark Wood at Lucknow Super Giants this season, but centrally-contracted players are exempt.Mahmood’s contract also means that his workload is managed by the ECB, and he has been rested for Lancashire’s first Championship game against Kent this week. “If I am involved in that first Test of the summer I would want to be there having got a decent number of overs under my belt – but not be flogged,” he said.Mahmood has already enjoyed success on the global T20 circuit•AP Photo

It is hard to imagine that he will not be involved after his performances in the Caribbean, where he established himself as England’s most promising young seamer. “Over the last couple of years I’ve been asked a lot of times, ‘do you think you are ready for Test cricket?’ and it’s something you can’t really answer until you’ve actually played,” he said. “Having played and the way I went about it, I do feel like that’s the level I belong at.”He also insisted that there had not been any awkwardness with his Lancashire team-mate James Anderson, whose omission was a contributing factor in Mahmood’s opportunity to make his debut last month. “Jimmy sent me a message when I got picked to congratulate me which was great of him,” he said. “Since I’ve been back here, we’ve had a great relationship – as we always have had.”There has been no awkwardness. I was hoping there wouldn’t be. It did cross my mind, but he is a professional, he is someone I am good mates with. There is competition but I’d like to think we can both play in the same team as well.”He is someone I have looked up to my whole career so it would be nice if I can play with him in an England Test shirt this summer. It would be amazing. I’d always thought that I would make my debut alongside Jimmy, so I was hoping that he wouldn’t retire just yet and he has kept going. Obviously I didn’t make my debut alongside him but hopefully I can play with him this summer.”They may shortly be sharing the new ball in the Championship, a role in which Mahmood wants to continue despite his success at first change for England. “I feel like [in the] long term, I want to be a new-ball bowler,” he said. “There will always be chances to bowl with the older ball but you only get one shot at bowling with the new ball.”I had a lot of success with it last year. I think the thing that sets me apart is my skills with the old ball but sometimes people forget what I can do with that new ball as well – which is something I’ve also shown with the white ball.”

He will fill in for head coach Rahul Dravid who will instead assist India’s prep in England

Shashank Kishore18-May-2022VVS Laxman will step in as India’s head coach on their two-T20I tour of Ireland in late June, filling in for Rahul Dravid, who will instead be in England to assist the team’s preparation for the rescheduled fifth Test from the tour last year as well as the limited-overs series.Dravid will be with India’s Test squad, which will play a four-day game in Leicester from June 24-27, before they move to Birmingham, where the Test against England will be played from July 1-5. He will join the tour party after the conclusion of India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 19 in Bengaluru.There will also be a clash of dates between India’s T20 warm-up games in England – against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire – and the Edgbaston Test, so there is a possibility of Laxman being with the team during those games as well.Laxman is currently the director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, a position he has been in since being appointed last year following Dravid’s elevation as head coach of the national team. He has earlier been involved in coaching capacities with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Bengal in the Indian domestic circuit as a batting consultant. Earlier this year, he was part of the support staff group with the India Under-19 World Cup-winning team in the Caribbean.India’s selectors are likely to pick separate squads for the tours on May 22. This is something they had to do in July last year too, when Dravid helmed the limited-overs leg in Sri Lanka with Shikhar Dhawan as captain, while Ravi Shastri was coach of the Virat Kohli-led Test team in England, for the World Test Championship final as well as the Test series that followed.With barely a week between the end of the South Africa T20Is and the start of the games in Ireland, it remains to be seen if the selectors pick the same squad for the shortest format.India’s Test specialists are likely to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test was pushed back following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp last year. India, who currently lead the series 2-1, will look to seal their first Test series win in the country since 2007. Incidentally, that series was won under Dravid’s captaincy.

Allrounder was part of the India side that reached the 2005 World Cup final against Australia in SA

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2022Rumeli Dhar, the India seam-bowling allrounder, has announced her retirement from international cricket, at the age of 38.Dhar played her last international match in the tri-nation women’s T20I series between India, Australia and England, at Brabourne in 2018. In all, she featured in four Tests, 78 ODIs, and 18 T20Is, scoring 1328 runs and taking 84 wickets across formats. She was also part of the India team that had reached the 2005 World Cup final in South Africa, where they lost to Australia by 98 runs. She was also the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England, with six strikes in four games at an economy rate of 4.78.”23 years of my cricket career that started from Shyamnagar in West Bengal, has finally come to an end as I announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” Dhar posted on Instagram.”The journey has been a prolonged one with highs and lows. The high was representing the Indian Women’s cricket team, playing the World Cup final in 2005 as well as leading the Women in Blue. A string of injuries plagued my career but I always come back stronger to make it count. Today as I bid adieu to the sport I have always loved, I thank my family, the BCCI, my friends, the teams I represented (Bengal, Railways, Air India, Delhi, Rajasthan and Assam) for believing in my abilities and giving me the opportunity to play for their teams. They helped pave my way towards the India team.”Each match in this prolonged career taught me a lesson that will help in my second innings. Like all journeys, mine will end as a cricketer today, but I promise to be associated with the sport and help nurture young talents in the country, giving back to the game in every way possible.””Thanking everyone for me who has been there through all my ups and downs, everyone who has loved me, my game, pushed me when I needed the most, cheered me at my worst, laughed with me, scolded me when I needed. I owe each one of you for everything I am today.”Today I am running out of the words to express the feeling that is within. Just want to thank everyone for being there for me…and giving me so much love all these years!”Having made her international debut in 2003, against England in Lincoln, Dhar made an unlikely comeback, to the Indian team at the age of 34, when she was called up to India’s T20 squad for their tour of South Africa in February 2018.

ODI tri-series are set for a comeback; 15 five-match T20I series are also proposed

Nagraj Gollapudi and Mohammad Isam16-Jul-2022The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, one of the most high-profile fixtures in international cricket, will be played as a five-Test series in the next ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) between May 2023 and April 2027. It will be the first time since 1992 that India and Australia are playing series comprising five Test matches.In 2018-19, India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia. Two years later, despite struggling with the absence of several key players, India achieved one of the greatest Test victories at the Gabba to beat Australia 2-1 once again. On both occasions, there were calls for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be contested over five Tests, and that has now become a reality with the BCCI and CA inking in two such series in the next four years.Related

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According to the near-final draft of the next ICC FTP, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, India will travel to Australia for five Tests in December and January 2024-25, and the return series will take place in India in early 2027. Both series are part of the next two World Test Championship cycles in 2023-25 and 2025-27 respectively.India are also scheduled to play two five-Test series against England – at home in early 2024 and away in 2025. The home series will be part of the 2023-25 WTC cycle, while the five Tests in England are part of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As per the draft FTP, India are scheduled to play 38 Tests, four fewer than England (42) and three fewer than Australia (41). Only two other countries have more than 30 Tests on their calendar: Bangladesh (34) and New Zealand (32).According to the norm, the series that comprise the WTC cycles were agreed upon by the participating countries themselves. While the series (see graphics) for both WTC cycles have been locked, there is still room for adjustment in the overall number of matches and dates. As a result, the ICC, which plays a facilitating role to help countries finalise the FTP, has identified several series in the draft FTP that need to be confirmed potentially by the end of the ICC annual conference on July 25 and 26 in Birmingham, England.

Other Test series – short and sweet

Apart from the series against Australia and England, India play more than two Tests in a bilateral contest only once: a three-Test series at home against New Zealand in October-November 2024. The rest of India’s WTC series are limited to two Tests. England and Australia, on the other hand, are scheduled to play several three-Test series over the next four years.In their home summer, Australia play three-Test series against Pakistan in December 2023 and South Africa in September-October 2026, followed by New Zealand between December and January 2027. Australia also play three Tests in the West Indies in June-July 2025.England play six series comprising three Tests – three at home and three away. The home series are against West Indies (June-July 2024), New Zealand (June 2026) and Pakistan (August-September 2026). The away series comprise tours to Pakistan (October 2024), New Zealand (December 2024) and South Africa (December-January 2027).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Return of the ODI tri-series

The presence of the ODI Super League, a qualification pathway for the World Cup in the ICC’s current FTP, discouraged boards from scheduling other bilateral ODI series and tri-series. But with the Super League being removed from May 2023, there is more space to schedule bilateral ODI series, and the tri-series is set for a comeback.Pakistan are likely to host New Zealand and South Africa in a tri-series in February 2025, ahead of the Champions Trophy in the same country. A few months later, in June-July, Zimbabwe are scheduled to host New Zealand and South Africa for another tri-series. And in October-November 2026, Pakistan are hosting a tri-series involving Sri Lanka and a third country that is yet to be confirmed.

Five-T20I series on the rise

The commercial benefit of playing more T20Is has resulted in a massive spike in five-match T20I series proposed in the next FTP cycle. There are 15 series comprising five T20Is that have been slotted – nine of them involve India – but some are yet to be confirmed.