All posts by n8rngtd.top

The performance of Chris Woakes, on his return to side was a huge boost for England as he absence of Ben Stokes was barely noticed

Melinda Farrell at Lord's12-Aug-2018England may be 2-0 up in the series after a resounding victory over India. They may have dominated the entire Indian batting line-up apart from Virat Kohli. Not to mention there is a chance Kohli may not be at full strength for Trent Bridge after battling back stiffness at Lord’s.And yet… Joe Root isn’t leading the wagon-circling just yet. That is to be expected of course. Captains are naturally cautious of prematurely blowing the victory horn, they’d rather wait until all the ladies of varying girth have packed up their vocal chords and gone home. So it was no surprise that Root was keen to play down any talk of smelling five-nil-type blood in the water after an innings victory that has left India in disarray.”Obviously, that would be the dream – to put in five complete performances and have five wins,” said Root. “But it’s important we don’t get complacent, arrogant, or look too far ahead.”We’re playing against the No. 1 side in the world, with some very talented players, and we have to make sure we keep looking to learn and develop.”We’re not the finished article – we’ve got a long way to go to where we want to get to. We’re going to have to start again and work extremely hard over the next five days to win the next game.”That’s got to be our mentality…of course, it’s a great position to be in – 2-0 up with three to go, going into Nottingham, which is a great place for us to play.”But we’ve really got to make sure we are realistic about things. Enjoy the position we’re in, and when we get our opportunities really try to put India under pressure and drive the game forward, but not get ahead of ourselves”The question of how to fit both Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes into one Test team is one that has hovered around the England camp for some time. Stokes’ availability for the third Test is completely out of England’s hands for now but his loss has been softened by Woakes’ Man of the Match performance – he took four wickets and made an unbeaten 137 – in his first match back from side and knee injuries.”Ben is obviously a huge part of this squad, so it’s a miss him not being here this week,” said Root. “But what it did do was create an opportunity for Chris to come in and perform – and boy, he didn’t disappoint did he? He was outstanding.”He’s a big part of our squad, all three formats, it’s been a frustrating summer for him, he’s been injured for a long part of it, and to get an opportunity to come in this week – the easy thing to do is get anxious, try a bit too hard, but he settled in magnificently well with that first spell in particular, then took that confidence into his batting, that partnership changed the game, turned it on its head, and got us miles ahead on that surface.”It’s a great headache to have for us, going into next week.”It’s nice to see guys really taking opportunities, and that’s something we really want to harness as an example to the guys in and around the squad – when you get your chance, make it as hard as possible to leave you out.England are mindful that their own performances with the bat and in the field have hardly been blemish free in the first two Tests and Root doesn’t want his side distracted by the prospect of any changes India make as they try to salvage the series.”We haven’t played the perfect performance yet, and that’s something we’ve got to keep striving towards, regardless of what team India have at Trent Bridge. We’ve got a place we want to get to as a side, and we have to continue to work hard to get there. It’s important we enjoy this win then we spend next couple of days getting good preparation into that third Test.”

One of the first things Tim Paine did after finding himself cleaning up the mess post-Newlands was to make it a point for his team to shake hands with the opposition

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai06-Oct-2018To shake hands or not to shake hands is perhaps not the most important conversation Sarfraz Ahmed will have this week. But to Tim Paine and this new Australia, as they move on from that era to this, what Paine called, “bit of a new one”, it is slightly more important.The two teams will shake hands before the Test begins, it was decided in a conversation between the two captains in between their press conferences that lasted about as long as a good, sturdy handshake.Sarfraz was slightly bemused by the request, asking only when and how it would happen (after the team photographs, before play, in case you were anxious to know).”Yes definitely, why not?” Sarfraz said later when asked whether he would take up Paine’s offer. “We have no issues. We actually talked about it just before the press conference. So we have no issues with shaking hands. It’s a very good sign. No issues.”One of the first things Paine did after finding himself cleaning up the mess post-Newlands was to make it a point for his teams to shake hands with the opposition, a practice generally restricted to football.”There’s no doubt this Test series is about winning,” he said. “We’re playing international sport so its the highest level and I think players will be judged on how many games we’ve won,” Paine said. “That’s certainly really important, but on the flip side of that, the image of Australian cricket is also really important to me and Justin and the rest of our team, so we’re going to be going about things in a really professional, really respectful manner and we’ll continue to do that for the foreseeable future.”That practice continued during their ODI series with England, the handshake becoming the clearest sign that this Australia would be better behaved on the field and more respectful towards their opponents than previous sides.But the pre-game handshake was absent from the last time Pakistan met Australia, in a T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe over the summer, where Aaron Finch was leading Australia.In fact, after the final of that series TV cameras clearly captured Glenn Maxwell not shaking Sarfraz’s hand as the Pakistan captain offered it after his side’s win. Maxwell later clarified it had been an oversight and “not the way I play the game”. Sarfraz and Maxwell had been at each other verbally during the game when Sarfraz was batting, and also right after the winning runs had been scored when Sarfraz ran on to celebrate.

Fidel Edwards’ pace also caught the eye on the opening day at The Oval where almost 3000 spectators soaked up the action

Paul Edwards at Kia Oval20-Apr-2018
ScorecardPosters in tube stations are sometimes weirdly prescient. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be,” asserts a current advert for the Globe’s production of , and Ophelia’s words seemed curiously apt on Friday morning as one exchanged a fetid underland for Kennington’s rather cleaner air. On Thursday the uncertain prospect of hundred-ball cricket in 2020 had been all our rage. Hours later spectators at The Oval – around three thousand of them this Friday stolen from June – watched in perfect absorption, though nothing like content, as Surrey were dismissed for 211 by Hampshire, whose batsmen reached 52 for the loss of both openers and nightwatchman Chris Wood by the close.The Saturday papers may still label it “the visitors’ day” but such an outcome had not seemed at all likely until Surrey squandered their last six wickets for 24 runs immediately after tea. Four of those wickets fell to Liam Dawson in successive overs from the Vauxhall End but the collapse had begun with the first ball of the session when Ollie Pope played across the line to Kyle Abbott and was sent on his way by Steve O’Shaughnessy, the batsman dismissed by a delivery whose only virtue was its straightness. Pope had played well for his 34 but was plainly not infallible, which some may see as letting the side down.But the youngster’s misjudgement was quickly followed by more grievous errors, some of them committed by cricketers who know better. Sam Curran drove Dawson to Wood at mid-off and Rikki Clarke brainlessly lifted the same bowler to the same safe hands at long on. In between these lapses, Ben Foakes, who had stroked the ball with polished ease for 46, was leg before to a quicker arm-ball. Dawson and Fidel Edwards disposed of the tail and the home side’s profligacy was complete.The extent of the wastefulness became plain when one recalled that four of Surrey’s top six had done the groundwork necessary for a major innings and had effected a recovery from a poor start. For in the first six overs of the day the home side had lost Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, both of whom were pinned leg before by Fidel Edwards’ inswingers. Rory Burns and Dean Elgar viewed those early wickets quite properly as proof that caution was needed and the pair batted with Puritan restraint in taking their side to 83 for 2 at lunch.In the interval hundreds of spectators wandered out and inspected the wicket. They did so in the manner of benevolent landlords returning to demesnes they had not visited for some time.Surrey’s third-wicket pair maintained their vigilance into the afternoon session. Then Burns was dismissed for 46 when an authentic glance off Edwards was neatly pouched by Sam Northeast who had been precisely placed at leg slip. It was a fine piece of cricketing craft, much finer at any rate than the inelegant and uncharacteristic slash which Elgar played to a wide ball from Wood, the edge being taken by McManus. That wicket left Surrey on 114 for 4 but Foakes and Pope’s 73-run stand repaired the innings until Dawson recalled the heyday of Peter Sainsbury and began to wheel away after tea.One’s mind turned briefly from a fine slow left-armer to the more immediate changes about to affect the English game. In two years’ time we shall be assailed by hundreds of balls and who knows what the penalty may be for non-compliance with the ECB’s trend hounds? “They say the owl was a baker’s daughter” muses Ophelia as she reflects upon the penalties for disobedience.For the moment, though, let us enjoy the County Championship. For on the day Surrey banned single-use plastics from The Oval, cricket’s older format again proved yet again that it should not be carelessly discarded. May your God be at your table this season but you had better make haste. Hampshire’s cricketers are already tucking in.

The ECB has secured a new sponsor for T20 cricket, although the deal with health and life insurance group Vitality will not include the proposed new-team competition for 2020

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2018The ECB has secured a new sponsor for T20 cricket, although the deal with health and life insurance group Vitality will not include the proposed new-team competition for 2020. Vitality takes over from NatWest, who remain the ECB’s “principal partner” with naming rights on England shirts.The new deal will cover the Vitality Blast for the next four years, as well as England men’s and women’s home T20I series for two years. The Blast is set to be overtaken as England’s main T20 competition in two summers’ time, when an eight-team tournament modelled along the lines of the IPL and Big Bash comes into being.NatWest succeeded Friends Life as the domestic T20 sponsor on a four-year contract in 2014, before widening its agreement with the ECB. That led to Investec, a rival financial services provider, ending its sponsorship of Test cricket in England early, with the board still looking for a replacement.The new T20 competition is hoped to lead to a big increase in interest and revenue, forming part of the comprehensive broadcast deal secured by the ECB last summer worth £1.1bn.”We’re excited to be working with a partner who shares our enthusiasm and passion for T20 cricket,” Rob Calder, the ECB’s commercial director, said. “It’s the fastest growing format of the game, an integral part of ECB’s long-term strategy and has a critical role to play in bringing new people to the sport.”Vitality are an established brand in the sports marketplace with a proven track record of using sponsorship successfully to grow fan-bases and improve participation levels. They’re a natural fit for a partnership to drive interest and engagement in all our different T20 competitions at every level.”Vitality has been an official partner of the ECB since 2013 and make use of England Test captain Joe Root as a brand ambassador. The company also has sponsorship arrangements in football, rugby, hockey and netball.Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the ECB for T20 cricket. T20 is a brilliant innovation that’s revolutionising the sport around the world.”This new sponsorship aligns with our own vibrant brand and fits with our desire to increase awareness and engagement among families and across all levels of the game while at the same time telling more people about Vitality.”

The Australian batsman is having a run to forget in T20 having failed to score in five consecutive matches including four golden ducks

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2019Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers, BBL, Adelaide: lbw b Laughlin7.2 LBW! Two in three balls! This was 132kph, full and straight, he was caught on the crease, maybe thinking a slower ball was coming, he was hit on the knee roll infront of middle and it wasn’t a tough decision. That was plumb.India v Australia, 1st T20I, Visakhapatnam: b K Pandya16.2 96.6 kph, and they are only going to get louder! Is there a way back for India still? Turner shuffles across and looks to sweep him fine, not the best idea against a wicket-to-wicket bowler like Krunal, and he is cleaned upKings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals, IPL, Mohali: c Miller b M Ashwin16.3 duck on IPL debut! This, strangely enough, is a slow, tossed up legbreak, possibly because Ashwin thinks he can bait the big hitter into a false shot. And bait him he does. The equation makes Turner go for it. The turn on the ball makes the shot go to long-off when he is looking to go dead straight. Miller runs in and takes the catch and Royals are in a mess againRajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Jaipur: lbw Bumrah18.1 make that 0, 0, 0, 0. Bumrah’s deadly inward angle and skiddiness does in another batsman. Turner’s front leg moves half-forward and across the stumps, and he ends up playing around his front pad looking to work it into the leg side. The angle beats his inside edge, and it’s the plumblest of lbw decisions thereafterRajasthan Royals v Delhi Capitals, IPL, Jaipur: c Rutherford b Ishant16.4 GONE AGAIN! Slower ball, outside off, and he was looking to get towards covers, but just popped it up towards Rutherford at cover. Third golden duck in a row! Somewhere, you just know Ajit Agarkar is watching and smiling

Allrounder staves off threat of follow-on as title-chasing Notts settle for draw

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025 Nottinghamshire 578 for 8 dec (James 203*, Haynes 103, McCann 79, Hutton 71) and 108 for 1 dec (McCann 52*, Hameed 50*) drew with Hampshire 454 (Organ 122*, Varma 112, Weatherley 52, Middleton 52)Hampshire’s Felix Organ scored his fourth Rothesay County Championship century to dash any final-day excitement for title-chasing Nottinghamshire at Utilita Bowl.Organ patiently collected his highest first-class score of 122 not out to make sure Hampshire avoided the follow-on to turn the day into a wait for the inevitable 4.50pm draw.The 14 points Nottinghamshire take from the match puts them level with Surrey at the top of Division One – with four rounds still to play.Hampshire’s 12 points leaves them sixth but just 13 points above the bottom two, having only won twice in the Championship this season.Organ is Hampshire’s version of James Milner. He fills in with whatever role his side needs.He began his career as an opening batter but more often finds himself in the side when a spinning pitch is expected, where he slots in lower down the order to lengthen the batting options.He is a fairly reliable insurance in both his skillsets, and it was his batting that took the fore on this occasion.He’d begun the week by scoring 101 out of 171 for his Southern Premier Cricket League side St Cross Symondians, where he also took a five-for to secure a victory.He ended it by making sure his county didn’t lose, and slip deep into the relegation battle.Organ had already scored 70 on the third evening, largely in a 126-run partnership with Indian sensation Tilak Varma, but returned this morning with 61-runs still required to avoid the follow-on.He needed others to stick with him.Nightwatcher Eddie Jack fell leg before to Josh Tongue – who produce a ferocious early morning spell – but James Fuller hung around for over and hour to score 16 in 40 balls to get Hampshire within a sniff of their target before he was bowled.Kyle Abbott simply went dot, four, six, six to alleviate any fears of defeat and beat the follow-on requirements. It left just over four hours to reach the earliest possible finish time.Each of Organ’s three previous centuries have bettered his previous best score. His maiden effort was exactly 100 back in 2019, before scoring 107 at home to Gloucestershire and then 118 in the reverse fixture in 2022.The trend continued after he went to three-figures in 266 with a six, as he was left unbeaten on 122 after Abbott was castled by Farhan Ahmed and Sonny Baker – who took 35 balls to get off the mark – was lbw.Nottinghamshire boasted a first-innings lead of 124 but there was little chance of setting up anything. Ben Slater calved to point before the last half an hour turned into a classic bore-draw farce.Wicketkeeper Ben Brown gave his pads and gloves to Varma to bowl some left-arm in an attempt to add to his one first-class wicket, while Fletcha Middleton showed off his medium-pacers for the first time in professional cricket.Haseeb Hameed and Freddie McCann reached the easiest half-centuries of their career in a 99-run stand before 4.50pm and handshakes rolled around.

Ashantha de Mel, the team manager, has written to the governing body, but says he hasn’t received a reply yet

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2019Sri Lanka team manager Ashantha de Mel has complained to the ICC about the “unfair” pitches he feels Sri Lanka have had to play their matches on, as well as the less-than-ideal training facilities and accommodation. The ICC has strongly denied the accusation that there has been favouritism.Although their two most-recent matches were washouts in Bristol, Sri Lanka had begun the tournament on two green decks in Cardiff, where they lost to New Zealand and narrowly beat Afghanistan. In the approach to their match against Australia at The Oval – a venue that has seen high-scoring games thus far – de Mel believes Sri Lanka have been saddled with another green track. As seaming conditions will ostensibly aid Australia, de Mel is unhappy.”What we have found out is that for the four matches we have played so far at Cardiff and Bristol, the ICC has prepared a green pitch,” he told . “At the same venues, the other countries have played on pitches are brown and favourable for high scoring.”The pitch being prepared for our match against Australia on Saturday here at The Oval is green. It is not sour grapes that we are complaining. But it is very unfair on the part of the ICC that they prepare one type of wicket for certain teams and another type for others.”There have been other inconveniences too, according to de Mel, which he said he has officially brought to the ICC’s notice.The Sri Lankans haven’t been too thrilled with their training facilities•Getty Images

“Even the practice facilities provided at Cardiff were unsatisfactory. Instead of three nets they gave us only two, and the hotel we were put up at Bristol did not have a swimming pool, which is very essential for every team – for the fast bowlers, especially, to relax their muscles after practice,” he said. “The hotels that Pakistan and Bangladesh were put up at Bristol had swimming pools.”We wrote to the ICC listing all these shortcomings four days ago but so far we have not had any response from them. We will continue to write to them until we get a reply.”The ICC has since provided an official response, pointing out that pitches are overseen by an independent advisor.”We employ an independent pitch advisor to work with the host curators at all ICC events and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 is no different,” an event spokesperson said. “We are happy with the wickets that have been produced across the event so far in English conditions.”As part of the four year planning process to deliver this event, we have liaised with all teams to ensure they are happy with their set up and are available to work with them should any issues arise that have not been previously anticipated. At the heart of our planning is the philosophy that all ten teams are treated equally to enable them to have the best possible preparation for the event.”Although Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne would not be drawn into the matter of unsatisfactory hotels and training facilities, he did express disappointment with the green surfaces. Both he and coach Chandika Hathurusingha had already said they would prefer to play on batting-friendly surfaces, and Karunaratne reiterated that on the eve of the match at The Oval.”I have already said that people expect entertainment from ODIs,” Karunaratne said. “They want 100-over games. If you take today’s game – between England and West Indies – it is a flat wicket, it is white in colour. If you take this Oval wicket, it is green. These are the things we weren’t expecting. Every wicket should be white-top. We want fair wickets. That’s all we want.”

The allrounder scored his seventh first-class century as the hosts scored at over four runs per over through the day

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Stumps
Scorecard
Moises Henriques whips one to the leg side•Getty Images

An unbeaten century from Moises Henriques helped New South Wales put Tasmania to the sword on day one at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Henriques punished a tired Tigers attack in the second half of the day, having entered in the 50th over after the top four had laid a strong platform. Nick Larkin and Ed Cowan put together a 115-run stand for the second wicket. Larkin made 85 and Cowan 68. The latter fell to 17-year-old off-spinner Jarrod Freeman who was on debut.Henriques then joined Kurtis Patterson and the pair made 156 runs in less than 35 overs before Patterson was bowled by Tom Rogers for 72. Rogers picked up his third scalp, Nic Maddinson, shortly after, to finish with three wickets. Henriques and Peter Nevill will look to continue the carnage on day two.

Codi Yusuf will be the third debutant for South Africa, who play a Test against Zimbabwe for the first time since 2017

Firdose Moonda27-Jun-2025

Big Picture: A first for South Africa in over a decade

South Africa have not even had the time to take the mace on tour and they’re headed off on their next assignments, though it is not a part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. They’re hopping across the border, without seven of the XI that won the WTC final less than two weeks ago (though Lungi Ngidi will join them for the second Test), to visit neighbours Zimbabwe, where they have not been for 11 years.Indeed, the two countries haven’t met in a Test since December 2017, and that was an experimental affair. It was South Africa’s first (and to date, last) dalliance with pink ball Tests and lasted a little more than a day. Of those who played in that fixture, only Keshav Maharaj, Craig Ervine and Blessing Muzarabani will feature in this one – a sign of how much things have changed.Maharaj will captain an inexperienced South African side after Temba Bavuma was ruled out, still nursing the hamstring injury that he batted, and battled, through in the WTC final. Three debutants – Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis and Codi Yusuf – will start the first Test and there is the possibility of two others – Lesego Senokwane and Prenelan Subrayen – being used for the second as South Africa mine their depth with an eye on the future.Related

• Ahead of Test debut, T20 star Brevis wants to be 'the same guy that plays all formats'

• Glimpse into South Africa's future: Young squad set for Zimbabwe challenge

• Conrad confident Maphaka can be 'main dog' in SA pace attack

Ervine leads Zimbabwe and will do so during their busiest period. They have already played five Tests this year and are due six more, all at home, and will also host a white-ball series against Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup Qualifiers.The volume of matches has not caused a reversal in results, with Zimbabwe still struggling for wins, though they pulled off their first in four years when they beat Bangladesh in April.Muzarabani, the other 2017 survivor, is their headliner but there’s lots of other talent on offer. They have a good mix of youth and experience across the team including the longest serving active international in Sean Williams and newcomers Brian Bennett and 19-year-old left-arm seamer Newman Nyamhuri.Blessing Muzarabani is one of the bigger names in the Zimbabwe team•AFP/Getty Images

Still, on paper, you’d be forgiven for reading this as a mismatch of the biggest kind. South Africa are world champions, with not as much Test cricket as they’d like to have, while Zimbabwe don’t even compete in the WTC, much as they would want to. But the countries share a border, and a vision for the 2027 World Cup, they will co-host with Namibia and this is the start of closer relations.Zimbabwe are even rumoured to be planning a celebration for South Africa, to congratulate them on their WTC win and perhaps bask in some of the glory.

Form Guide

Zimbabwe: LLWLL
South Africa: WWWWW

In the spotlight: Brian Bennett and Dewald Brevis

Bennett, who spent a year at South African school Kingswood, has had a dazzling start to his Test career. In seven matches, he has two centuries, one in Bulawayo and one in England, which was Zimbabwe’s fastest in the format, and two half-centuries, both in Bangladesh. Though he has been up against Josh Tongue, Sam Cook and Gus Atkinson, South Africa’s pace attack will likely be the quickest he has faced and could present him with his sternest challenge and/or his biggest opportunity. Bennett likes to take the ball on, and is particularly confident against the short stuff and with South Africa announcing an XI with four quicks, he maybe licking his lips at the prospect of cashing in.It is finally time for Brevis, regarded as a prodigy on the South African scene since he topped the run-charts at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, to strut his stuff on the big stage. Brevis has had a stellar summer, finishing second on the first-class run-scorers’ list with a strike-rate of 88.69 alongside good returns in the domestic one-day cup (also the second-highest run-scorer), SA20 (sixth-highest) and IPL. Coach Shukri Conrad is most impressed by the maturity Brevis has shown since first making his international debut (in T20Is) two years ago and then facing questions over his readiness to step up. Conrad also sees him as offering them a bowling option with “not-so-filthy” legspin and is being primed for a big role in future.Dewald Brevis caught everyone’s eye at the 2022 U-19 World Cup•ICC via Getty Images

Team News: Three debutants for SA

Ben Curran’s broken finger has opened the door for Bulawayo’s own Prince Masvaure to make a return after a year on the sidelines. Nick Welch, who missed the outing in England as Zimbabwe opted for an extra spinner, should return to No. 3 to shore up the batting line-up. With Richard Ngarava injured, Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga could make up the seam contingent and they will likely have three spin options in Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa and Wessly Madhevere.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Prince Masvaure, 3 Nick Welch, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Craig Ervine (capt), 6 Wessly Madhevere, 7 Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Vincent Masekesa, 10 Tanaka Chivanga, 11 Blessing MuzarabaniSouth Africa will hand out three new caps to Pretorius, Brevis and Yusuf, who was preferred over Subrayan in an XI that will include four quicks. Wiaan Mulder, who batted at No. 3 in the WTC final, will do so again in this series and form part of a pack that includes Corbin Bosch, Kwena Maphaka and Yusuf.South Africa: 1 Matthew Breetzke, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Wiaan Mulder, 4 David Bedingham, 5 Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Codi Yusuf, 11 Kwena Maphaka

Pitch and Conditions: Low and slow

Pitches at Queens’ Sports Club are known to be hard work for both batters and bowlers, with runs coming at 3.34 to the over, with spinners slightly more effective than seamers. In five Tests since 2023, spinners have taken 85 wickets at 29.62 and seamers 71 at 34.74. What has yet to be tested is the threat that out-and-out pace will pose, which may become evident in this series. The weather is set fair for the next few weeks but mornings will be chilly with temperatures in single-figures Celsius.Craig Ervine, who is one of three players who played the last South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test, will lead his country•AFP

Stats and Trivia: Sean Williams on top of the world

• Zimbabwe have not won a Test in Bulawayo since beating Bangladesh in 2001. Since then, they have played 20 Tests at Queens and lost 15. They have also not won a home Test since 2013, when they beat Pakistan in Harare. They have hosted 17 matches since then, lost 13 and drawn four.
• South Africa are currently on an eight-match winning streak, one fewer than their longest run of nine Tests, between 2002-03. A series sweep in Zimbabwe will give them their longest winning run.
• Williams, who has been playing international cricket for two decades, has the highest batting average among players who have scored more than 1,000 runs since 2020.

Quotes

“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to captain the side once again and in my favourite format of the game. It’s a privilege. I’m a very laid-back captain. I’m always open to advice, but I also allow the bowlers to come up with their own plans because I always believe in growth. I am someone that if I need to put my foot down, I will. I just want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable so that they can execute their skill best on the field.”

England big-hitter reminisces about his new IPL franchise: ‘When I was watching IPL years ago, if they were playing, I’d turn the TV on’

Matt Roller26-Nov-20246:59

Moody: ‘RCB’s top seven looks formidable with Tim David at No.7’

It is a situation that only the vagaries of the IPL auction can explain. Eleven months after attracting no interest from the 10 franchises, Phil Salt attracted a winning bid of INR 11.50 crore – around GBP 1.08 million or USD 1.37 million – from Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday night, and will spend next spring opening the batting with Virat Kohli at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Despite his snub at last year’s auction, Salt became an integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning side in IPL 2024. Having signed as a replacement player, he scored 435 runs – at a strike rate of 182 – and formed a dynamic opening partnership with Sunil Narine. KKR bid aggressively to get him back on Sunday, but ended up running out of funds.KKR had retention rights on Salt before the auction, but opted to keep hold of six other players instead. “There wasn’t a whole heap of chat around retention,” Salt told ESPNcricinfo. “I feel like, having just won the IPL, they probably had the hardest job of all the franchises, figuring out which direction they were trying to go in with their retentions, so I just sort of left them to it.”Related

• IPL 2025: How the ten teams stack up after the mega auction

• IPL auction: Chahal the most expensive spinner ever, Starc joins the 50-crore club

• Who is Bevon Jacobs, Mumbai Indians' latest under-the-radar recruit?

• Bethell to debut for England in first Test against New Zealand

They entered a bidding war with RCB, but after spending INR 23.75 crore to bring Venkatesh Iyer back, found themselves pulling out. “As you saw, they went hard to try and bring me back,” Salt said. “But with the way the auction went for the different teams up to that point, maybe there wasn’t enough money in the room.”The result is that Salt will form part of a characteristically formidable RCB batting line-up, with head coach Andy Flower confirming he will open with Kohli. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Virat,” Salt said. “I’ve always had a bit of chat with him – and a laugh and a joke – when I’ve played against him in the past, so I’m looking forward to playing alongside him.”He looks like a natural fit for a franchise associated with fearless batting, and recalls watching Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers playing for them as a teenager. “They’ve got a very clear way of playing the game which is to go out and attack,” Salt said. “They’ve always had the fiery personalities and their batting line-ups have been world-class.”They’re one of a few teams who, when I was watching IPL years ago, if they were playing, I’d turn the TV on. Obviously they’ve got Andy there and Mo Bobat [as director of cricket], and I’m really looking forward to playing under them. Having been around them a little bit, I know that we’re quite similar thinkers on the game in some ways – and their track record speaks for itself.”Phil Salt made quite a mark at KKR at IPL 2024•BCCI

Salt followed the auction from the United Arab Emirates, where he is playing for – and captaining – Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10. “It was pretty cool,” he said. “Obviously it feels like a long way away at the minute, but I’m very, very excited for it.”He will have two England team-mates for company in Bengaluru: Liam Livingstone, who has spent the last three seasons at Punjab Kings, and IPL newcomer Jacob Bethell. “He’s very committed, and there’s not many people out there that have the skill that he’s got,” Salt said of Bethell. “Hopefully, he does well in his Test debut coming up.”Salt revealed his own ambitions to play Test cricket earlier this year, but his chance to press his case for selection in the County Championship was thwarted by his IPL deal and he has not played a first-class game in over a year. He was mentioned as a contender when Jordan Cox went down injured in New Zealand this week, but Ollie Robinson is the preferred replacement.Salt recently signed his first central contract with England, but has not yet sought talks with either Rob Key or Brendon McCullum to discuss a potential route into the Test side. In any case, there is unlikely to be a vacancy after the New Zealand tour when Jamie Smith returns from paternity leave.”It’s been said before that you don’t have to play a load of red-ball cricket to make a case,” Salt said. “But I’m pretty content with where I’m at, at the minute… It is tricky. I’d have liked to play more. I’d like to play all formats, but the way that the schedule is at the minute for me, that’s not the easiest thing to do.”