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LSG coach Justin Langer has said it may take a little more time before Shamar Joseph is unleashed on the IPL

Vishal Dikshit29-Mar-2024

Match details

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Lucknow, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Welcome home, Lucknow Super Giants

The last time these two teams met, there were relentless fireworks in Mohali, where LSG first racked up 257, the second-highest IPL total then, followed by Kings’ 201.The two teams now meet in Lucknow, a venue of low bounce and low totals last year, when conditions changed depending on the colour of the soil, with the home team preferring black to red for most games. A red-soil pitch is expected on Saturday, which could mean more bounce and pace for the quicks and not much of a party for the spinners. If that’s how the action unfolds, there’s likely to be pressure on LSG’s pace unit because, on paper, their trio of Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq and Yash Thakur (they aren’t considering Shamar Joseph yet) pales in comparison to Kings’ more all-round attack of Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel.How can LSG make up? With their high-voltage batting that boasts of Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers and Ayush Badoni. Kings aren’t behind at all with the batting firepower in their ranks, but Jonny Bairstow is yet to score for them the way he did for Sunrisers Hyderabad (he missed IPL 2023 with injury), and the big names of Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone along with the hard-hitting Prabhsimran Singh need to ensure that they emerge as one of the quickest-scoring teams, unlike last year when their collective strike rate of 143.80 was sixth overall.LSG are currently placed bottom of the table after just one game, while Kings have won one out of two, and the comforting factor LSG will bank on is home advantage this IPL – home teams have won each of the first nine games of the tournament.LSG’s new head coach Justin Langer said he was happy to get his team’s opening game out of the way, “get a bit of rust out”, and is eager to cash in on home-ground advantage.

Team news – No Shamar Joseph yet, Kings likely unchanged

LSG’s pace stocks aren’t a match for Kings’ on paper, but they will wait a little longer to unleash Shamar Joseph onto this league, Langer confirmed on the eve of the match. “I love his spirit and athleticism but he’s still very young,” Langer said of Joseph. “He’s pushing hard for selection but I don’t think he’ll play tomorrow though.” Langer further said LSG have traditionally played three overseas batters and one foreign bowler which has brought them success, but they will decide a final XI on Saturday.Kings went unchanged for their second game and are likely to continue that, unless there is a niggle.Punjab Kings have won one and lost one so far•AFP/Getty Images

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super GiantsAfter bowling first in their first game, LSG had substituted specialist bowler Yash Thakur with spin-bowling allrounder Deepak Hooda in the chase. If the pitch on Saturday aids spin more than pace, they could use Hooda through the game and use a specialist batter, such as Ayush Badoni or Padikkal, in the impact role.Probable XII: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 , 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Nicholas Pooran, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohsin Khan, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq, 12 Punjab KingsIn both games so far, Kings have used Prabhsimran Singh and Arshdeep Singh as their impact subs depending on the toss result, and that is likely to continue.Probable XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 , 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Rahul Chahar, 12

Stats that matter –

• KL Rahul vs Kagiso Rabada could be an exciting contest – the LSG captain has scored 50 runs off 36 balls from Rabada’s in the IPL while being dismissed three times.
• Padikkal facing Arshdeep Singh could be similar, because the batter has scored 49 off 31 against the let-arm quick in the IPL while being sent back three times.
• Pooran batted at No. 6 in LSG’s first game and he’ll try to bat deep to face Harshal Patel in the death. Pooran has smashed 25 runs off 10 balls against Harshal without falling even once in the IPL.
• Against popular perception, left-hand batter Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t have a great record against the left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya: 29 off 26 with no dismissal and just one four and one six.

Pitch and conditions – red soil or black?

The Ekana Stadium was the worst ground for batters in IPL 2023. The average scoring rate of 6.93 was the lowest among the 10 venues that hosted at least five matches, the balls-per-boundary ratio of 7.7 was the highest, and the bounce was often low especially on black-soil surfaces. How these two high-octane batting line-ups play here will be interesting to watch.

Quotes

“I’m not going to lose one second’s sleep over KL Rahul.”
“Speaking on the Ekana pitch, I am aware of how the bounce and dimensions work on this surface. So my task is to inform the players on which are the good pockets where we can bowl on to get the maximum from the pitch.”
PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi is familiar with the Lucknow surface because he coaches the Uttar Pradesh team in domestic cricket

Eden Gardens will host the IPL opener as well as the final, on May 25

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jan-2025IPL 2025 is set to start on March 21 with Eden Gardens hosting both the season opener and the final on May 25. It is also understood that WPL 2025 will be held between February 7 and March 2.Ahead of the mega auction in November, the IPL had shared with the franchises the windows for the next three seasons (2025-27). For 2025, the window was between March 15 and May 25. However, with the 2025 Champions Trophy final scheduled for March 9, the IPL decided to keep close to a two-week gap between the tournaments. The full IPL schedule is expected to be out later this month.As has generally been the case, the home venue of the defending champions will host the opener and final. This season it’s Eden Gardens, home base of Kolkata Knight Riders who won IPL 2024. While Eden Gardens will also host Qualifier 2, the first two playoff matches – Qualifier 1 and Eliminator – will be played in Hyderabad.The 2025 season will comprise 74 matches, the same as the last three seasons – ten fewer than the 84 games a season listed by the IPL in 2022, when media rights for the 2023-27 cycle were sold. In the tender document for the new rights cycle, the IPL had listed a varying number of matches per season: from 74 games in 2023 and 2024, 84 in 2025 and 2026, and a maximum of 94 games for the final year of the deal in 2027.

Four venues shortlisted for WPL

The BCCI has also added two new venues for the WPL. Along with Mumbai and Bengaluru, Baroda and Lucknow will also host WPL games this year. The exact number of matches at each venue is not yet known as the WPL schedule is not yet out for the season scheduled to begin on February 7.

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.

Shamar Joseph could play his first Test in his home nation while Nandre Burger could return for South Africa

Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2024

Big Picture: West Indies, South Africa look to go back to winning ways

That competitive edge we were hoping for in the series opener showed itself on the last day of the rain-affected match, where both teams did all they could to avoid a draw. In the end, too much time was lost to rain and they had to settle for Test cricket’s first draw in 28 matches. The teams will want to get back to winning ways in Guyana.Happily, the elements are not expected to have as much of an impact and more play should be possible. Both teams have plenty of things to work on. At the outset: getting a batter (or two) to convert a start into a three-figure score will be top of mind. Three South Africans – Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs – and one West Indian – Alick Athanaze – scored half-centuries in Trinidad and there were nine other individual scores in the 30s, which suggests that getting in was less of an issue than staying in. The placidity of the pitch aside, batting in this series appears to be a test of patience and the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite and David Bedingham, who are known for their ability to hold vigils in the middle, could be among those to watch out for.For bowlers, the challenge of Test cricket is always time-based as they seek to stay disciplined for long periods. This series appears to demand more than most as Jayden Seals – who bowled eight spells in South Africa’s first innings in Trinidad – and Keshav Maharaj – who sent down 40 successive overs in West Indies first innings – showed. We’ve seen excellent examples of persistence and quality of skill which should continue into the second Test, where there’s plenty at stake.Keshav Maharaj put in long shifts during the first Test•AFP/Getty Images

West Indies remain rooted to the bottom of the World Test Championship points table and are seeking their second win. Their next assignments are against Bangladesh in the Caribbean followed by a tour to Pakistan, and they will want to maximise all the home advantage they can. The drawn first Test means South Africa will face each of their next seven Tests in this World Test Championship cycle as a must win. If they manage a perfect record, their chances of qualifying for the final will be almost certain. If they slip up somewhere, they could still get to Lord’s but will have to rely on other results, among teams who play far more than they do, to go their way.

Form Guide

West Indies: DLLLW ()
South Africa: DLLLW

In the Spotlight: Alick Athanaze and Kyle Verreynne

Alick Athanaze fell eight runs short of a first Test hundred in Trinidad, helped save the Test and looked comfortable against the short ball, and used the sweep shot well. His composure against South Africa’s more experienced players – Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada – was also impressive. He has already been identified as a key cog in the revival of West Indies’ long-format fortunes and could underline that with another big performance at a place in which he has historically done well: Guyana. Athanaze has played two first-class matches in Providence and crossed fifty three times. He scored 66 against Guyana in 2019, and 81 and 97 against Jamaica in March 2023.Kyle Verreynne will hope to find form in Guyana•AFP/Getty Images

If South Africa want the option of playing only six batters, they will have to believe Kyle Verreynne can score big runs when needed. He’s had a stop-start time in the Test squad, was dropped for the now-retired Heinrich Klaasen, and faces some competition from Ryan Rickelton. So, Verreynne will want to make use of the opportunities he gets quickly, he has not gotten past 39 in his last five innings. But he will want to draw from his first-class success, where he averages almost fifty, to find form in Tests.

Team News: Burger, Shamar likely to return

It would seem amiss not to play Shamar Joseph at home, especially as he is yet to play an international at Providence. After Gudakesh Motie went wicketless in Trinidad, Shamar may be in, leaving Jomel Warrican as the primary spinner.West Indies (Probable XI): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Jomel Warrican, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shamar JosephSouth Africa were comfortable going into the first Test a bowler short but with the series on the line, they may have to sacrifice the length of their line-up to equip themselves with enough firepower to push a win. That could mean benching Ryan Rickelton and choosing between left-armer Nandre Burger or an extra spinner in Dane Piedt to give them a 6-5 split.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder/Dane Piedt, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Nandre Burger

Pitch and Conditions: Tough outing for the batters?

With only two Tests played at this ground, and the last of those 13 years ago, there is scant data to go on for what to expect here, but the first-class numbers may tell us something. In 2023, it hosted three red-ball matches and the average first-innings score of 206, which suggests that batters are in for another tough outing. The venue seems to offer enough for both seam and spin with quicks taking 67 wickets in 2023 at 20.20 and an economy of 3.35 and spinners 49 wickets at 21.20 with an economy rate of 2.55.There are some afternoon thunderstorms forecast throughout the match, but the outlook is mostly sunny and dry. The players may need a few extra drinks breaks, though as temperatures will hover in the upper-30 degrees range but with humidity above 90%, so the real feel will be closer to 40 degrees.

Stats and Trivia:

• There have only been two Test matches played at Providence before and West Indies have a 1-1 record. They lost to Sri Lanka by 121 runs in 2008 and beat Pakistan by 40 runs in 2011.
• Aiden Markram had never been part of a drawn Test before the Trinidad match. He was part of a 37-game streak in which games have either been won or lost by South Africa.
• Kagiso Rabada needs five wickets to get to 300 in Tests. If he gets there in this Test, he could be the fastest South African to reach the landmark by number of balls. Rabada has bowled 11,596 balls in Tests so far. Dale Steyn, the quickest South African to 300 wickets by number of matches, got there in 12,605 balls. That gives Rabada 168.1 overs to get to 300 quicker than Steyn.
• In 15 home Tests between 2018 and 2021, Jason Holder took 64 wickets at an ave of 16.4. Since 2022, in six home Tests, he has seven wickets at 58.85.

Quotes

“On the previous game, there was obviously a little bit of frustration. We felt that with a little bit more time, a result could have been possible. Games ending as draws are few and far between and it wasn’t the case of both teams playing super well over five days. I’m yet to be in that situation. It would be nice to be involved in a test where both teams play at their best and at the end of the day, you can’t get a winner. Test cricket has become attacking. That’s an obvious thing because of T20 cricket. But in these conditions, I think it can be a bit tough to be overly attacking in slow wickets.”
“Batting-wise, in the first innings we could’ve put more runs on the board. I think that’s a big focus of ours and bowling-wise, the pitch didn’t offer much, especially the fast bowlers. They [the bowlers] didn’t get much spin in the first innings as well, but we were quite disciplined.”

Pat Cummins is rested from the entire tour, while Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will join for the ODIs against England

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-20241:23

Clarke: Some Australia players might walk away from T20Is

Perth Scorchers and Western Australia allrounder Cooper Connolly has been handed his first international call-up for Australia’s T20I squad to face Scotland and England, while Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in both the T20I and ODI squad as the selectors start to glance towards the future.Australia will play three T20Is against Scotland and England from early September, and the squad reflects the start of the transition from the group that exited the recent T20 World Cup in the Super Eights. The ODI squad is more stable with an eye on next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.Fraser-McGurk’s inclusion had been expected, and he now has the chance to establish himself as David Warner’s successor at the top of the order in both limited-overs formats. He has yet to make his T20I debut, but played two ODIs against West Indies last season.Related

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Connolly, the 20-year-old left hand batter, has only featured in 15 domestic T20s, but played a starring role in the BBL 2022-23 final to secure Scorchers the title. He strikes at 145.80 in T20s, and also provides a useful left-arm spin option. Connolly also made 90 on his Sheffield Shield debut, in the final, earlier this year.”We haven’t had that many bolters for a little while,” national selector George Bailey said. “He’s an exciting young talent. Hasn’t played a great many games yet, but we really like his versatility. His work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been really impressive. Handy left-arm spin as well which, as a secondary skill, is something we are really keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.”Mitchell Marsh remains the T20I captain, and will also lead the ODI side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is rested from the entire Scotland and England tour ahead of the home summer. Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell will also miss the T20Is before joining for the ODIs, while allrounder Matthew Short, who was a traveling reserve at the T20 World Cup, will remain at home for the birth of his first child before arriving for the five ODIs against England.Cummins is currently among the group of Australians taking part in the ongoing MLC, but Bailey said missing the Scotland and England tour had been in the planning for around 12 months with an eye on a condensed schedule that comes once the home summer begins.”He’s got a couple of things he wants to work on physically,” Bailey said. “He’s had a lot of cricket over the past period, and this is an opportunity to get on top of those and set him up for the next period of time; it’s more a management of that. The MLC opportunity came reasonably late, [and] as far as the plan went, it’s an extra 18 or 19 days that he’s up for, [so] it doesn’t fundamentally change the plan we had for him.”2:32

Bailey impressed with Connolly’s ‘versatility’

From those who featured in the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies last month, Ashton Agar and Matthew Wade have been dropped from the T20I squad, while Warner has retired.In the T20I squad, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis will be part of the pace attack alongside the experience of Josh Hazlewood. Allrounders Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie are included across both formats with the former likely to see far more opportunity. Josh Inglis will replace Wade with the gloves in T20Is.Alex Carey is back in the ODI squad as Inglis’ understudy, having lost his place in the XI during last year’s World Cup.The T20Is against Scotland, which replace the tour of Ireland which was cancelled by the hosts for financial reasons, take place on September 4, 6 and 7. Three T20Is against England follow on September 11, 13 and 15, followed by the five ODIs.

Australia T20I squad vs Scotland and England

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad vs England

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Franchises could make players direct offers of multi-year contracts worth up to £300,000 per season as a result

Matt Roller01-Oct-2024The Hundred franchises could make players direct offers of multi-year contracts worth up to £300,000 per season if an overhaul to the tournament’s draft system being considered by the ECB is approved. The board is also considering lobbying the UK’s Home Office to permit each team in the Hundred to field a fourth overseas player in the XI, an increase from the current limit of three.The ECB started the process of selling stakes in each of the eight Hundred teams last month and has told prospective investors that total wage bills could increase by over 80% next year. Each team currently spends around £1.9 million per year on salaries across men’s and women’s players and coaches, which is projected to jump to more than £3.5m per year once deals are signed off.If the early-stage plans are approved and the sale process moves quickly, top salaries could climb from £125,000 to £300,000 in the men’s Hundred ahead of the 2025 season, and from £50,000 to over £100,000 in the women’s Hundred. The changes would put the Hundred’s total salary spend second to the IPL among men’s leagues, and second to the WPL among women’s leagues.Related

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The Hundred has consistently attracted the best overseas players in the women’s game, but not the men’s. This year, Shaheen Shah Afridi pulled out of his deal with Welsh Fire because Canada’s Global T20 was due to pay him at a more competitive rate, while Pat Cummins revealed he “hadn’t thought” of playing in the Hundred while he was at Major League Cricket.As a result, the ECB is considering allowing an updated recruitment model which would allow each franchise to make up to six direct overseas signings – three men’s and three women’s – on multi-year contracts, following the lead of several other leagues including the BBL, ILT20 and SA20. The existing draft system would remain but with increases in salary bands across the board, particularly at the top end.Vikram Banerjee, who is running the sale process at the ECB, said recently that the Hundred has “fallen behind” a number of other short-form leagues in attracting top men’s players. “We are the sixth highest-payer in the men’s game,” Banerjee told the podcast. “We’re about to go seventh if we stay still at the moment – which we won’t.”Banerjee also suggested that top salaries would grow at a much more significant rate than those at the bottom. “The 15th selection in a 15-man squad, with all due respect, you don’t need to pay huge sums for. They might be an up-and-coming player,” he said. “It’s that top three or four players [per team] that you do need to pay to get their time and their effort to be there, and we have fallen behind.”Top salaries could climb from £50,000 to over £100,000 in the women’s Hundred ahead of the 2025 season•Getty Images

The plans would also see each team able to sign one designated ‘England star’ on a multi-year deal, worth around £100,000 in the women’s competition and £250,000 in the men’s. The proposed increase in overseas players per playing XI from three to four would bring the tournament in line with the global standard set by the IPL, WPL, PSL and SA20.ESPNcricinfo understands that while the plans have been circulated to prospective investors, they are at a relatively early stage and may not come to fruition until 2026, depending on the speed of the ongoing sale process. The ECB has declined to comment.The Hundred’s sale process has come under fire in the past week. Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations, conceded that it could take until beyond the 2025 season to complete, and the process was described last week as “a big fat Ponzi scheme” by Lalit Modi, the founder and architect of the IPL who is serving a life ban from the BCCI.”I don’t recognise his particular comments,” Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, told the BBC last week in response to Modi’s criticism of the Hundred’s financial projections. “It wasn’t so long ago that he [Modi] had an article in the saying he wanted to buy the competition for £1 billion.”Gould insisted the ECB are “very confident” in the strength of English cricket. “We’ve got nearly 100 or so interested parties involved in [the Hundred sales process] which is a huge number… Everyone knows that the money that comes in, we want to use it to protect and then supercharge the game throughout our county network and beyond.”The Hundred’s 2025 season will start in early August, immediately after England’s men complete a Test series against India.

Saif Zaib passes 1000 runs for season but Northants wobble again after conceding 364 deficit

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Northamptonshire 261 (Zaib 82, Higgins 4-51) and 64 for 3 trail Middlesex 625 for 8 dec by 300 runsRyan Higgins moved to the top of Middlesex’s wicket-taking chart for the season as his side closed in on a Rothesay County Championship victory over Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.Higgins finished with 4 for 51, with Noah Cornwell taking 3 for 48 as the visitors were made to follow on 364 behind – and the medium-pacer then grabbed two quick top-order wickets second time around to further improve his season’s tally to 32.Northamptonshire stumbled to 64 for 3 at stumps and their plight would have been deeper but for rain stoppages and Saif Zaib’s first-innings 82, which made him the county’s first player to register 1000 first-class runs in a season since Ben Duckett in 2016.Zaib was almost the fastest to that landmark across the Championship circuit, but the 27-year-old narrowly missed out to Surrey’s Dom Sibley, who got there just 15 minutes earlier at Scarborough.Middlesex rotated their seam quartet when the visitors resumed on 126 for 4, but their spin options were limited after Zafar Gohar, tumbling to deal with George Bartlett’s cover drive, landed awkwardly on his shoulder and had to leave the field.Bartlett, having steered Tom Helm neatly through gully for four, repeated the stroke later in the over and picked out the fielder this time, but Zaib continued to progress steadily as he built a partnership with Rob Keogh.Keogh, who had injured a finger while fielding on day one, did well to withstand a couple of Helm deliveries that rose sharply down the slope and helped Zaib to add 55 before Cornwell had him caught down the leg side.The left-hander went on to pass 50 for the ninth time in this season’s Championship, ushering Northamptonshire’s total beyond 200 before rain arrived to send the players off for an early lunch.Dom Leech provided spirited support, finding the boundary four times in his knock of 22 while Zaib capitalised on successive short balls from Leus du Plooy, pulling the slow left-armer for six and four. Higgins broke the seventh-wicket stand of 64 with two dismissals in as many deliveries, with Leech caught top-edging a hook before Ben Sanderson was lbw without scoring to leave the visitors eight down.A more persistent spell of rain held up play for the next hour and a half – but it took just three balls for Cornwell to wrap up Northamptonshire’s first innings, knocking out Zaib’s off stump with one that seamed back before cleaning up Yuzvendra Chahal with a yorker.After another weather-induced delay, Higgins reclaimed centre stage, winning what looked like a borderline lbw decision against Ricardo Vasconcelos and castling Aadi Sharma next ball to leave the visitors reeling at 10 for 2. James Sales began redressing the balance with a series of positive shots in his knock of 26, but he attempted one too many and lost his middle stump to Toby Roland-Jones.Stand-in skipper Lewis McManus remained defiant, punching Helm off the back foot to the fence to reach 21 not out before the light deteriorated sufficiently for the umpires to bring play to a close.

Kawya Kavindi and Rashmika Sewwandi have also been named, while several senior players have been left out

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Dec-2025Sri Lanka has named a young squad for the forthcoming T20Is against India, bringing in the likes of 17-year-old ambidextrous spinner Shashini Gimhani, 23-year-old seamer Kawya Kavindi, while 19-year-old Rashmika Sewwandi has also been named.Captain Chamari Athapaththu also has some experienced hands in her ranks for the series, with spinner Inoka Ranaweera, 39, also in the squad, alongside a top order that has now had significant exposure at the top level. But as the team builds towards next year’s T20 World Cup in England, there is now a drive within the squad to blood younger players.There is no room in the squad for wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani (35), who has played 86 T20Is. Also omitted are Udeshika Prabodhani (39), Sugandika Kumari (33), or Achini Kulasuriya (34), who had all been part of the squad for the team’s most recent T20I assignment, the tour of New Zealand in March this year.Gimhani, one of Sri Lanka’s most exciting young talents, delivers wristspin with either arm, though left-arm wristpin is her primary suit. She earns her place in this squad through solid showings against Australia Under-19 in September. She had already made a promising start to her senior international T20I career, however, having taken six wickets at the top level from five matches, with an economy rate of 5.53.Seamer Kavindi also has some top-flight experience under her belt, with 10 T20Is to her name. Sewwandi, also a seamer, has one T20I against her name, but did not bowl in that match. Nimasha Madushani, the 26-year-old left-arm spinner, is uncapped in internationals.While Sri Lanka seek fresh talents in the bowling department, the batting is more familiar. Hasini Perera, Vishmi Giunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika de Silva, and Kavisha Dilhari – all of whom played significant roles in the recent ODI World Cup – are in this squad. Kaushini Nuthyangana is likely to take the gloves in Sanjeewani’s stead.Seamer Malki Madara, 24, has impressed with the ball this year in ODIs, is also there. Malsha Shehani, who bowls both seam and spin, finds a place as well.The five-match T20I series begins in Visakhapatnam on December 21, before moving to Thiruvananthapuram for the last two games.Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika De Silva, Kavisha Dilhari. Imesha Dulani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, Nimesha Madushani, Kawya Kavindi, Rashmika Sewwandi, Malki Madara

The Australia opener could be facing England for the last time as his career draws to a close

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-20241:53

Warner relives Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2021

David Warner has predicted England’s last two Ashes destroyers loom as far different prospects on the slower T20 World Cup wickets of the Caribbean.Australia will meet England for the first time in any format since last year’s tense Ashes series on Saturday [Sunday AEDT] in Barbados, in each side’s second game of the World Cup.Related

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Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are expected to play for an England side desperately needing a win after a washout against Scotland.Archer has not played Australia since the 2020 white-ball series in England, which took place during Covid, having made his mark against them in his debut Test series in 2019. Wood was also England’s most hostile bowler in the 2023 Ashes, coming in at Headingley and helping the hosts go from 2-0 down to a 2-2 draw.Both are among the quickest in the world at their best, but the slow pitches of the Caribbean are far removed from their home conditions. Throw in the fact it is a T20 rather than a Test match, and Warner believes this is a very different scenario.”You just have to use their pace,” Warner said. “Test cricket they set different fields, different balls. In Twenty20 cricket, you only have to get half an edge on it and it can go. So there’s a fair difference.”David Warner played an important innings against Oman•Getty Images

Warner also does not expect consistently high bounce as seen elsewhere in the world.”I’ve played a lot of cricket over here,” Warner said. “You are expecting it to be low rather than bounce, unless it is real short. The variation in bounce is what surprises you. Because when they pitch the ball that eight-metre [from the stumps] length, your natural instinct is to pull it. But you have to go back to targeting straight, backing yourself, and if it does bounce, so be it.”Warner hit a steady 56 from 51 balls to guide Australia to a winnable score in their first match against Oman to begin his last international tournament. The runs came after a disappointing IPL, prompting questions from critics over whether he deserved a final hurrah ahead of rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk.”It [the criticism] doesn’t fuel me. It’s in one ear, out the other,” Warner said. “I don’t understand why it’s all about myself. There are 11 players in the team. I don’t get it.”People feel like they have to keep criticising the way I play. I don’t know what it is. I have no answer as to why people write that. I have had it my whole career. I don’t listen to it.”Sunday’s Group B clash has gone from near irrelevant to crucial for England, after their shared points with Scotland. A loss to Australia would spell disaster for the defending champions, after Scotland beat Namibia on Friday. If England are beaten, it would leave open the prospect of a net run-rate shootout between them and Scotland to be the second team to advance from the group.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the third-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009

Group B

Scorecard
The contest between Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala in Jammu has proved a closely-fought one. A four-wicket burst from Abid Nabi helped the hosts bowl out Kerala for 133, and gain a lead of 31. Raiphi Gomez (39) and Sachin Baby (32) provided some resistance but Kerala couldn’t capitalise after having bowled out the opposition for 164 on the first day. Though they fought back well in J&K’s second innings, the hosts still held the edge at stumps. An unbeaten 57 from Hiken Shah steered J&K to 157 for 6 at stumps – Sony Cheruvathur took three wickets an increased his match tally to nine – and took the lead to 188.
Scorecard
There was no play possible as rain played spoilsport on the second day of the game between Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha in Vijaywada.

Group A

Scorecard
Assam reached a position of advantage against Jharkhand in Guwahati. First, their bowlers, led by Sairaj Bahutule’s 5 for 53, bowled out Jharkhand for 261; then their batsmen responded by notching up 149 at stumps with the loss of just one wicket. Jharkhand will rue the fact that their middle-order batsmen failed to consolidate on starts. Five reached double-figures, while three – Saurabh Tiwary, Rajeev Gupta and Shahbaz Nadeem – reached 30-plus scores but didn’t press on. Assam, in response, were boosted by opener Parvez Aziz’s 85 and an opening stand of 128. Dheeraj Jadhav is still there, unbeaten on 49, and will look to take his team to a substantial lead tomorrow.
Scorecard
Goa, buoyed by Swapnil Asnodkar’s century, reached a dominant position against Rajasthan in Margao. They began the day on even terms, on 149 for 4, but a 128-run stand between the two overnight batsmen, Asnodkar and Rahul Keni, tilted the balance in Goa’s favour. Fast bowler Pankaj Singh bagged 4 for 92, but Goa had posted a competitive 338. In reply, two quick wickets from Saurabh Bandekar dented Rajasthan in their innings and left the visitors in a precarious situation at stumps.
Scorecard
The first day of the game in Nagpur was washed out, but the hosts were pegged back on the second as Tripura limited them to 217 for 9. The Vidarbha score could have been much worse had it not been for a 59-run sixth-wicket stand between Ravi Jangid (45) and Himanshu Joshi (38). The lower order stepped up with some important contributions but Wilkin Mota, who grabbed 3 for 39, ensured Tripura stayed ahead of the eight-ball. Tripura used nine bowlers in the innings, and Mota was supported well by the rest in keeping the opposition in check.