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England’s plans of qualifying for the final four hang in the balance after a second successive loss, this one by 64 runs

The Report by Daniel Brettig25-Jun-2019As it happenedAustralia played Test match cricket in miniature to get the better of England and a set of conditions at Lord’s that were not really in the blueprint for Eoin Morgan’s side ahead of a tournament in which they now face the tightest of ropes to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, meanwhile, are now in the final four, the first team to get there.The cut and thrust of this Lord’s ODI was a world away from the virtual home run derby of Trent Bridge a year ago. That day, England tallied a gargantuan 481 and seemingly set the tone for the way this World Cup would be played. Yet, in the crucible of a global tournament played in the damp of an early summer beset by rain, Australia’s more deliberate plans, built on a stable, steady top order and a collective of pace and class with the ball have held up; the fireworks of Nottingham might as well have taken place on Mars.Australia captain Aaron Finch deservedly claimed the match award for a century that represented not only leadership by example but also a personal triumph over technical troubles that had made him so susceptible to the ball seaming into him. It would have been hard to imagine conditions more conducive to such a risk than these, but Finch overcame them with help from David Warner to set up a platform that, if not fully exploited, was enough to take the Australians to the sort of score they have commonly defended in recent months.They did so via a bowling attack chosen specifically for England. Jason Behrendorff had played only once before this game, and Nathan Lyon not at all, but they gelled beautifully with Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Marcus Stoinis to unbalance England at the start and then snuff out any subsequent rearguards before they assumed troubling proportions.Behrendorff’s swing and guile, if revelatory to Lord’s observers, were no surprise to those who know his best days for Western Australia. Starc’s speed and swing up front, then his late swerving yorker afterwards, were exactly what Finch required. In all this and another sublime fielding display, the Australians continued their march to a peak of performance at the definitive end of this World Cup. A sixth title is now closer than many, perhaps, expected before the tournament.Buckets of overnight rain drenched St John’s Wood and there was some question over the start time, but the weather cleared enough to allow for the scheduled toss, though not after Jofra Archer had required a fitness test to play. That interlude did not dissuade Morgan from bowling first on a green-tinged surface when calling correctly, although Finch admitted he had been somewhat more equivocal having called up Lyon and Behrendorff as replacements.Memories of Australia’s twin collapses to the moving ball in Birmingham and Nottingham in the 2015 Ashes are still fresh, and Warner was a victim of both. But, alongside Finch, he was to carve out an opening stand that confounded the expectations of an overcast morning, aided by English imprecision when choosing their length of attack. Too often short of a length if not outright short, they also saw numerous Australian edges avoid going to hand or falling short, meaning 44 for no loss was the tally after ten nervy overs for both sides.Acceleration followed, both Warner and Finch finding the boundary and the captain also clearing it twice, as English brows furrowed in the middle and in the stands. Warner looked as fluent as he has all tournament and it was a surprise when, having crafted a third century stand with Finch for the Cup, he was fooled by a Moeen Ali offbreak that held in the pitch and ballooned to Joe Root, running around from backward point.Aaron Finch’s second century of the World Cup took Austalia into the semis•Getty Images

Usman Khawaja was chosen to accompany Finch, and together they lifted the Australians to an imposing 173 for 1 after 32 overs – a platform from which a score of 350 was plausible on paper, if less likely in the prevailing conditions. Khawaja’s fall only succeeded in bringing Steven Smith to the middle with plenty of overs to spare, and when Finch went to his hundred via a Chris Woakes misfield at fine leg it appeared the Australians were well on top.But Finch chose the wrong moment to try a hook, top edging straight to Woakes the very next ball and reproaching himself with all the fury of a captain who knew he had done exactly what he has asked teammates not to – squander an opportunity to turn a century into a monument. His anguish was to be intensified by the decline that followed, as Glenn Maxwell followed two memorable blows off Archer with a wafty edge behind off the rapid Mark Wood, Stoinis was run out over a disputed second run with Smith, and the former captain lost his timing and his wicket while trying to get runs around the corner.It all added up to the loss of 6 for 86, and at 259 for 7 England may have been chasing as little as 270. However, some late salvaging by Alex Carey, including 11 from Ben Stokes’ final over of the innings and a boundary from the final ball, inched the total up to 285. A defendable total is all Australia’s bowlers have asked for this tournament, and there was a small but discernible nod from Ricky Ponting on the Lord’s balcony as Carey and Starc jogged off for the change of innings.If some surprise greeted the sight of Behrendorff limbering up to deliver the first ball of the England reply, there was slack-jawed shock in the Members Pavilion when his second ball curled fiendishly late to knock back the middle stump of an overcommitted James Vince. Behrendorff mixed swing and angle with skill and experience of his methods to provide an ideal counterpoint to Starc, who at the other end accounted for Root and then Morgan in the manner of his 2015 World Cup pomp.Root was pinned on the crease and in front of all three stumps by a ball that swung back just enough at pace, before Finch moved long leg finer and Starc delivered with a fast bouncer that Morgan could only sky off top edge and glove to Cummins, who made good ground to the catch. Having already retreated outside leg stump to try to drive Starc, Morgan’s brief innings will remain in the Australian memory bank.An attempt at recovery by Jonny Bairstow, speckled with some attractive strokes, was ended when he hooked unwisely at Behrendorff and was also held by Cummins, this time on the midwicket fence. A better outfield catch was to follow when Jos Buttler, just getting himself going, swivel-pulled Stoinis towards square leg and Khawaja did not break stride in taking a catch he might have struggled to reach before admirable fitness and fielding work in the year since Justin Langer became head coach.Even then, with Buttler out of the picture, Stokes harboured some hope of delivering England to victory, for he had shrugged off a calf ailment to climb to his highest score in a Lord’s ODI, and by helping England to 22 in two Cummins overs seemed set for a thrilling finish. This, however, was to reckon without Starc, called back by Finch for the late-innings clean-up job. He certainly did a job on Stokes, conjuring a 145kph yorker that screeched under the set allrounder’s bat to send the bails zinging and more or less end the match. Stokes, for his part, dropped his bat and kicked it away in exasperation.The rest of the game passed as if according to script. Behrendorff was able to complete a five-for at Lord’s, finding a beauty to leave Moeen then aided by the most composed boundary-line double-act catch from Maxwell to Finch. Starc, fittingly, took the last wicket, leaving Australia atop the Cup table and safely into the semi-finals. England, having waited so long for this day, must now play some of the best cricket of their lives to make the finals, let alone win them.

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.

Marcus Stoinis’ dream performance was the sign of a much improved allrounder but the end of the match was a harsh dose of reality

Daniel Brettig30-Jan-20171:09

‘No time for nerves’ – Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis played the innings of his dreams at Eden Park – only to have reality bite him hard with the closing run-out of Josh Hazlewood, to ensure Australia fell narrowly short of the most unlikely of pursuits.There were decidedly mixed emotions in Stoinis’ voice as the 27-year-old spoke of his unbeaten 146 that took the visitors to within seven runs of victory. Satisfaction, sure, at stamping himself as an international cricketer of character and power, as well as a much improved allrounder as shown by his three wickets earlier in the day; but it will take some time before the pain of that final run-out, and a dash for the win thwarted, subsides.”If you look at the stat book after making 140-odd and taking three-for it doesn’t feel that good,” Stoinis said in Auckland. “It just shows how much of a team game cricket is and how important winning is to everyone. I’m happy to an extent but probably not what I would imagine.”As an all-round game, it’s what you dream of and think about when you close your eyes before the game. I’ve had smoother innings than this but this is a different kind of pressure. To put the performance on the board feels good.”Stoinis first turned out for Australia in an ODI in England after the 2015 Ashes series, and was left with a couple of clear goals for improvement. The first was to strengthen his bowling, and he has done so in adding a little more pace and a lot more consistency, as Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro found out. But he also needed to bring more adaptability to a batting game that had looked impressively correct but also rigid.”I think my bowling had to improve to move into that allrounder’s position,” he said. “In state cricket, I probably bat a bit higher, but it’s a different mould of position if you’re going to be batting at six, seven or whatever it is. Mostly just thinking about what’s happening in the situations you’re in and understanding the game. On the bowling side of things, [it’s] just consistency really.”‘The plan was to try to hit a six and get a draw and then leave Josh to get a single to win the game’•Getty Images

Even with that progress in his mind, winning seemed the remotest of possibilities when Stoinis walked out to join Sam Heazlett at 54 for 5, and grew less plausible still when the debutant was dismissed. However he kept his cool, and talked through the situation with the experienced James Faulkner.”When Jimmy [Faulkner] came out, I was thinking ‘ok, you’ve got to give yourself a chance here, so first thing’s first, have a look around, get yourself moving’,” Stoinis said. “Then once he got to about 15 or so, we spoke and made a little plan there as to the way we’d go about it. When you come up with a plan, everything is more simple even though it seems a long way away. So it was all thought out.”[The plan was] pace myself but then target a certain bowler and the end with the wind was the main thing for me. Then there were a couple of overs before they put five out on the boundary where I thought it might be time to have a crack. Also, once you’ve faced 100 balls it does get a bit easier, so the more wickets we lost, the more I thought it was my turn to score the runs.”Later in the innings, Stoinis appeared to occupy the “zone” famously spoken of by many elite athletes where they are simply doing and not thinking. The spell was only broken when last man Hazlewood hared down the wicket when Stoinis bunted a yorker back down the ground, allowing Kane Williamson to underarm the stumps down.”There’s too much going on for the nerves by that time, you know,” Stoinis said. “Some of our most experienced players, they might be bowlers but the way they think about the game is as good as it gets. Josh Hazlewood and [Mitchell] Starcy were good at calming the nerves.”[With Hazlewood] the plan was for me to face the first four or five and then get a single last ball. But at the end there, the plan was to try to hit a six and get a draw and then leave Josh to get a single to win the game.”

Perth Scorchers strangled the life out of Brisbane Heat to register a nine-wicket victory at the WACA Ground in the Boxing Day BBL match

The Report by Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2015
ScorecardMichael Klinger struck four fours and a six in his unbeaten 53 to take Perth Scorchers to their first win of the season•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers strangled the life out of Brisbane Heat to register a nine-wicket victory at the WACA Ground in the Boxing Day BBL match.The visitors never established any momentum after losing Lendl Simmons in the first over of the game, maintaining a grim day for Caribbean cricketers after the travails of the West Indies at the MCG.Perth’s reputation as one of the BBL’s most parsimonious bowling attacks was enhanced by their collective display in front of a crowd of 19,225 sun-kissed spectators.Englishman David Willey led the line for the Scorchers, claiming 1 for 15 from four tight overs, including a maiden that featured the wicket of Jimmy Peirson. Willey won Man of the Match for his efforts.Others also prospered – Jason Behrendorff claimed two victims on his return from injury, Brad Hogg was confusing as ever in claiming figures of 4-0-15-1, and Andrew Tye rounded off the attack with 3 for 23, the best analysis of all. Even Joel Paris, the only man not to take a wicket, produced plenty of quality in four overs that conceded a mere 25.Chris Lynn was left to build the total more or less on his own, finishing with an unbeaten 58-ball 75, an innings that featured three fours and four sixes. Finding the boundary regularly but also working the ball around, Lynn was ultimately responsible for almost two thirds of the Heat’s total, a burden to put others to shame.Defending such a meagre tally, the Heat needed early wickets, but were thwarted by Marcus Harris and Michael Klinger. One Harris six was almost taken by Simmons, but otherwise the hosts careered towards the target.When Lynn popped up again to catch Harris, Ashton Agar played soundly at No. 3, helping the vastly experienced Klinger to take the Scorchers home. Having suffered a chastening loss to the Strikers in game one and also after losing the services of the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile, the defending champions are now on the board.

This is a different kind of cricket

Krishna Kumar12-Jun-2013

This is a different kind of cricket. Not the soft artistry of VVS Laxman, not
the classical, streamlined beauty of Rahul Dravid, not the scientific art of
Sachin Tendulkar’s genius. This isn’t the moody strokeplay of Sourav Ganguly, nor the
muscular presence and timing of Yuvraj Singh. This is somehow a bit more
uninhibited. At times, it’s easier to define things by describing what
they aren’t. When you think of Sehwag, you first think of unrestrained,
unrehearsed, inscrutable. Everything seems instantly conceived.
Everything is very definitely original.It is easy to get carried away by the seemingly spontaneous flow of Sehwag’s
shotmaking. When hours of careful study of bowlers’ techniques align with
an unerring ability to pick line and, more importantly, length early, you feel
a batsman is playing purely by instinct. It is an instinct that has been finely
honed. Sehwag possesses a fine cricketing mind and he plays the ball very
late. Nearly always, he’s on tiptoe and, now and then, his feet are off the
ground. This is what allows him the freedom to improvise.Sehwag’s confidence in his abilities borders on cricketing swagger. It is a
different brand of arrogance. It isn’t the restrained confidence of a
Tendulkar. It’s a bit like Richards. With bowlers bowling to Tendulkar,
especially these days, it is an acknowledgement of mastery. With Sehwag,
it’s almost a fear of flogging. There’s a crucial difference with Richards
however. Viv was the master of machismo, of the exaggerated strut and the
flourish of the follow-through. It was muscular masculinity expressed
through sport. Where Richards’s arrogance was significant in its
exaggeration, Sehwag’s is apparent in its minimising.Sehwag doesn’t hold his pose after a flashing cover-drive, the bat is brought back down from the follow-through very quickly, as if it wasn’t such a big deal after all. He
might take a couple of short steps about the crease, look down the handle of
his bat held away from him at an angle, and then he’s ready again. His is
almost an oriental spunk. Viv’s cricket was also a statement of a people,
Sehwag’s is simply the sporting expression of a free-spirited individual.
To bowlers, both might appear the same.There are resemblances to Javed Miandad in his very streetsmart approach to
cricket. But the jauntiness is at variance with Miandad’s. He may assume his
stance well outside leg as he did to Stuart MacGill in Sydney. He might splay his
left leg and hit the first ball of a new spell for six over the bowler’s
head. But, the jauntiness isn’t in your face like Miandad’s. He very
rarely provokes, he generally only reacts.From a batsman who modelled some of his early batsmanship on Tendulkar,
Sehwag has blossomed quickly into a batsman with his very own range of
strokes. Not many now will mistake him for Sachin. That flick off his toes
that resembles Sachin’s in body balance has a table-tennis-like flourish,
you can feel the face of the bat turning on the ball. Sachin seems to use the
pace of the ball, Sehwag looks to give it a real whip. His vast array of
off-side shots are close to all his own. He might have initially borrowed
the upper cut from Sachin, but he plays it far more regularly than Sachin
these days. There is incredibly, at least one six over point every big
innings. There is a difference even in the way he ducks under the short
ball. He doesn’t necessarily follow the ball into the keeper’s gloves, it’s
as if he’s saying, the ball’s gone over my head, why bother looking.He has succeeded at opening because he has stuck to his game. Shrewdly, in
Tests, he gives the first hour to the bowler and then opens out. The
defence has tightened and he leaves a lot more outside off. His camaraderie
with Akash Chopra reminds you sometimes of the relationship between Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge. His acute cricketing alertness makes you feel he’s rarely rushed when taking those quick singles. Mostly, you see him ease to the striker’s end at a short,
light canter.The same alertness is why he’s a very good fielder and an
excellent catcher. Ajit Agarkar and Dravid were the architects of that famous
Adelaide win, but it was the brilliant, full-length diving tumble from
Sehwag to catch Simon Katich at the end of an exhausting first day that
provided the initial spark. Earlier in the year, he’d held a few very sharp
ones at slip to help Ashish Nehra run through England in the World Cup game at
Durban. His first movement to the ball is so well-timed that the rest seems
easy in comparison. To top it all off, he’s a half-decent offie as well.Often it is flippantly claimed that there’s a method to his madness. I beg
to differ. This is no madness. We see so much of what’s conventional that
we can’t seem to recognise celebration. It isn’t that he doesn’t respect
cricket’s time-tested techniques, it’s just that he’s very alert to its
intricacies. He can conceive attack when so many would defend. It’s not as
if he doesn’t understand the importance of footwork and getting behind the
line. He appreciates these for what they are. They are means to an end.
That of hitting a cricket ball consistently with the middle of the bat. He
does this by a wonderful combination of bat-speed and fine balance. This is
a celebration of rare talent. Not someone having a waft in the wind.

English cricket will continue to insist that all players, including short term overseas signings, undergo anti-corruption education – even though the amnesty to report match-fixing has produced “nothing of major significance.”

Alex Winter30-Apr-2012The Professional Cricketers’ Association and ECB will continue to insist that all players, including short term overseas signings, undergo anti-corrupotion education – even though the three-month amnesty to report match-fixing has produced nothing of major significance.Players arriving on short-term deals for the Friends Life t20 represent a major remaining obstacle in the education programme set up by the PCA and ECB in the wake of the Mervyn Westfield trial. Westfield pleaded guilty in January to spot-fixing while playing for Essex. He was sentenced to four months in prison but released on licence last week after serving half the sentence.Every professional cricketer in the country has been required to work through an online tutorial. Overseas players have been given a two-week period after arriving in the country to complete it but the PCA has encouraged counties to arrange for players to fulfil the obligation before they arrive.The Westfield trial prompted the ECB to open an amnesty window for confidentially reporting information about corruption. The window closed on April 30 with the ECB and PCA satisfied with the progress made in tackling corruption.Current and former players came forward with information but nothing of major significance has been discovered. “All of this information has been managed in confidence and has given us a clear picture of the nature of the threat our game faces from corrupt activities,” Chris Watts, the ECB’s anti-corruption officer, said. “The absence of a significant number of new reports is reassuring but the access unit will rigorously review any report of alleged corruption.”Angus Porter, chief executive of the PCA, said the amnesty window “had not uncovered a can of worms” but said it has served a greater purpose. “More importantly we’ve taken the opportunity to remind people of their duty to report incidents without delay. It’s been helpful as part as a general process of education.”Essex, Westfield’s former county, were criticised for their reaction to the incident which occurred in September 2009 but was not reported until early 2010. They were accused in the trial at the Old Bailey for “turning a blind eye” to corruption by defence counsel Mark Milliken-Smith QC, a criticism they later dismissed as unjustified.”We’ve been working closely with the Essex lads,” Porter said. “We’ve all come an awfully long way since 2010. The emphasis of our discussions with them has been to acknowledge that they did the right thing in coming forward as they did.”The PCA remains undecided on whether to use Westfield as part of its future education programme. He and former team-mate, the Pakistan international Danish Kaneria, who was named during the trial as the man who groomed Westfield for corruption, are the subject of an ECB disciplinary hearing on May 21.The hearing has been delayed to allow Kaneria’s lawyers more time to prepare their defence. Kaneria has not yet confirmed whether he will attend the hearing in person.

A round-up of the second match day of the Women’s Quadrangular Series in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2011It was another disappointing day at the Women’s Quadrangular Series in Sri Lanka, as all four teams scheduled to play had to settle for a point each as neither of the two matches in Colombo could be completed because of the weather. The only highlight of the day was Chamari Atapattu becoming the first Sri Lankan woman to score a century in one-day cricket. Rain has affected the whole series, with the Twenty20 matches and the first round of matches in the one-day series all being shortened.On Thursday, the game between Netherlands women and Pakistan women was reduced to a 20-over match but still there could be no play after Netherlands’ innings. The other match between Sri Lanka women and Ireland women was abandoned after Sri Lanka played their shortened innings of 48 overs.At the Nondescripts Cricket Ground Netherlands women were put in to bat and only managed to get to 68 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. However, Pakistan women never got a chance to start their chase.Sri Lanka women reached 251 for 5 against Ireland women at the P Sara Oval, thanks to Atapattu’s 111 off 110 balls. Atapattu’s score was 23 runs more than the previous highest score by a Sri Lankan woman.

Stephen Peters fell one run short of what would have been the first
double-century of his career after batting for just over nine hours to put
Northamptonshire in a commanding position against Middlesex at Lord’s

06-Jun-2010

ScorecardStephen Peters fell one run short of what would have been the first
double-century of his career after batting for just over nine hours to put
Northamptonshire in a commanding position against Middlesex at Lord’s.He had faced 391 balls and hit 20 fours in the County Championship Division
Two match when he chipped a return catch to Shaun Udal, sprawling to his right. Peters looked crestfallen but he had done a great job for his side in sharing stands of 182 with Alex Wakely, 70 with Nicky Boje and 144 with his captain Andrew Hall.Hall went on to make 133 off 192 balls with 17 fours and when he declared at
581 for 7, Northamptonshire’s highest score against Middlesex, they were 234
ahead. Middlesex closed on 48 for the loss of Scott Newman.Northamptonshire had resumed at 280 for 4 in reply to Middlesex’s first innings
347 and Peters and Boje added 50 in 14 overs before Boje pulled Pedro Collins
straight to square leg. Peters, 115 overnight, was never in trouble as he went past his previous
highest score of 183 not out – scored in leading Northamptonshire to a
six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Northampton in April – but he became
increasingly tentative as he neared his milestone.In the end he could not get there but he had still made the highest score by a
Northamptonshire batsman against Middlesex and given Hall the perfect platform
to build his first century of the season.David Murphy, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Loughborough University who is
deputising for the injured Niall O’Brien, joined him in a seventh-wicket stand
of 107. Murphy made an unbeaten 50, his highest score in the championship, off 87 balls
and by the time Hall was bowled driving at Pedro Collins Middlesex were in
disarray.Udal, their captain, had his left hand strapped after splitting the webbing
between his thumb and forefinger, and Gareth Berg, their newly-capped
all-rounder, was off the field with back trouble.No fewer than nine bowlers were used with only Udal himself and Collins
emerging with any credit and the fielding was so poor that there were jeers from
a section of the small crowd. Their mood did not improve when Newman edged his third ball from Jack Brooks to first slip but at least Sam Robson and Owais Shah held out until the close.

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.”

Leicestershire stroll to target for only their second win of the season

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2023A maiden T20 century by Rishi Patel powered Leicestershire Foxes to an impressive six-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Durham at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road.The 24-year-old right-hand bat – dropped on 38 – struck 103 from 49 balls with 12 fours and four sixes as the Foxes cruised home with 14 balls to spare with comfortably their most emphatic performances of an otherwise dismal season to date, Lewis Hill hitting the winning runs to finish on an unbeaten 54 from 41 balls.It was Durham’s second defeat by Leicestershire in six days although the Foxes remain bottom of the North Group table, having lost their other six games.Aussie Ashton Turner’s unbeaten 60 from 38 balls lifted Durham’s total to a challenging 172 for 4 against a makeshift Foxes bowling attack from which key man Naveen ul-Haq was missing though injury. Ollie Robinson made 30 from 31 balls and Graham Clark 27 from just 14 in the powerplay but spinner Callum Parkinson (2 for 21) and teenage pace bowler Josh Hull (1 for 26) made sure that the visitors were never able to dominate.Asked to bat first, Durham posted 59 for 2 from the opening block of six, 35 of those runs coming in two overs after the visitors went hard against the two new faces in the Foxes attack, with Matt Salisbury and Tom Scriven drafted in for their county Blast debuts after injuries to Mikey Finan and Will Davis as well as Afghan international Naveen.Salisbury, who did not play in the Blast during his four years at Durham but made eight appearances for Essex in 2014, took a wicket with his fifth ball against his ex-team-mates when Alex Lees swung optimistically and was bowled, but took some punishment in his second over as Clark and Michael Jones plundered 17 runs, the pair having taken 18 off Scriven in the previous over, although Clark survived a difficult chance to point on four.Hull finished the powerplay well for the Foxes as Jones miscued to mid-on and when left-arm spinner Parkinson produced a fine, full delivery to trap Clark in the crease in the next over, Durham were 61 for 3. At halfway, with Colin Ackermann and Rehan Ahmed applying the squeeze, they were 80 for 3, advancing to 112 for 4 from 15 overs after Parkinson made another big breakthrough, bowling Robinson to register his 100th Blast wicket for the county.The Foxes would have been disappointed not to claim more wickets in the last five, which saw Turner and Bas de Leede swell the total by 62 runs, both clearing the ropes of Rehan’s legspin, but Hull, the 18-year-old left-arm quick of whom they have high hopes, produced an impressive final over costing just eight runs to finish with 1 for 26.Needing to score at 8.65 runs per over, the home side suffered an immediate setback, losing Nick Welch to the fifth ball of their reply as he missed an attempted sweep against left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, but recovered well, with Hill pulling and scooping profitably and Patel hitting powerfully down the ground, to be 69 for 1 from six, although the latter had an escape when Ben Raine dropped what should have been a straightforward chance at wide long-on.Back-to-back boundaries off Turner took Patel to a 21-ball half-century and two more off legspinner Nathan Sowter’s next over brought the target down to 70 with 70 balls remaining.And there was no holding the Foxes back on this occasion with Patel in destructive mood, needing just 24 more balls to reach his hundred, getting there his second six in three balls over wide long-on off Sowter, and although it all ended anticlimactically in the next over as an ill-advised decision to go for a second run to de Leede at midwicket off Wayne Parnell saw him run out.Nonetheless, the home side went into the final five overs needing just 21 to win and though Parnell dismissed Colin Ackermann, who chopped on, and Louis Kimber, caught behind, with consecutive balls, to induce a little anxiety in the home crowd, only 14 more were needed, Hill finishing the job by pulling Sowter for his third six before driving the same bowler through extra cover for four next ball.