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Kumar Sangakkara treated Lord’s to a fine century on the first day of the London derby but it is no exaggeration to say that Dawid Malan, Middlesex’s own classy left-hander, achieved the same standards in reply

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's20-May-2017
ScorecardWhat Kumar Sangakkara achieved, Dawid Malan matched [file picture]•Getty Images

An 18th first class hundred for Dawid Malan, brought up in an innings that started in rain and ended in sun, paints an appropriate picture. Middlesex were in no great shakes at 50 for 2, as Surrey exploited a lively surface in the early afternoon, when Malan strode to the crease to calm them with a bit of class.Some prefer the crashing of waves, others the wails of whales. Judging by the sighs in the Pavilion, impeccable cover drives from Middlesex’s No. 4 did the trick. It is not forcing the point to say that Kumar Sangakkara’s day one century has been matched by one from Middlesex’s own classy left-hander.Maybe his teammates sought to match the Sangakkara portrait unveiled at Lord’s before the opening day by knocking up a doodle to stick on the wall of the changing room for when he returned 103 not out – bat under one arm, game under the other.But just as Sangakkara’s was a lone hand of style and substance, Malan negotiated tricky periods to steer Middlesex out of harm’s way and close to parity, with five wickets remaining. Aided with an enterprising half-century from James Franklin in the evening session – he reached the milestone off 43-deliveries with back-to-back sixes off Scott Borthwick – they are in control of what happens next. They both rest overnight with 92 unbeaten for the sixth wicket.The last nine months have been strange for Malan who, aged 29, has never been more assured of his own game but might be a tad confused by his standing in the domestic game.Last summer, he was left “speechless” by a call-up to England’s T20 side for a one-off match against Sri Lanka, though did not make the playing XI. He was then asked to captain an exciting Lions side against Pakistan A but, despite finishing the season strongly – including an England Lions List A record score of 185 not out – he was overlooked for the winter programme. It is fair to say he was miffed by the snub.That meant filling his winter how he could. Previously he would spend the part of his off-season back in South Africa, giving his game an MOT under the precise watch of Gary Kirsten. On occasion, he has had to weigh up the possibility of spending the new year in Australia on the off-chance that he might wangle a BBL gig as a late injury-replacement.Yet again, he spent time at the Bangladesh Premier League for the Barisa Bulls before winning the PSL with Peshawar Zalmi, which involved a final in Lahore. He was back in front of the selectors’ eyes during the North-South series in the UAE. Even when he returned a century in the first match, he wasn’t getting ahead of himself. He surmised that three figures, while nice, was useless if it did not bring him closer to higher honours.For the most part against Surrey, he was chanceless. There was a bit of tentativeness early on – after all, his highest score until today, in all forms, was a 50 against Glamorgan in the Royal London One-Day Cup. But, for the most part, he had a plan against all those he faced today and stuck to it brilliantly.Against Mark Footitt, who brought Malan to the crease with an exceptional delivery that pitched on middle and leg climbed into the shoulder of Nick Compton’s bat on its way through to Ben Foakes, he remained calm and picked him off when the left-armer arrowed in at the stumps. He was able to second-guess Stuart Meaker’s changes in length, rarely omitting to punish anything over-pitched.When Meaker did settle into the groove upon the wicket of Adam Voges, he was able to unsettle John Simpson with a sustained assault on about middle and leg. After a couple of strong lbw shouts against Simpson, Malan took charge and hit Meaker out of the attack with back-to-back fours: the first cut behind point, the second thumped through cover, to take him to 68. The hundred came up off his 169th ball, as he stepped into a delivery from Gareth Batty and threaded it through a staggered cover field.For the most part, Stevie Eskinazi kept him company. It speaks volumes of Eskinazi’s standing in the side that with Sam Robson’s injury, it was Compton, in his first Championship start of the season, who opened with Nick Gubbins.Eskinazi is very much Middlesex’s man at first drop: 67 was a third score above fifty this season and one that took him past 1,000 first-class runs. He bats like a man who has made more.If Middlesex were wasteful on the first morning, they were ruthless on the second day. Surrey lost their last five wickets for just 48 thanks to some incisive bowling and exceptional catching.The bigger of Franklin’s two wickets – Sangakkara, adding just one to his overnight score – owed more to Ollie Rayner, who took his second blinding catch of the match from a wideish third slip. Sangakkara cut hard, expecting four, but instead found Rayner’s sizeable right paw. The Sri Lankan’s disbelief was shared by most who bore witness.

James Anderson has admitted “it would have been nice to be considered” for England’s Test captaincy after Alastair Cook stepped down

Paul Edwards31-Mar-2017The mantle of elder statesman does not yet suit James Anderson; nor does he carry himself like a grizzled seamer. He is, however, a supremely skilful fast-medium bowler and a very shrewd cricketer; someone who, while not immediately thought of as a captain, would nevertheless make a good job of leadership.So perhaps it comes as something of a surprise to discover that Anderson was not even spoken to after Alastair Cook vacated the England job. That, at any rate, is how it still seems to the player, notwithstanding his absolute loyalty to Cook’s chosen successor, Joe Root.”I don’t know if I’d have taken the captaincy but it would have been nice to have been considered for it,” he said. “From a personal point of view I’d have seriously thought about it, but from the outside looking in I’d have thought: is this actually where the team needs to go – with a 34-year-old as captain? I don’t know how long I’m going to keep going for and in the grand scheme of things it makes sense for a younger guy to do it. But most of the fast bowling captains I’ve known have been pretty successful and I don’t know why it is that more fast bowlers aren’t given the opportunity to do it. I’m all for bowlers being captains.”Anderson skippered Lancashire on their recent tour to Dubai and his ability to dismiss virtually every world-class Test batsman against whom he has played is evidence of both great skill and a formidable cricketing intelligence. He is someone who studies how to get batsmen out and then does so. Now, though, the England job is water under the Calder Bridge and he will put his gifts at the service of county and country.”I enjoyed captaining Lancashire,” he said. “It was only a pre-season tour but it was still nice to lead the lads out and win some games. But it’s not something I’m going to seek out or that’s going to bother me a great deal in the future. I enjoyed it but I see myself as a leader within the group and I don’t think that changes. I still help Steven Croft out when I can and I’ll still help Rooty out if I’m with England. My mindset never changes on the field, I’m always thinking about things that can help the team whether I’m captain or not.”Joe’s got everything he needs to be a captain. He’s matured a hell of a lot and he’s become a father as well, which will help that process. He’s got a good cricket brain, he’s had a couple of years as a vice-captain and he’s comfortably our best player. People will worry whether his batting suffers but he’s dealt with anything that’s been thrown at him so far and I think he’ll cope with that in the same way. I will buy into whatever Joe wants from the team. If he wants me to change my bowling, I’ll discuss it with him.”Anderson’s immediate goal is to prove his cricket fitness before Lancashire begin their County Championship programme at Essex next Friday (he only managed three of England’s seven winters Tests after a shoulder injury). This week he will get some overs under his belt and may offer the techniques of the Cambridge MCCU batsmen a rather more severe examination than they were anticipating.A week before the Division One programme got under way, Anderson looked lithe and fit as he dutifully donned the three kits – white, red and avocado – which his county will be wearing this season and prepared for the scrum of media day at Emirates Old Trafford.”My sole goal for this season is to be fit as possible and stay on the field,” he insisted. “I’ve had a frustrating 12 to 18 months with injury and I want to play as many games as I can. If I can play all the Test matches this summer then hopefully I hope I won’t be far away.”One senses that Anderson has a desire to play Tests which is quite the equal of that possessed by Haseeb Hameed, who was six when Anderson made his debut. While he acknowledges his debt to Lancashire and floats the possibility that he might play on for them towards the end of his career, he is still keen to add to his 467 Test wickets and to play under Root.As for the recent emphasis placed on playing entertaining cricket, Anderson commented drily that he hoped people have got some entertainment out of his 15-year international career before offering some wise thoughts on the development of those who are just finding their way in professional game.”The biggest battle I see with the younger generation is trying to get them to focus on cricket,” he said. “There are a lot of distractions, whether it’s mobile phones or social media. What I see guys missing is the study of the game, not just how they can improve their cricket but the game’s history and the skills they need, both mentally and on the field. The way the game’s going it could be quite easy for a young cricketer to focus more on the short form. It’s a lot easier, it takes less out of you and it’s a lot easier on the brain. The worry for the longer form is that young guys will take the easier option.”Adopting the comfortable course is not something of which Anderson can be accused. It looks like that one of the best swing and seam bowlers ever to wear an England shirt will be pulling his tripes out for county and country for a while yet. If he needs to go on a pre-season tour to Dubai, so be it.”I’ve enjoyed the winter actually and. I’m ready to get going now,” he said. “I’ve got a Lancashire shirt on and I’m thinking about that first Championship game against Essex. I’m not looking much further than that. I’ve done a fair bit of bowling indoors but there’s only so much you can do indoors and there’s not a lot you can do outside in Manchester in mid-March.”

The PCB has said Multan was the most feasible venue given the need to create a bio-secure environment

Umar Farooq28-May-2021Over the next 30 days, Multan is expected to experience temperatures hovering well over 40 degrees, with a predicted high of 44 degrees. A 26-member Pakistan Women contingent will train in these extreme conditions from May 29 to June 22, as part of the team’s preparations for the 50-over Women’s World Cup Qualifier that is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in December.While acknowledging the severity of the conditions, the PCB has said it had few other options but to train in Multan, given numerous challenges including the need to prepare a bio-secure bubble in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.Historically during the summer months, the PCB has mostly held its camps in the city of Abbottabad, which is located in the hilly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and experiences relatively milder weather than the lower-altitude regions of the country where temperatures often rise above 45 degrees and occasionally touch 50 degrees. But the venue isn’t seen as being feasible for the creation of a bio-secure bubble.Karachi could have been an option too, but the city is presently facing a surge in Covid-19 cases, while grounds in Central Punjab, according to Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the PCB’s women’s selection committee, are presently undergoing repair work.”Each venue had its own challenges around the pandemic,” Mumtaz told ESPNcricinfo. “Multan was the only feasible facility available as a package. It has the ground, gym, and accommodation within one block, and it’s easy to maintain the bio-secure bubble there.”But we are conscious and mindful of the extreme weather conditions, and that is why we have scheduled the training sessions to avoid the hottest part of the day. We are starting early in the morning and ending by midday, giving them ample rest in the day, and we’ll start again in the evening.”After the camp concludes, Pakistan Women could return to action after a five-month gap. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB and SLC are in talks for a potential series in Sri Lanka in July.Pakistan Women’s last international fixture was in Zimbabwe, where they won the first ODI before the remainder of the series was cancelled when Emirates Airlines, the Pakistan team’s carrier, announced it would suspend its operations in the Harare-Dubai route eight days before their scheduled departure.Before that, Pakistan Women had toured South Africa, where they lost the ODI series 3-0, and won the third and final T20I to deny the hosts another series sweep.Since the aborted Zimbabwe tour, Pakistan Women haven’t played any international cricket, but a group of 26 players underwent a skills and fitness camp in Karachi, similar to the one that is being organised in Multan.”We need to understand these challenges especially given the situation with Covid, which changes dramatically every other day. But the board is determined to continue to invest in the women’s game and we make sure our girls remain connected to the game so that they don’t get rusty,” Mumtaz said. “Women’s calendar hasn’t been as busy as the men’s has been so far, so it’s important to keep the girls engaged with the elite panel of coaching staff.”The Multan camp, according to the PCB, will be held in a bio-secure environment, with the players and support staff undergoing pre-arrival Covid-19 tests on Thursday. All those who tested negative are meant to assemble at the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore today and will travel to Multan by road. The players and support staff will be tested upon arrival in Multan and will subsequently go into isolation. Those who test negative will commence training in groups from May 31. The groups will be allowed to train together as units subject to testing negative for a third time on June 4.Players called up for Multan camp: Aliya Riaz, Aiman Anwer, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah.

Four uncapped players – Arjun Thyagarajan, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq and Prashanth Nair – have been picked in a USA team that will play a Caribbean Premier League Invitational XI on Friday in Florida

Peter Della Penna in Florida29-Jul-2016Four uncapped players – Arjun Thyagarajan, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq and Prashanth Nair – have been picked in a USA team that will play a Caribbean Premier League Invitational XI on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The game will be played as a curtain-raiser ahead of that night’s CPL match between St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders.The players were chosen by USA selectors and announced by USA national selector Barney Jones at the conclusion of the team’s training session at the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) on Thursday. Speaking shortly after the team announcement, ICC Americas high performance consultant Tom Evans said the selectors were looking to see a mix new players but also see how some of USA’s most recent squad members perform against players of CPL standard.”The 12 for tomorrow is a bit of a combination,” Evans said. “Twelve guys that we want to have a look at. Some guys who have played a bit, some guys who haven’t. Twelve guys who we’re keen to have a look at.”

Squads for the invitational match

USA: Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Adil Bhatti, Akeem Dodson, Elmore Hutchinson, Prashanth Nair, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq, Saqib Saleem, Jessy Singh, Nicholas Standford, Arjun Thyagarajan
CPL squad: Shamarh Brooks (capt, Patriots), Steven Katwaroo (wk, Amazon Warriors), Kyle Corbin (Tridents), Nitish Kumar (Zouks), Jeremiah Louis (Patriots), Gidron Pope (Zouks), Kristopher Ramsarran (Zouks), Alex Ross (Tallawahs), Shemar Springer (Tridents), Hamza Tariq (Knight Riders), Steven Taylor (Tridents), O’Shane Thomas (Tallawahs)

Six of the other eight players in the team were part of USA’s most recent tournament squad, in Ireland, at the 2015 World T20 Qualifier. Two of those six, leading scorer Akeem Dodson and batsman Alex Amsterdam, were also part of the ICC Americas squad that travelled to Trinidad in January for the Nagico Super50 competition.Similarly, three other ICC Americas squad members have been named in the CPL Invitational squad, including USA’s Steven Taylor, who is part of the Barbados Tridents. The other two are Canada’s Hamza Tariq and Nitish Kumar, who are contracted with Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks respectively. Kumar played in the first two games this season for the Zouks but has not appeared since July 3, while Tariq has yet to play for Knight Riders. Taylor started the first give games for Tridents but was dropped after making just 55 runs with a best of 37 in the season opener against Knight Riders.One overseas player outside of the ICC Americas members had also been included in the CPL Invitational XI: Australian Alex Ross of the Jamaica Tallawahs. The CPL XI will be captained by Shamarh Brooks and coached by CPL international director of cricket Tom Moody, assisted by St Lucia Zouks assistant coach Trevor Penney.The 30-man USA national squad arrived in Florida on Wednesday night and Thursday morning for the start of a week-long camp. The team’s training session on Thursday at the CBRP included a fielding masterclass coordinated by the ICC and CPL led by Penney and Moody.USA squad players will be given the opportunity to shadow CPL squads throughout the weekend in Florida – Nosthush Kenjige and Danial Ahmed (Amazon Warriors); Japen Patel and Francis Mendonca (Tridents) had the privilege for Thursday night’s CPL game – before commencing with three 50-over intra-squad trial matches on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A final 14-man squad is then expected to be picked following the matches to compete for USA at WCL Division Four in Los Angeles from October 29-November 5.

Defending champions England will begin their campaign against Australia on March 5, while India meet Pakistan the following day

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2021Hosts New Zealand will face West Indies in the opening match of the Women’s ODI World Cup in Tauranga on March 4. Six-time winners Australia will meet defending champions England at Seddon Park in Hamilton the following day, while India, last edition’s runners-up, will face Pakistan in another marquee fixture in Tauranga on March 6.ICC confirmed that the 31 games will be played across 31 days, with the eight teams competing for the trophy. Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Wellington will be the six cities that will host the tournament. Christchurch will host the final on April 3.Related

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Like the previous edition, the tournament will be played in the league format, where each team will meet the other teams once. The top four sides will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be played at Wellington and Christchurch on March 30 and 31 respectively. Both the semi-finals and the final will have a reserve day in place.Australia, England, South Africa and India qualified for the global event on the basis of their position in ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20 while New Zealand automatically qualified as hosts. After the World Cup qualifying event in Zimbabwe was called off due to the Covid-19 threat last month, Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakistan secured their places on the basis of their team ranking.This will be the first big women’s global event since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The last global women’s event played was the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2020, which the hosts won by beating India in the final.As a part of their preparation, India are scheduled to play five ODIs against hosts New Zealand before the World Cup.

Three wickets from Samit Patel and unbeaten knocks from Sabbir Rahman and James Franklin took Rajshahi Kings into the BPL final

Mohammad Isam07-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRajshahi Kings removed the Khulna Titans openers with run-outs•BCB

Rajshahi Kings made light work of Khulna Titans in the second qualifier on their way to the BPL final, against Dhaka Dynamites, completing a seven-wicket win in Mirpur. In front of a small crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, they restricted Khulna to a below-par 125 for 9 before knocking off the total with four balls to spare.Their efficient bowling performance ensured a maiden appearance in the tournament’s final after their previous franchise (Duronto Rajshahi) failed to do so in the 2012 and 2013 editions.But it was not an altogether smooth chase for Rajshahi. They lost their openers Mominul Haque and Nurul Hasan within 4.2 overs after which youngster Afif Hossain led the recovery with a 33-run third-wicket stand with Sabbir Rahman. He fell lbw to Mahmudullah in the 12th over after hitting three fours in his 27-ball 26.Sabbir batted in an unusual subdued manner before unleashing his first six off the 35th delivery. His unbeaten 43 off 52 balls broke a three-week low which started one innings after his 122 against Barisal Bulls.His unbroken 62-run fourth wicket stand with James Franklin calmly completed the chase, with Franklin contributing an unbeaten 30 off 24 balls. His first six, a big one down the ground, completed the win.Khulna were always behind the eight-ball after starting poorly. Openers Mohammad Hasanuzzaman and Abdul Mazid were run-out in the third over. First they were involved in a mix-up after Hasanuzzaman pushed the ball into the covers, with both ending up at the striker’s end. In the process of running him out at the other end, wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan rammed into Farhad Reza, hurting him.Two balls later, Mehedi Hasan’s direct hit from short midwicket found Mazid short by inches after he turned back from taking a single. After Farhad removed Shuvagata Hom in the fourth over, Nicholas Pooran fell following two sixes and as many fours, giving an easy catch to long-off off Afif.Samit Patel then removed Benny Howell, Mahmudullah and Kevon Cooper before Kesrick Williams and Darren Sammy took the eighth and ninth wickets respectively.There was still time for Khulna to post a better total, with Ariful Haque hitting two fours and a straight six in his unbeaten 32 off 29 balls, but it did not prove to be enough.

Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite has been called up to West Indies’ ODI side for their upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite has been called up to West Indies’ ODI side for their upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE. Brathwaite has played 31 Tests since his international debut in 2011 but is yet to play an ODI or a T20. The T20I squad includes two uncapped players – allrounder Rovman Powell and wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran.

West Indies squads for the UAE

ODI squad
In: Kraigg Brathwaite, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis
Out: Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor
T20I squad
In: Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton
Out: Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons

Chris Gayle is not a part of the T20 squad, having made himself unavailable for selection, while Lendl Simmons has missed out due to medical reasons. Gayle was part of the West Indies T20 squad for the two-match T20I series against India in Florida last month but missed both games after failing to pass a fitness test ahead of the first T20I.The ODI squad also includes batsman Evin Lewis and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who are uncapped in the format. Lewis, who made his T20I debut earlier this year, recently scored a 48-ball century against India in Florida opening the batting in place of Gayle, while Joseph made his international debut in the home Test series against the same opposition.Pooran impressed in this year’s Caribbean Premier League, scoring 217 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 197.27 for Barbados Tridents, while completing eight dismissals behind the stumps. Pooran’s inclusion boosts West Indies’ wicket-keeping options in the T20 squad, which include Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Chadwick Walton, who last played for West Indies in January 2014.Powell, who made his first-class debut last season, also showed promise in CPL 2016 for Jamaica Tallawahs, scoring 228 runs at an average of 25.33 and taking two wickets with his medium-pace.With Kumar Sangakkara taking up the wicket-keeping gloves for Tallawahs, Walton played in the CPL as a batsman and finished as the second-highest run-getter for the side behind Gayle, with 301 runs in 13 innings, which included two fifties.The T20I squad does not include former captain Darren Sammy, who was axed from the role last month. Sammy was also excluded from the T20I squad that played against India in Florida. Gayle, Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell and Samuel Badree were ineligible for ODI selection as they did not play in the domestic 50-over tournament last season, made mandatory by the WICB.West Indies will start their tour with three T20Is against Pakistan, between September 23 and 27, followed by the three-match ODI series which starts from September 30. The three-Test series, which includes a day-night match in Dubai, starts from October 13 and West Indies’ squad for that format will be announced later.West Indies ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon SamuelsWest Indies T20I squad Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton

Cordel Jack and Pamela Lavine delivered England a surprise defeat as West Indies cruised to a 40-run win in the first ODI in St Kitts

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009
ScorecardCordel Jack and Pamela Lavine delivered England a surprise defeat as West Indies cruised to a 40-run win in the first ODI in St Kitts. Jack made an unbeaten 81 in West Indies’ 235 for 6 and was well supported by Lavine, who also picked up three wickets in England’s chase.The visitors battled to cover for the absence of Claire Taylor and Sarah Taylor and it was left to Charlotte Edwards to guide the chase. She top scored with 58 opening the innings and while Lydia Greenway (41) remained at the crease England had hope of a victory.But Lavine removed Greenway and then picked up two more wickets in her next two overs to expose the England middle order, before Chedean Nation chipped away at the lower order. Nation grabbed 3 for 22 as the visitors sunk into a hole as the required run-rate ballooned to 13, and they were all out for 195 in the 48th over.The strong West Indies performance had been set up by their top order. Lavine and Stefanie Taylor built a 75-run opening stand before Lavine and Jack continued to apply the pressure to England’s bowlers.Lavine’s 49 combined with her 3 for 26 made her a contender for the Player of the Match, but that prize went to Jack. She struck ten fours and one six in her unbeaten 81, which gave West Indies a formidable total.England’s coach Mark Lane said: “I’m bitterly disappointed with the result today. We were outplayed in all three disciplines and in all honesty we just weren’t good enough. We need to show plenty of character tomorrow, we’re a great team so we’ll dust ourselves down and I’m confident that we’ll perform far better tomorrow and play at the level we know are capable of.”Jack said winning against the best side in the game was a special moment she will always cherish. “This is the moment for which I have been waiting. I felt really good when I was batting, and I am so pleased that we were able to beat England.”I was not really nervous and I did not feel any pressure. We had a very good start, and I put my head down and decided to carry on the good work. We are back in the field again [on Thursday], and we will be looking to do our very best again. We want to win [on Thursday], and take
the series.”The teams return to Warner Park on Thursday for the second ODI before the third and final match on Saturday. Three Twenty20 internationals, also in St Kitts, follow the one-dayers.

West Indies will likely have to replace the injured Fidel Edwards

Andrew McGlashan12-Jul-2021

Big Picture

In the space of barely 24 hours this series is potentially one match away from being decided. Australia need to win to keep things alive, a position they found themselves in on the New Zealand tour which will give them some encouragement that a rebound is possible but West Indies’ confidence will be high after their two victories.West Indies have a few problems at the top of the order, but the way they built a big total on Saturday with the 103-run stand between Shimron Hetmyer and Dwayne Bravo, with a sprinkling of Andre Russell at the end, followed by their performance with the ball was clinical.Australia were anything but. And while there is perhaps some mitigation that can be handed to them it is worth remembering what England are achieving against Pakistan having had to select an new side. However, with key names missing, more is needed from Aaron Finch and Mitchell Starc.Though he has yet to feature due to injury, the pre-series words of Kieron Pollard where he called for patience with Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are carrying some weight. Hetmyer has now produced the highest score of his T20I innings and Pooran is riding at 100% as captain.Related

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Form guide

(last five completed matches)
West Indies WWLWL
Australia LLLWWLL

In the spotlight

Hayden Walsh Jr can have the occasional problem controlling his length but Australia are finding him a handful. The visitors might benefit from having another left hander in the middle order, but the only option in the squad would be Alex Carey. With six wickets in two matches Walsh is well placed to challenge Bravo’s haul of 10 from the previous series against South Africa.Mitchell Starc‘s figures after two games are not pretty: 8-0-89-0. Before this series, he had not conceded more than two sixes in any T20 game. In the first T20I, he was hit for three and second five sixes – the joint second-most an Australia quick bowler has been hit for in an innings. However, he is generally a player who gets better with more work after a lay-off.

Team news

If Pollard remains unfit Pooran will continue to lead the side. Fidel Edwards picked up an arm injury in the second match so Obed McCoy would be a likely replacement after being rested although if they want a right-armer Oshane Thomas is part of the squad.West Indies (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Hayden Walsh Jr, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Sheldon CottrellAustralia’s senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald floated the notion of strengthening the specialist pace-bowling although that would require a change of balance to the side unless Ashton Agar was left out. Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith, AJ Tye and the uncapped Wes Agar are the other fast bowlers in the squad. Ashton Turner, who is more of a specialist middle-order batter, could be an option to replace Ben McDermott.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Josh Philippe, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Ben McDermott/Ashton Turner, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

There will be a new surface for the third match of the series. McDonald admitted that conditions had been different to what Australia had initially expected for this series with more pace and carry in the pitches. The strong crosswind has also been a significant factor which West Indies have used to good effect. The forecast is for a dry evening.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have lost 7 for 38 and 7 for 39 in the first two matches of the series
• Chris Gayle’s T20I average has fallen below 30 for the first time since the third match of his career in 2007

Quotes

“I think it was one of my best T20 innings. I think I paced it quite well. It really worked out well for me with the guys backing me to be the guy to just take it as deep as possible.”
“Disappointing we could get the chase done but the understand was we learnt a lot of that. Game two, we were just outplayed. That’s one in the T20 format, you put a lot of planning and prep into it, they just outdid us. They put us under great pressure with the ball. Can happen in T20 where you have the blowout.”

Luke Ronchi says that leaving the ball early on forced the Bangladesh bowlers to bowl to the New Zealand batters’ strengths

Mohammad Isam09-Jan-2022New Zealand are on their way to a mammoth first-innings total against Bangladesh in Christchurch, and they have set it up by doing what they are happiest doing: stick to their basics and forcing the bowlers to bowl at them.According to batting coach Luke Ronchi, the trio of Tom Latham, Will Young and Devon Conway left the ball well early in their respective innings, which frustrated the bowlers. They lost Young for 54, but rode on Latham’s unbeaten 186 and Conway’s 99 not out to end the first day on 349 for 1.Related

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“A massive part of it was to do the basics well and right for a long period of time,” Ronchi said. “We did it quite well at the Mount [Maunganui] but we let ourselves down in periods that brought Bangladesh back into the game. We did it for the whole day today. The guys were amazing.”We also put pressure on to their spin bowling. In the last game, we let them bowl a bit too much. Today, there was a bit of emphasis on putting him [Mehidy Hasan Miraz] under pressure so that they bring on the quick bowlers back a bit more. It worked quite nicely for us today.”The plan to take on Mehidy paid off, as the offspinner had none for 95 from his 25 overs, having conceded nine fours and a six.It was particularly crucial for Latham to get a big score following his failures in Mount Maunganui. This was Latham’s first hundred as a Test captain too, and one that came in a pressure situation, after he had lost the toss.”Leading into the series, his mindset has been amazing. We had some work between Tests. What we saw today was amazing,” Ronchi said. “You will get a bit of luck on green surfaces but also you have make the most of it. Some of his drives, the sound it made off the bat was awesome. It was a fantastic day for both Tom, Devon and Young.”I have seen some amazing innings from him [Latham] in all formats. He has the temperament and confidence through the work he puts in between Tests. His numbers as a New Zealand opener is fantastic. He is a good leader in the group.”Ronchi didn’t expect Conway to be too perturbed about being on 99 overnight.”Dev is a different individual. He is more than happy to be on whatever score, and still be batting,” Ronchi said. “He will have his sleep tonight, and start again tomorrow. He will just be Devon Conway. He has put out some outrageous numbers from the winter to this summer. It is a pleasure watching him bat.”With 186 against his name, and New Zealand likely to look to bat Bangladesh out of the game, Latham could well have a really big score lined up.”Just let him get as many as he can,” Ronchi said. “You always want to see things like that [the triple-century mark] broken. It is about doing his processes as he has done so well in this innings, and starting again tomorrow. It is the best way we perform. Keep batting and make a really substantial team score.”