All posts by n8rngtd.top

Ollie Price produces career-best innings on truncated day at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2023Gloucestershire were rewarded with some brotherly love as Ollie Price and older brother Tom batted in entertaining fashion to take their team to almost certain safety in the ongoing LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Headingley.Gloucestershire started a weather-affected day three at 2.15pm on 232 for 5, replying to Yorkshire’s first-innings 550 for 9 declared, and closed on 421 for 8, with Ollie Price unbeaten on a career-best 97 off 140 balls.Ollie was one not out at the day’s beginning and Tom hadn’t even arrived at the crease, with Miles Hammond unbeaten on 84. When Hammond fell for 92, caught at long-on off Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin, leaving the score at 246 for 6, it paved the way for a Gloucestershire game of ‘The Price is Right’ during a day of only 38 overs.Ollie, aged 22, was ably supported by Tom – a year older – with 59. They shared a Gloucestershire seventh-wicket record partnership in matches versus Yorkshire, 162 inside 33 overs either side of tea.It was also the match’s highest partnership, and it remains possible the two brothers from Oxford will have posted their maiden first-team centuries in this season’s Championship by early morning tomorrow after Tom did it against Worcestershire in April.With Gloucestershire 129 runs behind, a contrived finish is the only realistic way a draw could be avoided.Hammond only added eight runs to his overnight 84, which had come in 95 balls with six sixes – the majority lofted down the ground off Moriarty. And he was trying to play in the same attacking manner on day three despite a few factors against him – a slate grey sky with the floodlights on and Gloucestershire still 169 runs away from avoiding the follow-on.Anyway, he hoisted the second ball of the day in the 58th over, from Surrey loanee Moriarty, over long-off for six before trying similar in the spinner’s next over but picking out Dom Leech at long-on.Moriarty had wicket number four, and Dom Bess’s replacement in Yorkshire’s team was doing a decent job. The only downer from his point of view was that, after a tidy start on day two with three maidens in his first four overs, he was starting to concede some boundaries.He conceded seven sixes in figures of 4 for 96 after 25 overs, while his 26th saw Ollie Price hit him for three successive boundaries as the visitors closed on 300. Moriarty finished the day with 4 for 131 from 33 overs amidst an otherwise off-colour home display.The light forced Yorkshire to employ spin from both ends pretty early into proceedings. There was a near 25-minute delay for bad light from just before 3.20pm, with 17 overs bowled beforehand. Fifteen of them were sent down by the spin of Moriarty and part-time offie Adam Lyth.Ollie Price played positively but differently to Hammond. He swept and reverse swept on the way to an 82-ball fifty after the resumption following bad light.The 10 overs upon the resumption through to tea proved game changing. The Prices took 69 runs to advance from 300 for 6, including 45 from four bowled by Australian debutant overseas seamer Mark Steketee and Matthew Fisher.Tom took on Fisher’s short stuff and then drove an arrow straight boundary off Steketee, with Ollie three times edging the latter wide of the slips to reach tea on 75 and the visitors 369 for 6 and only 32 short of the follow-on.Only 15 more runs were added before another 25-minute break for bad light. Tom then reached his fifty off 93 balls as Gloucestershire avoided the follow-on at 402 for 6. But he was bowled almost immediately by George Hill.When Zafar Gohar failed to evade a Leech short ball in the next over, Gloucestershire were 413 for 8 after 93 overs. Only two more overs were possible before a third bad light stoppage was the final one at 5.55pm.

Rohit and Co have racked up nine wins in a row while New Zealand have become what they need to be to win

Alagappan Muthu14-Nov-20237:44

Kumble: India batters need to watch out for extra swing if they chase

Big picture: Big stakes

First, the unstoppable force. India are having the World Cup of their wildest dreams and it has nothing to do with the fact they are undefeated in it. That is merely a byproduct of their planning leading into the tournament. They left 2019 needing… more. So they went out searching, trying as many as 50 different players across four years and 66 matches. Six months out from the showpiece, they had identified who they wanted and were focused on sharpening their skills. In the 15 ODIs between March and October 2023, they were picking all of their XIs from a set of 24.The chosen ones were given all the support they needed to live up to their full potential, which is why Suryakumar Yadav finally looks like he belongs in ODI cricket. Off the field, India were doing even better. The success of this campaign – and it is already a success – was built in the doctor’s offices and the gyms and the training sessions that enabled Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul Shreyas Iyer to come back from injury without losing a shred of their ability to the doubt that their bodies might break down again if they pushed it too hard.Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli have often pointed to a record of sustained excellence whenever they were faced with questions around the lack of ICC trophies since 2013. Whether the drought ends in a week’s time or not, the gains this team has made – the freedom with which they bat, the discipline with which they bowl, the trust they have in themselves and their method, the joy they have spread – already feel historic.Now, the immovable shape-shifting object. New Zealand become what they need to be to win. Rachin Ravindra began scoring mountains of runs in the top order, so the opener they invested in during the lead-up to the World Cup has to warm the bench. They’ve turned Glenn Phillips into something close to an allrounder, the man has doubled the number of overs he had bowled in his entire ODI career during the course of this competition. They’ve dealt with injury to key personnel. They weren’t derailed by the close-run loss to Australia or the one after they scored 401 against Pakistan. They pitch up. They do what they can. And then they are at peace with whatever happens. This is why they are so good in high-pressure games like the one that took place on July 14, 2019.Expect a cagey start. Each team trying ever so hard not to make the first mistake, trying not so much to beat the opposition as outlasting them. New Zealand are masters at this art; at just staying in the game long enough until there is an opening to burst through.Related

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• Samiuddin: Bumrah is a species of exactly one

• Glenn Phillips 2.0 takes centre stage with New Zealand

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• Santner needs to be more Santner than Jadeja

Form guide

India: WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand: WLLLL

In the spotlight: Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult

Jasprit Bumrah is the man that makes India unbeatable. Without him, they went out with a whimper at the T20 World Cup last year. With him, they thrashed the team that had tossed them out in Australia despite a massive batting malfunction. Almost 80% of his deliveries (175 out of 228) in the first ten overs are dots. He always comes back in the middle overs because if he can pick up a wicket then, a new batter will have to face the prospect of scoring those crucial, and quick, runs against, in all likelihood, Bumrah himself because he truly does come alive at the death with his slower balls and his yorkers.New Zealand’s best chance to win will be bowling under lights. The new ball has moved dramatically in Mumbai after sunset, and early wickets are the surest way to cripple an opposition, even one with so many fail-safes. Trent Boult has not always had the conditions in his favour at this World Cup but if the fates align to present him the opportunity to target the stumps and the pads of Rohit and Kohli and Shreyas and Rahul, he will sure as hell take it. And even if he has to bowl in the heat, he’ll be spurred on by an acute sense of unfinished business.2:29

Ravindra: Playing against India at the Wankhede is like a dream

Team news

Nether India nor New Zealand will be looking to shuffle up their packs. Lockie Ferguson has been managing an achilles injury throughout the tournament, the Black Caps coach Gary Stead told , but he also added that the fast bowler should be good to play the semi-final. On the eve of the game, Williamson confirmed all the players in their squad were fit and available for selection.India have been playing the same XI since their fifth league game, which was against New Zealand in Dharamsala.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajNew Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

It’s been fun to bat in the first innings at Wankhede stadium and then fun again after 20 overs of the chase is done. The in-between period is when the quicks have wreaked havoc. The weather is set fair and even if not there is a reserve day for the semi-final.

Stats and trivia

• India currently have the most wickets (85), best economy rate (4.5), best average (19.6) and best strike rate (26.2) among all teams in the World Cup.
• Tim Southee vs Virat Kohli could be a fun battle. It has produced 205 runs at a strike rate of 101 but also six dismissals as well.
• New Zealand have been effective at scoring runs quickly in this World Cup, having the joint-highest run rate (6.5) among all teams in the tournament.
• Among opening pairs with at least 1000 runs in ODIs, Rohit and Shubman Gill have the second-highest average (74.8) behind only David Warner and Travis Head (80.1).

Quotes

“The underdog thing, from what you guys write, I do not think it has changed too much, but that is fine you know, and India have been exceptional.”
“I’ve played a lot of cricket here: these four or five games are not going to tell a lot about what Wankhede is… I certainly believe that toss is not the [decisive] factor.”

Carlson half-century resists but huge deficit remains on cards

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2023Glamorgan 150 for 6 (Carlson 53*) trail Yorkshire 500 (Masood 192, Bean 93, Hill 71) by 350 runsYorkshire skipper Shan Masood extended his highest score for the county to 192 as he led his side to maximum batting points against Glamorgan on the second day of their LV= County Championship clash at Sophia Gardens.The Pakistani Test star dominated the day once again as he built on his overnight tally of 113. That had led his side to an overnight score of 330 for 3, which then grew to 500 before their first innings ended with a run out in the 122nd over.Yorkshire then tightened their grip on the game by dismissing six home batsmen before the end of the second day to leave the Welsh county reeling at 150 for 6, still trailing by 350 runs and potentially facing the follow-on. A battling, unbeaten half-century from Kiran Carlson kept Glamorgan’s hopes aliveMasood was at the heart of his side’s third score of 500 this summer and he brought up his 150 off 191 balls with 15 fours. He was finally beaten eight runs short of what would have been his third championship double century – he scored two for Derbyshire in 2022 – when he was caught by Sam Northeast off the bowling of James Harris.He enjoyed two century partnerships – 127 with Finlay Bean and 132 with George Hill – and
put on 53 for the sixth wicket with Matthew Revis as the Yorkshire batsmen dominated the home bowling.Yorkshire lost George Hill for 71, Jonny Tattersall for six and Revis for 28 in the morning session as they went into lunch have secured their five batting points by reaching 448 for 6 from 107 overs.No sooner had Masmood departed, than Jordan Thompson went the very next ball from Harris, and it only took Glamorgan a further five overs to mop up the tail. It was still not enough, though, to earn them the three bowling points they needed to keep alive their outside hopes of staying in the promotion race.Midway through the day the news came through that Durham had gained promotion to Division One due to Leicestershire’s failure to earn any batting bonus points against Sussex. The north-east county need a maximum of five points from their last two games to seal the Division Two title.After suffering defeat at Worcester last week, the target for Glamorgan was to win the game with a full set of bonus points, but set the tall order of chasing 500 they then got off to a poor start with the bat.Zain ul Hassan was bowled by the last ball of the fifth over from Ben Coad for eight and when the experienced Colin Ingram had his bails sent flying in the air by Jordan Thompson for five three overs later, Glamorgan were struggling at 19 for 2.By the end of play they had were reduced to six down after Dom Bess had clean bowled Sam Northeast for 16, Revis had ended his first over by removing Eddie Byrom for 40 and then had Billy Root caught behind for four.The Yorkshire pace man ended the day for 3 for 20 from his five overs.

James Anderson says Ben Stokes is “good to go” as England ponder changes to XI

Matt Roller13-Oct-2024Pakistan are set to use the same pitch twice in a row in Multan as they look to respond to their innings defeat against England. Industrial-sized fans were set up at either end of the pitch as both teams held optional training sessions on Sunday after it was heavily watered by groundstaff in the aftermath of the first Test.Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood, Pakistan’s coach and captain, had a look at the pitch on Sunday morning, before Gillespie had a lengthy conversation with Tony Hemming, the PCB’s Australian head curator. The bowlers’ footmarks from the first Test looked dry and cracked, and were further dried by the fans and the harsh sun.Pakistan’s move is unusual, not least because it is rare for the same venue to stage consecutive Tests. But ICC’s pitch regulations only require the “best possible pitch and outfield conditions” with no stipulations that the surface must be fresh or unused, and after 11 consecutive home Tests without a win, Pakistan may feel the need to try something different.Related

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• Babar Azam set to be dropped for second Test against England

The decision to play the second Test on the same strip may empower England to pick Ben Stokes, with spin likely to play a bigger role. Stokes has ramped up his bowling workloads over the past week and bowled at full pace in the nets on Sunday morning, suggesting he should be fit to return and could play the role of a third seamer if required.James Anderson, who is overseeing England’s fast bowlers on this tour, told the BBC: “He looks great. He has worked really hard on his fitness and is looking as strong as I’ve ever seen him… Knowing Ben, once he gets into the game, there will be no stopping him. He’s just that sort of player. He’s good to go: we’ll just have to wait and see what he can do in the game.”England were braced for “result wickets” after taking a 1-0 lead with two Tests to play, and are anticipating a lower-scoring match when the second Test starts on Tuesday. The pitch offered nothing for bowlers in the first Test, with 1,599 runs scored for the loss of 26 wickets – an average of 61.5 runs per wicket.Ben Stokes goes full tilt at training•Getty Images

Anderson admitted he thought that Pakistan’s plans would have been blocked by ICC regulations, but said England were “not fussed” by the prospect of playing on the same strip again. “It’s their decision, their conditions, their home game,” he said. “They can do what they want. The fact that it’s the same pitch doesn’t determine the result.”He predicted that Pakistan’s plans will see spin play a greater role, which he suggested could suit England. “That’s a first for me in Test cricket,” Anderson said. “When we’re talking about Ben’s workloads and his bowling, it might play into our hands with that, with the spinners potentially playing more of a part… We don’t know what we’re going to get.”Going off the last game, we did see it go up and down – mainly down – towards the back end. The cracks started opening up. I’m no groundsman, but I don’t think you can make cracks go back together that easily, certainly in three days. You’d expect it to do something off the cracks and with it being dry and hot again, you’d expect the spinners to play more of a part.”There were some signs of variable bounce by the final day of the Test as England wrapped up their win, but Chris Woakes said it had offered “bugger all” for bowlers. Kevin Pietersen, the former England captain, described it as a “bowlers’ graveyard” on X/Twitter, and suggested that Pakistan should re-use it for the second Test.The second Test was initially scheduled for Karachi, but was moved to Multan at late notice due to ongoing renovations at the National Stadium. The PCB have pledged to give it a “major facelift” ahead of the Champions Trophy next year, and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium was unavailable for the England series for the same reason.

Andre Fletcher’s century in vain for Knight Riders

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2025It took the combined might of Mitchell Owen, Andries Gous, Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips – not without help from Rachin Ravindra and Obus Pienaar – to match, and eventually top, Andre Fletcher on Thursday night at MLC 2025. Even then, it took till the last ball, and a dropped catch on that ball, to do it.Los Angeles Knight Riders, down on their luck and in the points table in, put up 213 for 4 against Washington Freedom, riding on Fletcher’s 60-ball 104. But it wasn’t enough – though it went down to the wire thanks to an almost-fantastic last over of the chase from Andre Russell. But Freedom got over the line in the end when Jason Holder dropped Phillips at mid-on off a spooned-out yorker, and climbed up to second place on the table, while Knight Riders remained at No. 5.A chase as big as this one needed a big start, but Freedom knew what to do, having pulled off the biggest chase in MLC just the other day. This made it a one-two for them.Owen set the ball rolling, smashing three fours and four sixes in his 16-ball 43, his contribution to a 51-run opening stand with Ravindra, who wasn’t shabby either, scoring 18 off 12. Gous got in then and kept the scoreboard moving, and all of that meant a powerplay score of 73 for 1. Marginally better than Knight Riders’ 67 for no loss.But the runs needed to keep coming, and keep coming at a rate of around 10-11. That happened too. Gous fell for 31 off 27, but Maxwell got going right then, smashing 42 off 23 balls with two fours and three sixes.Andre Fletcher brought up a 59-ball century•Sportzpics for MLC

Then came the next twist – Tanveer Sangha, bowling the 14th over, got rid of both Jack Edwards and Maxwell, and suddenly, it was looking loaded in Knight Riders’ favour. No fear – Phillips rocked up, and hit an unbeaten 23-ball 33 to put Freedom back on top, and when the last over started, only seven runs were needed.Russell had the ball, and started with a wide. And then Pienaar hit a four. Two needed from five. Not over. Three dot balls followed, and suddenly it was two from two. Super Over? But singles from Pienaar and Phillips off the last two balls finished the game off.On most days, Fletcher’s 104 from 60 balls – he retired out at that point – would have been on the winning side. Add to that Unmukt Chand’s 41 from 30 balls in an opening stand of 130 in 12.2 overs, Sherfane Rutherford’s 11-ball 20, and Russell’s unbeaten 13-ball 30, and Knight Riders pretty much had the perfect batting innings, having come into the game on the back of four losses in five games.Chand was slow – managing three fours and six and a strike rate of 136.66 in a game where runs were scored at well upwards ten an over across the two innings aren’t great numbers. But with Fletcher turning it on, Knight Riders stayed above that ten-an-over mark despite Chand’s lack of intent.But his fall, in the 13th over with Fletcher 83 off 45 balls at that stage, was perhaps good from Knight Riders’ point of view. It brought in Rutherford first, and after he fell after a cameo, Russell got in and got going big time right away. Fletcher’s century came up in the 18th over, and he retired one ball after, his knock including seven fours and six sixes.Russell then did his bit with bat and ball, but it was not enough for Knight Riders.

The ODIs will be played in Bengaluru first, followed by the Test and T20Is in Chennai

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2024South Africa’s all-format women’s tour of India will begin with a three-match ODI series, then move to the one-off Test, and end with the three T20Is. The ODIs, as well as a one-day warm-up game for the visiting side against a Board President’s XI side, will be played in Bengaluru, while the rest of the games will take place in Chennai.As reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier, the sequence – the T20Is being played at the end – is with a view to ensure continuity in formats ahead of the T20 World Cup, to be held in Bangladesh in September-October.After the warm-up game on June 13, the ODIs will be played on June 16, 19 and 23; the Test will run from June 28 to July 1; the T20Is will be played on July 5, 7 and 9.

South Africa tour of India

June 13: tour game vs Board President’s XI, Bengaluru
June 16: 1st ODI, Bengaluru
June 19: 2nd ODI, Bengaluru
June 23: 3rd ODI, Bengaluru
June 28 – July 1: One-off Test, Chennai
July 5: 1st T20I, Chennai
July 7: 2nd T20I, Chennai
July 9: 3rd T20I, Chennai

The one-off Test wasn’t part of the ICC’s FTP originally. It was added since BCCI and CSA have both been trying to promote women’s Tests of late. This will be India’s third Test in seven months, having played against England and Australia in December last year, both at home.South Africa, meanwhile, ended their eight-year hiatus from the format in England in June 2022 and subsequently played Australia in February in Perth.More recently, the BCCI also reintroduced a red-ball tournament in the women’s domestic calendar, hosting an inter-zonal competition – of five matches in total. The last time the BCCI had a red-ball tournament for its women cricketers was back in 2018.

Australia captain admits to “strange” feeling but targets series win at The Oval

Andrew McGlashan23-Jul-2023In contrast to four years ago, there won’t be any big celebrations from Australia on retaining the Ashes with Pat Cummins aware the Manchester rain helped them escape with a draw after being dominated by England.Cummins was part of the side in 2019 when they eventually shared the series 2-2 having also retained the urn at Old Trafford, albeit with a convincing victory on that occasion, and those who featured that year have often spoken about it leaving unfinished business.There was a flatness all-round at the end of this game with England knowing their chance of regaining the Ashes had gone while the visitors were aware they’d put in one of their worst performances under the Cummins-Andrew McDonald era. However, Cummins did make reference to their earlier success in the series which put them 2-0 up.Related

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“It’s a bit of a strange one,” Cummins said. “As a group [we’re] proud that we’ve retained the Ashes but it’s off the back of not our greatest week. It feels like it’s good to retain the Ashes, but we know we’ve got a fair bit of work to do for next week.”I don’t think there will be huge celebrations. Maybe a bit of a pat on the back for retaining the [Ashes]. There’s been a lot of work gone into putting us into a position where a draw does make us retain the Ashes. But there’s a Test match starting in three days so that’s going to be our full focus.”It’s a pretty similar group to 2019 when we retained it and we all came away feeling okay but we felt like we’d just missed what we’d come over to achieve. In some regards whatever happened today wouldn’t really change how we look at next week. We want to win it to make sure we win it outright.”Barring Marnus Labuschagne, who had an excellent Test with scores of 51 and 111, there wasn’t a part of Australia’s performance that functioned close to their top level. But one of the main areas that came in for focus was Cummins’ captaincy during England’s rampaging innings of 592 which came at more than five an over.Cummins insisted he had not felt overwhelmed as a captain and instead turned the focus on his own bowling which fell significantly below his usual high standards.”As a bowler it’s frustrating that I didn’t bowl very well at all, not up to the standards I try and keep myself to,” he said. “I let through more boundaries than I normally do. Probably just one or two bad balls an over. I don’t know [why] really. [My] rhythm felt pretty good, I felt like I was pretty clear in my own mind with plans.”In terms of captaincy I think there has been a few of those moments where the [England] batters have played well, the game moves very quickly.”We knew coming into this series they were probably going to have a couple of days where it went their way and the game moves really quickly, so it was one of those days. It’s tough, frustrating, but that’s cricket. We’ve been on the other side of it plenty of times.”The game most dramatically ran away from Australia in the middle session of the second day where Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali and Joe Root racked up 178 in 25 overs with the visitors unable to find a response. The innings then ended in chaotic fashion as well with Jonny Bairstow and Jimmy Anderson added 66 for the last wicket.”That two-hour block in the middle session wasn’t our best,” Cummins said. “We tried to throw a few different plans at them and maybe on another day they work, a couple of the edges carry through or some of the catches go to hand, but I thought they batted well. I was pretty proud of the end of that day. We were able to wrestle back some of that control.”You definitely look at what you can try and do differently for next time,” he added. “That will be part of this week for sure. I think there are some obvious things we could do a little bit differently. Maybe some plans, the way we executed our bowling.”However, Cummins picked out Australia’s first innings when they left themselves on the back foot with a total of 317 where numerous starts from the top order weren’t converted as five of the top six reached 32.”We probably left a few runs out there in the first innings,” he said. “That was a really good wicket to bat on day one. But historically we have been really good [at] that so it’s not something I’m super worried about, but it’s a good time to look back at all our games and have a think about what we could do differently and put that into action for next week.”

The allrounder said he moved on “pretty quickly” from the night out, for which he wasn’t sanctioned by CA

AAP12-Feb-2024Glenn Maxwell is thankful for “outstanding” support from Australian cricket hierarchy after falling unconscious at an Adelaide pub.Maxwell says the January 19 incident when he was taken by ambulance to hospital was “less than ideal”.”I think probably it affected my family a little bit more than it affected me,” Maxwell said on Sunday night after making the fastest T20I century on Australian soil in a win against the West Indies.Related

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On that January day, Maxwell played at an exhibition golf day before, in the evening, attending The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel where ex-cricket star Brett Lee’s band performed.The allrounder had been drinking and fell unconscious in the band’s dressing room, prompting an ambulance to be called. He was taken to an emergency department but wasn’t admitted to hospital. Australian selectors had given Maxwell that week off.”I knew I had that week off,” Maxwell said. “And obviously that incident was less than ideal, and the timing. But I had that week off, I knew I had that week off away from the game.”And I came back and got back into my running, my gym program and it felt really good and refreshed once I got back. And it’s all been focused on getting myself ready for this [T20] series and what’s to come.”We know we have got four international games until the [T20] World Cup and how it comes around pretty quick. And I just try to make sure I’m in as good a space that I can be for that tournament.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Australian coach Andrew McDonald confirmed Maxwell had been drinking and the allrounder had to “hold up his end of the bargain”.Maxwell praised the support of McDonald, chair of selectors George Bailey and cohorts in the aftermath of the incident.”The coach, Bails, everyone really, they have been outstanding,” he said after making 120 not out from 55 balls against West Indies.Asked if the incident prompted any reflection, Maxwell replied: “No, I just moved on pretty quickly. I was back in training on the Monday so I was pretty good.”The incident was the latest in a series of bizarre mishaps for one of the heroes of Australia’s 50-over World Cup win in India last year.During the tournament, Maxwell was concussed after falling off a golf cart and missed a game against England. In November 2022, Maxwell broke a leg when he slipped while pretending to chase a friend at a birthday party – the injury cost him a spot in Australia’s Test squad to tour India and to miss an entire BBL season.But Maxwell maintains his life “is normally pretty chill off the field”.”We had swimming lessons the other day with little Logan, that’s probably the most wild thing I’m generally doing at home,” he said, referring to his six-month-old boy. The golf game has taken a serious hit.”But yeah, just a lot of family time. I think having that much downtime with the family at the moment, it has just been so good for me away from cricket. And I sort of come to cricket, it is just fun now, I’m able to just go out and just enjoy it.”

Freya Kemp set to return to allrounder ranks, side strain rules out Mahika Gaur

Valkerie Baynes20-Jun-2024Sophia Dunkley has been recalled to England’s T20I squad less than a week after earning an ODI return for the upcoming series against New Zealand, where Freya Kemp is set to feature as an allrounder as she continues her return from a back injury.England’s 16-strong squad for the five-match T20 series is otherwise unchanged to the one which defeated Pakistan 3-0 last month.Mahika Gaur, the 18-year-old fast bowler who has been absent from England’s squads this year while completing her A-Levels, will have finished her exams by the time the T20Is start but was left out of the squad due to a side strain.Kemp, the 19-year-old left-arm seamer, returned home early from England’s tour of the Caribbean in December 2022 with a back stress fracture after making her international debut against South Africa during the English summer earlier that year, and impressing against India a few months later when she became the youngest England player, male or female, to make a T20I half-century.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

She bowled during England’s tour of India in December 2023 but subsequently suffered a flare-up in her back and has since played as a batter only for England A during their tour of New Zealand and for England Women in the Pakistan series, as well as in regional cricket.Jon Lewis, England’s head coach, said he hoped to include Gaur in squad activities as she continues her development. Gaur made her ODI debut for England against Sri Lanka last September, having made her England T20I debut earlier in Sri Lanka’s tour after playing 19 games in the shorter format for UAE.”This five-match series against a strong New Zealand side is really important for us and also vital preparation as we build towards the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh,” Lewis said. “We are pleased to welcome Freya Kemp back as an allrounder and we will hopefully see her bowl across this series as she returns from injury.”Sophia Dunkley comes back into the squad after showing good form at regional level, she has earned the right to be in this squad. Mahika Gaur is not available to play due to a small side strain. We will look to have her in and around the squad preparing to return to play.”Related

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Dunkley was last week named in England’s ODI squad to face the White Ferns after losing her place during England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. She was added to the 50-over squad for the last two games of England’s three-match series with Pakistan last month, but didn’t play in either – she was named 12th for the second fixture in Taunton, which was washed out after 6.5 overs.That followed a run of strong performances for South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, where she is the competition’s leading run-scorer with 293 runs at 97.66 and a strike rate of 83.00, with a century and a fifty to her name. She has also scored 200 runs in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition at 28.57 and a strike rate of 120.48 with two half-centuries.England Women squad: Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice ⁠Capsey, Charlie ⁠Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie ⁠Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, ⁠Bess Heath, Amy ⁠Jones, Freya ⁠Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danielle Wyatt

England became the first side to score 500 runs on day one of a Test

Valkerie Baynes01-Dec-2022A quartet of centuries helped England plunder a record 506 for 4 on the opening day to put the tourists in command of their first Test appearance in Pakistan for 17 years.Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who put on a 233-run opening stand, were joined by Ollie Pope and Harry Brook – the latter playing just his second Test – in posting hundreds on a remarkable day in which England’s run rate scarcely dipped below a run a ball as they became the first side to score 500 runs on day one of a Test.No sooner had Brook brought up his maiden Test fifty, and he surged towards his century by whipping Saud Shakeel for six fours in one over to almost all quarters of the ground. Brook reached his ton off just 80 balls after he and Pope had added 176 runs for the fourth wicket and, when bad light ended play, he remained not out on 101 with Ben Stokes unbeaten on 34.Crawley had threatened to become the first Englishman to score a hundred before lunch on the first day of a Test as he and Duckett set a solid foundation for their side, which had been laid low by a sickness bug just 24 hours earlier.Stokes was among the worst affected but fronted up for, and won, an all-important toss after England were only able to confirm that they had a fit XI two-and-a-half hours before the start. They were forced into just one change to their intended team, handing Will Jacks his Test debut for a still-recovering Ben Foakes, with Pope to take the wicketkeeping gloves.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The last time Crawley had played against Pakistan, he struck 267 to deliver on the promise of three half-centuries in 11 previous innings. A tumultuous stretch followed that knock in August 2020, with just a brace of fifties in 21 innings which followed 10 single-figure scores and two ducks among them bringing his place under increasing scrutiny.That was until his century in the drawn first Test against West Indies in Antigua in March this year, which seemed to set him up for the English summer, only for another unspectacular spell to ensue until his rapid unbeaten 69 off just 57 balls in September’s third and final Test against South Africa.Crawley’s latest innings was next-level speed-wise, however, as he perfectly merged England’s assertive approach under Brendon McCullum with the need to make the most of his time in the middle while some of his team-mates regained their strength.One of only four players in England’s original XI named on Tuesday to take part in an optional training session on match eve, Crawley opened with three fours off Naseem Shah so that England were 14 without loss in the most expensive first over of a Test in two decades.Haris Rauf, making his Test debut after 57 T20Is and 15 ODIs, entered the attack in the eighth over, but Crawley continued to find the boundary with back-to-back fours either side of the pitch in Rauf’s second over and, after 10 overs, the tourists had motored to 63 for 0.The last time Duckett played a Test, he fell for 5 and 0 at the hands of a rampant R Ashwin as England suffered a heavy defeat to India in November 2016 and he admitted thinking his Test career was over.Making his return six years later after an excellent Championship season for Nottinghamshire, Duckett looked assured, his fortuitous slash through third to bring up England’s fifty notwithstanding, as he reverse-swept then ramped Zahid Mahmood to the fence.Crawley brought up his half-century off just 38 balls, sweeping Zahid through fine leg for four, while England brought up their 100 in 13.5 overs and Duckett reached a run-a-ball fifty in the second hour.Save for a hearty appeal for lbw, which looked to be high with no functioning DRS in the third over to test the on-field not-out decision, and a slash off Rauf which went just wide of a slow-moving Mohammad Ali at mid-on to move into the 90s, Crawley’s innings was domineering. He had scored 17 fours by the end of the morning session as he and Duckett took England to lunch unscathed with 174 runs on the board.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pakistan, missing the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi and fielding three other debutants alongside Haris, in right-arm seamer Ali, legspinner Zahid and middle-order batter Shakeel, looked toothless and needed a breakthrough. They eventually got there through Zahid and Rauf in the space of nine balls.On 99, Crawley managed to overturn his lbw dismissal playing around Naseem’s full delivery which rapped him low on the front pad but was shown to be heading down the leg side. Two balls later, Crawley’s deft punch through the covers brought up an 86-ball century, the fastest by an England Test opener and joint fifth-fastest overall.Duckett brought up his maiden Test ton with a pulled four off Rauf, a beaming smile spreading across Duckett’s face as he soaked up the applause. His stay was shortlived thereafter when he missed his reverse sweep of Zahid and was struck on the pad in line with off stump, although Pakistan had to review Joel Wilson’s not-out decision.So ended England’s highest Test opening stand against Pakistan and they went from 233 without loss to 235 for 2 when Crawley followed a short time later, done by Rauf’s reverse swing as the ball slid through the gate and took a deflection on to middle stump.Joe Root fell lbw to Mahmood for just 23, burning a review in a bid to overturn his dismissal before Pope and Brook forged on.Brook, who had pulled Zahid for six on the stroke of tea, helped himself to another six in the evening session when he muscled Rauf over deep midwicket. He brought up his fifty with a single in the next over moments before Pope raised his century working Agha Salman off his toes for one to reach the mark in 90 balls.Even when Pope fell to Ali, lbw on review to give Pakistan something to smile faintly about in the fast-fading light, Brook surged ahead with England’s quickest Test hundred now in his sights. He fell short of Gilbert Jessop’s 76-ball mark set in 1902, but slotted in at No. 3 behind Jonny Bairstow when he struck Naseem for a gorgeous cover drive for four.The fact that England still have the firepower of Jacks and fellow debutant Liam Livingstone to come on a batter-friendly pitch gave the hosts ever more to worry about overnight.