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Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap in batting allrounder Delmi Tucker

Firdose Moonda23-May-2022South Africa will be without Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Sinalo Jafta and Masabata Klaas during their white-ball tour of Ireland next month.Kapp, Lee and Jafta are all recovering from illnesses, Klaas is out with a shoulder injury, and du Preez, who retired from ODIs but remains available in the shortest format, has been left out of the squad scheduled play three T20Is and three ODIs in Dublin. Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is also not in the touring party as she continues to recover from the ankle injury that ruled her out of the World Cup.That means van Niekerk’s participation in the England tour that follows, which includes a one-off Test, three ODIs, three T20Is and the Commonwealth Games, is in doubt. The final squad for those matches will be announced in the first week of June, which gives van Niekerk little over a week to make the cut. She returned to training earlier this month and is currently still on an individual program, and not training with the rest of the group. The South African squad that travels to Ireland will remain in the UK, with any personnel changes for the England series and Commonwealth Games to travel in or out as needed.For the Ireland matches, Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap, batting allrounder Delmi Tucker, who has recently played for the South African Emerging side against Zimbabwe and Thailand. Tucker also had a successful domestic season for Western Province, where she scored 409 runs white ball cricket and took 15 wickets with her right-arm off-spin. “Delmi Tucker has been rewarded off the back of a very successful domestic season and has really made positive strides with significant contributions, and we are looking forward to seeing her transition into the international arena,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s selection convener, said.The rest of the squad includes the familiar faces of Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon and Ayabonga Khaka as well as all three reserves who traveled to the World Cup – Raisibe Ntozakhe, Nadine de Klerk and Andrie Steyn. Anneke Bosch, who missed the World Cup with a fractured thumb, also returns.While the T20Is are part of South Africa’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games and next year’s T20 World Cup, the ODIs are part of the 2022 to 2025 Women’s Championship, which will determine qualification for the 2025 World Cup.”When we are looking at the T20Is, there is a bigger picture when it comes to that. It is a new beginning for us this year, building up towards the T20 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” Hilton Moreeng, South Africa’s coach, said. “The senior players know what is at stake. The ODIs are the ICC Women’s Championship qualifications for the next 50-over World Cup, so there is a lot at stake in the sense that we are also looking to grow our base.”Squad: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

Wasim Khan has questioned whether the game in England and Wales can do more to encourage coaches and administrators from South Asian and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds

George Dobell28-Feb-2018Wasim Khan, the chief executive of Leicestershire, has questioned whether the game in England and Wales can do more to encourage coaches and administrators from South Asian and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds.While Wasim has welcomed the appointment of Vikram Solanki and Dimitri Mascarenhas as assistant head coaches at Surrey and Essex respectively, he raised the possibility of “unconscious bias” inhibiting the progress of more non-white coaches and suggested a concerted effort should be made to improve the situation.His comments follow those of Roland Butcher, who recently described himself as “surprised” and “saddened” by the small number of coaching opportunities provided to non-white people despite there being “so many managerial positions available in the first-class game in England”. Butcher, the first man of Afro-Caribbean heritage to represent England at Test level, told the BBC “it appears as if Black and Asian coaches are not trusted to do a job”.While the ECB has certainly made an increased effort to engage with the Asian community in recent times – Lord Patel of Bradford has joined the ECB board as an independent director and has been preparing a report on the issue, while Vikram Banerjee, the former Gloucestershire spinner, has been appointed as the ECB’s head of strategy – Wasim, at least, feels there is a great deal more to do.”My concern is we’ve been talking about this for 20 years,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo, “and we’re not seeing the progress we had anticipated. I think, as a game, we know we need to do better. We have started exploring the issue of unconscious bias. And that’s a welcome first step.”I know the game has prided itself on the number of Asian players in the men’s side, but let’s now look beyond that: let’s look at what might be causing that blockage in the system and let’s see if we can provide more opportunities.”You would have thought that having more coaches of South Asian heritage might prove helpful in reaching the players from those communities we are trying to attract into mainstream cricket. So let’s have an honest conversation now about what is stopping non-white coaches from taking the next step and graduating to those key positions at first-class counties. And let’s see if we can extend the fantastic progress made in the women’s game and try to involve more non-white players and coaches.”Wasim’s words, while measured, are likely to have some impact. As well as having been the first British-born Muslim to play county cricket, he is also believed to be the only chief executive of BAME (black, Asian or minority ethnic) heritage at a professional sport’s club in the country and was recently named in the Muslim 100 Powerlist. He feels he owes his success to opportunities offered first by Mervyn King, the former governor of the Bank of England, who recommended him to the Cricket Foundation as CEO and then ECB president, Giles Clarke, who recommended him for the position of CEO at Leicestershire.”I owe Mervyn and Giles greatly,” Wasim said. “They spotted some talent within me and helped me gain the opportunities to develop those skills. That’s the sort of belief I’d like to see shown in more people of BAME heritage.”As things stand at present, some potentially really good coaches are telling me there’s ‘no point’ in them applying for such jobs as they don’t think the system will provide them with a fair chance. So let’s look into that. Let’s see if we can provide shadowing and mentoring opportunities with academy or head coaches and see if we can up-skill these guys so they are better prepared to seize opportunities in the future.”Nobody is asking for tokenism. Meritocracy is vital. But let’s ask ourselves if we are really getting the best out of all the talent at our disposal at present and ensure there are opportunities for people of all backgrounds. Because if we don’t provide opportunities, we’ll never give benefit from all the available talent that is out there.”Current figures suggest the percentage of cricketers of South Asian heritage on first-class staff – about 5% – roughly reflects the percentage of South Asian people in British society. When compared to the figures in recreational cricket, however, those figures start to look far less healthy.Around 33% of recreational cricketers are of South Asian heritage, according to analysis by sports marketing agency Two Circles and the ECB, with 42% of them expressing a belief that there are no opportunities for the most talented players from their communities to progress in the game. And, despite the obvious enthusiasm for the sport, only 3% of ticket sales across county and international cricket in England and Wales comes from the South Asian community.

Tanbir Hayder struck 61 off 91 balls to rescue Bangladesh A from 114 for 6 and lead them to a three-wicket win over Ireland A in the second unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar

The Report by Mohammad Isam19-Oct-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Sunzamul Islam’s 4 for 33 helped Bangladesh A topple Ireland A for 195•Sportsfile via Getty Images

Tanbir Hayder’s patient 61 rescued Bangladesh A from 114 for 6 and led them to a three-wicket win over Ireland A in the second unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar. Coming into bat at No. 6 in Bangladesh A’s chase of 196, Hayder helped put together two crucial lower-order partnerships to ensure a 1-0 lead.Hayder added 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Sunzamul Islam (16), before Abul Hasan (10 not out) joined him for an unbroken 40-run, eighth wicket stand. Hayder consumed 91 balls for his 61, and struck eight fours. Bangladesh A won with 3.3 overs to spare.Abul, Sunzamul and Hayder also combined with the ball to take eight wickets in the first innings. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul took 4 for 33, while medium-pacer Abul returned 3 for 25. The visitors were bowled out for 195 runs in 48.1 overs.Several Ireland A batsman got starts, but the top score was Simi Singh’s 33, which featured three fours and a six.

During the ICC meetings over the week in Dubai, intense negotiations saw the BCCI’s opposition to change outmaneuvered by the collective will of the rest

Daniel Brettig27-Apr-2017It started with money, and it has ended with money. The “Big Three” financial model drawn up by the boards of India, England and Australia unveiled amid much consternation three years ago is no more, replaced by a plan to vastly reduce the BCCI’s share of ICC revenue and offer identical amounts to seven of the game’s Full Member nations.After a week of intense negotiations that saw the BCCI’s opposition to change outmaneuvered by the collective will of the rest, the amount of ICC revenue to be handed out to each nation is now as follows. The BCCI will receive US$293m across the eight-year cycle, the ECB US$143m, Zimbabwe Cricket US$94m and the remaining seven Full Members US$132m each. Associate Members will receive total funding of US$280m.While this distribution is not a complete rollback to the equal funding from ICC events that Full Members used to receive, it is a considerable distance from the US$440 million the BCCI stood to earn under the Big Three model. The distribution to the ECB has reduced marginally from around $US150 million, while Cricket Australia’s share is similar to what it previously received, albeit now in line with those afforded to South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and West Indies. These changes were passed by 14 votes to one, with the BCCI the sole dissenter.Battles over the ICC events financial model have been drawn out over a period of years, starting with the ascension of Shashank Manohar as the governing body’s chairman following the exit of his predecessor and rival N Srinivasan, widely considered the Big Three’s chief architect. Manohar stunned the cricket world by stating his intent to resign earlier this year, but was cajoled into staying on until the ICC annual conference in June, where the above changes are set to be ratified.Battles over the ICC events financial model have been drawn out over a period of years, starting with the ascension of Shashank Manohar as the governing body’s chairman•Getty Images

“This is another step forward for world cricket and I look forward to concluding the work at the Annual Conference,” Manohar stated in an ICC release. “I am confident we can provide a strong foundation for the sport to grow and improve globally in the future through the adoption of the revised financial model and governance structure.”The governance structure of which Manohar spoke was the other major outcome from this week’s round of meetings in Dubai. The ICC’s constitution is to be extensively redrawn, with numerous changes to the way the global game is run and the way that the performance and eligibility of member nations are assessed. These constitutional changes, which were passed by 12 votes to two, include:

• Opening a pathway to include additional Full Members in the future subject to meeting membership criteria
• Removing the Affiliate level of membership so there are only two levels; Full Member and Associate Member
• Introducing an independent female director to the board
• Introducing membership criteria and forming a Membership Committee to consider membership applications
• Introducing a deputy chairman of the board who will be a sitting director elected by the board to stand in for the chairman in the event that he or she is unable to fulfil their duties
• Equally weighting votes for all board members regardless of membership status
• Entitling all members to attend the Annual General Meeting

At the same time as the financial and governance changes were being debated and ultimately passed, talks continued on greater context for international cricket, via the creation of a Test match Championship and an ODI league. Progress on this front has slowed, partly due to discussions around the impact of windows for domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world, most recently the competition announced by South Africa.More promising was an acknowledgement by the BCCI that it will reconsider its longstanding opposition to cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, a move that other members of the ICC Chief Executives Committee are strongly in favour of pursuing. There was also further discussion of efforts to return international cricket to Pakistan after a gap of eight years. The ICC’s chief executive David Richardson was grateful for the amount of progress made.”It has been a very productive week,” he said. “Progress has been made on a number of significant issues, in particular around international cricket structures. Efforts to find a solution, enhancing the context of international bilateral cricket and retaining the relevance of the international game, will continue.”Reaction to the game’s new landscape is likely to be varied, much as the Big Three model resulted in heated discussion around the world. In particular, the world awaits the BCCI’s response with interest.

After decimating Sri Lanka by 226 runs at Port-of-Spain, Jason Holder will hope for a repeat showing from his side

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Jun-2018

Big Picture

Sri Lanka had hoped this would be one of their easier away tours this year. West Indies’ home record was modest; Sri Lanka’s Test side was picking up some momentum. But the Test in Port-of-Spain wasn’t merely a defeat, it was a decimation. Twice West Indies’ quicks scythed through the visitors’ top order. Although Sri Lanka had fielded five frontline bowlers, they still could not capitalise on having the opposition 147 for 5 on the first day. On a batting track, only Kusal Mendis could muster a score of over 45 – and even that, only having given two clear-cut chances.When these teams had last met, in Sri Lanka in 2015, West Indies had shown flashes of individual brilliance but had failed to come together as a team. In the first Test, they had no such problems. Commitment to the team cause was visible in the way Devendra Bishoo and Kemar Roach buckled down alongside Shane Dowrich, to haul West Indies to a formidable score. Even with the ball, there were unlikely contributors – Roston Chase running through Sri Lanka’s tail on the fifth day, after the quicks had knocked out the top order.While the hosts surge, Sri Lanka have tactical questions to answer. Is the five-frontline bowler strategy worth persisting with, given Dilruwan Perera’s modest returns with the ball? Kusal Perera is likely to make way for Dhananjaya de Silva at the top of the innings, but can Sri Lanka accommodate Kusal lower down the order, now that Angelo Mathews has left the tour? And is the attack dynamic enough? Or does it require the insertion of Akila Dananjaya?However Sri Lanka chooses to answer those questions, they will be in flux – Lahiru Gamage also having left the Caribbean, with a fractured finger.West Indies are in the unusual position of having to follow up a supremely dominant performance. One fact that may give Sri Lanka some hope is that it has been almost four years, and 31 Tests, since West Indies won back-to-back matches.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWDDL (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLLDW

In the spotlight

While the opposition struggles with balancing their XI, the man who ensures West Indies have no such issues is Jason Holder. He was part of his team’s the first-innings resistance with the bat in game one, before supporting the frontline bowlers through the remainder of the Test. That he is growing in confidence as a leader was evident from his first-innings declaration – pulling the batsmen out with the score at 414 for 8, in order to bowl at Sri Lanka late on the second day. His batting average is on a gentle forward march, but it is a breakdown of his bowling figures that provides the biggest surprise. In West Indies victories, Holder averages a staggering 17.69, compared to his average of over 50 in drawn and lost Tests. If Holder gets wickets, West Indies tend to be competitive.It was a surprise that Lahiru Kumara took twice as many wickets as any other Sri Lanka bowler in Trinidad. Although he is still hugely indisciplined, the pace and bounce he generated made him effective on a largely unresponsive track. Kumara’s issue, though, has been consistency. He excites on occasion, but can just as easily go wicketless and leak a hundred runs in the next match. With Gamage out of the side, Sri Lanka are desperate for Kumara to provide the same intensity in St Lucia that he had shown in Trinidad.

Team news

Devon Smith’s comeback Test did not go well. But it is possible West Indies will give him another shot at the top of the order, which will, of course, keep Shimron Hetmyer out of the XI. If Hetmyer does play, he will probably bat at No. 3 and Powell will open the innings again. Elsewhere, West Indies are unlikely to make changes.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Kieran Powell, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Miguel Cummins, 10 Kemar Roach, 10 Shannon GabrielIf Dhananjaya de Silva plays, Sri Lanka not only gain a batsman averaging over 45 after 13 Tests (though his best performances have come in Asia), they also have a half-decent offspinner in the top six. Perhaps this will prompt them to return to a 7-4 combination, fielding an extra batsman in place of another bowler. Dilruwan Perera, the most orthodox of Sri Lanka’s spinners, also stands to lose his spot to Akila Dananjaya – a far less experienced but more aggressive option.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Mahela Udawatte, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Roshen Silva, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (capt), 6 Kusal Perera, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

The weather is forecast to worsen in Gros Islet over the weekend, possibly causing interruptions.Seam bowlers had done well in the most-recent Test played at this venue – the India-West Indies Test of 2016. Given the home quicks’ dominance in Trinidad, a lively pitch could be expected.

Stats and trivia

• Rangana Herath is now on 418 Test wickets, making him the most-successful fingerspinner in Test history (Muttiah Muralitharan primarily used his wrist to impart spin, though he was an offspinner). Only Murali, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble sit ahead of him on the spinners’ list.
• West Indies’ last back-to-back Test victories came against Bangladesh, at home, in September 2014.
• Three of the five Tests played in Gros Islet have been draws, but the two most-recent matches have produced results. West Indies beat Bangladesh there in that 2014 series, then lost to India in 2016.
  

Richard Levi and Adam Rossington helped blast Northamptonshire to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Worcestershire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2017Richard Gleeson picked up early wickets•Getty Images

Richard Levi and Adam Rossington helped blast Northamptonshire to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Worcestershire at Wantage Road to keep them firmly in the qualification mix from the North Group of the NatWest T20 Blast.Levi and Rossington hammered 72 from the first five overs of Northants’ chase of 158 and the rest of the innings was a formality as victory came in the 18th over. Northants climbed to second in the table while a fifth defeat for Worcestershire left them teetering on the brink of elimination.After Richard Gleeson and Rory Kleinveldt shared six wickets to help bowl the visitors out for 158, Levi and Rossington produced a brutal display of hitting. Most of the runs came down the ground with nine fours and four sixes in the opening five overs, with Pat Brown, the 18-year-old playing in just his second Worcestershire match, taken for 26 in two overs.Rossington, having driven Jack Shantry with particular gusto, made 42 in 20 balls before sweeping Joe Leach – the fifth bowler in seven overs – to long-on.Levi, after knocks of 41 and 88 on return from concussion, was again in excellent touch and made 47 from 32 balls before chipping John Hastings straight to cover as Northants reached 100 for 3 a the half-way stage, Ben Duckett also out caught and bowled for a three-ball duck. But Northants captain Alex Wakely and Rob Keogh ended any chance of the chase becoming tight with a half-century stand for the fourth wicket, Wakely heaving two sixes over midwicket in his 46 from 28 balls.Earlier, Gleeson produced a fine new-ball spell after Northants had won the toss. Having not previously taken a wicket in the competition this season he took three in two overs.Joe Clarke never looked settled and stepped away to swing wildly, inside-edging into his stumps. Ben Cox did the same looking to drive a very full ball just outside the off stump and Hastings received a superb yorker first delivery. His first three overs conceded only 10 runs and he finished by matching his career-best of 3 for 12.It was an excellent Powerplay for Northants as Worcestershire made only 35 for 3 but Mitchell Santner tried to inject some momentum into the innings with the night’s first six over long-on as Steven Crook’s only over went for 13. Santner struck another six off Keogh over long-off but picked out the same fielder trying to pump a full-toss.Santner and Brett D’Oliveria recovered the Worcestershire innings from 58 for 4 in the 10th over – Daryl Mitchell, after reaching 33, was given out caught behind trying to cut Keogh – to 105 for 4 in the 14th. But three wickets then went down for just six runs, including the dangerous Ross Whiteley for just 1, caught at deep midwicket.D’Oliveria was left with the lower-order to try and cobble together a competitive score. He was dropped by Ben Sanderson diving forward at short third-man on 32 and went on to flat-bat Sanderson, now with ball in hand, down the ground and drove him past extra-cover before heaving a ball out of the ground over midwicket in the penultimate over of the innings, going on to a third T20 fifty in 30 ballsHe helped add 47 runs from the final four overs of the innings but it was not enough for Worcestershire.

Two members of the incumbent panel, Chetan Sharma and Harvinder Singh, also interviewed on Tuesday

Shashank Kishore03-Jan-2023Ajay Ratra, Amay Khurasiya and S Sharath are among a number of former players who have been interviewed for a spot on India’s next senior men’s selection panel, ESPNcricinfo can confirm.They, along with two members of the incumbent panel, Chetan Sharma and Harvinder Singh, were interviewed on Tuesday by the BCCI-appointed Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). All the shortlisted candidates are understood to have made presentations to the panel, which is expected to submit its recommendations to the board this week. The other candidate in the fray from east zone is SS Das, the former India opener.Sharath, the former Tamil Nadu batter, has emerged as a strong contender to replace Sunil Joshi, who chose against re-applying, from South Zone. If Sharath gets the job, it will be an elevation from his current role as chairman of the junior men’s panel. Sharath’s committee picked the India squad that went on to win the Under-19 World Cup in February last year.From the east, it’s likely Das will replace his former India and Odisha team-mate Debasis Mohanty. Das played 23 Tests and four ODIs between 2000 and 2002, and 180 first-class games in all.The need for a new selector from East Zone would have come about even if the BCCI hadn’t invited applications for a new panel following India’s T20 World Cup campaign, since Mohanty has completed the maximum-stipulated cumulative five-year term across various cricket committees, having been part of both junior and senior panels.Similarly, the board would’ve had to anyway appoint a new selector from West Zone as the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel was reduced to four members in late 2021 after Abey Kuruvilla, the former Mumbai and India fast bowler, completed the maximum tenure of five years. While Kuruvilla moved on to the role of BCCI general manager (cricket development), the board did not appoint a replacement on the selection panel.On Monday, in perhaps the biggest hint yet that there may not be a new chairman after all, Chetan Sharma was part of the BCCI’s review meeting along with head coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, NCA chief VVS Laxman and the board’s top-brass to discuss the roadmap to the home 50-over World Cup scheduled for later this year.However, the incumbent panel hasn’t been asked to report to various venues for the fourth round of Ranji Trophy matches, which started today. It had initially been handed an extension until the end of the year to pick the squads for the T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka, apart from being asked to track the third round of Ranji Trophy matches from December 27-30.The CAC conducting the interviews for the selection panel consists of former players Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik.

She’s confident, however, that she’ll be back among the runs during the T20Is against England

Annesha Ghosh08-Jul-20212:14

Harmanpreet Kaur: India looking into the possibility of retaining Richa Ghosh as keeper-batter

Harmanpreet Kaur has admitted that the longer-than-expected recovery from the groin injury she sustained in March, followed by her contracting Covid-19 later that month, affected her preparations leading up to India’s ongoing tour of England. That, in turn, she said, has played a part in her lean patch with the bat on the tour.Kaur made 4 and 8 in the drawn one-off Test in Bristol last month, and followed up with 1, 19 and 16 in the ODI series that followed.”I’m someone who likes to train every day and work hard every day. Because of Covid and injuries I didn’t get much time to prepare,” Kaur said ahead of the first T20I in Northampton. “This is not an excuse because I’m someone who takes a bit of time on the ground to prepare because at the international level, you cannot just come and get things easily.”Cultivating the mindset and approach you require at this level is not easy. But after five innings [on this tour], I’ve understand how and in what areas I need to improve. In the T20I series you will definitely see a different approach from my side.”Kaur suffered the groin injury during the fifth and final ODI against South Africa on March 17, and missed the three-match T20I series that followed, with Smriti Mandhana leading the side in her absence. There was no official word from the BCCI at the time on the nature or seriousness of Kaur’s injury.”During the game [fifth ODI] I had picked up a groin injury on the left side having already been carrying a grade-four injury in my groin on the right side,” Kaur said when asked about the specifics of the injury and rehab carried out thereafter. “Given ODIs are longer [than T20Is] and after rehab… Again, as I said earlier, because of Covid we are not getting those practice games that we get before international assignments. So directly going and playing [in the main matches] and testing yourself is not the right thing.Related

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“But we didn’t have any additional time. And I’m someone who likes to give 200 per cent on the field and chances of injuries can be high sometimes. I know a lot of time my physios and trainers say, ‘Just save yourself and play,’ because I like to give 200 per cent.”Harmanpreet Kaur made 4 and 8 during the one-off Test in Bristol•Getty Images

While her recovery had only begun, Kaur tested positive for Covid-19 on March 29 as a second wave of coronavirus infections swept India.”The [second] groin injury was a grade-two one, but because of Covid the NCA (National Cricket Academy) was also shut at the time, so I was doing my rehab online, through Zoom meetings. And during that time I also got Covid myself, so the injury that would have required 15 days [to recover from] took about two months, and then a month after Covid, as you would know, you don’t feel much strength in your body to go and train.”That phase didn’t allow me to work much on batting or bowling skills. I was just working on myself so that I was physically fit for the team.”Kaur also said the lack of warm-up matches in England kept her from building up batting rhythm.”We didn’t get a single practice game and we struggling even for open nets sessions,” she said. “I usually prefer more open nets and practice games than nets because in regular nets you don’t get much of an idea and every day you’re facing the same bowlers, so you can’t analyse how you should be batting.”These are not excuses, but a reality that I faced. It’s just the matter of a good innings and once you get back that momentum I will definitely carry that ahead.”Before being grounded by injury and Covid, Kaur seemed to be getting into form during the ODIs against South Africa in Lucknow. In India’s first international series in close to a year, she made 40, 36 and 54* before retiring hurt on 30 in the final game. In India’s last assignment before that series, the T20 World Cup in Australia, Kaur had gone through a poor run, managing a top score of just 15 in five innings.Her performance in that tournament was a contrast to her displays in other recent ICC events: her 171 not out in the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 2017 and her 103 in the 2018 T20 World Cup opener had been pivotal to India’s strong showings in both tournaments.”I do watch videos of matches where I have performed well, whether it was a long innings or a cameo in a winning cause,” Kaur said, when asked if she uses her own past performances to lift herself up when the runs aren’t flowing. “Such innings you feel like watching several times over because they always motivate you to perform better and they boost your confidence.”But at the back of the mind, as I said earlier, I’m someone who works every day and I have realised this time (during this tour) that you have to figure out ways yourself to get the best out of yourself when you don’t have enough time to prepare. I’m watching those videos of myself and I hope they’ll help me in this T20I series.”

The result sealed the series 1-0 for the hosts who also regained the No. 1 spot in ICC Test rankings

Vishal Dikshit06-Dec-20215:45

Jaffer: India showed the kind of bench strength and depth they have

Jayant Yadav struck three times in the first half hour of the fourth morning and four times in nine legal deliveries to finish with career-best figures of 4 for 49, as India wrapped up their biggest win in terms of runs – 372 – and also handed New Zealand their biggest loss. The result sealed the series 1-0 for the hosts who also regained the No. 1 spot in ICC Test rankings, with New Zealand on second place now.Related

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Overnight batters Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra played out the first 20 minutes against Jayant and R Ashwin, with both bowlers beating the outside edge nearly every over. Jayant was more wayward of the two and was punished for fours by Ravindra whenever he pitched short outside off. Ravindra collected two fours in the third over of the morning and two more four overs later.Between the first two of those fours, Ravindra also survived a very close lbw shout when Jayant struck him in front of middle stump, but umpire Nitin Menon adjudged it not out. India didn’t review despite the close shout and ball-tracking later showed it was clipping off for umpire’s call, which wouldn’t have overturned the decision anyway had India reviewed.Jayant ensured India didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough though. As soon as Ravindra swept him for back-to-back fours past backward square leg, Jayant drew his outside edge for a catch at second slip to start the march towards victory.

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In his next over, he drew sharp turn from outside off to trap Kyle Jamieson lbw for a duck. Two balls later, he rattled the stumps when Tim Southee danced down to miss a big heave also for a duck, and three balls later, in his next over, Jayant bagged his fourth by getting Will Somerville caught at the second short-leg fielder who had just been brought in.Ashwin then wrapped up victory in the next over with his 300th Test wicket at home and also his 50th this year. Nicholls had blocked plenty of deliveries from Ashwin the previous evening and this morning around the off stump carefully by pressing forward regularly, but as soon as he stepped out of the crease to attack, Ashwin’s flight and turn went past the swinging bat and Wriddhiman Saha completed a quick stumping to dismiss the batter for 44.Ashwin finished with 8 for 42 in the match and spinners lapped up 33 of the 36 wickets that fell to bowlers, apart from Tom Blundell’s run out on the third evening.

Birmingham go second in North Group with six-wicket victory, Northants slip to fourth

David Hopps22-Jun-2022The time of reckoning is upon us in the Blast and Birmingham responded to it by swinging to the leg-side harder and more often. They remained in touch with Northants’ 211 for 6 from the outset, and even though they needed 77 from the last six overs, they broke the target with a merciless assault on the Northants’ left-arm wrist spinner, Freddie Heldreich as they pulled off the highest T20 chase in their history.Adam Hose is as uncomplicated a T20 batter as you can get, an unabashed seeker of deep midwicket. Put the ball in his arc and his long limbs will deposit the ball skywards. Chris Benjamin often looked scratchy, but give him half an opportunity and he can target the same region in destructive fashion. Both made unbeaten half-centuries, their shot selection excellent as their stand of 100 rattled along in 54 balls.Carlos Brathwaite, Birmingham’s captain, exudes relaxation and confidence, good attributes at this stage of the season. “We’ve been reckless at times this season,” he said. “We wanted to be positive, express ourselves, but bat a lot smarter.”Birmingham go second in North group with this victory whereas Northants now slip to fourth and will sense Yorkshire, in particular, scenting an opportunity to overhaul them.Heldreich, who went for 59 from four overs, must have felt himself deliberately targeted. Alex Davies’ whirlwind 42 from 18 balls set the tone. Successive sixes over long-on appeared to have put the bowler in his place, but Heldreich is a confident sort and, with his next ball, he drew Davies into a wild sweep and bowled him off a bottom edge.But it was not the bowler’s night. Chris Benjamin looked out of touch until he launched him over the leg-side for 6-4-6 in successive balls. Converging boundary fielders were beaten by inches and Heldreich winced, not the first bowler to wonder why the boards could not be pushed back to fairer proportions. With 59 needed from six, Birmingham’s head coach Mark Robinson, a bit of a poker face these days, flashed a smile for the first time on the night. By the end Jake Lintott, sat next to him in the dugout, had him roaring with laughter: when Birmingham are batting, the dugout is where Robinson wants Lintott, for more reason than one.Birmingham had lost three wickets for 64 by the end of the powerplay. Paul Stirling took Northants for a career-best 119 in a memorable Birmingham debut, including five consecutive sixes off James Sales, but he has been short of runs since. He biffed 17 from Tom Taylor’s first over, but that was that.The reason for that was Ben Sanderson, an old-fashioned seamer but highly effective as he nibbled the new ball both ways off the seam, having Stirling caught at the wicket off an inside edge and silencing Rob Yates with a bail-trimmer. Sam Hain, the lynchpin of the Bears’ line-up, is having to contend with a back strain, and there was general delight when Taylor returned to the attack and immediately had him lbw to a yorker.Northants’ batting remains heavily reliant, perhaps overly reliant, upon the Australian Chris Lynn, whose 59 from 43 balls moves him alongside Somerset’s Rilee Rossouw at the top of the Blast run-scorers with 443 runs apiece. Rossouw has a faster scoring rate (191 to 161) and has struck the most sixes, but over the tournament there have been no more violent batters in the country.There were times when Lynn felt comparatively reserved, as if aware of the responsibilities that rest upon him. Initial assessment was necessary because Olly Stone, on the ground where his career began, was unsettlingly fast and bouncy with the new ball. Stone is recovering cautiously from his fourth stress fracture in five years, but caution is thrown to the winds whenever he gets the ball in his hands.Somehow, Northants still emerged from the powerplay with 53 to their name. Ben Curran had also been troubled by Stone’s pace and bounce on an excellent, fresh pitch, surviving one bat-handle crusher with a cry of “where did that come from?” as he made it to the safety of the non-striker’s end. He fell after an opening stand of 72, bowled by Brathwaite as his defensive block spun back onto his stumps.Lintott’s avuncular left-arm wrist spin did for Lynn, who carved a ball angled across him to short third, but Saif Zaib quickened the impetus, his 74 taking only 32 balls, when he swung Lintott to long off. He was confident, steely-eyed and full of purpose. A definite, long-term breakthrough has been a long time coming, and he has had a thin time in the Championship this season, but he has more talent, if not better outcomes, than some batters holding Hundred deals. A career-best 92 from 58 against Derbyshire in Northants’ defeat the previous night, and now this: this time, at 24, he needs to make it pay.Birmingham gave both Lynn and Zaib lives in the field. Zaib was only 12 when he cut Craig Miles to deep point, but Yates, sliding in, failed to retrieve a half-volley chance. Benjamin’s miss at deep midwicket, off Brathwaite, when Lynn was 52, probably owed much to a low evening sun and he was fortunate not to take a blow in the face. The County Ground is hardly the most vociferous crowd in the country, but the most raucous spectators sit in this area, preying upon fielders like Great White Sharks exploiting the angle of the sun to hunt down their prey. Long before the end, Birmingham were firing sixes in their direction