All posts by n8rngtd.top

Hosts retain sliver of hope of avoiding relegation on back of solid opening stand against Hampshire

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2022Warwickshire retained their sliver of hope of avoiding relegation from LV=Insurance County Championship Division One with a solid start with the bat on the opening day against Hampshire at Edgbaston.First team coach Mark Robinson admitted before the match that Warwickshire need “a lot to go our way” for them to stay up. First and foremost they have to win with plentiful batting points and they laid a decent platform by reaching 138 for 2 on a day stripped of 55 overs by rain and bad light.After the first session was lost to the weather, openers Rob Yates (77 not out, 129 balls) and Dom Sibley (54, 109) added 129 in 38 overs against a Hampshire attack missing spearhead Kyle Abbot (58 Championship wickets at 19.68 this season) due to a knee injury.The visitors chose to bowl but enjoyed no early success, despite some help from the pitch. Their bowling was not bad, and a shade unlucky at times, but perhaps lacked a bit of sparkle, an understandable legacy of the shock implosion of their title challenge against Kent last week.There was no joy for Keith Barker against the team for whom he took 359 first class wickets and helped to the 2012 County Championship title. Yates was particularly fluent from the off and reached 50 from 90 balls with his tenth four, flicked through mid-wicket off Barker.The scoring rate remained reasonably brisk, as was required with Warwickshire needing every possible batting point. Sibley, on his farewell appearance at Edgbaston before rejoining Surrey, followed to his half-century from 105 balls and the pair posted Warwickshire’s first century opening stand since the first game of the season.The breakthrough finally arrived when Sibley tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Aneurin Donald off Ian Holland. Holland immediately struck again when Alex Davies offered no shot to a ball which struck off stump but Sam Hain met the hat-trick ball with the middle of a forward defensive bat and bad light soon closed back in to lop off the last 14 overs.Warwickshire are without India all-rounder Jayant Yadav, who has returned home after being called up for the Rest of India squad, but have welcomed back fast bowler Liam Norwell from injury.

Captain backs young players to learn on the job as Mikyle Louis prepares to make debut

Andrew Miller09-Jul-2024Kraigg Brathwaite says that West Indies’ stunning victory over Australia in Brisbane is “history” as his team turns its attention to Wednesday’s first Test against England at Lord’s. However, he hopes that the confidence gleaned from that performance in January will help lift an inexperienced line-up as they prepare for another tough test of their mettle.Going into the second Test of that Australia tour in January, West Indies were given next to no hope of competing at a venue where the hosts had lost just once in 34 Tests dating back to 1988, especially after an emphatic ten-wicket defeat in the series opener at Adelaide.However, with battling half-centuries from Kavem Hodge, Joshua da Silva and Kevin Sinclair, allied to key second-innings runs from the likes of Alick Athanaze and Kirk McKenzie, the match was captured in extraordinary circumstances, as Shamar Joseph’s second-innings figures of 7 for 68 in 11.5 overs blew away Australia’s middle and lower order for a famous eight-run win.Related

• England unveil succession plan as Atkinson emerges from the shadows

• Atkinson upstages Anderson with seven-for as England dominate

• Strauss: Next Ashes 'too far' for Anderson (but he should receive a knighthood)

• Stokes: England must build a team that can win in Australia

• Stokes' brave calls and bowling return herald start of England's evolution

Six months later, the challenge is no less stiff, as West Indies head to another country where they haven’t landed a series win since their region’s heyday in 1988. In their entire squad, only three players – Brathwaite himself, plus Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph – have prior experience of playing at Lord’s, but the captain believes from what he witnessed in Australia that his team can overcome the odds once again.”It was a big positive for us to get a win, because it shows that we could we could get the job done,” Brathwaite said. “Obviously the key for us as a group is to do it consistently.”We could take a lot of stuff from that game as batsmen, because we had some important partnerships. Then the bowlers were outstanding. Shamar was the star. But pretty much all the bowlers put in a very good effort, and we caught well as well.”But it’s history, it’s gone. We got to look forward to this, then the other Test matches in this series, but it at least gives a start that we could get the job done. We’ve just got to believe in ourselves.”Shamar Joseph prepares to bowl in the nets•Getty Images

Brathwaite confirmed his XI on the eve of the Test, with his new opening partner Mikyle Louis set to make history as the first player in West Indies’ history from the island of St Kitts. The middle-order is scarcely any more experienced, with No.3-5, McKenzie, Athanaze, and Hodge, boasting a combined tally of nine caps and 453 runs between them.Nevertheless, having each played a key part in the Brisbane triumph, Brathwaite is confident that they, and the rest of the rookies in his line-up, are ready to learn on the job.”I think they’re young and exciting,” he said. “Kirk McKenzie got a few fifties in Australia, which was good, Hodge got a nice 80 (71) as well, and Alick got some confidence to show he can do it consistently. The more games they play, the better. They have a lot of talent and we are fully 100% behind them.”The experience of Brathwaite at the top of the order, however, will be crucial, just as it was when his painstaking century in Barbados set West Indies on their way to a hard-fought 1-0 win in the spring of 2022, a result that has now extended their unbeaten home series record against England to 20 years and counting.England’s Bazball mentality means that Ben Stokes’ team will not be seeking to emulate Brathwaite’s innings of 160 from 489 balls in that Bridgetown encounter, but the man himself said he would not allow his proven methods to be hurried by his opponents’ approach.”My general style is taking my time, and that’s me,” he said. “All the batters must bat their game, and back their plan. That’s what we will do, we focus on ourselves. Making sure we fight is very important. But every batter has a different style and one thing we urge is for guys to have their plans and back yourself.Mikyle Louis will make his Test debut, as the first West Indies player from St Kitts•Getty Images

“It’s a young group, especially the batsmen, they have a lot of time to learn because obviously playing Test cricket it takes a while to really understand. You’re always learning on the job, but it’s a very decent team, for sure.”In his last appearance at Lord’s in 2017, Brathwaite entered the history books when he became James Anderson’s 500th Test wicket, courtesy of a massive inswinger that set Anderson on his way to his career-best figures of 7 for 42. And though he played down his own recollection of the moment – “I remember the ball, I don’t think about it too much” – Brathwaite acknowledged the skills that his opponent had brought to bear in the course of their previous encounters.”Obviously he’s a legend of the game, he’s very consistent,” Brathwaite said. “He hits a line and length, then could determine whether it goes in or out, and that was obviously a skill in itself. Facing him in England is a good challenge, you’ve really got to be on it. But once you come out on the positive side by getting runs, it really gives you a lot of confidence.”In terms of the lessons he would pass onto his team-mates before Anderson’s Test farewell, Brathwaite said: “You’ve got a couple of split seconds to decide. You’ve really got to trust your eyes. Obviously, it’s not 90 miles an hour, so you have a bit more time to see it, but I would say trust your defence, whether you’re going to attack or defend the ball, fully believe in yourself, and stay as still as possible. That’s very important.”My advice to all the younger boys in the group, like Mikyle making his debut, is don’t just expect to play for West Indies, expect to be the first to score 30 hundreds. You got to think big, you know. Don’t think too small.”We have our plans, so believe in your plan. And enjoy it as well. Because it’s always a great series playing here in England. And we truly look forward to it.”

He will join India’s squad ahead of the second Test in Adelaide

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Nov-20246:58

‘You could see Nitish Kumar Reddy making his Test debut’

Rohit Sharma will not be available to lead India in first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Rohit, who stayed back home for the birth of his second child, will join the India squad ahead of the second Test, which is a day-night match starting on December 6 in Adelaide.While Rohit had communicated to the BCCI and national selectors in advance that he could miss the Perth Test, he had kept open the option of last-minute travel based on when the child was born. Rohit and his wife Ritika welcomed their second child on Friday, a week ahead of the first Test, prompting the possibility of his travelling to Perth. However, he told the BCCI he will be available to play the two-day, pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI from November 30 before the day-night Test in Adelaide.Related

• Rohit to join India squad in Australia on November 24

• India's likely XI: Rahul set to open, Padikkal No. 3, and Jurel in the middle order

• Can Jaiswal counter fire with fire in Australia?

• Injured Gill to miss first Test in Perth with fractured thumb

• Boost for India as KL Rahul returns to bat in Sunday training

Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is set to lead India in Perth in Rohit’s absence. Bumrah has led India in one Test previously, the fifth Test of their two-part 2021-22 tour of England at Edgbaston, when Rohit had tested positive for Covid-19.India are now set to begin the Test series without two members of their first-choice top three, with No. 3 Shubman Gill also set to miss the Perth Test with a fractured thumb. KL Rahul and the uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran were the two main candidates to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in Rohit’s absence, but there is now a chance that both will feature in the XI.Rahul had briefly come under an injury cloud himself, having gone off the field after taking a blow to the elbow while batting against Prasidh Krishna during the first day of the Indians’ intra-squad practice match at the WACA. Those fears were assuaged on Sunday morning, though, when Rahul returned to the crease and batted for about an hour.Apart from Abhimanyu and Rahul, India will have another top-order candidate in Devdutt Padikkal, who was part of India A’s shadow tour of Australia and has stayed back with the Test squad. Padikkal has played one Test for India, against England in Dharamsala earlier this year.With four days remaining for the first Test, the Indian think tank led by head coach Gautam Gambhir has been challenged on several fronts. This is India’s first overseas Test series under Gambhir and his coaching staff comprising Morne Morkel, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, and it follows an unprecedented 3-0 defeat to New Zealand, India’s first ever whitewash in a home series of three or more Tests.In the absence of Rohit and Gill, India may look to add to their batting depth by playing one of their two seam-bowling allrounders at No. 8. Both Nitish Kumar Reddy, a batting allrounder from Andhra, and Harshit Rana, a hit-the-deck bowling allrounder for Delhi, are yet to make their Test debuts.After training at the WACA over this week, India will shift to the Optus Stadium from Tuesday.

From falling out with the head coach to becoming his new boss, the 39-year old has made a triumphant return

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2022From falling out with the head coach to becoming his new boss, Enoch Nkwe has completed a triumphant return to South African cricket. The 39-year old who resigned as assistant coach in 2021 in part due to differences with Mark Boucher has now been appointed Director of Cricket by CSA.Nkwe beat former South Africa spinner and current Warriors coach Robin Peterson to the job. He succeeds Graeme Smith whose tenure ended in March 2022.Once a promising batter for Gauteng who began his first-class career with a century on debut, Nkwe’s time on the field was cut short at age of 26 thanks to a finger injury. But as that door closed, another opened. In 2018, during his very first season as head coach, Nkwe claimed three domestic titles – two with the Lions and one with the Jozi Stars.That catapulted him to higher honours and, on the back of being named Coach of the Season in 2019, he took over as interim team director with South Africa remodelling the way they ran the game by borrowing from successful football teams. Nkwe even invoked his love of Pep Guardiola when he was first appointed.Nkwe’s tenure as interim director lasted five months between August and December 2019. He was then appointed assistant coach to Boucher, but in the lead-up to the 2021 T20 World Cup, he left the post citing disillusionment with the job and differences of opinion with Boucher, but the issues were not related to race.Nkwe’s demotion was a part of the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings, where CSA was said to be institutionally racist. He was stood down by then Director of Cricket Smith in favour of his former team-mate Boucher, but in arbitration it was found that Smith had acted on sound cricketing logic given Boucher’s 14 years of experience as a player in the top flight. Nkwe had never played international cricket for South Africa but he did have something Boucher didn’t at the time – a level four coaching certificate. That, though, was never a pre-requisite for the job. Gary Kirsten once served as South Africa coach without such certification.CSA has also brought in Mtunzi Jonas, who used to be a general manager with financial services company Absa Group, as their new Chief Commercial Officer. Tjaart van der Walt is their new Chief Financial Officer and Wanele Mngomezulu, who was part of the Jozi Stars’ set up in 2018, as Chief Marketing Officer.”The appointment of these executives is intended to strengthen CSA’s resolve and anchoring the administration with the best expertise on offer,” CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said. “I am delighted that CSA has attracted this calibre of talent, which will change the fortunes of the organisation into the future. It is against this background that I congratulate the appointees for making it through the stringent recruitment process, which merited their appointments. They have indeed demonstrated their desire to serve this beautiful game in the different portfolio’s by bringing their capabilities to bear.”The Director of Cricket will assume duty on July 1 while the other three will join on August 1.

He claims 4 for 18 before Critchley steers run-chase with unbeaten half-century

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2023Sam Cook took a hat-trick as Essex beat the Kent Spitfires by four wickets in the Vitality Blast at Canterbury.The visitors recovered from an early-innings scare to close on 155 for 6, Matt Critchley hitting an unbeaten 63.Cook had taken 4 for 18 as Kent were held to 150 for 8, which actually represented a recovery. Joe Denly was the top scorer with 39 and Grant Stewart gave the hosts something to bowl at with 37 from 16 balls, but after slumping to 31 for 4, Critchley’s measured innings saw Essex home with 10 balls to spare.Kent’s decision to bat backfired when, having put on 32 for the opening wicket, they were rocked by a spell of four runs for four wickets in eight balls.Daniel Bell-Drummond got away with an ugly shot off Shane Snater that sailed over the boundary, but he hit the next ball almost vertically and was caught by Feroze Khushi for 22.Cook then sent Tawanda Muyeye’s stumps flying before getting Sam Billings caught behind for a golden duck and he claimed his first Blast hat-trick when Jordan Cox was plumb lbw.With under five overs gone the remaining batters had little choice other than to drop anchor and Jack Leaning had made nine from 20 balls when he hit Critchley to Daniel Sams at forward square leg.When Simon Harmer’s 15th over went for just two the old joke about it not being a test match leapt to mind, but the charge finally came in the 17th when George Linde hit Harmer for six, only to edge the next ball straight to Robin Das.When Cook bowled Denly, Stewart was left with the tail, but an eight-ball final over from Sams went for 27, including two sixes from Stewart, who was eventually caught by Das off the fifth legitimate delivery. A misfield allowed Kent to scramble two off the last ball, but the total still looked below par, until Essex started to bat.Fred Klaassen, back after missing the start of the Blast for personal reasons, had Khushi lbw with the second ball of the innings.It was one for two when Dan Lawrence edged Michael Hogan’s first ball down the leg side where he was brilliantly caught by Billings.Hogan then bowled Das’s middle stump for 11, breaking Sky’s stump camera and when Michael Pepper went for 13, skying Kane Richardson to Billings Essex were 31 for four, but Paul Walter and Critchley steadied their nerves.The former made 27 from 15 before he cut Stewart to Leaning and Sams chipped in with 17 before Linde bowled him.Critchley never allowed the run rate to escalate while Will Buttleman survived an lbw shout from Linde and then reverse swept him for four, before hitting Hogan for six into the Old Dover Road gardens.Fittingly Critchley hit the winning runs when he hit Joe Denly for six over cow corner.The win keeps Essex well in contention for Finals Day and a fifth consecutive defeat leaves Kent’s hopes of qualifying looking almost skeletal.

West Indies triggered a mini-slide in the middle session, but either side of that India built solidly towards a significant total

Deivarayan Muthu20-Jul-2023
After having been outplayed in three days in Dominica, West Indies fought back with four wickets on the first afternoon in Port-of-Spain, but it was India’s day once again, thanks to strong bookends. Captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal forged a century opening partnership before Virat Kohli grafted for an unbeaten 87 in what was his 500th international game.Kohli had walked into bat when India were 153 for 2 and he watched them slump further to 182 for 4 by tea. But Kohli defended resolutely, ran hard between the wickets, and was prepared to wait for loose deliveries. He took 21 balls to get off the mark and continued to accumulate in slow but steady fashion. Ravindra Jadeja, too, dug in, contributing 36 to an unbroken 106-run stand for the fifth wicket as India closed out the day like they had begun: playing out a wicketless session.The passage of play in the morning session wasn’t as attritional as the following two sessions. Rohit and Jaiswal ensured that India rattled along at nearly five runs an over to begin, scoring 121 together in 26 overs without losing a wicket.Having shown remarkable restraint on debut in Dominica, Jaiswal dashed out of the blocks on a more benign Port-of-Spain track. Rohit, too, kept pulling in the air, from wide lines as well as from his body, despite the presence of two men in the deep on the leg-side boundary. Rohit needed 72 balls to get to his half-century, while Jaiswal got there off just 49 balls. Rohit and Jaiswal became the first Indian opening pair to have struck up back-to-back century stands in Test cricket in this millennium. S Ramesh and Devang Gandhi were the previous Indian opening pair with back-to-back century partnerships, in 1999 against New Zealand.Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal had West Indies chasing leather in a quick century stand•AFP/Getty Images

West Indies then changed the mood and tempo of play by striking four times in the afternoon session. Jason Holder, who kept threatening the outside edge of Jaiswal, made the first incision when he had him caught by debutant Kirk McKenzie at deepish gully for 57 off 74 balls.McKenzie could have cut Jaiswal’s innings short on 4 had he not let a thick outside edge burst through his hands at gully in the sixth over. Jaiswal could have also been dismissed on 52 in the last over before lunch, but Alick Athanaze grassed an easier chance at first slip off Holder.Holder relentlessly probed away outside off though, often with two gully fielders in place, and earned his reward in the second session, with McKenzie confidently holding on to Jaiswal’s catch this time.Kemar Roach is all smiles after getting rid of Shubman Gill cheaply•Associated Press

Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican then accounted for the wickets of Shubman Gill and Rohit respectively. It was Shannon Gabriel who capped the afternoon session by sending Ajinkya Rahane’s off stump cartwheeling with a rapid inducker. Gabriel, who returned to the playing XI in place of an ill Rahkeem Cornwall, couldn’t pose much of a threat to India’s openers. His morning shift of four overs cost West Indies 24 runs, but he came back to produce a much sharper spell in the afternoon.Warrican got the ball to grip and turn as the day progressed, but Kohli was fully forward to smother it. Kohli refused to take any risks against the left-arm fingerspinner on a slow surface and just looked to wear him down.Alzarri Joseph targeted Kohli’s upper body with short balls from around the wicket, with a long leg and deep square in place, but Kohli blunted him too. Joseph’s extra bounce – or the lack thereof – caused Jadeja to lose his shape more often at the other end before he finally got the pull away in the 70th over.Kraigg Brathwaite then turned to the part-time offspin of Athanaze and himself, but West Indies couldn’t separate Kohli and Jadeja on day one.

Ashton Agar returned remarkable figures of 2 for 6, while Zak Crawley led the chase for the winners with a 56-ball 58

AAP08-Jan-2024Ricky Ponting has lashed the Sydney Showground pitch after Sydney Thunder’s low-scoring loss to Perth Scorchers on Monday, calling it “substandard” and wondering if Thunder should abandon the stadium for Canberra.Scorchers returned to the BBL’s top two with the seven-wicket win, chasing down Thunder’s 137 for 8 with five balls to spare. The result left Thunder needing results to fall in their favour to reach the finals, sitting in seventh place on the ladder with three games to play.But the major talking point remained the pitch, after Ashton Agar took 2 for 6 from four overs and Cooper Connolly 3 for 25 from his four. Thunder spinner Tanveer Sangha also went for just 14 from his four overs, and Chris Green got 1 for 22 from 3.1.Data from the Seven network showed an average spin of 3.9 degrees in Scorchers’ bowling innings, well in excess of the 2.2-degree average across the BBL.”We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL,” Ponting said in commentary. “That’s unplayable, you can’t hit that.”We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL. As far as I am concerned, this is substandard as far as BBL wickets are concerned.”Scorchers wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman also remarked that it “looked like Chennai”, with Agar’s figures the second-most economical in BBL history.The pitch has become a problem for Cricket Australia, given that the league is viewed as a gateway to the sport for youngsters. In one of the most populated and culturally-diverse regions of Australia, the run rate of 7.76 at the venue throughout the competition’s history is lower than at any other major BBL stadium.Only one score of over 160 has been made in the past two seasons, with spin and off-pace deliveries generally dominating. So slow did things move in the Thunder innings that they scored only 19 runs in a six-over period late in the innings in front of a crowd of 8672.Ponting went on to question if Thunder should move to Canberra permanently given the state of the Showground pitch, with the club already playing two games a season at Manuka Oval.Ashton Agar returned the second-most economical figures in the history of the BBL•Getty Images

“The Sydney Thunder have been a struggling team for the last few years,” Ponting said. “And how are you going to attract young players from around the team or overseas, if they’re going to be batting on a wicket like that?”The Thunder for years have talked about how much they love playing in Canberra, maybe that’s a solution. They have some good young players in this squad, but they might not have them forever if the wicket continues to be this way.”Agar, however, defended the groundstaff after play. “I don’t envy the groundsman, with conditions that were dished up. It poured down rain all day,” he said. “Obviously the Big Bash is an entertaining game, and you want to see high scores and balls flying over the fence. But there’s a lot to be learned from games like that. Things to be learned for guys who go overseas.”Alex Hales played a lone hand with the bat for Thunder, whacking three sixes over the leg side in his 72 from 55 balls. But he was also close to being the villain for Thunder, with three men run out at the other end while he batted.In reply, Zak Crawley hit 58 from 56 balls to help steer Scorchers home in the last over.

Middlesex bowlers put through the mill again but Nathan Fernandes shines with bat in reply

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2024Emilio Gay and James Sales both set new landmarks as Northamptonshire continued to dominate on day two of their Vitality County Championship clash with Middlesex at Wantage Road.First-day centurion Gay forged on to post 261 – the highest-ever individual Championship score for the county against Middlesex – while Sales, brought back into the side for this game, made his maiden first-class hundred with his father David and mum Abigail in attendance to mark the moment. The pair set a new fifth-wicket record against the Seaxes of 181 before the hosts declared on 552 for 6.For Middlesex, who conceded 620 in the first innings against Glamorgan last week, it was another case of much leather chasing, Toby-Roland-Jones their only bowler to take more than one wicket (2 for 81).There was still time in the evening session for two young debutants to make an impression, Raphael Weatherall capturing his maiden first-class wicket, while Middlesex teenager Nathan Fernandes reached an impressive half-century before stumps were drawn with the visitors 128 for 1, still 424 in arrears.As they did on the opening day, Middlesex made an early breakthrough, Roland-Jones trapping Rob Keogh, the batter risking censure by taking his time to drag himself away from the crease, shaking his head as he went, a point noted by the two umpires. However, as on day one, the wicket proved a false dawn for Middlesex as Gay and Sales embarked on their record stand.Gay timed the ball exquisitely, straight driving first Ethan Bamber, then Roland-Jones to the fence as he eclipsed Stephen Peters’ record score against Middlesex at Wantage Road, 183 set in 2010.It wasn’t long before he flicked a loose one from Tom Helm to the fine leg fence to reach his first double-hundred and take Peters’ record of the highest-ever score against Middlesex of 199 made in that same summer 14 years ago.Josh De Caires would give him a reprieve almost immediately afterwards, failing to hold onto a tough caught and bowled opportunity. In De Caires’ defence he probably saved four not to mention himself being decapitated by the blow.Sales meanwhile got underway with a four through midwicket and later took heavy toll of a De Caires over, clubbing one just beyond the grasp of mid-on before driving a better shot straight in the same over on his way to 50 from 109 balls. The hundred stand was raised by lunch as Middlesex rattled through 22 overs in the second hour’s play to rectify a previously negative over rate.Gay was granted a second life soon after the resumption when Bamber failed to hold an even tougher caught-and-bowled close to the ground and celebrated the reprieve by hoisting De Caires back over his head for the day’s first six on route to 250.The record fifth wicket stand against Middlesex of 131 between David Capel and Nigel Felton set at Lord’s in 1989 was soon eclipsed and it was a surprise when Gay’s innings was ended via a run-out.Saif Zaib sparkled briefly, striking one six out of the ground, before all eyes fell on Sales. Already having surpassed his career-best, the 21-year-old right-hander banished any thoughts of the nervous 90s with a huge six of his own before a scampered single took him to the century to a great reception from an albeit sparse crowd.The declaration came soon afterwards and while Middlesex openers Mark Stoneman and Fernandes survived a testing 35 minutes before tea, Weatherall’s golden moment came soon afterwards. The youngster, who played in the England U19 Test on this ground last September took just eight balls to find the edge of Stoneman’s bat, the tickle carrying comfortably through to McManus.That one stuck for McManus but he grassed another when Fernandes was on 24, so denying Weatherall a second victim from his opening burst.The left-hander made the most of the reprieve, to reach a 50 including seven fours, while Max Holden survived a drop at short leg on 35 to be 40 not out at the close.

Dhawan suggested that the England allrounder had pulled a muscle in his first training session

Matt Roller14-Apr-20234:13

Punjab set to face their old boys in Lucknow

Big picture: Lucknow’s Kings

KL Rahul captaining. Andy Flower in the coaching staff. Deepak Hooda and Nicholas Pooran in the middle order. K Gowtham and Ravi Bishnoi bowling spin. There are several similarities between Punjab Kings’ class of 2020 and Lucknow Super Giants’ 2023 vintage, but one clear difference so far: results.While Kings finished that season in sixth, Super Giants are among the early pace-setters this year. They have already established themselves as a team who are hard to beat at home, winning both games at the Ekana Stadium, and their last-gasp win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday night means they are joint-top of the nascent league table with three wins from four.Several of those former Kings players will be particularly keen to perform against their old franchise on Saturday night, but none more so than Pooran. The West Indies left-hander had a miserable final year for Kings in 2021, making 85 runs at 7.72 across the season, and was released ahead of the mega auction.Since then, Pooran has averaged 40.63 and struck at 161.95 in the IPL, bringing his Sunrisers Hyderabad form from 2022 into the early stages of this season. Super Giants invested heavily in him, spending INR 16 crore to buy him in December’s auction; the early signs are that he is worth the money.

Form guide (most recent match first)

Lucknow Super Giants: WWLW
Punjab Kings: LLWW

Team news: Livingstone still a doubt?

Kyle Mayers’ early success at the top of the order has seen Quinton de Kock carrying drinks since his arrival in India, but Super Giants may look to make a change after Mayers’ back-to-back failures against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Liam Livingstone arrived in India late after knee and ankle injuries, and Shikhar Dhawan suggested on Thursday night that he had pulled a muscle in his first training session. “He’s just got off a flight,” Brad Haddin, Kings’ assistant coach, said.”We’re just monitoring him for the next couple of days to see where he’s at. He’s just come back from a long-term injury.” He appears unlikely to feature on Saturday, but could come into contention to play against RCB next week.There is also a chance Kings will consider rotating their seamers, playing their second game in 48 hours. If so, Kagiso Rabada – who was expensive against Gujarat Titans – might make way for Nathan Ellis again.Meanwhile, Super Giants have replaced medium-pace bowler Mayank Yadav with Arpit Guleria in a like-for-like change, with an injury ruling Mayank out of the tournament.*Super Giants’ musclemen Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis hit 127 runs in 49 balls between them in Bengaluru•BCCI

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Super Giants have used Ayush Badoni as their Impact Player when bowling first this season, and could bring him in for Amit Mishra like they did in their one-wicket win over Royal Challengers. If they bat first, Mishra – or another bowler – could replace Badoni.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh KhanPossible bowl-first XI: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Amit Mishra/Krishnappa Gowtham, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh KhanPunjab Kings
Rahul Chahar came into Kings’ team halfway through their defeat to Titans on Thursday, and will likely replace either Prabhsimran Singh or Bhanuka Rajapaksa during the innings break if they bat first again. If they bowl, they will probably pick an extra bowler and then sub a batter in.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Matthew Short, 4 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Sam Curran, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Rishi Dhawan, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Arshdeep SinghPossible bowl-first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Matthew Short, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa/Prabhsimran Singh, 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Sam Curran, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Rishi Dhawan, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Stats that matter

• Shikhar Dhawan has dominated Jaydev Unadkat when they have faced one another in the IPL, scoring 70 runs off 44 balls against him for once out.
• Super Giants’ innings of 193 for 6 in their first home game this season was the first time in 16 T20s held in Lucknow that a team had posted a score in excess of 190.
• This will only be the second meeting between these teams, following Super Giants’ 20-run victory last season.

Pitch and conditions

Keep a close eye on the colour of the soil used at the Ekana Stadium. Lucknow played their first home game against Delhi Capitals on a red-soil pitch which played relatively true; in their second, against Sunrisers, they played on a black-soil pitch which offered sharp turn from the outset. The venue is quickly becoming a fortress for them, with two home wins from two so far.

Quotes

“Watching the game last [Thursday] night, it came down to the last two balls, even on the Mohali wicket which is a really good wicket. We must respect their bowling line-up: they have international experience and quality spinners.”
“Whenever a team plays 56 dot balls, they end up losing the game so we have to rectify that. And of course, losing early wickets puts the batting side on the back foot and we have to work on that.”
*The line was added after confirmation through an IPL media release

21-year-old registers maiden five-wicket haul as Yorkshire to enforce the follow-on

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2023Glamorgan 273 (Carlson 64, Revis 5-50) and 120 for 2 fo (Byrom 52*, Northeast 45*) trail Yorkshire 500 (Masood 192, Bean 93, Hill 71) by 107 runsMatthew Revis delivered career-best bowling figures of 5-50 to force Glamorgan to follow on at Sophia Gardens as he helped Yorkshire move into a winning position on day three of their LV= County Championship clash.Chasing back-to-back wins after their recent triumph against Derbyshire, Yorkshire dismissed the Welsh county for 273 in their first innings as they chased a total of 500. That left them trailing by 227, forcing them to bat again.When play ended five overs short due to bad light, Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast had put on 90 for the third wicket to take the home side to 120-2.The 21-year-old Revis had picked up three wickets the previous evening and was quickly into action again at the start of a rain-affected morning session. He had Kiran Carlson caught at short leg by James Wharton for 64 to end a promising sixth wicket stand of 73 with Dan Douthwaite.He then clean bowled the home side’s second-highest scorer, Andy Gorvin (47), who had been joined by No.11 Jamie McIlroy in a tail waging session that plundered 56 very welcome runs.Glamorgan reached 213 for 7 by lunch, but seven balls into the afternoon session Ben Coad trapped dangerman Douthwaite lbw for 37 and followed that up by clean bowling James Harris with his next ball. McIlroy denied him a hat-trick and went on to score an unbeaten 30.Yorkshire skipper Shan Masood had no hesitation in asking Glamorgan to follow on and Coad struck with only his second ball of the innings to remove Zain ul-Hassan. It was the second time in the match the opener had fallen to the Yorkshire paceman, this time caught at first slip by George Hill.Colin Ingram then fell to a catch at first slip off Dom Bess to make it 30 for 2 in the 13th over and the second innings slide seemed to be on. It was 35 for 2 at the tea interval before openerEddie Byrom and Sam Northeast finally got to grips with the bowling. Byrom scored 40 in the first innings and this time around successfully reached his half-century with a streaky two between the wicketkeeper and slip off Adam Lyth in the 36th over.By the end of play, their third wicket stand – Northeast is unbeaten on 45 – had been worth 90 and carried Glamorgan to within 107 runs of avoiding an innings defeat.