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The match provides Malan a chance to find some form ahead of the Test series while Sam Curran also leaves the one-day squad to face India A at New Road

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2018James Vince has been called up to England’s one-day squad for the deciding match against India at Headingley with Dawid Malan released to take up his place in the Lions side, to face India A in a four-day match at New Road, ahead of the Test series against India next month.Sam Curran, the Surrey allrounder, has also been let go from the one-day side to face India A which he was originally selected for. He made his debut against Pakistan at Headingley and further opportunity could arise when Ben Stokes is unavailable because of his trial in Bristol which starts the day after the first Test is due to finish.Malan is likely to feature in the middle order although he is under some pressure after two lean Tests against Pakistan where he made 46 runs in three innings. Since that series finished in early June, Malan has only played five matches – all for Middlesex – and his last four innings across various formats have been 0, 0, 2 and 0 including a pair in the pink-ball Championship match against Kent.He had been called into the one-day squad on the day of the first match after Alex Hales injured his side. After the England Lions game he has a Championship fixture against Warwickshire – there is a round of matches shoe-horned in amid the ongoing T20 Blast – before the Test series against India begins on August 1.

England Lions team to face India A

Rory Burns (capt), Alastair Cook, Nick Gubbins, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dom Bess, Matt Fisher, Jack Leach, Jamie Porter

As was the case with Malan, Vince won’t feature unless there is an injury to one of England’s top order ahead of the match on Tuesday but his call-up is acknowledgment for an impressive Royal London Cup campaign where he made 527 runs and captained Hampshire to the title.Vince, who lost his Test place at the start of the season, played the last of his five ODIs back in 2016 on the tour of Bangladesh when Hales and Eoin Morgan both opted out of the trip due to security concerns.He has been selected ahead of Sam Billings, who has been a regular part of the one-day squad but made precious few appearances. He was left out after the series against Australia and said there had been discussions between him and national selector Ed Smith that it was better to get a run of matches for Kent rather than carry the drinks for England. Billings has since found some form with 75 in the Royal London final and a T20 career-best of 95 not out, both against Vince’s Hampshire.There remains the possibility that there is one batting berth up for grabs in England’s World Cup squad next year with Billings, Vince and Malan perhaps in a three-way tussle.Surrey’s Rory Burns will captain England Lions against India A – a side that will also feature Alastair Cook and Chris Woakes – with a chance to further press his claims for Test selection. He is the leading run-scorer across all Championship cricket with 722 runs at 65.63 and could be the next man in line for a chance at the top of the order if another change is needed.Keaton Jennings was recalled in place of Mark Stoneman for the second Test against Pakistan, so will likely start the series against India, but Burns is breathing down his neck along with Nick Gubbins who is also part of the Lions side.

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.

Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn have been named in South Africa’s T20 squad for the two-match series against Pakistan in the UAE next month

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2013Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn have been named in South Africa’s T20 squad for the two-match series against Pakistan in the UAE next month. Batsman Farhaan Behardien and the seamer Rory Kleinveldt were the two players left out of the T20 squad that toured Sri Lanka in July.Amla last played a T20 in December 2012. He relinquished the limited-overs vice-captaincy in February when South Africa announced separate captains for all three formats. He had asked not to be picked for T20s in 2013, but it appears as if he is willing to commit to the shortest format. He is the third opening batsman in the squad, with Henry Davids and Quinton de Kock in the mix.”Hashim is a world-class player across all the formats,” said Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener Andrew Hudson. “His experience and stability at the top of the order are qualities that we believe will strengthen the squad in a key area.”Steyn last played in the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. With the next edition of the tournament in March-April in Bangladesh, the coach Russell Domingo had made it clear that players had to be part of the squad regularly if they wanted to be picked for tournaments. Steyn took part in the Champions League in India for Sunrisers Hyderabad.”It is great to have Dale back as it means we now have all our senior players available again,” Hudson said. “There was also some encouraging form shown at the Champions League T20, notably by Henry Davids, who was unquestionably the batsman of the tournament until the Titans were knocked out.”The allrounder Chris Morris was not named in any of the limited-overs squads for the tour. South Africa play the two T20s in Dubai after the two Tests and five ODIs.Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, David Wiese

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has made himself unavailable for Test selection because of a long-standing degenerative condition in his right knee

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2011Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has given up Test cricket because of a “long-standing degenerative condition in the right knee”. He intends to continue playing the shorter formats, though, and hopes to play in the 2012 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup.Malinga, 27, made himself unavailable for the upcoming Test tour of England citing his fitness problems, but has been playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Sri Lanka Cricket asked him to return home and undergo a rehabilitation programme, but Malinga has now clarified that his condition stops him from playing only the longest format.”Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed,” Malinga’s statement read. “The condition relates directly to the chronic knee injury I sustained playing for Sri Lanka in Australia back in February 2008, an injury that prevented me from playing ODI cricket for 16 months.”The injury was a career-threatening injury and my orthopaedic surgeon was of the opinion that given his experience with other professional athletes in Australia I was very fortunate to play again. I have since been advised by the national team physiotherapist and my orthopaedic consultant that my condition will deteriorate when fielding or bowling for prolonged periods.”I did try to return to Test cricket after a three-year absence last year [against India] following requests from the team management and the selectors, but it left me unfit nursing severe knee pain for two months.”I have realised that the heavy workload of Test cricket, which requires a fast bowler to be able to bowl more than 15 overs, sometimes on consecutive days, could lead to permanent injury. I have carefully considered my options and have decided that not playing Test cricket will help me achieve my goal of representing Sri Lanka in the 2012 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup.”Malinga said he was available for all limited-overs internationals, and planned to travel to Sri Lanka soon to discuss his plans with the selectors.Since his debut in July 2004, Malinga has played only 30 Tests and 84 ODIs. His slingshot round-arm action and focus on pace put a lot of strain on his body, and he was forced to miss several games. His career seemed to have stalled after the Galle Test against England in December 2007, but he returned for the series against India mid-2010. It was, however, a false dawn on his stop-start Test career.

A round-up of the first day of the opening round of matches in Division 2 of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010An unbroken 123-run partnership between Lal Kumar and Kashif Bhatti lifted Hyderabad to 293 after they had collapsed to 170 for 7 on the first day against Quetta at the Niaz Stadium. Kumar hammered 12 fours and two sixes to reach his maiden first-class century. He found support in left-arm spinner Bhatti who remained unbeaten on 54, his maiden first-class half-century. Their fightback brought Hyderabad back into the game after Quetta’s opening bowlers Gauhar Faiz and Arun Lal had rattled the top order with three quick wickets. Rizwan Ahmed and captain Nasrullah Memon tried to rebuild the innings but fell in their thirties before Kumar came to Hyderabad’s rescue.Armaghan Elahi, the left-arm fast bowler, put Abbottabad on top on the opening day of their Division 2 encounter against Pakistan Television at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Pakistan Television had a poor start to their debut season in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, as Elahi removed their openers cheaply. Yasim Murtaza and Awais Zia staged a mini-recovery to take the score to 90 for 3, but both fell within two runs of each other. The lower order could not resist for long, and Elahi returned to take two more, finishing with 4 for 32. Left-arm seamer Saad Altaf had Abbottabad in some trouble at 16 for 2, but opener Ghulam Mohammad and captain Wajid Ali ensured no further damage was done, ending the day only 88 runs in arrears.Ashraf Ali made a patient half-century as Lahore Ravi crawled to 198 for 6 at the end of the first day of their game against State Bank of Pakistan at the Lahore Cricket Association Ground. Ashraf’s unbeaten 55 came off 163 deliveries, as he played the anchor role for Lahore to perfection. Mohammad Naved and Mohammad Rameez, the opening bowlers for State Bank, took two wickets each, as did fellow fast bowler Bilawal Bhatti.Lahore Shalimar held the advantage at the end of the first day against Peshawar at the Sports Complex in Mardan. Peshwar were asked to bat and they looked set for a formidable first-innings total after their top order delivered a solid start. Opener Mohammad Fayyaz (50) and Naved Khan (47) added 73 for the second wicket while Sajjad Ahmed top scored, remaining unbeaten on 78 at stumps. However, the middle and the lower orders failed to build on the platform as the Lahore bowlers struck back. Left-arm seamer Emmad Ali led the way with three wickets as Sajjad could only watch his partners return to the pavilion one after another in relatively quick succession. Emmad was well supported by the rest of the bowling line-up. At one stage, Peshawar lost five wickets for 20, and it seemed they would get bowled out for under 200. But Sajjad was helped by No.10 batsman Waqar Ahmed, who made 25, and Peshawar finished the day on 263 for 9.

It leaves him a major doubt for the upcoming tour of the West Indies

Andrew McGlashan13-Jun-2025

Steven Smith went off the field with a finger injury•Associated Press

Australia were left contemplating the possibility of needing to replace over 10,000 runs after Steven Smith suffered a compound dislocation of the little finger on his right hand on the third day of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, leaving him a major doubt for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, as a rare loss in a tournament decider loomed into view.Smith suffered the injury when he dropped a sharp chance offered by Temba Bavuma on 2 as the South Africa captain edged Mitchell Starc to first slip where Smith was standing so close that he was wearing a helmet.Smith immediately knew he was in trouble and started to leave the field in significant pain even before the medical staff reached him.”He was assessed by Australian team medical staff at the ground and taken to the hospital for X-rays and further treatment,” a CA spokesperson said.The dropped catch was a pivotal moment in the day as South Africa would have been 76 for 3 chasing 282 had it been held, but instead Bavuma was unbeaten on 65 at the close as fought through a hamstring injury.Since 1996, Australia’s men have lost just one of the 10 global finals they have been in – the 2010 T20 World Cup against England – but barring a spectacular South Africa collapse on Saturday will relinquish the mace.”We understand the magnitude of the task, that 8 for 70 or whatever it is, is incredibly tricky and conditions would have to go away,” assistant coach Daniel Vettori said. “I think with the nature of where the ball is at and the surface, it’s a difficult task, but it is a task that the group has probably done at times throughout the last three, four, some of them five, six, even longer years.”Meanwhile, Smith’s injury also leaves Australia with the prospect of having a big hole to fill in their batting order in the West Indies, where the first Test begins in Barbados on June 25, although the extent of Smith’s injury was still being assessed at the close of play with him not having returned to the ground from hospital.Earlier this year left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann was able to make a swift return to action after suffering a similar blow in the BBL before going on to take 16 wickets in the series against Sri Lanka.Australia already have significant uncertainty around their top order with Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green struggling in the WTC final. After a relatively lean period by his high standards, Smith has been prolific in recent Tests with four hundreds in five matches against India and Sri Lanka before 66 in the first innings at Lord’s.Should Smith be ruled out of all or part of the West Indies tour, it could create an opening for Sam Konstas’ return, with Labuschagne going back to No. 3 and Green dropping down to No. 4 where he made 174 not out against New Zealand before his back injury.Josh Inglis is the other spare batter in the squad for the WTC final, which will be the same group that travels to the Caribbean. Should reinforcements be needed, Nathan McSweeney could come into consideration while the resurgent Kurtis Patterson could be another option.

A pair of four-day matches will be take place in Mackay and at the MCG, potentially involving players pushing for a Test berth

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2024A two-match Australia A vs India A four-day series will precede the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year to give players on the fringes of both sides a chance to press their claims.The two matches will take place at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay from October 31-November 3 followed by the MCG from November 7 to 10.The entire Indian squad – comprising both the main tour party and the A team – will then have an internal warm-up fixture at the WACA between November 15 and 17 ahead of the opening Test at Optus Stadium in Perth which begins on November 22.India have a run of five home Tests prior to heading to Australia with two matches against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand on the FTP from late September to early November.From Australia’s perspective, the two A matches will overlap with the ODIs and T20Is against Pakistan so the selectors may need to decide whether there are any players involved in the white-ball teams who could potentially feature for the A side. They will also likely clash with Sheffield Shield fixtures.The T20Is against Pakistan are unlikely to feature any of Australia’s Test players given their proximity to the India series.Although the indications have been that Steven Smith will remain as an opener, the structure of Australia’s batting order could still be a debate ahead of the India series. The A matches could be a chance for the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw to push their claims.Last season Pakistan faced the Prime Minister’s XI, which was effectively an Australia A team, in Canberra ahead of the Test series.On their previous tour of Australia in 2020-21, there were also two warm-up matches against Australia A prior to the Test series. India won that series 2-1.The India women’s team are also touring Australia for three ODIs in early December which will be played around the second men’s Test in Adelaide.

Reactions from the Australian players after winning the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-20231:39

Where does this rank among Australia’s World Cup wins?

Josh Hazlewood: “I think this is bigger [than 2015]. Obviously we had won at home in front of our home fans, but the challenges we’ve been through in the last couple of months – coming here, and playing in those conditions against India, which is a pretty special team. Again, to win on a day like this is amazing. Such a great crowd; the Indian fans are second to none. A couple had started leaving there towards the end, but some crowd! I think that’s just the belief that’s in the squad. The first two games [against India and South Africa] were against probably two of the better teams in the competition, but to sort of be knocking on wood the whole tournament basically, and [we’ve] just been on a run. I think tonight was our perfect game just about. We put it together when it counts.”Marnus Labuschagne: “What we’ve achieved today is unbelievable. It’s the best achievement I’ve ever been part of. Just to come to India… ten from ten with one to play – they’ve been the team of the tournament, they’ve played unbelievably. But you knew if we played our best cricket, we had a chance. Our bowlers were sensational, and then Travis [Head] put on a hell of a display. It’s great to be a part of it. I know you guys know I’m a man of faith, and believe in god. The way everything’s happened is unbelievable to me. It’s just amazing; I’m lost for words. The amount of times I thought I’m done – even last night the team didn’t get named until about 10.10 [pm]. Coaches went to the ground – might be dewy, I might be out. I’m very thankful to them for sticking with me. I don’t have many words to explain. Few months ago, I wasn’t even in South Africa in the one-day team; and to play 19 games straight is truly a miracle. I don’t know how; I give thanks to god for that.”Related

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Travis Head: “Yeah, would’ve been sitting on the couch at home [if he had not recovered from injury in time]. So yeah, very lucky that everything went well. And I was able to get back here… Yeah, I was a little bit nervous. Marnus was quite exceptional. That really soaked up the pressure and yeah, it was just an amazing partnership [of 192 runs for the fourth wicket].”Felt like the way when Mitch Marsh came out and took the game on, albeit didn’t go on with, it sort of set the tone and that was the energy that we wanted, and we knew that the wicket may get tough. It was a great decision to bowl first when we won the toss, and the wicket got better as the day went on.”Probably [Rohit Sharma’s] the unluckiest man in the world. Again, it’s something that I’ve worked on. I couldn’t imagine being 100 but could imagine probably holding on to that one [catch]. Again, nice to hold on to something that’s important… To be able to do that on a big stage in front of the full house and all that pressure is a nice thing.”Travis Head took a truly stunning catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma•Associated Press

Mitchell Starc: “He [Cummins] was phenomenal. I think he’s been phenomenal all tournament. His decision making, his leadership, at times he’s needed to step up with the ball when it’s a bit flat. He’s been phenomenal for us and he’s just capped off an unbelievable eight weeks with this group.”Between Pat, Ron [Andrew McDonald], all that coaching staff, all the players across the formats, it’s been an incredible winter. I don’t think you could write a script to top the winter we’ve had. To win a World Cup in India – it’s been a fantastic eight weeks, bit tough but gee whiz! It’s been bloody successful and bloody enjoyable.”David Warner: “Our bowlers were fantastic, the sort of flow from last game, they set the tone from ball one and the fielding again tonight supported that. To bowl them [India] out for 240 in the final is absolutely exceptional. There was a bit of nervous energy up in the change room [during the chase]. We sat in the dressing-room part, we sat in the lunchroom part, came in at one stage for a look. Fantastic partnership there with Marnus and Heady. What an incredible comeback from Heady, [got] injured in South Africa, come back in and score his hundred in his first game and a hundred here tonight in front of a jam-packed crowd. He was just absolutely phenomenal.”Steven Smith: “It’s incredible, the atmosphere was amazing here today. It was just a great performance. As Davey just said, our bowlers really set the tone, fielding was great this evening. Travis Head, the show he put on was just incredible. [He] took the game on even when we were 3 for 60-odd [47 for 3], just kept going, kept playing to his strengths. I thought Marnus played an unbelievable knock at the other end in a supporting role. It was a great partnership, and yeah, another one [World Cup title].Two-time ODI World Cup winners – Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, David Warner, and Mitchell Marsh – strike a pose with the trophy•ICC/Getty Images

“Wasn’t the ideal start for us [in the tournament]. Yeah, we had belief that we got a good group of players here, great staff and we had belief that we were going to turn around and, fortunately, we were able to do that and get ourselves into the top four, and then it’s a whole new ball game from there. Australia typically plays pretty well in those moments, and yeah, it’s another dream come true today to win another final. It’s been a pretty big year for us, winning the Test championship and then this, and it’s been great fun.”Glenn Maxwell: “It feels amazing. I think we all pretty much got excited when it got down to 20 [required]. I had sort of resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t have to bat – much like [in] 2015 – but unfortunately Heady got out. But it was nice to be out there with Marnus [at the end], and have the guys come out, and what a win! It’s a bit different when you watch Heady take on [Jasprit] Bumrah; not so often you’re next in… but how good were those two! Marnus soaked the pressure out there – he was absolutely outstanding – and Heady, that ball-striking under pressure in a final was second to none.”Mitchell Marsh: “Pure elation. I said to a few boys just earlier – it’s been hard. We won when Sri Lanka were 0 for 120; that feels like a lifetime ago. But to be here with this group, it’s unbelievable.”

“We can’t be unluckier than this,” she said of her run-out while also praising Rodrigues

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2023India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes they “can’t be unluckier” after her run-out led to Australia wresting back control and eking out a five-run win to enter their seventh straight final in the Women’s T20 World Cup.After slipping to 28 for 3 while chasing 173, India clawed back via a 69-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet. Then with 40 needed off 33 balls, India’s captain was run-out for 52 after her bat got stuck outside the crease while completing a second run. Australia swung the game in their favour from there and India fell just short.”We can’t be unluckier than this,” Harmanpreet said at the presentation. “The way we got the momentum back when Jemi and I were batting… and after that losing this game, we were not expecting this today.Related

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“The way I got run-out… can’t be unluckier than that. Putting the effort was more important and I am happy we took this game till the last ball. That is what we discussed in the team meeting, that we want to fight till the last ball. The result was not in our favour but I am happy with the way we played in this tournament.”India won two of their three games in the T20 World Cup chasing and Harmanpreet was happy despite losing the toss on Thursday, when Australia opted to bat. India kept Australia under check despite a 52-run opening stand between Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, although Mooney, Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner powered them to 172 for 4 by amassing 73 runs off the last six overs.”We love to chase and today also we were thinking of chasing only,” Harmanpreet said. “When Australia took batting, we know whatever we were expecting, it is happening the way we want. Even after losing first two wickets we know we have a good batting line-up and have few players who back themselves.”Rodrigues was the first to counterattack for India, by striking back-to-back fours as soon as she came out to bat, and picked gaps against both pace and spin in her knock of 43 off 24.”Specially, I should give credit to Jemimah, the way she batted today. She was the one who gave us the momentum we were looking for. Happy to see some good performances we saw this tournament.”India’s fielding in the semi-final left a lot to be desired. Lanning and Mooney were dropped at least once each while there were a lot of misfields, too, from the first over. Harmanpreet conceded that those cost them.”We again gave some easy catches away,” she said. “When we have to win, we have to take those chances especially, which is 100% in your hands. We did misfield today. We can only learn from these areas and whenever we come next time we should learn from this and should not make these mistakes next time.”We fought in this tournament and we played some really good cricket. Even though we didn’t play according to our strengths, still we were able to make the semi. Today we wanted to play our natural game and a few of us did that. Happy to see that.”

‘Knew we can take a couple of wickets and change the game,’ says Lanning

Meanwhile, Australia captain Lanning termed it as “one of the best wins” she has been involved in. Australia looked to run out of solutions when Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were batting but stuck to their disciplined lines and mostly caught and fielded whatever came their way to maintain their successful streak in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.”That’s one of the best wins I have been involved in,” she said. “To fight back from the position we were in, probably not playing our best game in all three facets was great fighting spirit from the girls, couldn’t be more proud of them.Ashleigh Gardner followed her 31-run cameo with a couple of key wickets•Getty Images

“We probably missed our lengths a little bit, gave a bit of width at times. But India were coming hard at us. They have got some incredible players, so we knew it’s got to be hard to defend and it came right down to the wire as we expected.”Australia defeated India in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and also edged past them to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. They also defeated India 4-1 in India in December last year – the loss coming via a Super Over. So Lanning knew it wouldn’t be easy.”I was a little bit nervous but we do know – and in the past playing against these guys – we take a couple of wickets and things change quickly,” she said. “So we just have to hang in there. We got a little bit of luck with Kaur’s wicket but we stayed in the game. That’s what you have got to do and to be able to get over the line is certainly very special.”I think we are able to stay calm and composed. We didn’t execute as well as we would have liked but there was no panic out there. We knew that a couple of wickets will change it in our favour and we love the big moments. These are the games we want to play in.”

“It’s just getting back that confidence to sidestep and run as hard as I can and dive around again”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2021David Warner has said he may feel the effects of the groin injury that has interrupted his season for up to nine months but has confirmed he hopes to return for New South Wales early next month*.Warner suffered the injury during the second ODI against India at the end of November and missed the final ODI, the T20Is that followed and the first two Tests. He returned to the side for the Sydney and Brisbane matches when far from fully fit after Australia had patched up their opening pair with an out-of-form Joe Burns and out-of-position Matthew Wade.He scored 5, 13, 1 and 48 in his four innings before being named in the squad for the now-postponed tour of South Africa, a format where he believes the tempo makes the injury more manageable. His comeback is now set to be the Marsh Cup match against South Australia in Adelaide on March 4 before he heads to the IPL to join Sunrisers Hyderabad for which he’ll need an NOC from Cricket Australia.”I am almost back to full 100% sprinting in a straight line. This next week is getting back to fielding, picking up, throwing, very difficult that was [in the] last couple of weeks, even trying to throw,” Warner said during Fox Cricket’s coverage of the first T20I in Christchurch.Related

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“Now it’s all about lateral, running between wickets, building that up. It’s just the tendon that has got that slight tear in it now. It’s going to aggravate me for the next six to nine months but I am sure the medicos will help me out there.