West Indies are “huge underdogs”, in the words of their captain Jason Holder, but they cannot be counted out, given their form during the warm-ups, the uncertainty of what the pink ball might do at Edgbaston, and the inexperience in England’s top order

The Preview by Alan Gardner16-Aug-2017

Match facts

August 17-21, 2017
Start time 2pm local (1300 GMT)

Big Picture

Cue spooky music and prepare to step through the locked door… English cricket is about to enter the Test Twilight Zone, where strange things can happen. At the Adelaide Oval in 2015, the highest score between Australia and New Zealand was 224 and the Test was over inside three days; in Dubai last year, West Indies’ first taste of day-night Tests, Azhar Ali scored the first pink-ball triple-hundred; a few weeks later, again in Adelaide, Faf du Plessis declared South Africa’s first innings during the final session of the opening day. More fantastical still, Pakistan came within 40 runs of chasing 490 to beat Australia at the Gabba in December 2016.So what will Edgbaston serve up for England’s first experience of this eye-catching format tweak? Stuart Broad articulated the uncertainties for the home side when he described it as a step into the unknown and while West Indies are unlikely to talk up their chances too much, they will have the edge in understanding how the pink ball plays. In their last warm-up match, against Derbyshire, they had four batsmen score hundreds whilst bowling out the opposition cheaply – although Shannon Gabriel’s problem with overstepping was a cause for concern.England should come into the game high on confidence, having just defeated South Africa 3-1, but there ought to be no room for complacency – and not only because of how they’ll react to the pink pill. Mark Stoneman, the Surrey opener, will make his debut as England’s search for a long-term opening partner for Alastair Cook continues, and that is just one of three or four positions that Joe Root will want nailed to the table before setting off for an Ashes defence this winter. This will be a big series for the likes of Tom Westley, Dawid Malan and Toby Roland-Jones, too.Root will also know not to underestimate West Indies on the basis of their last encounter, when they held England to a 1-1 draw in the Caribbean after being talked down as “mediocre” opposition in the build-up. Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, set the tone with a match-saving hundred in Antigua and then he and his fellow quicks helped bowl them to a series-levelling victory in Bridgetown. The selectors haven’t yet recalled the recently un-retired Jerome Taylor, but Kemar Roach is back, after 18 months out of the Test side, and the tourists have a pace battery to keep England on their toes. Edgbaston under floodlights might help to put them in the pink.The wider context, of course, encompasses the future of the Test game. Ticket sales have been healthy and the Birmingham public seems ready to embrace the concept (or at least give it a whirl). Will they get an Edgbaston classic? Well, stranger things have happened.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
England WWLWL
West Indies LWLWL

In the spotlight

He has been a model of consistency on the county circuit and, a few weeks after his 30th birthday, Mark Stoneman is finally set for his England opportunity. An average of just under 35 might not signal a great talent waiting to be unleashed but that is more reflective of his tough grounding on the spicy northern tracks of Chester-le-Street, where he learned his trade for Durham. His move to Surrey saw him add a career-best 197 earlier this season and last week he completed 1000 first-class runs for the fifth season running. A good series will in all likelihood see him opening at Brisbane for the start of the 2017-18 Ashes.Whether West Indies’ top seven can make enough runs to put England under pressure will be a key factor of the series, but the return of Kemar Roach could give them an edge with the ball. He may no longer be the bruising quick who discomforted Ricky Ponting and gave Jonny Bairstow a working-over on debut but his form in domestic cricket suggests his has the nous to adapt; seven wickets at a cost of just 74 in two tour matches offers further encouragement that he will be a handful. Roach is by far the most experienced member of the attack and West Indies fans will fervently hope the fire still burns.

Teams news

England will make just one change from the side that overcame South Africa at The Oval and Old Trafford, with Stoneman coming in for Keaton Jennings as Cook’s 12th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss. That means no return for Chris Woakes and Mason Crane missing out.England: 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Mark Stoneman, 3 Tom Westley, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Dawid Malan, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Toby Roland-Jones, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.Kyle Hope is in line for a debut, coming in at No. 3 above his younger brother, Shai. Both scored hundreds in the pink-ball warm-up match at Derby, as did Roston Chase and opener Kieran Powell. Gabriel struggled with his run-up in that match, bowling 24 no-balls in all, but is expected to play, with the final choice between Devendra Bishoo’s legspin or a fourth seamer in Alzarri Joseph.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Kyle Hope, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo/Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

The surface being used is one over from the pitch that Australia were bowled out for 136 on in 2015. It is expected to offer some life for the seamers but may not break up much. The forecast is generally clear for the five days but it could be a little chilly for those in the stands come the evening.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies last won a Test in England on their tour of 2000 – victory by an innings at Edgbaston.
• The 2012 Edgbaston Test saw Tino Best fall five runs short of becoming the first No. 11 to score a Test hundred.
• Stuart Broad needs five wickets to overtake Ian Botham as England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker.
• Joe Root has made at least one half-century in his last ten consecutive Tests – another at Edgbaston would set a new record for England.

Quotes

“Of course you want a settled side. You never want to go into a series with guys out of form or under pressure. But that’s one of the challenges of Test cricket.”
“We’re obviously huge underdogs.”

Craig Meschede and Andrew Salter led a Glamorgan fightback after Richard Gleeson had threatened to make short shrift of their first innings

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2017Glamorgan, playing their first Championship match in Cardiff since June, bounced back from a poor start to make 207 before claiming two wickets in reply against a Northants side still holding promotion ambitions after their defeat of Sussex took them third-equal in the Division Two tableA partnership of 97 between Andrew Salter (59) and Craig Meschede (49) enabled Glamorgan to recover from 102 for 6.It looked to be a good toss for Northamptonshire to lose early doors and it took just 1.5 overs for Richard Gleeson to strike, bowling Jacques Rudolph without scoring as he shouldered arms.That left the young pairing of Nick Selman and Jack Murphy to begin the Glamorgan recovery against the opening pace attack of Gleeson and Rory Kleinveldt. Selman had looked to be doing just that before the young Australian-born opener edged to skipper Alex Wakely at slip off Muhammad Azharullah for 22. It wasn’t long before Murphy followed him back to the pavilion, as he was trapped lbw by the same bowler for 12 with the home side soon in trouble again at 36 for 3.Colin Ingram and Welsh youngster Kiran Carlson had added 39 before a light rain shower brought about an early lunch. However, Ingram lasted just one ball after the interval, clumsily caught by keeper David Murphy off Rory Kleinveldt off second slip. Carlson went in the next over, lbw to Gleeson for 10.Chris Cooke was removed by Gleeson, caught behind and Glamorgan were 102 for 6 as the rain delayed play for the second time. The wicket brought Salter and Meschede together and, having waited 20 minutes to get off the mark, Meschede was almost caught at second slip before the ball trickled to the boundary.After the scare, the batsmen piled on the pressure, although Northants had other chances. Salter had to kick the ball away from the stumps off Kleinveldt before Richard Levi dropped Meschede off Kerrigan at second slip.Salter brought up his half-century from 100 balls before left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan claimed two wickets in an over. Meschede fell one run short of his fifty when he was stumped to end a 97 partnership, before Marchant de Lange was bowled. Lukas Carey was bowled by Gleeson without scoring before he picked up his fifth wicket when Salter was caught at mid-on by Kleinveldt and Glamorgan were all out for 207.Northamptonshire, in reply, started strongly racing to 24 in just 4.2 overs before Ben Duckett was caught by Jack Murphy at mid-wicket off Carey for 11. They had reached 49 when a Murphy off-drive found Carlson off Michael Hogan’s bowling for nine.Rob Newton (31 not out) and Richard Levi had added 10 runs when the players were taken off for bad light. Subsequently rain set in and Northamptonshire ended the day on 59 for 2.

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.

NSW openers led the charge with a mammoth opening stand after Queensland captain Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne helped their side post 282

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2017
ScorecardDaniel Hughes razed to his second ton of the tournament•Getty Images

A 192-run opening stand between centurion Daniel Hughes and Nic Maddinson set up New South Wales’ six-wicket victory against Queensland, with Hughes scoring his second hundred of the tournament. The result meant that Usman Khawaja’s 138, which anchored Queensland to 7 for 282, was in vain.Hughes and Maddinson, currently leading the tournament run charts, struck 122 and 86 respectively, scoring at a rate of 5.87 in their partnership. While Maddinson fell 14 short of his 12th List A ton, Hughes brought up his fourth successive fifty-plus score in the tournament. He fell in the 44th over, having lifted NSW to 250 and they comfortably crossed the target after that, with seven balls to spare. Of the six bowlers used by Queensland, only Brendan Doggett, Cameron Gannon, Michael Neser managed to scalp a wicket each as their side suffered their third loss of the tournament.Earlier, NSW, who had opted to bowl first, dismissed Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns for 4 each. Burns was out hit wicket, after his bat hit the stumps while he attempted a pull off Mitchell Starc’s bowling. Khawaja, however, weathered the opening burst from Starc (3-48), Nathan Lyon (1-36) and Doug Bollinger, and wrested control along with Marnus Labuschagne. The pair added 217 runs, with Khawaja scoring 138 off 139 balls and Labuschagne contributing 91. Khawaja’s century followed up scores of 85 and 81 in his two previous games, putting him fourth on the tournament run charts.

Rajshahi Kings kept their qualification hopes alive with a crushing win over Chittagong Vikings, rising to fifth position on the table

The Report by Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQazi Onik took a four-wicket haul on debut•Raton Gomes

Rajshahi Kings kept their qualification hopes alive with a crushing win over Chittagong Vikings at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. While Rajshahi rose to fifth position with the win, Chittagong’s defeat knocked them out of the 2017-18 BPL.Qazi Onik enjoyed a stunning debut, taking four wickets as Rajshahi defended 157 for 6 after electing to bat first. Chittagong were bowled out for 124 in 19.2, becoming the first team to exit the tournament.Onik, the left-arm pacer, took the key wickets of Anamul Haque and Stiaan van Zyl, before adding Sunzamul Islam and Tanbir Hayder to complete impressive figures of 4 for 17 in 3.2 overs.When Rajshahi batted, they recovered from 86 for 4 with the help of Darren Sammy, who top-scored with 40 off 25 balls, muscling two fours and three sixes.Chittagong apply early chokeMominul Haque fell in the second over of the match, slicing Taskin Ahmed for a catch at third-man. Zakir Hasan and Luke Wright then went on a boundary-barrage, which included four fours in six balls, until Luis Reece took out Zakir for 17.Mushfiqur Rahim got cracking with a four off his first ball but Rajshahi were again hit when Wright was caught sharply at deep midwicket by Sikandar Raza, who kept himself inside the field as he moved back to take an overhead catch. All the while, Mushfiqur was in fine form, striking Sunzamul Islam for a six and two fours in the 11th over.Nayeem Hasan, one of four BPL debutants this match, then outsmarted Mushfiqur, bowling slower through the air and getting him to hole out to long-on. Mushfiqur made 31 off 22 balls and Rajshahi were reduced to 86 for 4 in the 12th over.Sammy turns the heat on ChittagongSammy was at his imperious best in the slog overs. He struck three sixes – two of them off Reece and one against Taskin – in the last five overs. He added 69 runs for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, who made for a study in contrast with his run-a-ball 30. Rayad Emrit, Taskin and Reece bowled very well in the slog overs, never letting Rajshahi to get away with anything significant. Still, with the help of Sammy’s timely boundaries, Rajshahi punched 56 runs in the last six overs: a recovery that proved more than good enough in the end.Balance shiftsRajshahi and Chittagong went back and forth in the early exchanges during the chase. In a frantic first over, when Mushfiqur Rahim injured a finger, Mohammad Sami weeded out the big-hitting Luke Ronchi, who swiped across a length ball and offered a catch to Mehidy Hasan at the deep square-leg boundary.Anamul and Soumya Sarkar then led a quick turnaround with a 38-run second wicket stand off 28 balls. By the end of the fifth over, Chittagong had raised their fifty and were well on course to chasing the total down.Mustafizur Rahman then found a way past the partnership in the last over of the Powerplay, when he duped Soumya with a slower ball that was skewed to mid-off. Anamul followed Soumya into the dugout two overs later, top-edging a pull to the keeper and giving Onik his maiden BPL wicket.Fielding brilliance brings back Rajshahi Sikandar Raza and van Zyl kept the score ticking, but their partnership of 32 took 30 deliveries and the required rate climbed. The Pakistan legspinner Mir removed Raza, who swung at a full toss and was very well-caught at deep square-leg by the substitute Naeem Islam jnr.Luis Reece fell to his own undoing, attempting an improbable second run and being caught short of his crease. Naeem was back in the mix in the next over, when he reached over his head to catch van Zyl’s pull at the deep midwicket boundary and flicked the ball over to Mir as the momentum carried him over the ropes.Another moment of brilliance on the field, this time from Mehidy, who took a brilliant catch running to his left from long-on, sent back Rayad Emrit in the 17th over. With that, Chittagong had lost four wickets for 24 runs.Rajshahi did not let their intensity drop despite having pulled themselves ahead. They were sharp on the field right until the end, when wicketkeeper Zakir Hasan’s direct hit effected a run out of Taskin and sealed the game. Chittagong lost their last seven wicket wickets in 6.4 overs, for the addition of just 32 runs.

Ben Stokes made just 2 from seven balls, and failed to take a wicket either, as his return to competitive cricket, for Canterbury against Otago, finished in a three-wicket defeat in New Zealand’s 50-over Ford Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-20171:17

WATCH – Stokes fails to make a mark with bat or ball in comeback

Ben Stokes made just 2 from seven balls, and failed to take a wicket either, as his return to competitive cricket, for Canterbury against Otago, finished in a three-wicket defeat in New Zealand’s 50-over Ford Trophy.It was a disappointing outing for Stokes, who appeared understandably rusty in his first match since England’s ODI victory over West Indies at Bristol September 24, the match that preceded his arrest outside a nightclub in the city in the small hours of the following morning.Stokes’ departure for New Zealand last week sent social media into a frenzy, after he was spotted carrying his cricket kit through Heathrow Airport, seemingly headed to link up with England’s Ashes squad.But, once it was established that he had signed with Canterbury to bring his match fitness back up to speed, the circumstances of his return to action proved to be far more low-key.Batting first at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, one of the more sleepy venues that Stokes has ever encountered during his career, he arrived at the crease with his side already in trouble at 5 for 2 in the third over.However, on 2, Stokes attempted to play across the line to Otago’s left-arm spinner Anaru Kitchen, and was bowled leg stump to leave his team in even deeper strife at 8 for 3. Kitchen, 33, whose reputation has been built on his batting, had picked up his 20th wicket in 76 List A games.With the ball, Stokes had two decent lbw shouts and conceded a lucky slash for four over the slips, as his first four-over spell went for 26 runs. However, he later appeared to feel his side after sending down a bouncer, and was subsequently pulled for a decisive six over midwicket, as Canterbury’s late rally was thwarted.Having made a strong start to their pursuit of 222 with an opening stand of 175, Otago’s middle order collapsed, leaving them on 198 for 7 with six overs remaining.That equation had been reduced to 13 off four overs when Stokes returned to the attack for his final two overs, but a hooked six from Otago’s No. 9, Jacob Duffy, effectively settled the issue.Despite his rusty display, Stokes’ wholehearted approach was welcomed by his team-mates.”Ben was brilliant today,’ Canterbury captain Cole McConchie told The Daily Mail. “He was willing to help out right throughout the day, especially in those crunch moments at the end. He offered us a lot.”Ben was chomping at the bit to put in a good performance for Canterbury. Obviously it didn’t come off the way he would have liked, but he showed up with a great attitude and gave his whole heart to it.”

Three-time champions Australia will now face the winner of the second semi-final, to be played between India and Pakistan on Tuesday

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Christchurch29-Jan-2018What was to be a spicy contest against spin turned into a no-contest with Australia steamrolling Afghanistan by six wickets at Hagley Oval to a secure a berth in Saturday’s final in Mount Manganui. They will play the winner of Tuesday’s second semi-final between India and Pakistan.Afghanistan’s decision to bat first backfired, as they were bowled out for 181 with medium pacer Jonathan Merlo picking four wickets. With their only hope of causing a stir in the Australian camp hinging on their mystery spinners, they unleashed Mujeeb Zadran, who on Sunday bagged an IPL contract worth USD 625,000, with the new ball. This move was met with a spectacular counter-attack from opener Jack Edwards, who smashed him for 14 in the eighth over on his way to a 40-ball half-century.Australia lost Jason Sangha, the captain, and Merlo to Qais Ahmed’s legspin, but Edwards’ charge meant Australia were far too ahead to panic. Param Uppal and Nathan McSweeney batted with admirable maturity and composure in the face of Afghanistan’s choke-by-spin tactic to share an unbroken 53-run stand. Uppal, who was the more dominant of the two, showcased his command of the pull shot in his unbeaten 32. The target was run down comfortably in 37.3 overs.While the batsmen delivered box-office stuff, it was their new-ball pair of Zak Evans and Ryan Hadeley who caused early trouble for Afghanistan. Evans, who hit the deck hard, profited from the bounce on offer as he had Ibrahim Zadran top-edge a swirler to Hadley at fine leg to breakthrough early. Rahmatullah Gurbaz, who was reprieved on 6 when Evans put down a chance off his own bowling, built slowly in Ikram Ali Khil’s company.Legspinner Lloyd Pope, who became a star after his heroics against England, was welcomed into the attack in the 16th over by Ikram with a fierce sweep to deep square leg. That was Afghanistan’s first attempt at raising the tempo, but the surge did not last long as Gurbaz became the first of three Afghanistan batsmen to be snuffed out down the leg side.Gurbaz was the most unfortunate, playing a neat tickle down leg to Baxter Holt. Bahir Shah was tangled, looking to pull a short ball that stopped on him and brushed his glove to Holt, while Qais Ahmed got some bat – after completing an attempted pull off a short ball – to the wicketkeeper. In between these dismissals, however, Ikram showed excellent footwork, particularly against Pope to bring up a fighting half-century.Confident and composed at the crease, Ikram was adept at picking Will Sutherland’s slower variations and seemed set to bat through before an attempt to launch with 10 overs remaining led to his eventual downfall. From 146 for 7, the last three batsmen swung their bats, till Evans brought an end to the innings by dismissing Zahir Khan, who was caught by substitute Austin Waugh at mid-off.Afghanistan started poorly with the ball as Darwish Rasooli put down a sitter at cover point to reprieve Edwards in the fourth over. That was the trigger for Edwards to lay into the bowlers, particularly Zadran. Edwards’ fire blended well with captain Sangha’s ice as the two went about milking the runs during the course of a 79-run stand for the second wicket. Sangha, in an attempt to drive on the up, chipped a simple return catch to Ahmed to give Afghanistan a sniff. When Merlo and Edwards fell in the space of 4 runs, Australia were in strife at 129 for 4. Suddenly, the ball was turning, bouncing and beating the batsmen. There were regular appeals for stumpings and runs were hard to come by.Once Ahmed was seen off expertly, though, the rest of the chase turned into a cruise that gave Australia an opportunity to aim for a fourth Under-19 World Cup title.

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.

The batsman sustained an injury on his right arm while diving during a fielding drill on the Bangladesh tour

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2018Sri Lanka batsman Asela Gunaratne’s injury woes continue, having now been ruled out of next month’s T20 tri-series – the Nidahas Trophy – with an injury to his right arm. An SLC release said he sustained a “grade II rotator cuff strain with contusion” while taking part in a fielding drill on their recent tour of Bangladesh. Although Sri Lanka won each of the three trophies that had been up for grabs, the 32-year old did not have the best time personally: he made only 35 ODI runs in four innings.While Gunaratne is the only player to have been ruled out so far, several others are also battling to regain fitness. Most notable among these is captain Angelo Mathews who missed the majority of the Bangladesh tour with another in a long line of hamstring injuries, and is yet to make a full recovery. Also ailing from a hamstring complaint is fast bowler Shehan Madushanka, who sustained the injury during the final match of the Bangladesh tour. Batsman Kusal Perera, meanwhile, had been out with a side strain since mid-January.More clarity on who will be available for selection should emerge after this weekend, when the first round of a domestic T20 tournament is set to be played. “All players are asked to play club T20 games this weekend,” cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha told ESPNcricinfo. “After that we will look at how the injured guys come up.”Injuries – particularly muscle strains – have been rife among Sri Lanka’s national players over the past year. In fact, before he got injured again, Kusal Perera had only recently made a return to international cricket after five months due to a hamstring tear. Gunaratne had also missed several months of cricket, though that was due to a fracture. Mathews meanwhile, has been fit for fewer matches than he has been unavailable for, over the past 18 months.The Nidahas Trophy will be contested by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and will begin on March 6.

Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan picked collective figures of 3 for 46 restrict Rajasthan Royals t0 125 before Shikhar Dhawan slammed a 33-ball half-century to make mockery of a small chase

The Report by Shashank Kishore09-Apr-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:54

Dasgupta: RR need to look at loss as aberration and move on

In a nutshell
The highest successful chase in Hyderabad over the last three seasons has been 147. Without David Warner, their highest run-getter in each of the previous three seasons, it was a brave call from new Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson to field first and his bowlers justified that call in style.Rajasthan Royals huffed and puffed to 125 for 9 and then saw Sunrisers canter home by nine wickets on the same Uppal surface where the ball appeared to be doing all sorts of tricks when they batted. Shikhar Dhawan slammed a half-century, Williamson warmed up with an attractive knock and the home fans returned home a happy lot.In his first game for the new franchise who acquired him for a steal at INR 50 lakhs (US$ 78,000 approx), Australia fast bowler Billy Stanlake used his 6”7 height to generate zip and awkward bounce to bowl four impressive overs that also fetched him the big scalp of Ben Stokes for 5. Then spin twins Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan applied the brakes in the middle overs, finishing with combined figures of 3 for 46 off eight overs to derail Royals. Barring Sanju Samson’s 42-ball 49, there was little of note from the top order.In reply, Sunrisers completely took the surface out of the equation as Dhawan and Williamson’s 121-run second-wicket stand snuffed out any inkling of hope Royals may have had of salvaging the match.Royals’ top-heavy batting strategy backfires
In pushing Rahul Tripathi, who enjoyed phenomenal success as an opener in 2017, to No. 5, they may have erred right at the outset. Tripathi’s attacking instincts and the ability to find boundaries at will in the Powerplay – reflected in his Smart Strike Rate of 201.82 – made him vital to Rising Pune Supergiant’s plans last season. When he walked in to bat on Monday night, Royals were struggling at 63 for 3 in the ninth over.D’Arcy Short, BBL 2017-18’s highest run-scorer, ran himself out in the first over. Samson walked in at No. 3 and began with two pleasing back-to-back boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar – first a punch on the up through cover and then a wristy flick to bisect midwicket and mid-on – but couldn’t quite maintain the tempo after the Powerplay that fetched 48. This, even as Ajinkya Rahane struggled at the other end.The Rashid-Shakib unison
Where sides often decide to open with spin, Williamson held Rashid back for after the first six. His Smart Economy Rate of 4.89 between overs six and 15 was second-best to Sunrisers’ MVP of 2016, Mustafizur Rahman, whose economy rate was pegged at 4.66. Rashid made the ball talk immediately, beating Stokes twice and conceding just one off his first over. This pressure to hit out resulted in Stokes holing out to long-on in the next over.Shakib then did what he usually does – play the holding job to perfection by varying his lengths and pace cleverly. Since 2015, he averages 38 in the middle overs and rarely strikes in this period. On Tuesday, he picked up the wickets of Tripathi and Samson in the space of four deliveries in the 14th over to leave Royals tottering at 95 for 5.This left Jos Buttler needing to repair some late damage to haul them close to 150. It proved to be a task too steep as Buttler would chop on to Rashid’s slider. That Royals eventually got to 125 was down to Shreyas Gopal’s run-a-ball 18 full of dinks and dabs.Their overseas bowling aside, Siddarth Kaul exhibited Sunrisers’ local fast-bowling depth. Preferred over his state team-mate Sandeep Sharma, Kaul impressed to pick 2 for 17 off his four overs to ensure they didn’t leak runs towards the death.Dhawan makes Rahane pay
Dhawan doesn’t figure on top of the Smart Strike Rate list, he goes at 114.57, but he has still managed to remain effective for Sunrisers, because they have had the belligerence of Warner to bank on. On Monday, Wriddhiman Saha was sent up to open, but fell in an attempt to loft over the infield. Dhawan then took over and played Warner’s role to perfection in slamming a 33-ball half-century. This came with some luck, however, as he was put down at first slip on 0 in the very first over. Looking to flay a Dhawal Kulkarni lifter outside off, Dhawan found a thick edge that was put down by Rahane on the second attempt.Dhawan’s first scoring shot five deliveries later also flew over slip. Edgy, he may have been initially but he soon found his rhythm by slamming Kulkarni for a four and an upper cut for six off his next over to set Sunrisers on track. This meant Williamson didn’t need to flex his muscles, and relied on pure timing and hand-eye coordination to pick runs. Their half-century stand was raised off just 27 balls. It really was all too easy from there.