All posts by n8rngtd.top

Gulf Giants appoint Trott as head coach, Bond as bowling coach

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Puttick, Troughton and Lee also added in support staff reshuffle ahead of the ILT20 auction on September 30

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2025Gulf Giants, the ILT20 franchise, have appointed Jonathan Trott as head coach and Shane Bond as bowling coach for the upcoming season. They replace Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson, respectively.Apart from being Afghanistan’s head coach, Trott was also the head coach of Pretoria Capitals in SA20 and was replaced by Sourav Ganguly there. Bond’s recent stints have been with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and with Paarl Royals in SA20.”The Gulf Giants have quickly become one of the ILT20’s most successful teams,” Trott said in a statement. “My goal is to empower players to excel and help shape a championship-winning squad through the first-ever ILT20 auction.”Related

  • Jonathan Trott to step down as Afghanistan head coach after 2026 T20 World Cup

  • Pretoria Capitals name Ganguly head coach, Pollock assistant coach in SA20

The ILT20 auction will be held on September 30 in Dubai for the fourth season which is set to run from December 2, 2025 to January 4, 2026.”The team’s ambition is clear,” Bond said. “I’m excited to sharpen our bowling attack and make a decisive impact this season.”Giants have also added Andrew Puttick as batting coach, Jim Troughton as fielding coach and Nick Lee as fitness coach.Their squad currently includes James Vince, Aayan Khan, Mark Adair, Blessing Muzarabani and Gerhard Erasmus as their retained players. Their new signings are Moeen Ali, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Giants had won the inaugural edition of ILT20 in 2023, were eliminated in Qualifier 2 in 2024, and finished second from bottom earlier this year.

Kohler-Cadmore, Babar power Zalmi to thrilling win against Kings

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Imad-Malik’s epic stand in vain as Kings go down by two runs in big chase

Danyal Rasool14-Feb-2023By the final delivery, Karachi Kings needed nine to win, but you still wouldn’t believe Peshawar Zalmi had triumphed until it was officially over. Not until a heroic Imad Wasim smashed a six over square leg that confirmed his side would finish two runs short despite an unbeaten 80 from their captain could Zalmi really celebrate. For, despite posting 199 and reducing the Karachi Kings to 46 for 4 and seemingly moving out of sight several times, Zalmi kept letting Karachi back in. There were dropped catches, no-balls and free hits, missed run-outs and a slow over rate that deprived Zalmi of a boundary fielder. A 131-run stand between Imad and Shoaib Malik ensured the Kings took it much deeper than expected, but they had left themselves a shade too much to do, and succumbed to an agonising defeat.For three-fourths of the game, it looked to be a hammering rather than a heartbreaker. Zalmi were inserted and began fluidly, but the early dismissal of their young stars Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub set them back. It would set the stage for the game’s other sensational partnership, one between Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Babar Azam. It saw Zalmi amass 139 in 81 balls, with Kohler-Cadmore taking the role of aggressor-in-chief. At no point was this more evident than the final powerplay over, when the English lofted Imad for three successive sixes in a momentum-shifting over that leaked 23.He blitzed along, but Babar was catching up, too. After a slash against Imad – who conceded 42 in his three overs – brought up Babar’s 50, he took the attack to Andrew Tye, plundering 16 off the 15th over before holding out against Imran Tahir.That this game went so deep was partially down to a resilient fightback with the ball from Kings, who dominated the final five overs with the ball. Zalmi could score just 43 in this period, punctuated by regular wickets, and even Kohler-Cadmore lost his touch slightly. Seemingly nailed on for three figures, he ultimately found the square leg fielder against Ben Cutting in the final over, finishing a breathtaking innings with 92 off 50.Wahab Riaz struck with his second ball, removing Sharjeel Khan for a golden duck, and despite sloppiness early on, the wickets continued to tumble. Jimmy Neesham removed Matthew Wade with his first delivery, with Salman Irshad putting paid to Haider Ali’s brief stay off his first. Qasim Akram also fell to Neesham, and when Malik and Imad linked up, they looked like Kings’ best hope.But what a resistance it was. Early on, they only appeared to inject respectability into the scoreline, but when Shakib Al Hasan was carted for 21 in an over, the chase suddenly felt plausible. What followed at the death wasn’t necessarily high quality, with unforced errors in the field largely keeping Kings alive, but what it lacked in class it made up for in drama. The final three overs each saw a no-ball, two dropped catches and a missed run-out. By now, Malik had fallen and Cutting couldn’t quite find his touch right away, leaving it all down to Imad. He would keep going valiantly until the bitter finish, but in a clash that was as much about Babar vs Imad as it was Zalmi vs Kings, it was the Pakistan captain who tasted the sweet elixir of victory.

Olly Stone ruled out of Hundred with hamstring injury

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Seamer remains optimistic about playing a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence

Matt Roller26-Jul-2023Olly Stone has been ruled out of the Hundred with a hamstring injury but remains optimistic about his chances of being fit to play a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence in India in October-November.Stone hoped to feature in England’s Ashes squad this summer but has been limited to a single appearance since May 4 due to a hamstring injury, suffered while playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.He made a comeback in the T20 Blast on June 30, during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, with the intention of playing some part in the fourth or fifth Tests. But he lasted only three balls before walking off the field midway through an over, and has not played since.Stone was signed on a £100,000 contract by London Spirit in March’s draft for the Hundred but has been forced to withdraw from the competition. ESPNcricinfo understands that Dan Worrall, the Australian seamer who qualifies as a local player in English domestic cricket, has been signed as a replacement.Related

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  • Reece Topley on the comeback trail with World Cup call-up in his sights

Stone’s injury is not thought to be as serious as the one that ended up ruling him out of the Ashes, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for England’s white-ball series against New Zealand, which starts on August 30. Instead, he may target the three-match ODI series against Ireland from September 20 for a potential return.He has only played eight ODIs and one T20I, but as an out-and-out fast bowler who can regularly reach speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph, Stone is seen as an important part of England’s white-ball plans – particularly in the context of a gruelling World Cup schedule.Meanwhile, a number of New Zealand players are negotiating short-term replacement deals in the Hundred. New Zealand will tour England for four T20Is and four ODIs in August-September and NZC announced last week that Matt Henry, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi are due to be involved in the Hundred immediately the series starts.Neesham is expected to play for Oval Invincibles as a short-term replacement for Heinrich Klaasen when he is playing for South Africa against Australia, while Sodhi is likely to replace Rashid Khan at Trent Rockets during Afghanistan’s fixtures against Pakistan. Santner is expected to join Southern Brave on a short-term basis.Their deals will be confirmed later this week by the ECB. The involvement of five New Zealand men’s players – Finn Allen, Devon Conway (both Southern Brave), Adam Milne (Birmingham Phoenix), Daryl Mitchell (London Spirit) and Glenn Phillips (Welsh Fire) – has already been announced publicly.

Netherlands braced for their biggest test as they take on India

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Rohit Sharma’s team are clear favourites, although they will know not to underestimate a World Cup opposition

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Oct-20224:01

Kumble: ‘Not fair’ to leave Ashwin or Axar out against Netherlands

Big Picture

Thursday will be the first instance of India and Netherlands contesting in a T20 international. While India will enter as clear favourites, they will also be the first to point out the danger that Scott Edwards’ team poses. Netherlands are the only Associates in the Super 12s. They have worked hard to earn their place and now their players want to enjoy playing alongside the big boys, a long-cherished dream. India, Pakistan and South Africa are in their group, and the Dutch want to ensure they push themselves to create an upset.Exposure – that has been the catchphrase Associate coaches and players have holding up outside the gates of the ICC and bigger countries. Playing better teams will make them better has been the punch line. And Netherlands have proved that this season: in 2022 they have played ODI series against England, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Afghanistan along with the twin T20Is against New Zealand as well as the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe before arriving in Australia.Related

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Equipped with that experience, Netherlands believed they could beat Bangladesh in their first Super 12 match on Monday and nearly achieved that aim, if not for a couple of unnecessary run-outs, the reason behind the eventual nine-run defeat. Netherlands know India are on a whole other level and on an almighty high after a dramatic win against Pakistan. While their bowlers have executed the plans every match, Netherlands’ batting has been a virtual one-man show named Max O’Dowd. He needs support from Vikramjit Singh, Colin Ackermann, Tom Cooper and Edwards.The Netherlands captain could tell his players, ‘we have nothing to lose so let’s just enjoy’. Such an attitude, Paul van Meerkeren, Netherlands’ strike bowler, said, has the potential to help players raise the performance bar. And given their history of shocking big teams at T20 World Cups – England in 2009 and 2014 – India will want to be on high alert.Bas de Leede has been turning a lot of heads at the T20 World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

India WLWWW
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Netherlands LLWWL

In the spotlight

As a captain Rohit Sharma has been loud, clear and fearless. He is one of the best tacticians in the game and is more than capable of thinking on the fly too. But Rohit the batter has been flying low recently: in his last five T20Is, Rohit has scored just 64 runs including two ducks at a strike rate of 103. This dip in form is in contrast to the stroke-filled 46 he hit against Australia in the rain-shortened match in Nagpur which earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. His last fifty came in a losing cause, seven matches ago, against Sri Lanka, in the Asia Cup. Rohit knows he needs to dictate with the bat and show consistency.Multiple World Cup-winner Ricky Ponting likes to keep an eye on young talent and he thinks Netherlands allrounder Bas de Leede has something special about him. Ponting feels de Leede has the tools to grow bigger, and his local BBL team Hobart Hurricanes could be thinking about having him on their roster. Other T20 franchise scouts have also tracked de Leede, who was recently picked up by MI Emirates for the inaugural season of the International League T20, starting in the UAE from January 2023. De Leede, who is 22, was also Player of the Match in Netherlands’ two victories in the first round of this World Cup and their second-highest run-maker in the World Cup Qualifiers that preceded it.

Team news

With just one left-hander in the Netherlands’ top eight, India could be tempted to bring in Yuzvendra Chahal, but their bowling coach Paras Mhambrey pointed out on Wednesday that they prefer the balance R Ashwin brings to their batting and may continue playing with him.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 R Ashwin/ Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Arshdeep SinghIndia are coming off a massing emotional high from their last game•ICC via Getty Images

Netherlands, too, are unlikely to tinker but remain concerned by the injury to Roelof van der Merwe. Edwards said a final call on would be taken based on how the left-arm spinner holds up after the training on Wednesday.Netherlands (possible): 1 Max O’Dowd, 2 Vikramjit Singh. 3 Bas de Leede, 4 Colin Ackermann, 5 Tom Cooper, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Tim Pringle, 8 Timm van der Gugten, 9 Fred Klaassen 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Shariz Ahmed/Roelof van der Merwe

Pitch and conditions

New Zealand blasted 200 in the tournament opener at the SCG on Saturday. So it is fair to expect runs to flow once again. There was some threat of rain, but it looks pretty clear on match eve.

Stats and trivia

  • Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is the only batter to have scored 1000-plus runs in T20 World Cups. Jayawardene scored 1016 runs in 31 innings across five World Cups. But that record is set to be surpassed by Kohli, who is 73 runs adrift of the 1000-run mark.
  • Kohli, who is playing his fifth T20 World Cup, is currently the third-highest run-maker, but has the highest average 84.3 (min. seven innings played) alongside 11 half-centuries (a tournament record). Oh, and the SCG is his favourite venue when it comes to T20Is as no batter has scored more than his 236 runs which have been cracked at an average of nearly 79 and a strike rate of 146.
  • Van Meekeren needs one more wicket to go past Pieter Seelaar to become Netherlands’ leading T20 wicket-taker. Currently, van Meekeren has 58 wickets in 52 innings with an average of 21.5 and economy rate of 6.9

Quotes

“The discussion we always had was every game in a tournament like this is important. Yes, the first game [was against Pakistan and] we knew the hype around it. We knew it’s always going to be a high intensity and big clash, but having such games done and dusted in the first phase itself, it’s good. Had this game been maybe the third or fourth game, it would really sometimes take that effect on the following games, but having this game out of our group, it’s good.”
“Yeah, it’s huge. You always dream of playing World Cups, and the SCG is one of the most famous grounds in the world. And then add in you’re playing against arguably one of the best teams in the world, yes, it’s pretty surreal. The boys are looking forward to it.”
on how keen his team is to face India.

Kohli: 'The desperation to get that three-figure mark can grow on you'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Virat Kohli opens up about going three years without a Test century, and how he prepares to bat in a variety of conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2023
Rahul Dravid: I have seen this young man [Kohli] score plenty of hundreds, seen him as a player when I was playing, seen a lot of hundreds of his on television, but I have taken over as coach about 15-16 months ago and was a bit desperate to actually to see him score a Test hundred and really enjoy it from the comfort of the dressing room … And it was a beauty. You made me wait a long time, but it was an absolute privilege and a pleasure to watch that innings and the way you constructed it. So really well played.Related

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Dravid: We were in the field for two days and the wicket got a little bit more challenging as the day went on. They tested your patience, they challenged you skill-wise, and mentally as well. What is the mindset? How did you go about doing that?
Virat Kohli: Thanks for your kind words, Rahul . As far as approaching this innings was concerned, I knew that I was playing well even in the Test matches before we played this one (Ahmedabad). To be fair it was a really good wicked to bat on, but having said that, the Australians, whatever little help was there in the wicket, they utilised it really well. Their consistency to bowl in the little rough that was created through Mitchell Starc bowling for Nathan Lyon and the other off spinner (Todd Murphy) as well. They capitalised on it really well: the fact that they put a 7-2 field most of the time for me meant that I had to be patient. I had to trust my defence. And that’s the template I’ve always played with in Test cricket: my defence is my strongest point. Because when I defend well then I know that when the ball is loose and it’s there to hit, I can cash in and get the runs that I need. The boundaries were not easy to come by, the outfield was slow, the ball was soft, and they were pretty consistent.The one thing that really calmed me down was: I’m happy to just run ones and twos and score a hundred. I can bat four sessions. I can bat five sessions here. I go into the field relaxed because I know I can bat in many ways. I’m not desperate if I play three sessions and I feel like I’m breaking down here and I need to get fast runs, otherwise I won’t be able to stay out there for long.So for people who must have seen it, or, we have watched you guys back so many times in the past as well, the one thing that stood out was, batting fitness, which was to be able to bat five sessions, six sessions. For that you need to physically prepare yourself. I’m pretty happy scoring 30 runs in a session and not hit a boundary and absolutely not be desperate because I know that boundaries will come, but even if I have to play like this, I can bat six sessions and get 150. I have no issues doing that. So the preparation paid off. It’s not something that you can do for two months or three months. I’ve been doing it for seven, eight years non-stop every day of my life. So when I’m in these situations that naturally comes to the surface and it really helps me in challenging conditions.Virat Kohli: “The fact that they put a 7-2 field most of the time for me meant that I had to be patient. I had to trust my defence”•Getty Images

Dravid: Sometimes as a coach, there’s frustration (hearing a player say) – “oh, this is the only way I know how to play … You mentioned a line there that ‘I feel confident when I go in because I know I can bat in different ways.’ Maybe just elaborate on that a little bit and talk to us on some of the preparation of playing on a turner. You have got a hundred in Perth, you have got a hundred in English conditions. Can you always play the same way all the time?
Kohli: No, I don’t think you can play in the same way all the time. You need to adjust according to the conditions that are in front of you. This is one of the main reasons why I have been able to play all formats of the game for so long. The adaptability comes from knowing that physically I can do things in many different ways. Mentally, I can prepare to play a certain way or play in another way, but if my body won’t support it, then I’ll be found out. An example would be, even in this Test match, I would back myself to run six doubles an over for a span of six, seven overs if the scoring rate needs to be upped; it’s not necessarily that I look to clear deep midwicket, and that is my only option because that brings in the risk as well.So that’s why I have been able to bat in different situations and bat differently in different conditions because I was able to take ones and twos and I could do the power-hitting as well. For that you need to have all-round fitness, and that is something that you need to work on every day. You might have a great phase where you feel great, but then if the conditions are challenging and the run-scoring is not ideal, I wouldn’t want to play a bad shot and get out when the team needs me. So I always felt like, how can I prepare better. How can I find more ways to help my team win the game, but in a way that the situation demands me to, not in a way that I prefer to do it this way.Dravid: That’s exactly, for me, the essence of what a team player is: playing to the situation of the team and developing the skills, knowing that the team will be put in different situations and challenging yourself. I mean, we are talking to someone who’s one of the best six-hitters, he could’ve stepped out and hit a six anytime he wanted, but realised what the team needed and played according to that situation. That’s really for me is a sign of an absolute champion cricketer.Virat Kohli: “I’m just happy that it happened at the right time before the World Test Championship finals. I’ll definitely be going there very relaxed and a very excited man”•BCCI

You are someone who takes a lot of pride in your performances, who’s had that habit of scoring hundreds so regularly. I know that a lot of this period there has been Covid, there’s not been a lot of Test matches, but has it been hard? Has it been tough not scoring a hundred … ?
Kohli: I have let the complications grow on me a little bit because of my own shortcomings. The desperation to get that three-figure mark is something that can grow on you as a batsman and we have all experienced that at some stage or the other. I let that happen to me to a certain extent, but also the flip side to it is – I’m not a guy who’s happy with 40 and 45. I have always been someone who takes a lot of pride in performing for the team. It’s not like Virat Kohli should stand out. When I’m batting on 40, I know I can get a 150 here and that will help my team. So that was eating me up a lot – why am I not able to get that big score for the team? Because I always took pride in the fact that when the team needed me, I would step up and perform in different conditions in difficult situations. The fact that I wasn’t able to do that was bothering me.Not so much the milestones as such, because I never played for milestones. A lot of people ask me this question, how do you keep scoring hundreds? And I have always told them, a hundred is something that happens along the way within my goal, which is to bat as long as possible for the team and get as many runs as possible for the team. But, yeah, if I have to be brutally honest, it does become a little complicated and difficult because the moment you step out of the hotel room, right from the guy outside the room to the guy at the lift, to bus driver, whoever is saying: we want a hundred.So it does play on your mind all the time, but that’s the beauty of playing for so long as well – to have these complications come up and to overcome these small little challenges. And then when it comes together nicely, like it did in this game, then that gives you an extra gust of air to go beyond, go further and start enjoying the cricket a lot more and be more excited for what’s to come. I’m just happy that it happened at the right time before the World Test Championship finals. I’ll definitely be going there very relaxed and a very excited man.Dravid: Thanks Virat, thanks for your honesty. That’s really a great lesson for a lot of young kids as well to know that even great, champion players at times can feel a certain amount of pressure. The pressure of expectations is because of your own performance.

Harris leads solid reply after Short takes Western Australia to big total

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Victoria’s openers added 104 on a surface that is proving tough work for bowlers

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2022Victoria openers Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski have shared a century stand in a robust reply to a D’Arcy Short propelled Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield.The pair put on 104 for the first wicket before Pucovski, who struck four boundaries and a six from 117 balls, was caught behind when fending a short leg-side ball just before stumps. He had earlier looked to be trapped in front during Jhye Richardson’s second over but the umpire’s finger stayed down.Harris’ mini-milestone continues his solid early Shield form – he scored 85 and 42 in a draw against South Australia last week.The left-hander hit 11 fours and dominated his union with Pucovski, who was continuing his first-class comeback after ongoing concussion issues.Earlier, Western Australia’s batting tail wagged as Short whacked a career-best 87 and Hilton Cartwright made 70.WA resumed on Tuesday at 5 for 290 and Cartwright soon posted his 19th first-class half-century. He found support from Corey Rocchiccioli, who struck three fours and a six in his 27, and the pair put on a handy 56-run stand for the sixth wicket.Short, batting at No. 8, cashed in with a late flurry – his career-high knock included seven fours and three sixes as WA set an imposing total.Spinner Todd Murphy (3-104) led the wicket-takers for Victoria with Mitchell Perry taking 2 for 59 and legspinning debutant Ruwantha Kellapotha claiming 2 for 122.

Ugarkar holds his nerve to give MI New York second MLC title in last-over finish

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Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips gave it their best shot, but the Washington Freedom batting didn’t have enough firepower to overhaul MI New York’s 180

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2025It went down to the last over: 12 to get from six balls for either MI New York or Washington Freedom to win their second MLC title. Rushil Ugarkar, a 22-year-old USA medium pacer who has never played international cricket, had the ball. Across him, Glenn Maxwell, to start with, and Glenn Phillips. Two white-ball superstars. But all Ugarkar conceded was six. And he sent back Maxwell with a slower offcutter, allowed Phillips strike for just one ball, and won MINY the title when everything was stacked against him.Till that over started, the momentum was very much with Freedom and it was chiefly down to Phillips. At the end of the 17th over, in which Trent Boult had conceded just seven runs to Phillips and Maxwell, and Phillips was 25 from 27, the asking rate was upwards of 13 an over. But Phillips targeted Tristan Luus and Boult in back-to-back overs. He took Luus for two sixes in the 17-run 18th over, and Boult for one more in the next, which went for 12, making it a potentially gripping last over. But he got to face just one ball from Ugarkar, who bowled a set of six cutters to spark the celebrations in the MINY camp.The result completed a remarkable turnaround for MINY, who qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-placed team on the league table, with three wins from ten games, and have since beaten San Francisco Unicorns (Eliminator), Texas Super Kings (Qualifier 2) and now Freedom in the final.The chase started with Boult picking up two wickets in the first over of the innings to dent Freedom. However, to be fair, despite opener Rachin Ravindra scoring 70 from 41 balls after early jitters and Jack Edwards chipping in with 33 from 22, the Freedom innings didn’t seem to find the next gear they needed till Phillips got going. Maxwell, not for the first time this tournament – he largely struggled apart from when he scored 106* in a win over Texas Super Kings back on June 17 – couldn’t get the scoreboard moving at the rate required. And three MINY bowlers, including Ugarkar, went at eight an over or fewer, with Tajinder Singh’s three overs costing just 18 runs.

Ravindra, another player who had a lean run in MLC 2025 – he had crossed 18 just once before this game, when he scored 32 against Seattle Orcas – did raise his game for the big occasion, standing firm even as wickets fell around him at the start, and hitting two sixes and eight fours in his 170.73-strike-rate knock. The partnership with Edwards was worth 84 in 45 balls, and gave Freedom a platform to launch from. But the next partnership, with Phillips, was of 46 runs, and took 42 balls. Perhaps where the game was lost.In the first half, after Freedom captain Maxwell opted to field, MINY had the best possible start, with Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel – who finished as the top run-getter in the tournament – adding 72 runs in just 44 balls.De Kock was the aggressor in that stand, as he was in the third-wicket stand of 56 off 35 balls with Nicholas Pooran, where he scored 32 in 18 balls to Pooran’s 17-ball 21.De Kock’s innings ended on 77 from 46 balls, and though there wasn’t much after he fell in the 17th over – one of Lockie Ferguson’s three wickets – apart from Kunwarjeet Singh’s unbeaten 22 from 13 balls, MINY were better placed heading into the break. And they stayed there despite the best efforts from Ravindra and Phillips, and they have Ugarkar to thank for it.

Ben Stokes requests 'fast, flat wickets' for the Ashes

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England captain encouraged by improvement in left knee as he looks to reprise fourth-seamer role this summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Apr-2023Ben Stokes has requested “fast, flat” wickets for the Ashes this summer and revealed he has an XI in mind for the first Test at Edgbaston on June 16.Since taking over as Test captain at the start of last summer, Stokes’ team, under the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum, has adopted a quicker scoring rate that has propelled England to 10 wins out of 12. In that period, their 4.76 runs per over is the highest of the 11 nations to have played Test cricket. The approach and success has created optimism of reclaiming the urn off Australia for the first time since 2015.Speaking to Sky Sports while out in the IPL, Stokes said he has spoken to curators at the five venues and asked for pitches conducive to England’s style of play, even though he accepts this may play into Australia’s hands, given they possess a quicker bowling attack.”We’ve been very clear, especially with the ground staff around England, about what type of wickets we want,” Stokes said. “And they’ve been very responsive to us which has been good.”We want fast, flat wickets. We want to go out there and score quickly. It brings their [Australia’s] guys in: if they’ve got fast wickets to bowl on then they’ll be happy with that as well.”Stokes also reiterated his desire to have up to eight bowlers to choose from ahead of every match, emphasising his 90mph-plus options in Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Olly Stone.Wood is currently leading wicket-taker at the IPL with nine dismissals for Lucknow Super Giants, while Stone bowled 30 overs for Nottinghamshire in the opening round of the County Championship. Archer, however, seems to have suffered a setback in the last week.Ben Stokes was able to bowl “pain-free” for CSK as left knee improves•BCCI

The 28-year-old has missed two matches for Mumbai Indians after discomfort in his right elbow – the same elbow which kept him out for 18 months with a stress fracture. Mumbai are optimistic he will return for Sunday’s fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders.Stokes expects Archer to play some red-ball cricket before making a return to the squad after a two-year absence. That Wood and Stone are fit and firing does allow Archer breathing room, particularly given his lack of multi-day cricket since 2021. With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson preparing for their opening round of County Championship cricket this week, England are well-stocked for the time being. The England captain has asked the ECB medical personnel to ensure that remains the case come June and across a schedule of five Ashes Tests in six weeks.”I think I know what the starting XI is going to be, there or thereabouts,” Stokes said. “I think having the option to have someone who can bowl above 90mph is what any captain wants. When it comes to that first Test match, I’ll be making sure that I pick the best team for that first game.”With our bowling group, I’ve asked the medical team to give us the best opportunity to have eight bowlers to select from for every game. I think this year’s Ashes in particular, the games are quite close together. Being able to have those resources available every game is something I’m really keen to have.”I could pick a 20-man squad (right now) because that’s how fortunate we are at the moment to be able to pick from this group of English players who are so good at the moment.”Related

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On his own fitness, Stokes believes there has been considerable improvement in his troublesome left knee, buoyed by a “pain-free” over for Chennai Super Kings against Lucknow Super Giants eight days ago. Though the over went for 18, and he missed Saturday’s victory over Mumbai Indians, albeit due to an issue with his foot, the allrounder is encouraged by the progress made so far. He has already come a long way since February’s tour of New Zealand when Stokes was only able to bowl nine overs across the two-match series.”I’ve worked so hard over the last month, five weeks, to get where I am now,” he said. “Being able to bowl pain-free – touch wood – has been good. Even (though that over), I went for 18 runs, but I was like ‘oh I managed to bowl an over without pain in my knee’. That’s down to a lot of hard work I’ve done – medically, in the gym and obviously had a bit of help with some cortisone injections (before travelling to India).”By no means a long-term remedy, Stokes has not ruled out further injections during the summer in a bid to fulfill his role as the fourth seamer.”The main priority for me is making sure that I can fulfil my role as fourth seamer in the Ashes.”I’ve had some good conversations with the people who are employed to look after us, body-wise. I said I’ll be doing everything I can whilst I’m in India to make sure that when we get to the Ashes, I’ll give myself the best opportunity to do my role.”I’ll do whatever I can to get myself through but, medical team, if there’s anything you guys can do to help to get me through that, then please do.”

Narine, Raghuvanshi and Arora power demolition of Capitals

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

KKR handed Capitals a thrashing to make it three wins in three and go to the top of the table with a massive net run rate boost

Sidharth Monga03-Apr-20242:21

Moody: ‘Raghuvanshi’s hands, bat path similar to Gill’

Last Wednesday at the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad set the record for the highest IPL score: 277. What should have been a once-in-a-decade effort was very nearly taken down by a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders batting unit tonight in Visakhapatnam. Sunil Narine plundered his personal best in T20s – 85 off 39 – almost home-grown Angkrish Raghuvanshi matched him with 54 off 27, and Andre Russell added the finishing touches with 41 off 19.A searing yorker from Ishant Sharma to get Russell in the last over prevented the record being broken, but the 272 KKR put up was more than enough to register a comfortable win – by 106 runs – and join Rajasthan Royals with three wins from three matches at the top of the table. In taking four wickets in the powerplay, two each for Vaibhav Arora and Mitchell Starc, KKR ticked another box in a season in which they have presented themselves as serious title contenders.

Pant fined for slow over-rate again

Rishabh Pant, the Capitals captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate against KKR in their 106-run loss in Visakhapatnam. As it was Capitals’ second offence of the season – in just four matches – Pant was fined INR 24 lakh, while the rest of the members of the playing XII, were each fined either INR 6 lakh or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lower.

Narine, Raghuvanshi hammer Capitals

Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma set Capitals’ win in the previous match in Vizag with swing early on. Here, though, probably because of Narine’s presence, both of them started slightly short of a length. The one ball that Khaleel pitched up swung to beat Narine.It seems ridiculous now but Narine took six balls to get off the mark. Capitals had managed to keep Narine quiet, but had they missed the small window of swing to try to get him out? Another chance would arrive soon to a short-of-a-length delivery, but neither Ishant Sharma nor Rishabh Pant heard the edge. No appeal, no review.Narine and Phil Salt had got down to work by then, but Capitals could still have got Narine for 24 off 13 had they listened to Mitchell Marsh and reviewed. Then again, reviews were not the only thing they were getting wrong. They kept offering Narine room, when they went short they didn’t get it high enough, and the ball had stopped swinging by now.Sunil Narine smacked seven fours and as many sixes in his 39-ball innings•AFP/Getty Images

Anrich Nortje got rid of Salt in the fifth over, but Raghuvanshi, trained from the age of 11 by KKR’s own Abhishek Nayar, walked out and laced fours off the first two balls he faced. Mukesh Kumar is not express, but his injury has left DC with even less of a pace threat. Narine jumped on Rasikh Salam’s medium-pace in the last over of the powerplay, hitting him for three fours and a six to bring up his half-century in just 21 balls. Their 88 for 1 in the powerplay was the highest by any team so far at IPL 2024.The end of the powerplay brought DC relief only for one over, bowled by Sumit Kumar, but Narine ended any threats of variations in the attack by hitting two sixes off Axar Patel, who wouldn’t bowl again. Raghuvanshi matched him with a reverse-pull over short third for a six. Their 135 for 1 was the third-highest 10-over score in the IPL – all three have come this season.

Wickets fail to slow KKR down

Eventually it was the short ball from Marsh that got the better of Narine, but it wasn’t just one short ball. He kept bowling short and wide outside off with changes of pace. Narine still ended with a boundary every two-and-a-half balls, and the wicket came too late anyway. The 13th over was the right point of entry for Russell, and he punished the samey attack. Capitals didn’t go back to spin despite right-hand batters at the wicket, and Nortje was the only one who presented the batters with an inbuilt challenge.Andre Russell and Rinku Singh smashed 32 runs off 11 balls for the fifth wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Russell was too good for the rest, and when Nortje started the 19th over with one fewer fielder on the fence because of a poor over-rate, Rinku Singh got stuck into him, taking 25 off the over.Ishant then produced a beauty that drew an applause from Russell himself and prevented Capitals from ending up on the wrong side of the record.

Arora announces himself

One of the two tall domestic fast bowlers in the KKR stable, Arora came on as the Impact Player and found inswing immediately. It wasn’t just swing, though. He mixed it up with accurate bouncers. Prithvi Shaw fell to the inswinger before Abhishek Porel top-edged a bouncer.Vaibhav Arora took 3 for 27 in KKR’s clinical win•BCCI

At the other end, Starc took care of his Australia team-mates, Marsh caught trying to square-drive and Warner playing on immediately after slogging him for a six. These were his first wickets this IPL after his eight overs in the first two matches had gone for 100 runs.At 33 for 4 in the fifth over, even batting for net run rate would need heavy hitting and risks. For a while Pant and Tristan Stubbs managed to score quickly. Pant was especially pleasing as he continues his return from a life-threatening accident, but their fifties were never going to be enough to deny KKR a third consecutive win – the first time they have started a season with three wins in three in their history.

Haseeb Hameed breaks hundred drought against his boyhood Lancashire

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Skipper leads from the front as George Balderson made inroads after Lancashire post 331

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2024Haseeb Hameed posted his first Vitality County Championship hundred since September 2022 and his first since being made captain but his Nottinghamshire side still have work to do to match Lancashire’s first innings total in their Division One match at Trent Bridge, where they trail by 52 runs on 279 for 7.Hameed, who still harbours ambitions of playing Test cricket despite being tried and discarded twice by England, finished day two unbeaten on 137 after hitting 16 fours, although he was dropped on 104 off left-arm spinner Tom Hartley.Hartley went wicketless in 18 overs in his last county match before joining the England squad as they prepare for the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan and the T20 World Cup as all-rounder George Balderson took the bowling honours for his side. Balderson, who shared a key partnership with Keaton Jennings in Lancashire’s first innings, has 4 for 72 from 22 overs.Lancashire could reflect on a satisfactory morning’s work after Nottinghamshire’s strong finish to day one. Forcing the home side to concede another 25 runs for their last two wickets, most of them courtesy of Tom Bailey’s bat. The 33-year-old seam bowler hit five boundaries in his 42-ball unbeaten 31.Olly Stone, whose performance with the ball on day one deserved more than his one wicket, dismissed Will Williams, caught at second slip, and Saqib Mahmood, who chipped to extra cover, to finish with three for 56 from 23.2 overs.Seeking to overhaul Lancashire’s 331, Nottinghamshire started on the front foot but Ben Slater’s second-over boundary turned out to be his only scoring shot as Mahmood, bowling for the first time in a senior match for 12 months following a stress fracture, claimed his first comeback wicket via an edge to third slip.Hameed and Will Young looked as though they could put that setback behind them, weathering what remained of Mahmood and Tom Bailey’s new-ball offensive, but when Williams replaced Bailey at the Stuart Broad End, Young was dropped at second slip on 17 and then bowled for 27, shouldering arms to a ball that hit his middle stump, having come back sharply off the pitch.A sequence of beautiful shots by Hameed greeted the afternoon, and when Joe Clarke followed a deft steer to the third-man boundary off Bailey with a handsome drive through the covers to greet the return of Mahmood, it appeared the Lancashire bowlers might be in for a tough session.But again a potentially damaging partnership fizzled out as Balderson came back into the attack, his away movement finding a thin edge to have Clarke caught behind before Tom Moores, recalled after a couple of hundreds in the Second XI, rather gave his wicket away with a rash swing outside off stump that saw him caught behind too in Balderson’s next over.Jack Haynes proved to be a more patient accomplice, content with diligent accumulation as his captain cashed in on his form to dominate the bowling, most productively through the on side. Having reached his half-century from 99 balls, Hameed went past 100 in just 63 more, bringing up the milestone with his 15th boundary, tucked away backward of square off Balderson.After going a full season without reaching three figures last year, in which his numbers were generally disappointing after an excellent 2022, there was relief in his celebration on account of that, but also in quelling any fears that the challenge of stepping into Steven Mullaney’s shoes as captain might detract from his batting.It is his first hundred against his former county and his first against First Division bowling since 2016, when he was a 19-year-old prodigy hailed as the ‘new Boycott’ and made hundreds in both innings in the Roses match at Old Trafford.He was promptly put down on 104, a difficult chance coming hard to slip Luke Wells off Hartley, but though Hameed survived Nottinghamshire suffered another setback in the last over before tea, Haynes, on 35, becoming the second batter on the day to be out not playing a stroke as Balderson brought one back to claim his third success.With Hartley and seamer Williams matching each other for economy, Hameed and new batter Lyndon James had to graft for runs after tea, the first 50 runs of their partnership needing 145 deliveries.The sixth-wicket pair reduced the deficit to 83 runs but the second new ball, with which the Nottinghamshire bowlers had enjoyed success on the first day, brought a rapid dividend. James, driving expansively, was caught at first slip as Balderson picked up his fourth scalp, before Calvin Harrison’s bright 21 ended with an edge to second slip off Bailey.

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