Category Uncategorized

Former Middlesex COO takes on full-time role with players’ organisation

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2020Rob Lynch, the interim chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has been appointed to the role on a permanent basis, following the abrupt departure of his predecessor, Tony Irish, earlier in the year.Lynch, 38, has previously served as chief operating officer at Middlesex, and represented New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup in 2000 during a brief playing career with Auckland, before retiring to become a coach, administrator and a registered agent.”It is a great honour to have been chosen as the next Chief Executive of the PCA,” said Lynch. “Cricket may face significant challenges ahead with the Covid-19 crisis but this provides us with a wonderful opportunity to take a creative approach with key stakeholders, re-purposing the organisation and ensuring the health of our sport and members.”I inherit a very strong team and I would like to pay tribute to their consistent commitment since I joined. I would also like to thank the PCA Board, player reps and staff for their continued support as we drive the organisation forward together.”Daryl Mitchell, the PCA chairman, added: “It is great credit to Rob that he has made such a compelling case for his appointment as our CEO. In the most trying circumstances one could imagine, Rob has shown great leadership and provided much needed stability within the organisation.”His energetic, innovative approach and the respect he has built up with our members and key stakeholders make him the ideal candidate to steer the PCA through the uncertain times ahead.”Non-executive chairman of the PCA, Julian Metherell added: “Rob has provided outstanding leadership to all aspects of the PCA’s work over the last six months in his role as interim CEO. He brings an in-depth knowledge of the game and strong commercial skills to the role. The PCA Board looks forward to working with him.”

Bailey has retorted to questions about bias by saying “I’m not going to pick myself”

Daniel Brettig25-Nov-2019Former Australia ODI captain and current Tasmania batsman George Bailey is set to become the third member of the national selection panel alongside chairman Trevor Hohns and head coach Justin Langer, adding the contemporary voice that Cricket Australia has been searching for in their deliberations for the national team.Bailey, who is widely respected in Australian cricket circles, will be a departure from tradition by taking on a selection role while still a player, though numerous cricketers have been selectors either as captain or in the summers immediately after retirement, including Hohns, Peter Taylor and Greg Chappell. It was Chappell’s retirement from his role as selector following the Ashes series this year that opened up the place taken by Bailey.CA had previously flirted with the concept of having a current player as a selector when Hohns floated Darren Lehmann as a candidate prior to his retirement, before the concept was thwarted at board level. Usman Khawaja, the Queensland captain, spoke favourably of the prospect of choosing a current player as a selector when asked about it on Monday.”I think there is always an option there. I think there is no one more involved and more relevant in the game than people who are actually playing the game,” Khawaja said. “I think players are one of the biggest stakeholders, sometimes the most under-utilised and undervalued stakeholders in the game. I think it’s always important to have someone in the skin of the game.”Communication between selectors and players has improved over the years, but it is believed that the players have suggested it can get better still, something that Bailey will be keenly aware of. Equally he will bring along the perspective of a cricketer who has played more or less his entire career in the Twenty20 era, leading Australia to the global tournament in Sri Lanka in 2012 when they reached the semi-finals.Other candidates to make the final three included the former Victoria and South Australia batsman Michael Klinger and also Greg Shipperd, presently the coach of the Sydney Sixers. Langer had also spoken positively of wanting to find a role in Australian cricket for Trevor Bayliss after the conclusion of his time as England coach this year.”Really pleased with the people who put their hat in the ring for that role,” CA’s head of national teams Ben Oliver said on Monday. “There will be some people who are really disappointed no doubt [at missing out on the role] but they should all take great encouragement and they all have a lot to offer. Really looking forward to getting to the end of that process. Not quite there yet, but we’re not far away.”The panel, and all three, will be responsible for all Australian men’s teams. What we’ve tried to achieve in this recruitment process is adding in some complementary skills to support Trevor and Justin, and one of those is a consideration around short-format cricket.”Oliver explained that the national pathways manager Graham Manou, who had previously worked closely with Chappell in his role as national talent manager, would have a major linking role to keep the selectors abreast of developments in junior and pathway competitions, though like the national captains Tim Paine and Aaron Finch he will not be formally added to the panel.”It’s important for our selection panel to be across the talent that’s emerging through domestic cricket,” Oliver said. “Graham Manou as the national talent and pathway manager has a key role to play in connecting the domestic system but certainly we’re looking for this particular role that we’re recruiting for now, to have a close connection to Graham and to our domestic teams and our domestic coaches.”Sticking with three and Graham’s an important conduit between the panel and domestic cricket. He’s been helping throughout this period as well. At the moment sticking with three [selectors].”Bailey has retorted to questions about bias by saying “I’m not going to pick myself”, while Paine revealed during the Gabba Test against Pakistan that he was firmly in favour of the appointment. “In last week’s Shield game he was batting at five, I was batting at seven, so we were both sitting in the change rooms and set up a mock interview,” Paine told ABC radio. “He’s ready to go, so hopefully he gets the nod, I think he’d be ideal.”

A conflict of interest has been removed and a former Rio Tinto executive hired in a major restructure of Cricket Australia’s management this week, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Daniel Brettig03-Feb-2017A conflict of interest has been removed and a former Rio Tinto executive hired in a major restructure of Cricket Australia’s management this week, ESPNcricinfo has learned.Following a raft of departures from the game’s Jolimont headquarters in recent times, the chief executive James Sutherland has informed staff of a new senior management model that constitutes the biggest changes to cricket’s day-to-day operations down under in five years.Chief among the changes is the creation of a new public affairs department overseeing communications, government relations and infrastructure, to be led by the former Rio Tinto executive Mark O’Neill, who had also served as an advisor to the former Prime Minister Paul Keating. O’Neill previously worked alongside the current CA chairman David Peever when he was Rio Tinto’s managing director in Australia.Ben Amarfio, formerly the head of communications, digital and marketing, has been moved to head the commercial wing of the game, a role left vacant by the departure of Mike McKenna to oversee Perth’s new stadium. Amarfio will still oversee CA’s digital arm and broadcast rights but will no longer be in charge of communications, a combination that had proven problematic as a conflict between growing CA’s website and working openly and effectively with other media.

Cricket Australia executive management team

• Game and market development- Andrew Ingleton

• Team performance – Pat Howard

• Events and leagues – Anthony Everard (acting)

• Broadcast, digital and commercial – Ben Amarfio

• Public affairs – Mark O’Neill

• Strategy and people – Kevin Roberts

• Chief financial officer – Todd Shand

• General counsel and company secretary – Christine Harman

Operations, meanwhile, will for now be the responsibility of Anthony Everard, who has been a vigorous and visible presence for CA as the head of the burgeoning Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League. In his email to staff, Sutherland said this area had been renamed from operations to events and leagues, with a replacement for the had of events and operations Chris Loftus-Hills (who joined McKenna in Perth) to be advertised shortly.The longtime head of finance, Kate Banozic, was another departure from CA late last year. Sutherland faced questions about the behaviour of some of his executives over summer, including allegations that Amarfio had been acting as an agent for the former Nine commentator James Brayshaw in talks for new roles with broadcasters.At the time, Sutherland stated that the matter would be dealt with internally. “Look I don’t think it’s right that one of our staff was acting as an agent, but let’s just say they’re things we’ll deal with behind closed doors at Cricket Australia,” Sutherland said in December. “I don’t think this is the place to be talking about that any further.”There were also reports that one senior executive had raised the ire of other staff by having his female personal assistant cook him hot breakfasts and lunches at Jolimont, an arrangement that flew in the face of CA’s efforts to promote inclusiveness and advance the cause of women as players and spectators.At a recent meeting of board directors, the Cricket New South Wales chairman John Warn and chief executive Andrew Jones made a presentation where the pair described how they had changed the culture and output of the state association following a dramatic power struggle at board level four years ago.CA’s senior management structure was last overhauled in early 2012, when the system of executive general managers replaced the previous senior management team. Those changes pre-dated the board’s move from state-appointed delegates to an independent board of directors later in 2012. Peever was among the first independent directors announced at that year’s AGM – the appointment of one of his former colleagues to CA management does not appear to have been a coincidence.

Seamer Jon Lewis will end his 16-year association with Gloucestershire at the end of this season, having signed a two-year deal with Surrey

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2011Seamer Jon Lewis will end his 16-year association with Gloucestershire at the end of this season, having signed a two-year deal with Surrey.Lewis, 35, played one Test for England against Sri Lanka in 2006 and also appeared in 13 ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals. He has taken more than 770 wickets in first-class cricket and his experience will surely be a valuable asset to Surrey.”I have had some wonderful times with Gloucestershire, been privileged to captain the club, play with many fantastic players and enjoy terrific backing from the supporters over seventeen seasons, which have brought many highlights,” said Lewis.”I am very grateful for all the opportunities the club has given me. Now I am looking forward to an exciting new challenge with a team I feel is ready to step up to the next level. Surrey has some hugely promising players and I hope I can add some experience to their squad and help their young bowlers progress.”Lewis will strengthen an already impressive bowling line-up at Surrey, joining the likes of Chris Tremlett, Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley – alongside young bowlers such as Matthew Dunn, Tom Jewell and Chris Jordan.”Jon Lewis has been the most consistent seam bowler in English Domestic cricket for some time now and is exactly the right character and personality I have been looking for,” said Surrey Professional Cricket Manager Chris Adams.”We have a developing group of very exciting young quick bowlers and it is fantastic to know that Jon will be leading that group in the heat of the battle. He will bring a host of qualities on and off the field and is a terrific addition to the squad; I am delighted he has decided to join us.”

Harbhajan Singh may have struggled with his bowling over the last year, but when it comes to a scrap, you want him in your corner

Sidharth Monga at Newlands04-Jan-2011Harbhajan Singh has come in for criticism for his bowling over the last year, not unjustifiably, as his average of 40.69 suggests. However, when it comes down to a scrap, you want him in your corner. And whether he was batting or bowling today, it was a scrap all right. There was no use hanging around with the bat, for Dale Steyn would have surely got him with one of those amazing outswingers, and Harbhajan took the sensible approach, getting his body out of harm’s way and slogging.To the day three years ago in Sydney, in another scrap, he gave Sachin Tendulkar similar support in securing India a first-innings lead. Today, he set South Africa thinking with one four down the ground off Morne Morkel and another huge hook off Lonwabo Tsotosbe that nearly ended up in the Newlands Train Station. That 76-run partnership with Tendulkar, 40 of which Harbhajan scored, set India on the road to sharing control of the game.”I always enjoy my batting,” Harbhajan said at the end of the day’s play. “I don’t have the technique to bat like Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar or Jacques Kallis. This is the way I play my cricket, and I knew [if the ball was pitched in certain] areas, it was going to disappear. I did hit a couple of big sixes today, but I am happy about it. Would have been nice to get another 50-60. I am always greedy.”He spoke about that Sydney partnership too, and how it has been great for him to have batted with Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. “When I have batted with Sachin and Laxman, they have been helpful. In Sydney I batted with Sachin and again today. They have a lot of things to tell me. When I was batting, Sachin told me to play my natural game and counter-attack was the best option. With the kind of technique I have, I could have got hit on my ribs or somewhere else. He told me just to play my shots. I felt I should play my shots, and they would try to do something else. I think that worked, and they didn’t bowl the right line to me.”When India came out to bat, South Africa got off to a solid start, but Harbhajan emphasised his presence with two late wickets. Given the way the pitch has behaved, Harbhajan could be a crucial factor on day four. “There is a bit of bounce, and it’s not even. Some balls are going down and some are bouncing little bit more than you expect. It’s good if you keep on hitting the right areas, you still have a chance of getting good batsmen out, like [Jacques] Kallis and [Hashim] Amla. Those are the two key wickets we need to get, and then we will be in the driving seat.”Another scrap where Harbhajan has been influential is in keeping Sreesanth calm. Sreesanth has courted controversy with his sledging and been taunted by the crowd, but Harbhajan has made a conscious effort to keep him in check. When Sreesanth got Amla’s wicket in the first innings, he seemed to want to run towards the crowd. Harbhajan, though, held him back. Physically. And mock-clapped at the crowd from afar.”Crowd tried booing me in Australia, it doesn’t affect me,” Harbhajan said. “Let them enjoy. They have come to see the game. And obviously Sreesanth is getting more famous with this. I have enjoyed in Australia, let him enjoy here. It is not a bad thing.”Regarding the general heating up of tempers in the series, Harbhajan suggested he was enjoying it. “This is how the cricket is being played. When No.1 and No.2 sides play, there’s a lot of competitiveness, but I think everything is under control. Yes, you have to play with aggression. You can’t just be quiet there and waiting for things to happen. If you feel this is the way to play, why not go out and express yourself? This is Test cricket, not some match in the park. You have to have aggression, and you have to have that thing inside you to win games for your country. They are trying to win games for their country; we are trying for our country. Whatever trouble it takes we will go ahead and make sure we get the result we are looking for.”

MS Dhoni was full of praise for his bowlers, and the way his side showed character despite injuries to key players, following India’s clean sweep of Australia in the two-Test series

Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium13-Oct-2010MS Dhoni was full of praise for his bowlers, and the way his side showed character despite injuries to key players, following India’s clean sweep of Australia in the two-Test series.Both Tests in this series were heading towards draws before India’s bowlers triggered Australia’s second-innings collapses, setting up close finishes in each of the games. “I think the effort put in by the players, especially the bowlers, was really outstanding because by losing tosses I am not really helping them out,” Dhoni said.”Every time, especially in the subcontinent, we are having to bowl first. First innings [in Bangalore] we couldn’t get any kind of reverse-swing because the wicket and the square were not so dry, which meant they had to turn up and look for alternative ways to get the batsmen out. Still they were more than willing to come up with spells whenever needed. This was not a track where a match can get over in four-and-a-half days. It was not a turning track where the spinners can just bowl and get wickets.”As has often been the case of late, India played a Test series without their first-choice XIs, and also lost players along the way. VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma needed injections and tablets to stand up straight, but they rescued India in a famous finish in Mohali. Gautam Gambhir, too, injured his knee and had to sit out.All the three replacements, though, did their jobs in Bangalore, and Dhoni acknowledged that. “Not only in Tests, we have been playing series without our key players,” Dhoni said. “Consistently we have not played our strongest side.”I am fortunate to have a side that has performed very well in the past one-and-a-half years and the credit goes to them. Whether it is the youngsters or the seniors, they have always performed whenever they get the opportunity. Individuals like Murali Vijay, who is not consistently featuring in the XI because we have Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir doing the job for us. But whenever he has got an opportunity to play games, he has scored decent amount of runs. You could complain maybe that he got the kind of start he needed, but hasn’t scored big runs. In this match, he really made it big. He got the start, went onto cross the century barrier, and continued his innings. It was a good learning experience for him. In the same way [Cheteshwar] Pujara, too, batted really well.”Having beaten Australia, their biggest rivals over the last decade, 2-0 in their last two series, Dhoni said India needed to create bowling reserves if they were to dominate world cricket like Australia did. “If our bowling lot can grow – four-five good fast bowlers, and one or two more spinners, the workload can be spread,” Dhoni said. “It is very difficult for the fast bowlers to play every Test. Within the next 20 days, we will start another three-match series on similar wickets. You just can’t turn up there and put the ball there, these pitches take a lot of effort. There is a lot of pressure on the fast bowlers, and especially with the four-bowler combination, spinners have to bowl a lot of overs. Especially when the captain keeps losing the toss.”Dhoni also credited the side for having come together well despite the limited time for preparation. “The whole team didn’t get a chance to have practice sessions together because some of the boys were playing the Champions League,” Dhoni said. “We got limited time, but what is impressive is the way we utilised those practice sessions in the right manner. Everyone was up for it.”Dhoni made it a point to praise the team for handling the pressure situations well. “Most of the times, this is a series that has plenty of hype created around it, and it’s good that it ended without any controversy… One good thing in both the Test matches, even though the last-innings targets were not huge, was that there was pressure on both the sides. Ultimately it was a close finish in both the games. You may look at this scorecard and say this was an easy win, but still there was nervousness in the dressing room. I think it was a good short Test series we had.”

MS Dhoni has defended his bowling unit, which is yet to bowl a side out on tour, including the Board President’s XI in a tour game

Sidharth Monga at the SSC30-Jul-2010Following the high-scoring draw at the SSC, the Indian captain MS Dhoni has defended his bowling unit, which is yet to bowl a side out on tour, including the Board President’s XI in a tour game.”I am happy with the kind of effort they [Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun] are putting in to their bowling,” Dhoni said. “In the last two Tests, we have bowled first, and there was nothing in it for them.”Quite placid tracks. Even when you are bowling in the second innings, the wicket slows down a bit, so the batsmen are going to be in little discomfort. And if you are bowling first and the wicket is one of these sorts, it gets really difficult for a fast bowler to either contain batsmen or get wickets. But still they were up there when it came to pace. They were bowling at decent pace and they are always willing to bowl whenever they are asked to, so overall, I am quite happy with their performance.”It was an inexperienced pace attack, with Ishant trying to come out of a lean patch and Mithun making his debut, but surely more was expected of Harbhajan Singh? Apparently not. “It’s about when you are bowling,” Dhoni said. “If you are doing that on the first two days with nothing in the wicket, with no marks, it doesn’t really bother. In the second game here he looked very impressive, getting bounce. If conditions are slightly in his favour he can do wonders for the team.”It’s really difficult to judge what a good performance is. At Galle, Murali took 25 overs to get that one wicket. So it’s not always the wickets that count. You also have to see the broad picture – when the bowler bowls, who the batsman is, the start the opposition has got and accordingly, you have to decide.”Dhoni spoke about having to play a lot of cricket in batsmen-friendly conditions. “If it’s always about bowlers’ turning up and taking 20-odd wickets on wickets that are in favour of the batsmen, it’s not really possible,” he said. “It’s not the first time we are playing a Test match or a series where we haven’t been able to get the batsmen out. So I don’t think it’s a big worry.”The bowlers we have look fit and can bowl long spells. It’s just that with a little more exposure, with a bit more games under their belt, they will have experience and will know more ways of getting the batsmen out. You don’t always have to nick them to the slips or to the keeper. In a Test match, you can get them out in different positions, using the slower ball or the bouncer can work well.”Dhoni, though, was concerned about the bench strength of bowlers, especially with the amount of cricket India plays. “Overall, if we can have a bigger bench strength, which means if we can have a spectrum of around eight fast bowlers to pick from, it will be really great because we are not a side which plays three Tests a year,” he said. “We play a lot of Tests, ODIs and with IPL also coming in, we need fast bowlers who are fit, which means you [need to] have eight to 10 fast bowlers whom you can rotate around and still play with your best bowling attack.”

South Africa enforced the follow-on on Zimbabwe who collapsed in 43 overs

Shashank Kishore07-Jul-2025

Wiaan Mulder brought up the second fastest triple century in Test cricket•Zimbabwe Cricket

July 7, 2025 may not invoke the same grand feeling of that unforgettable summer afternoon at Lord’s last month, but it’ll still have a reverence of its own for Wiaan Mulder, who, only weeks earlier, stood on the winner’s podium as a newly crowned World Test Champion.One of cricket’s most iconic and celebrated records – Brian Lara’s majestic 400 not out, which he held like a crown jewel after reclaiming it from Matthew Hayden – was in real danger of being knocked off its perch after 21 long years. When Mulder, South Africa’s stand-in captain, went into the lunch interval unbeaten on 367, it seemed a matter of time before history books would be rewritten. Then came a quiet message from the change room, like a bolt from the blue. South Africa had declared. Mulder had declared.”Why did he do that?” is a question that lingered on for much of the day as Zimbabwe collapsed in just 43 overs, and were asked to follow-on. With so much time left in the match, the decision will be rightly debated for a while. Sure, barring Blessing Muzarabani, the quality of Zimbabwe’s attack was hardly Test class, but the opportunity to etch yourself into Test history doesn’t come knocking everyday.Related

• Mulder makes 367*, the fifth-highest individual Test score of all time

• Stats – Wiaan Mulder breaks records and Zimbabwe with 367*

• Mulder: 'Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be'

• Five highest individual scores in Test cricket history

South Africa declared on 626 for 5. Mulder’s feat became all the more special as it came in front of his father, who had made the trip to soak in the occasion after he had been informed of Mulder’s promotion to captaincy in the lead-up to the game after Keshav Maharaj had been ruled out due to an injury. Along the way, Mulder may have cemented himself as South Africa’s new No. 3, a spot once occupied by legends he may have grown up watching, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla among them.In the morning session, every run or over carried the weight of a milestone either impending or ticked off. Records came; records went. Mulder went past some heavyweights in South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Daryl Cullinan, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. And soon after his triple-ton, he went past 311 to eclipse Amla, and achieve the highest Test score by a South African.Mulder could’ve chosen a calmer, more serene path if he had wished. South Africa’s run-scoring on the opening day, where they surged to 465 for 4, meant time was never going to be a consideration. Mulder, though, had other ideas. Except for his first boundary very early in the day off Muzarabani, off a streaky edge that flew through vacant third slip, there was control and authority in every stoke he played and every run he ran.Mulder’s authority stemmed from his own confidence, and Zimbabwe’s hit-me lengths. Without any swing on offer, even with the second new ball that they took late on the opening day, the pacers erred on the shorter side and kept getting punished square of the wicket on both sides. When spin came on, Mulder channeled the golfer in him to club them downtown. He hit 49 fours and four sixes in all – one of them landed out of the ground – forcing them to bring out a different ball.Wiaan Mulder and Dewald Brevis added 88 off just 94 balls for the fifth wicket•Zimbabwe Cricket

Amid Mulder’s run-fest, that South Africa lost Dewald Brewis was lost on everyone. He survived on 24 when Craig Ervine put down a regulation chance in the fifth over off Muzarabani at slip, but couldn’t capitalise. On 35, Brevis attempted to flay a cut, only to get a thick outside edge to the wicketkeeper. Kyle Verreynne then came and enjoyed a good hit out to remain unbeaten on 42.The day’s big moment – Mulder’s triple – arrived in the 101st over when he clipped a low full toss off Tanaka Chivanga to fine leg to wild applause and cheer from his team-mates on the balcony. It had come off 297 balls, the second-fastest in Test history, behind Virender Sehwag’s that had come off 278 balls against South Africa in Chennai 17 years ago.After Mulder got past the 300, there was carnage aplenty as Muzarabani was dispatched for three boundaries in an over, the third of those helping him surpass Amla. There was more punishment in the next as Mulder cleared his front leg to wallop him out of the ground to enter the 360s. This is when everyone seemed to be readying for the moment, when the declaration came.Mulder wasn’t done yet. With the ball, he took out Wesley Madhevere and Ervine in quick succession. Madhevere was out to a nip-backer that flattened the stumps; Ervine was felled by an effort ball that lifted off the deck to have him fend one into the hand of backward point. Mulder’s fiery spell wasn’t the highlight, though. Debutant Prenelan Subrayen and Senuran Muthusamy’s flight and loop were equally noteworthy. Subrayen ended with 4 for 42.Sean Williams, who spent much of the first evening and the opening session on the sidelines due to an illness, came out swinging and raised his half-century off just 32 balls, the fastest by a Zimbabwean. But he ran out of partners, and remained stuck on 83 as last man Chivanga’s wicket meant Zimbabwe were bundled out for 170.Made to follow-on, Zimbabwe lost Dion Myers early, but Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Nick Welch batted a tricky last 30 minutes to take them to stumps on 51 for 1, with Zimbabwe still needing 146 to surpass Mulder.

South Africa reduced West Indies to 97 for 7 after Joseph picked up his third five-wicket haul in his first Test at home in Guyana

Firdose Moonda15-Aug-2024Shamar Joseph enjoyed the perfect homecoming with a five-for on his international debut in Guyana until Wiaan Mulder’s career-best 4 for 18 all but stole the show on a spicy surface at Providence Stadium. In total, 17 wickets fell, the most in a day of Test cricket at this venue, albeit in a small sample size of just three matches. There was swing through the air, seam movement and decent carry which has put the series-decider in fast-forward.In stark contrast to the slowness of the Trinidad Test, which was also pockmarked with rain interruptions, the action took place in overdrive under blue skies in Guyana. Despite both captains’ desire to bat first, it was a day for the bowlers, especially fast bowlers, who bowled 68 of 82.2 overs and took 15 wickets. Only one batter – Jason Holder – in the top six of either side scored more than 30 and it was a record 10th-wicket partnership for South Africa against West Indies of 63 between Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger that gave the visitors the advantage.There was movement through the air and off the seam from the outset which Aiden Markram experienced when he edged the third ball of the Test past third slip, after he opened the scoring with a cover drive off Holder. At the other end, Jayden Seales repeatedly brought the ball back into the left-handed Tony de Zorzi, who left a sizable bat-pad gap and was bowled in the fourth over.Joseph was introduced in the seventh over and started dangerously. He got appreciable inswing and then had Markram misjudge the length and leave the ball, only to knock over the off stump. That was Joseph’s first wicket on his home ground. Two balls later, he had Temba Bavuma trapped in the crease as a slightly shorter delivery hit the South African captain low in front of the stumps to dismiss him for a second-ball duck. South Africa went to the first drinks break on 20 for 3.Shamar Joseph picked up five wickets in his first Test at home in Guyana•Gallo Images/Getty Images

David Bedingham hit the first boundary off Joseph when he flayed him behind point for four but Tristan Stubbs had a much harder time getting off the mark. He faced 19 balls before he got his first run. By then, he had survived an lbw appeal off Joseph that was adjudged high and edged Seales just short of Holder at second slip. As his innings grew, Stubbs continued to keep the slips in play and West Indies in the hunt. And he wasn’t the only one who gave West Indies a glimpse into the lower order.Bedingham flirted with danger when, on 11, he hit Jomel Warrican over mid-on. Three fielders converged on the chance but no one could get there. In the next over, Stubbs, who had reached 26, was drawn forward by Holder and edged to Warrican at slip but he fell over trying to hold on. If Holder was irritated at the missed opportunity, it did not last long. In his next over, Stubbs reached for an outswinger and was well caught by a leaping Kavem Hodge at third slip, 10 minutes before the lunch break. South Africa were 64 for 4 at the interval.Joseph resumed after the break and was convinced he had Bedingham out in his second over with a ball that jagged in and beat the inside edge. Kraig Braithwaite reviewed but Bedingham survived on umpire’s call. Four balls later, Joseph made sure there was no doubt when Bedingham drove at a full ball and was caught behind.West Indies were into the last recognised pair and separated them in the next over with a peach from Seales that forced Wiaan Mulder to play and found his outside edge. Kyle Verreynne could have been out off the next ball when he edged Sealed to gully but was dropped. Two balls later, Joseph beat Keshav Maharaj for pace and bowled him, then Rabada was cleaned up by Seales, and when Verreynne played on off Joseph, West Indies could celebrate for all kinds of reasons.Joseph had completed his third Test five-for, and first at home after a tough tour of England, and celebrated by blowing kisses to the sparsely populated stands. South Africa were 97 for 9, and in danger of being bowled out for less than their lowest score against West Indies: 116.But Piedt had other ideas. He took South Africa over 100 with a cover drive for four and tactically West Indies eased off. They brought on Gudakesh Motie, he dropped it short, and Piedt pulled him for four, then hit him down the ground for six and through the covers for four more. In frustration, West Indies reviewed two chances off Piedt in Holder’s next over: one an lbw appeal that was clipping leg on umpire’s call and another where the impact was outside the off stump. It didn’t help that Joseph left the field with a cramp and wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva gave the gloves to Tevin Imlach after suffering a finger injury. Depleted in personnel terms, the hosts seemed sapped.Nandre Burger and Dane Piedt added 63 for the final wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Piedt and Burger took South Africa past 141 – their lowest Test score in the West Indies – as the second session was extended with West Indies in search of the final wicket. It came 17 minutes after the scheduled tea break when Burger missed a length ball from Motie and was given out lbw to give West Indies’ premier spinner his first wicket of the series.Buoyed by the bonus runs, South Africa took to the field with wickets on their mind and believed they had one off the third ball. Rabada beat Braithwaite’ inside edge and hit him above the knee roll and Bavuma reviewed only to see the ball missing the stumps. But the wait for a breakthrough did not last long. Left-armer Burger, in his third Test, set Mikyle Louis up with a series of away-swingers and then landed one on a good length to beat the outside edge and bowl the West Indian opener.Keacy Carty took a liking to the outswing and took three fours off Burger’s next two overs, prompting the early introduction of the third seamer, Mulder. Not often regarded as an out-and-out strike bowler, Mulder made the case for a rethink when his second ball squeezed between Braithwaite’s bat-pad gap and removed the West Indian captain. Impressive became excellent when Mulder took a stunning catch off his own bowling in the next over – a one-handed grab to the right – to dismiss Alick Athanaze and then found swing to entice a drive from Hodge, who was caught at third slip.With only three seamers in South Africa’s XI, Burger was brought back on at Rabada’s end and struggled to get his line right as he directed the ball down leg. Bavuma put a leg slip in place and Carty hit the next ball straight to Maharaj at a shortish midwicket to leave West Indies 47 for 5.Things could have got a lot worse in the next over when Holder was given out lbw off Mulder but reviewed successfully with ball tracking indicating it was missing leg. Mulder got his fourth anyway, when Da Silva edged him to second slip. Holder took the fight to South Africa, hit three fours in four balls and shared a 41-run stand with Motie, which could have ended the day on par. But Maharaj had the last say on the day when Motie missed a sweep and was given out lbw, to leave West Indies 63 runs behind with only three first-innings wickets in hand. Day two promises more drama.

The India captain says the side were “not great with the bat” in Lucknow, but having hung around to give his bowlers something to work with, he knew they could “do magic”

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-20231:46

Pujara pleased to see Rohit bring out the sweep

For the very first time in this World Cup, India had to set a total. And, coming up against England in Lucknow, they were off to a rocky start at 40 for 3 in the 12th over. From there, as per their captain and Player of the Match Rohit Sharma, it was vital for him to use all his experience on a challenging pitch and “bat to the situation”.”It’s just not about going and playing my shots, when you have that much experience you’ve got to use that experience and do whatever is necessary for the team, and it was at that point in time necessary for me to take the game as deep as possible and create that partnership and get to a decent total,” Rohit said after the game.He had raced away to 17 off 11 in the first two overs after England put India in, but as England repeatedly broke through at the other end, he cut back, easing his way to 29 off 40 before he would hit his next boundary – in the 14th over on his way to 87 off 101, which set India up for a 100-run win.That margin of victory might be as convincing as they come, but Rohit felt India had left a lot of runs out on the field. He had done the initial repair job with KL Rahul, putting on a stand of 91 for the fourth wicket, and then adding 33 more in partnership with Suryakumar Yadav before falling 13 short of a hundred. From there, England chipped away regularly, tying India down to 229 for 9.Related

• Stats – England's worst ODI World Cup campaign yet

• Bumrah: 'Good challenge to be put under pressure by England'

• Report – Shami, Bumrah demolish England to make it six out of six for India

“I still felt like we were 20-30 runs short once we finished,” Rohit said. “The new ball was a bit challenging and then obviously as the game went on the ball got softer, it was not easy to rotate strike. But we said in the middle that we’ve got to keep digging in, keep digging in and then, finally, you know we got to a decent partnership there, but like I said we were 20-30 runs short towards the end.”Regardless of the conditions, Rohit said some of India’s issues came down to their batters being loose. Shubman Gill was bowled by a good one from Chris Woakes – albeit driving a touch airily – and then Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were poor in their shot selection, offering up catches, the former for a duck. After their repair work Rahul and Rohit, and then Suryakumar too, were caught going for the big shots.Rohit Sharma kept India on track despite early losses•ICC via Getty Images

“We were not great with the bat today, losing three wickets in the first powerplay isn’t the ideal situation but when you are in a situation like that all you are looking to do is create that long partnership, which we got. But then couple of guys threw it [away] at the end, including myself,” Rohit said. “But at that stage all I was thinking was to be positive and the balls in my areas I wanted to put it away. That’s how you put the pressure back on the bowler and the opposition as well but, yeah, when you look at the overall picture, I thought we were 30 runs short there.”Those lost runs were quickly forgotten as India quickly carved up England’s line-up, pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah doing the early damage. Rohit was all praise for his attack: “With the experience that our seamers have now, you know you can always rely and bank on it that they could come good and get you those crucial breakthroughs and that is exactly what our seamers did. They exploited the conditions well and I thought they put the ball in the right areas to create that doubt in the batsmen’s minds.”Asked by Michael Atherton at the post-match presentation if India’s is the best-rounded attack in the tournament, Rohit said: “We’ve got a good balance. A couple of good spinners and the seamers have a lot of experience playing in these conditions and, yeah, if I look at the overall options I have in terms of bowling, there is a fair bit and with experience as well.”So you know when you have a bowling line up like that, it’s very important that the batters put the runs on the board, give them something to work for and then rely on them to do the magic.”And magic they did, rolling England over with 15 overs to spare to keep India unbeaten at the top of the table and consign the defending champions to their fifth loss in six games.