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Director of cricket Alan Coleman hails addition of “world-class talent”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2023Middlesex have recruited Keshav Maharaj as an overseas player for the first four months of the 2023 season.Maharaj, South Africa’s left-arm spinner, will arrive ahead of Middlesex’s third Championship game against Nottinghamshire on April 20 and will be available for eight four-day fixtures in total, as well as the entirety of the T20 Blast.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said that it was “essential” to bring in a “world-class talent” ahead of the club’s first season in the Championship’s top division since 2017, and that he would play a role mentoring Luke Hollman and Thilan Walallawita.”We are delighted that Keshav has signed for Middlesex this season and are really excited to have someone of his calibre and experience joining us for the first four months of the season,” Coleman said. “The young spinners we have in our squad will benefit enormously from having Keshav with us this year.”Related

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Maharaj will be playing for his third different county, after previous stints with Lancashire and Yorkshire. He has taken 72 wickets at 21.72 across his 13 games in the Championship.”I’m really excited to be linking up with such a professional and experienced county and am looking forward to wearing the Middlesex colours and calling the Home of Cricket my home,” he said.Middlesex previously announced that Pieter Malan would return as an overseas player after a successful stint last year.Elsewhere, Richard Gleeson has re-signed with Lancashire on a two-year, T20-only contract.

Alastair’s unbeaten half-century builds on Sam’s three wickets as hosts begin reply unscathed

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2023Essex 106 for 0 (A Cook 64*, Browne 31*) trail Kent 207 (Compton 47, S Cook 3-19) by 101 runsSir Alastair Cook notched the 123rd half-century of his bejewelled career as he steered Essex into a commanding position on the first day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Kent.Cook, still there at the close on 64, was joined in an unbeaten first-wicket stand of 106 by Nick Browne, who was painstakingly attempting to rebuild his flagging form after a run of three successive ducks. He was on the path to redempton with 31 from 117 balls.Earlier, Kent elected to bat on a green-tinged pitch under heavy grey clouds that required the use of floodlights after an hour. Their innings lasted just short of two sessions for 207 as the lower-order threw away their wickets with some abandon.Only a sedate 58-run fourth-wicket partnership between Ben Compton, who recorded an 81-ball 47, and captain Jack Leaning interrupted a regular clatter of wickets with nagging seamers Sam Cook and Jamie Porter sharing six of them equally.Twanda Muyeye survived a decent chance to Matt Critchley at third slip before he was beaten for pace to present Sam Cook with the first of three wickets for 19 in 11 overs.Next ball Joe Denly’s miserable season continued when he played down the wrong line and was caught behind for his fourth duck of this campaign.To compound Kent’s problems, Harry Finch faced 15 deliveries without scoring when he set off for a non-existent single to gully where Paul Walter swooped and hit the single stump he could see.Compton and Leaning settled in for a stand that needed 17 overs to put on fifty, and that despite Compton hitting Doug Bracewell for three successive boundaries, two through the covers, the other a flick off his legs.However, to the last ball before lunch Compton attempted to dig out a fuller delivery from Simon Harmer and only succeeded in chipping the ball back tamely to the bowler.Leaning followed soon after the break when he got a thick edge to one from Sam Cook that went away from him and wicketkeeper Adam Rossington took a fine diving catch to his right. Joey Evison went shouldering arms to one that came back late from Bracewell.Grant Stewart smashed Harmer for two straight sixes in a brisk, seven-over stand of 43 with Jordan Cox before Porter found a peach of a ball to remove Cox.Porter then set a short-ball honey-trap for Stewart who hooked straight to one of an army on the boundary, and two balls later Matt Quinn skied rashly to midwicket. Arshdeep Singh swept Critchley for a huge six and wafted lazily at the next ball and was stumped without bothering to look back.When Essex replied in the evening session, Alastair Cook slipped into imperious mode after a watchful start, showing an array of shots around the wicket in depositing Stewart for three successive fours, though he was put down off the same bowler to a sharp chance in the gully.Of the fifty partnership in 17 overs, hecontributed 38 with Browne playing second fiddle with a dozen; of the century partnership Browne had 27 and Cook 63, passing fifty for the fifth time this season when he swept Hamid Qadri for his 10th boundary.Essex, incidentally, will be reinforced with the inclusion of Dan Lawrence in their batting line-up on day two as he returns south after being the spare man in the England XII for the concurrent fourth Test at Old Trafford. He will replace Robin Das.

Allrounder anchors innings before contributing to tigerish defence of low total

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2021Alice Davidson-Richards helped the Northern Superchargers maintain their winning start to the women’s Hundred with a tigerish defence of 109 in a thriller against Oval Invincibles at Emerald Headingley.Their 109 for 8 looked below par despite a sluggish pitch, with Davidson-Richards top-scoring with 42 off 30 balls having been inserted.She was then brilliant in returning 2 for 17 from 20 balls with her pace-off seamers, defending 10 off the last five as the visitors finished on 105 for 4.A bowler-dominated game went the hosts’ way as they made it three wins from four and consigned the Invincibles to their first defeat in three.The Invincibles only really fell behind during the second half of their chase, and Mady Villiers failed to hit the last ball for six as the Superchargers went top of the table.Alice Capsey, aged 16, bowled her offspinners for the first time in the competition and returned two for nine from 20 balls, having opened the bowling for the visitors.The more recognised offspin of Villiers and seam of Grace Gibbs and Tash Farrant also contributed two wickets apiece for the Invincibles.The Superchargers slipped to 78 for 6 after 75 balls, though Davidson-Richards recovered with five fours.There were no wides or no-balls bowled by the Invincibles.Related

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South African Laura Wolvaardt made 27 off 26 balls, sharing 38 for the third wicket with Davidson-Richards as they advanced from 28 for 2 after 30. Capsey had Wolvaardt caught behind and Bess Heath caught and bowled with the 58th and 60th balls to make it 66 for 4.The teenager then opened the batting in the reply and was dropped on two at mid-on by Heath. Superchargers got the wicket late in the powerplay when Capsey miscued a catch to backward point off Davidson-Richards’ seam for eight to make it 20 for 1 after 22 balls.Georgia Adams hit back-to-back boundaries off Katie Levick shortly afterwards. But when she was caught at long-off against the same bowler for 26, the Superchargers had a sniff at 45 for 2 after 48.Linsey Smith had England’s Fran Wilson caught at mid-off – 65 for 3 after 64 – and Davidson-Richards was miserly as the target became a testing 40 off 30 balls with Sarah Bryce and captain Dane van Niekerk together. That target later became 23 off 10 before van Niekerk hit Smith for three successive boundaries to swing the pendulum.Davidson-Richards, however, had Bryce caught at long-on for an innings high 29 with the penultimate ball to delight the 6,737 crowd. Liz Russell also contributed as she conceded only 14 runs in 20 balls.The Invincibles were missing two of their three overseas players, with Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail out with injuries.

Rasooli’s maiden international half-century took Afghanistan to what was a match-winning 153

Abhimanyu Bose13-Dec-2024Darwish Rasooli’s maiden international half-century propelled Afghanistan to 153 for 6 before their bowlers delivered to help Afghanistan comfortably win the second T20I against Zimbabwe and draw level in the series with one to play.Zimbabwe won a last-ball thriller to post their first T20I victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday, but the visitors ensured there was no drama this time around, routing the home side by 50 runs with 14 balls to spare.Rasooli found support from Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib to prop up Afghanistan. Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan then picked up three wickets each, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman dealt a crucial double-blow in the middle overs.

Afghanistan stutter in the powerplay again

Afghanistan’s top order failed to fire for the second game in a row; they lost three wickets in the space of nine balls to finish the powerplay on 41 for 3 – a minor improvement on their 34 for 4 in the first T20I.Rahmanullah Gurbaz got going with a boundary punched through square in the first over, while Sediqullah Atal hit Blessing Muzarabani for two fours through the off side in the second.But Trevor Gwandu made an instant impact, striking with his first ball, Gurbaz spooning a catch to mid-off. Two balls later Zubaid Akbari was run out trying to pinch a single to backward point that was never there.Trevor Gwandu struck with his first ball of the match•AFP/Getty Images

Atal tried to keep Afghanistan’s momentum going, pulling Muzarabani in front of square for his third boundary off the seamer, but Muzarabani had the last laugh as he had Atal caught at cover point next ball.Afghanistan could have lost a fourth wicket in the powerplay thanks to another mix-up, but Azmatullah Omarzai survived. Rasooli got going with a pickup shot behind square off Gwandu, and then lofted Wellington Masakadza over extra cover in the first over without fielding restrictions.

Burl pegs Afghanistan back with a double-strike

Omarzai, who took some time to settle, pulled a Sikandar Raza half-tracker over midwicket for the first six of the match in the tenth over.He followed that up with another six down the ground in the next over but holed out trying to hit Ryan Burl in the same areas. Brian Bennett took an excellent catch running across to his left from long-on, catching it high and throwing it up before taking one step outside the boundary rope and coming back in to complete the catch.In his next over, Burl dropped one short and Nabi miscued a pull to deep midwicket’s left and Wessly Madhevere held on to a screamer at full stretch. Now Afghanistan had half their side back in the hut.

Naib fined for breaching ICC code of conduct

Gulbadin Naib has been fined 15% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I. He breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.”

Rasooli gives Afghanistan late surge

Rasooli slapped Gwandu over mid-off in the next over before going downtown again when Burl almost pulled off yet another fantastic parried-grab on the boundary, but replays showed he had made contact with the ground outside the boundary rope at the wrong moment.Naib then edged a four off Raza, as Afghanistan collected 22 runs from the two overs after Nabi’s wicket.The best was yet to come. In the penultimate over, Rasooli hit Ngarava for three fours on the trot, bringing up his maiden T20I fifty in the process. That was 17 for the over, and Afghanistan were in sight of 150. Gwandu got him in the final over and conceded just the six runs though, to keep Zimbabwe’s target down to 154.

Omarzai, Naveen deal early blows

Zimbabwe started to build momentum from the second over of their chase, with both openers hitting Mujeeb for a four each before Bennett dispatched Naveen over deep midwicket for six.But soon enough Naveen spotted Tadiwanashe Marumani coming down the track and pulled his length back and the batter ended up slashing it to deep backward point.Omarzai struck with another short ball, having Dion Myers caught at deep backward square.Brian Bennett could not carry on after getting a good start•AFP/Getty Images

Mujeeb derails Zimbabwe’s chase

Mujeeb came back in the attack immediately after the powerplay and had Madhevere hitting a drive straight to short cover.In his next over, he bamboozled Bennett as he got one to turn past his outside edge and just clip the off bail.Rashid then joined in the fun when he trapped Burl in front trying to sweep and at 57 for 5, Zimbabwe were on the ropes.

Naveen, Rashid close the game out

Tashinga Musekiwa, who hit the winning runs off the final ball of the first T20I, took Mujeeb on in his final over, driving him through extra cover and launching him over long-on off consecutive deliveries.But Musekiwa’s counterattack was short-lived; Naveen rushed him with pace in the next over and he miscued a simple catch to cover.Rashid then struck twice in an over and the game was all but done.Naveen had Raza caught at deep midwicket in the 17th, and Fareed Malik finished things off castling Muzarabani next over.

“Having been through difficult match situations and close defeats, hopefully we will react better under pressure at this World Cup”

Annesha Ghosh23-Jan-20221:50

Jhulan Goswami: “I hope past experiences help us handle pressure better in this World Cup”

Three appearances in the knockouts in as many world tournaments between 2017 and 2020. Yet, a maiden World Cup title has eluded India, their mental toughness in the face of pressure coming under scrutiny every time. Runners-up last time out, India renew their pursuit of the ODI world crown on March 6 in New Zealand, and their premier quick, Jhulan Goswami, is hoping that the “near-misses” of the past help them respond better in high-pressure fixtures.”This is a very valid point,” Goswami, set to become only the eighth player to feature in five ODI World Cups, told ESPNcricinfo. “If you see the last three World Cups, including the T20 World Cup in the West Indies [in 2018], we had a very good chance. We played good cricket, but the pressure of that semi-final (in 2018) and the final (in the 2017 ODI World Cup and in the T20I equivalent in 2020) is something that cannot be denied.Related

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“It may have played a part in how we performed. It was like a final barrier we were stumbling at every time. Maybe this year we will be able to respond better as a team. Sports is very unpredictable, but hopefully, those near-misses and our preparations leading up to this World Cup will help us react better in big matches.”India’s inability to get out of sticky situations in knockout fixtures had its most pronounced manifestations at the two most recent finals: at Lord’s, where they lost the 2017 50-over World Cup to hosts England by nine runs, and then at the MCG, where wayward bowling and shoddy catching early in the 2020 T20 World Cup final effectively pushed them to a point of no-return against Australia.With record crowds in attendance on both occasions, critics, fans, and casual followers deemed India’s defeats less a reflection of their technical abilities, and more a case of fragility of nerves.”I think people can criticise us. But it’s something we are [still] developing slowly, slowly. Overnight it will not happen, but we are in the process of developing,” Goswami said. “So, whatever experience we’ve gathered in the past – I’ll put it in that way – hopefully, in this tournament we’ll handle in a better way.”I can expect that [kind of approach] from my team-mates. They are mentally very strong. Whenever challenging stuff comes, they take that challenge and take responsibility. So, I am very much hopeful that learning experience is going to help us in this tournament.”New Zealand is traditionally conducive to pace and movement. Seam-bowling talisman Goswami, the highest wicket-taker in the women’s game with 340 strikes and India’s most successful bowler in ODIs in 2021 with 15 wickets, will spearhead an attack that doesn’t have Shikha Pandey, one of the notable absentees in India’s extended 18-player squad for the upcoming bilateral fixtures against the hosts in February and the ODI World Cup that follows.Goswami, 39, had said earlier this month that the bilateral series could help India acclimatise better to “windy conditions” and “fix our errors” ahead of the World Cup. She had also stressed that she appreciated the need for her and her team-mates to not put themselves under undue pressure by overthinking about variables.Instead, the focus, she said, should be on implementing the takeaways from India’s series defeats in 2021 against South Africa (at home) and England and Australia (away).”World Cups come with pressure, expectations, and unpredictable elements – it’s sport, after all,” she said. “But I expect, individually and as a unit, I and we back ourselves to deal with that pressure in a positive way without thinking too much about anything. We must enjoy our cricket because I think that’s very important if we are to express ourselves and our preparedness in a proper manner.”We have been put under very challenging situations [in the recent past]. Though we did not win any of the three series we played last year, they were all very important preparations for us. So, having been through a variety of difficult match situations and close defeats, hopefully, (we) will react better under pressure at this World Cup.”India have been in quarantine since January 16 in Mumbai and are scheduled to leave for New Zealand on January 24. They are expected to serve at least a seven-day hard quarantine upon entering the country, with a very real possibility of being under rigid restrictions, albeit with some relaxations, for much longer.Goswami – “We must enjoy our cricket if we are to express ourselves and our preparedness in a proper manner”•Getty Images

“This [dealing with restrictions because of Covid-19] is not something you can overcome in a day,” Goswami said. “It’s not a cricketing technical part that individually we can go there and bat and bowl [to improve]. It’s a different thing. It’s not easy.”I think worldwide we all are struggling with mental-health issues at this moment. Because of the present situation, sportspersons are having to quarantine, they’re staying in biobubbles, not able to meet your family, friends, staying in hotels, having same food – that’s a challenge. That’s called mental toughness.”Heading into the World Cup, the Indian squad, Goswami suggested, has grown into a more tight-knit group. She attributed that to the players’ participation in a boot camp, understood to be the brain child of head coach Ramesh Powar, during Christmas last year in the cool climes of Dehradun, in northern India.”In my 20 years as an India cricketer, never before had I participated in anything officially known as a boot camp” Goswami said with a smile. “Yes, we may have gone on camps from the National Cricket Academy for a night or so in the past, but this camp – the boot camp – lasted five days, so it was definitely first of its kind.”It was a new and fun experience, especially getting to know each other better, from up close, as team-mates – was refreshing and could be helpful for us in the future. I now know my team-mates a little better than I did before the boot camp because we were put through a kind of challenging situation – living in a tent, in cold weather, with limited resources, and yet no body complained.”Plus, there were tasks devised to help with team bonding and react in pressure situations. I hope this experience helps us in the World Cup because understanding each other as team-mates plays a big role in a team’s performance. We never had this kind of a team bonding exercise or camp, so I’d say it was a good thing to participate in before New Zealand tour and the World Cup.”

“A player like him, who has won so many matches, needs only one or two good innings to bounce back”

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jul-20221:41

Rohit on Kohli’s form: ‘Why is this discussion happening?’

” (Why is this discussion happening. I can’t understand this)”India’s captain Rohit Sharma had a bemused expression just as a journalist started a question on Virat Kohli.Kohli’s form in the last few years has become a national debate, with some ex-players including former India captain Kapil Dev, wondering why the senior India batter could not be dropped. The debate will continue after Kohli once again failed to convert a start in the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday.Having missed the first ODI due to a groin strain, Kohli took a batting fitness test of sorts on Thursday morning, before giving a firm nod to India coach Rahul Dravid indicating that he was good to play. But Kohli had already been in the news before his return to the eleven. About an hour before the Indian team arrived at Lord’s, the BCCI had announced the squad for the T20I series in the West Indies starting on July 29. It did not specify a reason for Kohli’s omission.Related

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At Lord’s, Kohli walked in to bat in the third over and his first runs came off a straight drive to the boundary. But before that shot, he had played seven dot balls, including a maiden over. Two consecutive fours followed against Reece Topley, but Kohli could not find fluency and ended up pushing away from his body and edging David Willey to the wicketkeeper.When asked if Kohli needed the support of the team during this difficult phase, Rohit said there was no need for a debate in the first place.”He [Kohli] has played so many matches. He is playing for so many years. He is such a great batsman so he does not need reassurance,” Rohit said after the game. “I pointed to this in my last press conference, too: form goes up and down, that is part and parcel of any cricketer’s career. So a player like him, who has played for so many years, who has made so many runs, who has won so many matches, he only needs one or two good innings [to bounce back]. That is my thinking and I am sure all those who follow cricket will think similarly.”This is the second time Rohit has backed Kohli publicly during the white-ball leg of the England tour. Rohit agreed that Kohli was going through a “slump” but said the team management still had firm belief in him.Virat Kohli walks back after nicking behind outside off•AFP via Getty Images

“We do have chats about this topic, but we should also understand and think when we talk about such things. We have seen that the performance of all players goes up and down, but the quality of the player never gets worse. That we all should keep in mind. That is very important. (he has made so many runs), check his average, how many hundreds he has made, he has [vast] experience of doing that. There is a slump in every player’s life. Even in the personal life it comes.”It wasn’t just Rohit, even the England captain Jos Buttler said Kohli was “due” a big innings.”I suppose in a little way it’s quite refreshing for the rest of us that he [Kohli] is human and he can have a couple of low scores as well, but look he has been one of the best players, if not the best player in ODI cricket in the world,” Buttler said.”So he’s been a fantastic player for so many years and all batters, it just proves, go through runs of form where they don’t perform as well as they can do sometimes. But certainly as an opposition captain, you know a player of that class is always due, so you’re hoping that it doesn’t come against us.”Like Rohit, Buttler also wondered why Kohli was facing criticism over his form. “Yeah, incredibly surprised, as I said, his record speaks for himself. The matches he’s won for India and yeah, why would you question that?”

Holkar stadium’s small boundaries promise another run-fest

Shashank Kishore03-Oct-20223:44

Jaffer: ‘India won’t want to chop and change’ this close to the T20 World Cup

Big picture

From the far east in Guwahati, the caravan rolls to dead center in Indore. It’s a city that loves its cricket so much so that they packed the stands just to be able to watch Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh roll the clock back at a net session during the Road Safety Exhibition series two weeks ago.On Tuesday, they will make a beeline for the Holkar Stadium, to be able to watch Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma, and maybe Quinton de Kock and David Miller, when India and South Africa square off in the final T20I of the series.Related

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It may be a dead rubber, but that doesn’t mean much for India’s tier-two cities. They don’t get to see a lot of live cricket so every game is deeply appreciated. The (passion) is actually at an all-time high. Cricketers from the region are being recognised like never before. Two Indore residents – Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan – have already made their India debuts. Next week, another one – Rajat Patidar – could well join the list. Madhya Pradesh, of which Indore forms a big part in terms of cricket, are also Ranji Trophy winners. So the interest couldn’t be higher. Throw in the backdrop of the T20 World Cup, and the lines between a dead rubber and a must-win get blurred even more.South Africa have been ambushed by India once with the ball and once with the bat. But they gave a good account of themselves in trying to scale Mount Everest when Miller’s breathtaking century took South Africa close to India’s 237 and Tuesday is an opportunity to get over the line and carry some confidence into Australia.India have continued to push boundaries as a batting unit, but with the ball, especially without Jasprit Bumrah, the pieces of their jigsaw aren’t yet fully settled. Tuesday is their opportunity to get the death-bowling spot on.Given the short turnaround time, the game will be as much a test of the player’s fitness as it will be of their skill. Over to the twenty-two players then. Can they put up another spectacle, less than 48 hours after the big bash in Guwahati?

Form guide

India: WWWWL (last five completed T20Is; most recent first)
South Africa: LLWWWTemba Bavuma is coming on the back of successive T20I ducks•Associated Press

In the spotlight

Four-ball duck in Thiruvananthapuram. Seven-ball duck in Guwahati. What does Indore have in store? Temba Bavuma’s T20 form and approach have been under much scrutiny. The debates rage on about whether he’s the best player to lead South Africa in this format. That he didn’t attract any bids at the SA20 auction last month has magnified his struggles even more. Some runs and confidence will be welcome heading into Australia. At Holkar stadium, a good pitch and small boundaries await. Can he turn the tide?Arshdeep Singh is just 13 T20Is old but has already seen different ends of the emotional spectrum. At the Asia Cup, he was at the centre of merciless trolling for a dropped catch in a tight game against Pakistan. He bounced back with superb final overs even though it didn’t translate into Indian victories. In Guwahati, he came in on the high of a three-wicket over that set up India’s win but got his radar wrong and was taken apart for 62 off his full quota. With a huge cloud over Bumrah, Arshdeep will want to do everything he can to stay in contention because there are a lot of options at India’s disposal.

Team news

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been given a short break to head home and recuperate before departing for the T20 World Cup on October 6. This could mean an opportunity for Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to get some batting time out in the middle. Shahbaz Ahmed, the batting allrounder, may also stand a chance of making his India debut.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Rishabh Pant (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 R Ashwin, 11 Arshdeep Singh2:05

Rahul: ‘When batting first, we always try to be aggressive and take a lot of risks’

South Africa will want to win and may not want to experiment too much. Can they find a way to fit in Reeza Hendricks though?South Africa (probable): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Rilee Rossouw/Reeza Hendricks, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

Indore is known to provide batting belters. It’s also one of the smallest grounds in India. Is there more to be said? Expect a high-scoring encounter. There could be a hint of dew in the second half that could make it easier for the team chasing.

Stats and trivia

• Arshdeep’s 62 were the second-most runs conceded by an India bowler in T20I cricket.
• In T20Is, South Africa haven’t conceded more than the 237 they did in Guwahati
• On Sunday, Rohit became the first Indian to feature in 400 T20s
• The Indore T20I will be India’s 31st in 2022, the most-ever by a team in a calendar year
• Quinton de Kock is 36 short of being the second South African to 2000 T20I runs; Miller became the first in Guwahati

Surrey seamers snare 15 wickets between them in comfortable win at Edgbaston

David Hopps29-Apr-2023If ever a day’s cricket warranted a trigger warning for the weather-ravaged occupants of the Hollies Stand, this was it. Expectations that Warwickshire could take the game deep into the final day were banished as Surrey took clinical advantage of ideal bowling conditions to brush their second innings aside in 40 overs, the match over with virtually a day and a session to spare.Five wickets for Kemar Roach brought him 8 for 67 in the match and took him past 500 first-class wickets; three for Dan Worrall took his tally to 7 for 93. Much is made of how much they enjoy bowling together and with these sorts of returns, it could hardly be a more satisfying alliance.”Kemar and Dan complement each other perfectly,” said Surrey’s coach Gareth Batty. “They are basic opposites which is great. They are highly-skilled, highly intelligent and with the experience to back it up. We have passed a few numbers their way and said, ‘look we just need to tighten up in certain areas, and the response has been through the roof.”Only Ed Barnard’s 49 saved Warwickshire from an innings defeat and even he bashed the ground in frustration when he was ninth out, nicking a rising ball from Worrall to the wicketkeeper. It all ended with a chucklesome tail-enders’ run out between Chris Rushworth and Oliver Hannon-Dalby with Hannon-Dalby’s series of indecisive, tiny steps down the pitch, after he had pushed the ball into the leg side, turning Rushworth’s brain to mush.Previous dispatches from Edgbaston might have intimated that Surrey and Warwickshire were the two most bloody-minded counties in Division One, both capable of soaking up considerable punishment yet still coming back for more. Well, they probably are. That is a measure of Surrey’s achievement in breaking the game in such startling fashion.Alec Stewart, their director of cricket, ably backed up by Batty and and skipper Rory Burns, have re-established the sort of Surrey dominance that was felt in the 1950s and again at the turn of the century. On and off the field, they are setting the standards. The Championship cannot be settled in April, especially by a side that has only won two matches in three, but it is already abundantly clear that they will take some stopping. Their sense of when to step up the tempo was another impressive element of their victory.Sixty-one runs in arrears with two Surrey wickets to get: for Warwickshire, the position at the start of play was ominous, especially in such a low-scoring match, but not quite irretrievable.In the Hollies, they settled in for the long haul, but things became ominous from the moment Worrall opened his shoulders and twice smote Hannon-Dalby heartily through mid-on. A pulled six against Chris Rushworth followed. A new ball that was only three deliveries old at start of play was becoming a little battered.Worrall made 35 from 24 balls before he perished at deep mid-on and by the time Jamie Smith was last out for 88 at deep midwicket, attempting an extravagant leg-side pick-up off one knee, 70 had been pummelled in 11 overs and Warwickshire’s deficit was 131. Batty dared to talk of Smith as a potential future England international.Surrey’s new-ball assault on either side of lunch was then of the highest order. By the time Roach and Worrall had drunk their fill, Warwickshire were 50 for 6 from 16 overs. A surface that had settled, but only slightly, when Warwickshire were bowling was still full of life, enlivened in part by a murky morning.Warwickshire’s coach, Mark Robinson, bemoaned: “We were on the wrong side of conditions for the first two days and did really well to stay in the game but then a bad hour costs us. We are an emerging team and an exciting team and it won’t be the only time we get beaten this season but we will have lots more wins to come, too.”Roach has had a wonderful game, a quality overseas player who seems to be utterly engaged with his task. He swung and seamed the ball throughout and nobody had more cause to rue that than Rob Yates, who was twice picked off in Roach’s second over. If Yates fell to a good delivery on the opening day, he received an unplayable one on this occasion, Roach attacking the left-hander from around the wicket and leaving him massively off the seam.Worrall’s addition of Alex Davies in the following over was also down to movement off the pitch, Cameron Steel holding on at third slip. Roach had soon befuddled Warwickshire’s batters so much that Sam Hain departed pushing at a wide one, and the left-handed Rhodes was lbw to one that failed to swing.Dan Mousley had resisted gamely in the first innings, but some discussion appeared to have taken place about a technique that Roach had dubbed “very different.” Worrall swung one very wide across him and he couldn’t resist, Dom Sibley holding the fourth slip catch in five.A run out would have been an ignominious addition, and Barnard narrowly avoided it, diving back into the crease to beat Worrall’s throw from mid on after Michaal Burgess had changed his mind over a single. Burgess soon fell, square cutting at Roach, who by then was threatening wickets no matter what he bowled.Surrey’s change bowlers had to settle for one wicket between them – Jordan Clark’s inswinger bowling Chris Woakes through the gate. But the clouds were darkening, the floodlights flickering into life and Burns, impatient to get on with it, even fashioned a change of ball. It was enough for the new-ball pair to return to enhance their figures.The 11 needed were meant to be secured by a collector’s-item opening pairing of Worrall and Tom Lawes. Why ever not? Apparently, neither of them has opened before at this level, and one of them hadn’t even dreamed of it, only for it to be all too much for Worrall who pulled one into the legside and fell for nought.

High-octane duel anticipated as two-time champions go head-to-head in Super Eight

Andrew Miller18-Jun-20243:29

Bishop: Confidence the key for West Indies at the business end

Match details

West Indies vs England
June 19, St Lucia, 8.30pm local time

Big picture:

After the angst they endured in the group stage, England have floated down to St Lucia on a wave of exhalation. Whatever happens in their T20 World Cup defence from hereon in, their avoidance of a humiliating first-round exit might yet prove to be as much of a fillip as four rousing wins from four. Their campaign can begin in earnest now, which is just as well, because they are about to bump into a team with no such concerns to weigh them down.England and West Indies are each competing for an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title, and the events at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Beausejour – a venue named in honour of the man who delivered the hosts those first two titles – could go some way towards confirming the readiness, or otherwise, of these two very real contenders for the crown.West Indies are fit, focused and firing on all cylinders. They come into this contest on an eight-match unbeaten run, and if there were a few early-tournament nerves on show in an anxious pair of Group C victories over Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, then their unmitigated thrashings of Uganda and a highly-rated Afghanistan have assuaged them in uncompromising fashion.Quite apart from the power of their recent victories, the range of West Indies’ match-winners has propelled them firmly into the title mix. From Andre Russell’s 71 from 29 balls against Australia in Perth, to Brandon King’s 79 from 45 against South Africa in Jamaica, via Roston Chase and Johnson Charles, and all the way through to Sherfane Rutherford’s innings-salvaging 68 not out against New Zealand and Nicholas Pooran’s ballistic 98 from 53 balls against Afghanistan, they’ve time and again showcased a batting line-up with complete faith in each other’s attributes, and an ability to stand up when called upon.Only the captain, Rovman Powell, has been short of recent runs, even though a 24-ball fifty in a warm-up match against Australia is sufficient proof that his eye is still firmly in. With Sammy ensconced as head coach, and instilling the same spirit of collective responsibility that powered their twin titles in 2012 and 2016, England know there’ll be no room for lapses if their mini-resurgence is to be translated into vital Super Eight points.There were certainly a few of those on show in their timid display against Australia in Barbados, most particularly in a middle-order that found it impossible to cut loose once the powerplay fielding restrictions had been lifted. At times in their trudge to a deeply one-sided 36-run loss, it was like watching their formless performances at the 50-over World Cup in India, a campaign that Jos Buttler had tried to pretend never happened in some notably terse media engagements at the start of this trip.The disjointed nature of England’s build-up is a partial excuse – after two wash-outs on home soil against Pakistan and three matches against Scotland, Oman and Namibia that saw them bat for a total of 13.2 overs, time in the middle has been a rarity, especially with Buttler and Phil Salt in a solid vein of form at the top. But these big-match players should have visualised enough scenarios in their time to make light of such straitened circumstances. They were spared a soggy exit by that break in the clouds in Antigua. Now’s the time to prove that they are worthy of the reprieve.

Form guide

West Indies: WWWWW
England: WWLWW

In the spotlight – Phil Salt and Gudakesh Motie

Go hard or go home. That has been Phil Salt‘s mantra throughout his T20 career, and right now, his unrelenting approach at the top of England’s order has never been more valuable. After flitting around the periphery for several seasons, Salt’s international breakthrough came against this same West Indies team back in December, when his back-to-back centuries in Grenada and Trinidad carried the attack back to the world’s most aggressive batting line-up, and reminded England of the fearlessness that they had so clearly mislaid in their 50-over World Cup defence. Given the truncated nature of their 20-over campaign to date, it’s hard to judge exactly how the middle-order is tracking, which means that impetus at the top could be all the more important as they seek their first major scalp of the campaign.In a power-packed line-up, there’s something unassuming about Gudakesh Motie‘s left-arm offerings, but as England discovered in December – and as seven wickets at 11.85 amply attest now – his relentless flight and guile has the ability to apply a handbrake to all manner of free-flowing teams, particularly ones quite as stacked with right-handers as England’s. In his first T20I encounter with Jos Buttler’s men, in Grenada six months ago, he returned the remarkable figures of 1 for 9 in four overs, then capped that impact with 3 for 24 in the series decider in Trinidad. Straightening the ball at the stumps from round the wicket might not seem the most complex of modus operandi, but if there’s an iota of assistance in a used surface in St Lucia, he’s likely to exploit it.

Team news

Not a lot of concerns for West Indies after a dominant display against Afghanistan, although they do have a handful of selection conundrums. Roston Chase and Shai Hope are competing for the same middle-order berth, while Romario Shepherd missed the last match for paternity leave, but is due back with the squad in good time for the match. He could slot back in ahead of Obed McCoy.West Indies (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope/Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd.England mixed it up a touch after the showers in Antigua had reduced their Namibia match to 11 overs, with Sam Curran and Chris Jordan both included to offer a wider range of death-bowling options. Both could keep their places, with Jordan’s death bowling and extra batting giving him an edge over Mark Wood. Will Jacks also seems likely to come back into the XI, potentially down the order at No. 6, with Liam Livingstone missing training due to a sickness bug – but having recovered from the side niggle he suffered against Namibia.England (possible): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

This will be another outing for the belter of a surface on which West Indies racked up 218 for 5 against Afghanistan on Monday, so a high-scoring contest is in prospect. The dimensions are a touch lop-sided, 63 metres on one square boundary, compared to 72 metres on the other, but the prevailing wind tends to blow to the longer side, so the big hitters can expect some bang for their buck.

Stats and trivia

• England and West Indies duked it out in an entertaining T20I series in December, with West Indies winning 3-2 thanks to a four-wicket win in the decider in Trinidad.
• Moeen Ali and Obey McCoy each need one wicket to reach 50 in T20Is, while Akeal Hosein needs two more for the same milestone.
• England have played three previous T20Is in St Lucia, and have never yet lost a game. Two of those came during their triumph World T20 campaign in 2010, including a crushing semi-final victory over Sri Lanka. Most recently they beat West Indies by four wickets in March 2019.
• West Indies themselves have played in ten of the 21 T20Is at the venue, winning six of those, including five of their last six.

Quotes

“It’s good that we’re starting here and actually we play one game on it, before the start of the Super Eight. We’re a little bit accustomed to the bounce and accustomed the wicket. Hopefully that would suit us a little bit more than the Englishmen.”
“I think maybe the West Indies would be hopefully trying to get their own back for our fans that were so incredible… they’ll try and rally them and create this cauldron of an atmosphere tomorrow night. It’s going to be incredible.”

“When, as a batsman, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you’re playing good cricket”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2025Virat Kohli cut through the tension in yet another crucial chase to confirm India’s spot in the final of the Champions Trophy. His 84 off 98 in Dubai helped them chase down 265 against ODI World Cup holders, Australia, on a tricky pitch.”This game is all about pressure, especially big games like semis and finals, and if you go deep into the innings, and you have enough wickets in hand, the opposition usually gives in, and the game becomes easier,” Kohli said after picking up the Player-of-the-Match award. “It’s very important to control your impulses while the game is going on.”For me, what’s important is to know the number of overs and the number of runs left, even if the gap’s 25-30 and it comes to six an over, I’m not bothered if we have seven or six wickets in hand, because then you know, two set batters and we can turn the game around. The opposition can only come into the game with wickets. That was the plan out there.”Related

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Kohli went out to bat in the fifth over with India on 30 for 1. His 91-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer, followed by 44 and 47 with Axar Patel and KL Rahul respectively, took India close, before Rahul and Hardik Pandya applied the finishing touches.Fifty-six of Kohli’s 84 runs came in singles, and his 98-ball knock included just five fours and no sixes. Kohli, who had steered the chase against Pakistan at the same venue earlier in the tournament, said that the conditions dictated his approach.”It was pretty similar to the other day against Pakistan. That was about seven fours when I got to the hundred. For me, it’s about understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly, just rotating strike because partnerships – on this pitch – are the most important thing,” he said. “My only effort that day and today was to string in enough partnerships. It’s all dependent on the conditions; the pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played and I just switch on and play accordingly.”And so Kohli didn’t go chasing the boundaries, up until the 43rd over, when he backed himself to deposit Adam Zampa’s wrong’un beyond long-on but found the fielder.”My timing, the composure at the crease, I wasn’t feeling desperate,” Kohli said. “I was happy knocking ones around. When, as a batsman, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you’re playing good cricket, and you know you’re in for a big partnership, settle the nerves down a little bit, and head towards chasing the total down. That, for me, in the game against Pakistan and today, was the most pleasing thing for me.”Now India will wait on the winner of the New Zealand-South Africa semi-final, which will take place in Lahore on Wednesday. On Sunday, they will meet the winner of that bout in the final in Dubai.