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A victory at Hagley Oval will also take New Zealand to the top of the ICC Test rankings

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2022

Big picture

New Zealand are on the brink of history but, from talking to the team, you’d barely know it. Neil Wagner described their win in the first Test over South Africa as “no different to any of the others,” but it is. Wagner, nor any of his team-mates had ever been part of a Test XI that have won a match against South Africa. That last happened for New Zealand in 2004, when Wagner was still a South African. New Zealand have also never won a Test series against South Africa and have lost 13 out of 16, including the last six. Over the next five days, they have an opportunity to change that.Even a draw at Hagley Oval – though an unlikely possibility given conditions and history – will give New Zealand victory over the only Full Member they’ve played that they do not have a series win against. A triumph for New Zealand will see them sweep the series, go top of the ICC Test rankings and will keep them on track in the World Test Championship points race. All that without the retired Ross Taylor, injured Kane Williamson, and paternity-leave absentee Trent Boult should mark a very satisfying home Test summer for New Zealand, who next play away, in England.Related

• Tom Latham and New Zealand chasing 'as many WTC points as possible'

• Wagner: Winning against South Africa 'no different to any of the other ones'

• Stats – South Africa's second-worst defeat ever, Tim Southee's home record

South Africa are also heading to the UK, but only after hosting Bangladesh at home first and will not want to go into that series looking in worse shape than they have over the last eight months. After a Test series in West Indies, a better-than-expected T20 World Cup and an against-the-odds home Test series win over India, things were looking up but they slumped to their second-biggest defeat in their history in the first Test and some will wonder if it’s one step forward and several back.Perhaps there’s comfort in knowing they are not at full strength after newly installed No. 3 Keegan Petersen missed the tour and Lungi Ngidi sat out the first match but South Africa believe they have unearthed a deeper talent pool and will want to prove that. They’re also known for working their way back from impossible situations and having their backs to the wall tends to bring out the best in them, which bodes well for the second Test, at least, lasting longer than the first.The opening Test was over in seven sessions and though the venue has not changed, South Africa promise their headspace has. It will still be a battle of bowlers but with the way South Africa collapsed last week and New Zealand prospered on the same strip, this is more likely to be a measure of which line-up adjusts better and shows the fortitude to go the distance.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWLLDSouth Africa LWWLW

In the spotlight

He went largely unnoticed next to Matt Henry and Tim Southee’s record-breaking performance and Wagner’s brute force against his former countrymen, but Kyle Jamieson was equally important to piling pressure on South Africa. He conceded at under two runs an over in the first innings and was instrumental in holding an end while Henry ran through South Africa. With his height – just a shade shorter than Marco Jansen at 2.03 metres – Jamieson generates awkward bounce and he told local media he is also searching for some extra speed so he can move out of the 130kph range and more consistently into 140kph territory. If he gets it right, he would be the scariest seamer New Zealand have.South Africa’s entire batting line-up is under scrutiny, including the position of wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne . His Test career is only five matches old but Verreynne has yet to demonstrate the kind of batting that took his first-class average to over 50 or reputation for being an aggressive stroke-maker. He has had limited opportunity but averages 15.42 from seven Test innings and has not yet crossed 30. Crucially, he has conceded 46 byes in five innings and appears to have some tightening up of his game behind the stumps. With Ryan Rickleton breathing down his neck, with an average of over 100 this season and reasonable form with the gloves, Verreynne may have to make the most of this chance or risk being swapped out for the home Tests against Bangladesh.

Team news

South Africa are likely to bench Aiden Markram, who averages 9.7 from his last 10 Test innings, but whether that creates room for Rickleton will depend on whether they feel they need an extra bowler. With Ngidi needing another two weeks to recover from a back injury, South Africa may look for insurance from allrounder Wiaan Mulder or spinner Keshav Maharaj and cut the line-up to six batters, but if they choose to include a seventh, Rickleton could debut. Glenton Stuurman had a difficult debut and could be replaced by Lutho Sipamla.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Sarel Erwee, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 6 Zubayr Hamza, 7 Wiaan Mulder/Keshav Maharaj, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Kagiso Rabada 10 Duanne Olivier, 11 Lutho SipamlaTrent Boult has returned from paternity leave but does not have the bowling loads to be considered for this Test, which should allow Henry to keep his place.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Matt Henry

Pitch and conditions

The second Test will be played at the same venue but on a different pitch and New Zealand’s centurion from the first Test, Henry Nicholls, expects conditions to remain the same. Two days out from the match starting, he had not seen the pitch but assumed it looked pretty green and said that doesn’t mean run-scoring needs to be laboured. “It’s going to offer a bit to the bowlers but it does offer scoring opportunities,” Nicholls said. South Africa’s vice-captain Temba Bavuma was more hopeful that there’d be less bite. With warmer weather in the lead-up to this match, he hoped it would be pleasant for batting. Temperatures are set to stay in the high teens, with no rain forecast, but cloudy conditions for day three.

Stats and trivia

The three wickets Rashid Khan took in the chase took him to No. 1 on the wicket-taker’s list in men’s T20Is

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-2025Afghanistan survived a brief scare from Muhammad Waseem to ultimately secure a comfortable 38-run victory, their first of the competition, on Monday. As so often, it was Rashid Khan who led the way for them, his 3 for 21 derailing the UAE at a critical juncture midway through their innings just when they looked to have made a fist of chasing 189. He also became the highest wicket-taker in men’s T20Is in the process.That target was set thanks to half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, whose 84-run partnership put their side on course after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. UAE turned in a better bowling performance than they did against Pakistan, with their seam bowlers keeping Afghanistan quiet for the most part through the powerplay and then in phases during the middle overs, but paid the price for losing their discipline at the death. A priceless cameo from Karim Janat in the penultimate over meant 22 runs were added, and helped Afghanistan finish above par.UAE rely so often on Waseem for a realistic shot, and that’s exactly what he provided as he flew out of the blocks. They suffered none of the early difficulties Afghanistan had at the start as they stayed ahead of the asking rate thanks largely to their captain. But it always had the feel of a solo effort, and when he was dismissed, no one could replicate that scoring rate, and Afghanistan had enough on the scoreboard, and with the ball, to make the win look cushier than it once looked.

Early jitters

The pressure was squarely on Afghanistan at the start, having lost the toss and beginning the day at the bottom of the table. That pressure was compounded after Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Rohid got through three tight overs that allowed just 16, before Rohid drew an edge from a struggling Gurbaz to send him on his way. Atal and Ibrahim saw through a further couple of overs with the first five overs of the powerplay decisively going the home side’s way.

Afghanistan turn it around

But UAE introduced seam bowler Saghir Khan for the final over of the powerplay, and the pair saw an opportunity. A slot ball first up was whipped over midwicket, and Saghir’s lengths didn’t improve as the over went on. Afghanistan plundered 18 from it, and it set the partnership on its way.Atal picked his moments through the remainder of the partnership, finding a four or a six just about every over, with Ibrahim cashing in when Dhruv Parashar sent down an errant over. It wasn’t until the Afghanistan 100 was brought up that UAE finally broke the partnership, but with eight overs to go, Afghanistan had the platform they needed to launch.Ibrahim Zadran made 63 in 40 balls•Emirates Cricket Board

Dash at the death

And launch they did. Throughout much of the innings, UAE had held on to Afghanistan’s coattails, making sure they never pulled too far ahead. That faded in the final four overs, though, as the wheels came off for the hosts and Afghanistan’s lower-middle order plundered 49 off the following three overs.Azmatullah Omarzai – whose cameo was pivotal to his side’s acceleration – triggered the gear change with a six over the on side, with Ibrahim matching him later in the over. Omarzai would go after Saghir too, but it was Janat’s takedown of Rohid – who had given away just 12 in his first three and taken two wickets – that took the game out of the UAE’s hands. Two sixes and two fours saw Rohid bleed 22, and though Siddique would follow with a sensational final over, the damage by now had been done.

Rashid triggers implosion

Talismanic captain Waseem had put UAE on course with another excellent display that combined power with timing and judiciousness, keeping up with the asking rate without appearing to take too many risks. There were imperious signs that belligerence would continue unabated when he piledrove Rashid for a straight six over the sight screen in his second over; by the end of the ninth over, they required just over nine with eight wickets still in hand.All of that changed in four deliveries. Waseem miscued one off Sharafudin Ashraf and was gone for a 37-ball 67, leaving Asif Khan to try and repeat the heroics that came in vain against Pakistan.The first ball he faced off Rashid, though, Asif misread the turn, and found his off stump rattled. UAE’s two main attacking threats gone and the asking rate climbing, Rashid sliced through the batting, polishing off Ethan D’Souza and Parashar to finish his spell. By now, the asking rate had climbed to nearly 16, and only an unbeaten half-century from Rahul Chopra, achieved with a six off the game’s final ball, reduced Afghanistan’s margin of victory.

Cameron Bancroft took a blinding catch at slip on the final day to cap a fine match

AAP29-Oct-2023Joel Paris ripped through South Australia’s batting to take a career-best 11 wickets for the match, bowling Western Australia to a 200-run Sheffield Shield win in Adelaide.After WA declared overnight and set South Australia 355 on the final day to win, Paris claimed figures of 5 for 39 to have the Redbacks all out for 154.Paris took the first two wickets, before coming back to finish the job early in the final session. No South Australian passed 30 in their second innings, as they surrendered inside 63 overs.Related

• Bancroft builds Test case with another Shield century

• New South Wales' Sheffield Shield misery continues with MCG thrashing

After taking 6 for 74 in the first innings to have the Redbacks all out for 264, Paris was a handful on Sunday in his first Shield match of the summer due to a hamstring injury.While his career has been stalled by injury in recent years, Paris has never been far from selectors’ thoughts after playing two ODIs for Australia in 2016.So highly is he regarded, he was told during this year’s Ashes to be ready to join the squad as cover for Mitchell Starc if the left-armer went down with injury.The 30-year-old set the tone early when he drew South Australian opener Kelvin Smith’s edge, discarding him for a duck. Paris also had Daniel Drew caught pulling, superbly taken by Hilton Cartwright with one arm above his head at midwicket.Liam Haskett made an impact on the final day against South Australia•Getty Images

Cameron Bancroft also took a great catch off Paris, fully outstretched to his left at second slip to remove Jake Lehmann for 6.If Paris was Western Australia’s best in the match, Bancroft wasn’t far behind with 57 in their first-innings 241 before he hit an even 100 in the visitors’ second dig.Considered third-in-line at the start of the summer to replace the retiring David Warner after the Sydney Test, Bancroft is now averaging 92.50 this season.With his fielding also on song, he is making a compelling case to move ahead of both Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw in the eyes of Australian selectors.”He’s doing all he possibly can do at the moment,” WA coach Adam Voges said. “He was outstanding all of last season, he has started this season like he did last year. He is the premier, form batsman of the competition.”After Bancroft’s neat work in the field, Paris then returned to finish the match after tea when he took the edges of both Harry Conway and Wes Agar.WA’s other left-armer Liam Haskett took 3 for 31, while spinner Corey Rocchiccioli claimed 2 for 59 in the side’s second Shield win of the summer.The loss marked South Australia’s second defeat in three games to start the season, leaving them in fourth spot on the ladder.”It’s pretty disappointing,” coach Jason Gillespie said. “In three Shield games, we’ve had seven individual scores above 40. We just can’t keep having these performances. We need to be better.”

Six men’s titles in two seasons has cemented this WA side as the dominant force in the Australian game

Tristan Lavalette26-Mar-2023Not long after Cameron Bancroft’s boundary sealed Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield title defence, those left marvelling at cricket’s undisputed domestic powerhouse were trying to pinpoint their seemingly magical formula for success.WA’s nine-wicket victory over Victoria in the final at the capped their second straight season of capturing a treble of domestic titles when put alongside Perth Scorchers’ BBL successes.Even though the hierarchy at the WACA prefer a measured approach, which is drilled down into their players, talk of a dynasty was unavoidable after WA had won their sixth straight title.Victoria coach Chris Rogers is perhaps well placed to judge where this WA team stacks up in history having been at the helm of consecutive unsuccessful Shield finals against his home state.Related

• Inglis ton, Agar five-for power Western Australia to Marsh Cup title

• 'I thought that my red-ball career had passed me by' – Turner after drought-breaking century

• Western Australia's trophy surge continues with back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles

As a gritty opener, Rogers was coming through the WA ranks during the late 1990s when the stacked team was led by legendary skipper Tom Moody and featured Test legends Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Mike Hussey amongst others.He sees parallels with the likes of teenaged Teague Wyllie and emerging allrounder Aaron Hardie destined for international opportunities having played valuable roles in WA’s back-to-back Shield triumphs.”I started playing when we had all the legends under Tom Moody and that was an incredible side and this side is doing great things if not better than that era,” Rogers said. “They’ve got a great squad and amazing depth.”WA’s eventual comprehensive triumph masked periods in a see-saw of final where they were seriously challenged by an emerging Victoria looking to kick-start a successful era of their own.Like they’ve shown repeatedly in recent years through the various formats, WA proved decisive in key moments especially on day two when they slumped to 4 for 53 in their first innings in reply to Victoria’s 195.
On a green-tinged surface against a strong Victoria attack, WA was in a precarious position until composed veteran Ashton Turner came to the rescue with a game-changing cavalier century to restore his team’s advantage.He combined in key partnerships with Hardie, Josh Philippe and Joel Paris to deflate Victoria who could never recover.”We speak as a group a lot about key moments in games and a theme for this week was ‘walk towards the pressure’,” said Paris, who combined with Turner in an invaluable 105-run partnership while also taking five wickets for the match.”They put a lot of pressure on us. Ash and I spoke about how we wanted to keep them out there as long as possible. We cashed in on the back end and got us to the lead which made it really tough for them.”WA’s sustained success has been built around a local core and continuity with the only change from last year’s title-winning side being Turner replacing recently retired Shaun Marsh.”All of us are from WA originally. A lot of the players have played together or against each other since we were playing Under 9s and 10s,” Paris said. “When you’re on the road as much as we are throughout the season, the closeness of the group is super important.”We understand each other as cricketers and people better than anyone and that certainly goes a long way when we’re out in the middle.”Ashton Turner has not been a regular in red-ball cricket but played the defining innings•Getty Images

The tight knit nature of the playing group memorably reared when Turner reached his first Shield century in more than five years, triggering raw emotion from his teammates in the dressing room.”My favourite moment was seeing AT score a hundred,” said Bancroft, who was part of all three titles this season. “It’s been a big journey for him in red-ball cricket. He spoke that morning [on day two] about being really brave and taking the game on, which is what he does best. To watch that come into action was pretty special and something all the team is proud of.”The camaraderie is a far cry from the dark days of WA cricket in the 2000s during a period marked by ill-discipline and little silverware leading to the recruitment of Langer as coach in 2012.”We’ve been building for some time. [The turnaround] probably started when JL came on board and he showed the core group of players that we have now what it truly means to be professional athletes and professional cricketers,” Paris said. “Winning Shield titles is so hard. We’ve identified this as a special group….I’m really lucky to be a part of.”While WA’s players were diplomatic of their feats as per the organisation’s well-worn mantra, the revelry was starting to kick-in from the terraces with those involved savouring this new golden era.”Six titles in a couple of years is pretty unheard of. The challenge is to keep being consistent,” Bancroft said. “But that’s not a conversation for today. We’ll enjoy tonight and this win.”

Paul Collingwood has played down England’s growing injury list ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009Paul Collingwood has played down England’s growing injury list ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday following the side’s four-wicket defeat against South Africa A in Bloemfontein.England went into the match without their three frontline quicks with James Anderson (knee), Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graham Onions (back) all on the sidelines. With Andrew Strauss not considered for the Twenty20 team it left Collingwood only 11 fit players and towards the end of the game Graeme Swann also left the field with a tight thigh.However, Swann’s problem was said to be minor and the medical staff were not overly concerned, while Anderson and Onions are expected to be in contention to face South Africa at the Wanderers. Broad, though, is struggling to recover in time for the Twenty20 matches and is unlikely to be risked before the one-day series begins at the end of next week.”I think he [Broad] is going to be doubtful. I mean it’s pretty much going to take a miracle if he’s going to be fit for the Twenty20s,” Collingwood told reporters. “He has been very sore on the shoulder there, but he’s progressing well, so hopefully he’ll be available for the first one-dayer.”Jimmy’s just a little bit stiff in the right knee, but again he should be fit for Friday and Graham Onions will come back into the reckoning as well. [Swann] came off with a stiff side, but he’s spoken to the medical staff and they don’t seem to be too concerned.”After a promising opening to the tour, with two convincing warm-up victories against the Eagles and Warriors, this is a more familiar feel to England’s overseas expeditions with defeat against a second-string side and a list of injury worries. At the same time South Africa were hitting their stride against Zimbabwe, but Collingwood has his fingers crossed that the team have got their bad performance out of the way.”I’m hoping tonight is just a blip. We’ve done a lot of good stuff so far on this tour,” he said. “Obviously Twenty20 cricket’s a different format of the game – you’re a bit more rushed out in the middle. We’ll obviously come out of this, we’ll learn from it, we’ll discuss it before Friday and hopefully put on a better performance.”I never like losing, but I think sometimes it is going to be a little bit of a reality check as well. Tonight we got one of the disciplines wrong. That’s the area we’ve got to bounce back from and do better on Friday.”

The auction will take place in Mumbai on Wednesday, and the winners will be determined through a closed-bid process

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jan-20231:59

Healy: ‘WIPL is next step for the game’

Seventeen bidders, including seven entities that own men’s IPL teams, will participate in the BCCI’s January 25 auction to buy the five women’s IPL franchisees ahead of the inaugural edition in March. The auction will take place in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, and the winners will be determined through a closed-bid process.A key eligibility criterion for bidding, as listed by the BCCI as part of clearing the technical-bid process, was for the bidders to have audited net worth of at least INR 1000 crore as of March 31, 2022. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the groups that own IPL teams Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals have submitted the technical bids on Monday’s deadline day.The other three men’s IPL franchises – Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants – opted not to enter the bidding process though they did buy the tender document.Related

• BCCI invites 'reputed entities' to bid for WIPL teams

• Healy – 'WIPLwill change women's cricket for the better'

Among other business entities that will be part of the financial bids are Adani Group, Capri Global, Haldiram’s Group, Torrent Pharma, Apollo Pipes, Amrit Leela Enterprises, Shriram Group and Slingshot 369 Ventures Private Limited.The BCCI has listed ten Indian cities and the venues in the tender document, which allows a single party to bid for more than one city. There is no base price set, and bids will be accepted for a ten-year period – 2023 to 2032. The ten shortlisted cities and venues are Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi Stadium, capacity 112,560), Kolkata (Eden Gardens, 65,000), Chennai (MA Chidambaram Stadium, 50,000), Bengaluru (M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 42,000), Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium, 55,000), Dharamsala (HPCA stadium, 20,900), Guwahati (Barsapara Stadium, 38,650), Indore (Holkar Stadium, 26,900), Lucknow (AB Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, 48,800) and Mumbai (Wankhede/DY Patil/Brabourne Stadiums).

Auction purse of INR 12 crore to build each team

An auction purse of INR 12 crore would be available for each franchise to build their squads for the first season.The BCCI has not yet formally announced the auction date, but it is expected to be in the first week of February.In the bid document, the BCCI has mentioned that squad sizes would have to be between 15 and 18. A total of seven overseas players would be allowed in each squad, including those from Associate countries. As for playing XIs, there is a cap of five overseas players including one from an Associate country.The inaugural season of the women’s IPL is likely to be played between March 5 and March 23, but a final schedule is still being worked out.

Both teams look to avoid hat-trick of losses as the race for the playoffs heats up

The Preview by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-20196:00

Kartik: Kings XI seamers need to back the Ashwins

Big picture

It’s the final week of league matches, and it’s fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad taking fifth-placed Kings XI Punjab at home, with only net run-rate separating them. It means that the match could retrospectively be viewed as a potential quarter-final, with the winner enjoying a two-point gap between them and the bottom four teams, while the loser’s playoff fate will then ride on a host of other results.Kings XI have suffered back-to-back losses and still appear to be susceptible when KL Rahul or Chris Gayle don’t find runs. Their pacers have been expensive, but R Ashwin has ensured the team’s through process hasn’t changed in defeat. They’ve picked XIs according to conditions and could consider big-match player Sam Curran to strengthen their bowling options in a crunch fixture.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: lost to Royals by 7 wickets, lost to Super Kings by 6 wickets, beat Knight Riders by 9 wickets (most recent matches first)
Kings XI Punjab: lost to Royal Challengers by 17 runs, lost to Capitals by 5 wickets, beat Royals by 12 runs

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, their only two bright spots are the forms of David Warner and Manish Pandey, who started poorly. Warner went past 600 IPL runs in the last game, but what’s worrying is they can’t stitch together wins despite those runs. Whether Kane Williamson is the best replacement for Jonny Bairstow as Sunrisers opener, is another thing for them to consider.Wriddhiman Saha – who played as a finisher in their last game – doesn’t possess the muscle to clear boundaries at the death, and Sunrisers may need to shaft him as Warner’s partner if they are considering a tweak to strengthen the middle order.That middle order has been Sunisers’ achilles heel, with Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Nabi and Shakib-Al-Hasan scoring at a strike-rate of less than 120 between overs 11 and 20. Sunrisers’ Nos. 4 to 7 have played the least number of balls among all teams in IPL 2019, have the lowest run-rate (6.40), take the least balls to lose a wicket (12.9) and need the most balls to score a boundary (11.8) this season.All that reliability on Warner and Bairstow early on is now coming to haunt them. Recent history, however, does back Sunrisers. Kings XI have not beaten them in the last four games at Hyderabad, and have won only one of their six away games this season.Chris Gayle departs for 16•BCCI

Previous meeting

Kings XI batsmen and childhood friends KL Rahul (71) and Mayank Agarwal (53) put on a 114-run second-wicket stand to help them beat Sunrisers by six wickets at Mohali. In the first innings, Ankit Rajpoot’s 0 for 21 restricted Sunrisers to only 150 with Warner (62-ball 70*) unable to find his range.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Sandeep SharmaKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Sam Curran, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Hardus Viljoen, 9 Mohammad Shami, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Ankit Rajpoot

Strategy punt

• It’s time for Sunrisers to unleash Rashid – the batsman – especially when there are few overs left. Yusuf Pathan and Hooda have disappointed as finishers, and since IPL 2018, Rashid has a strike-rate of 180 between overs 16 and 20. In that period, he hits a boundary every 3.87 deliveries in the IPL.
• Kings XI should aim to bat Curran as high as possible. In all T20s, he strikes at 192.31 in the two times he’s batted in the Powerplay, compared to strike-rates of 97.80 and 136.45 between overs 7-15 and 16-20 respectively.
• Mohammad Nabi could open the bowling for Sunrisers as a potential match-up for the left-handed Gayle and the ball turning away from him. Kings XI, too, could throw in their trump card Nicholas Pooran early if Nabi takes an early wicket. Despite being a left-handed batsmen, Pooran averages 226 against offspin since 2018. He’s been dismissed by the offspinners only once in 20 innings.

Stats that matter

• Siddarth Kaul and Rashid need just one more wicket to reach 50 IPL scalps.
• Among all IPL teams, Sunrisers have the highest run-rate in the Powerplay (9.00) but the lowest between overs 16 and 20 (8.90). Their opponents Kings XI have the highest run-rate between overs 7 to 15 (8.80).
• As for the bowlers, Sunrisers’ economy of 7.20 in the Powerplay is the best in IPL 2019 while Kings XI’s economy of 9.20 in the same period is the worst.
• Kings XI have lost five of their six away games in IPL 2019. Their only away win was their first match of the season, now famous for the Ashwin-Jos Buttler run-out incident.

James Sutherland was able to push one of his missions as Cricket Australia CEO around watching his daughter forge a cricket career

Daniel Brettig16-Jan-2020Annabel Sutherland knows as well as anyone that outward displays of emotion have never come too easily to her father. And for 17 years as Cricket Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland wisely thought it best to maintain plenty of reserve in his frequent public appearances to discuss the game and, more often than not, its various ills.However, the news that Annabel had been chosen, to a degree from left field, for Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, brought a rush of happiness and realisation to James that had him shedding tears of joy, to an extent that even his wife Heidi had never witnessed before.”They were actually playing golf at the time so mum eventually rang back after I’d called her a couple of times – you’re not exactly meant to have your phone on the golf course – but I broke the news and they were really, really excited for me,” Annabel Sutherland said. “We’re a pretty sporty family so we’re all really supportive of each other and want each other to do well. They were proud. Mum did tell me she reckons Dad had a bit of a tear, I’m not sure how much truth there is to that, but just really proud and excited for me.”ALSO READ: ‘Pressure is defending your home from bushfires’ – Australia’s perspective on World Cup challengeSpeaking to ESPNcricinfo, James Sutherland’s recollection of last Friday’s revelation was not too dissimilar, as a somewhat terse exchange interrupting the tranquility of a morning round of golf quickly changed to something very different indeed.”I can recall Heidi saying to Annabel ‘I’ve got to be quick because you’re not meant to speak on the golf course, this better be important’, and then Annabel told her and Heidi nearly dropped the phone,” he said. “Then she told me and it certainly stopped me in my tracks, let’s put it that way.”When I became CEO she hadn’t even been born, Heidi was pregnant with Annabel in 2001 and we had that conversation about ‘we’re about to have our second child and how’s it going to be with the job’. So 17 years in the job and 18 years later she gets picked for Australia, so her life has been very much exposed to cricket through what I’ve been doing and the family’s involvement in the game, her two brothers both play and they’re incredibly supportive of each other.Annabel Sutherland in action during the series against India A•Getty Images

“Over the years I’ve seen the pride that parents have for their kids going on to play for Australia, and it’s certainly a reality hit when it’s your own. We’re all still pinching ourselves, incredibly proud of her, and continually proud at the way she’s been able to step up and take her opportunities.”There was more to this, of course, than the tears of a proud father for his daughter. More, perhaps, than even Annabel had known. For it was through her love of cricket and interest in playing it that James, as CA’s chief executive, was thrust down from the high vantage point of a leading administrator to the far humbler one of a parent trying to find opportunities for his child to play the game, when her older and younger brothers, Will and Tom, could do so far more readily.”I felt I was a great proponent of the trial integration of CA with Women’s Cricket Australia and very supportive I felt of the women’s game, but I actually didn’t realise how difficult it is for girls to play the game until I had a daughter who loved the game and wanted to play it,” he said. “A place for them to play, an environment where they’re coached as individuals rather than just amongst a boys’ team.”The better girls’ players of today have largely grown up in an environment where they had to be very courageous to play cricket, because they grew up in an environment where they were often playing in a boys’ team. That’s great, good on them, but it’s not an environment where you’re going to grow female participation in a really significant, exponential way.”We’re making inroads, but if you want to play in a girls’ team, where’s the nearest team? Oh, it’s over the other side of town, so you’ve got to be affirmative, but it should be easier, it should be the ground next door. My passion for growing cricket as a sport for women and girls is not about Annabel, but it’s through her and our experiences as a family to understand that I’ve seen barriers to entry are a lot higher than I thought they were.”At the same time, Annabel found herself learning the game in the Sutherland family backyard alongside Will and Tom, honing all-round skills in large part because her elder brother enjoyed batting for as long as possible. “It’s always been me bowling more than I get a hit, because Will’s a bit of a backyard bully,” she said, laughing. “But that’s the role of an older brother, keep the younger siblings in check. We’re just super competitive and I remember bowling as fast and hard as I can because I just wanted a hit. It was probably the same for Will and Tom.”The gift that Annabel’s love for cricket provided the wider game was a fully engaged CA chief executive when the time came for major participation drives, better pay and conditions for the women’s national team, and ultimately the professionalisation of the game in Australia, where all state and WBBL contracted players can earn a living wage to play.”The opportunities within the pathway that have opened up over the last few years, she’s very fortunate to have come through at a time where that happened,” James Sutherland said. “People like Pat Howard will probably never get the credit he deserves for that, but he was absolute in trying to find ways for equal opportunity for girls in the game through that pathway and was ahead of his time in understanding how the professionalism of the game was going. But that also only takes you to a place that’s even more respectful of previous generations of women and how difficult it was for them – some are still part of the Australian team today who had it tough trying to do part-time, jobs, part-time study and manage it all.”James and Heidi Sutherland: ‘I can recall Heidi saying to Annabel ‘I’ve got to be quick because you’re not meant to speak on the golf course, this better be important’, and then Annabel told her and Heidi nearly dropped the phone.’•Getty Images

There is a slight irony here in that Annabel feels her own cricket has benefited from running parallel with her Year 12 studies in 2019, and university study of science at Melbourne University in 2020 and beyond. But the fact that she and so many others now have so many more options is a major reason for why Australia’s selectors have been blessed with such a raft of talent to choose from.”I’m planning to do uni still, part-time,” Annabel said. “I find it really important to have something else, so I’ve had school for the last few years and I think I’ll continue to try to have something on the sidelines just ticking along that’ll go hand in hand with my cricket. I’d just be keen to keep ticking off subjects hopefully and get a couple done this semester.”I did get my driver’s licence at the end of last year, which has given me a little bit more freedom. I think mum’s relieved, a few less hours in the car. And finishing Year 12 was exciting, I didn’t go on schoolies, but I heard the updates from a few of my friends – we had Big Bash through that period so it’s been a busy few months.”Following sturdy WBBL displays, Annabel appeared to rise to another level in recent WNCL matches for Victoria, helping the selectors make what is, by the coach Matthew Mott’s admission, a calculated gamble. In this the team’s decision-makers are taking the sort of leap they once did by ushering the likes of Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry into the squad at a comparatively young age, but now with the knowledge that a fully professional system means the jump is nowhere near as dramatic.”That’s something that certainly as a selection group we’ve spoken a lot about, if we’re asking the players to be fearless and take the game on, in our selection we’ve got to reflect that as well,” Mott said. “That’s where the Annabel Sutherland selection is, the stats don’t necessarily say that she’s blown the competition away, but it’s a selection where we see her being a part of this team for a very long time, it’s a great opportunity to get her in and amongst this group.”And should Annabel find herself turning out for the national team in a tournament her father still has a hand in helming – he remains a part of the cup’s local organising committee – there may well be a few more of those tears of pride, now he has a little more latitude to shed them. “It’s a lot more enjoyable to be on the outskirts looking in,” he said. “It’s a good feeling on that front for all of us.”

Australia on brink of Ashes retention after remarkable half-century draws sting out of England attack

The Report by Andrew Miller07-Sep-2019England 301 (Burns 81, Root 71, Hazlewood 4-57) and 18 for 2 need another 365 runs to beat Australia 497 for 8 (Smith 211, Labuschagne 67) and 186 for 6 dec (Smith 82)

It’s been suspected all summer long, but at last we have definitive proof. Steven Smith is playing a different game to the rest of the combatants in this Ashes series. How else do you explain the events of the fourth day at Old Trafford, a day on which his ninth consecutive Ashes half-century carried Australia to the brink of what will surely be their first successful defence of the Ashes in England since 2001.Hot on the heels of his 211 in the first innings, and into the teeth of a frenzied bowling onslaught from Stuart Broad and a reinvigorated Jofra Archer, Smith made light of Australia’s pre-tea scoreline of 44 for 4 to josh and flinch, and poke and swat his way to a bafflingly indomitable 82 from 92 balls.It was Smith’s lowest score of the series maybe, but incredibly, for the fourth time in five dismissals this summer, his departure was more or less self-inflicted. With a lead of 345 already in the bag and Australia straining for a late-evening declaration having bowled England out for 301 in their first innings, Smith’s inside-out carve picked out Ben Stokes at deep extra cover to complete a match aggregate of 293 runs – a tally which accounted for more than three-quarters of England’s eventual target of 383.Steve Smith reacts after slipping on the crease•AFP

Steadfast in adversity then cocksure once on top, Smith had to ride his luck against Broad in particular, who was magnificent, but backed his peerless judgement on an afternoon when the rest of Australia’s top five managed a top score of 12 between them. That included the hapless David Warner, to whom Broad delivered the first pair of his Test career, while bagging him for the sixth time this series, and for the seventh single-figure score out of eight in a grim campaign.And then, as if to confirm just how other-worldly Smith’s efforts really had been, in steamed Pat Cummins with the shadows looming at the start of a nervy mini-session for England’s top order. Four balls into his evening’s work, he had torn out the spine of England’s intended rearguard, inducing a third-ball leading edge to have Rory Burns caught in the covers for a duck, before serving up an absolute snorter that pinged the top of Joe Root’s off stump for a golden duck – the perfect line, the perfect pace, and – unlike the one that zagged into Root’s pads in the first innings – the perfect jag off the seam to beat the outside edge of his crestfallen bat.The rocks of England’s first-innings reply had been shattered, and though Jason Roy in his current form would have been Cummins’ dream pick for a hat-trick target, he endured to the close alongside Joe Denly to carry what remains of England’s fight into the fifth day. For let’s be realistic – for all that England hunted down 359 to complete the miracle of Headingley, this Old Trafford pitch is a different beast entirely, offering stump-threatening skid and late movement to those who pitch it up, not least the lesser-spotted Mitchell Starc, whose three wickets in the morning session had been a harbinger of the dramas to come.Starc had been Australia’s weak link at the start of England’s innings, bowling just 11 expensive overs on the third day as Cummins and Josh Hazlewood showed the way for their side with their devotion to sharp pace on a good length. But with England resuming 98 runs shy of saving the follow-on, and charged with extending their innings as deep into the day as possible, it was Starc’s swing that tore the stuffing out of their morning’s efforts. Jonny Bairstow was bowled on the drive by a hooping inswinger (for the 32nd time in his career) before that man Stokes succumbed for the first time since the Headingley first innings, expertly extracted by a curler on off stump that he couldn’t help but nudge to slip.For the remainder of England’s innings, it was hard to know whether to stick or twist – to reduce the deficit quickly before the wickets ran out, or to stick to the original gameplan of eating as much time out of the game as possible. In the event, it turned into a curious tribute to that Headingley run-chase, as the tail rallied around Jos Buttler to tick off the runs required for a small psychological win – the avoidance of a follow-on that Australia almost certainly would not have enforced anyway. They duly managed it, with Jack Leach once again resolute at No.11, but when Buttler missed a slog to be bowled for 41, the remaining deficit of 196 was still pretty daunting.When England emerged for Australia’s second innings, however, with Stokes – tellingly – giving the team-talk as they huddled before the first ball, it was clear that the spirit of Headingley was still infusing their self-belief. Six balls later, there could be no doubt at all. In spite of his flatlining form, Warner remains one of the most deadly second-innings batsmen in the game, especially when presented with the chance to build on a lead. Half an hour of his devil-may-care thumping could have cooked England’s goose by the tea-break. Instead he was thumped on the knee-roll by a pumped-up Broad, and sent on his way for his third duck in a row, a massively motivating scalp for the team and a partisan crowd.Six overs later, Broad repeated the dose to extract Marcus Harris in identical fashion – round the wicket, swinging in, pinned in front of middle and leg, and when Broad scuttled his second ball to Smith, who jammed his bat down late to dig it off his stumps, battle had been well and truly joined. Not least by Archer, who might well have been piqued by the reaction to his first-innings display, but was undoubtedly riled by the sledging he had received during a brief innings in which he had almost run himself out first ball.Suddenly his pace leapt back up by that missing 5mph, and the crowd revved up in response, as Marnus Labuschagne became the third lbw of the innings – again round the wicket, again clipping leg, and cheekily waved goodbye by Broad as he turned to offer some chat to the England huddle after unsuccessfully reviewing. Travis Head then had his middle stump dynamited on the same angle, as he too paid the price for engaging Archer in verbals in the course of an over that peaked at 93mph.But throughout it all, Smith batted with the abandon of a man who had already been batting for 319 balls on this surface. At times, he seemed so carefree he seemed liable to pop his own bubble, but such is Smith’s talent, that even when he seems not to be fully focused, he retains the wherewithal to avoid errors against the genuinely threatening deliveries, and to keep the score ticking ever upwards.Even so, Broad continued to hound him like few bowlers have managed since that Archer duel at Lord’s, and on 28, he came excruciatingly close to playing on as he dug out a yorker – the first ball of a new spell – and watched it trundle millimetres past his leg stump. And then, on 48, came the moment of near-genius that all but dislodged a genius. As Smith stooped to reverse-sweep the leaky spin of Leach, Stokes at slip saw him inverting his stance and sprinted to gully, where he dived to his right and all but clung onto a stunning catch in both hands. But the ball wriggled out and the moment was lost. So too, the last chance for England to dictate any remaining terms in the innings.By the close, the die was cast. England limped to 18 for 2 at stumps – an outstanding deficit of 365 that Stokes, Bairstow, Roy and Buttler would find a challenging ask in white-ball cricket, let alone red. Consecutive miracles is asking too much of any Ashes campaign. Especially when it’s the opposition’s star player who is batting like a God.

The allrounder is still building up to full capacity but Australia are never short of options with the ball

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2023Ellyse Perry’s knee injury could keep her from bowling for the entire white-ball series against West Indies that kicks off the women’s home summer.Perry hurt her left knee playing the second one-day international of Australia’s series against Ireland in July. The injury forced her out of the final match against the Irish, as well as England’s franchise tournament the Hundred.In early September, Cricket Australia (CA) named the 32-year-old allrounder in the squad for the white-ball series against West Indies that begins with a T20I at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.CA said at the time Perry was expected to be “fully available” for the six-match series, and on Tuesday she had her first competitive hit-out since July in a one-dayer for Victoria against Western Australia.Related

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Perry did not bowl in that match and said she may not do so again until after the West Indies series finishes in mid-October.”Nothing’s wrong, it’s just building workloads back up again so I’m fully prepared for the summer,” she said. “In terms of my full fitness, bowling will probably be something that I still work through across this series.”It might mean that I’m not available to bowl until late in the piece or perhaps towards the start of the WBBL.”Australia used Perry’s bowling sparingly during the white-ball legs of the women’s Ashes that preceded the Ireland tour and she has not sent down more than two overs in a T20I since the 2020 T20 World Cup.Australia are rarely short of bowling options in their limited-overs teams. Fellow allrounders Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath, Jess Jonassen and Georgia Wareham have all been selected in the squad to face West Indies.Perry shrugged at criticism of CA’s decision to schedule the first match of the women’s summer on the same day and in the same city as the NRL grand final.”The summer scheduling, and how much cricket we need to fit in, you can’t always get things 100 percent in a clear window,” she said. “Given the time of the match, being played early in the day, at a wonderful venue, there’s plenty of value in this fixture. I’m sure we’ll get a good crowd.”Perry played alongside Meg Lanning as Australia’s captain made her return to cricket this week following a four-month medical absence.Lanning hit a half-century in the first of two matches and CA is hopeful she will return to the national side later in the home summer. Perry heralded Lanning’s return to state cricket as a big step towards an Australia comeback.”That’s absolutely significant,” she said. “At the same time, it’s just significant that she’s back and she’s enjoying playing her cricket. She really just picked up where she left off in terms of her batting.”