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England cash in on 151-run first-innings lead thanks to brutal hitting on third day

Andrew Miller30-Nov-2024Close – New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) and 155 for 6 (Mitchell 31*, Smith 1*) lead England 499 (Brook 171, Stokes 80, Pope 77, Henry 4-84) by four runsFor a man who answers – as modestly as one can – to the nickname “Wizard”, Chris Woakes’ overseas record has become such a millstone that, in December last year, the man himself all but conceded his days as a touring Test cricketer were over, when he was omitted from England’s trip to India.But the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, and England’s insistence that their remodelled Test attack still needs a wise old head to lead it, have redefined his role within the squad. On the third day at Christchurch, he delivered the spell that justified that faith; three top-drawer wickets in New Zealand’s second innings, including the priceless scalp of a well-set Kane Williamson, that have put England within sight of victory in the first Test.Woakes dovetailed superbly with Brydon Carse, the newest addition to that seam attack, who utilised his heavy ball and unstinting energy to bomb his way to three wickets of his own, including Rachin Ravindra to his first ball of the evening session, and Glenn Phillips in the day’s closing moments.After two days of even toil, England had secured a day of outright dominance. It was set in motion by their belligerent batting in an overcast morning session, in which Harry Brook’s mighty 171 underpinned a total of 499 in 103 overs, and Ben Stokes made a hard-hitting 80, his highest score since the 2023 Ashes. Some free-wheeling hitting from an allrounder-stacked tail then put the seal on their innings, with Gus Atkinson and Carse clattering a total of 81 runs from 60 balls between them.Duly emboldened by a lead of 151, Woakes carried that attacking mindset into the field, serving up a performance that evoked his series-turning displays in the 2023 Ashes. He had gone wicketless across 20 overs in the first innings, reiterating those doubts in the process, but this time found an extra degree of nip from a fractionally fuller length, to finish the day with figures of 3 for 39 in 13 overs – already his third-best figures in 41 overseas innings.Woakes’ first breakthrough came with his ninth delivery of the innings. Tom Latham had been New Zealand’s most fluent performer on the opening day with a quickfire 47, but this time he played fractionally across the line to a wobble-seam delivery that straightened into his edge and looped to Brook at second slip for 1.Carse, bursting with energy once more, then struck in his first over as Devon Conway scuffed a pull to mid-on, where Atkinson stooped to gather a brilliant reaction catch, inches from the turf.Brydon Carse claimed the key wicket of Devon Conway•Joe Allison/Getty Images

Williamson and Rachin Ravindra confirmed that the pitch was still perfectly playable in reaching tea unscathed in a third-wicket stand of 39, with Williamson notching his 9,000th run in the process. But that serenity was shattered when Carse returned for the second over after the break, with no slips in situ and a clear intention to play on the batter’s ego. Ravindra duly went for broke first-ball, and Jacob Bethell backpedalled well at deep square leg to snap the trap shut.At 64 for 3, New Zealand were in desperate need of a partnership, and in Williamson and Daryl Mitchell – their outstanding performer on the 2022 tour of England – they found two wise heads who drew the sting from the situation, and set about nudging their team back towards the lead. But Woakes’ second spell cracked that resolve wide open.The signs that he’d found his rhythm were plain when Williamson, fresh from making his second fifty in a Test for the tenth occasion in his career, was forced into a brace of awkward fences past gully, and in his next over he produced the killer blow – a superb inducker that started on a tight off-stump line and kept coming back into Williamson’s pads, leaving him blowing his cheeks in exasperation as he called for the futile review.One ball later, Woakes was on a hat-trick – mobbed by his ecstatic team-mates in the process – as the out-of-form Tom Blundell was undone by the opposite delivery, one that nipped half a bat’s width away, and grazed the thinnest of edges through to the keeper. Glenn Phillips kept the hat-trick delivery out, and subsequently managed to erase the remaining deficit, but he couldn’t hold out to the close. Carse went wide on the crease, hit the pitch hard once more to find nip back off the seam, and umpire Rod Tucker’s onfield lbw verdict was upheld on umpire’s call.It continued a remarkable turnaround from England, who had been on the ropes at 71 for 4 early in their first innings, but scarcely took a backwards step after resuming on 319 for 5 in the morning session, a deficit of 29. Brook and Stokes both emerged with belligerence, determined that they would not be caught cold under the morning cloud cover, as had been the case in their stuttering start to the innings, with Brook becoming only the third England batter after Wally Hammond and Joe Root to pass 150 twice in New Zealand.And yet, having survived four drops on the second day, Brook was gifted a fifth life on 147. Phillips – who had handed him his first reprieve on 18 before grabbing a screamer to dislodge Ollie Pope – made a mess of another relatively straightforward catch that bounced out of his grasp at gully.Harry Brook flashes one away behind square•Joe Allison/Getty Images

The new ball was Brook’s cue to take his innings into overdrive, particularly against Tim Southee, whom he launched onto the pavilion roof with one especially contemptuous swipe. Just when it seemed there was no respite in prospect, Brook nibbled tamely outside off at Matt Henry, and snicked off to Blundell behind the stumps. He left the stage with an overseas Test average of 89.40, and exactly 500 runs at 100.00 in New Zealand alone.Woakes would save his impact for the ball, as Southee found his edge for 1 with a trademark outswinger that Latham – the spiller of three chances on day two – scooped up low at second slip. But England have brought some rare batting depth to this Test, and Atkinson – a centurion against Sri Lanka in the summer – and Carse each came out swinging from the get-go.Atkinson brought up England’s 400 with a swivelled pull for six over square leg off Henry, en route to 48 from 36 balls, but the shot of the day was Carse’s outrageous, wristy lap over deep fine leg for the second of his three sixes. He was left unbeaten on 33 from 24 when Shoaib Bashir become Henry’s fourth of the innings, although he had been dropped off his sixth ball by Phillips in the over after lunch – the eighth lapse of New Zealand’s fielding effort, and the third by Phillips alone. For all the dominance that England had exerted by the close, it wasn’t hard to spot where the tide had turned.

Both captains said there was no instruction to keep emotions in check when they face each other in the Asia Cup, in context of the geopolitical tensions between the two countries

Shashank Kishore09-Sep-20251:56

Salman Agha: There are no favourites in T20 cricket

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has said there has been no instruction to tone down aggression or keep emotions in check, even when they play Pakistan in the Asia Cup on September 14 in Dubai. The question was asked in the context of the prevailing geopolitical tensions between the two countries.”Temper? Aggression is always there when we take the field,” Suryakumar said. “And without aggression, I don’t think you can play this sport. I’m very excited to take the field.”Pakistan captain Salman Agha echoed the sentiment, saying there was no need for special instructions to his players either.Related

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“You don’t need to say anything to any player,” Agha said. “Everyone is different individually. If someone wants to be aggressive on the field, they are more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive and you can’t stop them because that’s what keeps them going.”From my side, there is no instruction to anyone, as long as it stays on the field.”The other aspect of the India-Pakistan clash – their first in T20Is since last year’s World Cup fixture in New York – is that both teams have moved on from their superstars. India are without the retired Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while Pakistan have chosen to move on, for now, from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.Unlike Pakistan, coming off a steady diet of T20I cricket over the past three months, reigning champions India will be playing their first T20I since the England series in January. Despite looking strong on paper, Suryakumar brushed off suggestions that India were runaway favourites.Both teams have moved on from their superstars, with Virat Kohli now retired from T20Is and Babar Azam out of the side•AFP/Getty Images

“? (Who said?),” he asked with a laugh.When told that was the [discussion] on social media, Suryakumar responded: “I haven’t heard of it. But you have played in this format and you know how your preparations are. If your preparations are good, then you will be very confident when you take the field.”We are playing T20 as a team after a long time. But we were here three-four days back, had some good time together as a team, and we are really looking forward to this tournament.”In the lead-up to the Asia Cup, Agha led Pakistan to a tri-series win over Afghanistan and UAE just two days ago. Prior to that, they had mixed outings – beating West Indies 2-1 in the USA and losing 1-2 to Bangladesh in Bangladesh. Agha felt the format was far too fickle to have clear favourites.”In T20, I don’t think anyone is favourite,” he said. “On a particular day, you just have to play good cricket. T20 is a very fast game. In one or two overs, the game can completely change.”The tri-series was always preparation for the Asia Cup. If we won it, that’s very good, but the focus was always on this tournament. We still have to come here, play good cricket, and win the Asia Cup. That’s all that matters.”We are playing very good cricket. I think for almost four months, we have won three series out of four. So we are doing very well as a team and at the same time, we are very excited. A lot of the boys will play in the Asia Cup for the first time but they are ready for the challenge.”

“They are allowed to have some bad games here and there,” the India captain said of the two spinners

Deivarayan Muthu26-Oct-20241:51

How did Santner succeed when Jadeja struggled?

India are unfazed by the recent form of their senior spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, their captain Rohit Sharma has said. On a slow, dry Pune pitch, India’s spin trio, which included Washington Sundar, was outbowled by New Zealand’s as India suffered their first Test series defeat at home since 2012.”I mean, see look, there is too much expectation on those two guys,” Rohit said of Ashwin and Jadeja. “Every game they play, they are expected to take wickets, they are expected to run through the team, and they are expected to win Test matches for us. I don’t think that’s fair, it’s the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we get Test match wins, not just the two guys.”After having conceded 94 runs in 16 overs for just one wicket in the second innings in Bengaluru – his worst figures, in terms of economy rate, in a Test innings where he has bowled at least ten overs – Ashwin went at almost four runs an over in the third innings in Pune. He had started well in the second Test by turning his fifth ball and having Tom Latham lbw for 15 in the eighth over. However, when the New Zealand batters brought out a variety of sweeps, Ashwin struggled to provide India with the control that he is usually known for, especially in these conditions.Related

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Jadeja also struggled to counter New Zealand’s aggressive approach. Despite India posting a short third and deep point, Devon Conway, for instance, kept sweeping and reverse-sweeping with attacking enterprise. Such shots not only messed with the lines and lengths of the senior spinners but also the fields that Rohit had set.At various stages, the India captain was forced into having extra protection on the boundary. Jadeja ended up with just three wickets in 37.4 overs across both innings – two fewer than Ashwin’s match haul of five wickets. In contrast, Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand left-arm fingerspinner, came away with 13 for 157, the third-best figures by any visiting bowler in India.Rohit refused to read too much into these numbers and said it was natural for even Ashwin and Jadeja to have off days.”Of course, by their standards, they know where they stand and what they haven’t been able to do or what they haven’t done really well,” Rohit said. “But again, both of them have played so much cricket here and have such huge contributions to our success of having that home streak of 18 series [wins]. These two have played a major role in that. A couple of series, I am not going to look into too much, especially with those two guys.Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets in the second Test•AFP/Getty Images

“They know exactly what happens and sometimes they are allowed to have some bad games here and there and not go by that expectation that this is the opportunity for me to take wickets and run through the opposition. That’s not going to happen every time. So you got to be ready with the other guys also to step in.”Rohit was also against putting too much pressure on Ashwin and Jadeja and called for the responsibility to be shared among the other spinners.”Like we keep talking about with the batters it is not the responsibility of a few individuals, it is the collective batting unit that needs to come together,” Rohit said. “So it’s the same with the bowling unit as well. If Ash doesn’t do well, it’s Jadeja who needs to come to the party or Washy [Washington Sundar] or Kuldeep [Yadav] or Axar [Patel], those guys.”Washington did step up in the first innings in Pune, marking a serendipitous return to Test cricket after three-and-a-half years with career-best figures of 7 for 59. He took four more wickets in the third innings, which perhaps influenced his selection for the upcoming Test series in Australia.”Washy had a great game, I am really proud of that,” Rohit said. “He is proud of that and we are happy with his performance. He bowled so well.”

Highlights from Day 3 of the sixth round of Ranji Trophy matches

Shashank Kishore25-Jan-2025J&K beat Mumbai after 11 years
Eleven years after they first beat them in the Ranji Trophy, Jammu & Kashmir pulled off another heist against Mumbai to strengthen their knockouts hope. Chasing 205, they wobbled at different times with Shams Mulani picking up four wickets, but starts from each of the top five helped J&K win by five wickets. Opener Shubham Khajuria top-scored with 45, while Abid Mushtaq, who had minimal contribution with the ball, hitting a crucial 32 not out to seal victory.Gill century in vain as Karnataka stay aliveShubman Gill struck a combative 102, but couldn’t prevent Karnataka from running through Punjab for a second time in three days. After being bowled out for 55, Punjab batted out a little more time in the second dig to make 213, but still went down by an innings and 207 runs. Outside of Gill’s innings, the second highest from the top seven was Anmolpreet Singh’s 14. The bulk of the damage was done by young seam-bowling allrounder Yashovardhan Parantap, who picked up 3 for 37.Related

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Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer put Madhya Pradesh on topHaving conceded the first-innings lead, Madhya Pradesh responded strongly in the second innings, declaring on 369 for 8 to set Kerala a target of 363. Rajat Patidar top scored with 92, while Venkatesh Iyer hit an unbeaten 70-ball 80 at No. 8 as MP recovered from 247 for 6. MP picked up one wicket by stumps to keep themselves in line for an outright win.Vijay Shankar scored a century•PTI

Vijay Shankar century powers Tamil NaduIn Salem, Vijay Shankar’s 14th first-class century, his second of the season, helped Tamil Nadu put themselves in line for six points against Chandigarh. Having taken a 97-run lead, Vijay Shankar helped extend TN’s lead with an unbeaten 150 after N Jagadeesan set the foundation of the innings with 89. By stumps, Chandigarh had slumped to 113 for 5, still needing 290 with the left-arm spinning duo of S Ajith Ram and R Sai Kishore picking up two apiece.Gaikwad among the runsBatting at No. 4 with an eye on being a top-order batter, instead of just playing a specialist opener, Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad hit 89 in a marathon Maharashtra innings – they were 464 for 7 in the second innings, extending their lead to 616 by stumps against Group C toppers Baroda. This is only the third game Gaikwad has featured in this season, as he was away during the first half of the tournament to play for India A in Australia. With them out of knockouts contention, it remains to be seen if Maharashtra declare overnight and try for an outright.Wadkar leads Vidarbha’s fightVidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar hit an unbeaten 102 to revive a floundering innings. Vidarbha, who conceded a lead of 100, went to stumps with a lead of 258 with three wickets still remaining. At one stage, they had effectively been reduced to 44 for 5, before Wadkar stood tall to play a typically gritty knock to help last year’s runners-up take the fight into the final day. Vidarbha are currently Group B toppers and are primed to Mae the knockouts.Haryana through to knockoutsA game that was fought on an even keel in the first innings turned decisively in Haryana’s favour thanks to a massive second-innings batting effort, led by half-centuries from Himanshu Rana and Nishant Sindhu as they opened up a 32-run lead into a 369-run target. Bengal, sans the injured Abhimanyu Easwaran, were bowled out for 85 in 21.4 overs, with Wriddhiman Saha, playing in his penultimate first-class match, unbeaten on 25. Anshul Kamboj, who earlier in the season picked up a perfect ten, finished with four wickets./

With two defeats in New York and Dallas, Sri Lanka now arrive in Florida to take on Nepal in a game they cannot afford to lose

Madushka Balasuriya11-Jun-2024Sri Lanka haven’t been great as of late. They know that, and anyone watching them at the T20 World Cup 2024 knows that. But there have also been some mitigating circumstances which become glaringly obvious when you start comparing Sri Lanka’s batting to some of the other sides in their group.South Africa and Bangladesh just played out a low-scoring thriller, which followed South Africa’s low-scoring thriller against Netherlands, which followed Sri Lanka’s low-scoring thriller against Bangladesh, which followed yet another low-scoring affair between Netherlands and Nepal, which itself followed another low scorer between Sri Lanka and South Africa.In fact, in Group D so far, no team has managed to score more than Sri Lanka’s 124 batting first, which isn’t saying much but it does put their performances and results into context.”Now people are realizing how unpredictable the pitches are,” stated Sri Lankan fast bowling coach Aqib Javed ahead of their game against Nepal. “We were the first ones who’d gone through this process. Because I mean, look, as a player, you cannot expect anything like that, which we played the first time in New York on a new pitch. Now the people are realizing what total to place, and what they’re expecting when they’re choosing even a small total.”Even though the Dallas pitch we played was I think one of the best in the country to bat on, still these new conditions are surprising, not just us, but many teams. The batters especially, they’ve gone through a lot. This is not the normal behaviour of the pitches and the conditions. So, I think now the teams will change their strategies, and there will be a little bit of change in the homework as well.”The surprising nature of the wickets has also meant that results have conspired in such a way that despite Sri Lanka’s two defeats to start the tournament, they’re still in with a chance of qualifying for the next stage – provided they win their next two games and Bangladesh and Netherlands both lose at least one of their next two. But Javed is acutely aware that the performance of Sri Lanka’s batters have nevertheless not been up to scratch.”The beauty of this World Cup is that you cannot take easy to anything. We have seen some outstanding results from the associate teams. I think honestly if you look at the pitch, you have to be very careful, especially as a batter. How to adapt, what to leave out, and I think the best plan is to go out there and assess the situation and conditions.”If you ask me, what happened in New York, nobody knew what was going to be the wicket behaviour. [Score of] 77 was never enough. Even in the second game, we could have scored 150 to 160 because if you look at the batting card, we scored like 24 in the last six overs, we didn’t capitalise.”One area Javed doesn’t have any qualms with is in the bowling, with Sri Lanka’s varied attack giving their side a fighting chance in both matches they’ve played so far. Against South Africa, defending a measly 77 they did their best to stifle a strong batting lineup, while against Bangladesh they nearly nipped in at the death to steal it with a late flurry of wickets.”I’m really happy and enjoying the role as a bowling coach because this is one of the bowling sides which can challenge anyone. The ideal combo for any international team. You have the best legspinner in the world, you have a mystery bowler, and you have slingers which is very unique and very effective in T20 cricket.”It’s not easy all the time to defend the low totals, but so far, I think it’s good to see the captain leading from the front and you can see that energy in the field as well. And still, I think we have very good bowling options. I’m really satisfied so far.”

Reece Topley clinches one-wicket nail-biter after Tymal Mills stars with ball

ECB Media06-Aug-2025Reece Topley carved his first ball and the penultimate ball of the match for four to take Southern Brave to a dramatic and unexpected one-wicket win against Manchester Originals in the Hundred.Last man Topley walked out with three runs needed from two balls, after Craig Overton (18 not out off 8) and Tymal Mills (8 off 4) had wrestled the game back from the home team’s grasp with a vital 25-run partnership.The equation was 28 needed from 13 when Scott Currie (4 for 28) had Michael Bracewell caught behind, and the smart money would have been on Manchester Originals. Indeed, Phil Salt might wonder how his team didn’t get over the line, across an innings that saw both 43-year-old James Anderson (0 for 36) and 17-year-old Farhan Ahmed (0 for 8 off five balls) make their debuts in the competition.Reece Topley and Craig Overton were the unlikely heroes with the bat•Joe Prior/Getty Images

“We managed to somehow get ourselves in a position where it was in our hands, one hit away,” Mills said. “Credit to Manchester Originals, they bowled really well for the best part of the innings but Craig pulled out some big hits at the end. It’s always good to win close games like that and it stands us in good stead for the rest of the season.”Bat on ball was the main thing. We needed to hit every ball and scamper as best we could, and obviously we managed to get a couple of boundaries in there as well – that was a brilliant knock from Craig. We just wanted to take it as deep as we could and Toppers finished it off brilliantly.”Mills was awarded Meerkat Match Hero partly for his efforts with the bat, but he had earlier taken 3 for 22 – with the wickets of Salt, Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen – as Originals made 132 for 4. Salt was the stand-out for the home team, making a 41-ball 60 and overtaking James Vince to become the all-time leading run-scorer in the men’s Hundred as he did so.Tymal Mills dismissed Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen•Joe Prior/Getty Images

Mark Chapman added some late impetus to the Originals batting effort and the home faithful would have been confident throughout much of the Brave’s reply that their total would be enough to see them to a winning start, but they weren’t counting for the late intervention of Overton, Mills and Topley.”I think it was a wicket that rewarded you for hitting the pitch hard,” Mills added. “We saw in the Powerplay that we were perhaps a little bit full, but once we dragged our lengths back and hit the pitch hard there was a little bit of bounce there and we saw that when Manchester Originals were bowling as well. We were happy halfway with that score, and we were confident of chasing it, but we probably made a little bit more hard work of it than we would have liked.”

Wicketkeeper-batter hits 132 off 89 balls as hosts scrape to victory with one wicket to spare

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2025Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew scored a sensational 131 to break the record for the fastest century for England Under-19s and propel his country to a dramatic one-wicket win in this second one-day international against India at Northampton.Rew reached three figures off just 73 balls, beating Ben Foakes’ 79-ball ton against New Zealand in 2012. In all, Rew faced 89 balls in a display of brutal hitting and deft strokeplay, smashing 16 fours and six huge sixes.England captain Rew shared a stand of 123 in 21 overs with Lancashire’s Rocky Flintoff (39) but a clatter of late wickets left England nine down, needing seven off the final over. Middlesex’s Seb Morgan held his nerve to hit a boundary to seal the win with three balls to spare as England levelled the five-match series 1-1.With the ball, Surrey seamer Alex French took 4 for 71, while Leicestershire’s Alex Green and Worcestershire’s Jack Home each claimed three wickets as India were bowled out for 290 in exactly 49 overs.All of England’s seamers were guilty of spraying the ball, contributing an extra 26 runs in wides towards India’s eventual total. But after 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (45) set the tone up top with Vihaan Malhotra (49), England pegged India back to 171 for 5. A quickfire sixth-wicket partnership of 78 in 12 overs between Rahul Kumar and Kanishk Chouhan reinvigorated the innings, allowing India to set a competitive total before French wrapped up the tail. RS Ambrish took the bulk of the wickets for India, finishing with figures of 4 for 80.England had elected to field and while French conceded six wides in his opening over, his first legal ball proved effective, knocking over Ayush Mhatre’s off stump.Suryavanshi set the early pace with two sixes off French, contributing the lion’s share of a stand of 67 in 10 overs. After Suryavanshi hooked Home for his third six over fine leg, though, Morgan took a well-judged boundary catch as the batter attempted to upper cut.Maulyarajsinh Chavda played his first shot in anger over extra cover off Home as he mounted a 50-run stand with Malhotra in 11 overs. Chavda attacked Green’s pace, but the Leicestershire quick sent his off stump flying when he attempted a big booming drive.Malhotra, who played some pleasant drives, then shared a stand worth 44 with Abhigyan Kundu before Malhotra top-edged Home to deep square leg. Kundu departed two overs later, caught at backward point, flashing outside off stump against Green.Kumar and Chouhan pressed the accelerator, taking the score to 249 before Home picked up his third wicket, Kumar heaving into the leg side where Joe Moores took a good catch. Then when Chouhan flat-batted Green down the wicket, he was well caught by Morgan, French nipping in to claim the last three wickets, all to catches in the outfield.England lost opener Ben Dawkins early, caught behind when he flashed outside off stump against Yudhajit Guha, while Ben Mayes hit a speedy 27 before cutting Ambrish straight to point. England lost a third wicket nine balls later as Isaac Mohammed prodded outside off stump and was caught low at slip off Ambrish to leave England 47 for 3 in the 12th over.Flintoff led the rebuilding initially, powering Ambrish over mid-on and punching him straight down the pitch. But Rew soon warmed up, taking consecutive boundaries off Chauhan, then driving him through cover to bring up the 50 partnership off 70 balls.Rew dismissively pulled a half-tracker from Mohammed Enaan for six, but after 25 overs England were 112 for 3 and behind the run rate. Needing to accelerate, Rew took the attack to Suryavanshi, swinging him over deep midwicket for six and four as England started to close in on the requirement.Rew motored on, blazing consecutive sixes over deep midwicket off Enaan, but lost Flintoff when he cut too close to his body, keeper Kundu taking a sharp catch.The runs kept flowing as Rew swung Chauhan away leg side for another six before celebrating his century, and then plundered 22 off one over from Ambrish, taking England past 200 before powering another six over midwicket and consecutive boundaries over the covers. But his valiant innings ended when he was caught in the deep off Patel, attempting another big leg-side shot, leaving England needing 61 more off 10.2 overs.They lost a sixth wicket next over when Guha had Moores caught at deep square leg. Ralphie Albert played some shots, but pulled Ambrish to midwicket, while Patel comprehensively bowled Home three balls later.With nerves jangling, Green and Morgan took 14 off Ambrish’s penultimate over, while Morgan hooked Guha for six, leaving England needing 12 from the last two overs. Green holed out at deep midwicket off the first delivery from Ambrish in the 49th over, but with seven needed off the final over, Morgan finished the game with elan.

Alex Doolan’s maiden first-class half-century is unlikely to save Tasmania from defeat at the Gabba, where Ben Cutting’s three wickets put Queensland within sight of victory at stumps on the third day

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009Queensland 382 beat Tasmania 156 and 219 (Doolan 59, Marsh 49, Cutting 6-37) by an innings and 7 runs

Scorecard
Ben Cutting picked up 6 for 37 and finished with eight wickets for the match•Getty Images

Ben Cutting scythed through Tasmania’s tail to deliver Queensland victory by an innings and seven runs within the first hour of the fourth day at the Gabba. Tasmania began the morning at 6 for 209, needing a miracle to avoid defeat, but the speed of their capitulation was surprising all the same.It took the Bulls 45 minutes to pick off the final four wickets and Cutting grabbed three of them to finish with his best first-class figures of 6 for 37. First he had Brett Geeves caught behind for 17, having added one to his overnight total, and then Cutting removed Brady Jones and Brendan Drew for ducks.Chris Swan finished the task when Daniel Marsh was caught behind for 49 and the Tasmania collapse was so sudden that they had only added 10 runs to their overnight score. It meant Queensland did not have to bat again and consigned the Tigers to their second defeat from their opening two matches.Queensland have one win and one draw, having taken first-innings points against Western Australia last month. The Bulls now travel to Adelaide to begin a match with South Australia on Sunday, while Tasmania have a fortnight off before their next game against New South Wales in Sydney.

Harshit Rana or Mayank Yadav is likely to make his international debut for India

Mohammad Isam05-Oct-20243:00

Takeaways: A first look at Mayank Yadav

Big picture: T20 world champions return home

A T20I series in the middle of a Test season can be a hard sell but both India and Bangladesh will have their own priorities in the three-match series starting in Gwalior on Sunday. While India have rested their key players – and will additionally be without Shivam Dube who was ruled out with injury on Saturday* – the ones on the fringes will look to establish themselves as back-ups and will also be keen to increase their IPL value.Suryakumar Yadav leads a side that’s less experienced than Bangladesh in T20Is, but his players are more skilled and versatile than Bangladesh’s in the format. Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh are among the experienced players in India’s side, but even the ones with less than ten T20I caps are stars. Newcomers Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana are the uncapped players, while Abhishek Sharma, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in July, has a chance to add to his five T20I caps.The home side are also without most of their first-choice fast bowlers, which could open up debuts for Mayank Yadav, who hit 150kph for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and Harshit, who won IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders. Hardik offers them seam-bowling support while Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and the returning Varun Chakravarthy make up the spin group.Related

• Dube out of Bangladesh T20Is; Tilak named replacement

• Suryakumar: 'Mayank has the X factor, important to manage him well'

• International cricket returns to Gwalior after 14 years, at a brand new venue

• Mayank's fitness, Jadeja's replacement among India's priorities in T20Is

As for Bangladesh, who don’t play enough T20Is, this is a huge opportunity. From developing their game against a strong opposition, to having an outside chance of being picked in the IPL, there will be excitement in the visitors’ camp.The likes of Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan, all of whom have at least fifty T20Is under their belt, have to put their act together if Bangladesh are to beat India. Even relative newcomers like Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain and Tanzid Hasan have growing reputations. All of this is vital when they know who is no longer in their line-up.Shakib Al Hasan, who is arguably Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer, has announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
BangladeshLLLWWRishad Hossain can bowl the legbreak as well as the wrong’un•AFP via Getty Images

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Rishad Hossain

With India having picked just one opener in Abhishek, Sanju Samson will be pushed up to the top to partner Abhishek – Suryakumar confirmed as much on match eve. Samson has ducks in his last two T20I knocks, against Sri Lanka, but it will be his IPL form from earlier this year, that will give him and the team management the confidence going into this series. Samson scored 531 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 153.46 in IPL 2024, once again underlining his ability in the format, something that he would like to bring into his international game quickly.Legspinner Rishad Hossain finished the T20 World Cup earlier this year with 14 wickets, level with Rashid Khan, at an average of 13.85 and economy rate of 7.76. He emerged as Bangladesh’s top wicket-taker in the tournament has now comes the second act: impressing IPL scouts in India. It will be tough to back up such a strong performance and even in the past many Bangladesh players have struggled to build on early success. Rishad has played just one competitive game since the 2024 T20 World Cup but has since been training in Dhaka to get up to speed.

Team news: Mayank Yadav or Harshit Rana could be in line for debut

India have a new-look top order and seam attack as a number of regulars are missing from their T20I squad. They have brought in Tilak Varma for the injured Dube, but it’s likely Nitish Kumar Reddy will slot into his place in the XI. Tearaway Mayank didn’t train much in the lead up to the series opener which could mean a debut for Harshit on Sunday.India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Harshit Rana/Mayank Yadav, 11 Arshdeep SinghMehidy Hasan Miraz returns to the Bangladesh T20I side to play as a batting allrounder. Parvez Hossain Emon could be picked ahead of Tanzid Hasan.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das (wk), 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Tanzid Hasan, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 6 Towhid Hridoy, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions: Good weather on Sunday evening

The pitch is bit of an unknown, given this will be the first international at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, where there is extra security measures in place given some calls for a boycott.Teams batting first in night games in the last 12 months in India have averaged in excess of 190 runs, with four out of the eight teams scoring 200-plus batting first.The weather is likely to be slightly cooler than the usual daytime heat on Sunday evening.

Stats and Trivia

• This is the first international match at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, which is located 12km to the west of Gwalior city. The last match held in the region was in February 2010 when Sachin Tendulkar struck the first double-hundred in ODIs, at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium.
• Bangladesh (644 caps) have a more experienced T20I squad than India (389 caps) in this series.
• At 37 years and 180 days, Shakib recently became Bangladesh’s oldest Test cricketer. Mahmudullah, part of this T20 squad, is second oldest in all formats for Bangladesh, now playing at the age of 38. Overall, Jahangir Shah is Bangladesh’s oldest international cricketer who played an ODI against New Zealand at the age of 41.
  

  Quote

  “From this series, you will see our players trying to play with a new approach. Everyone will play to win. I think the players that are here [for the series], and four or five others, will be the ones playing the 2026 World Cup. So, I think from this series, our preparations will properly begin.”
  “It’s a good opportunity [for newcomers]. They have good potential; they have made impact for their state, their franchises. If they get a chance, I hope they would perform the same because there is no need to do anything different.”

Thailand managed just 93 after batting first, and Sri Lanka’s openers wiped the target out comfortably

Ashish Pant24-Jul-2024Sri Lanka 94 for 0 (Athapaththu 49*, Gunaratne 39*) beat Thailand 93 for 7 (Koncharoenkai 47*, Putthawong 13, Dilhari 2-13, Priyadharshani 1-10) by ten wicketsA disciplined bowling effort from Sri Lanka, backed up by Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne’s unbeaten 94-run stand helped Sri Lanka beat Thailand by ten wickets and coast into the semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 .Batting first, Thailand’s innings never found a high gear as they were restricted to 93 for 7 in their 20 overs. Athapaththu and Gunaratne then made light work of the target, as they romped home with 51 balls to spare. The win meant Sri Lanka topped Group B with three wins on the bounce, and will now face Pakistan in the semi-final on Friday.Sri Lanka had made as many as four changes from their previous game against Malaysia, bringing back the experienced Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari and Achini Kulasuriya into the playing XI.Barring the toss, not much went Thailand’s way. They lost Nattaya Boochatham off the first ball of the game, and it all went downhill from there. Opener Nannapat Koncharoenkai was the only Thailand batter who looked settled against the Sri Lankan bowlers as she carried her bat through the innings, finishing on 47 off 53 balls. Only three Thailand batters reached double digits, while five of the Sri Lanka bowlers picked up at least one wicket.In reply, Athapaththu and Gunaratne were circumspect early on, but opened up their shoulders after the powerplay. Athapaththu remained unbeaten on 49, and during the course of her knock, became the highest run-scorer of the current edition of the Asia Cup, while Gunaratne remained 39 not out.