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Jason Sangha and Chris Tremain gave New South Wales hope of saving the follow-on

AAP17-Mar-2022Some inspired seam bowling from Western Australia’s Matthew Kelly and Joel Paris produced a stunning New South Wales batting collapse at Bankstown Oval to turn a near-certain draw into a possible Sheffield Shield win for the visitors.With both teams vying for a spot in the final, the middle-session on day three of this rain-affected penultimate-round fixture may prove to be pivotal in the course of the season.Kelly picked up wickets in three successive overs leaving the home side limping their way to tea at 5 for 55, as a hitherto benign pitch seemingly turned into a minefield.Kelly’s swing firstly undid Blues’ skipper Kurtis Patterson without playing a shot before Jack Edwards and Hayden Kerr were also sent packing.At the other end Paris started the rot by picking up the crucial wicket of opener Daniel Hughes caught at second slip.Jason Sangha’s lone knock kept the innings together with the 22-year-old digging in to end the day unbeaten on 66.An injured Moises Henriques, who came in at No. 8, led a brief revival only to tickle a catch down the leg side off the bowling of rookie spinner Corey Rocchiccioli on 23.Chris Tremain swiped three sixes late in the day to reach 41 not out, and lift the home side closer to the follow-on mark of 207 in an unbroken stand of 67 with SanghaThe two sides are among five states with five wins apiece vying for a spot in the March 31 season decider.After the entire day two was lost due to rain, Western Australia resumed at 3 for 231 and continued on comfortably enough before closing their innings half an hour after lunch.Hilton Cartwright looked set for a ton but his watchful 209-ball innings ended on 81 when he was caught hooking a Tremain delivery while seeking to up the scoring rate.Tremain’s second wicket came a day and a half after his first with day two lost due to ongoing showers.
Cameron Bancroft had top-scored for WA with 117, before he was dismissed by Tremain late on Tuesday.The hard-hitting D’Arcy Short was the only Western Australia batter who failed to reach double figures when he was caught and bowled by Kerr for 1.Aaron Hardie remained unbeaten on 37, while allrounder Edwards was the pick of the Blues’ attack returning 3 for 58 off 21 overs.

“I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and get the batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger”

Sidharth Monga25-Jul-20254:35

Morkel defends India’s tactics with the ball

After India conceded 500 for the first time in over ten years outside Asia and the West Indies, the bowling coach Morne Morkel was not sure he had answers for many questions – dropping pace of the bowlers, use of Shardul Thakur as the bowling allrounder, delayed injection of Washington Sundar into the attack – but one thing he was certain of: that India have been making selections looking for batting cover.Morkel was asked repeatedly about the repeated exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, a unique strike bowler who has not played a single Test on this tour. “I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and how we can get that batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger,” Morkel said. “We’ve seen in the past that we’ve lost wickets in clumps. Kuldeep is world class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately, with that, just to balance with batting throws it out a little bit.”Morkel was asked again why India were being so defensive. “I do think at the end of the day you need runs on the board, and for us obviously giving that a little bit of extra batting protection, wanting to get totals of 400-plus,” he said. “You need it against England, especially the way they play, their brand of cricket.Related

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“But to be honest, the wicket so far has been dry and it’s actually spun a little bit. So that brings Washington into the game. It brings Jaddu [Jadeja] into the game. So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just more that consistent runs from our top six that we want so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in.”Morkel was asked why the side doesn’t think that playing proper strike bowlers also reduces the batters’ burden by winning them matches with fewer runs. “There’s always an option of going in with quicks and picking your six best bat,” Morkel said. “All those discussions we have had or we do discuss. But I think so far in this match, the last two Test matches, the guys who have played have done a good job in terms of spin bowling. We were ever so close to winning that Test match at Lord’s. We had a great Test match at Edgbaston. So I think so far we’ve played good cricket, good cricket bar yesterday’s bowling performance.”That does bring one to the question of why India couldn’t create as much jeopardy as England did after three Tests of looking like a potentially better bowling unit. Morkel felt that India went searching too much on day two, which is when they ended up bowling too straight and leaked runs. He said they were better with their areas on the third day, but they needed more energy on the ball. He was asked about the drop in the pace of the whole unit.”That’s something that we’re trying to get our heads around,” Morkel said. “On a surface where it gets a little bit flat, you need a little bit of energy behind the ball. I think that’s definitely one of the factors for us so far in our bowling innings. Just getting that little bit of extra zip off the wicket to create the opportunities for caught behind and lbw.Washington Sundar made an immediate impact after being introduced into the attack rather late•Getty Images

“But yeah, I mean to look at the workloads of guys like Siraj and those sort of guys, they’ve had heavy workloads. Anshul [Kamboj]’s first Test match so far, and it’s important for us to grow and develop a nice fast-bowling unit. So not too much to judge on that. Also, a heavier sort of outfield. But in terms of commitment and effort that the guys have put in, I don’t think we can fault that. It’s just a good point you made. You need a little bit of energy on the ball on good surfaces where the ball at times is not doing as much.”Kamboj, the debutant who bowled in the late 120kphs, was picked practically straight off the flight ahead of Prasidh Krishna, who has been with the squad and played the first two Tests. “The discussion going into the Test match was somebody, a bowler that can bowl volume, one guy to bowl overs. Somebody who can ask questions at the stumps, off stump, an accurate sort of bowler. And Anshul, I think I’m sure at domestic level has done that. He’s done really well on the India A tour here, and he was a guy whose name’s been in the mix for a long time, and they gave him the opportunity for that.”About the lack of bowling for Thakur, Morkel said: “A bit of a tough fit when you have four seamers. When you’re going at five runs and over, I think as a captain, you want to bring strike bowlers back to try and take the wickets. Unfortunately, it happened for Shadul in that first Test match as well.”Washington was the last bowler used and he took two wickets and brought some control. “Shubman just made the call in there to stick a little bit longer with the seam options,” Morkel said. “I think in the first couple of days we saw the ball moving around and seaming around and pace on the ball was the way to go and then when we got the opportunity to bowl, we missed our length. So did we bowl enough good balls to say that we need to go to spin straightaway? I don’t think so. And I think when he got the opportunity today with ball in hand, Washi did a great job for us.”

The allrounder took 4 for 16, the best figures of the tournament so far, to leave Bangladesh winless

Report by Alex Malcolm at Junction Oval02-Mar-2020Shashikala Siriwardene held her own retirement party on her final day in international cricket taking a tournament-best 4 for 16 to help Sri Lanka to a consolation nine-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Junction Oval.Bangladesh suffocated against Sri Lanka’s disciplined and skilful attack, which was led by the crafty off-spin of Siriwardene and the wily left-arm seam of Udeshika Prabodhani. The pair delivered 26 dot balls between them in eight overs, with Sirwardene picking up the spoils and Player of the Match honours. Kavisha Dilhari was equally as frugal while Achini Kulasuriya’s extra pace picked up two wickets in the powerplay. Nigar Sultana played a lone hand for Bangladesh making a classy 39 as they struggled to 91 for 8 from their 20 overs having won the toss and chosen to bat.Bangladesh failed to apply any pressure in the chase fluffing two straight-forward chances in the opening two overs. Both Chamari Atapattu and Hasini Perera made their most of their luck blasting a 51-run opening stand before Anushka Sanjeewani joined Perara to finish the job with 27 balls to spare.Siriwardene sent off in styleSirwardene received a retirement gift the day before the game from the India team in the form of a signed shirt. Bangladesh joined the Sri Lanka team in giving her a guard of honour as she walked onto an international ground for the final time. They then gifted her the second-best T20I figures of her career through a lack of intent and some odd shot choices with Murshida Khatun falling sweeping to an offspinner in the powerplay for the second successive match. Prabodhani continued her impressive tournament bowling with unwavering accuracy which allowed Siriwardene and Kulasuriya to attack from the other end. Kulasuriya’s extra pace and bounce picked up two wickets in the last over of the powerplay to leave Bangladesh reeling at 26 for 3. Prabodhani bowled her four overs straight with 0 for 13 including 12 dots. Her tournament economy rate was just 3.68 from four games.Sultana solo effortSultana held the innings together with an excellent 39. But it was a strange innings from her. At one stage she had faced 10 dot balls, including leaves and defensive shots to be just 6 off 16, before she unleashed two of the best inside-out lofted cover drives of the tournament. One came off Sugandika Kumari who was bowling left-arm orthodox from over the wicket, the other was from the offspin of Dilhari at the other end. But thereafter Bangladesh went a full 36 deliveries without finding the boundary. It was left to Sultana again in the 18th to club back-to-back boundaries down the ground using the pace of Kulasuriya. Siriwardene returned to pick up two more wickets in the 19th over and finish her career with 4 for 16. Sultana was unjustly run out off the last ball of the innings trying to selflessly run for a second while her captain Salma Khatun was oddly content with one.Disastrous dropsBangladesh’s only chance of winning the game was to remove Atapattu cheaply. They had their chance to get both openers in the first two overs, and like so many catches in this tournament, spilled them. Hasini Perera was dropped by Sultana off Salma Khatun in the opening over attempting a flashing cut shot. Such catches are never easy up to the stumps but it wasn’t a major deflection. Worse was yet to come. Two balls into the second over Atapattu gifted a simple head high chance to mid-off where Fargana Hoque watched it go into her hands and then out. Some of her team-mates slumped to their knees as the ball hit the turf. Perera and Atapattu struck four fours and a six in the next 14 balls to rub salt into the wounds. Atapattu struck a second massive six over long-off in the ninth over to bring up the fifty partnership as Sri Lanka looked on track for a 10-wicket win.Support acts finish the setSri Lanka’s only challenge came when Atapattu departed. Sultana made up for her earlier drop with a sharp piece of work to have the star opener stumped off Nahida Akter. Atapattu was beaten by a nicely flighted off-break and had no part of her heel grounded behind the popping crease as the keeper whipped the bails off. Akter became the youngest to take 50 T20I wickets in the women’s game surpassing Sophie Ecclestone’s day-old record. It left Sri Lanka still needing 40 from 60 balls with every remaining player in the line-up having scored less than 50 runs for the tournament, but Perera and Sanjeewani made light work of the challenge. Both found the boundary regularly with skilful sweeps and classical footwork. The cruised to victory in a risk-free fashion with more than four overs to spare.

Batter seemed to have been ousted from the England Test team but is now back as one of its senior-most members

Andrew Miller11-Aug-20212:41

Bell: Moeen the spin-bowling allrounder lends better balance to England

At the start of the summer, it wasn’t out of the question that Jonny Bairstow’s Test career was done and dusted. He finished a dispiriting tour of India with three ducks in four innings in Ahmedabad, and with Dan Lawrence joining the likes of Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope at the vanguard of a new generation of England middle-order batters, it seemed that his pre-eminence in England’s white-ball squad might finally take full-time precedence.Now, however, everything’s back up for grabs. Following his recall for the first Test at Trent Bridge, Bairstow’s senior status will be plain for all to see this week, in a second-Test squad that has been dramatically shorn of so many of its usual suspects. With Ben Stokes absent, and Stuart Broad and James Anderson also set to be sidelined by injury, there could be no-one bar the captain Joe Root boasting more than Bairstow’s haul of 76 caps come the first ball on Thursday.Related

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“It would be a big loss, naturally because they’ve (Broad and Anderson) got a thousand Test wickets between them,” Bairstow said on the eve of the match. “But with that comes an opportunity for other people. When we’ve seen that previously in the summer, in the Pakistan [ODI] series, there were opportunities that arose for other people coming in and they rose to those challenges.”Bairstow continued to look at the bright side, hoping for “someone to come in and step up”, while explaining that England were well-prepared for these speed bumps.”I don’t think it’s too much of a de-stabiliser to be honest,” he said. “With the nature of professional sport, there are going to be injuries at times, there is going to be illness, it can happen overnight and you’ve got to be adaptable within the group. That’s what we have been. Whether it’s in South Africa [in 2019-20], rewinding to when everyone was unfortunately poorly, or other occasions.”Jonny Bairstow sprints during England training•Getty Images

To be fair, Bairstow has overcome so many logistical challenges already this year that a bit of team uncertainty on the eve of a Test match is nothing much to faze him. “I’ve been busy,” he conceded, after a 2021 itinerary that began with two Tests in Sri Lanka, continued with a bout of quarantine in Ahmedabad ahead of his two Tests in India, a packed one-day campaign, and a successful IPL, and culminated in his arrival at Loughborough at 1.30am, ahead of the Trent Bridge Test, fresh from the second of his two match-winning performances for Welsh Fire in the Hundred.”You’re going from playing a Hundred game the night before, and trying to hit as many balls as possible into the River Taff, which was great fun, to then facing Broady and Ollie Robinson with a Dukes ball,” Bairstow said of his build-up to that Test recall. “So there’s definitely many differences within that process.”But I was content, I was happy,” he added, after scores of 29 and 30, which – Root aside – represented England’s most consistent run-scoring in the Test. “It was obviously slightly different to the week before, but to spend a decent amount of time at the crease was pleasing. I didn’t go on to get a big score but if I keep doing what I was doing in those two innings, keep with that method and mindset, then hopefully there is going to be a fairly big one to come fairly soon.”Expectations of England’s team are fairly low at present, given their struggles to assert themselves either against India or in their 1-0 series defeat against New Zealand earlier in the summer, and changes in the batting are on the cards as well, with Moeen Ali set to return at No. 7 after his own blazing performances in the Hundred, and Haseeb Hameed a strong chance to earn his own recall after four years, given the recent struggles endured by Crawley and Dom Sibley at the top of the order.All of which means that England’s middle order could have an improbably familiar look to it, given that Root, Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Moeen are all more familiar with one another in the triumphant 50-over format than they have been of late in Test cricket. It’s a prospect that Bairstow welcomes, given how important the team’s mindset has become in this extraordinary summer, when opportunities for conventional match practice are so vanishingly scarce.Rory Burns, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow are all smiles at the team photo•Getty Images

“It’s a fair point,” he said. “Having relationships and experience within that middle period there is something that we can latch on. It is a very fun experience, being out there together in the middle, and being able to recall those experiences and relish those partnerships that you’re able to have. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a chuckle while we reflect on what’s been a positive, successful partnership between individuals, but also as a collective.”Just as Bairstow’s return to the Test team coincided with a run of success in the Hundred, so Moeen is back with his form and confidence brimming over, after a brace of blazing performances for Birmingham Phoenix in the past week. And speaking from personal experience, Bairstow admitted that feeling good about your batting, no matter the format, is a huge part of cricket’s mental battle.”If you’re coming back in with confidence and off the back of scoring runs, no matter what format it is, and you are able to harness those approaches and you’re going out with an amount of confidence that’s out there, then I think it’s great,” he said.”Mo’s coming back in and he’s been striking the ball very nicely in the Hundred. We know Mo’s quality within Test cricket. He was the second-fastest [England player] ever to 100 Test wickets and 2000 Test runs. Now, that doesn’t come by coincidence. In Mo, we’ve got someone that’s extremely skilful, with a lot of experience, and he brings a lot to the side.”

He missed Rishabh Pant’s record by five balls but powered Kerala to their first-ever win over Mumbai in any format

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2021Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen smashed the second-fastest century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, as he reached the landmark in 37 balls against a Mumbai attack led by Dhawal Kulkarni at the Wankhede Stadium. Azharuddeen missed Rishabh Pant’s record by five balls but it was still the joint-third-fastest T20 century by an Indian. It was also the first hundred by a Kerala batsman in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and sealed their highest-ever chase in the tournament as they beat Mumbai for the first time in any format.Kerala were chasing 197 after 40s from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Aditya Tare and handy cameos from Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube. Azharuddeen started the innings with Robin Uthappa, who was sedate only in comparison, and the two put on 129 runs in 9.3 overs before Uthappa a 23-ball 33. Soon after, Azharuddeen got to his century off left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar. Pant’s record of 32 balls, which came for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in 2017-18, though was never really under threat.After being on 89 in 31 balls, Azharuddeen slowed down, scoring 1, 1, 0 and 1 to get to 92 in 35 balls before a six off Mulani and a two took him to the landmark. He remained unbeaten on 137 off 54 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes, as Kerala cantered to victory by eight wickets in 15.5 overs.Azharuddeen, the 26-year-old, got off the mark off the third ball of the innings – his first – with a boundary off Kulkarni, and took a special liking to Tushar Deshpande, the other new-ball bowler. In the second over of the innings, bowled by Deshpande, Azharuddeen hit one six and two fours as 20 runs were scored. Deshpande went off the attack but returned in the sixth, and Azharuddeen hit him for two fours and two sixes as the over went for 23, taking his score to 65 at the end of the powerplay.The most noteworthy aspect of Azharuddeen’s innings was his pull shots, but he did play more than a few pleasing drives too, and found his runs off Ankolekar and Shams Mulani primarily in the V, even as he slapped the experienced Kulkarni over his head for two sixes, both off the back foot.The record for the quickest T20 century is in the name of Chris Gayle – he got to the mark off just 30 balls when he hit 175 not out off 66 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013. Then comes Pant’s effort. Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball ton against Sri Lanka in a T20I ranks second among Indians, while Azharuddeen has pulled level with Yusuf Pathan, who hit a 37-ball century for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010.Azharuddeen has never featured in the IPL before, but this century is a timely step in that direction, given the IPL 2021 auction is scheduled for February.

Sunrisers Hyderabad coach says the opener, who is returning from his ball-tampering ban, had spent time preparing “mentally more than technically” for his return

Sidharth Monga in Delhi03-Apr-20192:56

David Warner has ‘unquenchable thirst for the game’ – Tom Moody

It’s like he was never gone. The most consistent batsman of the IPL, David Warner, has returned to the tournament after serving his one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal like a man possessed. His first three innings back have been 85, 69 and an unbeaten 100 at an average strike rate of 176.22. In the process he has also strung together three consecutive 100-run stands with bitter Ashes rival Jonny Bairstow. His extremely emotional reaction after reaching the hundred against Royal Challengers Bangalore, in front of a doting home crowd, said a lot.Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody expected nothing less, especially when Warner had a point to prove. “[He has been] in a very good place [mentally],” Moody said. “He has come back full of enthusiasm, full of determination, and with a lot to prove. One thing David Warner – and I think all top players are the same – they have got an unquenchable thirst for the game and to have success in the game. That thirst certainly hasn’t been withdrawn by any means.”It seems the thirst has only grown in the time Warner has spent outside competitive cricket. “Yes he has had to sit out of top-flight cricket, international cricket for 12 months,” Moody said, “but David Warner has been preparing for six months for his comeback. He has played a couple of franchise tournaments over that 12-month period, he has obviously played club cricket in Sydney as well.”Okay it is not the same standard but he has been preparing more mentally more than technically. His game technically is relatively sound, so it is just a case of getting himself sorted mentally. He welcomed the start of the tournament and [a chance] for him to get back on the horse so to speak.”Moody said Warner has managed to stay positive, as always. “He has always had a very positive mindset,” he said. “He is a very determined and a resilient individual. To endure what he and [Steven] Smith and [Cameron] Bancroft have had to endure over 12 months, there has to be a lot of mental toughness, there has to be a lot of resilience, and having also a very positive mindset because you can very easily find yourself down for long periods of time.”Warner’s presence has also helped Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is leading the side in the absence of the injured Kane Williamson. “His leadership is always there and present,” Moody said. “Someone that has his experience and his knowledge around captaincy but more importantly around playing IPL cricket is invaluable.”Smith, Warner and Bancroft were banned – the first two for a year and Bancroft for nine months – for their roles in the infamous Newlands Test in March 2018, when Bancroft was caught on camera hiding yellow sandpaper in his pants. Though the ICC’s penalties were not harsh, Cricket Australia decided to take strict action and the players accepted their punishment without protest.While Smith and Bancroft have since done interviews – Smith has done an advertisement too – Warner has stayed away from public appearances. It appears he has spent the time preparing for his return.

The tour will consist of three ODIs and two Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2022India will arrive in Bangladesh on December 1 to begin their tour comprising three ODIs and two Tests. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the tour schedule on Thursday, with Dhaka set to host all three ODIs and one Test, and Chattogram the other Test.The tour begins with the ODI series, which will be played on December 4, 7 and 10 in Dhaka. The touring party will then move to Chattogram to play the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium from December 14 to 18, after which they return to Dhaka to play the second Test from December 22 to 26. India are set to depart Bangladesh on December 27.

India tour of Bangladesh

December 4: 1st ODI in Dhaka
December 7: 2nd ODI in Dhaka
December 10: 3rd ODI in Dhaka
December 14-18: 1st Test in Chattogram
December 22-26: 2nd Test in Dhaka

Both Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship, where India are currently in fourth place with 52.08 percentage points while Bangladesh are last in the nine-team championship with 13.33 percentage points.For India, the Test series is crucial to their hopes of qualifying for the WTC final, which will be played at The Oval in June 2023. After the two Tests in Bangladesh, their final assignment in the 2021-23 cycle is a four-Test home series against Australia in February-March 2023.The last time India went on a multi-format tour of Bangladesh was in 2015. That time around, the only Test was drawn while Bangladesh won the ODI series 2-1.

Netherlands took the match to the final over, courtesy fifties from Vikramjit and Cooper, but failed to prevent a 3-0 sweep

Danyal Rasool21-Aug-2022Pakistan nearly paid the price for extreme caution with the bat, but standout bowling performances from Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim spared their blushes as they eked out a nine-run win in the third and final ODI in Rotterdam and sealed the series 3-0.For a large part of the chase, it seemed that Netherlands would topple Pakistan, particularly during a 71-run fourth-wicket partnership between Vikramjit Singh and Tom Cooper. But with the pressure at its most intense, Naseem and Wasim bowled with a composure that belied their inexperience, taking nine wickets between them to close out the game. Naseem registered career-best figures of 5 for 33, with Wasim backing him up with 4 for 36.Earlier, a miserly bowling performance from Netherlands saw Pakistan bowled out for 206 in 49.4 overs, handing the home side a golden opportunity to nab a win. Pakistan were exceptionally conservative with the bat for much of the innings; by the end of 30 overs, they were 105 for 3. Bas de Leede, Netherlands’ best player of the series, was once again exceptional with the ball as he ran through the middle order, striking thrice to prevent Pakistan ever really breaking away. Only Babar Azam, who scored a steady, if sedate, 125-ball 91, was able to keep the innings together, but in the absence of a supporting cast or an injection of impetus, a modest total was all that Pakistan could muster.Netherlands sniffed an opportunity, but they were abundantly cautious early on, and Naseem, as he had done all series, continued to punch holes in their batters’ defences. Max O’Dowd played at one that nipped away to cap an indifferent series before Naseem cleaned up Musa Ahmad with a ball that held its line from around the wicket. Wasim, who replaced the somewhat less potent Shahnawaz Dahani, took up the mantle from the other end, sending de Leede back after he nicked one through to Mohammad Haris.But with the target relatively low, the hosts were never out of the game, and one big partnership was enough to give Pakistan a real fright. Vikramjit and Cooper began to rebuild after the early blows, the former’s three successive boundaries off Wasim a clear signal of intent. The duo looked comfortable against most Pakistan bowlers.Pakistan needed a breakthrough fast, and for that, Babar turned to Wasim once more. In the second over of his new spell, he sent Vikramjit packing. Naseem, of course, was not to be outdone, removing Scott Edwards in his first over back with a dream delivery that beat the outside edge of the bat and crunched into off stump.But Netherlands rebuilt with Cooper and Teja Nidamanuru, a 56-run stand taking them to within 35 of the target. At that stage, the asking rate was under seven, and Netherlands were turning the screws once more.Aryan Dutt had Babar Azam caught and bowled on 91•KNCB/Gerhard van der Laarse

But the Naseem-Wasim duo refused to give up, combining in a scintillating death-overs display to remove the pair in the space of six balls and burrow into the tail. From thereon, it was an uphill task for Netherlands against two bowlers in top form and, while Pakistan were made to sweat, victory always seemed a touch out of their reach. Wasim rattled Aryan Dutt’s stumps to finish off the game, and Pakistan just about got away with one.In the morning, Pakistan made four changes to their side, bringing in Abdullah Shafique as opener for his ODI debut, as well as Haris in place of Mohammad Rizwan. After they opted to bat, Shafique had the opportunity to impress straightaway, but Vivian Kingma struck early once again.Kingma and Dutt kept things tighter than a taxman’s purse, never allowing Pakistan any freedom to accelerate. The fielding was lively, and with the batters finding the fielders with most shots, Pakistan began to feel suffocated. Neither Fakhar Zaman nor Babar could truly break away, and even when there were changes in the bowling, a change in fortunes for Pakistan did not accompany them.The pressure finally got to Fakhar, who went for a huge heave against Logan van Beek, only to be beaten by the pace and have his off stump rattled. Netherlands only squeezed harder, with the run rate continuing to snail along well under four.Babar was curiously passive through the innings, and the failure of the inexperienced middle order to capitalise made his wicket even more valuable. It didn’t come until fairly late in the innings, but his failure to break free meant he couldn’t inflict much damage anyway. It was Dutt, the pick of the bowlers, who got rid of him for the second time this series, taking a superb one-handed catch off his own bowling. Dutt had deserved it more than perhaps any other bowler, his figures of 10-1-34-1 a just reward for a sensational showing.The final few overs saw Pakistan trying to accelerate, only for Netherlands to shackle them further. The odd four or six gave hopes of a change in momentum, but it was swiftly followed by wickets. No. 10 Zahid Mahmood struck a six in the penultimate over, but Kingma returned to help Netherlands get the final two wickets.At that stage, Netherlands looked on track for their first home win of the summer. They might well have reached there but for two young Pakistani fast bowlers.

The Australia captain said that performances on the upcoming tours will count for a lot in final selection

Andrew McGlashan25-Jun-2021Australia’s planning for the 2021 T20 World Cup has been significantly disrupted by tour pullouts but captain Aaron Finch is maintaining his focus – in more ways than one.Finch underwent surgery on his left eye after the tour of New Zealand in March – which was the last time he played – and is hopeful of seeing a positive impact on the upcoming trip to the West Indies and yet-to-be-confirmed assignment against Bangladesh.Finch revealed that he had first suffered from blurred vision during last year’s IPL, where he started to suffer a lean run of form that briefly lifted in the ODIs against India with 249 runs in three innings before he endured a lean BBL. He finished the series in New Zealand strongly but when the use of contact lenses didn’t work he opted for surgery from which he believes he has already felt the benefits.”I’m seeing them pretty good,” he said in Brisbane ahead of the squad’s chartered flight to the Caribbean on Monday. “I’ve only been hitting indoors on hard wickets, so [I] think the big test will come in night matches, that’s when I noticed the biggest difference in my eyesight.Related

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“It was just bloody blurry which isn’t ideal as a batsman. One day it just sort of changed and got a little bit worse. It wasn’t very sharp and there was bit of a halo around lights and a bit of a trail on the ball, so just a bit unusual. After New Zealand we thought that was the best time to get it done. Was about a three-week process and it was really smooth. It’s all clear now, so seems really good.”As in New Zealand, Finch will have a squad stripped of some key players due to a combination of resting, opt-outs and Steven Smith’s elbow injury. It was a long-term plan for David Warner and Pat Cummins to miss the tour, but Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson made themselves unavailable.That has led to recalls for Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner and Dan Christian along with a maiden call-up for pace bowler Wes Agar.Finch reiterated the view of national selector Trevor Hohns that significant weight will be put behind performances over these two tours when it comes to the final selection of the T20 World Cup squad which means there may not be a certain path back for all the absentees.”Playing cricket for Australia and doing well is the ultimate, in my opinion,” he said. “So for guys to be on this tour to get the first opportunity to put their hand up and take that spot is what it’s about. It’s tough to ignore really good international performances.”You have to go on current form. These conditions will be very similar to what we face in the T20 World Cup I imagine – especially St Lucia being used quite a lot and then Bangladesh being quite similar to India or UAE, wherever that lands.”There is now a good chance that Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup, slated to be hosted in India in October-November, could look significantly different to what was originally envisaged. Hohns indicated last week that the selectors had been close to locking in the final group but along with the latest withdrawals, Finch said that the team that strung together nine wins in 11 matches during 2019 and early 2020 had been put together with an Australia-based tournament in mind before the pandemic forced a switch.”It could change a lot. That was based on the World Cup being in Australia and I thought our side in the lead-up to the original World Cup meant to be held here was really settled. You have to look to keep restructuring your side to gather more information. The more the wickets change and the more they go away from our traditional Australian wickets think the more we have to keep learning.”The West Indies tour includes five T20Is which will be played in St Lucia before three ODIs – which carry World Cup Super League points – in Barbados. The squad is then due to head directly to Bangladesh for five T20Is in early August if that leg gets the biosecure plans signed off.

Morris and Queenslander Michael Neser added to the squad for the second Test against West Indies in Adelaide as cover with doubts remaining over Pat Cummins

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2022Lance Morris, the Western Australia pace bowler who is rated the quickest bowler in Australia, has been called up into the squad alongside Queensland seamer Michael Neser as bowling reinforcement for the second Test against West Indies in Adelaide.Morris, 24, has had an outstanding Sheffield Shield season where he is the leading wicket-taker with 27 and 18.40. He almost bowled WA to a remarkable victory at the Gabba on Sunday.Dubbed ‘The Wild Thing’ – in a nod to former tearaway Shaun Tait – after bursting onto the scene five years ago during a tour game against England at the WACA, where he notably bowled a wayward short delivery first up to Joe Root, Morris has developed a reputation for testing the speed radar.”I’m an attacking and intimidating bowler,” Morris told ESPNcricinfo earlier in the season. “I can get to the early 150s [kph]. I’m just settling into my body now. They say around 26 is when you basically mature as a bowler. I’ve got still room to get faster.”Related

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Australia have called up reinforcements after captain Pat Cummins was unable to bowl in the second innings in Perth due to a quad injury although he did return to the field. He is confident of being fit for the day-night Test but with a packed schedule the selectors are unlikely to take risks.”Was he at risk out there doing what he was doing? No,” head coach Andrew McDonald said. “He was able to manage the tempo in which he ran. We felt as though him being out there was helping us so that we were in control of the game.”We can we can leave it right up to the to the toss if we want [to see if he will play]. He’s our captain, we’re going to give him every chance to get out there, and…even the way he marshalled the troops out there was impressive.”Whether Morris cracks into the XI remains to be seen with Scott Boland, who averages 9.55 in Tests, already there as the reserve quick. He has not played since his stunning Ashes performance last season.But Morris could add a point-of-difference to the attack and the selectors may consider it is worth seeing what he can do at the next level.”I think that’s probably No.1 [quickest] I’ve faced in my Shield career,” Kurtis Patterson, the New South Wales captain, said earlier this season. “He was fast and it was No.1 in terms of absolutely consistent pace.”Morris also gave the Indians a working over during a T20 World Cup match in Perth earlier in the summer.”The more I bowl, the more I feel like I’m really grasping what being a fast bowler is all about,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep getting better and continue to bowl fast because it’s a lot of fun.”McDonald is wary of the workload on the quick bowlers with five Tests against West Indies and South Africa in less than six weeks.”Bowling last and a short turn-around, put stress and strain on your bowling stock,” he said. “We know we’ve got other guys that are there ready and available. See how our guys pull up and then move from there.”At the moment as it sits they’ve pulled up well, both Josh and Mitch. Patty’s obviously the major concern, and we erred on the side of caution with him.”Neser played his one and only Test match to-date in last year’s Adelaide day-night Test when Cummins was ruled out with Covid.Squad David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Lance Morris, Marcus Harris