Positive intent from the get-go reaps rich rewards as England smash records in Rawalpindi

Andrew Miller01-Dec-2022Ben Duckett admitted that the vibe within England’s Test team was everything he had hoped it would be while looking on from the county circuit last summer, as he marked his Test comeback with one of England’s four centuries in an extraordinary day of record-breaking in the first Test at Rawalpindi.Even the loss of 15 overs to the fast-setting winter sun could not slow England’s startling progress, as they racked up a Test-record first-day score of 506 for 4, with Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all reaching three figures too – Brook’s own maiden hundred coming from just 80 deliveries, the third-fastest in England’s history.Related

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Even allowing for the moribund nature of the Rawalpindi surface – one on which England themselves will have to work hard to take 20 wickets – it was a jaw-dropping statement from a team that came into the series with six home Test wins out of seven in the English summer. And one that was made all the more impressive given how close the day’s play had come to being cancelled, after half the squad had been laid low by a sickness bug on the eve of the Test.”It’s been a pretty crazy day and an even crazier build-up to this Test match,” Duckett told Sky Sports at the close. “A lot of us were ill in bed for the last few days, so I think at one point we weren’t sure if we were going to get out here today.”I didn’t move from my bed [yesterday],” he added. “So for me personally it’s a special day. It’s one that I didn’t think was going to come around and I’m very happy.”As he told ESPNcricinfo earlier in the week, after six years on the sidelines following a tough tour of India and Bangladesh in 2016, Duckett’s Test ambitions had been reignited by clear sense of fun that England had brought back to the format under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. And after a single remarkable day back in the team, his preconceptions have not let him down.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I don’t think there’ll ever be a better environment to be involved in,” he said. “As I said, it looked that way from the outside, and I’m sure there’ll be lots of cricketers in England who were desperate to be a part of this dressing room. I was one of those last summer. They just allow you to go and play your game with freedom, and thankfully it went well today.”Despite their relative lack of Test experience, both Brook and Duckett have had a sighter of these Pakistan conditions, through their involvement in the PSL and also the recent T20 series in the country, in which both men impressed with their power and innovation in a 4-3 series win.”The pitches from my experience have always been slow and low and skiddy,” Brook told Sky Sports. “So it was literally exactly the same as a T20 pitch. Whether that’ll change throughout the game, I don’t know. But when me and Popey were batting, there were a few which went down, and not many which went up, so hopefully as the game goes on, we’ll start to see it go lower.”Obviously, they got to reverse it a bit. So if we can get that ball reversing as well and it starts to go underground, I’m sure we’ll have a chance to bowl them out.”Despite playing in just his second Test match, Brook’s phlegmatic approach to batting was on full display as he marched through to his hundred without a second’s thought – including a notable over against Saud Shakeel in which he became the first England batter to hit six fours in a single Test over.”They were all bad balls, I just tried to put them away really,” he said. “I was probably happier with that over than the hundred.”Ollie Pope reached the third century of a remarkable day for England•Getty Images

On a day when Joe Root, remarkably, was the one England batter to be dismissed for less than 100, it was left to Pope to be the senior pro of the century-making quartet, having stepped up his leadership status when captaining during the tour match against England Lions in Abu Dhabi last week.”I think it was the ideal start to the tour, obviously,” Pope said. “I think we’ve really listened to what Baz and Stokes have said to us, and how they want us to play as well. So that was an amazing day and I couldn’t be happier for Brooky as well.”It started from the get-go really,” Pope added, noting how Crawley had picked off 14 runs from Naseem Shah’s first over of the match. “We just put them under pressure straightaway and it almost looked like they panicked a little bit. With Ducky as well, he the way he cuts the ball off fifth stump and clips off his legs as well, there wasn’t really any way they could bowl at those two. It’s the perfect way for those boys to set us up, and start a series in that fashion.”And for Crawley too it was a timely reiteration of his qualities, having being backed to the hilt by the captain and coach through a lean English summer. Despite averaging 23.00 in seven Tests against New Zealand, India and South Africa, he finished that final campaign on a high with a series-sealing 69 not out at The Oval, and has now been reacquainted with the team against whom he scored a towering 267 at the Ageas Bowl back in 2020.”It was a tricky summer and it’s never easy to bat in England, but it’s nice to be backed by [Stokes and McCullum] and thankfully I got a hundred today,” Crawley said. “I was trying to be positive and I felt in good touch leading into this game. I got lucky on a few occasions, but rode my luck, and I was pleased with how I played. But I was disappointed when I got out, I wanted a few more.”

Visitors have been laid low by injuries but assistant coach wants them to “grind and fight and stay in the fight as long as possible”

Andrew McGlashan06-Dec-2022West Indies will assess their walking wounded over the next couple of days before trying to pull together a side they hope can challenge Australia in the second day-night Test, but have been buoyed by the fighting spirit shown by the batters in Perth and the hostile burst from Alzarri Joseph that briefly ruffled Marnus Labuschagne.There remain doubts over Kemar Roach (hamstring) and Nkrumah Bonner (concussion), while Kyle Mayers (shoulder) will only be available as a batter and Jayden Seales has an ongoing issue with his left knee. It’s understood that Bonner is unlikely to play – this is the second concussion he has suffered in Test cricket – but there remains some confidence that Roach may yet be available, although there is the risk of the problem flaring up again during the match.Anderson Phillip would be first in line as a replacement quick but there is the possibility that uncapped Marquino Mindley could also play despite only arriving in Adelaide from Jamaica on Tuesday morning.The West Indies bowlers only managed six wickets in Perth, of which three went to the seamers, and the bottom line is that Labuschagne scored 308 runs, but one of the more enthralling passages of the match came on the fourth morning when Joseph, who had been disappointing in the first innings, cranked up the speed and gave him a working over. He should have claimed him, too, on 19 but overstepped.Labuschagne’s Test figures, with an average approaching 60, make clear the outstanding start he has enjoyed, but Joseph’s spell wasn’t the first time he had looked discomforted by high pace after Mark Wood created some uneasy moments in an otherwise one-sided Ashes last season.Alzarri Joseph ruffled up Marnus Labuschagne on the fourth morning•Getty Images

“You obviously have your plans,” West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick said. “I’m not here to give away plans but we’ll have a look; we will see his uncomfortable areas, his uncomfortable moments, and we’ll try and target them as much as possible.”We were impressed the way [Joseph] bowled with the new ball in the second innings… I personally think a big haul is just around the corner, a five-for [is] waiting. We know he’s bowling at 140kph, he just has to get it in the right area, [then] you can keep your slips in [and] you have a better chance of four or five wickets.”Estwick suggested that Joseph’s spell was the type that would get noticed around the world, and even gave a little nod towards his protégé Jofra Archer who he mentored during his younger days and will have sights on next year’s Ashes after a lengthy spell sidelined by injuries.It was Archer’s Test debut at Lord’s in 2019, where Labuschagne was subbed in as Steven Smith’s concussion replacement after he had been felled by Archer. Labuschagne was then quickly struck by another searing delivery from him.”The cricket world is so small you can’t hide and once any team exposes a weakness, the other teams will be having a look,” Estwick said. “I’m sure Jofra Archer, wherever he’s sitting, will be having a look, ticking some boxes; that’s the way cricket goes. But I’m sure if Marnus thinks he has a weakness, he’ll go away and work on it.”The day-night factor will bring another dynamic to this match (Australia have won all their pink-ball Tests) although West Indies did play the Prime Minister’s XI under the same conditions in Canberra before heading to Perth. The visitors will again look to their openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, to set the tone after the pair put on 78 and 116 at Optus Stadium with the aim to take the match as deep as possible.”You are playing the best side in the world, no doubt about that,” Estwick said. “You can’t go gung-ho. I know everyone has seen how England are playing and think that’s the way to go. Well, that’s the way they want to go, fine by them, but with us, we know we have to be as patient as possible.”We are playing the best team in the world and we just want to grind and fight and stay in the fight as long as possible. We did that [in Perth], we want to go one step further. It’s all about improving, learning and getting better. You’ve just got to keep fighting and scrapping with the Australians.”

It is understood that he could potentially be out of action for at least two months

Umar Farooq15-Feb-2023Multan Sultans fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani has been ruled out of the remainder of the Pakistan Super League 2023 due to a fracture on his right little finger.Dahani picked up the injury in the opening game against Lahore Qalandars when a ball that Sikandar Raza powerfully punched the ball down the ground struck his bowling hand. Scans confirmed a fracture in his right little finger for which he requires surgery. It is understood that he could potentially be out of action for at least two months.Sultans are yet to name a replacement for Dahani.Dahani has been Sultans’ mainstay in the bowling unit. He made his PSL debut in 2021 and made an immediate impression. He picked up 20 wickets in his opening season, the third-most in a single edition of PSL, only behind Hasan Ali (25) and Faheem Ashraf (21) in 2019.He was then fast-tracked into the national team and he made his Pakistan debut in November 2021. He has played two ODIs and 11 T20Is so far.Sultans have a back-up option for Dahani in Anwar Ali. Sameen Gul and Ihsanullah played the opening game while overseas bowling picks Wayne Parnell and Josh Little are yet to join the team.Sultans have had a great run in the last two seasons of the PSL. They were the most consistent team last year, losing only two out of 12 games, including the final against Qalandars. No other team managed to win more than six games in the group stage. They have been the most successful franchise in terms of wins overall, finishing in the top two in the last three seasons and clinching the title in 2021.

Perth Scorchers’ BBL title-winning stars Cooper Connolly, Nick Hobson recall their approach

Tristan Lavalette04-Feb-2023By the end of an unforgettable BBL final, inexperienced Cooper Connolly and unheralded Nick Hobson etched their names into Perth Scorchers’ lore to become unexpected heroes at a febrile Perth Stadium.It wasn’t in the script when ice cool skipper Ashton Turner appeared set to once again rescue defending champions Scorchers in a nerve-jangling instant classic against Brisbane Heat. He reached his half-century with a six but at 4 for 137, chasing 176, disaster struck when Turner was involved in a horrendous mix-up with new batter Hobson.”I’m still probably going to wake up with nightmares over that one,” Hobson later said.In another twist, fittingly capping a madcap BBL season, Scorchers still needed 39 off 19 balls as a rowdy crowd of 53,886 quickly turned silent.Related

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Scorchers’ hopes of a title defence rested on Hobson, who holds down a day job as an accountant and hadn’t batted in six of the last eight games, and 19-year-old Connolly, having batted just once before in three BBL games. A rejuvenated Heat, having won seven of eight to qualify for the final, moved into favouritism but Connolly, who captained Australia at last year’s Under-19 World Cup, remained unruffled.”I just walked up to Hobbo and said ‘mate, we can do this. I have full faith in ourselves’,” Connolly said.Hobson also had some words of wisdom to share with Connolly: “Keep a strong base and if it’s there, try hit it for six and if it’s not there, play a good cricket shot along the ground.”A nerveless Connolly took heed with a remarkable assault on Heat seamer James Bazley in the 18th over to turn the match on its head. He started with a six then two balls later whacked a short delivery to the boundary before capping the over with another blow into an increasingly delirious sea of orange fans.”After that over from Bazley, I thought ‘we can actually do this’,” Connolly said. “We sort of just got on a roll and that’s what momentum does, momentum helps you win games so I’m pretty happy.”Connolly’s heroics reduced Scorchers’ target to a much more manageable 20 runs off 12 balls, but his whirlwind appeared to be over on 19 when he skied to deep point only for Josh Brown to drop the catch. It meant Scorchers needed 10 runs off the final over against fringe Test quick Michael Neser.”We even thought three twos and one boundary and we’re away,” Connolly said.53,886 turned up at the Perth Stadium, the most at the ground for a cricket match•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Hobson, however, had other ideas when he bludgeoned the second ball for a six over deep midwicket before sealing Scorchers’ fifth title with a boundary to trigger celebrations that reverberated all over the stadium. The pair encapsulated the club’s remarkable depth with Connolly and Hobson beneficiaries of Scorchers’ horror injury run, which included star allrounder Mitchell Marsh missing the entire season.”When I hit Neser in the final over, it was so loud and I couldn’t hold my excitement,” Hobson said. “I’ve never played in front of anything like that, I’ll remember that forever.””I felt like I had the full support of the coaches and captain the whole tournament, and it came off tonight.”Having taken annual leave from his accounting job, Hobson understandably won’t be returning to the office on Monday.”I’ll come back the week after,” Hobson laughed. “I’ll let it all decompress.”While for Connolly, with his name being chanted by giddy fans in the aftermath, stardom awaits for Western Australia’s latest cricket sensation.”Not many 19-year-olds get to play in front of 50,000, so I’m just here to soak it all in and enjoy the moment,” Connolly said. “It just gives me that extra boost that I can play at this level.”

A two-member panel will now conduct a review before announcing their verdict within 14 days

Shashank Kishore14-Mar-20233:27

Chopra: If every Test lasts only two-and-a-half days, there is a problem

The BCCI has filed a formal appeal with the ICC over the “poor” rating given to the Indore pitch by match referee Chris Broad, an official of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, which owns Holkar Stadium in Indore, told ESPNcricinfo. A two-member ICC panel will now conduct a review before announcing their verdict within 14 days.The Test, the third of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia, finished well within the first session on the third day after 30 wickets fell in the first two days. Twenty-six of the 31 wickets in the Test went to spinners as Australia completed a nine-wicket win to claw back in the series after losing the first two Tests.In his report, Broad had said that the “pitch was very dry and did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start”. He further stated that there was “excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match”.Broad’s rating meant the venue has now accrued three demerit points. This will remain active for a five-year rolling period. If it receives two more demerit points, the venue will be suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.In the Indore Test, 26 of the 31 wickets went to spinners•Getty Images

Andy Pycroft, the match referee for the first two Tests, had rated the surfaces used in Nagpur and Delhi as “average”. Those Tests also finished inside three days, India winning both.Match referees have six distinct markings for surfaces: very good, good, average, below average, poor and unfit. Only those rated below average, poor or unfit attract demerit points.Indore was given short notice to host the Test after the BCCI inspection team found the outfield at Dharamsala not yet up to par after it was relaid in the winter. The BCCI announced the shifting of the venue on February 13, about two weeks before the scheduled start of the game on March 1.It is unusual for boards to appeal against pitch ratings, but not unheard-of. In fact, the PCB did it recently – and successfully – for a demerit point given to the surface in Rawalpindi, which hosted the Test against England in December last year. Pycroft, the match referee there too, had rated the pitch “below average”. England won that Test by 74 runs.

Only two points separate the teams, though they are in different halves of the points table

Sruthi Ravindranath29-Apr-2023

Big Picture – Can the Kings storm CSK’s fortress?

Both Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings are coming off defeats in high-scoring contests. The Kings were hammered by Lucknow Super Giants in Mohali, while CSK were comprehensively beaten by Rajasthan Royals amid chants of “Dhoni, Dhoni” in Jaipur.While CSK were on a three-match winning streak before that defeat, Punjab have not been able to string together two victories since their first two games. This is the first meeting between these sides this season, and CSK start favourites in their home fortress.While Chepauk has been a high-scoring venue this season, MS Dhoni banks on his spinners for control, and the Kings haven’t had a terrific record against spin since last season. Their batters have the lowest average (20.07) and strike rate (116.76) against spin. Their two most experienced batters, Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone, do not go hard against spin: they strike at around 123 against spinners in the IPL.The Kings also have a pace-heavy attack, unlike CSK, which may not be best suited to Chepauk, and they will hope that their world-class attack of Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran can rise above the conditions. Rahul Chahal, their lead spinner, has taken only two wickets this season, and their other spin-bowling options are Harpreet Brar, Sikandar Raza and Livingstone.CSK are in the top half of the table and the Kings are in the bottom half, but only two points separate the sides after eight games.

Form Guide

Chennai Super Kings LWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)

Punjab Kings LWLWL

Team News – CSK continue to wait on Stokes, Chahar

The news from the CSK camp is that Ben Stokes and Deepak Chahar are not yet fit enough to play. Stokes has played only two games this season, while Chahar has played three.

Possible XIs and Impact Player

CSK have not made drastic changes so far. Even though their Impact Player Ambati Rayudu has failed to get going this season, they are likely to stick to their same XII.Likely XII: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Shivam Dube 6 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 9 Matheesha Pathirana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana, 12 Kings are likely to bring back left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar in place of seamer Gurnoor Brar.Likely XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt.), 2 , 3 Atharva Taide, 4 Sikandar Raza, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 8 Shahrukh Khan, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 .

Pitch and conditions

Humidity aside, partly cloudy conditions and some rain is forecast for Chennai.

Stats that matter

• Arshdeep has dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad twice in 13 deliveries in the IPL. Rabada has also dismissed him twice in four games.
• While Livingstone has scored at 194 against pace in the IPL, he slows down considerably against spin, scoring at 123 and averaging 25.8.
• CSK’s fast bowlers have been the most expensive in the powerplay this season, conceding 10.1 runs per over.
• Kings have the lowest average (17.3) for the opening wicket this season.

Poll

Rain and high winds mean a mere 6.1 overs are possible on day two

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2023Hampshire 103 for 0 (Weatherley 47*, Middleton 43*) lead Kent 95 (Muyeye 28, Fuller 5-21, Abbott 3-23) by eight runsThere was frustration for fans and players alike at Canterbury as a mere 6.1 overs were possible on day two of the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Kent and Hampshire.During a drastically truncated evening session, Hampshire moved to 103 without loss, a lead of eight. Joe Weatherley was unbeaten on 47 and Fletcha Middleton 43 not out, but a combination of rain and high winds wiped out the first two sessions and most of the third.Hampshire had ended day one on 89 without loss in reply to Kent’s 95 all out, but they were unable to press home their advantage as the heavens opened an hour before play was due to start. Even when the rain relented the skies remained ashen and high winds meant the hosts were unable to put up their floodlights.Tea was taken at 3.30pm, by which time the crowd consisted of three men in the Underwood-Knott Stand wearing banana costumes to celebrate a 40th birthday.Play finally began, after multiple inspections, at 5.12pm, but the only meaningful chance came when Weatherley edged Michael Hogan to second slip and Zak Crawley couldn’t hang on to an ankle-high catch.Middleton produced an elegant cut off Wes Agar for four, to steer Hampshire past three figures, but after just 27 minutes the light deteriorated again and although the umpires showed great optimism by lingering in the middle in the hope things might improve, play was finally abandoned for the day at 6.01pm.

Rahane had signed the deal in January but his Test comeback delayed his participation

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2023Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara will play in division two of the County Championship after the West Indies tour in July, and will represent Leicestershire and Sussex respectively. Pujara has already played six games for Sussex this season before the WTC final, and scored three centuries and a half-century in eight innings.Rahane recently made a successful comeback to the Indian team during the WTC final against Australia earlier this month with scores of 89 and 46. In the absence of the injured Shreyas Iyer, Rahane could again be picked for the West Indies tour. Before the WTC final, India’s head coach Rahul Dravid had said that good performances could give Rahane a longer run in Tests even when the injured players come back.Rahane had signed the deal with Leicestershire in January and was supposed to play eight first-class games and also the entire 50-over Royal London Cup from June to September, after his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings.However, he couldn’t join his county side immediately after the IPL because of his Test comeback.”Ajinkya, after the two Tests in the West Indies [scheduled to end on July 24], is supposed to fly directly to England and join Leicestershire for the remainder of the season,” a BCCI source told PTI. “He will play the Royal London Cup in August and a possible four county games in September as he is unlikely to be a part of the white-ball scheme of things.”This will be Rahane’s second county stint, having played for Hampshire in 2019 when he was dropped from the ODI World Cup side.While most of the top India players will shift their focus towards ODIs ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup, Rahane will get more red-ball game time through September, before he is back in India for the domestic season.Pujara, meanwhile, had started his county season in April with a century against Durham and followed it with hundreds against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire as well. He was also the Sussex captain in the six games he played, where he scored 545 runs at an average of 68.12. He will also feature in the Royal London Cup, like last year.Currently, left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh is the only Indian in the county circuit, playing for Kent in his maiden county season. He has played one game so far, returning figures of 2 for 43 and 2 for 90 as Surrey chased down 501.

Khawaja proclaimed the Edgbaston victory as his favourite after scores of 141 and 65 helped guide Australia to a thrilling two-wicket win

Alex Malcolm21-Jun-2023Australia’s hero Usman Khawaja proclaimed the Edgbaston victory as the favourite match of his life after he compiled two epic knocks of 141 and 65 to help the visitors claim a miraculous two-wicket win and claim a 1-0 series lead.Khawaja echoed his captain Pat Cummins who also said it was his new No.1 favourite Test match. It is the second time in three Ashes Tests that Khawaja has claimed the Player of the Match award following his twin centuries on his Test return in Sydney in January 2022.That Test was the start of his renaissance as a Test player having been left out two-and-a-half years after being dropped midway through the 2019 Ashes series. Since his return, he has scored seven Test centuries in just 32 innings, averaging 67.66.Related

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The 2022 Sydney Test still holds a special place in his heart but he said the victory in Edgbaston has usurped it.”SCG was special, it was unexpected,” Khawaja said after Australia’s dramatic win. “My career was over in my head. I’ve said it a million times but it was. Hard to beat that from an individual point of view but from a team point of view, and wins, this is by far my favourite match ever in my life.”The way it ebbed and flowed, the way they came out, the way we counterattacked, it looked like we’d lost the game probably with an hour to go and to come back and win, by far my favourite game of all time.”Khawaja’s contribution to Australia’s victory cannot be understated. His ability to bat time and hold both of Australia’s innings together in a game where the opposition had scored at breakneck speed showed Khawaja’s extraordinary powers of concentration, but also his willingness to play his own way.