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They plan to get some game time before the five-Test series starting November 22

Shashank Kishore04-Nov-2024India batters KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel will arrive in Australia a week earlier than the rest of India’s Test squad to gain some match time ahead of the five-Test series beginning on November 22 in Perth.Rahul and Jurel will line up for the India A side led by Ruturaj Gaikwad for the second and final four-day fixture to be played from November 7 at the MCG. India A lost the first game by seven wickets in Mackay, where the last day was marred by a ball-change controversy although Ishan Kishan escaped a dissent charge after an argument with the on-field umpire.Rahul was left out of India’s XI following their defeat to New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru, where he scored 0 and 12. Rahul made way for the returning Shubman Gill for the second and third Tests of the series where India were blanked 3-0, their first whitewash at home in 24 years.Related

• Bowling to Smith, Labuschagne, Rahul at the MCG: Rocchicioli's rise continues

• Boland eyes chance to keep pressure on KL Rahul

• Kishan escapes dissent charge despite anger over ball change

• Rohit: 'More comfortable' with match simulation than practice match

• India shelve intra-squad match in favour of training, centre-wicket

Meanwhile, Jurel, who made his Test debut against England earlier this year, hasn’t featured in any of the five home Tests since Rishabh Pant’s comeback. He has had two red-ball outings since the conclusion of the England series in March, one Duleep Trophy game and then the Irani Cup last month. He managed only 2 and 0 in the Duleep Trophy fixture before scoring a brisk 93 off 121 balls against Mumbai.The decision to send both players early to get some match practice is pertinent given the Indian team cancelled their only intra-squad warm-up fixture for centre-wicket match simulation in Perth.”We are travelling with a squad of 19 players and only three days were allotted to us. I don’t know how much workload we can get in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared,” captain Rohit Sharma had reasoned on Sunday.”The management feels that we’d rather have a match simulation where batters can spend more time in the middle and the bowlers can bowl a lot of balls. That is something that we, as a team, feel more comfortable doing rather than playing a practice game because game time is not a problem.”The Indian team is set to depart for Australia on November 10, and will train at the old venue in Perth, the WACA, ahead of the series opener at the Optus Stadium, where they last played on the 2018-19 tour, which they won 2-1.India are likely to miss Rohit for that opening game because of his unavailability due to personal reasons and his direct replacement in the squad is Abhimanyu Easwaran, who scored 7 and 12 in the first A game after scoring four straight first-class hundreds at the start of the Indian domestic season, unless they decide to rejig the batting order.

Australia have lost six of their last seven completed ODIs, while South Africa chase their fifth straight series win over their opponents

Alex Malcolm21-Aug-2025

Big Picture: Australia address ODI slump, SA chase another series win

Australia are the reigning ODI World Champions but they have not been playing like it since their 2023 triumph in India. There are mitigating circumstances, having not fielded a full strength team in any game since while beginning a transition towards 2027 following some key retirements. But they have lost six of their last seven completed ODIs including being thumped in game one in Cairns with an experienced top six and an attack featuring two World Cup winning bowlers.Meanwhile, South Africa looked polished with a transitional team of their own. The absences of David Miller and the retired Heinrich Klaasen were not felt in the slightest with the bat as they posted an excellent score on a sluggish surface with even contributions from the top-four and very little from the powerful duo of Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis on ODI debut.Keshav Maharaj’s stunning bowling display did mask a poor new-ball spell from Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger. But it was still an excellent performance overall after losing Kagiso Rabada from the series on the eve of the match. The win was soured by the news that debutant offspinner Prenelan Subrayen had been reported, yet again, for a suspect bowling action. Coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that Subrayen would not play in the final two matches despite being available to play, before having his action independently assessed in Brisbane at the end of this ODI series.But the win in Cairns has South Africa one win away from claiming a fifth straight bilateral ODI series against Australia dating back over a decade.Related

• Keshav Maharaj rises to No. 1 in men's ODI bowling rankings

• Adam Zampa reprimanded for using obscene language

• Maharaj shakes off T20I snub with statement white-ball display

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Prenelan Subrayen reported for suspect action, SA rest him from final two ODIs

Conditions in Mackay, further south of Cairns, will be an unknown as the only men’s ODI played there was in 1992 and only two balls were bowled. The last List A game played there in 2023 was very high scoring. But there was a 50-over game between Australia A and New Zealand A in Mackay in that same season where the bowlers dominated. South Africa A played four 50-over matches in Mackay in a Quadrangular A-team one-day series in 2016 but none of South Africa’s current team played in it.Australia will be desperate for their batting to click. They have been bowled out for under 200 in six of their last 10 completed ODIs. They have been bowled out for under 200 in their last three ODIs at home, which has never happened in Australia’s history. The order looks slightly different, and there is no Steve Smith or Glenn Maxwell, but the quality of players in the top six should be capable of functioning better than they have been.South Africa’s only batting question is how to best utilise Brevis after questions arose as to whether he entered too late in Cairns. With the ball, they will know that Maharaj is the trump card, but would want to have more impact with the new ball to avoid him bowling to a set left-hander in Travis Head, something he did not have to do in game one.

Form guide

Australia LLWLL
South Africa WLWWL

In the spotlight: Marnus Labuschagne and Tristan Stubbs

Marnus Labuschagne was Australia’s player to watch in Cairns and nothing changes heading into Mackay. Much of the interest in him surrounds his road to the Ashes and whether he can reclaim his Test place, but his ODI form and his role within the new look batting line-up has some significant question marks over it as well.Since his match-winning unbeaten 58 in the 2023 World Cup final and an unbeaten 77 in a winning chase against England in 2024 just two innings later, he has really struggled. He’s averaging just 15.22 at a strike-rate of 76.53 in his last nine ODI innings without a half-century. Six of those were batting at No.5 and two were batting at No.4 in the Champions Trophy, where he did make a valuable 47 off 45 in the win over England. He has been elevated to No.3 for this series with a view to positioning him potentially as the long-term Smith replacement with Mitchell Marsh and Head becoming the opening combination. But he needs some runs to bed that position down.Keshav Maharaj trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw in game one•Getty Images

Klaasen’s retirement from international cricket leaves a giant hole in South Africa’s middle-order. Tristan Stubbs has been given first option at making Klaasen’s No.5 role his own but with Brevis breathing down his neck and Miller still available to return at some point, Stubbs will need to perform sooner rather than later. He is still early in his career having only played 10 ODIs to-date, but outside of 79 and 112 not out against Ireland, his returns have been very lean, with six single-figure scores including 1, 0, and 0 in his last three ODIs.Middle-order batting is fickle in ODI cricket and sample sizes are important when measuring output given entry points can vary greatly, with Cairns being a prime example of him needing to go from ball one with limited time remaining in the innings. But his T20I returns in a similar role have only been solid in terms of runs made and sluggish in terms of scoring rate by comparison to Brevis or Klaasen. His fielding is also normally a strength, but he has had a torrid tour of Australia with a number of dropped catches including one at cover in Cairns. If he can find form in the final two games it gives South Africa a deep and powerful batting unit heading towards a home World Cup.

Team news: Connolly in the mix; Subrayen won’t play

There were suggestions that Matt Kuhnemann should have played in Cairns and should also come into the mix for Mackay but it is more likely that Aaron Hardie’s position at No.7 will come under scrutiny with an option to play a spinning allrounder instead in Cooper Connolly, who also bowls left-arm orthodox, as Australia scramble to fill the hole left by the retired Maxwell and the injured duo of Matt Short and Mitchell Owen. Josh Hazlewood’s loads will continue to be monitored with the Ashes in mind. Australia have Xavier Bartlett in the squad if Hazlewood needs to rest from one of the last two ODIs which will be played with only a day’s break in between.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Aaron Hardie/Cooper Connolly, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSubrayen being rested from the final two ODIs opens the door for Senuran Muthusamy to play if they wish to continue to attack Australia’s right-hand heavy top five with left-arm orthodox spin. Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka are also available if Lungi Ngidi needs a rest in one of the final two games after playing every match of the tour so far.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Senuran Muthusamy, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

Conditions at Great Barrier Reef Arena will be unknown for both sides. In the three women’s ODIs played there in 2021 the chasing side won all three times. In the two List A games in 2023 the chasers were 1-1 but Victoria needed every bit of their first innings 349 to hold a fast finishing Queensland. Cameron Green said the pitch “looks like a beauty” a day out from the game on Thursday. It will be a pleasant temperature again but there is set to be a strong breeze from the south-east, with the ground very close to the ocean, which will undoubtedly influence bowling tactics and scoring options as it did in Cairns.

Stats and trivia

• Mackay last hosted a men’s ODI during the 1992 World Cup but only two balls were bowled between India and Sri Lanka due to rain.
• Marsh has won the toss 21 times as captain across T20Is and ODIs – choosing to bowl on every occasion
• Australia have been bowled out for under 200 in their last three home ODIs which has never happened previously

Quotes

“Just had a quick walk past [the pitch]. It looks like a beauty. We’ve heard some really good things about it. A couple of Queenslanders I think have played some games up here for Queensland. Heard it’s a great wicket. So looking forward to tomorrow.”
“We just felt, together with ‘Subs’ (Prenelan Subrayen) that less noise, get him away and out of the public eye [and] just make sure that he’s OK. “That’s why his name’s not going to be on the team sheet tomorrow.”

Shaheen returned to bat despite hurting his knee but could not win the match for Lions

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2024Dolphins ensured they did not bow out of the Champions Cup without a win, as they beat Lions by 16 runs in the last league game of the tournament.With Lions needing 81 from five overs with three wickets in hand, a Dolphins win seemed a mere formality. But Khushdil Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, batting with an injured knee, threatened to pull off a heist. The pair hit seven sixes and two fours in the next four overs to reduce the equation to 23 needed from the final over. But Abbas Afridi held his nerve to give his side a consolation win.It must have been a no-brainer for Dolphins to bat after winning the toss; the teams batting first are yet to lose a game in the tournament. Dolphins lost Sahibzada Farhan in the sixth over but Muhammad Hurraira and Muhammad Akhlaq added 77 in 10.1 overs to set the platform.Hurraira scored 47 off 41 balls and Akhlaq 52 off 50. After the two fell in quick succession, Umar Amin took over. Despite Lions making regular breakthroughs, he found enough support from the lower middle order to steer Dolphins ahead.By the time Amin fell, for 75 in the 42nd over, Dolphins had 275 on the board. Even though they were all out in the last over, they had posted a challenging 326.In response, Abdullah Shafique and Rohail Nazir gave Lions a steady start of 78 in 13.3 overs. Nazir was the aggressor, scoring 62 in 70 balls.After 22 overs, Lions were well placed on 125 for 1 but Saud Shakeel dismissed Nazir and Omair Yousuf in his back-to-back overs. That derailed Lions’ chase.Lions needed 100 in the last ten overs with four wickets in hand. Then, a Faheem Ashraf delivery hit Shaheen on the left knee and he had to retire hurt. He returned at the fall of the next wicket, in the 45th over, but struggled with running between the wickets.That did not seem to matter as he and Khushdil dealt in boundaries. Shaheen hit Mir Hamza for back-to-back sixes in the 47th over. Khushdil went one better against Abbas in the next. But despite their best efforts, Lions fell short of their target.

Opener remains unbeaten after Ryan Higgins’ 163 looked to have given the hosts control at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2024Derbyshire 308 for 4 (Reece 123*, Madsen 49, Higgins 1-39) trail Middlesex 433 (Higgins 163, du Plooy 57, Roland-Jones 52) by 125 runsDerbyshire opener Luis Reece posted a maiden Lord’s hundred to lead his side’s steady response with the bat in their Vitality County Championship game against Middlesex.The 33-year-old left-hander shook off a patchy start, sharing a third-wicket stand of 111 with Wayne Madsen and bringing up his century from 176 balls to reach stumps unbeaten on 123.The visitors closed at 308 for 4, trailing by 125 after Middlesex had totalled 433 in their first innings, with overnight centurion Ryan Higgins last man out for 163.Higgins, whose partnership of 71 with Ethan Bamber set a county record for the last wicket against Derbyshire, has now overtaken Northamptonshire’s Emilio Gay to become Division Two’s leading run-scorer this season.Handily placed on 342 for 7 overnight, Middlesex lost captain Toby Roland-Jones for 52 in the third over, driving to mid-on where opposite number David Lloyd sprang forward to take the catch.With Henry Brookes soon following, trapped leg before by a ball from Zak Chappell that kept low, it looked as though a fourth batting point might elude the home side – but Higgins and Bamber determined otherwise.Bamber looked accomplished at the crease, compiling an unbeaten 21 as he chopped Daryn Dupavillon to the fence and Higgins raised the tempo, lifting Sam Conners for three leg-side sixes.A rare untidy shot by Higgins, top-edging Conners over slip for four, took him beyond 150 and it was Reece who eventually wrapped up the innings as Madsen – narrowly avoiding a collision with Conners – gathered Higgins’ slog-sweep in front of the rope.That left Derbyshire six pre-lunch overs to negotiate and Lloyd started positively, punching Bamber off the back foot for two boundaries before he was caught at point trying to do it a third time.Brooke Guest looked in good touch after the interval, having just driven Roland-Jones to the cover boundary when he was undone by the next ball, which nipped back down the slope to strike middle and off.By contrast, Reece played and missed several times at the start of his innings, surviving close calls when he edged Roland-Jones and Bamber through the slips before eventually settling into his stride.The left-hander formed a solid alliance with Madsen, whose first six scoring shots all flew to the boundary and ushered the 40-year-old beyond the landmark of 14,000 first-class runs in Derbyshire colours.Although leg-spinner Luke Hollman caused Madsen problems, with one inside edge flying just past the stumps, he looked poised to emulate Reece’s half-century until Brookes broke the partnership with a fearsome rising delivery in the first over after tea.Madsen, on 49, attempted to fend the ball off and could only glove it to wicketkeeper Jack Davies – yet his dismissal did little to slow Derbyshire’s scoring rate as Reece and Matt Lamb began to accelerate.Lamb targeted the short boundary in a breezy 30 before Davies, standing up to the stumps, took a sharp catch off Higgins, but the keeper was unable to hold on to another chance soon afterwards when Bamber found Aneurin Donald’s inside edge.Donald, who had yet to get off the mark at that stage, took advantage to progress to 43 not out as Derbyshire pocketed their second batting bonus point prior to stumps.

Fast bowler left out of table-toppers’ opening two T20 fixtures after fallow recent form

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2024Issy Wong, the England fast bowler, has joined Western Storm on loan for the Charlotte Edwards Cup after she was left out of the Central Sparks team for their first two matches of their T20 campaign.Wong, who turned 22 last week, played for England as recently as September and featured for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League in March. But after a quiet start to the season in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, she was not selected by the Sparks for their opening T20 fixtures and has pursued a move away.The ECB – who are Wong’s primary employer, as a centrally-contracted player – have approved her loan move to ensure she will be playing competitive cricket. Storm said in a statement: “The ECB have sanctioned the move to ensure fast bowler Wong is able to maximise her playing time over the coming weeks.”Wong played all three formats for England in the 2022 summer at the age of 20 and was one of the stars of the inaugural season of the WPL, taking 15 wickets to help Mumbai Indians to the title – including a hat-trick in the eliminator. But she has struggled for consistency since and has lost her place in England’s squads.This season, she has taken three wickets at 56.33 in five Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures and has also featured for an ECB Development XI against the touring Pakistan squad. She was a surprise omission from the Sparks’ T20 side, though they have won their opening two fixtures.Wong is likely to play a more prominent role for a Storm side who have lost their opening two matches and are currently without Lauren Filer, who is on England duty. She will also target more opportunities with the bat, having spent most of this season batting at No. 8 in 50-over cricket.

Former Lancashire captain takes reins at Lord’s in first major coaching assignment

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2025Middlesex have appointed former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Dane Vilas as interim first-team coach until the end of the season. The move comes two days after Richard Johnson departed after three-and-a-half seasons in the role.Vilas, 40, retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2023 season after seven years with Lancashire, although he continued to play in the SA20. He has been based in London for some time and will take charge at Middlesex with immediate effect.The club are currently third from bottom in Division Two of the County Championship, having won just twice in the opening block of seven games. They are in a similar position in the Blast, winning for only the second time this season on Thursday evening, shortly before Vilas’ appointment was announced.Related

• Vilas announces Lancashire departure

• Johnson departs role as Middlesex first-team coach

“I am delighted to welcome Dane to the club as our Interim first-team coach,” Middlesex’s director of cricket, Alan Coleman, said. “He has a wealth of experience to offer our squad, and I believe that we will all benefit from his presence and leadership across the rest of this season.”Though Dane is still early in his coaching career, having only finished playing for Lancashire in 2023, I am confident that his leadership presence, competitive edge and experience of all formats, including franchise cricket, will have a huge impact on our squad.”It is the leadership qualities that were evident when he captained Lancashire that drew me towards Dane. The teams that he has led played hard, committed, never-say-die cricket and I believe that is a style that will resonate well with our players, staff group and members.”Dane will be supported by what I believe is an exceptional coaching team of Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, who all bring variety and wide-ranging knowledge to our team.”I am sure you will all joining me in welcoming Dane over the coming weeks as we look forward to the rest of our season. There is still a lot to play for and I am excited to see where our talented playing group can take us.”Vilas played six Tests and one T20I for South Africa before joining Lancashire on a Kolpak contract. He was subsequently made club captain, leading the team to T20 Finals Day on three occasions and back-to-back runners-up finishes in the County Championship.Vilas said: “It’s an absolute honour to be here. Lord’s is such a special place and I’m looking forward to getting started with the squad. The potential is endless for the group and I’ll be keen to harness that and help grow their careers.”I’ve got good relationships with Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, so to have the four of us together is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Sarah Coyte is aiming for an astonishing 10th state title against a Queensland side further hit by Georgia Voll’s absence

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2025New South Wales veteran Sarah Coyte makes no secret of the fact a grand-final win on Sunday over Queensland would mean more than her first six WNCL titles with the state.”Just for the sheer fact that NSW have spent the last four or five years rebuilding,” Coyte told AAP.Coyte, at age 33, is one of the last remaining members of NSW’s days as the powerhouse of women’s domestic cricket. She won six competitions with the state between 2010 and 2015, as part of the Breakers’ record run of 10 straight titles in the 2000s and 2010s.Related

• UPW pick Georgia Voll as replacement for Chamari Athapaththu for WPL 2025

• Wilson bides her time in Australia's tight wicketkeeping race

So dominant were the Breakers in the early days of the 50-over WNCL, they claimed 20 of the first 23 competitions and finished runners-up in the other three.”Back when NSW kept winning, it was just an expectation, because we had all the big names,” Coyte said. “The program has completely changed since then. You don’t have as many big names, the Australian team have always got something on. Now we have to fight and work so hard for it, and it shows.”Coyte is no stranger to winning. On leaving NSW for South Australia in 2015-16, she broke NSW’s streak with a title there. Another two came in Tasmania, with the seamer now gunning for a 10th WNCL title in 13 full seasons separated by a mid-career break.”It would be the ultimate. It would mean everything for NSW to be back at the top,” she said. “Not just for me but for Cricket NSW to be back after having to rebuild.”Winning machine: Sarah Coyte is searching for a 10th WNCL title•Getty Images

The changed nature of the WNCL means Sunday’s final features no Australian players, with Queensland’s Georgia Voll the last to leave for India and the WPL on Friday. But that does open the door for other players to eye off lifelong dreams. For table-toppers Queensland, up to six of their XI will hunt a first title after losing to Tasmania in last year’s decider.”It’s disappointing – we would have loved her to play, and I know she would have loved to have played as well, but it’s a great opportunity for her and a good reward for her season so far,” Queensland captain Georgia Redmayne said. “Considering the urgency to get her to India, I really hope they give her the opportunity she deserves on Tuesday.””The good thing about having so many players in and out is that we’ve been able to give a lot of opportunities to a lot of girls throughout the season. Everyone in our squad of 13 has played games this season, so everyone’s been there and been exposed to it – we’re not bringing new players into the team suddenly for a final so I think that bodes well for us.”Georgia Voll has beeen handed a late call-up to the WPL•Getty Images

For NSW, a new generation wants success after finishing fifth and sixth for the past two years. And for the likes of senior Breakers quick Sammy-Jo Johnson and spinner Sam Bates, a title shot awaits after NSW’s dominance was a double-edged sword as teenagers.Knowing only of NSW’s stars winning, both were forced to move to Queensland and ACT respectively for a chance before returning in recent years.”The goal for me growing up was to play for NSW,” Johnson said. “That’s all I dreamt about, I just wanted to wear a baggy blue. But Queensland gave me an opportunity, and I wouldn’t have made a name for myself if I didn’t go chase it somewhere else.”Now, they know the chance awaits for NSW to create a new legacy on Sunday.”The history is very rich, but the cool thing about this group is we’ve forged our own path,” Johnson said. “We’ve gone through the struggles. We’ve had so many injuries … We’ve had to go through the grind.”

WNCL final squads

Queensland Georgia Redmayne (capt), Charli Knott, Lily Bassingthwaighte, Lucinda Bourke, Sianna Ginger, Lilli Hamilton, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Laura Harris, Grace Parsons, Courtney Sippel, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla WrigleyNew South Wales Georgia Adams (capt), Sam Bates, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Sarah Coyte, Hannah Darlington, Elsa Hunter, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Claire Moore, Frankie Nicklin, Kate Pelle, Tahlia Wilson

Brendon McCullum’s 131 led New Zealand to 303 for 8 at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi, and paved the way for them to level the three match series at 1-1

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outBrendon McCullum’s 131 was his second ODI century, and his first against serious opposition•Associated Press

Brendon McCullum, it is fair to say, hasn’t had the best year, or in fact the best time of it since he launched the IPL into orbit two years ago. Expectation has generally overtaken him, he has been dropped as vice-captain and questions about his suitability to opening have been asked. But an immaculately constructed 131, McCullum’s second century in 162 ODIs, led New Zealand to 303 for 8 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and paved the way for them to level the three-match series at 1-1.There were periods of acceleration, uncertainty and consolidation in New Zealand’s innings and McCullum stood firm through it all, falling only in the 47th over, the last of the batting Powerplay. Pakistan’s chase needed a similar effort but none was forthcoming. They seemed to have a plan: the top order batted cautiously, preserved wickets and steadily built a platform for the middle and lower order to fire from. The launchpad was there – they reached 124 for 1 – but the asking-rate had risen to over seven an over, heaping pressure on the likes of Shahid Afridi. And when the time came for Pakistan’s thrust, Scott Styris nipped out three crucial wickets in two overs. The plan had failed and the exodus of fans from the venue began as early as the 28th over.The match, though, was McCullum’s. His innings was everything his many, unfulfilled contributions haven’t been. The early harassing – the shimmies down the tracks, the moving around – was there but it wasn’t until Martin Guptill arrived, that McCullum really settled in.Guptill implemented the truism that the easiest singles in cricket are found in Pakistan’s 30-yard circle. It was selfless stuff, for the real beneficiary was McCullum. Umar Gul was driven and cut, though mostly the violence was reserved for Abdul Razzaq, who, had he been actually handing out chocolates, could not have been friendlier: a short ball was pulled over square leg, before he was cut just as hard. McCullum, soon, was celebrating a fifty. Spin threatened circumspection but not for long as Guptill danced down to loft Saeed Ajmal for six in the 20th over. McCullum deposited Afridi for six over midwicket and within a trice, the century stand was up.McCullum’s real work began after a needless slog from Guptill began a mini-collapse, at the end of which three wickets had gone for not much. As in the first game, New Zealand’s huff was running out at the halfway mark and McCullum now needed to shepherd. His captain helped, for so obdurately does Daniel Vettori stick around that he could be the crease’s chalk: he gave McCullum support in a fifty-run partnership which stealthily stole momentum back.McCullum reined himself in. The singles he kept picking but neither did he forget his basic intent. A brace of drives, off pace and spin alike, were sudden, sharp reminders to Pakistan of his strength. As further wickets fell, the significance of the Powerplay grew, and when it came, so too arrived the McCullum of IPL knock.The century had come a couple of overs earlier and now the gloves were off. The McPaddle had a second coming as both Gul and Aamer suffered. He later flicked a six off his hips so pure, it made you wonder why he would try such contrived shots. Jacob Oram stole handy runs at the end and New Zealand now had their best chance to win their first ODI against Pakistan in the UAE.Pakistan’s selectors had done away with the fiery Champions Trophy opening combination of Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal, preferring stability instead. Salman Butt and Imran Nazir took few risks, despite an asking-rate of more than six from the start of the reply. Butt began by punching Kyle Mills through point for four and thereafter Pakistan hit a four in every over between the fourth and the tenth.Despite the frequency with which they found the boundary, though, Butt and Latif were unable to score rapidly, because New Zealand’s excellent in-fielding prevented the singles that were so easily available when Pakistan were bowling. Latif’s innings was ended by Vettori, who came on in the 17th over and struck immediately, trapping the opener lbw with an arm ball.Vettori and Mills bowled tidily, and with Younis Khan and Butt shunning shots, the asking-rate climbed: it was seven an over in the 20th and 7.5 by the 25th. Younis had plodded to 19 when he chipped his 37th ball – in Styris’ first over – towards midwicket. Ross Taylor leapt to his right and took the catch with one hand. The captain departed with Pakistan needing 180 off 136 balls and Afridi entered to his customary, rousing welcome from a hopeful crowd. A ball later, he was striding back, having chipped to Taylor at midwicket again for a duck. Pakistan promoted Kamran Akmal ahead of Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, who perished while driving Styris to short cover. Pakistan had gone from 124 for 1 to 133 for 4.If the contest wasn’t over then, it certainly was when Butt and Yousuf had a moment’s misunderstanding, one which led to Butt being run out for 59 and Pakistan needing 170 off 120 balls. The platform had been shattered and the game was lost.

He had played just four T20 innings before this and is the latest unknown entity from MI’s scouting stable

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2024Mumbai Indians have played some of the most iconic T20 batters at No. 3 over the years, from Suryakumar Yadav to Rohit Sharma to Cameron Green. On Sunday night against Gujarat Titans, out walked Naman Dhir at No. 3 when Ishan Kishan fell in the first over of the chase of 169.It was just the sixth T20 game of Dhir’s professional career and he is yet to play a 50-over game in domestic cricket. What was he doing in the IPL then for the five-time champions?Bought for INR 20 lakh at the last auction, Dhir is the latest unknown entity from MI’s scouting stable. He is 24, a hard-hitting batter from Punjab. Known for hitting big sixes down the ground, his four T20 innings before this had earned him just 39 runs since his T20 debut a few months ago in November, with a high score of 17. For Punjab too, he has mostly batted at No. 3 in his fledgling career so far. In the Ranji Trophy, he has two centuries from 20 innings – both from last season – from 14 games for an average of 30.21.Related

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It was in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup – a state T20 league organised by the Punjab Cricket Association – in August last year that he made himself noticed with his hitting exploits. In 12 innings in that tournament, Dhir smashed 466 runs (second-highest) at a strike rate of 192.56 while averaging 42.36. He scored two centuries along the way – 127 off 56 and 105 off 44 – which included a total of 30 sixes.On Sunday, he smoked three back-to-back fours against Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai and a six in the same over. Dhir lofted the first ball of the third over over mid-off, the second over midwicket and the third (after a wide) for a one-bounce four to the square-leg boundary. A dot ball later, Dhir clobbered a half-volley over long-off for an 86-meter six. Omarzai, however, fought back on the last ball of the over by trapping Dhir lbw with the help of a review.”He came out and he was very expressive. Again that lofted shot, you have got to be excited about these things,” Kieron Pollard, Mumbai batting coach, said after the match. “I thought he had a lot more to offer, his calmness even when we lost that first wicket, to continue that intent is a good start for him. This is only the start, at the end of it he scored 20 odd, let’s give him that space, let him enjoy the moment, it’s a big occasion for these guys. As a franchise we’ll continue to unearth new talent. In the future we can continue with continuity as we go along.”Kudos to the scouts, all the guys who work behind the scenes to unearth these sorts of talent within in India. He was one on our radar. He has been in the Mumbai setup over the last couple of months, going to England on a developmental tour. So, it’s something we would’ve seen in that guy.”Mumbai would have thought Dhir did his job with a 10-ball 20, but they eventually fell short by just six runs in the end.

Australia allrounder signs three-month contract spanning Championship and Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2025Beau Webster, the Australian allrounder, will tune up for the World Test Championship (WTC) final by playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship, after agreeing a three-month deal for the 2025 season.Webster made 96 runs – including a first-innings half-century – on Test debut this month to help Australia clinch a 3-1 series win over India and a spot in June’s final against South Africa at Lord’s. He has since been picked for their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka and will be in contention for a place in their side for the final.His deal with Warwickshire runs from the start of May until the end of July, and he is due to be available in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. If he is named in Australia’s squad for the WTC final – as expected – then he will likely miss a handful of Blast fixtures, with the final scheduled for June 11-15. Australia then have a tour of West Indies, which includes three Tests, from late June.Webster will likely be competing against Cameron Green for a spot in Australia’s final XI, and his inclusion may depend on Green’s return to fitness after a significant back injury which has ruled him out since September.Other members of Australia’s Test squad who are not involved in either the IPL or PSL may follow Webster’s lead in seeking out county contracts in the build-up to the WTC final. Two South Africa regulars in David Bedingham (Durham) and Kyle Verreynne (Nottinghamshire) have already secured deals.Related

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Webster will be representing his third county in as many years, after recent stints with Essex (in 2023) and Gloucestershire (in 2024). His stock has risen significantly in that time: his deal with Essex came about when he was playing club cricket in the UK, before he joined Gloucestershire for most of their successful T20 Blast campaign last summer.”I’m really pleased to sign for the Bears for part of the 2025 season,” Webster said. “Having played Birmingham League cricket [for Knowle and Dorridge] in the past, I have great memories of the people and the area. I played some Championship cricket last summer with Gloucestershire and loved the challenge of the competition.”Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s head coach, said: “We’re delighted Beau has chosen to become a Bear. Since we first approached him he has made his international debut which shows how highly regarded he is thought of by Australia’s selectors. As an allrounder he will give us great balance in both the Championship and Blast.”