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Allrounder among five England squad players poised for Test debut against South Africa

Valkerie Baynes21-Jun-2022Lisa Keightley has challenged Emma Lamb to show England “what she’s got” by putting her in the frame to open alongside Tammy Beaumont in next week’s one-off women’s Test against South Africa.Keightley, the England Women’s head coach, included allrounder Lamb in a 13-strong squad announced for the Test, starting next Monday in Taunton.Related

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“Emma’s really exciting, she’s a young player who has been in and around the system,” Keightley said. “I just think it’s her time and her chance to show us what she’s got.”She also offers spin and she’s great in the field so she gives us three facets, which is always good in a Test match. It’s pretty obvious that she’s going to potentially debut, we’ll prep her as best we can. She’s got really good performances in regional cricket and now it’s just moving up into the internationals and stamp her case on moving forward on why she should be an opener.”Lamb made her international debut during the 2021 English summer, playing her only T20I against New Zealand in September before making two ODI appearances, during this year’s Ashes and World Cup.With Lauren Winfield-Hill overlooked for the Test squad after suffering a dip in form and instead named in a 16-player England Women’s A squad for a three-day fixture against South Africa at Arundel from Tuesday, Lamb looks most likely to partner Tammy Beaumont at the top of the order, having filled that role once during the Ashes.Danni Wyatt, who has also opened with Beaumont in white-ball formats, has never played a Test and was also named in the A squad, which will be captained by Georgia Elwiss with John Stanworth as head coach.Lamb is among five players poised to make their Test debuts after being named in the squad alongside fellow allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards and seam bowlers Lauren Bell, Emily Arlott and Freya Davies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lamb has enjoyed a strong season for Thunder in this year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition with two fifties and a score of 42 from six innings. She also took four wickets with her offbreaks at 19.75, with an economy rate of 5.26.Davies has played seven ODIs and 17 T20Is and was part of England’s Ashes and World Cup campaigns earlier this year, while the uncapped Arlott and Bell have been on the fringes of selection for the past year.All three are now in prime position to fill the void left by veteran seamers Anya Shrubsole, who retired from international cricket after England finished runners-up at the World Cup, and Katherine Brunt, who turns 37 on July 2 and last week announced she had played her last Test.”It’s over 10 years of those two having the ball and doing what they do,” Keightley said of Shrubsole and Brunt. “Throughout that journey, they’ve both had their ups and downs in form. Generally they’re very consistent and you know what you’re going to get.”We don’t know what we’re going to get but that brings excitement, new opportunities. It’s an end of an era and we need to create a new one and see which players are going to stick their hand up and lead the way with the ball. Our hand’s been forced and we’ll wait and see how it goes.”Davidson-Richards returns to the England set-up for the first time since 2018, when she played one ODI and five T20Is. She was part of the England A side which featured in a series against Australia A concurrent with the Ashes, scoring 72 in a 50-over game, and she also offers a seam-bowling option.”I think it shows the strength and the importance of regional cricket in the domestic structure and her being able to train full-time,” Keightley said. “Batting-wise she’s improved her skill, last year in 50-over cricket she just missed out on a hundred and got 99. With the ball, she’s got better-skilled, and I think she’s found what sort of bowler she wants to be.

Eng vs SA fixtures

• Test – June 27-30, Taunton

• 1st ODI – July 11, Northampton

• 2nd ODI – July 15, Bristol

• 3rd ODI – July 18, Leicester

• 1st T20I – July 21, Chelmsford

• 2nd T20I – July 23, Worcester

• 3rd T20I – July 25, Derby

“She gives an option of a batting allrounder, and we haven’t got too many of those from a seam perspective. We’ve got a number of options from a spin perspective, but as a seamer Alice has put her hand up for us to have a look at, and as a person I think she’s grown over the last four years. She’s loving cricket, she’s loving being a professional cricketer, and you can see that in her performances.”Issy Wong, the 20-year-old fast bowler with genuine express pace, has travelled with England squads for the past two years as part of her ongoing development. Keightley said Wong was under serious consideration to make her long-awaited international debut this summer, albeit in the white-ball formats and with a view to carefully managing her workload.”Issy Wong is extremely exciting; she’s quick and is the quickest in England,” Keightley said. “Managing her through the summer and getting the best out of Issy is probably not playing this format [Tests]. She’s in and around because of how exciting she is and the pace that she offers.”Hopefully for Issy, if she continues to bowl well and make net sessions extremely hard for batters, she’s got a good chance of playing in the summer.”South Africa will be playing their first Test in seven years while the upcoming match will be England’s third in just over a year, having drawn with both India last June and Australia in January. The Test kicks off their multi-format series, which also includes three ODIs and three T20Is in July with four points up for grabs for winning the Test and two points for each of the limited-overs games.

Senior seamer hoping to build into World Cup just like in 2019

Matt Roller12-Oct-2023Chris Woakes made an inauspicious start to this World Cup. After leaking 45 runs in six wicketless overs against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, he had figures of 0 for 34 after four against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, conceding six early boundaries as Reece Topley got on a roll at the other end.No wonder Woakes looked relieved when he finally got on the board for the tournament, having Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind while driving a ball that did just enough off the seam to take the outside edge. He returned to have Litton Das caught behind in his second spell, and finished with figures of 2 for 49 off eight overs in England’s 137-run victory.But Woakes is used to starting slowly. In 2019, he took four wickets at 54.75 in England’s first five World Cup games, while conceding 6.25 runs per over; in their final six matches, he took 12 wickets at 18.91, with his economy rate falling to 4.54 runs per over. Across the semi-final and the final, he returned combined figures of 6 for 57.Related

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It is not a conscious strategy. “You want to hit the ground running,” he said on Thursday, a rest day for England after they flew to Delhi ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Afghanistan. “But they are long competitions, and you don’t want to peak too soon… I have built into tournaments in the past and into series, which I suppose holds me in good stead.”Woakes assessed his own form as follows: “Ideally, I’d like to have gone a bit better… I wouldn’t have said that I’ve probably bowled as well as I know I can.” By his own admission, he got things wrong against New Zealand, when he erred too full and was picked off by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, particularly in the initial powerplay.”The conditions did change, and we probably didn’t quite adapt as well as we’d have liked,” he said. “I probably haven’t executed as well as I can, but I picked up two really important wickets in the last game. In a game like that, wickets are really important, so I was pleased to have picked up those two and it gives me confidence moving forwards.”His second spell on Tuesday was particularly encouraging – and, specifically, the wicket of Das, whose 76 off 66 was the outstanding innings of Bangladesh’s attempt to chase 365. Woakes is known as “The Wizard” by his England team-mates, and the ball that accounted for Das was the culmination of several months’ work on a new trick.Since turning his attention to white-ball cricket after the Ashes, Woakes has been working on his cutters – in particular, an offcutter which he is trying to bowl with the seam upright. “In these conditions, if I can bowl it with the seam up and it grabs the seam, it either holds or skids a little bit better,” he explained. “The delivery itself is the same, it’s just the way it comes out from a seam point of view.”Working with Warwickshire’s bowling coach, Stuart Barnes, Woakes has also been perfecting a legcutter, which he bowled extensively through his second spell against Bangladesh. “I obviously had this [the World Cup] in mind. Coming here to Asia, I think it could be a wicket-taking delivery, taking the ball away from a right-hander… you’re always trying to adapt your game and trying to develop it, regardless of your age.”England’s next assignment is Sunday’s day-night match against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a venue which has hosted two uncharacteristically fast-scoring games so far. Despite spending an IPL season with Delhi Capitals, Woakes never played for them at the venue – though did play there once in 2017 for Kolkata Knight Riders, and in a tour match for England a decade ago.”It’s quite an iconic Indian cricket ground, isn’t it?” Woakes said. “It’s always exciting to play at these sorts of venues. It looks like it’s been relatively high-scoring… we’ll expect that, but we’ll have to adapt to conditions on the day and we’re coming up against an Afghanistan team who are dangerous and can really compete on their day. We won’t be taking them lightly either.”And despite a gruelling travel schedule – England’s fixture list is the second-most taxing of any team, behind the hosts India – Woakes is optimistic that he could feature in all nine of their group games, as he did in 2019. “I obviously would like to,” he said. “I certainly hope so… from a physical point of view, I think it’s possible.”

Watson, who said he put too much pressure on himself as a player, believes Green has been handled very well

Alex Malcolm08-Jul-2022Very few players have experienced the burden of expectation that Cameron Green currently has on his broad shoulders, but former Australia allrounder Shane Watson has carried that load, and he is full of praise for how Green is maturing at such a rapid rate in Test match cricket at the age of just 23.Watson watched Green’s match-winning innings in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle and was awestruck by how well he adjusted his game to suit the extreme spinning conditions he faced.”He’s incredible,” Watson said, speaking at an event to mark 100 days until the men’s T20 World Cup. “He’s incredibly skillful and to see how he’s continued to upskill so quickly.”He’s got such a deep understanding of his game obviously. For him to be able to make the adjustments, little adjustments like he has to be able to just find his feet so quickly. That innings last week in the last Test match was something very special.Related

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“For someone to have such control over just changing his game plan, changing his game to be able to be very effective in extreme conditions. It’s special to be able to watch someone like him.”Watson, like Green, entered international cricket at 20 after dominating domestic cricket for two seasons. But he was blooded in ODI cricket playing 27 matches over a three-year period before finally breaking into the Test side in 2005. It took another four years before he became a mainstay in Australia’s Test side due to a multitude of injuries.Speaking after the first Test, Green referenced Watson’s record: “I had plenty of allrounders when I looked up to when younger,” he said. “There are not many allrounders who bat at No.3 and bowl as many overs as [Shane Watson] did. He has incredible stats.”Cameron Green played the defining innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka•Getty Images

Green has not suffered a back injury since he started his Test career although there was a minor scare post the Pakistan series that saw him unavailable to bowl for the first two ODIs in Sri Lanka. But Watson has been impressed with how he has been handled by the Australian team.”They’re managing him very well already,” Watson said. “They’re looking after him when he has a few niggles or he’s got a little injury, which is a great thing to be able to continue to look after him. He’s a good enough batter alone to be able to play in the Aussie team just as a batter because he’s so highly skilled, but if they just continue to look after his bowling as they have already then that’s going to play a big part in his longevity.”Watson believes Green is well placed to handle the expectations that are already building around him. Watson said the pressure he put on himself to succeed was heavier than anything external, but he urged people to remain patient with Green.”I wanted to be the best allrounder that I possibly could be the best allrounder Australia had, and I probably let that be known as well when I should just kept that internal,” Watson said with a laugh. “So that’s a life lesson learned. But that was the expectation that I had on myself and when you put that much expectation on yourself, it’s hard to be able to chase it all the time.”It was a good learning experience for me and it seems like things are different with Cameron Green at the moment. People are just being more patient with him and letting him do his thing and he’s shown very quickly how good he is.”Watson, one of Australia’s best ever limited-overs players, believes Green has the capabilities to feature in all three formats despite his limited exposure to T20 cricket in particular. Green has played just one T20I and only 14 T20s in total, but Watson said he has the skills to succeed.”Seeing him in the Test matches and a little bit in one-day cricket but he’s got all the tools to be an incredible T20 player as well,” Watson said. “As a top-order batting allrounder, he’s someone who’s going to be exciting to watch.”

Greater Noida Test against New Zealand was abandoned without a ball bowled, and Trott hoped it was a “good learning case”

Vishal Dikshit13-Sep-20245:26

Stead: This Test would have been useful for SL series

Drainage of the ground. Weather watch in the lead up to a game. Taking care of a wet outfield. Players’ safety on the field after heavy rainfall.These are some of the basic things that are checked at venues before an international game – and not just before a Test match – that have become the norm, but are “sometimes taken for granted”. Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott hopes the one-off Test against New Zealand that was abandoned without a ball bowled in Greater Noida is “a good learning case”.What might have peeved the players from both sides is that the entire match wasn’t washed out; the first two days of the match didn’t see any rain during the hours of play, but both days didn’t have any action either – not even the toss – because of a very wet outfield that had put players’ safety under threat.Related

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• New Zealand 'frustrated' to have lost game-time ahead of Sri Lanka and India Tests

• Amid persistent rain, one-off Test between Afghanistan and NZ called off without a ball bowled

• Slushy patches, wet weather prevent Test from starting in Greater Noida

• Tests abandoned without a ball – how many times has it happened?

“We’re disappointed. We’d geared ourselves up, and we’d trained really well,” Trott said in particular about the first two days. “So really disappointed. The thing was we got to train on the square [on] the days before, so we got to see the pitch. The guys were starting to get there; their appetite for the game was growing even more. So heartbreaking not to be able to play.”What I hope it is, it’s just a good learning case that things can crop up… everything has got to be checked out and made sure that it’s ready for Test-match cricket. And I think sometimes we take it for granted when we go and play all these things that have already been done in the past for other nations or other venues – with regards to drainage or ground staff, all those sort of things.”I think the ground staff have worked, obviously, very hard here. It just unfortunately hasn’t materialised, and we’ve had a freakish amount of rain for this time of year because that’s what I’m being told by the locals. They’ll probably know better than me.”Compared to the first two days, the third and fourth days saw overnight rain and early showers too, which led to both days being called off even before the scheduled start of play at 9.30am local time. Since the outfield was not playable even under the sun on the first two days, rain on the next two worsened the ground situation so much that the fate of the fifth day was pretty much known on the fourth morning itself.The third and fourth days’ play in Greater Noida was called off even before the scheduled start•AFP/Getty Images

Trott said that despite being able to play intra-squad warm-up games after arriving in Greater Noida, which is an adopted home ground for them, and getting used to the conditions well before New Zealand’s arrival, seeing the first two days without play was not ideal as his players would have learnt a lot from this experience.”The real sad thing is I think it was going to be a really good pitch, and it would have been a good contest, which is a disappointing thing,” Trott said. “So that’s the most disheartening thing, I suppose, for all of us. I think we could have gained whether we won or lost. I think the players would have learnt a hell of a lot in this format of the game, which is the challenge going forward in red-ball cricket for Afghanistan. But it’s the occasion as well. The historic moment of playing against New Zealand for the players – they would have been very proud of that.”A lot of questions are being raised about the standards of the preparation of the ground, especially the outfield, which were highlighted by how a patch of grass in the midwicket region was plucked out and replaced by a similar patch of the nets, even as Trott rued the fact that no play could occur at all.”I think it’s a case of time of year,” he said. “To try and play a Test match this time of year is always tricky… obviously disappointed that we haven’t been able to play, and the amount of water that’s come down is unprecedented for this time of year or the last three days. But it would have been nice to play some cricket for sure.”Afghanistan had a rare opportunity to play a Test match against a much higher-ranked side, with their next three Test series against Zimbabwe (two series) and Ireland in the following 12 months. Their immediate focus will now move to the ODI series against South Africa later this month, but Trott also wants to see the Afghanistan Test side grow “in the same manner” as they have in the white-ball formats in recent years, including their maiden semi-final appearance in the T20 World Cup in June this year.”For me, it’s a case of making sure that the players are looked after, [and] that the players are able to flourish and grow as a side in this format of the game,” he said. “We’ve seen the development in the last two years in the white-ball side of the game. So I’d like to see that progression, and that desire and hunger for it to grow in the same manner.”And I want to see Afghanistan have the same sort of passion and desire in the red-ball [format] as much as it is in the white-ball formats. So I think it’s attainable. But like anything, it’s going to take time, and it’s going to take a lot of effort. It’s going to take a lot of communication between the management, and the players and coaches.”I think if you want to progress, you need to start at the grassroots before you see the benefit of that. I don’t think enough red-ball cricket is played. But again, it’s very new to the format. I think facility-wise, it maybe is the issue. I think there certainly isn’t a lack of players. People are desperate to play cricket, and so the passion is there. It’s about now being able to match the passion with the ability to allow the players to enhance and get better at this format of the game. But I think it’s maybe an issue worldwide with regards to red ball – the lure of white-ball cricket, and the glitz and the glamour.”

Peirson made 82 and Steketee added 48 not out after Bartlett took 5 for 32 as Victoria crumbled with the bat

AAP07-Dec-2024Jimmy Peirson has batted Queensland towards hope of their first Sheffield Shield victory of the summer against Victoria, after a helter-skelter day two at the MCG.On a day where 15 wickets fell in the first two sessions, Queensland went to stumps at 195 for 8 in their second innings and leading by 244.Peirson was out pulling for 82 just before the close, but not before combining for a crucial 119-run eighth-wicket partnership with Mark Steketee, who made 48 not out.The two-and-a-half-hour vigil between the pair was at complete odds with the rest of the day, and left the low-scoring match hanging slightly in Queensland’s favour ahead of Sunday’s play.After Victoria began on Saturday at 43 for 2, they lost Peter Handscomb in the first over when he edged Xavier Bartlett to Matt Renshaw at second slip.That set the tone for the next four hours of play, as Bartlett finished with 5 for 32 and rain hovered around the MCG for part of the morning.Only Marcus Harris (42), Handscomb (24) and Tom Rogers (11) reached double figures for Victoria as they were all out for 123 to concede a 49-run first-innings deficit.The chaos then continued into Queensland’s second innings. In-form Fergus O’Neill took two wickets in his first over to remove Bryce Street and Angus Lovell, while having another lbw shout turned down.Renshaw looked in imperious form for Queensland, driving in the air and punching the ball off his pads. But he too fell inside the first 10 overs, caught down legside off O’Neill as Queensland’s batting began to falter.Jonathan Merlo also claimed a brilliant one-handed diving catch at point to remove Ben McDermott, as one of three quick wickets for quick Sam Elliott.Queensland then found themselves 67 for 7 just before tea, and a drought-breaking first win of the season against ladder-leaders Victoria was looking shaky.Enter Peirson.He and Steketee became the only batter to look comfortable all day, with the wicketkeeper-batter driving the Victoria quicks when they erred too full. Peirson also cut and pulled well as the innings went on, and hit spinner Todd Murphy for two boundaries through the covers in one over.Steketee also did some damage, hitting four boundaries in his knock and sending Murphy deep over the long-on boundary.And while Peirson was set up by late by Mitch Perry and caught in a stacked legside field, he and Steketee had given Queensland the slight advantage.

India put on a chasing masterclass in Ahmedabad after their bowlers – led by Deepti Sharma’s 3 for 39 – restricted New Zealand to 232

Ashish Pant29-Oct-20243:55

Mandhana: ‘Team still had half a mind on World Cup, series win will boost confidence’

After scores of 5 and 0 in the first two ODIs, Smriti Mandhana regained her touch in the series decider as she cracked her third ODI century of the year, helping India beat New Zealand by six wickets and take the three-match series 2-1. She was ably supported by first Yastika Bhatia (35) and then Harmanpreet Kaur (59 not out) as India put on a chasing masterclass in Ahmedabad.Batting first, New Zealand rode largely on Brooke Halliday’s career-best 86 off 96 balls as she lifted her side from the depths of 88 for 5 in the 24th over to 232 all out in 49.5 overs. Teams batting first won both ODIs in the series, but India were having none of it as the top order shone through in the chase as they romped home with 34 balls to spare.Mandhana had fallen to the outside-the-off-stump trap twice in two innings in this ODI series. In the first game, she carved Jess Kerr to backward point. Two days later, she did it again, chipping it straight to point for a duck. So, when Mandhana came out in pursuit of New Zealand’s target of 233, she was circumspect to the point that in the first three overs, she shouldered arms to at least five balls. She was ready to be patient and build her innings. The move paid dividends.Mandhana has had a good 2024 in ODIs, having scored two centuries and a half-century in six innings coming into this game. On Tuesday, she played the patient game. She was on 9 off 26 balls at one point, but did not throw it away. She had a slice of luck when she seemingly inside-edged a Lea Tahuhu full-length delivery on to her pad in the third over. Replays later suggested the ball had hit her pad first and had New Zealand reviewed, she would have been out. It was the luck Mandhana needed, and she did not look back.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

At the other end, Shafali, though, had no such luck. She got going with two crips fours, but was caught down the leg side after a faint nick in the fourth over.Mandhana was joined by Bhatia in the middle and the two kept their composure in the chase. Mandhana struck her first four in the ninth over, a swivel-pull against Sophie Devine, followed by a chip down the ground off Eden Carson. Bhatia also struck a few smart boundaries. They added 76 runs for the second wicket before Bhatia was caught and bowled by Devine.Harmanpreet walked out at No. 4 and with a platform set, the two went about their innings calmly. Mandhana brought up her half-century with a short-arm jab through midwicket and soon started finding the fence with more regularity. Harmanpreet, too, was wary initially but soon found the measure of the surface and the runs started flowing from both ends. They brought up the 50-run stand for the third wicket in the 31st over.Harmanpreet did go down with cramps not long after, but that was not going to stop her. She unleashed an array of drives and pulls with Mandhana also going after Devine. Harmanpreet reached her half-century off 54 balls while Mandhana got to her century, the eighth of her career, off 121 balls with a push down the ground. She fell without adding another run, cleaned up by Hannah Rowe, but the job was done by then.Jemimah Rodrigues walked out and immediately got four fours away as India could see the finishing line. She fell lbw to Fran Jonas with India needing a run, and Harmanpreet fittingly finished off the chase in the 45th over.Brooke Halliday hit three sixes despite tiring in the heat•BCCI

Earlier, Halliday braved the scorching Ahmedabad heat as she strung important stands with Izabella Gaze and Rowe, before Tahuhu smashed an unbeaten 24 off 14 balls to get New Zealand past the 230-run mark.It was a much-improved Indian fielding show on display in the third ODI. They had dropped as many as six catches in the second ODI, to go with multiple misfields, as they went down heavily. But they came out as a unit on a mission on Tuesday, led by the two usual fielding stars, Radha Yadav and Rodrigues, as they frustrated the New Zealand openers, Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, in the powerplay.Rodrigues was into the act in the third over as she almost effected a run-out after a stunning save at short extra-cover, with Bates having to dive full length to just about make her crease. Rodrigues’ brilliance came to the fore in the seventh over again when there was a spot of miscommunication between the two batters and this time Bates was caught well short of her crease despite the dive.Plimmer had, meanwhile, started to find the hang of the red-soil surface. She got her boundary-counter running with a solid on-drive off Renuka Thakur before piercing the gap between mid-off and cover off the same bowler. Saima Thakor was also driven for two fours in three balls in the sixth over, but she bounced back with the wicket of Lauren Down, removing her with a gentle length ball that tailed away late and caught her outside edge.Devine, the star of the second ODI, looked ominous from the get-go, striking two authoritative fours within her first seven balls. But she was undone by a stunning wrong’un from Priya Mishra as she went back to a delivery that she ideally should have been forward to, and the ball crashed into her middle stump.Deepti Sharma was named the Player of the Series•BCCI

Halliday, though, looked the part all the way. She got off the mark with an elegant off drive, but regular wickets at the other end pinned New Zealand down. Plimmer was removed by Mishra, who induced a thick outside edge, with Deepti Sharma taking a sharp catch at slip – she was guilty of dropping three catches in the second ODI.New Zealand then lost half their side when another miscommunication ensued between Maddy Green and Halliday, with the former stuck in the middle of the pitch. Rodrigues was again in the thick of things at point.Halliday had to do the repair job, and she found an ally in Gaze. Halliday struck her first six in the 38th over off Mishra, and soon reached her sixth ODI fifty with a flick in the 40th over.Gaze fell chipping a full toss meekly back to Deepti for her first wicket, but Halliday and Rowe carried on by adding 47 off 41 balls for the seventh wicket. Halliday, who was spent by that time, put her foot on the pedal, even showing off a few innovative reverse hits and paddles. She managed to generate enough power to clear the ropes twice – once off Harmanpreet Kaur and then off Deepti – but fell in the 46th over caught at deep midwicket.Rowe fell soon after but Tahuhu smashed two fours and a six to help New Zealand end on a high. Eventually, they were well below par.

Worcestershire’s 263 was knocked off with 33 balls to spare in professional fashion by group leaders

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2024Lewis Goldsworthy led the way with 95 as Somerset boosted their chances of reaching the knock-out stage of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a convincing five-wicket win over Worcestershire at Taunton.The Rapids were bowled out for 263 in 47.3 overs after losing the toss, Tom Taylor lifting a limp batting display with 73, off 65 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. Ben Green claimed 3 for 58In reply, Somerset reached 267 for 5 with 5.3 overs to spare, Goldsworthy hitting his runs off 108 deliveries, with nine fours and a six, while James Rew contributed 70 and Andy Umeed 44. Left-arm spinner Fateh Singh returned career-best List A figures of 4 for 52.Worcestershire openers Ed Pollock and Gareth Roderick set about Somerset’s opening attack with gusto, taking the score to 55 in the eighth over before Pollock lofted a catch to deep square off Ned Leonard and departed for 30.Roderick looked in good touch, moving to 35 off 41 balls but then carelessly helped a ball from Ogborne around the corner to be caught at fine leg. At 68 for 2 in the 13th over, Worcestershire needed to rebuild.Hopes that Jake Libby and Rob Jones could do the job ended with poor shots by both off Green, Jones, on 14, mistiming a catch to mid-wicket and Libby, having progressed comfortably to 24, guiding a short ball straight to Goldsworthy at point.Another soft dismissal saw Rehaan Edavalath offer a simple return catch to Jack Leach and at 117 for 5 the Rapids were in a hole. Ethan Brookes followed the pattern, having struck four fours, when he advanced down the pitch to Goldsworthy and lofted to Leach at mid-off.The same over saw Singh, on four, dropped by Umeed at short extra cover. Singh profited to hit a six off Goldsworthy before being bowled for 14 making room to cut off-spinner Archie Vaughan’s third ball of the game.Taylor cleared the ropes off Kasey Aldridge and Goldsworthy and Tom Hinley followed suit off successive short balls from Aldridge as the pair launched a spirited counter attack. Hinley’s 32 came off just 18 balls before he skyed Green to Ogborne a long-on.Tommy Sturgess was run out in a mix-up over a second run with Taylor, who went to an impressive half-century off 53 balls before being last man out.Somerset’s reply got off to the worst possible start when George Thomas shouldered arms to the first delivery from Taylor, an inswinger that clipped the stumps. But Goldsworthy and Umeed soon settled in to put the outcome beyond much doubt.They had added 96 for the second wicket in 18.4 overs when Umeed was caught at deep square for 44 attempting to slog-sweep Singh in his first over. Goldsworthy went to a 63-ball fifty soon afterwards, having struck six fours.Rew hit two glorious drives through extra cover and then straight and Goldsworthy cleared the ropes at mid-wicket off Hinley to bring up a half-century partnership in ten overs.Rew then smacked fours of three successive Hinley deliveries in the 31st over in reaching fifty off 43 balls. It was young wicketkeeper’s fourth half-century in seven Group A matches and contributed to the stand with Goldsworthy that reached three figures off 88 balls.Rew fell to a catch at cover off Singh trying a reverse sweep and the bowler followed up by dismissing Goldsworthy, bowled by a full ball, and Sean Dickson, caught at slip, with successive deliveries in the 39th over.But by then Somerset only needed 45 and 18-year-old Vaughan’s rapid unbeaten 31 off 24 balls sealed a comfortable success.

“It’s long overdue; everyone is really buzzed about it,” SA allrounder says about the inaugural SA20 league

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2022Wayne Parnell feels a lot of questions about South Africa’s performance at the men’s T20 World Cup have “probably been left unanswered”, but the team has to move on.”It was good, personally. But, obviously, as a team, we stumbled. A lot of questions have probably been left unanswered. But you have to move on,” Parnell, who picked up five wickets in five games at an economy rate of 6.37, told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the SA20 launch. South Africa started the tournament well but were eliminated after a shock defeat to Netherlands.The focus, in terms of white-ball cricket, now shifts to the ODI World Cup next October in India, and 33-year-old Parnell feels he has it in him to make it to the next two global events, including the T20 World Cup in 2024.Related

• Kagiso Rabada hopes for Test turnaround in Australia after 'disappointing' T20 World Cup

• How will South Africa face the future?

• CSA to conduct review into SA's performance at T20 WC

• MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals to kickstart SA20 on Jan 10

“For me, the key is enjoying cricket. There was a stage where I didn’t probably enjoy that much. It probably showed a little bit on the field,” Parnell said. “But, over the last five-six years, I have sort of really enjoyed my cricket, I have enjoyed [playing with] different teams, adding values on and off the field. So, 2023, why not? And then 2024, why not?”It’s about keeping your game simple. Obviously, I have a lot of clarity, and I am trying to focus on my role and not trying to do something else. I think that’s probably been the biggest change. And also, game time – I think, with cricket being the game of averages, you might have bad games; I trust my skills to the fullest and I have been able to showcase that, really.”Parnell was the first former Kolpak player to be recalled to the South Africa men’s national team after the system ceased to exist and has been a regular in both white-ball teams since returning to the national side in November 2021.He has also been a T20 globetrotter, playing in leagues across the world, and has also turned out regularly in the county circuit since 2017. He said that Moeen Ali [they were colleagues at Worcestershire between 2018 and 2021] and Faf du Plessis were instrumental in him becoming a better player in the last few years.Wayne Parnell fell for a duck as South Africa’s T20 World Cup collapsed in the game against Netherlands•Getty Images

“I have been lucky enough to share the dressing room with some of the best T20 players,” Parnell said. “So, [I’m] just trying to learn, learning from the next generation because they come with new ideas and they also look at the game differently. Even though I am more on the older side, I am probably trying to tap into the youngsters.”I think Moeen Ali has been the most influential. [He is a] really good cricketer, really great captain as well. And also, with the Hundred, with Faf du Plessis, same thing as well. Just really calm and clear about what you want to do and try to execute. It’s more about the process and outcome. They are very much process-driven and focussed and try to play to your strengths.”There is also South Africa’s SA20 league around the corner. Parnell, part of Pretoria Capitals, said a franchise T20 league was “long overdue” in the country.The tournament will comprise 33 matches, to be played from January 10 to February 11, with a halt between January 25 and February 1 when South Africa host England in three Super League ODIs.”Very excited. It’s long overdue. Everyone is really buzzed about it,” Parnell said. “Everyone can’t wait for the first game, obviously, it’s going to be a great Cape derby, I am also looking forward to Pretoria Capitals’ first game as well.”

There has been some chirping between the teams in recent seasons, but it will come down to skills on the field

Andrew McGlashan01-Dec-2023

Big picture: Heat’s power verses Strikers’ economy

Adelaide Strikers will aim for back-to-back WBBL titles in front of what they hope will be a record crowd when they face Brisbane Heat at Adelaide Oval.In recent times, there has been a bit of needle between the teams, with Megan Schutt last year branding Heat’s style of cricket a “bit arrogant” ahead of the Challenger final, which Strikers won, but this will be a fascinating match-up even away from chirping.This year’s final pits together the team with the highest batting run rate (Heat at 8.42) and the side with the most frugal economy (Strikers at 6.47).Related

• Wolvaardt in the runs as Strikers enter WBBL final on a high

• Voll backs Heat as 'perfect team' to stop Strikers back-to-back bid

• Like a glove – how Bridget Patterson fit into Adelaide Strikers' plans

Strikes have been, without doubt, the team of the regular season, stringing together 11 victories to leave daylight to second place. Heat, meanwhile, had to reach the final the hard way after three defeats towards the end of the round-robin phase. However, in the space of 24 hours, they produced two superb performances to overturn Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers in the qualifying finals.Four Heat batters have more than 300 runs for the season and they have arguably the biggest X-factor player of the competition in Grace Harris, who holds a strike rate of 171.12. Jess Jonassen has once again led the way with the ball as part of a strong spin attack alongside Amelia Kerr, breakout star Charli Knott and Georgia Voll.Strikers’ batting has been underpinned by Katie Mack with 449 runs – interestingly compiled without a single six. In a timely run to the finals, Laura Wolvaardt, crucially available before taking up the South Africa captaincy, has found close to her best form.Their bowling attack is varied with the dual legspin of Amanda-Jade Wellington and Anesu Mushangwe having been a key part of it. In a sign of the team’s consistency, they have only used 13 players through the regular season. A legacy beckons if they can win on Saturday.

Form guide

Adelaide Strikers WWWWW

Brisbane Heat LLLWWGrace Harris can win a match on her own•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Darcie Brown and Grace Harris

A hamstring injury picked up against West Indies put paid to the majority of Darcie Brown‘s season, but she has had an impact on her return with four wickets in two games including a Player-of-the-Match 3 for 18 against Scorchers to secure a home final. “I’m maybe five or so metres back further than any of our other bowlers,” Bridget Patterson told ESPNcricinfo about keeping to Brown. “On Adelaide Oval, it felt quick for sure, I was probably a couple of metres off the ring. Darcie’s been a great inclusion. I’m glad we’ve had her for the important games at the end of the season.”It won’t always come off, but Grace Harris is the type of player who can win a final off her own bat. She had a huge impact in the qualifying finals with scores of 45 and 54 having been somewhat up and down following her record-breaking 136 off 59 balls at North Sydney Oval early in the season. “I’m a strike-rate batter… [aim to] strike at 180-200,” she said after the Challenger final. “You will be inconsistent, but happy to own that role. We want to play an aggressive brand of cricket. It’s about scoring shots and not getting worried about getting out.”

Team news: England players absent

While Strikers have Wolvaardt, England allrounder Dani Gibson has left for their tour of India, which could be a significant hole in the middle order. Gibson struck at 147.43 with the bat and claimed ten wickets. Brown, who was rested for the final regular-season game, will come back in although that leaves a longer tail.Adelaide Strikers (probable): 1 Katie Mack, 2 Laura Wolvaardt, 3 Tahlia McGrath (capt), 4 Bridget Patterson (wk) 5 Madeline Penna, 6 Georgia Adams, 7 Jemma Barsby, 8 Amanda-Jade Wellington, 9 Darcie Brown, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Anesu MushangweAmelia Kerr is available for Heat before heading back to New Zealand for international duty, but like Strikers, they have lost England batter Bess Heath. Mikayla Hinkley will be the likely replacement.Brisbane Heat (probable): 1 Georgia Redmayne (wk), 2 Grace Harris, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Mignon du Preez, 5 Laura Harris, 6 Charli Knott, 7 Mikayla Hinkley, 8 Jess Jonassen (capt), 9 Georgia Voll, 10 Nicola Hancock, 11 Courtney Sippel

Pitch and conditions

Adelaide Oval usually produces good pitches for T20s. The scores weren’t huge during the stadium round last week with Heat’s 160 for 8 against Thunder the highest. Scorchers were bundled out for 104 by Strikers. The forecast is for a mild day although it will be cooler by the evening.

Stats and trivia

• Laura Harris has the highest batting strike-rate of the season of 220.00. Beyond Lauren Bell (who faced two balls), her sister, Grace, is next at 171.12
• Bridget Patterson is one stumping away from equalling the WBBL season record of 13
• Brisbane Heat have been in finals for six consecutive seasons and were back-to-back champions in 2018-19 and 2019-2020

Quotes

“Every time we play each other it comes down to the wire. I’ve seen a lot of… they’ve got the best batting attack and we’ve got the best bowling attack and we are excited for the challenge. There’s a bit of extra spice but it’s all fun and games.”
“We do have the confidence and if that’s perceived as something else then so be it. We back the style of play that we have, we believe in that, and ultimately that’s what it comes down to, we are really clear as a team what we are about.”

Opener smashes 52 runs in boundaries as Leicestershire’s 196 for 5 toppled with ease

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2025Derbyshire 197 for 3 (Donald 60, Scriven 3-29) beat Leicestershire 196 for 5 (Budinger 49, Brown 3-51) by seven wicketsDerbyshire Falcons completed back-to-back Vitality Blast derby wins in 24 hours with a seven-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes at Edgbaston.The Foxes were lifted to a hefty 196 for five by an impressive collective effort headed by Sol Budinger 49 and Shan Masood’s 43. Pat Brown took 3 for 51.But the Falcons chased it down with ten balls to spare, reaching 197 for 3 as Aneurin Donald launched the chase with an explosive 60 from 25 balls and Samit Patel crowned it with an unbeaten 52 from 32. Having belatedly opened their Blast account at the sixth attempt against Notts Outlaws on Friday night, suddenly the Falcons are flying and right back in contention for quallification.After the Foxes chose to bat, Budinger tore into the Falcons for the second time in a month. When these teams met in the group opener at Leicester, the 25-year-old blasted a 15-ball half-century. This time he thundered to 49, with seven fours and two sixes, by the eighth over. When he skied Samit Patel to backward point, his two Blast innings against the Foxes this season and yielded 100 runs from 41 balls.Masood and Rehan Ahmed (29) maintained the momentum with a stand of 71 from 43 balls. At 136 for 2 in the 15th over with two batters well set, the Foxes were racing but the Falcons hit back with three wickets in five balls. Pat Brown removed Ahmed, who edged to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest, and Masood, caught at third man, in four balls before Louis Kimber missed a cut at Patel and was bowled.Wickets usually slow the scoring but not in this case. Sixth-wicket pair Ben Cox (28 not out) and Logan van Beek (26 not out) settled quickly to smash 55 from the last 29 balls of the innings to ensure an imposing total.Undaunted, Derbyshire openers Donald and Caleb Jewell galloped to 50 from just 23 balls. Donald took 22 from five balls from Matt Salisbury and thundered to 50, 48 of which came in fours and sixes, from 18 balls.The Falcons were 93 without loss in the eighth over when Tom Scriven was brought on and took out both openers in his first over. Jewell edged to wicketkeeper Cox and two balls later an excellent delivery hit Donald’s off-stump. Scriven followed his successful first over with another excellent one (2-0-7-2 at that stage) to further peg back the Falcons.Patel and Wayne Madsen (35) deployed their considerable experience to good effect in a stand of 60 in 42 balls before Scriven returned to have the latter caught at long leg. Needing 22 from three overs, the Falcons still had a bit to do but Patel smote Scriven for successive sixes in the first of those overs to settle matters.