Durham extend lead between showers as signs of low bounce warn of trials ahead

Paul Edwards30-Apr-2021Boiled cannabis or Viagra?These were the bizarre alternatives that came to mind as one watched Durham strengthen their grip on this match to a point close to invulnerability. It should be pointed out at once that one is not referring to the lunch menu offered to the media at the Riverside; understandably enough in these straitened times, that consists of nothing at all. Rather, one is alluding to two of the apparent stimuli to failure and success in this rich, wonderful and endlessly diverse part of England. For in his quite brilliant book Matthew Engel notes that a man appeared in Hartlepool magistrates court a few years ago accused of ill-treating his greyhounds by feeding them steaming ganja if he wanted them to lose and blue pills if he wanted them to win. The first had the desired effect and the second made them “run like mad”.It need hardly be stated in the strongest terms possible that the cricketers in this match were fuelled in entirely conventional fashion. Nevertheless, sport’s polarities of outcome were illustrated with extreme clarity when Alex Lees and Will Young were sharing an opening partnership of 208, thus setting a new first-wicket record for Durham against Warwickshire and thereby overtaking by six runs the mark set by Graeme Fowler and Wayne Larkins at Darlington in 1993, one of the summers in which the then-peripatetic county played on half-a-dozen grounds.The home side’s advantage was therefore over 100 before Warwickshire enjoyed their first success and it could be argued the portents were even worse for Will Rhodes’ team. The care with which the openers built their stand was quite fitting on a pitch that does not accommodate fast scoring and at least two of the wickets that fell suggested the surface’s eccentricities were becoming more marked. Given that the visitors may have to bat something like five sessions to save this game, signs of low bounce were hardly what they wished to see and one can understand why their celebrations at each success were hardly riotous.All of which makes Young and Lees’ patience in defying Warwickshire’s bowlers particularly praiseworthy. Young played the more attractive strokes and was slightly the more aggressive but the fact that he took exactly five hours to reach three figures perfectly reflects the New Zealander’s diligence in what may well be his final innings for Durham. Lees complemented his opening partner perfectly and batted through a greatly rain-shortened day for his unbeaten 126 with the care of a man who understands the self-denial required of a sheet-anchor. Gritting it out cannot have been easy against an attack which was led in determined fashion by Liam Norwell, who took two wickets, and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who deserved better than a blank day. The one consolation for all the bowlers was that at least they were able to keep warm when called into the attack. The fielders had no such luck on a cold afternoon.The umpires, Michael Gough and Russell Warren, even wore black gloves, which made their fingers even more deathly when they had to raise them. As it was, Gough’s decision to send Young on his way for 124 was the first of three leg-before verdicts that went in the visitors’ favour during the afternoon. Scott Borthwick was lbw for 21 to a ball that kept low from Craig Miles and David Bedingham was bowled for 2 by an absolute shooter, thus giving Norwell his second success. However, since this reduced Bedingham’s average for the season to a shade over 113 and his team were hardly in dire need of his runs, one doubts he will argue the world is treating him cruelly.Next over Jack Burnham played inside Danny Briggs’ arm ball and the home side had thus lost three wickets for 13 runs in six overs. However, any further action was prevented by a prolonged heavy shower that delayed play for over two hours. The players returned for 9.3 overs late in the evening session and the calmness with which Lees and Ned Eckersley played the Warwickshire seamers boded well for Durham’s hopes of batting once in this gameBut readers may be wondering what happened to the miscreant mentioned at the start of this piece. He was banned for life from keeping greyhounds but a similar stricture was not applied to his ownership of 20 ferrets. One wonders what mood the poor animals were in as dinner-time approached? And what manner of man, unaware of their precise diet, would then follow the Northern custom of ferret-legging and risk putting one of them down his trousers?

The Bombay High Court set aside an arbitration order won by the former IPL franchise

Varun Shetty17-Jun-2021The BCCI has been relieved of paying up INR 4816 crore (USD 642 million approx) after the Bombay High Court set aside the arbitration award won by Deccan Chronicle Holdings (DCHL), the promoter of the former IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, on Wednesday.Justice GS Patel ruled that the award had “rewarded the party in unquestionable breach of its contractual obligations” and there wasn’t sufficient evidence that Deccan Chargers weren’t in breach of contract during termination.Deccan Chargers had won the award through an arbitration process initiated by the Bombay High Court after they challenged the termination of their contract in September 2012.Related

• Explainer: What is the fight really about?

The termination, according to the BCCI, was on account of the franchise failing to meet a 30-day deadline to clear up player dues and other irregularities in their running.The Chargers also failed a one-month deadline set by the Bombay High Court to put up a INR 100 crore guarantee to stay the termination and the Hyderabad franchise subsequently went to Sun Network, which owns the Sunrisers Hyderabad.The Bombay High Court then appointed retired Supreme Court Judge CK Thakkar as the sole arbitrator. He found the termination of the Chargers contract both illegal and premature, and awarded the damage based on – among other things – a projected loss in profits over the span of the IPL because of the termination.The BCCI, represented by India’s solicitor general Tushar Mehta, challenged the award in court, however, and Justice GS Patel found that “the Award proceeded in places without reasons, in others by ignoring evidence, in yet others by wandering far afield from the contract, and in taking views that were not even possible.””We did not agree with the arbitration penalty and welcome the verdict from the honourable court,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah was quoted as saying in . “This comes on the back of our legal win in the WSG case.”This order is likely going to be challenged by Deccan Chargers.”The high court has set aside the arbitral tribunal’s award which means that the BCCI will not be liable to pay INR 4800 crore,” said Ashish Pyasi, associate partner Dhir & Dhir Associates, who has represented Deccan Chargers in the past. “The order passed is appealable and can be challenged in the division bench (of the Bombay High Court) under section 37.”

The tournament is set to be taken to at least 11 venues around the country

Andrew McGlashan07-Jul-2021The final of next season’s WBBL will be played following the opening day of the Australia-Afghanistan Test on November 27 while there will be a further increase in televised matches.The tournament, which will start on October 14 at North Sydney Oval following Australia’s multi-format series against India, is also set to return to a country-wide fixture list with at least 11 venues being used after last year was played entirely in a Sydney-based hub due to the pandemic although contingencies will apply should Covid-19 continue to impact state borders as is currently the case.”Like all sporting leagues, we remain conscious of the need to be flexible in response to the challenges of the pandemic,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, said. “This schedule provides us with a number of options should we need to pivot, and the lessons of WBBL|06 and KFC BBL|10 stand us in good stead should we need to do so.”The Afghanistan Test will be played in Hobart which means if the Hurricanes were to earn hosting rights for the final – they have never previously gone beyond the semis – it would not be played at Blundstone Arena. There will also be hosting rights up for grabs for the two semi-finals on November 24 and 25.In total, 47 matches will be fully broadcast on television – a further increase in last season’s 36 – will all the games again being streamed.The competition is set to follow the ‘festival weekend’ model used in 2019-2020 when a group of matches are played at a particular venue. It means that while every team faces each other twice it is not a full home-and-away schedule and some games are at neutral venues.The WBBL has traditionally focused itself around the smaller, boutique venues in the various states and in previous seasons has taken the game to regional venues such as Mackay, Cairns, Burnie and Ballarat.Brisbane Heat will take WBBL matches to Metricon Stadium for the first time (it has previously hosted BBL) and also return to Mackay with Allan Border Field being redeveloped.The Sydney Thunder are the defending champions after they defeated Melbourne Stars at North Sydney Oval in what was the first night-time decider in the competition’s history. The Thunder’s opening game will be against Adelaide Strikers on October 16. The tournament became a standalone event for the first time in 2019-2020 having previously been run alongside the BBL.There is an expectation that a number of India players will be among the overseas names involved this year with ESPNcricinfo having previously reported Shafali Verma is heading to Sydney Sixers who have made room on their list by not re-signing Marizanne Kapp (who has joined Perth Scorchers) and Dane van Niekerk.Overseas players will again be required to undertake two weeks quarantine due to Australia’s closed borders although the Indians will already have served that period ahead of their international commitments. England’s internationals are unlikely to be available this season due to the tour of Pakistan in October, but South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies currently have clear schedules.For the Australian players the WBBL is part of a busy summer with the multi-format Ashes taking place from late January followed by the delayed ODI World Cup in New Zealand during March while domestically their will also be the Women’s National Cricket League.The story was updated upon confirmation of the fixtures

Playing for the first time since the pandemic, the side will look to tune up for the 50-over World Cup qualifiers this December

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2021Thailand will get some much-needed match-time, ahead of the 50-overs World Cup qualifiers later in the year, when they tour Zimbabwe and South Africa for a spread of limited-overs games starting August 15.The Zimbabwe leg consists of four one-dayers and three T20Is against the national team, all in Harare, before they proceed to South Africa to play five one-dayers and three T20s against the Emerging XI in Potchefstroom.Thailand will have a first-time captain in Naruemol Chaiwai. The top-order batter takes over from Sornnarin Tippoch, who led Thailand to their maiden T20 World Cup in Australia in February-March 2020. Thailand is one of only two teams from that competition that hasn’t had international games since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.Nannapat Khoncharoenkrai, the wicketkeeper, will be Chaiwai’s deputy, replacing senior batter Nattaya Boochatham. As such, there are only two changes from the squad that featured in Australia 17 months ago: medium-pacer Aphisara Suwanchonrathi and offspinner Sunida Chaturongrattana replace wicketkeeper Suwanan Khiaoto and left-arm spinner Soraya Lateh.”It’s going to be our first tour to Africa and also our first after the World Cup, so it’s going to be interesting to see how we fare in a new continent and adapt to foreign conditions,” said Shan Kader, Thailand’s cricket development manager. “Everyone in the squad is quite excited and looks really good in training so let’s see how it translates on this tour.”The global qualifier will identify three teams that will join the top seven for next year’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand. The qualifier was originally scheduled to be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2020, but has now been pushed back to November-December 2021, with Zimbabwe, one of the participants, slated to host the event.Squad: Naruemol Chaiwai (captain), Nannapat Khoncharoenkrai (vice-captain), Nattaya Boochatham, Ratanaporn Padunglerd, Chanida Sutthiruang, Natthakan Chantham, Suleeporn Laomi, Sornnarin Tippoch, Rosenanee Kanoh, Wongpaka Liengprasert, Phannita Maya, Onnicha Kampchomphu, Thipatcha Putthawong, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, Sunida Chaturongrattana

England could be without Broad and Anderson; Moeen set for his first Test of the summer

Valkerie Baynes11-Aug-202110:06

VVS Laxman: India should play Ashwin to add variety and strength

Big picture

England could, conceivably, have taken the nine wickets they needed to seal an unlikely victory had the weather not intervened most critically on the final day at Trent Bridge. India should have overhauled the remaining 157 runs they needed in that time to claim a deserved 1-0 lead in the series, despite requiring a record successful run-chase. And England would have, without doubt, been in a far better position had someone other than Joe Root done something with the bat. For all the beautiful scenarios that cricket – or sport for that matter – tends to throw up, here we are again with the series on a level footing after the drawn opener, but with both sides in possession of greater knowledge than they had a week ago, not to mention a few selection conundrums.England had rammed home what was more than an inkling during their series defeat to New Zealand that their batting line-up is out of touch, and in the absence of Ben Stokes, far too reliant on one man, Root. But England also learned that they can fight even after being considerably underdone after a lack of red-ball games. Just how sustainable that is as a strategy rather than as a fall-back in a crisis will be found out soon enough if their batters continue to fail.First-innings dismissals to excellent deliveries for Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow aside, England’s batting left so much to be desired. No one besides Root even threatened the high-30s and Dom Sibley’s blockades of 18 off 70 and 28 off 133 bolstered his indomitable captain without providing any spark. Wholesale changes loom, some forced by injury, others by a pressing need to put runs on the board.Ollie Pope has had an extra week to recover from a quadriceps tear but may have to wait to make his return after a shake-up for the team’s balance, thanks to Stuart Broad’s calf muscle injury, a late niggle to James Anderson and the recall of an in-form Moeen Ali – England’s first sighting of spin this summer.India’s bowling attack, without R Ashwin, answered many questions; their pace attack was a highlight, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s nine wickets for the match. Ravindra Jadeja held his own with the bat, scoring fifty in the first innings while it was the middle order who struggled. Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane all failed to crack double figures but none of that senior trio is likely to make way at this stage.At Lord’s the weather is set fair, meaning what began as an enthralling contest between these sides offers a similarly gripping second chapter.Saqib Mahmood could earn a maiden Test cap at Lord’s•PA Photos/Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)England DLDLL
India DLWWW

In the spotlight

It is 356 days since Zak Crawley’s double-century against Pakistan in Southampton. His only innings of note in the 14 he has played since has been 53, albeit in incredibly challenging batting conditions during the day-night Test against India at Ahmedabad in February. There is a sense that Crawley showed he has what it takes to make it during his knock at the Ageas Bowl nearly a year ago, and that he is a player worth persisting with for the future. However, England’s need to strengthen their batting is pressing. Dan Lawrence will make way as Jos Buttler moves up to No.6 to accommodate Ali, most likely at No. 7, but Crawley isn’t safe either. Haseeb Hameed has impressed in the nets, not to mention with his hundred against the Indians in a warm-up for this series, which hasn’t gone unnoticed given the current line-up’s struggles to support Root. Should Hameed make his first Test appearance since touring India in 2016-17, it could be at the expense of Crawley or Sibley. Crawley needs a strong showing, his time isn’t already up.Cheteshwar Pujara has gone nine Test innings without reaching fifty. His score of just 4 first-up in Nottingham didn’t help, although being 12 not out in the second innings buys time in the sense of what might have been had India had the chance to pursue their target on the fifth day. With KL Rahul finding some touch as opener, having been initially included in the touring party as a middle-order option, Pujara could be on unstable ground should Rahul drop down at any point to make way for the regular openers.

Team news

Broad faces a wait to play his 150th Test after his injury, with Mark Wood set to replace him for his first Test of the summer. Saqib Mahmood, drafted into the squad as cover, could yet make a surprise debut after Anderson missed training due to his tight quad. He impressed in the white-ball series against Pakistan, and looks set to compete with Craig Overton for the final place in the XI. Ali should slot straight in for his first home Test in two years after his impressive form in the Hundred and is likely to bat at No. 7 with England retaining Sam Curran at No. 8 in a four-man pace attack.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Zak Crawley/Haseeb Hameed, 4 Joe Root (capt.), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Craig Overton/Saqib MahmoodWith Shardul Thakur sidelined with a left hamstring injury, Ashwin looks like an automatic selection, especially in warm (by this English summer’s standards) and dry conditions. However, with some cloud cover expected, India could seek to exploit their reverse-swing options in Ishant Sharma and/or Umesh Yadav. Mohammed Siraj is expected to play, so it will likely come down to a choice between Ashwin, if India opt for two spinners, or Sharma if they want a four-pronged pace attack. Mayank Agarwal, a late withdrawal after he was concussed by a Siraj bouncer two days before the first Test, has recovered and batted in the nets this week but Rahul has snatched the opening position for the moment with 84 and 26 at Trent Bridge.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujuara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin/Ishant Sharma, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions

What they say about death and taxes also applies to rain playing a part in England home series, as we saw in the first Test. But the good news is the elusive summer of 2021 appears to be emerging with warmer, drier weather expected for the duration at Lord’s but with some cloud. The pitch looked set to be a typical bat-first proposition on match eve.

Stats and trivia

• For only the second time this century, England have failed to register a win in their first three matches of a home season – their first win of the 2014 home season came in their fifth game.
• Joe Root is 14 runs away from going past Graham Gooch’s 8900 Test runs and moving to second among the highest run-getters in Test cricket for England. He is also 113 runs short of reaching 9000 Test runs.
• If neither Broad nor Anderson play, this will be only England’s second home Test to feature neither bowler since 2007 (after the 2012 Test against West Indies in Birmingham)

Quotes

“They’ve got 1000 wickets between them, so it’s going to be potentially a bit of a loss, but with that comes opportunity for other people. We’ve seen previously in the summer, look at the Pakistan series, the opportunity arose for other people coming in to rise to those challenges”
“The good thing is Jadeja has got runs in the first game already, so he will go into the second game confident. That already makes our batting a bit deeper, the lower order contributed with the bat as well”

Deccan Gladiators destroy Bangla Tigers with bat and ball

Aadam Patel01-Dec-2021According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, Wanindu Hasaranga was the MVP of the T20 World Cup. In the Super 12s, the Sri Lankan took ten wickets and conceded at just 5.84 an over.At the Abu Dhabi T10, he is once again the most valuable player and an instrumental part of Deccan Gladiators’ rise to the top of the leaderboard, as the tournament reaches its business end. Time and again, he has bamboozled the opposition with the ball in hand.Hasaranga is the only man with a bowling average that is in single figures. He has 18 wickets thus far at 8.61 and the lowest economy rate at 8.15. Unsurprisingly, he is also the only bowler that has bowled a maiden in the competition. No one else really comes close.On a day where two batters lit up the Zayed Cricket Ground with their ferocious hitting, Hasaranga ensured that this is a format where the bowlers can also shine with a five-wicket haul that destroyed the Bangla Tigers.To pull off a five-wicket haul in any match is an achievement. To do it in two overs is quite frankly ridiculous.In his first over, he dismissed Karim Janat before bowling Johnson Charles with a googly the very next delivery. Isuru Udana survived the hat-trick ball.Hasaranga’s second over was pure magic. Benny Howell attempted a reverse sweep but he found Tymal Mills at backward point. The following ball, James Faulkner played across the line, missing the ball entirely and was bowled.Vishnu Sukumaran came out to face Hasaranga’s fifth hat-trick ball of the tournament. He didn’t last long either. Another three dot balls followed, before Sukumaran pulled one straight to the fielder.Hasaranga had a five-for and the best figures in T10 history. Perhaps, even more impressively, he had a maiden in a T10 game. A triple-wicket maiden to be precise.”I’m very impressed with Hasaranga,” said his Deccan Gladiators coach and one of the greatest spinners of all time, Mushtaq Ahmed. “I’ve been talking with him about how to do his variations. He’s got a good wrong-un, but he has to develop his leggies more. People are waiting for his wrong-un, but he’s bowling more leg breaks and flippers and also he’s developed his off spin against the left-hander.”He’s learning the trade, using the crease, taking the pace off the ball, all the little things we’ve been discussing. He is very open-minded and a really good listener,”That he didn’t get his fifth player of the match award of the competition was due to the explosive Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who played the innings of the tournament so far.Kohler-Cadmore agonisingly fell four short of what would have been the first ever century of the Abu Dhabi T10. In 2019, Chris Lynn ended unbeaten with 91* off deliveries and no one had reached the nineties since. Kohler-Cadmore’s brutal 96 off 39 will take some beating.The 27-year-old went out to bat knowing that another low score could have meant trouble for his position, going into the play-offs. Aside from an unbeaten half-century against the Delhi Bulls earlier in the tournament, his next highest score was 12. He had managed just 46 runs in his last six innings, including a golden duck last time out.After hitting a couple of boundaries off both Mohammad Amir and Luke Wood in the powerplay, Kohler-Cadmore needed a slice off luck when he was dropped on 24 off Faulkner, but he made his good fortune count. With Andre Russell at the other end, Kohler-Cadmore took centre stage with 12 fours and five sixes, before driving a full-toss in the last over to a diving Will Jacks at mid off.Kohler-Cadmore said post-match that he decided to use one grip on his bat, as opposed the two that he had previously been using, and perhaps that was all he needed.”I could have easily been left out today, but it gives you confidence knowing that they back you,” said Kohler-Cadmore. “Getting dropped changed the innings for me – I think today was just my day, with that little bit of luck going my way,, like when I hit it in the air, it’d just go over the fielder.”The Yorkshire batter now has a slice of T10 history, but it was a bittersweet moment falling just short of becoming the first ever centurion.”Obviously, it’s a shame when you get that close to not get it (the hundred), but if you’d have asked me at the start of the game ‘would you take 96’, I’d have said, ‘100%’, I’d take that and I’d have bitten your hand off for it,” said Kohler-Cadmore.Such a stunning knock made Hasaranga’s spell look even more mesmerising. After Kohler-Cadmore made 96 himself, the Tigers were bowled out for just 78.For Hasaranga, Kohler-Cadmore and the Gladiators, that next game will be a straight shoot-out on Friday for a place in the final against either Team Abu Dhabi or Delhi Bulls.In the later game, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, just a few days after turning 20, hit the fastest 50 of the tournament. Gurbaz’s blistering knock took just 14 deliveries, including five fours and six sixes as the Delhi Bulls hammered the Chennai Braves. They raced to a target of 81 in 25 deliveries and ended an abysmal campaign for the Braves.

England blown away in little more than an hour on third morning for third Test rout

Valkerie Baynes28-Dec-2021Scott Boland’s six-wicket haul on his Test debut allowed Australia to wrap up the Ashes 3-0, by lunch on the third day at the MCG.Australia’s quicks continued their demolition job on England, with Boland adding to his two wickets from three balls during a devastating final hour on the second day, with four more on the third morning to seal an innings victory as the hosts retained the urn.Boland took six wickets in 21 balls in all while Mitchell Starc, who had a big hand in reducing England to 31 for 4 in a cauldron-like atmosphere on day two, added the wicket of Ben Stokes inside the first 25 minutes of the resumption, to end with 3 for 29.Pat Cummins, whose pressure was instrumental in keeping England’s beleaguered batters under Australia’s thumb, went unrewarded in England’s second innings, having helped restrict them to a first-innings total of 185 when he and Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets apiece.But the day – as short as it was – belonged to Boland, who was selected as an MCG specialist after his performances for Victoria and who became the fourth Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket. After taking 1 for 48 in England’s first innings, he was simply unplayable for a side with its confidence beaten and its batting in disarray. In a historic moment, Boland won the Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match, named after Johnny Mullagh, who toured England as part of the Australian Aboriginal team in 1868.With players from both sides cleared to resume after returning negative tests following a Covid scare the previous morning, England’s task always looked insurmountable, even with Stokes and Joe Root still in. But the emphatic way in which Australia rammed home their advantage consigned England to new lows, their 68 all-out the lowest Ashes total in Australia since 1936 and England’s lowest total in Australia since 1904.Starc rattled Stokes’ middle stump with a rapid, fuller ball that sailed through the gate as the batter moved forward in defence to remove the man still remembered for his heroics at Headingley in 2019 but who is in a much different place now after taking an extended break from the game.Scott Boland claimed six wickets in 21 balls to humiliate England•Getty Images

Boland entered the attack and struck with his fifth ball of the day, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw for 5. Bairstow, dropped by Cameron Green at gully on the first ball of the over, reviewed the lbw decision, but it was upheld on umpire’s call on impact and hitting the stumps.Root must have wanted to disappear when a Cummins delivery struck him in the groin – the third time Root has suffered such an injury in just over a week. He shook it off more quickly than he did Starc’s effort in Adelaide, which came off the back of a serious knock in the nets which had sent him to hospital for scans earlier that day.Root hung around long enough to be England’s top-scorer – yet again – with just 28 this time, but he fell driving at Boland and edging to David Warner at slip. After scoring 1708 runs in 2021, Root ended the calendar year two runs shy of second-placed Viv Richards and 80 off Mohammad Yousuf’s record.England brought up another less-coveted record, however, when Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson departed in the space of three Boland deliveries without scoring, taking their side’s tally of ducks to 54 this year and equalling their worst performance in that department of 1998. Wood spooned a return catch to Boland to give him his five-for and then Robinson fenced at one outside off stump, stabbing a catch to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip.It was Green who bowled last man James Anderson for 2 to seal the result on a day that Australia – and Boland – will long remember. England, meanwhile, face a serious period of analysis if they are to prevent a 5-0 sweep.

Australia need to decide how many of their quick bowlers to unleash

Andrew McGlashan26-Jan-2022

Big Picture

The Ashes could be decided in Canberra. If Australia win and take the four points available it will be securely in their hands – where it has been since 2015.The series has yet to really lift off after rain washed out the second two T20Is in Adelaide. There is a chance that this match could also be interrupted by showers which may make it a challenge to force a result, although there is the hope that the pitch will have some life.England captain Heather Knight has been left cursing the weather which has left her side chasing the series, two years after seeing their 2020 T20 World Cup hopes washed away in Sydney only for the skies to clear for just long enough to allow Australia’s match to go ahead.Both sides are talking a positive game in the build-up, but with no red-ball cricket except when Tests are played it is tough for players to get into rhythm. And this time there’s only been two days to get ready. At least for Australia it’s their second match of the season after facing India, although that was a pink-ball day-night contest.With a condensed schedule caused by Covid-19 adjustments and the proximity of the ODI World Cup there have been multiple considerations around this Ashes. With an eye on the Test, England kept Lauren Winfield-Hill and Kate Cross out of the T20I set up and let them focus on red-ball preparation.Cross is one of the players who appeared in the 2013-14 Perth Test which is generally regarded as one of the finest contests in the format where England prevailed by 61 runs despite the all-round brilliance of Ellyse Perry.Australia have had to contend with a variety of injuries this season and in this series they are now without Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux and Tayla Vlaeminck, who would all have pushed for Test selection. However, Beth Mooney is on track for a remarkable return from jaw surgery.Even in the absence of Vlaeminck, Australia hold the edge in pace with Darcie Brown and Stella Campbell in the squad although England match up well in the spin department. The home side’s batting order could be formidable with the likes of Ashleigh Gardner or Tahlia McGrath at No. 7, but England have experienced figures in Knight, Nat Sciver and Tammy Beaumont.Related

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• Liquid-only diet won't stop Beth Mooney's remarkable return

In the spotlight

Ellyse Perry was a central narrative around the T20Is, but because she didn’t play, having been dropped as Australia focused on role-specific selection. Her Test credentials, though, do not need a second look: her last three Ashes innings read 213*, 116 and 76*. There will be interest, however, in her role and effectiveness with the ball.This series could be an Ashes farewell for Katherine Brunt, who has been a huge figure in this generation of the England team. Her first Ashes Tests were back in 2005 when England famously regained the prize and in 2009 she took career-best figures of 6 for 69 at Worcester. She will be key in the pursuit of 20 wickets and also appears set to take on more responsibility with the bat.

Team news

Meg Lanning said Australia had a 12 but did not provide further details. Now that Mooney is able to return, Australia’s main selection decision would appear to be between an extra frontline spinner or quick bowler. With McGrath and Perry there are plenty of seam-bowling options, but a combination of Brown and Campbell could be tempting.Australia (possible) 1 Alyssa Healy (wk), 2 Rachael Haynes, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Beth Mooney, 6 Ash Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Jess Jonassen, 9 Darcie Brown, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Stella CampbellKnight confirmed she knew England’s XI but wanted to keep Australia guessing. She did, however, say they were going with an extra bowler compared to the India Test last year which may open the door for a debutant spinner to support Sophie Ecclestone who bowled 64 overs against India.England (possible) 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Lauren Winfield-Hill, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Nat Sciver, 5 Amy Jones (wk), 6 Sophia Dunkley, 7 Katherine Brunt, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10 Kate Cross, 11 Anya Shrubsole

Pitch and conditions

Having been very green a couple of days ago the surface has since been trimmed. Lanning said she expected some help early on while Knight believes it will flatten out during the game. The forecast has improved somewhat with the opening day looking good with Saturday the main concern.

Quotes

“We’re coming here to win. There’s no doubt about that. That’s all we’ve spoken about over the past few days is coming here and how can we best set up a victory. England are coming to do the same thing. So it’s certainly not going to be easy, and we’re going to have to sort of grind it out through certain periods of the game, but that’s the way we’re approaching it.”
Meg Lanning“There’s a line of thought that if you bowl first you can dictate the game a little bit more, you still have to take 20 wickets but hopefully you have a chase at the end.”

“People ask me that question, obviously,” says the bowler who was born in Pretoria and moved to New Zealand 14 years ago

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2022Matt Henry was the standout bowling star for New Zealand, with Tim Southee a not-too-distant second, in their innings-and-276-run win over South Africa in the first Test, but Pretoria-born Neil Wagner played his part too, with three wickets and a snappy innings of 49. Now, as New Zealand go into the second and final Test looking for their first Test series win over South Africa, Wagner is clear that “we really want to beat them in the series”, it won’t be “different to any of the other ones” New Zealand have won in recent years.”They are a quality team, and we really want to, obviously, beat them in the series. They have always been a quality unit,” Wagner said three days off from the start of the second Test, also in Christchurch. “People ask me that question, obviously, because I was born there. But I’ve been living here for 14 years now, so it’s something I don’t think about too much, or it doesn’t really feel that way. I probably only really know two or three guys in that team anyway. So it’s a lot different to what it was when I started my career personally.Related

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“But to beat any team… we’ve achieved a couple of things throughout the years now, beating England for the first time in I don’t know how many years. [It’s] the same no matter who you play, we saw that a couple of months ago when we played against Bangladesh, how they played in our conditions.”Test cricket against any Test team is pretty tough, and every win is one you can treasure. This will be pretty special, but it’s no different to any of the other ones.”It has been a remarkable run for New Zealand in Test cricket of late. In the 2019-2021 World Test Championship, they won eight of their 12 games, including the final against India, to take home the crown. The new cycle hasn’t begun well for them, as they lost 1-0 in India and then drew 1-1 at home against Bangladesh, but it has been back to business against South Africa, as the pace quartet of Southee, Wagner, Henry and Kyle Jamieson rolled the opposition over for 95 and 111 in the first Test.”Nice thing about this team is everyone’s got a bit of experience now; helps, obviously, the more you’re playing,” Wagner said. “When you play quality teams and are able to put performances in, it definitely helps in getting more experience but also getting the confidence out of it too. Hopefully we can keep growing as a unit and take it forward.”It was a strong performance [in the first Test], it was really good, obviously everyone chipped in, and in all facets, and Matt Henry obviously being absolutely outstanding for us. Yeah, pretty pleasing Test match for us, but it’s something in the past now, got to put this behind us quite quickly and move forward to Friday, because South Africa is a quality team and will come back firing. So we also want to be on top of our game and keep improving as we go forward.”Wagner’s 49 in just 56 balls – from No. 5 in the first innings – also helped New Zealand, who had begun that second morning on 116 for 3 with Henry Nicholls and Wagner in the middle. “[I thought] I might just try and play an aggressive game and try and see if I can hopefully score some quick runs and take the game away from them,” Wagner said. “Quite nice it came off on the day, and hopefully I can do something similar in the future again. I take a lot of pride in my batting and try to contribute for the team wherever I can. I love batting and hopefully I can keep going.”Neil Wagner hit seven fours and two sixes in his 56-ball 49 in the first Test•Getty Images

But it’s the bowling department where his team, and captain Tom Latham, will expect Wagner and the others to be at their best. One more time for now.”It’s obviously great for a guy like Matt to come in and have some rewards and some success, as someone who is carrying the drinks for a number of times now,” Wagner said. “And coming in for one Test and going out, you never really get into too much of a rhythm. So for him to get some reward is very pleasing.”We keep bowling for each other, and we keep passing that baton on, that the rewards will swing around like it has been, and… but yeah, it’s bowling for the other guys, and whosever day it is has to get right around him. I thought Tim Southee was outstanding again with the new ball, and the same for Kyle and all the other guys, just keep chipping in and doing our jobs.And, back in Christchurch, New Zealand can expect a bit of a crowd again, with Covid-19 restrictions in place, of course. “Christchurch crowd has always been fantastic, they always get behind us, they support us quite well, and even though it was a smaller crowd, it was nice to see some faces around of people, chanting and singing along and cheering us along,” Wagner acknowledged. “It goes a long way; no-one wants to play in front of an empty stadium, which can be sometimes tough work as well. So really appreciate, obviously, all that support from the public and hopefully long may that continue.”

Australia’s teenage quick had success in the Ashes with a fuller length and feels stronger at the crease as she prepares for her first major tournament

Alex Malcolm19-Feb-2022Teenage quick Darcie Brown is hoping to use her short ball judiciously in the upcoming women’s 50-over World Cup as she prepares to shoulder the load as Australia’s main strike weapon in her first global tournament.Brown, 18, has played just eight internationals for Australia including four ODIs but heads to New Zealand on her second overseas trip as Australia’s fastest bowler after Tayla Vlaeminck was ruled out of the tournament with stress fracture in her foot.Brown made her international debut on her first tour of New Zealand in March last year but has enjoyed an excellent summer with the Australia squad. She produced starring performances in two of her four ODIs so far claiming 4 for 33 in Mackay against India and 4 for 34 in Canberra against England.Brown admitted her bowling craft had developed over the summer as evidenced by her four-wicket haul against England, where she did most of the damage with fuller length balls targeting the stumps as opposed to the short barrage she gave India.Related

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“I’ve been trying to actually bowl a bit fuller and then use the short ball as an actual weapon rather than, especially in the India series, I was bowling some short pies,” Brown said. “But I guess with consistency and getting stronger, it’ll be better. It all depends on the conditions in the pitch.”We’ll assess that on game days and stuff like that. But definitely always keep it in the back pocket for a variation.”Brown said her body was feeling good after a long summer which featured two international multi-format series and a full WBBL campaign with runnner-up Adelaide Strikers.She was rested from the final two ODIs of the Ashes series. But she credited some important pre-season strength training as part of the reason why she has remained in good health across a long season.”I’ve been working really hard, especially this pre-season on my core strength,” Brown said. “It’s probably a really important aspect in fast bowling.”The start of pre-season I couldn’t really hold a 20-second plank, but now I can hold it a bit longer, thank goodness. So yeah, I’ve been working on that and especially lots of side stuff. Lots of fast bowlers get side strains and what not. Just a lot of injury prevention in that sort of aspect too.”I feel so much stronger at the crease and I guess that shows with how much more consistent I’ve been. I’m still not quite there yet. But I suppose you can compare it to last season, it’s a lot better. Hopefully we’re just on the up and it’ll just keep getting better.”Brown has enjoyed the mandatory seven-day hotel Managed Isolation Quarantine (MIQ) the Australia team has had to endure on arrival in New Zealand as a chance to rest and recover. Australia and England, who were quarantined in the same hotel, were let out of MIQ on Thursday, three days earlier than expected after the rules were changed from a 10-day isolation to seven. The two squads now get a lengthy build-up into their first match of the World Cup against each other on March 5 in Hamilton.Brown revealed she was nervous about playing in her first major tournament but felt that her experience of debuting in New Zealand last year will help calm her a little bit.”It’s good to have some experience going into the World Cup now,” Brown said. “I’m still pretty nervous because it is my first World Cup but probably a bit less nervous than I was last time I was here.”