The left-arm spinner produced the most economical spell in WBBL history as the hosts put on a dominant display against the leaders

Tristan Lavalette18-Nov-2023In-form Chamari Athapaththu claimed two wickets before powering Sydney Thunder past Perth Scorchers at Cricket Central ground as the race for the WBBL’s top spot heats up.Athapaththu was part of Thunder’s disciplined spin brigade that restricted Scorchers to a lowly 116 for 8 in the day fixture.In reply, Athapaththu took over after a disastrous run out of Phoebe Litchfield, who had replaced Tahlia Wilson at the top of the order.Having not responded to Litchfield’s call at the non-striker’s end, Athapaththu made amends with her blistering 77 off 53 balls marked by a calculated assault on legspinner Alana King.She was well supported by captain Heather Knight as Thunder cruised to the target in the 17th over.Star allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt bowled for the first time this season, but it was to no avail as Scorchers’ four-match winning streak was snapped.It was a vital victory for Thunder, who pulled within one point of league leaders Scorchers.Thunder elected to bowl first in what appeared a brave decision amid a flat surface and sunny conditions in Sydney. They had to confront a red-hot Scorchers batting order led by stars Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine, who have enjoyed rekindling their partnership at the top.Having started the season at No. 4, Devine has excelled alongside Mooney and they appeared to be once again powering Scorchers to a big total.After a cautious start warding off seam movement from the new ball, Devine made her move by clubbing seamer Marizanne Kapp down the ground for a belligerent boundary.It also ignited left-handed batter Mooney, who had earlier struggled to pierce a stacked off side field with Kapp angling the ball across her. She smashed Kapp for consecutive fours and hit four boundaries in the space of five balls.Mooney, who had scored 289 runs and only dismissed once in her last four innings, had a life on 25 when she was dropped at extra cover by Knight. It appeared Thunder would rue the missed chance, but two balls later Mooney was trapped lbw by offspinner Lauren Smith.It triggered a collapse with seamer Sammy-Jo Johnson in the next over claiming her 100th WBBL wicket after bowling Devine, who failed to connect on a delivery that didn’t bounce as high as she anticipated.Given the form of Devine and Mooney, Sciver-Brunt hadn’t been greatly required in her five matches this season. It loomed as a perfect scenario for her, but Sciver-Brunt’s stay at the crease was brief after being bowled by Smith on eight.Left-arm spinner Samantha Bates, who finished with the remarkable figures of 1 for 6 off four overs, strangled Scorchers in the middle overs. It was the most economical four-over spell in WBBL history. Young batter Maddy Darke was notably pinned down and inevitably succumbed on Knight’s second delivery.Scorchers kept losing wickets with Chloe Piparo clean bowled by Athapaththu in an ungainly dismissal that signified their plight. At 78 for 7 in the 17th over, Scorchers looked set for the ignominy of a score less than three figures before an aggressive Amy Jones slugged 37 from just 16 balls.Jones in the 19th over hit Scorchers’ first six of the innings and she added another, but their subpar total proved light work for Thunder who banked an invaluable victory.

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.”

However, he believes Pat Cummins’ comments about not moving too many players is significant

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2024Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes that Steven Smith would become the best opening batter in the world if he was given the task of replacing David Warner, but still sees Cameron Green as the likelier route the selectors will take.The squad for the first Test against West Indies will be named on Wednesday and will mark the start of a new era following Warner’s Test retirement. The narrative around who could replace him has shifted from a specialist opener – one of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw – to finding a way to accommodate Green.Related

• Smith to open, Green to bat No.4, Renshaw added to squad

• 'Absolutely has the skill': Watson backs Green as Test opener

• The next generation: who could star in Australia's future?

• What's been said: who should replace David Warner?

• Bancroft has no concerns over relationships with Australia's bowlers

Smith has been the only incumbent player to say he wants to open, but both captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald sounded reluctant at the conclusion of the Pakistan series.”If he [Smith] wants to open the batting and they give him the chance, he’ll be the No. 1 Test opener within 12 months,” Clarke told ESPN’s show. “He’s that good a player. If you can bat at three you can bat anywhere in the order. Technically he’s good enough, lets the ball go well, he’s got a great eye, got beautiful hands.”Yes, he might nick the occasional one or might get lbw but tell me someone who doesn’t. So if he opens the batting he’ll be the best opener within 12 months. [And] don’t be surprised if he breaks Brian Lara’s 400 record because he’s that good and now he’s got the whole day.”But, following Cummins’ comments about how the batting order is successful in their current positions, Clarke can see Green being parachuted in at the top as the outcome.”It sounds from what Patty says, he wants the least amount of disruptions as possible. Marnus has been brilliant, Smith’s four, Travis Head five, Mitch Marsh six. So that tells me that Cameron Green at this stage is probably the likeliest to come in and opening the batting.”Smith has never opened in Test or first-class cricket, but former Australia batter Callum Ferguson was of little doubt that he could make a success of it”I think he would prepare himself as well as anyone to open the batting if he decided he wanted to do that,” he told the show. “I’ve always been in the camp that you need a specialist opening batter but if it was Steve Smith coming to you and saying I want to open the batting, I think he’s looking for a challenge, that next motivation and inspiration I his career, and honestly if he took to that job I think he’d do it better than anyone else.”Should the selectors opted for Smith or Green there have been questions raised about what it would mean for the Sheffield Shield given that Bancroft has been the leading run-scorer in the last two seasons and could still be overlooked.”I think the selectors have always been really clear with Shield cricket being the ground they want guys to go back and perform in,” Bancroft said on Sunday. “There’s plenty examples of guys who have gone back and done that. I’m sure that’ll be a big part of what they’re looking at when they make that decision at the end of the day.”

Rashid is also part of the side but is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from a back surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2024Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series in India. The 22-year-old mystery spinner wasn’t part of the national side for the T20I series in the UAE and was instead in action for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. Mujeeb’s BBL stint, though, was cut short after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revoked his No-Objection Certificate (NoC) for the remainder of the BBL.The ACB had announced on December 25 that Mujeeb, along with seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, would be sanctioned after telling the board they did not intend to sign central contracts for 2024. The three players were told they would be considered “non-eligible” for NOCs for the next two years, and that any current NOCs would be revoked.Farooqi and Naveen have since featured for Afghanistan in their most recent T20I series against the UAE after talks with the board in which they “demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again”, according to the ACB.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The T20Is in India will be Mujeeb’s first since July 2023. Mujeeb is part of a strong spin attack that includes Rashid Khan, Qais Ahmad and Noor Ahmad. Rashid, Afghanistan’s designated T20I captain, has been included in the 19-member squad, but is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from a back surgery that had also put him out of the BBL and the UAE T20I series. It is understood that he will only start bowling again in 10 days. Batter Ibrahim Zadran, who had led Afghanistan to a 2-1 series win over UAE, will captain the side in India as well. Ikram Alikhil is the back-up wicketkeeper to Rahmanullah Gurbaz.Mohammad Ishaq, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli who were all part of the squad for the T20Is in the UAE have been left out for the series in India. Rahmat Shah retains his place in the squad; he is uncapped in T20I cricket and has not played a T20 since July 2022. Gulbadin Naib and Alikhil, who were among the reserves for the UAE series, have now been promoted to the main squad.Related

• Rashid Khan ruled out of T20I series against India

• Farooqi, Mujeeb and Naveen to get limited NOCs as ACB modifies sanctions

• Suryakumar, Hardik ruled out of Afghanistan T20Is

• Mujeeb's BBL season cut short by Afghanistan Cricket Board

• Farooqi, Naveen in Afghanistan squad after 'demonstrating strong desire to represent country'

“We are delighted to be embarking on our maiden tour to India for a three-match series,” Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, said in a statement. “India is the top-ranked side in the world and it’s very pleasing to witness AfghanAtalan competing in a three-match T20I against them. We believe that AfghanAtalan are no longer underdogs & have excelled well in the recent past and we look forward to a highly competitive series against India.”This will be Afghanistan’s first bilateral T20I series against India. The three-match series will begin in Mohali on January 11 before the teams head to Indore and Bangalore for the last two games on January 14 and January 17 respectively.This will also be the last T20I series for both India and Afghanistan before the T20 World Cup gets underway in the West Indies and the USA in June later this year.

Afghanistan squad

Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

Backs England to seize chance to square series, after Bashir’s stellar display

Andrew Miller24-Feb-2024Joe Root is confident that England have taken a firm hold of the fourth Test against India, after a dominant second day in Ranchi in which the final stages of his 31st Test century gave way to a determined bowling display led by the 19-year-old offspinner Shoaib Bashir.By the close, India had reached 219 for 7 in their first innings, still trailing by a sizeable 134 runs with only the wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel remaining of their recognised batters. And on a surface that is already offering significant variable bounce, Root recognises that any lead could be crucial going into the back-end of the contest.”We’ve got ourselves into a nice position at the end of the first innings,” Root said at the close of play. “So we’ll see how things progress throughout the game. Obviously, it looks like it’s going to keep deteriorating and keep getting worse. So if we can get three early wickets tomorrow, hopefully that puts us in a really strong position for the rest of the game.”Related

• Ranchi's low bounce catches India off-guard

• Live Report: India vs England, 4th Test, Ranchi – Gill, Jurel help India seal series

• Root's assured century helps England recover well

• Zak Crawley: 'Joe Root was due, now England are ahead of the game'

• Root rediscovers touch to put the old school into Bazball

Already, however, Root’s unbeaten 122 from 274 balls looks like being the stand-out innings of the game. After rescuing England from a dicey 112 for 5 at lunch on day one, he helped add a further 51 runs for the final three wickets in the morning session, and admitted it had been a cathartic display after his struggles for form in the opening three Tests.”That’s how I try and play every game really,” he said. “Trying to play the conditions, the situation of the game. And it was very, very obvious what was needed in that situation on that surface. And thankfully, it paid off.”It’s been nice to contribute this week,” he added, having managed a top score of 29 in his previous six innings in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Rajkot. “It has been a lean series for me. So I was desperate to try and get some runs for the guys, and it was nice to do that today. And hopefully that can continue that for the rest of the series now.”Root joked that he had been tempted to play a reverse-scoop when nearing his hundred•Associated Press

Root had been the subject of intense scrutiny after England’s 434-run loss in the third Test, after falling to his trademark reverse-scoop early on the third day, a shot that proved the catalyst in his team’s subsequent collapse. And though the stroke didn’t feature at all in the course of his century, he did joke that he had been tempted to unfurl it when in sight of his hundred on the first evening.”I must admit it did briefly cross my mind, but on that wicket it’s not a great option,” Root said. “It was a fleeting and selfish thought that left my mind very quickly. If you look at the previous wicket [in Rajkot], it wasn’t as bad, but it was unfortunate it kept a little bit low. But that’s how it goes sometimes.”When asked afterwards about the criticism of that dismissal, Root added: “Certainly the execution of the shots has weighed on me. Not necessarily the selection but the execution. I’m better than that. Batting is about outscoring the opposition, scoring more runs to give yourselves the best chance of winning. If you get out, you’re out, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like.”Instead, Root delivered a performance of old-school hard graft, as he first found a means to survive a tough morning spell from the debutant Akash Deep, who extracted significant seam movement with the new ball, and then led a critical rebuild as the conditions eased, particularly alongside Ben Foakes on the first afternoon and Ollie Robinson on the second morning.”If it’s your main skill, you want to be delivering and you want to be standing up and performing,” Root said. “It was special, given that in the morning the wicket was doing all sorts against that hard ball. So when you went in, you really had to work hard, in the first half-hour especially. They’re the ones that mean most, when you have to really work hard for it, and you’re trying to dig your team out of a little bit of a situation.”The second day, however, was dominated by Bashir’s outstanding display with the ball. He bowled 32 overs, interrupted only by intervals and a solitary change of ends before the close of play, to return figures of 4 for 84, which are already his best figures in all first-class cricket. With Tom Hartley also impressing with two wickets in his 19 overs, it meant Root – England’s most experienced spinner – was used for just a single over at the end of the day, but he had no complaints about ceding the stage.Shoaib Bashir got Shubman Gill to break a solid stand•Getty Images

“The way the guys have operated today was a brilliant effort,” he said. “I had a great view at first slip, watching them operate. For two young spinners to stand up and perform, it’s really encouraging for English cricket, and for us, for the rest of this series and the rest of this Test match.”Bashir was a virtual unknown when he was drafted into the squad in December, on the strength of only a handful of fixtures for Somerset, including a key spell against Essex in which his high release point was shown to have troubled Alastair Cook, one of England’s greatest players of subcontinent-style spin.”[Bashir’s] brilliant,” Root said. “He’s a great young lad to have in the group. I’ve not seen much of him, and I might not have known much about him before this series, but he’s got a great character. He’s got a great sense of humour. He takes it all out to the field. And he’s clearly, as you can see, got huge amounts of ability and skill and a lot to offer, especially on a surface like this.”It was great to see him keep coming, time and time again today, asking really difficult questions of their order. And again, he should take a lot of confidence for the rest of this game and moving on as well.”As for the match situation, Root reiterated his confidence that England can close out their advantage, and square the series at 2-2 going into the fifth Test in Dharamsala. In particular, he backed his team to make the most of whatever lead they can secure, and bat with sufficient freedom in tough conditions to post India a challenging target.On that pitch, 350 looks like a very good score,” he said. “I think we’re in a good position. Obviously it’d be good to wrap things up quickly tomorrow, but yeah, as a batter you always say, ‘it’s a terrible wicket, I must have played really well’. But no, I think it’s just that odd ball.”It’s just being able to park it mentally, being able to, if it does really misbehave, not let it affect the way you approach the rest of the over, the next ball, and not have any demons about what’s gone before. You’ve just got to react and play and trust your game, and just be really clear about how you want to break things down and score your runs.”It’d be great to get a sizable first-innings lead on there and then to really drive that home. We’ve got to be ruthless. We’ve got to be proactive about how we go and do it, and clear how we want to go and score our runs. But if we can get anything north of 250, it’s going to be a very interesting last couple of days.”

Kent thwarted with the ball throughout as visitors rack up the partnerships at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2024Kent and Somerset look to be heading for a draw in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury after the visitors reached 374 for 7 at stumps on day three.Tom Lammonby hit 90 and Matt Renshaw 66 as the visitors survived an early evening wobble to overhaul Kent’s first innings score of 284. Kent debutants Matt Parkinson and George Garrett took 2 for 116 and 2 for 61 respectively, but a stand of 101 between Kasey Aldridge and James Rew gave Somerset a potentially useful lead of 90.Aldridge was unbeaten on 50 while Rew made 57 before he was out in surreal circumstances following a delay caused by a rogue mobilty-scooter.The draw always looked the most likely outcome after 119 overs were lost to the elements on days one and two, but if Kent were going to force the issue they needed to exploit the new ball.They couldn’t. Sean Dickson was on four when he edged Wes Agar between second and third slip, but both Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning went for the catch and neither managed to hang on.Dickson failed to cash in, edging Garrett to Leaning for 17, but that was the only bright moment for the hosts during an otherwise joyless morning session that ended with Somerset on 108 for 1.Lammonby played with restrained elegance, although he reached his fifty with a streakily edged four off Garrett.Renshaw was then dropped on 58 off Parkinson when Joe Denly couldn’t hang on to a diving chance at mid on. Parkinson, however, broke through in his next over, conjuring a ball that pitched outside off and spun viscously back into Renshaw’s middle stump.If that was the only wicket of the afternoon session, Parkinson’s unbroken 25-over spell at least offered home fans hope that this season might offer something more than the toil of the previous campaign.He lobbed in the occasional bad ball but always looked like making something happen and, in the second over after tea, he duped Lammonby into a swipe that was grabbed by Ben Compton at square leg.A mini-collapse ensued as Tom Banton smacked Garrett for six but was caught behind off the next ball for 28 and Lewis Goldsworthy fell to the new ball, driving Nathan Gilchrist to Joey Evison at extra cover for 35.Lewis Gregory made just one when he cut Wes Agar to Daniel Bell-Drummond and at that point Somerset were on 255 for 6. But Aldridge and Rew exploited some average fielding to push Somerset into the lead and give them their first score of over 300 in the first innings of a summer since 2014.The torpor of the late evening was summed up when a man on a mobility scooter dawdled in front of the sight screens and Rew fell to the very next ball, skying Leaning almost vertically before he was caught by Harry Finch.Aldridge then brought up his half-century when he took a single off the final ball of the day from Leaning.

Bancroft, Charlesworth build lead with two days remaining to turn the screw

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2024Marchant de Lange’s 13th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket left Gloucestershire anticipating a first County Championship win since the end of the 2022 season on day two of their Division Two clash with Northamptonshire.The South African paceman, who’d already secured a six-fer against Middlesex this season, produced consistently hostile bowling to return 5 for 42, including wickets with successive balls as the hosts were hustled out for 171, 238 behind Gloucestershire’s first-innings total of 409.De Lange played his part in the visitors reaching that tally too, his unbeaten 36, including two huge sixes, helping Josh Shaw add 71 for the ninth wicket, Shaw equalling his career-best with 44. Siddarth Kaul did at least complete a five-fer on debut for Northamptonshire, finishing with figures of 5 for 76.Gloucestershire, who haven’t won at Wantage Road since 2010 declined to enforce the follow-on. Instead, openers Cameron Bancroft (36 not out) and Ben Charlesworth (41 not out) took the visitors to 77 for 0 and an overall lead of 315.Gloucestershire began on 338 for 8 and Shaw and de Lange quickly dampened any hopes Northamptonshire may have entertained of wrapping up the tail with a ferocious assault on the bowling.De Lange glanced an early Ben Sanderson delivery to fine leg for four to set the tone and he followed that up by clubbing the same bowler back over his head for six.When Sanderson gave way to George Scrimshaw, de Lange deposited a short ball over mid-wicket for another six which looked set to endanger the resident ice-cream van, but fortunately it sailed beyond it onto the concourse.Shaw caught the mood, clubbing Scrimshaw over the ropes, meaning a fourth batting point had been secured by the time Kaul pinned him lbw to end the fun.The Northamptonshire reply opened in extraordinary fashion with Ricardo Vasconcelos hooking a short one from Ajeet Singh Dale over the head of long leg for six.Fellow opener Emilio Gay’s experience was at the opposite end of the spectrum as he was pinned lbw first ball by a swinging delivery from Shaw which trapped him plumb in front.Vasconcelos though forged on, adding six fours to his earlier six, meaning Northamptonshire went to lunch on 56 for 1 with little sign of the afternoon’s carnage to follow.De Lange though changed the mood within three balls of the resumption. Vasconcelos hadn’t got his feet moving when nicking one through to James Bracey to depart for 43 and Karun Nair was beaten for pace first ball to be pinned in front.George Bartlett prevented the hat-trick and for a while at least, he and Luke Procter threatened a rebuild.It was spinner Zafar Gohar who cut the revival off trapping sipper Procter on the crease for 32 and Bartlett soon followed undone by a ball of extra bounce from Tom Price, Bracey taking a fine catch standing up to the stumps.Saif Zaib, restraining his usual aggression, resisted stoically for his 23 from 80 balls only for De Lange to return and find the outside edge for Bracey to claim another victim and Zafar returned to have fellow spinner Liam Patterson-White lbw playing no shot.Recharged by his afternoon cup of tea, de Lange helped wrap things up early in the final session Kaul and Sanderson both falling to catches behind the wicket, the latter to a brute of a ball which flew off the shoulder of the bat to slip.

PNG have a lot of experience in their ranks, but might find the in-form West Indians tough to conquer

Ashish Pant01-Jun-20241:26

Ian Bishop’s predictions for T20 World Cup 2024

Match details

West Indies vs Papua New Guinea
June 2, Providence, 10.30am local; 2.30pm GMT; 8pm IST

Big picture – West Indies look to make early moves

Redemption will be on West Indies’ agenda as they kick off the Caribbean leg of T20 World Cup 2024 against Papua New Guinea in Providence. They lifted the trophy in 2012 and 2016, but West Indies have had a torrid time at the last two editions. In 2021, they only managed one win in five matches to make a Super 12s exit. In 2022, they failed to even make it to the Super 12s, losing to Ireland and Scotland in the opening round.Now, in home territory, with a team in form, West Indies will hope to return to their glory days. PNG might not appear as threatening as some of the other teams, but West Indies will have to start strong, even think of giving their net run-rate an early boost.Related

• Powell: Winning the World Cup will give 'massive boost' financially for West Indies

• Akeal Hosein's great escape

• Pooran hopes to rekindle 'special feeling' of 2012 and 2016

• Pooran and Powell pound nine-man Australia

They are coming into the World Cup on the back of a 3-0 sweep over South Africa at home – though both teams were without many of their World Cuppers. But West Indies also beat Australia in their only warm-up game where they smashed 257 in their 20 overs. That’s good portents.Andre Russell boasts of a strike rate of 207.89 in T20s this year. He played his part in Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL title win last week. Nicholas Pooran finished as Lucknow Super Giants’ second-highest run-getter at the IPL. Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer both struck at strike rates in excess of 150 for Rajasthan Royals. Against South Africa, Gudakesh Motie was the highest wicket-taker while Brandon King was the highest run-scorer.PNG, in their second appearance at the World Cup and the first since 2021, will want to make an impression, and upset some calculations. And they have the experience for it – ten of their members played in the 2021 edition; only four of their players are below 25. PNG are a pace-dominated side with only Charles Amini as a frontline spinner. But it’s the veteran batters that they will look to – Assad Vala, Tony Ura, Lega Siaka, Sese Bau are all capable of turning it on, and West Indies will be aware of that.A host nation has never won the men’s T20 World Cup, and West Indies will hope to buck the trend this time. Starting right away.Nicholas Pooran has been one of the form T20 batters in world cricket over the past two years•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

West Indies WWWWL
Papua New Guinea LWWLW

In the spotlight – Nicholas Pooran and Charles Amini

Nicholas Pooran is coming into the tournament in fine six-hitting form. Since the start of 2023, no batter has hit more sixes in T20 cricket than Pooran’s 154. He also has a strike rate of 167.45 in T20s this year. In the IPL, where the rest of his team’s batters failed to get going, Pooran struck at 178.21 and then hit a 25-ball 75 with five fours and eight sixes against Australia two days back.Charles Amini, PNG’s primary spinner, is also a handy batter, and his all-round abilities will hold the key to his team’s fortunes. Amini has the third-most runs for PNG in T20Is – 994 in 48 innings – though with a strike rate of just 118.61. He is also their second-highest wicket-taker with 47 wickets in 48 innings.

Team news

Johnson Charles and King had an excellent series against South Africa and are likely to open in the first game with Powell, Pooran, Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford forming the middle order. Russell and Akeal Hosein are likely to be the allrounders, while the Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, should lead the pace attack.West Indies (probable XI): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Brandon King, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Shamar Joseph, 11 Gudakesh MotieAssad Vala and Charles Amini are among the mainstays of the PNG team•Michael Steele/ICC/Getty Images

Ura, PNG’s highest-run scorer in T20Is, will be the backbone of their batting unit along with Vala and Amini. Norman Vanua, their highest wicket-taker in the format, is expected to lead the fast-bowling unit alongside Chad Soper, while John Kariko, PNG’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is since the start of 2023, will be Amini’s spin-bowling partner.PNG (probable XI): 1 Tony Ura, 2 Sese Bau, 3 Assad Vala (capt), 4 Lega Siaka, 5 Charles Amini, 6 Hiri Hiri, 7 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 8 Norman Vanua, 9 Alei Nao, 10, John Kariko, 11 Chad Soper

Stats that matter

• Pooran has hit the most sixes in T20 cricket in 2024 – 77 – and he is fifth on the list for most runs in T20 cricket this year – 993
• Russell’s strike rate of 207.89 in T20 cricket this year is the highest for any batter who has faced more than 75 balls
• Obed McCoy has picked up 36 wickets in T20 cricket this year, the fourth-highest
• Ura is the only PNG batter to have scored a century in T20Is
• Kariko is PNG’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is since the start of 2023 – 25 in 16 games

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score at Providence in T20 games since the start of 2022 is 168 with teams happier to bat second. In 24 T20 games here since 2022, captains have opted to field in 16 outings. But, it has not always translated into wins. Teams batting first have scored 11 wins out of 24 while 12 have been won by the teams batting second. One game was washed out. Spinners have been dominant here, going at an economy of 6.94 in those games. But all of that will become relevant if the weather holds up. There are chances of showers and even a thunderstorm early in the day.

Quotes

“If Andre Russell rocks up for any international team, you would definitely slot him within the team. That is no surprise to see Andre automatically slot into our team. He comes with a wealth of experience and the good thing is he comes with additional confidence on the back of good performances in the IPL. We are definitely looking forward to Andre Russell being a significant part of our World Cup and hopefully, he can be a three-time World Cup champion after this.”
“It means a lot to be playing amongst the best 20 teams in the world. We are going into games trying to win. We just don’t want to go out there and play for the sake of playing. We are here to play the best cricket we can and the brand of cricket we know we can play.”

The incident took place during the third over of the Nepal innings in their game against Bangladesh on June 16

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2024Bangladesh fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib has been fined 15% of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct after an altercation with Nepal captain Rohit Paudel during the teams’ meeting in Kingstown on June 16.The incident took place just after the end of the third over of Nepal’s innings, when Tanzim, after bowling a delivery, “walked towards Nepal batter Rohit Paudel in an aggressive manner and made inappropriate physical contact”, according to an ICC release.There were a few words exchanged between the two players followed by plenty of hand gesturing, with the on-field umpire Sam Nogajski having to separate the two. The umpires were also seen having a word with Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto after the incident.Tanzim was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match”.