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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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.”

Grandson of Denis, cousin of Nick, Kent’s newest opener proves worth after years of toil

Andrew Miller09-Apr-2022Who’s the most in-form opener in England right now? It’s quite the hot topic, with the Test team in such a state of flux, but if – after a hit-and-miss tour of the Caribbean – your answer was “that bloke who plays for Kent”, then it’s just possible you zeroed in on the wrong man at the top of the order.Admittedly, it’s a matter for debate quite how the standards of Zimbabwe’s Logan Cup stack up against the top flight of the LV= County Championship. However, after climbing to the top of the Mountaineers’ batting averages with 479 runs at 79.83 this winter, Ben Compton has now transformed a career haul of 98 first-class runs into five centuries in 14 matches across formats since October, after marking his Kent debut with a serene knock of 129.”I went away this winter and it did a lot for my cricket,” Compton said. “I played in Zimbabwe and both the cricketing experience and the life experience, being in a different part of the world, was good for me and stood me in good stead for this first game. I’m very thrilled to get that score. Just purely and simply to spend time in the middle at this time of the year is what it’s all about for me. It’s nice to put in practice the things I’d worked hard in the winter over.”Of course, he was hardly alone in cashing in on a thoroughly benign Chelmsford wicket. Essex had racked up three centuries of their own in making an imposing 514, and with the close of play fast approaching, Jordan Cox took that tally to five by sprinting through for the second of his own young career – a less startling knock than his 238 not out at Canterbury as a 19-year-old two seasons ago, but thoroughly matching his team’s disciplined requirements all the same.Even without the hamstrung Joe Denly, who seems unlikely to feature again after pulling up sharply in the field, Kent have scarcely blinked in the face of Essex’s total. Their close-of-play 405 for 5 – a deficit of 109 – was further bolstered by a pair of eye-catching fifties from Tawanda Muyeye and Darren Stevens, although their looks to the heavens after falling when well set spoke volumes about where this particular contest is heading.Despite a considerable amount of huff and puff from Essex’s quicks, for whom Sam Cook was once again the pick with 2 for 56, the true bowling honours belonged the limbs-akimbo twirlers of Dan Lawrence – who now answers to the nickname of the “Essex Murali” after his exploits on similarly unforgiving decks in the Caribbean – and most particularly, Matt Critchley – the “Chorley Chandresekhar”, perhaps? – who was far from flattered by figures of 2 for 69 in 28 overs of skilful, if still-raw, legspin.He was thrown the ball for the first time in his Essex career midway through the morning session, and offered an above-the-eyeline threat from the outset, although there was plenty guile on show too, in particular a brace of googlies to deliver two prised-out lbws and cap a truly excellent club debut. With Simon Harmer still to return from international duty, there’s reason to believe a pitch of this nature could yet play to the hosts’ strengths in the months to come.For now, however, it offered the sort of rewards that truly come to those who wait. For a man with such an evocative surname (and “yes, he most certainly is,” is the answer to the question on everyone’s lips…), Compton has had to take an incredibly scenic route to even this most precarious of opportunities – one that he would still be waiting for, had Kent themselves not chosen to rest Zak Crawley from this opening game, despite the ECB giving their blessing for him to play.Unlike his cousin Nick – whose talents were talked up from his Harrow schooldays, and who was arguably the right man at the wrong moment in his brief England dalliance – Ben, now 28, has spent his past decade scrapping for recognition at a variety of Premier League clubs in Surrey, Nottinghamshire and, most notably, Richmond in Middlesex, for whom he topped the runs and averages for three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2018.In terms of the next step up, however, that has been harder graft for Compton. In 2019, Kent took a punt on his talents and gave him a second-team chance, which he duly seized with five centuries in the season, including one on debut against MCC Young Cricketers – a team for whom he had played one game, on the Denis Compton Oval no less, as a 21-year-old in 2015. But when he went out on loan to Notts later that season, all he could muster was a top score of 20 in five Championship appearances, either side of the Covid outbreak, in addition to a one-off half-century in the Royal London Cup.”I joined Notts at the back end of 2019, when Haseeb Hameed had joined that autumn too,” Compton recalled. “So perhaps the opportunities I had were a bit more like batting for your life. Sometimes it’s really difficult to relax and actually play your best cricket in that scenario. I certainly got better as a player, and I’m in good relationships with everyone there. But I’ve learned a lot of things from that and it’s only benefited me I think. But it’s funny how things have come full circle.”Sam Cook runs in to bowl versus Kent•Andrew Miller

For the club that first came calling clearly saw something they liked, and at the first time of asking, he delivered with the same tenacity that had kept him clinging for so long to the fringes of professional recognition.For more than six hours, including a feisty final session of the second day, Compton marshalled Kent’s unwavering innings, picking off 19 fours from 289 balls with scarcely an error but for the moment, on 98, when he slashed loosely at a wide one from Critchley and – as the ball bobbled past slip to third man – found himself acknowledging a hard-earned milestone a touch more sheepishly than he had perhaps pictured in his dreams.”It’s been tough,” he acknowledged, recalling a journey that began when he moved from South Africa as an 18-year-old, with the intention of taking the club game by storm while studying for a politics and history degree, and demanding a career through sheer weight of runs. “But it was slow going and never really happened. And I had to work very hard to try and get an opportunity, and Kent actually did that for me. It’s a long road and there will be ups and downs over the summer. But I’m thrilled and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”Following his exploits on Twitter, Ben’s cousin Nick wrote: “I can’t tell you how proud I am of this young man. The perseverance and belief to keep going through years of club cricket. Amazing what happens when a supportive club with good people get behind someone!”With a ten-year age gap, Ben acknowledged that, while the truest legacy of the Compton name resides in his grandfather, it was his cousin – who broke into the England team in 2013, just as he was cutting his teeth as an 18-year-old at Wimbledon in the Surrey League – who provided inspiration.”I think the generational gap is quite an interesting one,” he said. “I think Nick looked more to emulate Denis than I did. Denis passed away when I was about four, so I kind of missed that. But obviously, I’ve always looked up to Nick and what he’s done in the game in England, and so that’s a more closely related thing for me. If I can achieve some of the things Nicholas did, then I’d be very chuffed with that.”And despite his South African heritage, Compton – like his cousin – confirmed he is an England-qualified batter. “I’ll put you to sleep if I’m doing my job,” he said. As a trio of openers have set out to prove in this contest, there’s still just about a place for that in the modern game.

West Indies allrounder will fill in for Shadab Khan, who is on international duty with Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2022Yorkshire have brought in West Indies allrounder Dominic Drakes as a short-term replacement for Shadab Khan for four Vitality Blast games.Drakes, who was an unused member of Gujarat Titans’ title-winning squad at the IPL, is set to make his debut on Friday night against Durham at Headingley, with Shadab returning to Pakistan for their ODI series against West Indies.”We are delighted to welcome Dominic to Yorkshire for the next four T20 games and we may also look at playing him in the Championship game against Hampshire,” Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said.”He’s a very talented young player having just arrived from the IPL where he was part of the winning Gujarat Titans squad. As a left-arm bowler and a destructive left-handed batter he offers another great option for our squad.”Shadab’s team-mate Haris Rauf will also leave the club after Tuesday night’s game against Derbyshire for the same series. Yorkshire announced last month that Finn Allen, the New Zealand top-order batter, will replace him.While Shadab is due to return to Leeds after that series, Haris is not expected to return. “Haris has made a huge impact for the club during his time with us,” Gough said. “His talent is clear to see and I’m sure he has the skills required to forge a brilliant career in Test match cricket, to go alongside his well-established exploits in white-ball cricket.”Yorkshire have started the Blast season with a win, a tie and a shock defeat at home to Leicestershire and have been hit hard by England call-ups. Joe Root and Harry Brook are on Test duty, while Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid and David Willey will all miss games for the ODI series against the Netherlands in mid-June.

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.

Dinesh Chandimal edged behind when he was 30 but Pat Cummins couldn’t go upstairs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-202244.1 Cummins to Karunaratne
An appeal for a catch down leg side! Given not out and Australia review! From around the wicket, this was short into the ribs, Karunaratne fended awkwardly taking his hand off the bat but he missed it as it went through to Carey. Not out remains. Australia burn a review77.5 Lyon to Mathews
An lbw appeal given not out. Australia review. This looked outside the line live but it’s close. He tried to reverse sweep but missed it. No, there is a little spike on the RTS and the third umpire says it’s bat. So it’s given not out. Australia lose the review79.1 Lyon to Chandimal
An appeal for bat pad given not out. Head threw it up in the air thinking it was out and Chandimal runs for a single. Australia review. It’s their last one. He skipped down with bat behind pad and never hit it as it came off pad to Head at silly mid off. The ball hit him outside the line too. Australia lose all three reviews and give up a leg bye89.5 Lyon to Angelo Mathews
Another appeal for lbw. Again used his feet. Just hit pad first, was quite some way down the pitch. Replay shows it was three reds92.5 Starc to Chandimal
Massive appeal for caught behind! The Australians are pleading. Starc forgets there’s no reviews left. Was short outside off, Chandimal had a waft at it. Will need to see Ultra Edge. And there’s a spike

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.”