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Henry Hunt made an unbeaten 104 for South Australia under grey skies at the Gabba after Queensland sent them in

AAP06-Nov-2023South Australia opener Henry Hunt has defied the Gabba gloom and Queensland’s pace attack to send a three-figure reminder to Australia’s selectors.Hunt was unbeaten on 104 on Monday night, taking South Australia to 190 for 2 after a rain-shortened first day of their Sheffield Shield clash in Brisbane.The 26-year-old survived and then flourished after lunch to bring up his eighth first-class century in the shadows of stumps, off 236 balls.It was Hunt’s first Shield score of substance this season, ending a first-class century drought that stretched back to Australia A’s tour of Sri Lanka in June last year.The opener’s patient knock came once the hosts, after a two-hour rain delay, opted to bowl in what appeared ideal conditions for the Bulls’ quicks.The ball beat the bat regularly but Hunt, arguably the forgotten man behind Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw in the race to replace retiring Test opener David Warner, held his nerve.”I don’t think people lose it overnight,” Hunt said of his return to form. “You’ve got to trust the process and it was nice to make it count today.”You’ve just got to keep the faith, keep riding the highs and lows.”(Cricket) is a big leveller … you could come out tomorrow and nick the first ball.”Despite 13 boundaries, the big feature of Hunt’s knock were the quick singles that released pressure as the Bulls’ pace battery hammered away on a slow wicket.That determined running twice almost brought him undone with his century in sight but Queensland couldn’t take their chances, with batting partner Nathan McSweeney diving to make his ground for the single that brought up Hunt’s milestone.Hunt and Jake Carder (37 off 115) were circumspect as they survived the first session. Michael Neser went for just six runs in his first nine overs and finished with figures of 0 for 25 from 14 overs.Gurinder Sandhu finally found Carder’s edge after lunch and Jack Wildermuth pinned Daniel Drew in front soon after.But McSweeney (33 not out) joined Hunt to keep the hosts at bay under lights in an unbroken 90-run stand, despite a probing spell from legspinner Mitchell Swepson.”He held their top order together beautifully,” Swepson said of Hunt. “He’d be happy with how well he left the ball today and waited for us to come to him.”Only the two wickets but we felt we bowled really well.”

Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Prabhsimran Singh and Harshit Rana are also part of the 15-member squad

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2023Yash Dhull, the Delhi batter who led India to the Under-19 World Cup title last year, will captain India A at the Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 50-overs tournament, which will be held in Sri Lanka from July 14 to 23. Dhull’s deputy is the Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder Abhishek Sharma.The tournament involves the A teams from the five Asian Full Member boards – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – as well as the senior teams of Nepal, Oman and UAE.There is no age restriction on the players who can feature in this tournament, but India have named a squad with a distinctly youthful tinge, with all 15 players less than 23 years old. Four of the five standby players are Under-23s as well, with the Saurashtra wicketkeeper-batter Snell Patel the lone exception at 29. The squad, incidentally, was picked by India’s junior selection committee chaired by former Karnataka keeper Thilak Naidu.The main squad includes a number of players who impressed during IPL 2023, including top-order batter Sai Sudharsan – who scored 96 in the tournament final – keepers Prabhsimran Singh and Dhruv Jurel, and fast bowlers Harshit Rana and Akash Singh.Former Saurashtra batter Sitanshu Kotak is the head coach of the side. He will be assisted by bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and fielding coach Munish Bali.India A will begin their campaign on July 13 when they face UAE at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.India A squad: Yash Dhull (capt), Abhishek Sharma (vice-capt), Sai Sudharsan, Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Standby players: Harsh Dubey, Nehal Wadhera, Snell Patel, Mohit Redkar

Litton has been called up by Bangladesh to face Ireland in a three-match ODI series between May 9 and 14

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2023Two-time T20 World Cup champion Johnson Charles has joined Kolkata Knight Riders for the remainder of IPL 2023 as a replacement player for Litton Das.Charles, a member of the West Indies team that was crowned champions in 2012 and 2016, brings with him extensive experience at the top of the batting order. He has opened in 179 of his 219 T20 innings, averaging 25.47 and striking at 125.72. He is, however, only just reacquainting himself with international cricket.Charles spent six years out of the West Indies set up, returning in October 2022 and playing seven T20Is since. He made a 39-ball century against South Africa in March. This will be the 34 year-old’s first stint in the IPL, having previously been part of franchise leagues in the Caribbean, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.Litton had left the Knight Riders camp earlier this month to attend to a medical emergency in his family. He played only one game in IPL 2023 having been bought for INR 50 lakh (approx USD 60,000) at the auction in December last year. Litton had also been called up to play for Bangladesh in an ODI series against Ireland starting next week. He would have missed three of the Knight Riders’ four remaining matches as they continue to fight for a place in the playoffs.KKR have been struggling for stability at the top this season, having gone through six opening combinations in nine games. Their first wicket partnership averages 21.33 – only Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals fare worse – and has crossed fifty just once.Charles, brought in for INR 50 lakh (approx USD 60,000), does have some experience batting in the middle order as well. He’s hit two of his three T20 centuries from Nos. 3 and 4, which may come in handy given KKR have two other players who present an attractive package as opening batters.Rahmanullah Gurbaz was in top form in thelr last game – a loss to Gujarat Titans – and Jason Roy showcased excellent skill, especially against spin, in two of his three innings so far. If these two keep their spots, Charles may not get a lot of game time considering Andre Russell and Sunil Narine walk into the XI every time they’re fit. IPL teams can only pick four overseas players for each game.Knight Riders, currently eighth on the points table, face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday and have matches scheduled with Punjab Kings (May 8), Rajasthan Royals (May 11), Chennai Super Kings (May 14) and Lucknow Super Giants (May 20).

South Africa batsman Dean Elgar believes his team will avoid complacency at Bellerive Oval, a venue at which they have never played a Test match

Firdose Moonda in Hobart10-Nov-20162:32

‘We are guarding against complacency’ – Dean Elgar

South Africa are not going to follow Graeme Smith’s lead and dismiss Australia as being low on confidence. In fact, they are bracing for a backlash from the wounded hosts.”If he has said that I’m sure that’s just his personal dig,” South Africa’s opening batsman Dean Elgar said. “I don’t think there is a culture issue within the Australian side. We know they’re still a dangerous team and they can bounce back in the second Test.”Asked whether he thinks Australia have lost some of their bite, Elgar would not be drawn into a slanging match. “Yes and no. We know that the Australian side is still a very dangerous side. Them being beaten in the first Test is working in their favour because they can bounce back, and we’re aware of their bouncebackability. It’s just human nature to withdraw into yourself because of what you’re going through. But they can bounce back hard.”To that end, South Africa are spending the build-up being drilled hard both in the nets and in the analysis room. “Complacency is a big thing for us,” Elgar said. “That’s something we’ve addressed as a team. It’s a new Test, a new challenge and a new venue for us.”South Africa have never played a Test in Hobart before, and the last of their five ODIs at this venue was in 2009. Of the current squad, only Hashim Amla and JP Duminy played in that match, while batting and bowling consultant Neil McKenzie and Charl Langeveldt were part of previous ODI teams at Bellerive Oval. They won’t be able to draw too much from that but have be trawling through the scorecards of previous matches to try and gauge what awaits.0:24

Dean Elgar expects Australia to bounce back in Hobart

The last two Tests have seen Australia post big scores in the first innings against West Indies and Sri Lanka but the one before that was a low-scoring thriller against New Zealand. The pace and bounce of the WACA is a thing of the past but there may still be plenty for the bowlers. Two days before the Test, the pitch was a violent shade of green but much of that grass will be shaved off. What won’t change is the overhanging cloud, at least not for the rest of this week. There will be swing on offer and for South Africa, that may also mean reverse-swing.Josh Hazlewood commented on how effectively South Africa managed to get the ball to reverse in Perth, much to Australia’s envy, and Elgar was sure they would try to do it again. “It is an asset for us if the ball can reverse but also, for a bowler to be able to bowl with the reversing ball is a massive skill,” Elgar said. “We’re fortunate if that most if not all of our bowlers can bowl with the reversing ball, which works in our favour quite nicely. In Perth the ball reversed in both innings for us when we were bowling and it proved to be a massive asset for us.”Elgar maintained that South Africa’s working of the ball does not venture into troublesome territory, even though Hazlewood had noticed their habit of throwing the ball onto the pitch to scuff it up. “We’re trying to throw it into the turf and scuff one side up,” Hazlewood said “They’re pretty well drilled on it and get that side nice and rough and the other one shiny.”But it is “not a deliberate tactic”, according to Elgar. “When you’re on the boundary, there are rules that you are allowed to bounce a ball in from the boundary,” he said. “All teams around the world use that tactic these days. If you are allowed to use it to your advantage all teams are welcome to do it. But obviously within the rules and regulations of the game.”Those are things Smith, who retired more than two years ago, does not have to think about anymore and it’s allowed him to say some of the things he may have been thinking in his playing days. Smith spoke about Australia being a country where you had to earn respect as a player and you could only do that through performance. That’s what South Africa did in Perth and hope to continue in Hobart, but Elgar would prefer they didn’t make too much of a big noise about it.”Having a lot guys put up their hands and make a big play for the team is very important to us,” Elgar said. “It’s very important for us to have those different kinds of players in the team. We don’t talk about it at all. It just comes out naturally.”

Extra day vital as Australia wrap up points on back of Ashleigh Gardner eight-for

Andrew Miller26-Jun-2023Australia’s hard-fought 89-run victory in the Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge was a vindication of the decision to stretch the contest over a full five days, according to Alyssa Healy and Heather Knight, the opposing captains, as well as the Player of the Match, Ashleigh Gardner, whose 12 wickets included the outstanding second-innings figures of 8 for 66.Australia duly wrapped up victory shortly before lunch on the final morning, as Gardner claimed each of the final five wickets to fall for the addition of 62 more runs, and have now taken a huge leap towards retaining the Ashes for fifth series in a row, with England potentially needing to win five of the remaining six matches, starting with the first of three T20Is at Edgbaston on Saturday.”It just shows having five days in the Test match to actually get a result is super-important,” Gardner said at the post-match presentations, having played out draws in each of her previous three appearances in the format.Related

• MCG to host historic women's Ashes Test to mark 90-year anniversary of format

• Ashleigh Gardner eight-for, 12 in the match, as Australia claim Ashes advantage

• Healy shows fighting spirit as Australia dig themselves back into ascendancy

• Gardner senses Australia victory push despite tough day in the field

• Ecclestone the 'benchmark' but Gardner turns Test towards Australia

“We obviously need to celebrate this because it’s super-special,” Gardner added. “This is the first time that I’ve been involved in a Test match where we’ve got a result, but then we also turn our attention pretty quickly onto the T20s. We know how good England are at T20 cricket, so we need to be ready for that first match in Birmingham.”For Healy, captaining Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, there was pride at overseeing a famous result, but also relief – both at ending her own barren run of form in Ashes Tests with a vital second-innings fifty, and in not messing up in her stand-in role.”It was stressful,” she joked. “I’ve got a few more grey hairs. But I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and I’m really honoured to have been able to do it in Test match, and obviously win one as well. I’m pretty chuffed standing here, but I really thoroughly enjoyed the experience.She added: “First and foremost, how good is it to have a result, and I’m pleased to be on the right end of it. I guess, when you take the pressure off the captains and the teams to try and manipulate a result, it probably makes a little bit easier, but we’ll have to wait and see how [five days for women’s Tests] pans out. Even if it’s just a potential of a reserve day, if there is rain, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”Knight, meanwhile, has been one of the loudest advocates for a fifth day in women’s Tests – not least since her brilliant performance in the last Ashes Test at Canberra in January 2022, where her first-innings century set up the game, only for England to have to settle for a draw, nine wickets down, after a thrilling fourth-innings chase.”I’ve been quite vocal about having five days and I think today – and the whole five days, actually – showed why that was,” she said. “Credit to Australia. They were outstanding, but our girls went toe to toe with them for a hell of a long time. And that was really impressive.”In particular, Knight called out the efforts of Tammy Beaumont, whose England-best 208 carried the fight after Australia had posted a daunting 473, and their star spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who picked up a brace of five-fors in each innings, and carried the bowling for a total of 77.1 overs after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s involvement with the ball was hampered by a knee injury.”Sophie, we called her Merlin [like the bowling machine], she just kept going from one end,” Knight said. “Obviously with the loss of a bowler to a niggle, we had to have bowlers that stepped up and really take the job on and they’ve really grafted hard there.”She’s a captain’s dream, I’ve been able to get the ball to her and just for her to hold up an end, she’s so consistent. And, on that pitch, she was a real wicket-taking threat. I did wonder whether I was over-bowling her at one point, but she came back and again and again, and hardly bowled a loose ball all Test match.”She’s pretty tired but she’s done an amazing job for the team. She’s really dug deep and done a real job for us.”The final word, however, went to Australia’s own star spinner, as Gardner took confidence from Ecclestone’s success and ripped the contest her team’s way at the crucial moments.”I couldn’t have dreamt of it, to be honest,” she said after her 12-wicket haul. “There was a little bit of luck involved with the conditions out there, but I think as a whole bowling unit we bowled really well throughout and just tried to bowl in partnerships. I guess I was the lucky one to come away with wickets.”We just said to keep the stumps in play as often as possible, to keep all modes of dismissal in play. Thankfully for me some kept low, some turned – most of mine didn’t turn – but it was just awesome to be able to put a performance on for the team.”

Selectors hand maiden call-ups to Gurrey and Mair for the three T20Is against India

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2019Frances Mackay returns to the New Zealand women’s T20I squad five years after she last featured in an international. The selectors have also included uncapped Caitlin Gurrey and Rosemary Mair in their 13-member squad for the three-match series against India starting February 6.Mackay and Gurrey were selected following their chart-topping show at the 2018-19 Super Smash. Allrounder Mackay struck two centuries and a 97 for Canterbury women recently, while Gurrey has impressed with scores of 102, 79 and 55 since December. Mair, the Central Districts’ 20-year-old medium pacer, has taken a wicket in each of her last ten games, with a best of 3 for 28 in the warm-up game against India. For head coach Haidie Tiffen, this is an opportunity for the team to regroup after a disappointing group-stage exit from the 2018 Women’s World T20. It has meant that Maddy Green, Lauren Down, Katie Perkins, Holly Huddleston and Anna Peterson miss out.”We’ve had to draw a line in the sand after our performance at the T20 World Cup,” Tiffen said. “We need to reward and give opportunities to players in form, while building depth and competition for places within the environment. Frankie, Katie and Rosemary can all be proud of how they have performed in their respective Super Smash campaigns. We are rewarding players who are in form and we feel these three deserve a chance at the highest level.”The squad also features the return of Katey Martin, who was unavailable for the ODIs against India due to personal reasons.New Zealand women T20I squad: Amy Satterthwaite (capt), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Caitlin Gurrey, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to break away from the bottom half of the table when they clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu29-Apr-2016

Match facts

Saturday, April 30, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Chris Jordan was an analyst for when Royal Challengers Bangalore played Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Three weeks later, Jordan is set to fly to India, and is touted as one of the solutions to the team’s bowling woes after being signed as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Starc.Chris Gayle, meanwhile, has re-joined the squad after his paternity leave, and is expected to regain his berth in the XI. That could leave the team management with a selection headache.With AB de Villiers and Shane Watson certainties, barring injuries, the overseas slots that could be up for grabs are the ones held by Kane Richardson and Tabraiz Shamsi, the South African chinaman bowler. If they decide to play Shamsi, who has impressed in his two outings, Royal Challengers will have to depend on their Indian pacers. That will mean the onus will once again be on the batsmen to do the running.Virat Kohli averages 110 and strikes at 141 in T20s this year. De Villiers has crunched 269 runs in five matches this season, including three half-centuries, at an average and strike rate of 53.80 and 170.25. Yet Royal Challengers are towards the bottom of the table largely because of their bowling.Shamsi has caught the eye with his skiddy googly as well as the bus-driver jig, but Richardson, Varun Aaron, Iqbal Abdulla, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Stuart Binny, S Aravind, Adam Milne, David Wiese have all leaked over nine runs an over.Sunrisers are coming off a batting collapse against Rising Pune Supergiants. The middle order is Sunrisers’ Achilles heel, and it was exposed on the night David Warner endured his first single-digit score of the tournament. The average for Sunrisers’ Nos. 3 to 5 this season is 12.50 – the lowest among all teams. Their bowling, though, looks healthy, especially after the return of Ashish Nehra from a groin injury.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad LWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore LWLLW

In the spotlight

Not only does Mustafizur Rahman snap his wrists for the slower cutter, he also does so for his stock ball. In fact, he rolled his wrists over the yorker that cut in and floored Andre Russell as well as his middle stump. “The Fizz” should make for a mouth-watering duel against Royal Challengers’ blockbuster top three, provided Warner does not hold him back.Chris Gayle has not moved to double figures since his 47-ball ton against England in the World Twenty20 last month. With Jordan all set to join the squad and Shane Watson and Shamsi strangling the opposition, there is pressure on Gayle to fire immediately.

Team news

Sunrisers may consider leaving out left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma for legspinner Karn Sharma.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan 3, Eoin Morgan, 4 Aditya Tare, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Moises Henriques, 7 Naman Ojha (wk), 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Karn Sharma/Bipul Sharma, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Ashish NehraGayle’s return could mean a forced break for Richardson. They may also bring in Varun Aaron and Harshal Patel for Kedhar Jadhav and Yuzvendra Chahal.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Sarfaraz Khan 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Iqbal Abdulla, 9 Harshal Patel/Yuzvendra Chahal 10 Tabraiz Shamsi 11 Varun Aaron

Pitch and conditions

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has offered help to the quicks and grip for cutters and slower balls. Saturday is expected to be a hot day, with a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Mustafizur Rahman has the second-best economy rate (6.18) this season among those who have bowled at least 15 overs
• David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have made 464 runs of Sunrisers’ 870

BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil for revealing confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others

PTI27-Sep-2016BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil, saying it was “unethical” on his part to reveal certain confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others after his tenure ended earlier this month.Thakur stopped short of saying that action will be taken against Patil but said “right people in the BCCI” will speak to him soon over the issue which has created a major controversy.Patil, a former international cricketer, recently disclosed that the selection panel would have dropped Sachin Tendulkar before he eventually quit international cricket and that it had also considered removing MS Dhoni from ODI captaincy ahead of the 2015 World Cup.”Let me make it very clear. Sandeep, being a former chairman, should not have made these comments. When he was the chairman, he replied differently to the same questions. But after that [his tenure], it was different. It was totally unethical of him to do that,” Thakur told .”One should refrain from making such unethical and unwanted comments in this area [selection matters]. It is because he has been trusted to become the chairman, because he has played enough cricket. There were four more selectors with him; they did not say anything. He should have avoided that,” the BCCI president said.Asked whether any action was being contemplated by the BCCI against Patil over the breach of confidentiality, he said, “The right people in the BCCI will speak to him soon.”Thakur went to the extent of saying such a breach of confidentiality would make it difficult for any of future employers of Patil to trust him.”Any organisation, if they hire him, will think ten times that after leaving the organisation, he will speak about the organisation,” Thakur said.Patil’s four-year tenure ended when the panel announced the 15-man squad for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

England go 3-0 up in five-match series after hunting down below-par West Indies total in St Lucia

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Nov-2024England 149 for 7 (Curran 41, Hosein 4-22) beat West Indies 145 for 8 (Powell 54, Mahmood 3-17, Overton 3-20) by three wicketsWin the toss, win the match – win the series. Jos Buttler’s third correct call of the T20I series resulted in yet another successful chase, as England beat West Indies by three wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.This, however, was the toughest ask, despite a target of 146 being the lowest of the three so far. Once again, West Indies scrapped to a respectable total from a dire position of 37 for 5. Saqib Mahmood took 3 for 17, doing as he has done in bossing the powerplay, before Jamie Overton gutted the middle order with 3 for 20 after Rovman Powell’s 54 and 30 from Romario Shepherd rebuilt from the wreckage.But Akeal Hosein’s 4 for 22 kept West Indies in the hunt right to the end. Sam Curran’s 41 off 26, along with a run-a-ball 32 from Will Jacks had just kept England on course. Liam Livingstone’s 39 removed what jeopardy there was.Livingstone was lucky to be out there long enough to have that impact, having been dropped three times. The first, on 6, was the easiest – Nicholas Pooran shelling a top-edged hook off Alzarri Joseph, returning from his two-match suspension as one of three changes.Pooran then shelled an edge off Gudakesh Motie when Livingstone had 8, before Motie missed out again when Shimron Hetmyer failed to clasp a tough low chance at deep midwicket. Livingstone had 21 at the time and, in the next over, took 16 off Joseph to put England in front, before holing out to long-on as Hosein’s fourth. Rehan Ahmed, drafted in for the rested Adil Rashid, had the honour of carving the winning runs over point.West Indies rung the changes with the trio of Joseph, Shai Hope and Hetmyer drafted in for Matthew Forde and Brandon King – both injured – and Sherfane Rutherford. And yet they still endured another botched start.Hope lasted just two balls, run out by Jacob Bethell at backward point after aborting what looked a comfortable single. That was the first of four powerplay wickets to fall across 17 deliveries, including the destructive left-handers Evin Lewis and Pooran through wayward hacks against Mahmood and Jofra Archer, respectively.Mahmood was not done there, nicking off Roston Chase before Hetmyer followed his fellow southpaws with another woeful heave, caught deep square leg. With two matches to play, the Lancashire quick’s eight powerplay wickets are already the most for an England bowler in any series during that period of a T20I.Powell and Shepherd – West Indies top-scorers in the series – set about another face-saving stand, this one an impressive 73 from just 57 deliveries. But no sooner had they reached a respectable 110 for 5 after 15 overs, Overton instigated a collapse with three dismissals in seven deliveries, dismissing both set batters.A breezy 28 for the ninth wicket between Gudakesh Motie and Joseph gave them something to work with. Alas, it was the same old story, albeit one that confirmed only England’s second T20I series win in the last two years.Overton’s window open againOverton had a peculiar start to this tour. A long overdue ODI debut in the first match at Antigua came as a specialist No. 8 batter – a continuation of a frustrating period without bowling. A stress fracture of the back that robbed him of a place in England’s T20 World Cup plans at the start of the summer was still holding him back.His three-for in St Lucia, however, was a welcome return to business. Two weeks on from operating as a lower-order batter by circumstance, he was back to the bowling allrounder he is by design.England have long-viewed the 30-year-old as an ace up their sleeve. Since moving on from Liam Plunkett after the 2019 ODI World Cup win, they have been shorn of an effective middle-overs bowler possessing the ability to hammer an awkward length and a nous for unpredictability. While Brydon Carse has auditioned well enough, Overton may have just given selectors a reason to recast the role.The nature of Overton’s trio of dismissals was particularly heartening. Shepherd was flummoxed by a slower ball, then Gudakesh Motie caught at mid-off, undone by a short ball that followed the left-hander more than he’d have liked. Powell’s clothing of a short ball out to deep midwicket came about through a smartly executed cross-seam delivery that avoided the middle of the bat.These are still early days in Overton’s international career. This, after all, is only his seventh cap in limited-overs cricket, and his fitness cannot be taken for granted. Nevertheless, his fourth-best figures in 146 T20 appearances outright – taking him to 100 wickets in the format – was a welcome sight. He would also have enjoyed being out there at the end as victory was sealed.Curran shows batting chops (again)Perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay Curran is that it did not look like he was in a hurry in Saint Lucia. This despite his vital 41 taking up just 26 deliveries.But for the sweat drenching his red shirt, he was a picture of calm. At ease on a skiddy pitch, unflustered in a situation that was fraught when he arrived at the crease midway through the final over of the powerplay. England were 37 for 3, needing 109 from 87 balls, with a middle order that had not seen action in the series so far now having to bear the load.Caressing his first ball through point for four, Curran immediately looked up for the task. Consecutive boundaries through the same region in the next over reiterated that.Curran would wait 19 deliveries for his next boundary – clumping Motie down the ground for six – but the time in between was not wasted. He ticked over nicely, initially with Jacks, then with Livingstone, in what was a clinic in quiet, steady accumulation. He had faced just one dot ball before scything Terrance Hinds to Shai Hope at deep point.Since starring as the player of the tournament at the 2022 T20 World Cup with 13 dismissals, Curran has only equalled that tally in 21 T20Is since, and remains wicketless across his nine overs so far in these first three games. But this score, along with 37, 52 and 40 in the ODI series – where he also failed to register in the wicket column – suggests he might be in the midst of reinventing himself as a vital batter for England’s white-ball needs.Powell stands tallWho knows just how one-sided this series would have been were it not for Powell. For the second time in as many matches, it was the skipper who had to single-handedly steady the ship.Captaining West Indies is never a straightforward gig, least of all when you find yourself batting in the first six overs when you’re carded at No. 5. For the third time in a week, Powell arrived to an early mess.On all three occasions, he met fire with fire, this time making it through to an eighth 50-plus score. Arriving in the fourth over, he kept looking for boundaries despite Mahmood and Archer making merry with the new ball. The former was struck over cover, the latter blazed extravagantly into the stands in the same region before the fielding restrictions were lifted.He struck three more sixes, two of them lifted down the ground off legspinner Rehan, who was making his first T20I appearance in almost a year. Powell’s last lusty blow – sending a Curran half-tracker over square leg – took him to eight sixes in the series, the most on either side.Powell then went on to marshal well in the second innings, nailing his bowling plans, backed up with smart field placements. Had catches been held, he might have had more to show for it.

The India coach was asked whether the lack of BBL experience was a factor in India losing the semi-final to England

Sidharth Monga10-Nov-20221:39

Dravid: ‘If you allow Indian players to play overseas leagues, our domestic cricket will be finished’

India can’t send their players to overseas T20 leagues, their coach Rahul Dravid has said, because a lot of these leagues are played during India’s domestic season. The topic came up when Dravid was asked whether India had been at a disadvantage during their semi-final defeat to England because their players don’t have any BBL experience in Australia, while England’s do, and if India would look to send players to the BBL in the future. The tenuous link between the experience of playing the BBL in the Australian summer and doing well there in early spring conditions notwithstanding.”I mean, sure, there’s no doubt about it, the fact that England… a lot of their players have come here and played in this tournament,” Dravid said, “and it certainly showed. It’s tough. I think it’s very difficult for Indian cricket because a lot of these tournaments happen right at the peak of our season.Related

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“I think it’s a huge challenge for us. Yes, I think a lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in a lot of these leagues, but if you were to… it’s really up to the BCCI to make that decision, but the thing is it’s right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand there would be for Indian players, if you allowed all the Indian players to play in these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket. Our domestic cricket, our Ranji Trophy, would be finished, and that would mean Test cricket would be finished.”I know a lot of people talk about it [no Indians in overseas T20 leagues], but we have to be very careful when we… we have to understand the challenges that Indian cricket faces or the BCCI would face in a situation like this. You’d see all our boys… like a lot of boys being asked to play leagues right bang in the middle of our season. We’ve seen what that’s done to West Indian cricket, and I would definitely not want Indian cricket to go that way. It would certainly affect our Ranji Trophy; it would affect Test cricket. Indian boys playing Test cricket is pretty important for the Test game as well, I would think.”England’s captain Jos Buttler was also asked about this, but he quickly went on to praise Alex Hales, who ran away with the chase on the night. “I think Alex would have played as much Big Bash cricket as anyone, and his performance tonight was amazing,” Buttler said. “I think it’s some huge strengths of his, square of the wicket, which obviously today on this kind of grounds really is great. No, he’s a tough guy to bowl at. He’s been obviously performing really well for a long period of time. Unfortunately hasn’t been able to get back in due to other players playing brilliantly well as well. A few circumstances and that opportunity has arisen, and he’s come in, and the last three matches especially, his form has been brilliant.”The topic of participation in overseas T20 leagues has been a sticky one in Indian cricket. The bigger fear perhaps is that even if the BCCI allows only those with no ambition for a place in first-class cricket to play these T20 leagues, it will result in more and more players opting not to play first-class cricket, thus weakening the structure that has resulted in a formidable Test side. Other teams do have to deal with this friction, too, but the demand for Indian players for commercial reasons would be much higher.