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With Arsenal’s hunt for a top four finish and another season of Champions League football progressing nicely since the turn of the year, one of the stars of the show for the North London side has been Santi Cazorla.

The Spanish midfielder’s range of passing and ability to release the Gunners’ quick attacking players has been a key element in the Emirates Stadium outfit winning most of their games in 2015 so far. At the home of the champions, the former Malaga playmaker ran the show and was voted man of the match in the visitors’ 2-0 victory over Manchester City.

However, in the disappointing 2-1 defeat to local rivals Tottenham, Cazorla was identified as the danger-man, shackled by the Spurs midfield and had a limited influence as a result. This all goes to show that Cazorla is an essential cog in the Arsenal wheel, with the Spain international being handed the captain’s armband for the most recent victory over Everton.

With the Spaniard playing some scintillating football, it is an interesting side note that he has been operating in a deeper position. In Arsene Wenger’s bespoke 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation, Cazorla has been deployed in a holding role of sorts alongside Francis Coquelin.

With the 30-year-old usually preferring to play further forward in a role behind a central striker or even on a wing, it has been intriguing to see Cazorla revel in a new position. However, with a new role comes added responsibilities, which can be both positive and negative.

Here are the pros and cons to Cazorla’s tactical change compared with his usual more forward-thinking position:

Pros

The old adage ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ springs to mind here, and as such, Wenger will be reluctant to remove Cazorla from the boiler room given his extraordinary performances of late. The Spanish schemer has had to play in the centre of the park due to ongoing injury concerns for Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, but he has arguably been doing a better job than the crocked trio.

In a deeper role, Cazorla inevitably sees a lot more of the ball and can orchestrate the ebb and flow of Arsenal’s possession as a result. His precise passing from deeper has allowed him to find the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck in space, while he has coped with the defensive responsibilities that come with the role without major incident.

Playing the Spaniard deeper also allows an extra attacking player to flood the three man line behind a lone striker and can also give Mesut Ozil the chance to play centrally rather than be shunted onto the wing.

All in all, the positives of playing Cazorla deeper certainly add up.

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Cons

Despite the success that Cazorla has been having in his new role, there is a feeling that the Spaniard is a square peg in in a round hole, and another stopgap in Arsenal’s longstanding midfield dilemma. The added defensive responsibilities will surely have a physical impact on a player whose game is technically focussed, while against top opposition, his presence in the space in front of the Arsenal defence could actually be seen as a weakness.

Cazorla may well have scored seven Premier League goals this season, but six of those have come from the penalty spot – the exception was against Newcastle back in December. Compare this to the Spaniard’s debut campaign at the club in 2012-13, where he scored 12 times. Playing Cazorla deeper removes his individual attacking threat, and robs Arsenal of a player capable of scoring when he gets into the box.

Verdict

It will be interesting to see just how Wenger uses Cazorla when the likes of Ramsey, Arteta and Wilshere are available again, but the veteran’s versatility must be seen as a major plus.

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In the long run the Spanish star is probably best utilised in a more advanced role but he has shown his pedigree by slipping into central midfield almost seamlessly this season.

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Stoke are said to be among the clubs showing an interest in Phil Neville but any move will hinge on staying in the Premier League, according the Daily Telegraph.

Neville will be on the look out for a new club in the summer after revealing he will not be extending his stay at Everton and reports have claimed Stoke are in the hunt.

The 36-year-old has revealed he wants to carry on playing in the Premier League and a switch to the Britannia Stadium would appear to be the perfect fit as long as Stoke fight off relegation.

Potters boss Tony Pulis will be looking to re-shape his squad in the summer even if they stay up and he will no doubt be interested in Neville, who still has a couple of seasons at the top left in him.

Neville will not be short of offers but for now Pulis will be fully focused on making sure Stoke get enough points to stay in the Premier League.

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After new coach Walter handed him a lifeline, Sodhi became the third men’s player to 150 T20I wickets and committed to keep playing for NZ

Deivarayan Muthu25-Jul-2025A fairly low-profile tri-series in Zimbabwe continues to bring a number of high moments for Ish Sodhi. In New Zealand’s opening game, he made his 200th international appearance and then he marked his 201st appearance by becoming the third player to 150 wickets in men’s T20Is after Tim Southee and Rashid Khan. Along the way, Sodhi, 32, bagged his career-best T20I figures of 4 for 12 against Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the final against South Africa.Sodhi is uncontracted – young legspinner Adithya Ashok pipped him and earned his maiden deal – but he certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by new coach Rob Walter. In the final, Sodhi is set to tick off another landmark: New Zealand’s most capped T20I player. He’s currently level with Southee on 126 T20Is.Related

• Bracewell replaces Phillips for NZ's first Test against Zimbabwe

A numbers man, Sodhi is savouring every high. “It’s really nice. I’m really proud of the achievement. To get 150 wickets in a format for your country, obviously you have to play for a long period of time to be able to do that. It’s something I’m really proud of and hopefully there’s a lot more on the bank.”On Thursday, Sodhi also took a moment to reflect on his early years. Born in India, Sodhi moved to Auckland with his parents when he was a child. After impressing Daniel Vettori during an Auckland playing trial he broke into the New Zealand squad when he was 20. He has since become a key player for New Zealand, especially in white-ball cricket.”It has been an incredible journey,” Sodhi said. “I think something came out of the other, I think I debuted in 2013. I think my first ODI was here in Harare. It’s nice to be here and still being able to perform for New Zealand. Hopefully it’s something I can still do for a time to come.”Contracted or not, Sodhi is eager to play for New Zealand and win games for them. Having been thrown a lifeline by Walter, Sodhi could form a potent partnership with captain Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell as New Zealand tune up for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.”There’s always incentive to win games for your country, I like playing international cricket,” Sodhi said. “Growing up, it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do and I think it’s probably the same for all the guys that are in there now. International cricket is really special. You pop the fern on, certainly things you dreamed of in the backyard growing up playing. Any game for New Zealand, there’s always motivation out there to be playing your best.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean was a forgettable one for Sodhi and New Zealand. In spin-friendly conditions, Sodhi sat out three of New Zealand’s four games, but in the lead-up to the next World Cup, he’s trying to reinvent himself. On Thursday, he fronted up to bowl in the powerplay – after Zimbabwe had run away to 21 for 0 – and claimed figures of 2-0-5-3 during this phase. Sodhi had also operated in the powerplay against South Africa in New Zealand’s series opener. This tri-series is the first time since 2021 that Sodhi has bowled in the powerplay in T20Is and it’s a role he relishes playing for the Black Caps.”It’s quite a new role for me and I haven’t bowled a lot in the powerplay in my career,” Sodhi said. “So, this is a really strong New Zealand side nowadays, so trying to get into the side and almost have to learn to be able to bowl in the powerplay. So, it’s really nice it could come off as it is relatively a new role. I’m trying to play for New Zealand and yeah to get some wickets was quite pleasing and it shows me I can do it at this level and yeah something I want to keep building.”Sodhi also delivered a glowing appraisal of Tim Seifert, who is currently the leading run-getter in the tri-series, with 166 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 145.61. Sodhi believes that Seifert has become a more versatile and dangerous batter after playing franchise T20 cricket around the world. In the lead-up to the tri-series, Seifert was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL and San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC, and his next franchise assignment is with CPL champions St Lucia Kings.”Yeah, look Seife is incredible,” Sodhi said. “I’ve sort of seen him come through when he was 18 years old playing cricket in all the districts he came through. A lot of talent, hit the ball really nice and cleanly. But I think the product of franchise cricket that’s made him such a good player is that he’s been able to play on surfaces that aren’t actually that great for batting.”If you look at that surface out there, it wasn’t the truest of surfaces but to score at the rate that he did shows great growth in his game. It shows that he’s rallied around a lot of great players all around the world in the franchise tournaments that he’s played and it’s making him a lot better player. It’s a huge asset for New Zealand cricket the way that he’s playing and he’s still so young.”The way he’s batting is showing a lot of leadership. He’s leading from the front and it’s great to see him being in my shoes having seen him come through when he was an 18, 19-year-old. It’s brilliant to see.”

Ollie Pope left out of England’s four-day warm-up fixture in Antigua

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2022Dan Lawrence has been given the opportunity to secure a spot in England’s middle order for the first Test against West Indies after being listed at No. 4 for their four-day warm-up match against a CWI President’s XI in Antigua.Lawrence, 24, made his Test debut in Sri Lanka last year and averages 27.23 after eight matches. He was part of the Ashes squad in Australia but did not make an appearance, and has not played any competitive cricket since the end of the County Championship season.Ollie Pope, who was retained in the squad for the West Indies tour despite a torrid series in Australia in which he made 67 runs across six innings, is the only batter not included for Tuesday’s warm-up fixture.Related

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Zak Crawley and Alex Lees will open the batting with Joe Root carded in his new role at No. 3 ahead of Lawrence at No. 4. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow are due to come in at No. 5 and No. 6 respectively with Ben Foakes keeping wicket at No. 7.England have picked a 12-man side featuring four seamers (Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson) and one spinner (Jack Leach) with one of those five likely to be squeezed out for the first Test on March 8. The uncapped Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Fisher and Matt Parkinson join Pope on the bench.”We’ve done a lot of talking,” Paul Collingwood, England’s interim head coach, told the ECB’s in-house channels. “We’ve had some real open and honest meetings, and a lot of players and a lot of staff have spoken up in those meetings so they’re accountable now. They’ve got to go and live it. They’ve got to put what they’ve said in those meetings out onto the field.”I feel as though the guys have really bought into it. There’s a sense of excitement and genuine enthusiasm about moving the team forward and to build self-sufficiency in the team. I know I’ve only got the job as an interim coach but I guess the challenge is to pass the team onto whoever comes in after the four weeks and the team to be in a better, stronger place than it has been. When you get a role like this, you want to make a difference.”The President’s XI will be captained by Shane Dowrich, who recently returned to the professional game after a 14-month hiatus and scored 116 not out against England in Barbados three years ago.The fixture also marks England’s return to the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua for the first time since the Stanford 20/20 for $20 million in 2008. The ground is the site of CWI’s new headquarters following its redevelopment and hosted men’s international cricket for the first time last year.”The pitch and the outfield are looking in immaculate condition and we are really pleased with what we are seeing,” Rayon Griffith, who will coach the President’s XI, said. “We’ve had some good training sessions and we expect to give a really good account during the four-day match.”England: 1 Alex Lees, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Joe Root (captain), 4 Dan Lawrence, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Ollie Robinson, 12 Jack LeachCWI President’s XI: (possible) 1 Jeremy Solozano, 2 Shayne Moseley, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Devon Thomas, 5 Alick Athanaze, 6 Raymon Reifer, 7 Shane Dowrich (captain/wk), 8 Shamar Springer, 9 Colin Archibald, 10 Preston McSween, 11 Bryan Charles, 12 Shermon Lewis

Sunrisers unable to get on the board despite fifties for Noami Dattani, Kelly Castle

ECB Reporters' Network12-Jun-2021A half-century by Michaela Kirk and four wickets for Teresa Graves helped Lightning to a second victory in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy as bottom-of-the-table Sunrisers slumped to a fourth defeat from four matches.Naomi Dattani hit 65 and Kelly Castle 52 as Sunrisers posted 206 for 9 after opting to bat first at Loughborough University’s Haslegrave Ground, seamer Graves taking 4 for 39. But Lightning chased down their target with almost 10 overs to spare with South African-born batter Kirk hitting nine boundaries, sharing partnerships of 57 with Sarah Bryce and 47 with Kathryn Bryce.Abbey Freeborn then struck seven fours in a 48-ball 44, her partnership of 51 with Sonia Odedra effectively sealing the win. Freeborn was caught at midwicket with just two still needed before Graves hit the winning boundary.Always ahead of the required rate, Lightning were 47 without loss in the Powerplay. Sarah Bryce was caught at backward point off Castle’s medium pace but she was Lightning’s only casualty in scoring 100 from the first 20 overs.They suffered a double setback when Kirk and Kathryn Bryce fell in consecutive overs to offspinners Katie Midwood and Alice Macleod, Kirk trapped leg before sweeping before Bryce was bowled. But Freeborn and Lucy Higham added 48 for the fourth wicket, bringing the requirement down to 52 from 20 overs, before Higham was lbw to Castle sweeping.Sunrisers were 31 for 3 after their Powerplay overs. Seamer Sophie Munro bowled Grace Scrivens off an inside edge and had Amara Carr well caught by Freeborn at slip, before left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon took her ninth wicket of the competition so far, trapping Alice Macleod leg before.Lightning captain Kathryn Bryce conceded only seven runs in her first six overs. Once she took a rest, however, runs came more easily as Dattani and Cordelia Griffith added 60 for the fourth wicket before the latter hit straight to mid-on as Graves made the breakthrough.Dattani and Castle put on 87 in 17 overs for the fifth wicket, Dattani completing her half-century off 82 balls with five fours before clearing the rope off Lucy Higham’s offspin for the only six of the innings. But Dattani was bowled attempting to sweep Yvonne Graves’s offspin, sparking a late collapse as Sunrisers lost five wickets for 18 runs in six overs, three of them to Graves.She dismissed Jo Gardner and had Gayatri Gole in the space of three balls before Castle played round one to be leg before, and Bryce picked up a deserved wicket when Freeborn held a good low catch at mid-on to remove Katherine Speed.

Jadeja and Shami likely to be in India squad for ODI series against South Africa

Hemant Brar04-Mar-2020Cheteshwar Pujara will be back for Saurashtra for the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 final against Bengal, to be held in Rajkot next week, but it’s not clear if Ravindra Jadeja will be available for the hosts as they take part in their fourth final in last eight seasons.”Cheteshwar will be back for sure, Ravindra I am not sure,” Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat said after his side’s semi-final win over Gujarat. “We [Pujara and I] have been constantly in touch, he cares for the team as much as I do. Right now, he is in the flight back from New Zealand and I am sure he will be quite happy once he lands in Mumbai.”Having Cheteshwar back will play on their [Bengal’s] mind as well. Whenever he is around, our batting unit plays differently, they have this confidence that there is someone of his calibre in our team. Plus, he does take some sort of pressure off me when there are situations like this.”Like Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha will be in the mix for Bengal, who have now reached the Ranji final 14 times – winning the tournament twice – but never since the 2006-07 season. Both Pujara and Saha are the Test specialists and won’t be required for India duty for the ODI series against South Africa starting March 12, where Jadeja is expected to play a part.Similarly Mohammed Shami, who took a blow to the shoulder while batting in the last Test in New Zealand, will not be in the fray for the final. “Saha will play but not Shami as the South Africa series is there,” a Bengal support staffer told ESPNcricinfo.

Sri Lanka were meant to start their pre-World Cup fine-tuning in Edinburgh, but the weather wasn’t kind enough

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh18-May-2019
For the second time in eight days, a rare Scotland home ODI against a Full Member was affected by rain as the series opener against Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball bowled. After waiting through close to five hours of on and off drizzle, umpire Gregory Brathwaite called both captains together to deliver the news, turning Tuesday’s second ODI into a series decider.It was a major blow to Cricket Scotland, who had hired temporary bleachers to accommodate a sellout crowd of 1500 and will now have to issue refunds as a result of no play taking place. It was also a dent in Sri Lanka’s World Cup preparation, leaving the second ODI as their only official action before their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.While clear skies are forecast for the next two days, rain is scheduled to return on Tuesday, putting the entire series at risk of being washed out.

The Sri Lankan opener carried his bat to score 158 as Kagiso Rabada caused trouble at the other end

The report by Firdose Moonda12-Jul-2018Dimuth Karunaratne raises his bat after reaching a century•AFP

An unbeaten century from Dimuth Karunaratne neutralised the South African threat on the opening day of the Test series in Galle, after the visiting attack burrowed their way through Sri Lanka’s middle order. Playing in his 50th Test, Karunaratne was the only Sri Lankan batsman to score more than 26 runs and featured in five partnerships of over 40 – the last stand of 63 with Lakshan Sandakan – to ensure that even though Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 61 at one point, they ended the day on top.Kagiso Rabada emerged as a the spearhead of the South African pack, with 4 for 50 on a surface that offered scant assistance. He outbowled both his seniors – Vernon Philander, who only delivered eight overs, and Dale Steyn, who took one step closer to breaking Shaun Pollock’s record as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker. For Steyn, two more remain. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner who was included alongside Keshav Maharaj, was the other threat, which only suggests it will become tougher for batting as the match progresses.That places even more value on the runs Sri Lanka’s lower order provided. Their last two pairings put on 111 runs to push their total towards 300. At 176 for 8, even 200 seemed distant, and South Africa will rue their inability to finish off the tail, especially as they had an early chance to do so.Three balls after the eighth wicket fell, Shamsi appealed for lbw against Suranga Lakmal, after pitching one on off stump that struck the stand-in captain in front of middle, but umpire Paul Reiffel gave it not out. South Africa had a review in hand but did not use it and replays showed the ball would have gone on to hit the inside of leg stump.South Africa also failed to review one in the first over, when Danushka Gunathilaka flicked Vernon Philander down leg and there was an audible sound. Reiffel gave it not out but replays showed a spike on Ultra Edge. But, that missed chance did not prove too costly. After Gunathilaka and Karunaratne achieved Sri Lanka’s best opening stand in their last 16 innings, Rabada removed Gunathilaka when he found his outside edge with some extra bounce.Still, Karunaratne ensured Sri Lanka had a productive morning and took advantage of any width and the short ball. He provided the only six of the innings, albeit almost by accident, when he hooked Steyn over the gap between long leg and deep-backward square leg.Sri Lanka were initially circumspect against spin, and Dhananjaya de Silva was hesitant to get his front foot across to Keshav Maharaj, but that cost him his wicket when Shamsi came on. De Silva tried to drive Shamsi through the covers but left a bat-pad gap and was bowled for 11. Shamsi continued bowling from that end for the entire second session but more success only came after the major damage had been done.Steyn returned after lunch to an aggressive Karunaratne, who went after the short ball again and with more control, but got a wicket unexpectedly when the new-to-the-2,000-Test-run-club-member Kusal Mendis chipped him to mid-on. Rabada received the catch and four overs later, replaced Steyn and rocked Sri Lanka. Angelo Mathews and Roshen Silva were dismissed in three balls to leave Sri Lanka teetering on 119 for 5.And Rabada continued to threaten. In his next over, he had Niroshan Dickwella given out lbw but the batsman reviewed and the ball was found to be pitching outside leg. With the next ball, Rabada hit Dickwella on the helmet. South Africa sensed they may be able to rip through Sri Lanka when Quinton de Kock thought he had Dickwlla caught behind in the next over off Shamsi, and reviewed after Reiffel disagreed, but the on-field umpire was proved correct. Shamsi had the last laugh when Dickwella edged him to first slip – reward for a spell in which he demonstrated consistency of length.A rain break delayed the third session but it began with Shamsi thinking he had another wicket when Dilruwan Perera was given out lbw. He reviewed and ball-tracking showed the ball – which pitched outside off – would have turned past leg stump, perhaps explaining South Africa’s reluctance to review against Lakmal later on. Philander got rid of Dilruwan in the next over, returning to the action in the 48th over, after bowling four of the first eight overs, and provided the throw that ran Rangana Herath out but from there, it was the Karunaratne show.He brought up his century off 159 balls with a straight drive off Shamsi, whose consistency waned as the afternoon wore on. Steyn provided a few more short balls for the Sri Lankan to tuck into before 150 came up off 215 balls (his third fifty taking just 56 balls), also off Shamsi. Karunaratne eventually ran out of partners but his job was complete.And just as South Africa’s openers would both have wanted to emulate Karunaratne, only one was able to. Dean Elgar, also playing in his 50th Test, survived the four overs but Aiden Markram, on his first tour of the subcontinent, did not. He was caught at slip off Herath, who opened the bowling, to hand Sri Lanka the advantage.

Hampshire were made to follow-on after they found Surrey’s four-pronged pace attack too much to handle

George Dobell10-Jun-2018
ScorecardRory Burns has earned his Surrey side a great opportunity to go to the top of the table and won the support of Dale Steyn in his bid to become a Test player.Burns, the Surrey opener, became the first man to reach 500 Championship runs this season on the way to making 151 against Steyn’s Hampshire side. That left Hampshire following-on and Steyn, who is playing for them in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the South Africa tour of Sri Lanka, deeply impressed.”Rory Burns batted bloody nicely,” Steyn told ESPNcricinfo. “He looked really good. I think he looks like a Test batsman. And I’ve opened the bowling to a lot of opening batters.”When I blinked he was on 150, so he did it pretty quickly too. I always watch guys on the way they leave the ball and I thought he left the ball really well.”It’s always easy to come at the ball: you can nick one for four or hit it through the covers; it still says four in the scorebook. But I watch the way guys leave the ball and he left the ball with good intent. He watched it very carefully and, when the short ball came, he got out of the way or took it on.”Burns’ century – his second of the season – provided the platform for a Surrey innings that saw only one other man make 50. And while he had a little fortune on the second day – he was badly missed at slip by Sean Ervine of Kyle Abbott when he had 126 – it was an innings that underlined Burns’ patience, temperament and technique. Ben Foakes, with a stylish 90, was the only other man to offer a sense of permanence.While this match was billed as a contest between the South African seamers – Morne Morkel is playing for Surrey and Kyle Abbott and Steyn are playing for Hampshire – it was actually a veteran English allrounder that stole the show.Rikki Clarke, surely bowling as well aged 36 as he ever has, claimed the fifth five-wicket haul of his career and, in the process, earned Surrey an excellent chance of securing their third victory of the season. Hampshire, conceding a deficit of 233 on first innings, had just been asked to follow-on when bad light forced an early close.But well though Clarke bowled (and the delivery that dismissed James Vince – pitching on off stump, lifting sharply and leaving the batsman – would have dismissed most), the key to this performance has been the relentless nature of the Surrey attack. But for an exploratory over from the spinner, Amar Virdi, the four Surrey seamers rotated throughout the Hampshire innings, each of them banging out an impeccable, probing length.That has been one of the key differences between these dies. While Fidel Edwards bowled some lovely deliveries – and finished with a five-wicket haul – Hampshire were unable to sustain the pressure with their three main seamers going for at least 3.5 an over.By contrast, none of the Surrey bowlers went for as much as three-an-over and, in the case of Clarke, many of the runs he conceded were thick edges to third man. Only one man in the Hampshire side – Rilee Rossouw – reached 15.The days have has long since passed when Clarke might have won consideration by the England selectors. He would be the first to admit it took him some time to complement his talent with the rigour required to optimise it.But, by luring him back to The Oval mid-way through last year, Surrey have gained the services of a highly experienced, hugely talented all-rounder who provides depth with bat and ball and can still catch the wind in the slips. It is 16 years since he last played a part in a Surrey side that won the County Championship; it may well be that he experiences it once more this year though those docile home wickets may yet come back to haunt them.It won’t stop them strengthening, though. Despite having Matt Dunn and Stuart Meaker in reserve – both are currently recovering from blows to the ribs sustained while batting – Surrey are one of at least six clubs understood to have made formal approaches to Leicestershire about talking to Zak Chappell. Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire are understood to be other front runners, with Nottinghamshire the favourites at this stage.Such issues can wait. With two days left of this game, Surrey – through their relentless seam attack and Burns’ high-class batting – have given themselves an excellent chance of victory. Hampshire, by contrast, have only Worcestershire below them and are up to their neck in a relegation battle.

A packed crowd at the Gabba was treated to some sensational hitting as McCullum, Burns, Ross, Cutting and Stoinis took centerstage

The Report by Alex Malcolm at the Gabba20-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNo Chris Lynn, no worries for Brisbane Heat.Last season’s semi-finalists threw down a marker in their opening match against Melbourne Stars with a win that was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested. They destroyed the Stars’ well-balanced attack and dismembered the Star-studded top order to show that Lynn is a value add to the Heat rather than an irreplaceable member of the Bash Brothers two-man band.But the Stars have so much talent that they never gave in thanks to a remarkable innings from Marcus Stoinis, who made 99 off 51 balls to take the game to the last over.Stars’ captain John Hastings gave the Heat a leg up early, making the curious decision to bowl first on a superb pitch for batting. He would have felt good after two overs when the Heat were 1 for 10 with Jimmy Pierson back in the shed and Lynn absent as he continues to recover from his shoulder injury.But Hastings’ mood soon soured when Brendon McCullum lit up the Gabba. Scott Boland’s first over, the third of the innings, went for 24. McCullum found the rope three times and cleared it once. He raced to 40 off 22 balls before he was deceived by a Stoinis slower ball.Getty Images

But the Heat never lost momentum despite McCullum’s exit. Joe Burns (50 off 28 balls), Alex Ross (51 off 36 balls) and Ben Cutting (35 off 18 balls) climbed into the Stars’ seamers to keep the run-rate above 10 an over through to the end of the innings. Hastings and Boland gave up 96 runs from six combined overs, including 10 fours and six sixes.Strangely, James Faulkner opened the bowling and conceded just seven runs in the opening over but did not bowl again. By contrast, the spin of Michael Beer and Adam Zampa took 2 for 45 from seven overs. Beer did not concede a boundary and McCullum scored just nine runs off 10 balls against Beer in the Powerplay.The Heat’s plans for the Stars’ world-class top order worked a treat. Josh Lalor lured last year’s leading scorer Ben Dunk into a thick outside edge that was caught on the second bite by a perfectly placed Mitch Swepson at deep gully. The plans to remove Kevin Pietersen and Glenn Maxwell cheaply were cold, calculated and perfectly executed.Pietersen played the world’s most feared quicks extremely well in his prime but his lack of match practice against them recently may leave him exposed. He scored just four runs from 11 balls against the genuine pace of Mohammad Amir and Steven Finn in his only two T20 matches during the English summer, with Finn taking his wicket.McCullum instructed Lalor, Mark Steketee and Ben Doggett to bowl as quick and aggressively as possible at Pietersen. He hopped, ducked and weaved through his first seven balls to score just four runs before launching a length ball into the stands. But he holed out to mid-off next ball.The Heat had also scouted Maxwell. In four straight innings during Australia’s limited overs tour of India in October, Maxwell fell to the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal. He also fell to Hobart Hurricanes legspinner Cameron Boyce in a BBL warm-up game after Boyce was introduced immediately upon Maxwell’s arrival.McCullum called on Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan in the fifth over when pace had already removed Dunk and Pietersen. Maxwell hit the first long-hop for six but holed out to long-on two balls later. Shadab bowled Wright shortly after to seemingly kill off the game.But Stoinis produced an innings of the highest quality to once again confirm his credentials for further international honours. He struck six sixes and six fours, mixing power with touch and supreme fitness in warm conditions during a 137-run stand with Faulkner to take the Stars to the brink.Stoinis was run out trying to complete his hundred but he was a thoroughly deserving Man of the Match in a losing cause.