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The South Africa captain excited to work with the new-look squad that will take on India in a three-match Test series starting tomorrow

Firdose Moonda01-Oct-20190:33

How much have South Africa changed from their last India tour?

South Africa are readying themselves for a new era in Test cricket. Not only is the three-match series against India their first long-format outing of the World Test Championship or their first under the new coaching structure, it is also the first since the retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, the last links to the golden generation who were ranked No.1 in the world. But, for captain Faf du Plessis, that signals an opportunity to deliver a statement of intent. And a strong one at that.

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“It’s a real good time for me to be involved with a young team,” he said at the pre-game press conference in Visakhapatnam. “There’s a lot of senior players that are out of our system, our leadership group has changed completely, you’ve lost all your experience and those players. But what that does, it’s a new time for growing new leaders in our team. The next best fast bowlers that’s going to come through, they’re going to be the next best Hashim Amlas, so it’s exciting for me to be working with the young guys in the team.”With 58 Test caps to his name, du Plessis is the joint-most senior member of the squad, alongside Vernon Philander. South Africa will look to draw from the experience of Dean Elgar (56 caps) and Quinton de Kock (40 caps) as well, even though de Kock is on his first Test tour to India after being dropped for the 2015 series. Vice-captain Temba Bavuma is the only other batsman to have played Test cricket in India. While all of this leaves presents the picture of a team that may not have enough information about the conditions they will face in the coming weeks, it also means there are fewer memories of the 0-3 series loss from four years ago.”What Test cricket, in general, does to you that if there is a flaw in your game, or if there is something that you’re not quite on top of against an opposition, generally Test cricket exposes that in your game,” du Plessis said. “And obviously, last time we came here as a batting unit, and personally myself, finding it very difficult in tough conditions, and it was a fact that I needed to get better from a defensive technical point of view, to adapt to play in tough conditions.3:15

Maharaj as good as any spinner in the world – du Plessis

“It was really dry back then, the ball spun a lot. As a batting unit, we found it tough, even though we had lots of experience in our team, and now we’ve got a completely different unit, you know. It’s a very, very young-looking batting line-up, so there’s not a lot of baggage that comes with the guys that are on the tour, and they’re also – as most young cricketers are – very motivated and driven to do well in international cricket, and this tour will be no different for them.”ALSO READ: Missing Dale-a in the time of India v South AfricaThose levels of determination run deep and South Africa have prepared extensively for this tour. Several members of the Test squad, such as Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn, Bavuma and Zubayr Hamza, were involved a spin camp in India, followed by an A team tour. South Africa even added local expertise in the form of batting consultant Amol Muzumdar to the backroom staff, which has added a different perspective to their planning.”It’s been really refreshing having some local knowledge in our dressing room,” du Plessis said. “It’s just a different mindset, it’s a different language, it’s different chats that you’re not used to, and that’s really refreshing no matter how many games you’ve played. I’ve enjoyed his time with us, it’s been very short, but already some really good conversations.”ALSO READ : Aiden Markram’s unfinished business in the subcontinentBut now the time for talking is almost up and South Africa have to show what kind of progress, if any, they have made since they last faced India at home. There is very little expectation of anything but another drubbing, which may only spur du Plessis to try to spring a few surprises.”It’s a challenge, but I’ve always been the type of person and character that enjoys the challenge, I think it generally brings the best out of me as a personality and as a character, so it’s one thing you have to look forward to,” du Plessis said. “You can’t look at teams that you’re playing and see that it’s… oh dear, we’re playing against some really strong oppositions. You’ve got to face it head on.”

And in their chase, Peshawar Zalmi cruised to a ten-wicket victory courtesy a hundred-run partnership between Kamran Akmal (57*) and Tamim Iqbal (37*)

The Report by Danyal Rasool03-Mar-2018In a nutshellThe template doesn’t change for Lahore Qalandars. They got off to a blazing start in the Powerplay again with Fakhar Zaman smashing 25 in the first two overs. Once the first six overs had ended, they began to lose wickets and the wheels came off rapidly. Peshawar Zalmi skittled them out for 100, the lowest total in the PSL this year. Soon after, they became the fifth team to inflict defeat on Brendon McCullum’s beleaguered side. This was the most resounding one yet, the first 10-wicket defeat in the history of the PSL.The collapse this time was even more dramatic than previous games, tempered only by its predictability. After reaching 57 for one at the end of the Powerplay, they failed to build on it through the middle overs, continuing to go for rash shots and losing wickets rapidly in the process. Before you knew it, the tail was in, and Peshawar, further strengthened by the return of Hasan Ali, prowled ominously.The chase was everything Lahore are not: calm, clinical, mature and professional. It required just openers Tamim Iqbal and Kamran Akmal to brush aside Lahore. Kamran scored a 47-ball 57, while Tamim was unbeaten on 36 as the chase effectively became a stroll early on. Lahore’s bowlers were toothless, their fielding uninspired, their captain out of ideas – and their side very likely out of the tournament already.Where the match was wonA chase of 101 isn’t daunting by any means, but many teams thought processes get muddled while assessing how to go about a small chase. Not Peshawar Zalmi, whose openers were as assured as could be hoped in the situation. They got their eye in for the first couple of overs, not letting the lack of runs worry them. Inevitably, the runs came once they were settled at the crease. Lahore weren’t good enough in the field either, dropping a catch early on, and allowing themselves errors they could ill-afford. It wasn’t Lahore’s charity to give, and Peshawar didn’t need it at any rate, the opening pair ensuring no one else in the dugout was disturbed.The men that won itHasan Ali hasn’t bowled for over a month, but he didn’t look any worse for it. Skiddy, quick and consistent, he bowled in the Powerplay when Fakhar was in blistering form, keeping that over to just three runs. He got rid of the McCullum, and was instrumental in orchestrating Lahore’s collapse, cleaning up Sunil Narine and wrapping things up with a third wicket for good measure.Another newcomer into the side didn’t do much worse either. Liam Dawson was brought in to replace Darren Sammy. It doesn’t bear repeating that those are big shoes to fill. But Dawson was up to the challenge, ripping the Lahore top order apart with his left-arm spin. He dismissed Fakhar and Dinesh Ramdin off just his second and third deliveries, and overall figures of 4-0-20-3 suggest he’s more than just a back-up in Peshawar side.Where they standLahore look to have taken out a lease on the basement of the table, firmly sixth after their fifth successive defeat. Peshawar are third, having won three of their five games.

Three bowlers who will be much sought after at the IPL auction for their skills at the end of an innings

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman25-Jan-2018Death overs stats•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dwayne Bravo

Base price: INR 2 crore (US$315,000)Angles, bowling form both sides of the stumps, mixing up pace and variations, bowling off-stump yorkers, slower-ball bouncers – all with a poker face. Bravo has evolved to become one of the best slog-overs specialists during his long career. Bravo has battled a hamstring injury over the last year, but he has given himself ample opportunity to keep himself fit for the final phase of his career.NumbersBravo has picked up the most wickets during the slog overs (overs 17 to 20) in T20 history – 201 wickets (of his 409), coming at 9.50 and a strike rate of 11.31. Since 2012, Bravo takes a wicket every 10 balls during the slog overs in the IPL. That is the best for any bowler in the IPL during that period.

Andrew Tye

Base price: INR 1 crore ($160,000)
The knuckle ball is tied to Tye’s name. But that is not the only variation he utilises to dominate batsmen at the end. He uses his tall frame to deliver a very good short ball that is equally lethal. And, like Bravo, Tye has a cool temperament in the high-pressure overs at the end of the innings where being able to breathe easy on the job is an asset.NumbersSince June 2015, Tye has the fourth-best strike rate (10.84) in the slog overs at and economy of 9.57. Tye has taken three hat-tricks in T20s and is only the second player to achieve the feat alongside India legspinner Amit Mishra.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jaydev Unadkat

Base price: INR 1.5 crore ($315,000)
Heavy balls into the body, sly wide yorkers, and a sharp bouncer – Unadkat teases the batsmen and keeps them thinking. Unadkat always had the pace, but last year, for Pune, he showed his bowling intelligence and brought out all the skills he had worked on to become a complete T20 fast bowler. The variety of being a left-hand bowler adds to his allure.NumbersLast IPL, Unadkat had 16 wickets in the death overs, which was the joint-best along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whom Steven Smith had called the best in that phase. Importantly, Unadkat’s economy rate was 8.41. He is the only Indian bowler to take two five-wicket hauls in the IPL. Overall among fast bowlers, Undakat was the second highest wicket-taker in the IPL last year with 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.02

Opener proud of how he rediscovered his form in the final two matches of the international summer, after an unexpected recall

Andrew Miller15-Nov-2017Jason Roy believes that Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have “dealt extremely well” with the fall-out of Stokes’ arrest in Bristol in September, an incident that inadvertently allowed Roy to reclaim his place at the top of England’s ODI batting order.Speaking at the Chance to Shine Awards at Lord’s, Roy reflected on a disappointing personal season in England’s limited-overs teams, but added that he was proud of the way he put aside England’s huge off-field issue to rediscover his form in the final two matches of the international summer.”The team wasn’t that focused given the events that happened, but as with most sports, you have to come in and take your opportunities,” Roy told ESPNcricinfo. “You have to blank out all the stuff that’s happening in the media, all the stuff that people are saying to you about what’s happened in previous games, and just crack on with the next delivery.”The circumstances of Roy’s return to the side could hardly have been less of a cause for celebration for the player, who had been dropped during England’s Champions Trophy campaign after mustering 51 runs in eight ODI innings.He had seemed resigned to a long stint on the sidelines, but was instead drafted back in for the fourth ODI against West Indies as a direct replacement for Hales, who had returned to Bristol to help police with their enquiries after emerging as a key witness following Stokes’ arrest at 2.30am on the morning after England’s victory in the Bristol ODI.Jason Roy made his first fifty in ten ODI innings•Getty Images

Roy seized his chance, scoring 84 in his comeback at The Oval and 96 in the season finale at the Ageas Bowl two days later, as England wrapped up a 4-0 series win.”For England it was a disappointing international summer,” he said. “I went over to the IPL, got sidelined for a couple of games, came back and didn’t have that rhythm that I usually have. And then in the Champions Trophy, I tried a few stupid things, and got myself in a bit of a rut.”I’ve always been pretty honest with myself and with everybody else about where I’m at, and yeah, I got myself in a bit of a rut and I couldn’t really get out of it. Then found my way with a few runs in the county game with Surrey, a few good wins under my belt, and then finished strongly at the end of the summer.”The star of the West Indies series, however, was Jonny Bairstow, the man who had himself taken over from Roy during the Champions Trophy, and who marked his promotion with two hundreds in a Man of the Series display.”It is healthy for English cricket,” said Roy. “If any one of us is sitting on the sidelines, it’s only going to be a positive for England. At the end of the day that is exactly the mentality of Jonny, Halesy and myself, if one of us is sidelined then happy days, because we must have a seriously strong opening pair.”Neither Hales nor Stokes has spoken publicly since the Bristol incident. However, both men were present at Roy’s wedding in France in October, where they were pictured smiling and joining in the festivities.”They are fine,” Roy added. “It was obviously an unfortunate event, an unfortunate period, but they came to my wedding, all bearing smiles and everything was all good. Obviously it’s something we wish didn’t happen, but it did. They’ve actually dealt with it extremely well.”Jason Roy was supporting Chance to Shine, the national charity who aim to spread the power of cricket through schools and communities. NatWest have partnered with Chance to Shine as part of their Cricket has no boundaries campaign, championing diversity and inclusion in cricket.

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.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been suspended for two ODIs and his team-mates have been fined 40% of their match fees for their slow over-rate in the final of the tri-series against India in Port-of-Spain

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2013Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been suspended for two ODIs and his team-mates have been fined 40% of their match fees for their slow over-rate in the final of the tri-series against India in Port-of-Spain.Match referee David Boon handed the suspension after Sri Lanka were found three overs short of their target at the end of the match, after time allowances were taken into consideration. Mathews accepted the suspension which avoided a formal hearing.In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct, the captain receives two suspension points and his team-mates are fined 10% of their match fees for each of the first two overs short and 20% for every subsequent over they fail to bowl in the stipulated time. Two suspension points equate to a suspension for one Test or two ODIs.The suspension means Mathews will miss the first two of the five ODIs against South Africa on July 20 and 23 in Colombo.

A cruise to victory for Chennai Super Kings became a tense final-ball one before Rajasthan Royals were beaten

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran21-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The spinners put the skids on the scoring-rate•AFP

On another sweltering day, there was another demonstration of how quickly Twenty20 games can turn. With four overs to go, Chennai Super Kings had nine wickets remaining and needed 31 runs – a one-sided game then by Twenty20 standards.A double-strike from Kevon Cooper in the 17th over made the Chennai dressing room a little anxious, but with MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in the middle, things were still under control.
Amit Singh leaked runs in the next over, and when he bowled a legstump freebie with the fine leg up, the game again seemed over.There were no more boundaries in the game, however, and after Cooper bowled another tight over, Karnataka allrounder Stuart bowled yorker after yorker to bring it down to two off the final delivery. Yet again, though, Dhoni showed his ice-cool temperament, whipping the last ball to deep backward square leg and haring through for the second, easily beating a poor throw from Cooper.In Rajasthan Royals’ previous match, little-known Dishant Yagnik, playing his first game of the season had come out on top against the world’s best bowler, Dale Steyn. This time, the unheralded Binny, also playing his first game of the season, nearly pulled it off against the world’s best finisher. Binny who hadn’t batted in the game and was trusted with only one over before the climactic one, produced one of the best final overs of the season, but was left distraught and on his knees, to be consoled by his captain and state-mate Rahul Dravid.There were many similarities in the two innings.Nuwan Kulasekara had earlier produced an outstanding final over, and given away just eight in two death overs to limit Royals to a moderate score. Kulasekara’s tactic was to generally bowl full and wide, which the batsmen found hard to slog.Before Kulasekara, Chennai’s spinners had put the skids on the scoring after Royals openers, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Dravid, had made a bright start. Royals had raced to 32 off four overs before R Ashwin intervened. He had Rahane chipping to mid-off and gave away only four in his first two overs. Then left-arm spinners Shadab Jakati and Ravindra Jadeja gave little away in the middle of the innings.For the Royals also, it was their spinner who choked the runs after a decent start from Super Kings. Brad Hogg made his international debut nearly 16 years ago, but few – if any – batsmen are able to pick his wrong ‘un even now. That variation accounted for S Badrinath, and the guessing game Hogg forced the batsmen to play gave him figures of 4-0-18-1.Royals’ batting had revolved around Owais Shah, a player who is having his first successful season in the IPL. He reached his third half-century of the tournament, but it lacked the fluency and big-hitting of his previous two efforts. Shah’s constant shuffling around in the crease, though, brought him reward in the 15th over, as Jadeja fluffed his lines trying to double-guess the batsmen. Two wides for four, and a six over extra cover gave Royals 22 off the over. When Ashok Menaria, Shah’s partner for much of the innings, launched Bravo for a six and a four in the 17th, the big onslaught finally seemed on. Kulasekara, though, scuttled Royals’ hopes of crossing 150.The cornerstone of Super Kings’ batting was also a half-century from one of their players enjoying his first fruitful IPL season. Faf du Plessis got his third fifty in four matches and moved to within 18 runs of getting the orange cap from Rahane. When he and the IPL’s highest run-getter, Suresh Raina, were in the middle, the chase seemed straightforward and the vocal crowd incessantly chanting “CSK, CSK” would hardly have expected the tension-filled finale.

A round-up of the third day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009

Group A

Scorecard
Abu Nechim took his second five-for of the match, finishing with career-best figures of 10 for 83, as Tripura was dismissed for 172 during the follow-on, giving Assam victory by an innings and 55 runs in three days. Tripura began the day on 35 for 3, trailing by 192 runs. Kaushik Aphale and Nishit Shetty steered them to 90 but both batsmen were dismissed by Sairaj Bahutule and Arlen Konwar in quick time. Nechim then began dismantling the lower-order, taking four of the last five wickets to fall to finish with 5 for 43 off 23.2 overs. The victory catapulted Assam from sixth to the top of the Plate League.
Scorecard
Goa’s bowlers backed up a terrific performance from their batsmen by chipping away at the Jharkhand batting line-up and were a wicket away from giving their captain the option of enforcing the follow-on. Jharkhand, resuming on 34 for 1 on the third morning, had only two major contributors. Opener Sachin Prasad scored a century, his maiden first-class hundred, and captain Saurabh Tiwary made 60 but no one else passed 20. Shadab Jakati was the best bowler, taking 3 for 53 in 27 overs, while Saurabh Bandekar and Kshemal Waingankar took two apiece.
Scorecard
There’s an absorbing tussle going on in Jaipur. Vidarbha, having limited Rajasthan to only a six-run first-innings lead, were in turn reduced to 158 for 5, with an overall advantage of only 152. Rajasthan began the third day on 166 for 5, trailing by 72 runs, but their lower-order batsmen failed to string together partnerships. Akshay Wakhare sliced through the batting, taking the last four wickets to finish with career-best figures of 6 for 56, and Rajasthan were dismissed for 244. Vidarbha, in their second innings, made a solid start with the openers adding 61. However, after Amit Paunikar fell for 23, Vidarbha lost wickets regularly to slip to 118 for 5 before Akshay Kohlar, who was unbeaten on 61, steered them safely to the close of play. Pankaj Singh and Madur Khatri took two wickets each for Rajasthan.

Group B

Scorecard
Madhya Pradesh were three wickets away from completing an innings victory against Jammu and Kashmir at the end of the third day in Indore. MP resumed their first innings on 440 for 7 in the morning and Devendra Bundela reached his 150. They were eventually dismissed for 519, with a lead of 348, and Abid Nabi was J&K’s best bowler, having taken 5 for 148. J&K struggled in their second innings, losing two wickets with the score on 15. Captain Vinayak Mane and Hiken Shah revived the innings, steering them to 114, before both batsmen fell in quick succession. TP Sudhindra took 3 for 42, while Sanjay Pandey and Ankit Sharma took two each, to reduce J&K to 206 for 7 at stumps.
Scorecard
A rearguard century from No. 10 Joginder Sharma propped Haryana up to 298 in their second innings, setting Andhra a formidable target to win their Ranji Plate fixture in Anantapur. Haryana were in trouble in their second innings, resuming on 107 for 5, leading by only 139 runs. They soon lost their overnight half-centurion, Rahul Dewan, and were gradually reduced to 184 for 9. Joginder then found support in Sanjay Budhwar, the No. 11 batsman, who hung around for 75 balls and scored 17. Joginder went about doing the bulk of the scoring, hitting 16 fours in his 110 off 178 balls, before he was the last man dismissed. Andhra faced only one ball of the chase before play ended.

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.

New Zealand’s training session, meanwhile, was cut short because of what Stead said were “not really acceptable” practice pitches

Matt Roller12-Jun-20242:19

Powell on what a home World Cup means for West Indies

Rovman Powell believes that his West Indies side are facing an “undercooked” New Zealand at the perfect time after their heavy defeat to Afghanistan.Both teams were forced to cut their preparations short at the Brian Lara Stadium ahead of Wednesday night’s Group C fixture. New Zealand abandoned their afternoon training session an hour before schedule due to “unacceptable” practice strips, while heavy rain wiped West Indies’ floodlit session out altogether.It is the start of the rainy season in Trinidad and the national meteorological service issued a yellow-level adverse weather alert on Tuesday morning, signalling the likelihood of thunderstorms. There was a brief downpour during New Zealand’s session – when the pitch was uncovered – and longer, heavier ones followed after they left. Wednesday night’s forecast is much better.Related

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“We had that downpour for about five minutes, and the practice wickets got wet out in the middle,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s coach, said after returning to the team hotel in Port-of-Spain. “I know the priority was obviously for the match wicket to get covered, but when we went back and tried them they were pretty slippery to stand up on.”New Zealand briefly tried to use the practice strips but swiftly gave up. “The balls were going through the top of the surface, so we had a good fielding training instead,” Stead said. “It was deemed not really acceptable to get anything out of the nets… The guys worked out pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a lot of point in it”An 84-run defeat to Afghanistan in their opening match on Friday means that a loss against West Indies would effectively – if not quite mathematically – eliminate New Zealand from the World Cup. Powell, West Indies’ captain, believes that his side can exploit New Zealand’s slow start to the tournament.”Definitely, if there’s a good time to play New Zealand, I think it’s now,” Powell said. “As you said, they’re a little bit undercooked. The pressure is really on them, because this game decides whether they go on: yes or no. Having said that, we’re not focusing on New Zealand: we’re focusing on what we have to do.”With New Zealand’s limited preparation for the tournament already under scrutiny, their batters have barely been able to face fast bowling in the nets since arriving in Trinidad. They travelled from Guyana on Saturday and trained on Sunday, but faced similar issues.”Again, the pitches weren’t great,” Stead said. “Balls were rising up around throat height regularly, so it was more facing the slower bowlers and throws. It comes back to making sure that mentally we get in a good frame of mind and ready for this match tomorrow night.”England racked up 267 against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in December but Stead believes that score was an outlier, and expects a much lower-scoring game on Wednesday.James Neesham is in contention to be back in the XI against West Indies•ICC/Getty Images

“If you look at the history of the ground here… it’s certainly not a 200 wicket or anything like that. The pitch looked interesting. For us, it’s about making sure we’ve got our bases covered.”Powell also hinted towards a low-scoring game. “With the rain around, that can play a part in the scores,” he said. “If the groundsmen don’t have sufficient time to produce good wickets, that’s also a problem with the rain around. You don’t get enough time to sun. Hopefully tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather.”New Zealand’s management have made clear that they expect all 15 players in their squad to play a role in the World Cup and are set to bring Ish Sodhi into the side on Wednesday night. James Neesham could also come into contention, with Stead suggesting that selection will be heavily influenced by West Indies’ potential weaknesses.”Every game, we try to go in and work out what our best match-ups are,” Stead said. “That comes from the data analysis and videos that we do in our scouting. I would expect there will be some changes.” He also hinted heavily at Sodhi’s inclusion: “When we look at the West Indies team, [he is] a guy that matches up well against a number of their opposition players.”New Zealand’s net run rate took a significant dent against Afghanistan, to the extent that winning their remaining fixtures – against West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea – might not be enough to qualify for the Super 8s, depending on other results in Group C.”We know what’s in front of us: we have to win three games and win them well,” Stead said. “It’s [about] still holding the belief and the confidence within the group that we can go out there and do this. We know things are stacked against us at the moment but that’s the challenge; that’s the cards we’ve been dealt. We now have to go out there and put in a performance that we’re proud of.”