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The two matches will provide Australia’s preparation for the Champions Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2025An extra ODI has been added to Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka which will provide the visitors additional preparation for the Champions Trophy.The two matches will now take place on February 12 and 14 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and will be day games.The first of the games begins just two days after the scheduled fifth day of the second Test in Galle so it remains to be seen how many players featuring in that match can turnaround for the one-dayer if the Test goes the distance.However, Australia have nine players in their preliminary Champions Trophy squad who aren’t part of the Test series, including captain Pat Cummins and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood.But Cummins’ participation remains uncertain as he is carrying an ankle injury which he played with during the India Test series.Australia’s ODI players are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka around the start of the second Test. Their first match in the Champions Trophy is against England on February 22 followed by South Africa on February 25 and Afghanistan on February 28.The first semi-final will take place in Dubai on March 4 with the second in Lahore on March 5 following confirmation of the hybrid model due to India not traveling to Pakistan. The final will be on March 9, in either Dubai or Lahore depending on whether India qualify.

Kane Williamson made a rousing 81 off 42 balls but it wasn’t enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to chase down 219

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu17-May-20184:23

Swann: Williamson took the pressure off Pandey

Kane Williamson’s rousing 81 off 42 balls – his eighth fifty-plus score in IPL 2018 – threatened to bring Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaign to a screeching halt, but Mohammed Siraj defended 19 off the last over, which also included the wicket of the Sunrisers captain, to keep his team alive.Facing an IPL record chase of 219 at the venue of their title triumph two years ago, Sunrisers slipped to 64 for 2 in eight overs. Williamson then manipulated the fields and the bowlers expertly to bring Sunrisers to within touching distance of a magical win. With Sunrisers needing 20 off the last over, he jumped across off stump and scooped Siraj’s first ball straight into the lap of Colin de Grandhomme at the edge of the fine leg boundary. Siraj did not quite nail his lengths but got away with four runs and a leg bye off the last five balls.Earlier in the evening, AB de Villiers had also manipulated the fields and bowlers expertly along with Moeen Ali in a 107-run stand off 57 balls, which formed the centerpiece of RCB’s 218 for 6.Hit-or-miss Powerplay
Parthiv Patel was dropped first ball at cover by Deepak Hooda, but he added just one before top-edging Sandeep Sharma to fine leg. Virat Kohli began with a straight drive for four off Sandeep and swatted Rashid Khan to the midwicket boundary, before being bowled attempting a slog sweep off a googly. RCB were 44 for 2, in six overs, of which de Villiers had made 29.The superman and his sidekick
De Villiers found his groove right away when he jumped outside leg, created swinging room, and cut his first ball that was only fractionally short to the right of backward point. It was a portent for how things would unfold. De Villiers slog-swept Shakib Al Hasan to the midwicket boundary and then hit back-to-back fours off Siddarth Kaul, the second of which brought him a 32-ball fifty.It wasn’t a one-man show, however. Moeen introduced his big hits and crisp timing to the IPL after warming the bench for more than three-quarters of the season. Both batsmen launched into Thampi – they took 36 off 12 balls – but it was the left-handed Moeen who was more comfortable against Rashid. He forayed down the track against a wrong’un and hoisted the ball over the long-off boundary before belting a legbreak over his head. There were some mis-hits, too, which cleared the boundary, as RCB moved to 144 for 2 in 14 overs. Against the run of play, however, the set pair fell fell to Rashid in the next over.De Grandhomme smashes ’em
The last time these two teams met in Hyderabad, De Grandhomme showed signs of his power with 33 off 29 balls. He showed his entire range on Thursday and peppered the short boundaries at Chinnaswamy Stadium with four sixes. Not even the slower cutter was safe against him. When Thampi floated one wide outside off at 97 kph, de Grandhomme reached out for the ball and scythed it flat and hard over cover. Thampi ended up conceding 70 runs in four overs – the most expensive figures in the IPL. It took a blinding one-handed catch from Rashid to dismiss the New Zealand allrounder, but by then RCB had motored past 200. Sarfaraz Khan also did his bit with an unbeaten 22 off 8 balls as RCB pillaged 69 off the last five overs.Hales lives on the edge
Alex Hales was on 19 when he pulled Umesh Yadav flat and hard to deep square leg, where Tim Southee dived forward and wrapped his fingers underneath the ball to claim an excellent a low catch. The soft signal was out, but TV umpire C Shamshuddin somehow ruled it not out. After adding four runs, Hales drilled Siraj towards mid-on, where Kohli threw himself to his left but dropped the difficult catch. RCB then needed de Villiers to pluck a catch out of thin air to get rid of Hales. When the opener swatted one over midwicket, the ball seemed destined to sail over the boundary until de Villiers leapt to his right, stretched out his right hand, and came away with the ball. All of this done with the balance of a tightrope walker. Yuzvendra Chahal had taken a more straightforward return catch to remove Dhawan for 18 off 15 balls.Another Williamson special
The highlight of Williamson’s stellar run this season has been his game awareness. That came to the fore when he cranked up the tempo and struck five boundaries in six balls after Hales’ dismissal. The pick of the boundaries was a perfectly placed shovel-flick between wide long-on and midwicket. Just like that, Williamson raised a fifty off 28 balls. By then, Manish Pandey was going at less than a run-a-ball. The re-introduction of de Grandhomme in the 15th over provided him the release. From 6 off 12 balls, he went to 21 off 16 balls with two fours and a six.Pandey then glanced Chahal past short fine leg in the next over to help narrow the equation to 55 off 24 balls. An over full of wide yorkers from Southee left Sunrisers needing 49 off 18 balls. With Williamson in imperious form, they were in with a good chance, but he faced only eight balls in the last five overs before his dismissal and Pandey could not find his timing in the end.

“I’ll put my hand up and and say I could have taken the game on a little bit earlier”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2024New Zealand may have lost the first ODI in Dambulla on Wednesday by a fairly comprehensive 45-run margin, but for a youthful outfit with no less than three debutants in the playing XI, it was an opportunity to grab the “best seat in the house” in terms of learning how to play in unfamiliar conditions.”I think the experiences that you get in this part of the world, they’re obviously very different conditions from what we face back home in New Zealand,” Michael Bracewell said after the game. “Those experiences you bank and you learn from and hopefully come back better, that’s the true challenge of international cricket.”So as much as playing against them [Sri Lanka], you sort of watch them with the best seat in the house and see how they go about their business.”Related

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In that context, for around 35 overs they observed a masterclass in how to navigate a sometimes sluggish surface. While rain in the first over of the day had ensured that any dryness in the pitch would be mitigated, this still wasn’t an entirely batter friendly track.Getting in was crucial, and so proved Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando during a 206-run second-wicket stand off just 215 deliveries, one that effectively took the game away from the visitors.”It was difficult looking to start on as we saw, because after that big partnership between Fernando and Mendis, it was hard for the guys to come in and score straight away,” added Bracewell. “Partnerships are obviously hugely important and we saw that partnership in the first innings of some 200 runs. I think that’s what changed the game.”The majority of the time is obviously favourable here in Sri Lanka for spin, but batters can still play well on those wickets and put you under pressure. And I think we probably saw that today. The batters played really well and we’ll have to keep coming up with different answers and throwing different things at the Sri Lankan batters throughout the series, to try to break those partnerships a little bit earlier.”After Pathum Nissanka fell early, Mendis and Avishka ensured the scoring rate remained stable between five and six runs an over, rotating strike with the odd boundary thrown in. It was only closer to the halfway stage of the innings that they felt comfortable enough to up the scoring.Between the start of the 23rd over and end of the 28th over, they struck 52 runs, with the 200 coming up in the 35th over. Sri Lanka at this point were well set, but the new batters coming in after both Mendis and Avishka fell struggled to push the score to that 350 mark.Sri Lanka though, with their eventual 324 on the board, had done enough to ensure that even with a DLS-adjustment New Zealand would have a challenging target of 221 off 27 overs. In their chase, New Zealand got off to a similarly good start, as the opening pair of Will Young and Tim Robinson put on 88 off just 80 deliveries. But once they fell, the innings began to fall apart.”I think you look at the fine margins of when guys got out in our innings and things like that. And obviously there’s a little bit of scoreboard pressure, so guys coming in had to get going straight away.”So that that always makes it a challenge, but that’s part of the job of coming in that middle order. And we obviously didn’t get it right. But we’ll come again in a couple of days and we’ll be looking to resurrect that again.”Among those who perhaps could have done more was Bracewell himself. He remained unbeaten on a 32-ball 34, but with wickets tumbling at the other end he was left ruing over what could have been.”I think it was one of those ones where to chase to 221 in 27 overs was always going to be a pretty tough ask. I think we gave it a pretty good shot but we perhaps could have fired a few more shots there through the middle as well.”I’ll put my hand up and and say I could have taken the game on a little bit earlier, but yeah, I just don’t think we quite timed the chase very well.”

The new state-of-the-art NCA campus likely to be operational in early 2025

Shashank Kishore15-Aug-2024VVS Laxman, the former India batter, will extend his term as head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru by at least a year. His initial three-year contract was until this September.Laxman was being pursued by an IPL franchise for a head coach position, a role that is now not possible because of his NCA duties. He is likely to be assisted by his team of coaches, including Shitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, all stalwarts of Indian domestic cricket.The extension of Laxman’s contract comes ahead of the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art NCA campus in the outskirts of Bengaluru, the foundation for which was laid in January 2022, 14 years after the land was sanctioned by the Karnataka government on a 99-year lease.Believed to be equipped with at least 100 pitches, indoor facilities with 45 pitches, three international-sized grounds, a modern rehab centre, lodging facilities and Olympic-sized pools, apart from a host of other amenities, the NCA is in its final stages of construction. It is likely to be operational from early next year.One of Laxman’s challenges will be to build on an already comprehensive India A tour program that he has carried forward from Rahul Dravid’s tenure. It has, however, been hampered lately by a busy international calendar.During his first three-year term at the NCA, Laxman has built on the robust processes set for injury management, player rehabilitation, coaching programmes and preparing roadmaps for the senior teams, age-group and women’s cricket.

Shan Masood provides key support as Luke Procter claims three for Northants

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2024Adam Lyth celebrated his 200th Championship match for Yorkshire by scoring his third century of the season on day one of this Vitality County Championship game against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.In-form Lyth, who made his White Rose debut against Durham in 2008, looked in command throughout his innings of 109 (205 balls), playing his trademark cover drive and tucking the ball sweetly off his legs. His 35th first-class century follows scores of 101 and 113 against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire this spring, and a 97 against Derbyshire.While he was again unable to press home the advantage and post a big more emphatic total, his partnership of 116 in 33.4 overs with Shan Masood (60) provided Yorkshire with a solid platform.Northamptonshire failed to capitalise in the afternoon session despite winning the toss and sticking Yorkshire in on green top under lights. But the tide turned after tea as the hosts fought back, skipper Luke Procter (3 for 63) and former Indian international Siddharth Kaul (2 for 81) sharing the spoils as Yorkshire lost five wickets for 52, before rallying to finish on 312 for seven.Earlier Lyth produced the shot of the morning when he stroked Kaul silkily through the covers for four before taking consecutive boundaries off Procter and running a single to bring up his half-century off 81 balls.He survived big lbw shouts from Jack White on 24 and Ben Sanderson on 56 but dominated an opening stand of 86 with Finlay Bean (18) who was undone by one from Justin Broad which tailed back in and knocked back leg stump. Broad has clearly put on a yard of pace this season and was the fastest bowler on display, consistently in the low eighties mph.Northamptonshire were bolstered by the return of White from an ankle injury. Last year’s leading wicket taker, White was by far the hosts’ most threatening bowler, regularly beating the bat and unlucky not to have been rewarded with a wicket.After lunch Masood offered a sharp chance on 7 but Emilio Gay was unable to hold on at slip. It proved a costly mistake as the Yorkshire captain square cut Kaul to the ropes to bring up the 50 partnership in 19 overs. He brought up Yorkshire’s next milestone too when he tucked Broad off his legs to bring up the visitors’ 150 in the 50th over.Still living a charmed life, Masood was gifted a reprieve in Rob Keogh’s first over when, after surviving a close lbw shout, Lewis McManus missed a stumping chance off the next delivery.Lyth meanwhile straight drove White down the ground for four and picked up another boundary when he steered Sanderson behind square. He looked set for a big total after reaching three figures, stroking Luke Procter through the covers once more before chipping one back for the easiest of caught and bowled chances.After tea Masood clipped Broad off his legs for four to reach 50 and stroked Kaul through the covers before he loosely played at the Indian international’s next delivery and was sensationally caught by a diving Gay at slip who redeemed himself after his earlier drop.It set in motion a Yorkshire collapse, Kaul soon picking up a second wicket when he got one to jag back and trap George Hill (8) lbw.James Wharton (21) took the attack to Keogh, smashing him over long-on for six, but he was next to go when the ball ricocheted off his leg onto the stumps as he attempted to pull the spinning all-rounder.Will Luxton (12) attacked against the new ball, but Procter soon had his wicket when he edged to Gay at second slip. Procter and Gay then combined again as Jonathan Tattersall (14) edged low to slip.Jordan Thompson showed some defiance at the end of the day, driving Sanderson through the covers and pulling Broad away for another boundary.

West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo is almost certainly not going to play in the 2017 IPL because of his ongoing rehabilitation for a hamstring injury he suffered in December

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2017West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the 2017 IPL because of his ongoing rehabilitation for the hamstring injury he suffered in December. Bravo has been with his IPL team – Gujarat Lions – this season but has not played a game, and his captain Suresh Raina said it was perhaps time to think about a replacement.”No Dwayne Bravo. He’s been doing proper rehab and it might take three-four weeks, so he might be out of the tournament,” Raina said at the toss of Lions’ game against Kings XI Punjab in Rajkot. “So now we have to talk to the management and think about a replacement.”A couple of hours after Lions lost to Kings XI, Bravo put out a statement confirming his withdrawal from the tournament this year. “While recovery is going well and I have made vast improvement and have participated in team trainings with the Lions, my body is not ready to perform at its fullest potential,” Bravo said.Lions are presently at the bottom of the table, having won only two out of their first seven games. In 2016, their debut IPL season, Lions had finished on top of the league with nine wins in 14 games, but did not make the final. Bravo had been their second highest wicket-taker last year, with 17 wickets.Bravo suffered the injury while fielding for Melbourne Renegades – his BBL team – against Perth Scorchers on December 29. He had been stationed on the off-side boundary, and injured himself when he ran across and lowered himself to field a ball. He clutched at his hamstring as soon as he went down, and had to be taken off on a MediCab.Bravo has not played a match since, missing the Pakistan Super League and West Indies’ fixtures in the lead up to the IPL. With West Indies not part of the Champions Trophy in June, their next fixtures are a home series against Afghanistan at that same time.

“I think the impact player is having a big effect on the way teams are batting,” the Delhi Capitals head coach says

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2024Scoring rates have gone up as the IPL has aged. But never before has the scoring rate for a season hit nine an over. This year, after 31 games, we are going at 9.48. The highest before this was in IPL 2023, 8.99.That 9.48 was nudged along by Rajasthan Royals matching their own record for highest successful chase in IPL history, crossing Kolkata Knight Riders’ 223 for 6 off the last ball.The three highest team totals in the history of the IPL, and four of the five highest, have come this year. The record, held from April 23, 2013, to March 27, 2024, by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore) when Chris Gayle hit 175 not out in 66 balls to take them to 263 for 5, has been surpassed three times this year.Related

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Delhi Capitals have not been at the forefront of this run glut, and are down at No. 9 on the table ahead of their seventh match, against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, and their head coach Ricky Ponting feels that “the team that’s most willing to take on the bowling”, rather than the best defensive side with the ball, will likely win the title. And the IPL rule of teams having an impact player to turn to has made things the way they are.”Looks like that’s where the game is going to go,” Ponting said at his pre-match press conference. “Sunrisers [Hyderabad, SRH] are obviously responsible for a couple of those [big scores]. KKR got 260-odd [272 for 7] against us. I think the impact player is having a big effect on the way teams are batting. You watched the way Travis [Head] batted last night. You can’t bat that way unless you’ve got confidence in the players underneath you and you bat deep in your batting order as well.”Quite often, big tournaments like the IPL and the Big Bash back in Australia have been won by the best defensive bowling teams. But the way this IPL is going – and [with] the different rules in the IPL – it looks like it will be won by the team that’s most willing to take on the bowling, and try and post some really big scores. I think it’s potentially more attacking batting that’s going to win this IPL than defensive bowling.”Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have made a name for defending smallish totals in Lucknow, but look around and there are massive totals everywhere. The 200 mark was breached for the first time in the third game of the season, when KKR scored 208 for 7 and SRH responded with 204 for 7 at Eden Gardens. It has been breached 11 times since, with SRH’s 287 for 3 against RCB the biggest total at this stage. And, if Ponting is right, SRH, or one of the other teams maximising the powerplay and sailing past 200, could well take the trophy come May 26.

Seamer puts injury struggles behind with four-wicket haul as Hampshire fall short in run chase

David Hopps24-Jul-2019Life is just a party and parties weren’t meant to last. So sang Prince in “1999” – and Twenty20 hadn’t even gained a foothold then. Well, who knows, maybe the party won’t last, but let’s raise a glass or two in the meantime. Reece Topley has feared countless times that his party was over, but this was a time to dance until dawn as England’s most injury-hit fast bowler returned to the professional game at Hove with devastating effect.The end result: 4 for 33 against Hampshire, the county who understandably felt they had to let him go last October after only 21 matches in three years, and a 14-run margin for Sussex as they defended their 188 for 6. He had to deliver and he did just that.Hampshire are now without a win in three matches, but they are a fine T20 side and they were unrelenting even as they lost wickets. With 25 needed from 10 balls, and Topley having to return for a final over, Kyle Abbott struck him down the ground for six and then survived a catch at deep midwicket to Rashid Khan. But when he spliced the next one, Rashid made no mistake.A left-arm quick with the ability to swing the ball in has always been a priceless commodity, whatever the format, attractive enough for England to give Topley 10 ODIs and six T20 internationals.In his first over, he looked uncomfortable, and down on pace. If it was a party, he would have been in the kitchen, head down, not quite sure he should be there, struggling to make eye contact. In his second over, everything clicked: Hampshire’s top order in the shape of Aneurin Donald, James Vince and Sam Northeast evaporated within the space of four balls.Donald was beaten on the drive around leg stump and adjudged lbw. Perhaps the fact that replays suggested the ball was too high should be politely glossed over because the punch-of-the-air celebration was one of supreme, blushing happiness. Vince sought an off-side drive and inside-edged an inswinger – out second ball for nought: you can always rely on Vince, as talented as he is, to play the fall guy. Then Northeast’s leg stump was cleaned up with a first-ball yorker. There had been a six by Donald, but everybody had forgotten about it by then.Five absences in six years because of stress fractures of the back, and he is still here: only 25, but his back must have felt 75 at times and, in his lowest moments, how old he felt mentally barely warranted thinking about. But Sussex and Middlesex remained open-minded about his potential and he opted for Sussex, playing club cricket for Reigate Priory before Sussex offered him a summer contract in early July and Jason Gillespie, their coach, assured him that what would be would be.Topley’s five fractures were in two areas – L3 and L4 for the experts. He has so many screws in his back that when he passes through airport security the alarm could play the national anthem. But in his dark days he didn’t leave it there and added a broken hand and shoulder surgery for good measure. England coaches remedied his action, removing the leap to the crease, to try to reduce the stress. But through it all his wrist position – his perfect wrist position – remained entrenched.The last time Sussex lost after posting a score so large was back in 2008 when (no prizes for guessing) Hampshire were the victors. Few Blast batting sides appear so vulnerable yet so awash with potential, Phil Salt and Delray Rawlins might have “ephemeral” as their middle name. “Party over, oops out of time”, as Prince went on in “1999”, can be uttered at any moment.For Salt, the party was long lasting, 73 from 46 balls as he rapped the ball to all parts for his fifth T20 half-century. That’s only five fifties and already he has been called up for an England squad, although without making his debut. For Rawlins, it was much more fleeting, six off two balls – meeting Mason Crane’s legspin with a confident skip-down-the-ground six and then outwitted by his follow-up – yet even those balls felt somehow special. Rashid’s 22 off seven was pretty transient, too.Salt set the tone for Sussex as Chris Morris leaked 18 from his second over, climaxed by a rasping straight drive. Luke Wright fed him the strike before Abbott’s bouncer defeated his pull shot, and Laurie Evans fell to a ridiculous run out, even by T20 standards, when he was beaten by Crane, kept his back foot resolutely in the crease but then made an ingrained attempt at a run as the wicketkeeper, Lewis McManus held the ball over the stumps.Hampshire might have ruined the night had Rilee Rossouw’s 60 off 38 not been briefly interrupted when he went off for further concussion checks after he was struck attempting a ramp shot against David Wiese (those dressing room conversations would have been interesting) and McManus struck 32 from 15 balls late on.But Sussex, with their England pair Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan looking on in the crowd, secured their first win. Their promotion challenge in the Championship is looking ragged, but after Topley’s great night their T20 side should have the fans queuing down to Hove sea front wondering what further miracles might ensue.

Australia captain says the ODI World Cup “is at the top of the mountain” compared to the WTC title and retaining the Ashes this year

Sruthi Ravindranath19-Nov-2023Australia weren’t the clear favourites heading into the 2023 ODI World Cup. They began their campaign with two big losses (to India and South Africa), had injury troubles, and a number of out-of-form players. And most of their wins in the league stage were not necessarily convincing. But captain Pat Cummins was pleased his side “saved the best for last” as they convincingly beat hosts India – who were unbeaten in the tournament until Sunday – by six wickets in the final to lift the ODI World Cup trophy for the sixth time.”You’ve got to go and win a World Cup,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “You just can’t wait for it to happen. And I think you got to be brave at times, you got to take the game on. And it was a real shift after those first two games. With our batting particularly, you saw the openers going out really aggressive and pretty much didn’t waver from that for the rest of the tournament.”Think we saved our best for last. And a couple of big-match players stood up and, yeah, we’re pretty chuffed.”Related

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Cummins also put Australia’s turnaround down to their openers’ aggressive approach. Australia’s openers finished with the best combined average of all teams, of 47.86, in the tournament and their strike rate of 111.19 was only second to India’s 116.99.In the final, Australia found themselves in trouble when they were down 47 for 3 chasing 241. Mohammed Shami had removed David Warner for 7 in the second over and Jasprit Bumrah had Mitchell Marsh caught behind for 15. Soon after, Bumrah removed Steven Smith in the seventh over, pinning him in front for 4.It was only after that did Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne combine for the match-winning partnership of 192, not letting India into the game at any point.”I was one of those blokes with the hearts fluttering upstairs, I was pacing [after 47 for 3],” Cummins said. “Marnus walked in and out and a cool head straightaway. And Trav just does what he does – really brave again, he takes the game on, puts the pressure back on the bowlers. And to do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character.”Australia were impressive with both bat and ball, but even more with their fielding. Thirty-seven-year-old Warner in particular was electric in the outfield, flinging himself to save a number of boundaries. He wasn’t the only one. Head’s catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma must count as one of the great catches in the game’s history.”[We were] desperate for sure [on the field],” Cummins said. “It all started last week [in the semi-final against South Africa]. The boys are fantastic. And we’ve got an ageing side. But everyone’s still throwing themselves around in the game, [especially] when you got a big stadium like this packed.”Head, who was the Player of the Match in the final for his 137 off 120 balls, was injured at the start of the World Cup. The selectors, however, persisted with him and kept him in the squad. Making his comeback only in Australia’s sixth match – against New Zealand – in the tournament, he smashed 109 off just 67 balls, playing an important hand in the five-run win. He was also the Player of the Match in the semi-final against South Africa for his all-round effort of 62 runs and two wickets.”Amazing,” Cummins said of Head’s performance. “I think you have to give it to the selectors that backed him even when he was out with a broken hand and the medical team to get him back. It was a big risk that we took and it paid off and you couldn’t be happier for Travis, a legend. We love him and he’s easy to watch.”2:56

‘Travis Head has matured over the last two years across all formats’ – Moody

Cummins had said ahead of the final there would be “nothing more satisfying” than silencing the 100,000-plus crowd in Ahmedabad. His side did that, but he also said it was a “pretty special” moment to win in front of a massive crowd despite the support being one-sided in favour of India.”It [the crowd] was awesome, I must say,” he said. “I was pretty happy. They were solid for a lot of the bowling innings. A couple of times they got loud and it was really loud. But fantastic. I mean, the passion in India is unrivalled around the world and I think it’s amazing.”Every single person is wearing the blue shirt. So you look around and it’s a pretty special moment – one that whatever the result happened, we’re never going to forget a day like today.”Australia have won laurels across formats this year under Cummins’ captaincy. They became the Test world champions in June by beating India in the final, retained the Ashes in England, and have now won the ODI World Cup. For Cummins, this tops it all.”Yeah, it’s been awesome,” he said. “It’s been pretty much through the whole Aussie winter away overseas playing but we’ve had a lot of success and this pips it all, this is at the top of the mountain.”

Former Essex and Sussex allrounder agrees one-year deal at Wantage Road

Matt Roller26-Mar-2024Ravi Bopara said he still feels “like a young man in the game” after signing a contract with Northamptonshire which ensures he will play in England’s T20 Blast for the 22nd consecutive season, at the age of 39.Bopara is one of three men to have played more than 200 matches in the Blast and one of two, alongside Samit Patel, to have featured in each of the tournament’s first 21 seasons. He has been in discussions with several counties since his release by Sussex last summer and was ultimately unveiled as a Northants player on Tuesday morning.He has initially signed a one-year, T20-only contract and will celebrate his 39th birthday a few weeks before Northants start their Blast season on May 30 against Derbyshire, who will be captained by their own new signing in Patel. “I’m really happy to have joined Northamptonshire for the T20s this year,” Bopara said in a press release.Bopara captained Sussex in the Blast last year. He had a productive season – he scored 408 runs with a strike rate of 146.23 and chipped in with eight wickets – but Sussex missed out on the quarter-finals and he was not offered a new contract, a decision he described as “very disappointing”.He spent the winter playing overseas for Delhi Bulls (Abu Dhabi T10) and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ILT20) and has recently finished a stint as assistant coach at Karachi Kings. “I felt great in the Blast last year and my game is in a really good place at the moment,” he said. “I’m looking forward to joining the Steelbacks and putting on a show for the fans at Wantage Road.”Northants won the Blast in 2013 and 2016 but have only reached the quarter-finals once in the last seven seasons. They have brought in George Bartlett (Somerset) and George Scrimshaw (Derbyshire) over the winter, with Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza signing for the Blast, while Tom Taylor and Josh Cobb have both left for Worcestershire.”We have a really exciting squad: there’s a lot of quality in that list and I’m hoping to play a big part in bringing a third Blast trophy to the club,” Bopara said. “I’m still learning a great deal about this game at my age. I have a burning desire and hunger to up-skill my game to new heights and I still feel like a young man in the game. There’s so much more for me to achieve in the T20 space.”John Sadler, Northants’ head coach, said: “Ravi is a phenomenal signing for us and we’re delighted to get it over the line. He’s been an incredible performer across all formats for many years and brings a huge presence on and off the field.”