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With the T20 World Cup later this year, every match and series is an opportunity to finetune preparations

Saurabh Somani15-Feb-20222:53

Who should open with Rohit? Can either team afford to experiment?

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India outclassed West Indies in each of the three ODIs, but the T20I series is expected to be more competitive, given that the shortest format is arguably the one West Indies are at their strongest in. However, while West Indies did have a stirring 3-2 win against England in their most recent T20I outing, it bears remembering that India are right now on a six-match winning streak in the format. It began in the T20 World Cup, with wins against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia, and if those can be discounted as coming against relatively weaker teams, India also blanked New Zealand 3-0 at home after the World Cup.The age-old maxim of India being tough to beat at home still holds true, and West Indies will need to be a much more consistently firing unit to leave India with something to show. India have some regulars missing, but there is enough depth in the squad to make them a daunting proposition. The most pressing question for India is: who will Rohit Sharma’s opening partner be? KL Rahul is absent, after all.Just about a year ago, when Virat Kohli was still leading the side, he had indicated that Rohit and he could form a long-term opening partnership. Ishan Kishan has had a fair bit of success in the role in the IPL, as have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer. In the ODIs, India threw a curve-ball with Rishabh Pant walking out in one game. So, there are options aplenty. Kohli and Pant are certainties in the XI, and very comfortable in the middle-order, so by that logic, Kishan could be the front-runner for the position.West Indies, meanwhile, have a curious mix of new-age T20 big-hitters alongside the accumulators in Shai Hope, Darren Bravo and the like, and they will have to deploy that mix judiciously to maximise the full impact of their power-hitters.

Form guide

India WWWWW
West Indies WLWLW

In the spotlight

Rishabh Pant has curiously underwhelming T20I numbers, with a strike rate of only 122.87. That is more to do perhaps with a lack of role clarity in the set-up. Now, he’s been installed as the vice-captain to Rohit for this series, and will be part of the leadership group. That should give him the freedom to define his own role, and play in the manner that he is most comfortable with. Elevation to the vice-captaincy also comes with the intangible greater security of a spot in the XI, which could free him up mentally.Jason Holder‘s stocks have risen dramatically of late. He was always one of West Indies’ lynchpins in Test cricket and ODIs, but from not being part of the main squad at the T20 World Cup to having IPL franchises compete fiercely for him four months later, it’s been a steep rise. Holder’s versatility with bat and ball is remarkable. He can bowl across phases in T20 cricket, he can also bat at different spots. He can bowl a heavy ball, using his height to good effect, and he has the power to clear the ropes.Kieron Pollard didn’t play the last two ODIs with a niggle•Associated Press

Team news

If Kishan is locked in as Rohit’s opening partner, it still leaves the question of numbers five and six for India. Suryakumar Yadav should get one of those spots. The other depends on whether the team wants the insurance of a sixth bowling option, in which case there’s Venkatesh and Deepak Hooda to choose from. Or they might want someone like Shreyas Iyer, who could offer more with the bat.Among the bowlers, an injured Washington Sundar has been replaced by Kuldeep Yadav, and the left-arm wristspinner could get a game because the other two spinners in the squad are both leggies – albeit of different types: Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. There’s six pacers to choose from, of whom only three are likely to play. If, as Rohit has said, India want to make plans keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind, they could lean more towards a hit-the-deck Avesh Khan than someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Deepak Chahar. Given his ability to bowl at the death, Harshal Patel could win out ahead of Shardul Thakur.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Shreyas Iyer, 7 Harshal Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Avesh KhanThe big question for West Indies was to do with captain Kieron Pollard’s fitness. He missed the last two ODIs with a niggle, and West Indies missed his presence with the bat and in the field. He is now fit, he confirmed on the eve of the match, and that lends the batting a lot of heft. If they still want to add more stolid batters, West Indies might have to turn to Bravo or Roston Chase. The plethora of allrounders they have ensures that the bowling will have options and the batting will have depth.West Indies (possible) 1 Kyle Mayers, 2 Brandon King, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Kieron Pollard (capt), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Odean Smith, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

It’s expected to be a pitch with good pace, bounce and carry. However, the dew factor could be significant. There was heavy dew on the outfield two days out from the game, and the eve of the match had a very foggy morning. That makes the toss crucial.

Stats and trivia

• India and West Indies have played 17 T20Is so far, of which India have won ten and West Indies six.
• Only 30 runs separate Kohli (3227) and Rohit (3197) on the overall runs tally in T20Is, with Kohli in second place right now and Rohit third. They could both overtake Martin Guptill, who has the most T20I runs in the world with 3299, in this series.

This preview was updated at 3.00pm GMT with Kieron Pollard’s fitness status.

“If we try to force the issue, it won’t work. We will leak runs. We have to get the new ball to swing a bit”

Mohammad Isam12-Dec-2022Taskin Ahmed reckons the Bangladesh bowlers will have to show patience on what is expected to be a flat batting surface at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, in Chattogram- the venue for the first Test against India.The pitch curator, Praveen Hinganikar, has left a bit of grass on all of the centre surfaces two days out from the Test, but as it was quite evident in the third ODI on Saturday, the batters should enjoy their time here. Fast bowlers can expect a long toil, but Taskin believes the only way forward would be to bowl with discipline.Related

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Taskin has been Bangladesh’s leading fast bowler over the last two years but has had injury concerns in recent times. He missed the first two ODIs against India due to a back injury, before returning with figures of 2 for 89 from his nine overs in the third outing as Ishan Kishan took the bowlers to the sword.The bowling average for seamers at Chattogram in Tests too is high, but Taskin believes it is up to the bowlers to make themselves “so skilful” so as to remove the type of surface out of the equation.”It’s the same everywhere: top of off [stump],” Taskin said on the lines fast bowlers should target in Chattogram. “If we try to force the issue, it won’t work in our favour. We will leak runs. They are good players, so we have to get the new ball to swing a bit. Maybe get reverse swing with the old ball. We have to try to break their patience. We have to bowl patiently and wait for their mistakes. It won’t be right to say that we want to blow them away.”Fast bowlers ideally want to bowl on green tops. Conditions are not in our hands. We have got slow and flat tracks in South Africa and New Zealand. We have to make ourselves so skilful that we can bowl well on all types of wickets. Great bowlers are also getting five-fors on flat tracks. We have to focus on our self-improvement rather than [look at] conditions.”Taskin Ahmed has been under an injury cloud lately•AFP/Getty Images

Taskin isn’t a sure starter for the first Test that gets underway on Wednesday. As he slowly works himself back to full fitness, he admits he isn’t entirely sure whether his workload build-up is up to the standard set by the team management.”The team management is concerned about my workload build-up. I have just returned from an injury, so I am working on increasing workload build-up, fitness and bowling load.”If I can fulfil the load before this game, they may think of playing me. If not, then I might not play this Test. I might be playing the second Test in that case. I have spoken to them about it. I am following my workload plan,” he said.While their ODI outfit is flourishing, Bangladesh have struggled in the Test format, having won just a solitary game this year in eight attempts. They have been on the losing side six times with one Test ending in a draw. They are yet to beat India in a Test match, and Taskin feels Bangladesh’s first attempt will be to take the game into the final day, and then hope for a positive finish.”Chattogram is a batting paradise in Bangladesh. It has never been easy for fast bowlers here. We are improving but we are yet to get favourable wickets. It is usually a batting track,” he said.”Test cricket is always challenging. We have won Tests by taking it to the fifth day, so here too, we have to take the game into the fifth day.”Bangladesh are likely to go into the first Test with two fast bowlers, a combination favoured by the team management at home. Still, Taskin, Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain have shown enough evidence that they can carry the bowling attack in most conditions. Taskin believes that Bangladesh’s fast-bowling unit has shown improvement in all three formats, with the focus being on better work ethic and desire.”As a pace bowling group, we are hungry for improvement. We are all in it together. Work ethic has improved. This is all we have in our hands. The management is with us, so if our desire remains, we can do better,” he said.

England captain seeks positives after 4-1 loss as he backs team to stick to positive style

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20242:42

Did England run out of steam in Dharamsala?

England were outplayed by the better team since winning the first Test against India – that was Ben Stokes’ assessment of his side’s 4-1 series defeat, delivered well inside three days of the final match in Dharamsala.Faced with a first-innings defict of 259, England were bowled out for 195 in their second as India won by an innings and 64 runs. Stokes’ response immediately after the match was measured in the face of R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul – he took nine for the match in his 100th Test – which sealed the result. Centuries to Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma helped India to an imposing 477 after Kuldeep Yadav’s five-for helped restrict England to 218 in their first innings.”Now that the series has come to an end – I don’t give too much away, obviously, whilst the series is going on – but since the first Test match of the series, we’re man enough and we’re big enough to say that we’ve been outplayed by the better team in the series,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation. “But we’ve got so much cricket coming up in our summer, and then Pakistan and New Zealand. Taking the positives that we’ve got from the series is something that I’m really looking forward to. I’m excited to be a part of driving this team even further forward.”Speaking to broadcaster TNT afterwards, Stokes added that the tour result had done nothing to dent England’s Bazball ethos, saying “we ain’t gonna let the last two years go to waste over this series in isolation”, having said during the presentation that he wasn’t troubled by a lack of batting consistency.”When you look at the game as a whole, and the series as a whole, there’s been really small moments throughout every Test match where we wrestled a bit of momentum back towards us, but we’ve not just been able to maintain and keep that going,” Stokes said. “And in Test-match cricket, especially out here where the game can turn really fast on you, it’s about understanding that and trying to understand those moments and being a bit more relentless with it. How that looks, I’m not sure, but we’re all here at the highest level playing cricket. I think we all know as individuals that that’s probably where it’s gone wrong for us, on more than one occasion.Related

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“When India get on top, especially with the ball, you see a lot of men come around the bat, and when you’ve got the quality bowlers that they do – Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja, Kuldeep – you’ve got to find ways of getting the guys around the bat out of there. Sometimes that comes with risk. Risk doesn’t always pay off, but you get a couple of sweeps away and then you find you’ve only got one man around the bat. You’ve just got to be positive enough to be able to take that risk, and know that sometimes it can be your downfall.”You can look and say, ‘could I have done something better?’ But when the intent and the application is there, with the real reason as to why you’re playing that shot, then you can’t really say too much else.”In spite of the margin of England’s defeat, Stokes reiterated that there were positives to take from the match and series. Young spinner Shoaib Bashir overcame illness on the eve of the match to take his second five-wicket haul in as many Tests (just the second and third of his career). Tom Hartley stepped in as lead spinner in the absence of an injured Jack Leach, while Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett continued to develop their partnership at the top of the batting line-up with seven 45-plus stands in the series.Some of the senior players had their moments at the end of the series, too, with Joe Root coming into form with a century in the fourth Test and 84 in the second innings of the fifth, while at the age of 41, James Anderson took the 700th wicket of a Test career spanning nearly 21 years.”I’ve been lucky enough to be on the field with some of the lads there, the milestones that Jimmy’s got to, but being there for 700 wickets as a seamer, it is quite phenomenal,” Stokes added.”I’ve said many a time that he’s someone who every young kid, if he wants to be a fast bowler, should look up to and try and emulate,” he continued. “Everything that he has done from the day he first started being a cricketer, let alone international cricketer, to where he is now … 41 years old, he’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him, and I honestly just don’t know when he’s going to stop, because the desire to commit is still there. It’s great to watch.”

Somerset get the better of Kent in rain-reduced match

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2024Somerset 55 for 6 (Kohler-Cadmore 24, Gilchrist 2-12) beat Kent 46 for 5 (Billings 16) by 14 runsTom Kohler-Cadmore played a whirlwind cameo with the bat as Somerset beat Kent Spitfires by 14 runs in a tense Vitality Blast contest reduced by rain to five overs a side at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton.The former Yorkshire batsman smashed 24 runs off nine balls as Somerset raised 55 for 6 from their five overs, Nathan Gilchrist taking 2 for 12 on his debut, while Charlie Stobo and Grant Stewart claimed a wicket apiece.Charged with the task of chasing a revised target of 61 off five overs, Kent imploded in the face of tight bowling from Somerset’s Australian quick Riley Meredith and Jake Ball, who returned figures of 1 for 15 and 1 for 19 in two overs respectively.Kent came up short at 46 for 5 as Somerset claimed their fourth win in six games to retain leadership of the South Group.Kent skipper Sam Billings won the toss and elected to field, Xavier Bartlett conceded 11 runs to openers Tom Banton and Will Smeed in the first over and then the rain intervened, forcing the players to run for the cover of the pavilion at 6.35pm.Thereafter, umpires Ian Blackwell and Mark Newell staged a couple of inspections and the Taunton ground staff twice attempted to remove the covers, only for the wet weather to return on each occasion and prevent a quick resumption.When the elements finally relented and mopping up operations were completed, it was announced that play would resume at 9.02pm with the game reduced to five overs-a-side.Kent made the best possible start upon the resumption, stand-in overseas bowler Stobo having Smeed caught at deep mid-on with his first ball. Kohler-Cadmore promptly made amends, smashing a six and four off the first two deliveries he faced as Somerset plundered 13 runs to finish the second over on 24 for 1.Kohler-Cadmore pulled Stewart for another four in the third, only for the pace bowler to exact an instantaneous revenge next ball, inducing Banton to hit straight to cover and depart for seven with the score on 31. Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory hit the ground running, driving his first ball for a sumptuous four as the home side advanced to 37 for 2.Gilchrist’s first delivery in T20 cricket will be one he will want to forget in a hurry, Kohler-Cadmore carting him over mid-wicket for an enormous six. Gregory drove the third ball of the over back down the ground for four, only to then hole out in the deep, while Kohler-Cadmore departed in similar fashion as Gilchrist held his nerve to reduce the home side to 49 for 4 at the end of the fourth.Ben Green and Tom Abell were run out in the final over as disciplined Kent turned the screw, Bartlett conceding just six runs from it as Somerset finished up on 55 for 6.Required to score 61 off 30 balls to win, the Spitfires made a poor start to their reply, Zac Crawley being run out by substitute fielder Kasey Aldridge and Daniel Bell-Drummond top-edging a pull shot to short square leg as Meredith reduced the visitors to 9 for 2.Billings opened up with a pulled four at the expense of Jake Ball, but the seamer recovered well, persuading Marcus O’Riordan to present Abell with a straightforward catch at long-off in an over that cost just nine runs. Kent’s frustration knew no bounds when Meredith restricted them to a mere seven runs in the third over, his nagging accuracy leaving the visitors needing to score an unlikely 36 off 12 balls.Big-hitting Billings opened his shoulders and helped himself to a brace of fours off Ball in the fourth, only to then take on Abell’s arm and be run out for a 10-ball 16 attempting a second run. Kent required 26 runs off the final over, but Green demonstrated a cool head to frustrate the best efforts of Joe Denly and Stewart.

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.

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.”

David Miller, Dawid Malan and Manvinder Bisla are the other three players to have withdrawn

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Oct-2020Five foreign players, including Andre Russell, Faf du Plessis and David Miller have withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) less than a week after they were drafted into franchise teams.Miller, du Plessis and Dawid Malan have become unavailable because of the limited-overs series between South Africa and England, set to begin on November 27. Russell, meanwhile, has pulled out due to injury, according to Sri Lanka Cricket. Manvinder Bisla, the fifth player to exit the tournament, is not believed to have provided a reason though. The LPL is scheduled to start on November 21 and run until December 13.”The franchises that had these players will have to negotiate with other players to take their place,” LPL director Ravin Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo. Russell, Miller, du Plessis and Malan had all been selected as marquee players, which means the franchises are not bound by the constraints of the draft payment structure when they seek new players.Although it was suspected that the players from South Africa and England would withdraw once England’s tour of South Africa was confirmed, Russell’s exit is more of a surprise. He has not played for the Kolkata Knight Riders since the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 18 owing to a knee injury but hasn’t yet pulled out of the IPL entirely either. No update has been given on his further involvement in the ongoing tournament, although Wickramaratne cited injury as the cause of his withdrawal from the LPL.While these withdrawals are a significant blow to the tournament, they are not a death knell just yet. The hardest hit franchise is the Colombo Kings, who had all three of Russell, du Plessis and Bisla on their roster. The Jaffna Stallions had Malan.With less than four weeks to go until the scheduled start of the LPL, there are still substantial logistical hurdles to surmount before the tournament can get off the ground. A major sticking point remains the quarantine – Sri Lanka’s health ministry has insisted it must be 14 days of confinement in a hotel room, which some players have expressed dissatisfaction with.However, SLC remains optimistic that the tournament will go ahead.

Deshpande and Chahar did their bit with the ball too, and then it was over to Conway, Gaikwad and Dube to knock off the runs

Himanshu Agrawal06-May-20233:02

Moody: ‘Pathirana completely shut the door on Mumbai’s power-hitters’

On a pitch where the ball was stopping, it was actually Chennai Super Kings’ pace trio of Matheesha Pathirana, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande which combined to take seven wickets and restrict Mumbai Indians to 139. Super Kings never looked in trouble during the chase at Chepauk, where Ruturaj Gaikwad’s rapid cameo in the first four overs set them up for the six-wicket win.Chahar’s twin strikes had reduced Mumbai to 14 for 3 in the third over; and although Nehal Wadhera and Suryakumar Yadav added 55 to stage a recovery, Pathirana applied the brakes in the death overs. Mumbai managed only 17 – while losing four wickets – in the last three overs, as Wadhera’s maiden T20 fifty turned out to be a solitary effort.The win takes Super Kings to the second spot on the points table, even as third-placed Lucknow Super Giants have an extra game in hand. Mumbai on the other hand, remain sixth.

Pathirana, middle- and death-overs specialist

Only twice in the seven matches this season has Pathirana been introduced before the 11th over. For anyone to have bowled at least 120 balls in that period, he has the best economy rate and average during that phase.On Saturday, he was introduced in the 13th over, just after Wadhera and Suryakumar had given Mumbai hope of a respectable total. Pathirana’s first two overs went for only eight off the bat, and MS Dhoni kept his remaining overs for the death. He returned to start the 18th after the two overs before that were taken for 29 and gave only two runs aside from bowling Wadhera. Seeing the batter make room, he fired a yorker which hit middle stump at 145kph.Mathesha Pathirana celebrates the wicket of Tristan Stubbs•BCCI

Pathirana mixed his lengths as much as he varied his pace. That – combined with the two-paced nature of the pitch – might have been why Tristan Stubbs struggled for timing, eventually slicing to cover-point on being foxed by a slower ball. Pathirana ended with 3 for 15 – all wickets came in the death overs – and further enhanced his reputation of being the season’s best death bowler so far for a minimum of 60 balls bowled in that phase.

Wadhera propels Mumbai to 139

With Tilak Varma out injured for this game, Mumbai were missing a solid middle-order batter. And forced to rebuild after the top-order failure, Wadhera opened up after the powerplay when he gently cut Ravindra Jadeja for four to deep backward point, and then drilled Moeen Ali to deep extra cover.Once Wadhera picked up some momentum, he looked confident enough to keep attacking spin: Jadeja was slog-swept over short fine to start the 11th over, before he beat short fine leg with another sweep off Maheesh Theekshana in the 14th. And with five overs to go, he cracked the innings’ first six by launching Theekshana over long-on.Wadhera’s fifty took 46 deliveries when it was raised in the 17th over, after which he swept, pulled and scooped Jadeja for fours, although his knock of 64 didn’t prove enough.Nehal Wadhera scored his maiden IPL fifty•BCCI

Gaikwad starts in a hurry, Dube finishes in style

Super Kings posted 46 in the first four overs, out of which Gaikwad had bashed 30. That included four fours and two sixes, as he got Super Kings’ chase rolling alongside Devon Conway. The first over included a drive and a flick for four off Cameron Green, while he turned the screw in the third over.Mumbai introduced left-arm seamer Arshad Khan, and Gaikwad went 6, 4, 4, 6: a pull over midwicket, a guide behind point, a punch past the bowler and a swivel-pull over long leg. Gaikwad was dismissed off the first ball of the fifth over by Piyush Chawla, who again turned out to be the standout performer with the ball for Mumbai.Although Chawla was hit for a four and a six by Ajinkya Rahane, he had the last laugh when he trapped the Super Kings batter with a googly in the ninth over. That came after earlier getting Gaikwad with the legspinner. Chawla’s four overs went for only 25, and he was bowled out inside 11 overs.Soon after, the platform that Gaikwad had laid was further built by Shivam Dube, who provided the finishing kick. Two sixes off debutant left-arm wristspinner Raghav Goyal in the 14th over and one swung off Arshad Khan to Mumbai’s dugout two balls before the winning run took Super Kings to a comfortable win after they had lost two and had a game washed out just before.

“It’s nice to go out and show everyone the last 10 years haven’t been a fluke”

Andrew McGlashan17-Jun-2023Some centuries mean a bit more than others. But a few of Usman Khawaja’s since his triumphant return to the Test side have had added significance.Firstly, there was the comeback itself at Sydney in the last Ashes, an opportunity he thought may never come around. Then, having long carried a tag of being unable to play spin, which should really have been shed when he saved the game in Abu Dhabi in 2018, he dominated in Pakistan on a hugely significant homecoming tour. Then he followed that with a century against India in Ahmedabad a few months ago.And now Edgbaston in 2023, ten years on from his first Test tour of the country which had brought his only other fifty. Despite a prolific return to the side, his average in England – 17.78 before this match after two low scores in the World Test Championship final last week – had not gone unnoticed.When he late cut Ben Stokes down to deep third to bring up a 15th Test hundred the celebration showed what it meant. Never mind the dab or the LeBron James inspired dance, this was something more guttural as he let out a roar and hurled his bat in the air, leaving him standing with arms aloft holding his helmet.”I honestly don’t know,” Khawaja, with daughter Aisha on his knee at the press conference, said of what prompted the celebration. “Think it was a combination of three Ashes tours in England, being dropped in two of them. I don’t read the media, genuinely I don’t, but I’m getting sprayed by the crowd as I’m walking out there today and as I’m going to the nets that I can’t score runs in England, so guess it was more emotional than normal.Related

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“Feel like I’m saying this all the time, same thing happened in India. Not that I have a point to prove, but it’s nice to go out and score runs for Australia just to show everyone that the last 10 years haven’t been a fluke.”The theme from Khawaja over the last few years has been how comfortable he now is being himself. “It’s just what you see is what you get, this is Usman,” he said. “I don’t try to hide it. I’m not perfect, I make mistakes, but I’m happy to be out there and show everyone the real me. Don’t know why the bat throw happened, but it happened. That was me.”As Khawaja said, his previous Ashes history in England had not been a happy one. A top score of 54 in the first of six previous meetings in 2013. He was dropped for the final match of that series at The Oval. He did not make the 2015 tour during a near two-year absence from the Test side, then in 2019 he was the fall guy to accommodate Marnus Labuschagne on Steven Smith’s return from concussion at Old Trafford. This time he had come prepared.”England is, in my opinion, the toughest place in the world to bat for top-three batsmen,” Khawaja said before the tour. “If I’ve learned anything, it is work hard, train hard and [when] going to England, go with low expectations. You are going to fail as a batsman, but when you do score you try to cash in as much as you can.”Usman Khawaja celebrates reaching his ton•PA Images via Getty Images

Cash in he did. And how Australia needed him. Khawaja had watched from the other end as David Warner dragged on against his arch nemesis Stuart Broad. He watched as Labuschagne edged behind for the first golden duck of his Test career. He watched as Smith was given lbw to Stokes to leave Australia three down before lunch.With some help from Travis Head, Cameron Green and latterly Alex Carey, he has been the key difference between Australia having a chance to stay level with England on first innings and conceding a likely match-defining lead.The century was in a mould of the previous six he had made on his return to Test cricket, with an almost zen-like calmness. Led by Broad, England were very good with the new ball early in the day. Khawaja was beaten on occasions but never ruffled although there was not the amount of seam or swing that has previously troubled him.While runs have flowed at home, he has equally left his mark overseas. Since January 2022, Khawaja has scored more than 1000 runs outside Australia. No batter has scored more runs in away Tests with the next most prolific batter in away Tests in this period being Joe Root, who has 802 runs in an equal 19 innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It appeared that the second new ball had finally done for him on 112 when Broad, from around the wicket, a line that has not troubled Khawaja the same as it has Warner, brought a terrific delivery back into off stump only for his foot to have been inches over the line.His play against Moeen Ali brought back memories of how he had dominated Pakistan’s spinners last year on some docile surfaces. Watchfully respecting the good balls, but quick to apply some pressure (not that Stokes sees his bowlers being hit for boundaries that way) with sweet, crisp footwork. He rarely misjudges length against the spin.”England, to their credit, they stuck to their guns, kept the field up and eventually got the wicket of Heady by just keeping the guys up,” Khawaja said. “It was good cat and mouse.”The comparison between Khawaja and his opening partner is hard to ignore. While Warner battles to get the ending he wants in Sydney early next year, Khawaja is mapping out the most glorious final coming to an international career littered with ups and downs. And though this is likely a final tour of England – “unless I pull a James Anderson,” he said – that finishing point may be some time off yet.

Bhut scored a century and fifty and picked up eight wickets in the match to take Saurashtra to a win over Punjab in the remaining quarter-final

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2023 • Updated on 06-Feb-2023

Allround Parth Bhut powers Saurashtra into semis

Full ScorecardParth Bhut’s 111* and 51 and a match-haul of 8 for 203 helped Saurashtra stage a stunning come-from-behind win over Punjab by 71 runs and book their place in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy. Bhut was ably backed by fellow left-arm spinner, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who picked up eight wickets in the match for 165.Chasing 252, Punjab were undone by spin on the final day of the quarter-final in Rajkot. While Bhut returned 5 for 89 in 33 overs, Dharmendrasinh picked 3 for 56 in 38.1 overs as Punjab were skittled out for 180 despite taking a 128-run first-innings lead.Electing to bat first, Saurashtra lost Harvik Desai in the first over, but Snell Patel (70) and Vishvaraj Jadeja got them going. However, Mayank Markande ran through the middle order picking four wickets to reduce Saurashtra to 147 for 8. Baltej Singh also did his bit it picking 3 for 60. But Bhut, coming in at No. 9, recorded his maiden first-class century and helped his side get over the 300-mark. He added 61 runs with Chetan Sakariya (22) and then stitched a 95-run stand with No. 11 Yuvrajsinh Dodiya (17).In reply, Prabhsimran Singh (126) and Naman Dhir (131) added 212 runs for the opening wicket in quick time. The duo recorded centuries, while Mandeep Singh scored 91, and even though Dharmendrasinh picked up 5 for 109, Punjab were in the driver’s seat, having amassed 431 in the first innings.Saurashtra were once again reduced to 60 for 4 in their second innings, but captain Arpit Vasavada and Chirag Jani added 140 runs for the fifth wicket to take them in the lead. Both fell in quick time, but Prerak Mankad (88) and Bhut pulled them out of a hole. Vinay Choudhary put up a valiant effort in picking 7 for 179 as Saurashtra were bowled out for 379.Punjab’s chase never really took off and they lost wickets at regular intervals with Saurashtra’s three spinners wrapping up the win.

Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep star in Bengal’s big win

Shahbaz Ahmed played a key role with bat and ball in Bengal’s win•PTI

Full scorecardBengal got past Jharkhand by nine wickets at Eden Gardens to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy.Akash Deep, who picked six wickets in the game, was the star with the ball, while Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami all played crucial knocks with the bat as Bengal cruised to victory in the first session of the fourth day.Related

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After putting Jharkhand in to bat, Akash Deep ran through their line-up, with some help from fellow quicks Mukesh Kumar and Akash Ghatak. Kumar Suraj was the only batter from Jharkhand’s top five to reach double-figures, hitting an unbeaten 89 to help take the team to 173, with the lower order batters also showing some resistance.When they batted first, Bengal lost opener Kazi Saifi early, but a 136-run partnership for the second wicket between Abhimanyu (77) and Gharami (68) put Bengal in a commanding position. Shahbaz (81) ensured they finished with a strong first-innings lead of 155.Akash Deep and Ghatak then took two wickets each as Jharkhand were left tottering at 21 for 4. Anukul Roy and Aryaman Sen added 71 runs for the fifth wicket to revive Jharkhand, but when Sen fell for 64 with Jharkhand still behind Bengal, it looked like game over.Supriyo Chakraborty’s 41, however, kept Jharkhand alive for a little longer, but Mukesh and Ghatak wrapped the innings up, with Bengal needing 67 to win. Saifi fell early once again, but Abhimanyu and Gharami raced to the target to put Bengal into the semi-finals, where they will meet the winners of the Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra game.

Shreyas Gopal 161* flattens Uttarakhand

Shreyas Gopal scored his fifth first-class century to lead Karnataka’s batting charge•PTI

Full scorecardShreyas Gopal hit an unbeaten 161 and followed it up with a three-wicket haul as Karnataka trounced Uttarakhand by an innings and 281 runs in their quarter-final at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.It was a game Karnataka dominated right from the start. After Karnataka won the toss and chose to field, young fast bowler M Venkatesh returned a five-wicket haul on first-class debut to help bundle Uttarakhand out for just 116.Half-centuries from each of Karnataka’s top four then put them in a commanding position. Openers Mayank Agarwal (83) and R Samarth (82) put on a 159-run stand to start with, and Devdutt Padikkal (69) and Nikin Jose (62) then put on 118 runs for the third wicket.Shreyas was, however, the star with the bat, hitting his fifth first-class century to take Karnataka to 606, leaving Uttarakhand with a huge ask.Swapnil Singh hit a fighting fifty for Uttarakhand in their second innings after they conceded a 490-run first-innings lead, but it was far from enough as they folded for 209. Shreyas and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up three wickets each, while Venkatesh and Vidwath Kaverappa took two apiece.

Yash Dubey, Rajat Patidar set up MP’s win

Full scorecardHalf-centuries from Yash Dubey and Rajat Patidar took defending champions Madhya Pradesh to their 245-run target against Andhra and set up a semi-final contest against Bengal, who defeated Jharkhand earlier in the day.Madhya Pradesh did lose five wickets in the chase, but were largely untroubled as they completed a come-from-behind victory after conceding a 151-run first-innings lead.