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.”

ODI World Cup performers and uncapped Indians were in big in demand at IPL 2024 auction

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-20234:17

Starc: ‘It’s a bit of a shock to be honest’

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has shattered the record for the most expensive player at an IPL auction after being bought by Kolkata Knight riders for INR 24.75 crore (US$2,982,000 approx.). He surpassed the winning bid of INR 20.50 crore (US$2,470,000 approx.) that Sunrisers Hyderabad had made for Pat Cummins, Australia’s ODI World Cup winning captain, less than two hours earlier at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai.Starc came up for bidding in the first set for fast bowlers – the fourth set of the day – and the battle for him began between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. However, it was swiftly taken over by Gujarat Titans and KKR, the only franchises with more than INR 30 crore left in their purse at that point, and KKR won the final bid.The last time Starc featured in an IPL auction was in 2018 when KKR had signed him for INR 9.4 crore. He didn’t play that season, though, because of injury; he hasn’t played the IPL since 2015, in fact.”I’ve probably prioritised international cricket firstly for a long time whilst having a bit of a taste of IPL and Big Bash in Australia,” Starc said after his bid. “I’ve always held firm that I’ve wanted to play my best cricket for Australia and make myself available for Australia where I can. At the same time, the temptation to go back to IPL and how exciting it is to be involved in such a great tournament, big names, big players, big stages -it’s too hard to pass up. There’s a place to play all of it. It’s just being mindful and putting the work ethic into being able to do all of it.”Related

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• As it happened – IPL 2024 auction

Before Starc’s record bid, Sunrisers had spent INR 20.50 crore (US$2,470,000 approx.) to sign Cummins, staving off competition from Royal Challengers Bangalore to get their man. Cummins’ price had surpassed the record of INR 18.50 crore that Punjab Kings had paid for England allrounder Sam Curran at the 2023 IPL auction. Cummins had skipped the 2023 IPL to focus on international cricket; his previous highest auction price was INR 15.50 crore, when KKR had signed him in 2020.”Pumped to be joining SRH for the upcoming IPL season,” Cummins said after he was sold. “I’ve heard a lot about the Orange Army, I’ve played at Hyderabad a few times and always loved it, so can’t wait to get started. Great to see another Aussie in Trav Head over there as well. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun this season, and hopefully plenty of success.”Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori said they were able to spend that much on Cummins because they already had most bases covered. “Someone else desperately wanted him as well, that’s why he got pushed to that high number,” Vettori said. “Because our team is relatively settled and we have the budget, and we have already picked up Travis Head and [Wanindu] Hasaranga, we felt like we’d covered most things that we wanted at the auction, so we had the ability to spend that much.”

ODI World Cup performers get big paydays

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, Australia batter Travis Head, South Africa allrounder Gerald Coetzee, and Sri Lanka quick Dilshan Madushanka landed IPL deals on the back of impressive performances in the recent ODI World Cup in India.Mitchell was fiercely fought for by Capitals, Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, and was finally bought for INR 14 crore by CSK after entering the auction at a base price of INR 1 crore. Ravindra was also bought by CSK for INR 1.8 crore.CSK had also wanted to buy Head, the Player of the Match in the ODI World Cup semi-final and final, but lost him to Sunrisers, who signed him for INR 6.8 crore.Both Coetzee (INR 5 crore) and Madushanka (INR 4.6 crore) were signed by Mumbai Indians for a total of INR 9.6 crore – these were their first two buys at the auction.Afghanistan allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai also found a home at Titans, alongside his countrymen Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Uncapped Indians earn big bucks

UP top-order batter Sameer Rizvi, Jharkhand wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and Vidarbha middle-order batter Shubham Dubey, three of the players in ESPNcricinfo’s picks for most in-demand uncapped Indian players at the auction, earned big IPL deals.Dubey went first, with Capitals going after him with intent, but he eventually got sold to Royals for INR 5.8 crore. Rizvi’s name came up not long after, and if Dubey’s fee was the highest paid for an uncapped batter with no IPL experience, topping the INR 5.25 Punjab paid for Shahrukh Khan in 2021, the record didn’t last long – Rizvi earned INR 8.40 crore after CSK beat off Titans and Capitals for his services.Kushagra, for a while, threatened to top Rizvi’s bid, but Capitals got him for INR 7.20 crore after fighting off competition from CSK and Titans. A scrap for Shahrukh was expected, and there was one between Punjab – who had released him prior to the auction – and Titans. His price soared until it stopped at INR 7.40 crore, with Titans getting the big-hitting middle-order batter.Titans also tried to buy back left-arm quick Yash Dayal, who eventually went to RCB for INR 5 crore. Titans, however, picked up another left-arm quick Sushant Mishra for INR 2.2 crore, while left-arm M Siddharth went to LSG for INR 2.4 crore.One of the biggest surprises came late in the auction when the uncapped 21-year old Robin Minz, a wicketkeeper from Jharkhand with a base price of INR 20 lakh, was up for bidding. Four teams wanted him, first CSK and MI, and then SRH, before he was eventually sold for INR 3.6 crore to the Titans. An aggressive batter from Gumla, Minz has not played any domestic T20 cricket. One of his three coaches is Chanchal Bhattacharya, who also coached MS Dhoni. Minz idolises Dhoni and was selected for a Mumbai Indians camp earlier this year.

The surprise big buys

The 2024 auction had begun with a surprise, when West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell was signed for INR 7.4 crore by Rajasthan Royals, who spent more than half their auction purse on one player. Powell’s previous auction price was INR 2.8 crore, which Capitals paid for him in the 2022 auction.West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was also hotly fought for by CSK, Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and RCB. He had been released by Titans, who had paid INR 2.4 crore for him in the 2022 auction, and was signed for INR 11.50 crore by RCB, who needed an overseas fast bowler after having released Josh Hazlewood, Wayne Parnell and David Willey.Australian left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, who plays for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, was another big surprise buy during the accelerated round towards the end of the auction. Having entered the auction at a base price of INR 50 lakh, Johnson’s price skyrocketed as Capitals and Titans bid for him. He eventually went for INR 10 crore to Titans, who needed an overseas fast bowler as back-up for Josh Little. Having lost Johnson to Titans, the Capitals picked up Australian quick Jhye Richardson shortly after for INR 5 crore.After picking up overseas quicks Coetzee and Madhushanka, Mumbai bought a third overseas fast bowler in 29-year old Sri Lankan Nuwan Thushara, who has played five T20 internationals. KKR and RCB began the bidding for him, but MI eventually won the bid at INR 4.8 crore.South African batter Rilee Rossouw had gone unsold when he came up for bidding in the early part of the auction but he was in big demand during the accelerated round at the end of the day. Capitals had bought Rossouw for INR 4.6 crore at the 2023 auction and then released him, but they entered the bidding for him once again and took the price up towards INR 8 crore, at which point they lost him to Punjab.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

How did the capped Indian players fare?

The most expensive Indian player at the 2024 IPL auction was fast bowler Harshal Patel. The bidding for him began between Titans and Punjab, and then between Punjab and LSG, before he was finally sold to Punjab for INR 11.75 crore.Allrounder Shardul Thakur (INR 4 crore) will return for his second stint at CSK, who signed him for INR 4 crore. The last time Thakur had been sold at the auction, he had gone for INR 10.75 crore to Capitals in 2022.Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi were also in high demand. SRH and Capitals tried to sign Umesh but Titans eventually did so for INR 5.8 crore. Mavi became LSG’s first buy at the 2024 auction, when they outbid RCB by spending nearly half their remaining purse to sign him for INR 6.4 crore.Jaydev Unadkat, who once commanded a bid of INR 11.4 crore in the 2018 auction, was sold for INR 1.6 crore to Sunrisers.

The steal deals

Sunrisers picked up Sri Lanka legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga at his base price of INR 1.5 crore as a like-for-like replacement for Adil Rashid, whom they had released. The last time Hasaranga had been sold at the 2022 auction, RCB had paid INR 10.75 crore for him.Capitals managed to sign England batter Harry Brook for INR 4 crore; Brook had been signed by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore last year and subsequently released after an unremarkable maiden IPL season.

“When you are put against a wall, you need to show character and you need to be brave enough, which I thought we weren’t”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-20242:26

Manjrekar: Indian batters found wanting temperamentally

Rohit Sharma feels India were not “brave enough” in their second innings and they “overall failed as a team” as they went down by 28 runs in Hyderabad.”When you are put against a wall, you need to show character and you need to be brave enough, which I thought we weren’t,” Rohit said on the official broadcast after India went 1-0 down in the five-Test series. “We wanted to take some chances… we didn’t take chances with the bat. But that can happen.”With India taking a massive 190-run first-innings lead, the idea that England would finish on the winning side was more than a bit far-fetched. However, Ollie Pope produced an epic 196 off 278 balls to take England to 420 in their second dig and gave them a 230-run lead, which proved just enough.Related

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Rohit said that Pope’s knock was “probably the best” he had seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter, but felt that the target was by no means ungettable on a surface not doing too much.”You got to take your hat off and say ‘well played’ to Ollie Pope. That was some serious knock,” Rohit said. “Having gotten the lead of 190, we thought we were very much in the game, but then… exceptional batting, probably the best that I have seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter.”Ollie Pope played a brilliant knock. I definitely thought 230 was gettable, there wasn’t too much in the pitch, but we didn’t bat well enough to get to the score.”This is only the third time overall – and the first time at home – that India have lost a Test match after securing a first-innings lead in excess of 100 runs. Was India’s bowling to blame for the loss in Hyderabad then?”I went and checked where we bowled [after the third day], and I thought we bowled in the right areas,” Rohit said. “When you finish the day, you analyse: what went well, what didn’t go well, and things like that. We went back and saw things; we spoke about [them] and I thought the bowlers executed the plan really well.”Hard to look at one or two things. Overall we failed as a team. I thought after the first innings of their batting and our batting I thought we were very much in the game. We didn’t bat well enough to get to that score [in the second innings].”Rohit also had praise for India’s lower-order batters, who hung around to give them hope late on the fourth day. India were at 119 for 7 in the 41st over and a swift end was on the horizon. But KS Bharat and R Ashwin strung a 57-run stand off 130 balls for the eighth wicket. Even Jasprit Bumrah and No. 11 Mohammed Siraj hung around for 37 balls, adding 25 runs, but could not take the game into the final day with Siraj falling in the last over of an extended day to give Tom Hartley his seventh wicket of the innings and spark celebrations in the England camp.”I wanted them to take the game to the fifth day; 20-30 runs anything is possible,” Rohit said. “The lower order fought really well, and showed the top order that you need to fight it out. It is the first game of the series. I hope the guys can learn from that.”

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.”

“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.

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.”

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.

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.

Both teams still seeking first win after final-ball drama

ECB Media30-Jul-2024Northern Superchargers 100 for 7 (Davidson-Richard’s 27, Bell 4-11) tied with Southern Brave 100 for 8 (Tryon 25, Smith 2-24)Kate Cross scrambled two runs off the final ball to level the scores and secure a tie between Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave in the Hundred.On a slow and used wicket, boundary-hitting never looked easy and Superchargers’ chase of 100 was a nervous and fraught affair throughout, off the back of a first-innings batting effort from Southern Brave that was equally scrappy.Brave – well marshalled by captain Georgia Adams – used the conditions and kept the stumps in play to maintain the pressure in the chase, and were thankful to England seamer Lauren Bell whose 4 for 11 was the standout performance of the game.Both Phoebe Litchfield and Alice Davidson-Richards looked to have the chase in hand for Hollie Armitage’s side, but on a nip-and-tuck day that saw momentum swing this way and that, both players were dismissed just as they seemed to be putting their team’s nose in front.Only Maia Bouchier and Chloe Tryon passed 20 for Southern Brave, but Rhianna Southby and Bell played a hugely important role with bat in hand to inch their team up to the psychologically important three-figure total.As it was, Southern Brave’s total was just enough to not be surpassed by Superchargers, but both sides will feel they missed the opportunity to get their first win of the Hundred on the board.Meerkat Match Hero Lauren Bell said: “The emotions were up and down! In that last set of five I had a lot of adrenaline. It was cool, that’s what we play cricket for.”You just go ball by ball at the death, and see what player you’re bowling at. Pace-off was working on this pitch, and pace-on was a good variation, so it was ball by ball.”The ideal final ball was a straight yorker and I don’t think I was too far away from executing. Maybe we should have just looked at the field a bit but what can you do, hindsight is lovely.”

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.