Lewis Hill’s 71* also pivotal in eight-wicket win over Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2024Ian Holland starred for champions Leicestershire with ball and bat as they maintained hopes of a Metro Bank One-Day Cup title defence with a rain-affected eight-wicket win over Yorkshire at Scarborough, the Foxes chasing a revised 22-over target of 150.All-rounder Holland took the new ball and returned 2 for 39 from 10 overs before opening the batting with 42 off 25 balls as Leicestershire won for the fourth time in six fixtures to move into the top three places in Group B.Helped by captain Lewis Hill’s excellent 71 not out off 54 balls with four sixes, Holland dented Yorkshire’s chances. They lost for the third time in six having made 236 for 7 from 50 overs after being inserted before rain at the mid-innings interval forced a two-hour delay to 5pm.The Vikings recovered from 118 for 6 thanks to a career-best 60 from Dom Bess and 55 not out for Matthew Revis, the seventh-wicket pair sharing 112. But the exploits of Holland and then Hill usurped their contributions.Alongside Holland, Tom Scriven and 17-year-old debutant Alex Green also struck twice apiece in Leicestershire’s five-man seam attack.The champions were exceptional with the ball during the first half of the innings having elected to bowl on the same pitch used for Yorkshire’s win against Essex on Tuesday.Along with taking four early wickets, reducing the Vikings to 79 for 4 inside 25 overs, they exerted significant control and conceded only three boundaries in that time.Tall Academy seamer Green encouraged after Holland had struck twice with the new ball to get Fin Bean caught behind and Shan Masood at cover.Holland also had a hand in the third wicket as he took the catch at mid-on after Harry Duke had miscued a pull at Scriven before James Wharton, for 23, pulled Roman Walker to deep midwicket.
Just when Yorkshire tried to accelerate, with George Hill and Luxton hitting a six apiece, they were checked by both men departing in quick succession as the score fell to 118 for six in the 35th over.Hill was caught in the ring off a miscued pull at Green before Luxton was caught behind against Scriven.But as good as Leicestershire were early on, Bess and Revis matched them late on in their century partnership to give Yorkshire a competitive total.They shared three leg-side sixes and reached their fifties late in an innings which saw 93 runs come from the last 10 overs. Revis got to 50 first off 47 balls and before Bess’s came off 48. Both finished having faced 51 balls.Bess had hit an unbeaten 53 – also a career best – in Tuesday’s win against Essex.Even though Leicestershire were helped by Duckworth Lewis Stern, their task still didn’t look straightforwards given ideal bowling conditions under gloomy skies.But Holland set the tone by square driving Hill for four after three balls of the chase.He found the boundary regularly afterwards and was strong on both sides of the wicket.And the loss of opening partner Sol Budinger – caught at mid-on off Hill, 18 for one – was not costly.When Holland fell, well caught at square-leg by diving sub-fielder Yash Vagadia off Dom Leech, the Foxes had control at 62 for two in the eighth over.Hill hit Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin for six over long-off – his second six – as Leicestershire reached the 10-over mark at 80 for two. And when Hill reached his fifty off 37 balls, the game was all but over at 113 for two in the 14th.Hill dominated an unbroken 90 stand with third-wicket partner Ajinkya Rahane (28) as victory was sealed with 2.2 overs remaining.

Fast bowler to continue in consultant role for Pakistan and New Zealand Test series this winter

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Sep-2024James Anderson will carry on as England men’s bowling consultant on their upcoming winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.Anderson has been working in the role since retiring in June after the first Test of the summer, against West Indies. Both the 42-year-old and the England management decided upon an initial stint through the home series with West Indies and Sri Lanka. That agreement has now been extended through to the end of the year.Anderson was informed earlier this year that the team would be moving on without him, during a meeting with head coach Brendon McCullum, captain Ben Stokes and managing director Rob Key, and bowed out at Lord’s with 704 Test wickets from 188 caps. With the ECB keen to retain his expertise as they build towards the 2025-26 Ashes, his initial stint as a bowling consultant was to ascertain if Anderson was interested in pursuing a coaching career, and, importantly, whether the situation worked for both parties.It does, for the time being at least. Anderson will now continue for the three-match tours of Pakistan (in October) and New Zealand (November and December). With no Test cricket scheduled for the first five months of 2025, Anderson may also get the opportunity to work with the limited-overs set-up, particularly when McCullum takes charge of the white-ball teams from the start of next year.”At the minute, I’m due to go to Pakistan and New Zealand in the winter,” Anderson told Sky Sports at the Kia Oval ahead of Day One of the third Test with Sri Lanka. “Then nothing concrete after that.Related

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• James Anderson considering T20 franchise circuit following Test retirement

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“I’m very new to this, I’m still learning as we go. It’s partly me trying to figure out if this is where I want to go with the next stage of my career and also for them to figure out if I’m any good at it as well.”The subsequent evolution of England’s bowling attack since Anderson’s enforced departure stepped up this week with a debut handed to Leicestershire’s 6ft 7in left-arm seamer Josh Hull. Since joining the squad ahead of the second Test after Mark Wood was ruled out through injury, the 20-year-old Hull has been working closely with Anderson. Speaking to Test Match Special at lunch, Key lauded that exposure to someone of Anderson’s knowledge and experience.”There was a great moment at Lord’s where you saw Josh Hull bowling in the middle and Jimmy standing top of his mark,” Key said. “You think ‘how good this is?’. All of that knowledge, you don’t want to lose. Then he is able to pass it on.”Jimmy is not always the most outgoing. He has really taken to it. You felt with Jimmy, for him to be a coach, you make the running with these people.”Some of these have not known life without James Anderson opening the bowling for England. if you can, without being forceful, make the running and just say ‘well bowled’. Even Mark Wood, when he comes in at lunch. That can have such an impact. A coach’s job is to make people feel confident. Someone like James Anderson, him telling you something will carry more weight. He seems to be loving it.”It would be great to have Jimmy in Pakistan, the same in New Zealand and who knows going forward. Jimmy has a few itches to scratch along the way but it is great to have him involved with us.”Anderson revealed recently that one of those itches is to play on the franchise circuit. He has not played any white-ball cricket since 2019, with his last T20 appearance more than a decade ago for Lancashire in 2014’s NatWest Blast final.At present, Anderson is not aware of any interest in his services. It remains to be seen whether he will continue playing for Lancashire next season.”No,” Anderson replied, when asked if conversations had taken place with prospective franchises. “But there might be people behind the scenes chatting to people.”I have no played white-ball cricket for a while so that is the first thing I need, to get back to it, if I am to think about doing it. And I don’t know if there is any interest so I will just ask around.”

There has been a lot of rain in Bengaluru and the pitch has been under covers, so the teams might wait till late to finalise their XIs

Sidharth Monga15-Oct-20241:52

Turning pitches will give New Zealand a ‘tough time’

Big picture – India look to continue WTC march

When they started their home season, India needed seven wins out of their ten remaining Tests to put beyond reasonable doubt their qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. In certain scenarios, even five wins would be enough. With five of these Tests in Australia, India wanted to go there with the five minimum wins already in the bag.Rain and poor facilities in Kanpur threatened to deny them one of those wins, but an extraordinarily enterprising batting approach manufactured a win there. They face a similar scenario when they start the three-Test series against New Zealand in Bengaluru, where rain disrupted the teams’ preparation, and is threatening to significantly impact the Test.Related

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• Rohit wants to expand India's fast-bowling bench strength

• Ravindra hopes to do 'what's true to us' with odds against NZ

• Gambhir: 'If you play only one way, you don't grow'

Former world Test champions New Zealand will want to prove silly the assumption that rain threatens to cost India certain points as was the case with Bangladesh in Kanpur, but the fact is that not much separates New Zealand and Bangladesh on the WTC points table. They have won only 37.5% of the points they have contested, about half of what India have. What’s worse is that they are away from home comforts and are coming off a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka, which is just a teaser of the challenges they can expect to face in India, who are on a six-match winning streak. New Zealand will have to start this challenge without the services of Kane Williamson, who is racing against time to be fit for the second Test.Then again, the rain does offer New Zealand a window of opportunity. In case it lets up and leaves the pitch sweating, there could be value in inserting the opposition an unprecedented three times in a row in India. If they manage to cash in on that window, they have a chance in the Test, but equally, India will back themselves in any conditions because they still might have a better pace attack even with Mohammed Shami missing. In fact, they might even relish seaming conditions because they also have one eye on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Form guide

India WWWWW
New Zealand LLLLW

In the spotlight – Virat Kohli and Tim Southee

It can be difficult to judge where Virat Kohli‘s game is at because everything around him is always heightened – be it optimism or pessimism. India haven’t played a lot of Test cricket in the recent past, but Kohli does have two centuries in his last eight Tests. However, before that, he had endured a long dry patch. Now people are keen to know how he is faring given the big series in Australia at the end of the year. At his IPL home ground, at a venue where he led India to a rousing Test win against Australia in 2017, Kohli is bound to be the centre of attention.1:45

Manjrekar doesn’t feel Kuldeep should get game time ahead of Australia tour

Kohli’s rival from his Under-19 days, Tim Southee was New Zealand’s captain only about a fortnight ago. He stepped down with a record of 6-6-2, but on the back of the whitewash in Sri Lanka. Eighteen short of 400 wickets, Southee continues to remain a vital part of New Zealand’s attack, especially in India, where he can use his experience to remain effective even when the conditions aren’t helpful. He took five-wicket hauls on two of his three previous trips here – one of them in overcast Bengaluru in 2012, and another in dry Kanpur in 2021, which shows his versatility, something New Zealand will need desperately in order to remain competitive.

Pitch and conditions

Early intelligence suggests India might return to tracks that call for three spinners after the Bangladesh series, where they played three quicks in both Tests and the side winning the toss chose to field on either occasion. However, the inclement weather in the lead-up to the Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru could end up producing seam-friendly conditions. The weather is likely to play spoilsport through the game, with the first two days likely to be the worst affected. However, the drainage facilities in Bengaluru are as good as anywhere.

Team news – Three quicks or three spinners?

Shubman Gill has a stiff neck, which could unsettle a settled batting line-up. If he doesn’t wake up fit to play, Gill could be replaced by Sarfaraz Khan in the XI and KL Rahul at No. 3. The question for them is whether to field an extra spinner or a third quick. It is likely to eventually come down to how much rain there is in the lead-up to the toss and how the conditions are at the time.India (likely): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill/Sarfaraz Khan, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Akash Deep/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj3:36

Rohit: Bumrah has always been in our leadership group

Mark Chapman is Williamson’s cover in New Zealand’s squad, but the slot has gone to Will Young. Mitchell Santner will be under pressure to keep his place after averaging 197 and being outbowled by Glenn Phillips in Sri Lanka.New Zealand (possible): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Tom Latham (capt), 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner/Michael Bracewell, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Will O’Rourke

Stats and trivia

• The last time New Zealand played in India, Ajaz Patel became the third man in Test history to take all ten wickets in an innings
• Kohli is 53 short of becoming the fourth Indian to 9000 Test runs
• India have already hit 97 sixes this year, going past the previous record, 89, which England had in 2022

Quotes

“No matter who the opposition is, what is important for us is to be an even better version of ourselves. So our focus will be on how we can do better than what we did in the previous series.”
“Obviously the wicket being under covers for a longer duration, and it not necessarily being as hot as what we would usually expect here, that potentially brings the fast bowlers into play. We’ve had a little bit of a look at the previous game that was played here maybe a month ago. And I think the seam took a lot of wickets.”

“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.”

Jadhav, who had also registered for the WPL auction but went unsold, is one of the standbys for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025Fourteen-year-old Ira Jadhav scored an unbeaten 346 off 157 balls to launch Mumbai to 563 for 3 against Meghalaya in Alur in the Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy. Jadhav smashed 42 fours and 16 sixes and finished with a strike rate of 220.38.In the chase, Meghalaya crumbled to 19 all out, with six players falling for ducks, as Mumbai posted a massive 544-run win.The record for the highest individual score in a women’s U-19 match belongs to South Africa’s Lizelle Lee. Playing for Mpumalanga, Lee scored an unbeaten 427 against Kei in 2010.Jadhav, who opened the innings, was part of a 274-run stand for the second wicket with her captain Hurley Gala, who made 116 off 79 balls. Jadhav’s contribution to the partnership was 149 off 71 balls. This was followed by a stand of 186 with Diksha Pawar – Jadhav’s share was 137 off 50 balls. Against such an onslaught, three of Meghalaya’s bowlers conceded 100 runs or more.A student of the Shardashram Vidyamandir International School, the alma mater of Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar, Jadhav was one of the youngest players to register for the WPL 2025 auction, but she went unsold. A few days later, she was named among standbys for India’s Under-19 T20 World Cup squad that will travel to Malaysia.

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.

Focus on Australia’s pace-bowling stocks, while England push Joe Root down to accommodate Jamie Smith at No. 3

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Feb-20255:01

Agar: Aussie youngsters will have ‘hunger to make a difference’

Big picture: Both teams coming off series defeats

Would you believe it, not only have Australia and England been drawn in the same group at a global tournament, but their Champions Trophy returns also start against one another. Universe (ICC), you’ve done it again! And yet, amid such predictable money-grabbing comes a bit of shameful excitement. Even without mentioning the “A” word, these are two bitter rivals in unique states. A champion Australia side shorn of some of those champions, and an England side increasingly desperate to rediscover former glory.The lack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood gives the ODI World Cup holders a less intimidating feel, and subsequently shifts the onus on a batting line-up led by Travis Head’s brand of “Ah, we’ll have a go”. Quite how that responsibility will manifest itself to what is more or less an established group of batters remains to be seen particularly as captain Steven Smith, standing in for Cummins and the injured Mitchell Marsh, who would have likely deputised, weighs up the right combinations for his top seven.That Australia can call upon Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshius to fill big bowling boots reflects the enviable depth of Australian cricket, even if those bowlers’ most notable successes – Abbott aside – have come exclusively in T20s. Extrapolating that to 50-over cricket will be its own challenge. Australia are not putting much stock in the fact they arrive off the back of a 2-0 ODI series loss against Sri Lanka. The same could be said of England, even if their 3-0 defeat to India elicited far more anger and ridicule.Related

• Smith, Australia hope champion DNA outweighs big-name absences

• Buttler: Smith has 'free hit' at No. 3 in reshuffled England batting order

Not training enough and golfing too much were the main takeaways outside a group that actually seems in good spirits considering they have now lost all four ODI series since the 2023 World Cup. To be expected, of course, as negative vibes have no place in Brendon McCullum’s house.In keeping, England’s break to the UAE came with a view of shedding the baggage from a travel-and defeat-heavy month in India, with added benefit of escaping the press hysteria around focusing on the wrong kind of white ball. But McCullum’s task requires a more hands-on and technically focused approach with a group which continues to look uneasy with bat and ball in this format.How much of that McCullum can change in such a short space of time – he has only been in charge of the limited-overs set-up for a month – will be determined over the coming weeks. Right now, it probably helps to have a familiar foe on the horizon to drum up a little extra heart and vigour.As for Jos Buttler, the next fortnight will go some way to determining whether he sticks with the captaincy. A promise to smile more at the start of the year felt optimistic at the time, and has proved as much. But after missing all of England’s ODIs in 2024, he will be better for the three ticked off earlier at the start of February.Of those Buttler missed last year due to a calf injury was the five-match series against Australia at the end of the home summer, which ensures greater familiarity at international level between the players, even if many of them have rubbed shoulders as team-mates or opponents at domestic level.Australia, made up of a few of the alternates substituted into their Champions Trophy squad, triumphed 3-2 on that occasion, having been 2-0 up before taking their foot off the gas. All five results were blowouts of one kind or another. And just as it was for India, Australia’s spinners made hay against England’s batters, with Adam Zampa doing the brunt of the damage, supplemented by handy contributions from Glenn Maxwell, Marnus Labuschagne and Head.Spencer Johnson replaces Mitchell Starc as the left-arm quick in Australia’s squad•Associated Press

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)Australia: LLLLW
England: LLLLW

In the spotlight: Spencer Johnson and Harry Brook

Starc is as close to irreplaceable a bowler as you can get in white-ball cricket. But if you’re going to try, a bloke who is six-feet-four and also bowls left-arm rockets is a great place to start. The best of Spencer Johnson has come in the shortest format, and with only three ODI caps spaced out over more than a year, the burden of replacing Starc at the front and back of an innings will weigh heavy on his broad shoulders. After taking his maiden wickets in Sri Lanka earlier this month, much more will be required of Johnson in Pakistan.Speaking of Pakistan, is there a better place for Harry Brook to rediscover his groove? This country’s pitches have been kind to him, albeit in the Test format, where he averages 84.10 courtesy of four hundreds – the most recent being a triple. England’s newly-appointed vice-captain left the India tour in a funk, with a lowly average of 16.66 in the ODIs brought about by an inability to attack spin effectively. But he will take heart from flatter decks and skippering with distinction against Australia last year, which included registering his maiden ODI century in the 3rd ODI at Chester-le-Street.

Team news

Given the absences, Australia’s pace attack pretty much picks itself. Allrounder Aaron Hardie, the immediate beneficiary of Marcus Stoinis’ retirement from the 50-over format on the eve of the tournament, could sit out for Labuschagne to play as an extra batter. Dwarshius’ left-arm/left-hand option may see him pip Abbott to the bowling allrounder slot.Australia (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Matthew Short, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Sean Abbott/Ben Dwarshius, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer JohnsonEngland’s batting reshuffle will see Jamie Smith at No. 3 and Joe Root at No. 4•Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images

England announced their XI two days out from the match – early by their unusually prompt standards – with Jamie Smith not just back fit from a calf injury, but also batting at No. 3 while also playing as wicketkeeper. It is not quite a nuclear option, but it does involve pushing Joe Root to No. 4 and taking the gloves from Phil Salt, who kept throughout the ODIs in India. With just four frontline bowling options, Root and Liam Livingstone must join forces effectively to provide a serviceable fifth. The pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, playing his first 50-over tournament since his Super Over heroics in 2019’s World Cup final, will present Australia’s starkest challenge.England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

ODI pitches at the Gaddafi Stadium are almost always flat belters. The venue hosted two matches in the recent tri-series, with New Zealand posting 330 for 6 to beat Pakistan, and then chasing down 305 with six wickets and eight balls to spare. Lahore is expected to be slightly cooler than it was for the tri-series, partly because of rain this week, which ended up hampering England’s preparations on Thursday. Dew is very rarely a factor at this time of year.5:44

Knight questions idea of Root, Buttler coming down the order

Stats and trivia

• Australia and England have a tight head-to-head record in the Champions Trophy, with England ahead just by a 3-2 margin.
• Maxwell and Buttler are the only members available from the two teams’ squads from the 2013 edition of the tournament.
• Archer is two wickets away from 50 in the ODIs.
• Jamie Smith has only previously batted at No. 3 once in 18 List A innings – for Surrey against Kent in 2019.

Quotes

“I’m going to have my work cut out for me with some of that fast bowling England have got. They’re high quality, highly skilled and high pace. I’ve got to make sure I start well, earn the right, and see where the game takes us. I’m just worried about making sure I start well for the team.”
“He’s been fit and firing now for 18 months or so since being out of the game for a while. He’s really excited to put together that kind of length of time back on the field, and he’s obviously a superstar of the game for us. He is someone, as a captain, you always know you can turn to and throw the ball. He’s obviously going to be really looking forward to the game tomorrow.”

Worcestershire compile the third-highest first-class score in their history as hosts struggle in response

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jun-2025Hampshire 68 for 3 (Varma 10*, Brown 7*, Taylor 2-16) trail Worcestershire 679 for 7 dec (Hose 266, Libby 228, Roderick 80) by 611 runsJake Libby achieved his second career Rothesay County Championship double century as Worcestershire compiled the third-highest first-class score in their history.Stand-in captain Libby batted throughout a 10-hour vigil to secure a personal best 228, while underpinning his side’s vast 679 for 7 declared.His double century was paired with Adam Hose’s on day one – making it the first time two Worcestershire batters had passed 200 in an innings, while Gareth Roderick’s 80 kept him company for much of day two.The declaration at tea left Hampshire 32 overs until the close, and during the evening they managed to lose their top three on a lifeless pitch to end the day on 68 for 3 – an ominous 611 in arrears.Libby is built for long innings. He has a sound defence, enough shot-making to avoid building pressure on himself, and the mental fortitude to become unmovable.Aged 21, he scored a double ton in Nottinghamshire’s Second XI. On Championship debut, Libby scored a 247-ball century. In 2021, he batted for 681 minutes – two minutes shy of the longest Championship innings – to save a match against Essex.This innings shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone, especially when it became clear before lunch on day one that the Hampshire bowlers were in for a torturous time with the pitch and Kookaburra ball.While Hose scored with abandon, Libby frustrated and accumulated. The pair put on 395 with their contrasting style until Hose’s departure late on the opening day.Nightwatcher Adam Finch and Ethan Brookes fell in the morning session but Hampshire only managed to pick up one bowling point, with Worcestershire counting the maximum five batting points to reverse their batting woes this season.Finch edged the three-wicket James Fuller behind, while Brookes left a straight one from Kyle Abbott.But Libby persisted, passing 150 with his sole six – towering Liam Dawson straight down the ground – and found Roderick a similarly stubborn partner.Roderick had barely scraped 250 runs together in 16 previous innings this season, but given the perfect batting conditions, upped the price on his wicket.It wasn’t pretty viewing in the roasting south coast sun, but it kept the scoreboard slowly ticking and the Hampshire bowlers, eight of whom were used in total, toiling.Roderick’s second fifty of the season came in 114 balls, but it was overshadowed by Libby raising his bat on 200 after 399 deliveries.Roderick top-edged a sweep to fall for 80 and Matthew Waite was carelessly run out before Tom Taylor added 51 with Libby.With a new ball ready after tea, Libby decided to put Hampshire’s bowlers out of their misery by concluding his and Worcestershire’s innings, having cleared his previous high of 215.The 679 was the highest Worcestershire score away from Visit Worcestershire New Road and the highest total by a visiting team to Utilita Bowl – only the 714 Hampshire dropped on Notts in 2005 stands above it.Hampshire’s response was not wholly unsurprising after 160 overs of draining fielding in mercury rising temperatures.Fletcha Middleton and Ali Orr had already been given lives when chances were shelled in the slips, but didn’t cash in.Middleton never looked comfortable before a hooping in-swinger from Taylor hit his pads in front, while Orr seemed to find rhythm until shabbily turning Finch to leg slip.Nick Gubbins followed to give Taylor a second leg-before wicket but Tilak Varma and Ben Brown remained for the last 40 balls of the day.

Unicorns will also miss the services of Romario Shepherd, who has returned to Guyana to play in the Global Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025Opener Finn Allen has been ruled out of New Zealand’s upcoming T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe, which is set to begin on July 14, after sustaining a foot injury while playing for San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC. This means he will also miss the MLC playoffs, where Unicorns are set to take on MI New York in the Eliminator on Wednesday.According to a NZC release, Allen’s recovery timeline will be determined once he returns to New Zealand and received further specialist consultations. While New Zealand will name his replacement for the tri-series in due course, Unicorns have decided not to name a replacement player. New Zealand are set to arrive in Harare on Thursday ahead of their first T20I against South Africa on July 16.Allen last played in Unicorns’ final league match against Los Angeles Knight Riders in Lauderhill on July 6. He was out for 4 in the first over of the 244 chase. He is Unicorns’ second-highest run-getter with 333 runs in nine matches, which included a record-breaking 151 in the first game against Washington Freedom in Oakland.Unicorns will also miss the services of West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd, who has returned to Guyana to play for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Global Super League. Shepherd has been a key wicket-taker for Unicorns, taking eight wickets in five innings, and has also contributed with the bat. Unicorns have decided not to name a replacement for him too.

Hong Kong field an unchanged side in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20251:27

Can Bangladesh maintain their aggressive batting approach?

Bangladesh captain Litton Das elected to bowl in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.Litton said he decided to bowl since they were not aware of the pitch conditions at the venue. He confirmed that Bangladesh were playing three seamers, two spinners, and six batters.Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza was happy despite losing the toss because he wanted to bat first anyway. Murtaza said that the batters made some mistakes against Afghanistan and that they wouldn’t want to repeat them. There were no changes to the Hong Kong side, with Murtaza backing the same XI to come good tonight.The pitch report sugges a dry surface with some cracks opening up but remains run friendly. The shorter boundary on one side of the ground could interest the battersOne losing record promises to come to an end tonight. Bangladesh have never won a T20I in Abu Dhabi. Hong Kong are yet to win an Asia Cup match.Bangladesh XI: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Hong Kong XI: 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshy Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan Khan