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Guyana’s pace duo Keon Joseph and Keemo Paul took a combined 16 wickets to haul Guyana to their fourth win in five matches

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017Pacers Keon Joseph and Keemo Paul took a combined 16 wickets in the match as Guyana secured an eight-wicket victory over Barbados at home.Paul took his second first-class five-wicket haul, while Joseph took three wickets as Barbados posted 294 after electing to bat. They then returned to take four wickets each in Barbados’ second innings before half-centuries from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Leon Johnson helped them run down a 178-run target with eight wickets to spare.Having lost the toss, Guyana won the early exchanges, with Joseph snaring three wickets in a new-ball burst that reduced Barbados to 32 for 3. A 78-run fourth-wicket stand between Kevin Stoute followed, which ended with a run out of Moseley. Stoute fell for 47 to left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie as Barbados lost half their side for 123. Then came the substantial partnership of the match, between Kenroy Williams (68) and Justin Greaves, who top-scored with 72. The duo’s sixth-wicket stand of 121 hauled Barbados close to the 250 mark before Paul wiped out the lower order as Barbados lost five wickets for 50 runs to be bowled out for 294.Tagenarine (52) and Chandrapaul Hemraj (79) kickstarted Guyana’s replay with half-centuries and a 115-run first-wicket partnership. Barbados chipped away at the wickets thereafter, but Gudakesh Motie’s unbeaten 72 steered them to 314 all out. Ashley Nurse and Jomel Warrican took three wickets each.Joseph and Paul quickly reduced Barbados to 109 for 7 in the second innings. Jonathan Carter prolonged the innings with 53 and a ninth-wicket stand of 86 with Mario Rampersaud, before Barbados folded for 197.Chanderpaul and Johnson, the Guyana captain, took their team close to the target with a second-wicket partnership of 117 after Hemraj’s dismissal for 21. Johnson was bowled by Harding for 61 with Guyana 25 away from the target, but Tagenarine (62*) and Vishaul Singh (22*) sealed Guyana their fourth win in five matches.

A last-minute bid by Glenn Maxwell to move from Victoria to New South Wales for the 2016-17 season has been blocked by the Bushrangers, who chose to enforce the terms of his CA contract

Daniel Brettig15-Sep-2016A last-minute bid by Glenn Maxwell to move from Victoria to New South Wales for the 2016-17 season has been blocked by the Bushrangers, who chose to enforce the terms of his Cricket Australia contract.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Maxwell expressed interest in leaving Victoria for New South Wales during the recent Sri Lanka tour. The approach followed his dumping from the ODI team and the accompanying message from the selectors that he had to become a more consistent batsman to regain his place in 50-over matches and also to challenge for a Test berth.By way of addressing this, Maxwell sought a move to New South Wales for a change of scene and a chance to advance his maturation as a batsman. New South Wales are believed to have been open to the offer at first, but not pursued further once it became clear Victoria would enforce Maxwell’s contract.All CA-contracted players have a six-week window from the time their deal kicks in on July 1 of each year to state which domestic team they will be playing for in the forthcoming season. However, after that point they are bound to the state they had played for the previous season – Maxwell’s request to move states was effectively delivered six weeks too late.”Glenn is an integral member of the Bushrangers squad,” a Cricket Victoria spokesman said. “We’ll be working closely with Glenn this season to help him achieve his targets and ensure he is operating at a level to be consistently in contention for Australian selection.”The failed bid to depart creates a conundrum for the newly-appointed Victoria coach Andrew McDonald in terms of working with an unsettled member of his state squad in the forthcoming Matador Cup and then the Shield matches to follow.In Sri Lanka, Maxwell’s star regained some of its former lustre with a pair of explosive Twenty20 innings, taking advantage of the chance to open alongside David Warner. Following his outstanding 145 not out in the first match, he spoke with typical energy about playing Test cricket in the future.”West Indies was pretty disappointing,” Maxwell said. “I felt like I was a bit out of luck there. I just couldn’t get a break through that. To not be on the Sri Lanka Test tour probably hurt more than anything. I understood why they dropped me. I had no issues with that. And my scores were quite pitiful, by my standards, for the Australia A team. I think I scored more in this innings than in all my A team innings put together.”I’d like to think, on the back of my four-day form in Australia, I don’t think it should matter where my Tests are played. I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed as a subcontinent specialist, because I know how difficult it is here. All my red-ball runs have been made in either England or Australia. On the back of that I’d like to be picked in Australia.”Numerous players have lifted their Australian prospects by changing states in recent times. Their number has included Ryan Harris (South Australia to Queensland), Chris Rogers (Western Australia to Victoria), Peter Nevill (Victoria to NSW) and Usman Khawaja (NSW to Queensland).

Kumar Sangakkara scored his fifth Championship hundred of the season before Sam Curran’s maiden fifty kept Surery on track

Vithushan Ehantharajah at the Kia Oval23-Sep-2015
ScorecardKumar Sangakkara recorded another Championship hundred (file photo)•Getty Images

No one grumbles quite like a county cricket fan. Each individual has a slightly different tone shaped by their gender, experience and own personal angst. Some just sigh, a handful swear (loudly, too). Most reserve the chuntering for wickets but the ones that really pay attention can spend 10 minutes chewing your ear off about a couple of plays and misses from a different game entirely.Some do it among themselves, some to one another: at a ground like the Kia Oval, where the attendance is consistently good, you are never more than a row away from another fan. All it takes is a knowing look or a nod to begin conversation on a spinner introduced too late, a Curran bowling from the wrong end or another Gary Wilson 40. Here, on 49, Wilson edged Rory Kleinveldt to Rob Keogh at second slip. There were grumbles, but most of them were from Wilson.Two overs later, when Tom Curran was squared up by the same bowler and lost his off bail – Northamptonshire’s sub fielder Saif Zaib found it about 20 yards in from the fine leg boundary – the groans in the OCS stand were audible. At that point, Surrey were 47 runs shy of full batting points – a must, really, as they search for the points-heavy result that would see them promoted as Division Two champions. There were plenty of overs to go before the 110-over cut-off but just two wickets left.But as Surrey walked off for bad light, with 22 needed and 20 overs left – and those two wickets still in hand – spectators rose, shook hands with one another and promised to do it all again on Thursday. Because this season, Surrey fans have not had much reason to grumble. And it’s on days like these that you understand how lucky they have been.Just as they were about to forget that, when both Arun Harinath and Rory Burns fell to Maurice Chambers – both misreading the bounce to top-edge to the keeper and flick to fine leg, respectively – Kumar Sangakkara began his latest piece. For a good few hours, all you could hear were purrs.As he got going, Northants wilted. But there’s a small nugget in your brain that convinces yourself that maybe they were happy to be there, too, as Sangakkara took the scenic route to his fifth Championship hundred of the season. For those present, it was an incarnation of the dream scenario in which your favourite musician is in your front room, taking your requests and happy to oblige as you ask for the fifth rendition of “Tiny Dancer”. And out it comes, with just as much soul as was dished out at Central Park in 1980.He showcased all the classics – the driving against the seamers, that skip and whip to midwicket against the spinners, the straight-bat cut to both. At the lunch intermission, brought about by the wicket of Ben Foakes, he was 22 off 44 balls. Back out for the afternoon session, having been presented his county cap, he began once more, this time at a higher tempo, picking off boundaries at will.A luscious six over straight back over the head of Keogh – whose offspin had caused Sangakkara the most discomfort early on – took the Sri Lankan to fifty off 82 balls. A four in the same direction came a couple of balls later.He was backed up intermittently at the other end. Steven Davies hit as dreamy a 21 as you can imagine. Jason Roy was nearly out twice in three balls when on nought, edging Keogh just short of second slip and then ran past one, only for Murphy to fluff the stumping.It was left to Wilson to offer the congratulatory hug in the middle, as Sangakkara completed his jaunt to three figures by hitting his 139th ball through extra cover for four. By this time, he had opted to bat in a cap, which he doffed to the crowd and his dressing room. He was out on his 140th, dabbing Keogh to short leg. He walked off to his second standing ovation in as many minutes, looking over his shoulder and wondering if he could have given more.As he returned to the dressing room, he joined the huddle of Surrey players that had congregated around the analyst’s laptop. Perhaps they were looking to see if the dismissal was legitimate. They were probably just watching his highlights.So it was left to Sam Curran to keep the crowd sweet. A maiden first-class fifty came off 87 balls, featuring eight fours and a strong six. He moved to 48 playing a late cut off his toes, like it was the most normal thing for a 17-year-old to be doing on a Wednesday afternoon.Of course, it is important not to bestow the world upon this teen before he has even registered a full summer. But it is that train of thought that has you saying no to extra cheese or chocolate dusting on your tiramisu. This wasn’t a day for worrying about repercussions. This was another when the grumblers left the Oval contented.

Bangladesh’s bowlers put in a spirited display on the second morning but Sangakkara and Chandimal put on a century stand to bail out Sri Lanka

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran17-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara hit Test century No. 33•AFP

Smart stats

• Kumar Sangakkara has become the second Sri Lankan batsman, after Aravinda de Silva, to score three hundreds in a Test series. De Silva did it twice, against Pakistan and India.

• Sangakkara’s 33 Test hundreds put him in seventh place in the all-time list, one behind Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara.

• It’s his fifth Test hundred against Bangladesh, which puts him level with Sachin Tendulkar as the batsmen who’ve scored the most hundreds against them. Tendulkar scored his five in seven Tests, while Sangakkara has scored them in 13.

• The 195-run stand between Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal is Sri Lanka’s fifth-best for the fifth wicket in Tests. Four of those five partnerships have come in home Tests against Bangladesh.

• Among those batting in the top seven positions, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 14 ducks is the third-highest for Sri Lanka, after Marvan Atapattu (22) and Sanath Jayasuriya (15).

When Bangladesh folded for 240 on the first day in Colombo, it seemed an insufficient total. Only three times have Bangladesh managed to bowl out serious Test opposition below that score. Coming into this Test, their bowlers had only 22 Test caps between them, and their bowlers’ averages made for alarming reading – only offspinner Sohag Gazi manages below 75.There had also been worries that Bangladesh had gone in with three fast bowlers and no left-arm spinners, an almost unheard-of strategy for a team that has usually relied heavily on spin. But they put those dreadful numbers behind them in the morning session with a spirited display that left Sri Lanka at 69 for 4, before they were thwarted by a familiar bogeyman.The last time Bangladesh toured Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara racked up 200* and 222*, and this time he opened with twin tons in Galle. With Mahela Jayawardene out with an injury, Thilan Samaraweera retired and Tillakaratne Dilshan dismissed on the first day, there was plenty of responsibility left with Sangakkara to guide an inexperienced line-up. He duly delivered, completing a third Test century in 10 days, as he methodically negotiated the challenges posed by a testing track and Bangladesh’s attack.Dinesh Chandimal, for whom Test cricket continued to be easy, assisted Sangakkara with his second hundred of the series. The pair’s 195-run stand shifted the balance of the match towards Sri Lanka. An already feeble Bangladesh attack was further hampered by the unavailability of Robiul Islam, one of their four specialist bowlers, who had to leave the field just before tea due to cramps.This was not a track that encouraged flamboyance, and was more about waiting for the bad ball and patiently keeping out the good ones. Sangakkara did just that, cutting out the risks, and capitalised when the Bangladesh bowlers dropped short or bowled on the pads. Chandimal was a bit more enterprising, using his feet to Gazi, who bowled a marathon 18-over spell, to loft the ball as he made an energetic century. Both batsmen scored plenty of runs with dabs and tucks square of the wicket. As the partnership flourished, the batsmen brought out the big shots more often, and the pace of scoring picked up after tea.Sangakkara had a couple of close calls, with a bottom-edge on 81 evading both the stumps and the wicketkeeper, and a punch landing just out of reach of short cover, but other than that Bangladesh’s bowlers didn’t pose too much of a problem. He was the first to a hundred, and didn’t mark the occasion with any exuberant celebration, befitting someone who scores them often. Chandimal was more pumped up on reaching his second Test century, the additional duties of wicketkeeper and vice-captain seem to be resting easy on his shoulders so far.The pair were looking exceedingly comfortable, and you started to wonder where a wicket would come from for Bangladesh. It came through Rubel Hossain, who got one to nip in and beat Chandimal’s defence, leaving him bowled for 102.Before stumps, another of Sri Lanka’s next-generation batsmen, Kithruwan Vithanage, came out and played a series of shots, including an authoritative pull to get off the mark, but he perished as he flailed a wide delivery to deep point.Although Bangladesh’s bowlers wilted as the day progressed, they began with intent to rattle the top order. Dimuth Karunaratne was one of the youngsters who didn’t pile up a big score on the shirtfront in Galle, and with six of his ten Test innings having ended before he reached 15, he needed some runs to shore up his place. He and Sangakkara began confidently with a trio of boundaries in the first three overs, which was as many as Bangladesh managed in the entire first session yesterday. Karunaratne gave it away though, flashing at a short and wide delivery to edge to the keeper for 17.That wicket was a freebie for Abul Hasan, but the other two Bangladesh got came off more threatening deliveries. Lahiru Thirimanne was caught-behind for a duck, nicking a pitched up delivery that moved away slightly and Angelo Mathews was foxed by Gazi as he played for the turn, getting an outside edge that was snaffled by Mahmudullah at slip.That was as good as it got for Bangladesh, as Sangakkara and Chandimal then bailed Sri Lanka out of a tight spot. Sangakkara is still in the middle, and a lead of around 100 is likely to prove pivotal in this relatively low-scoring game.

Saeed Ajaml’s move back to Worcestershire this summer could be in doubt because of Pakistan’s proposed tour of Sri Lanka. Ajmal had signed to play in the Flt20, which begins in June, but now may be unable to play because of international commitments.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2012Saeed Ajaml’s move back to Worcestershire this season could be in doubt because of Pakistan’s proposed tour of Sri Lanka. Ajmal had signed to play in the Flt20, which begins in June, but now may be unavailable because of international commitments.Ajmal played a major role in a short stint for Worcestershire in the latter half of last season. He took 6 for 124 against Sussex at Horsham to bowl Worcestershire to a victory that went a long way to securing their survival in Division One of the County Championship.He bamboozled England in the recent Test series with 24 wickets, helping Pakistan to a 3-0 whitewash, and Worcestershire were keen to bring him back to New Road in 2012.”We were aware when we signed Saeed that there was the possibility of Pakistan touring Sri Lanka,” Worcestershire chief executive David Leatherdale told “There has been no definitive answer. We don’t know if they will be touring or not.”Saeed has signed for us and he is desperate to come. He is a class act and if he can’t come back it will be a blow. If he is available then fantastic, if not then it will be a real shame but we will look at some other plans.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan in Hamilton

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit02-Feb-2011

Match Facts

February 3, Hamilton

Start time 14:00 (01:00 GMT)
New Zealand need Jesse Ryder to return for a game that could decide the series•Getty Images

Big Picture

New Zealand have reason to feel exasperated. They have attempted everything to turn around their string of losses; in fact, there can be a case that they have tried too hard. They have brought in a capable new coach, rotated their players faster than a revolving door spins, tinkered around with the batting order, and even broken one of their most successful opening combinations. But at least one of their many old failings continues to crop up at crucial junctures.If the misfiring top order manages to provide a good start, the middle order contrives to cave in. When the top order suffers one of its spectacular collapses after seemingly promising starts, the middle order gets involved in the repair job, and they end up with a below-par total. And on the rare occasion that the batsmen fire collectively, the bowlers have kept the opposition in check, they inevitably manage to run in to a rampant batsman who takes the game away from their grasp. In the bowlers’ defence, there just haven’t been enough runs to play with, with the batsmen crossing 250 only thrice in the previous 14 matches, 13 of which have been lost.If the fact that one more series is now on the line isn’t motivation enough for the home team, they need look no further than their opponents. Despite all the issues surrounding the side, Pakistan have started to give the feeling of approaching somewhere close to being a settled side. The current captain and vice-captain have played major roles in their respective wins in the series, and the mutual admiration has overflowed from Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq. If some of that feel-good can translate into another match-winning performance, Pakistan will leave New Zealand with Test and one-day series wins, a massive achievement considering what has gone on in the previous six months.

Form guide

(Last five completed games)
New Zealand: LLWLL
Pakistan: WWLLW

Players to watch out for …

Misbah-ul-Haq keeps adding facets to his game that no one expects him to. His idea of breaking free in limited-overs games used to be an ungainly bent-knee swipe that almost always never went beyond midwicket. But he has shown that he can find the boundaries when needed. His calm approach has impressed John Wright, the opposition coach, enough to say that the New Zealand batsmen can learn from Misbah how to hold the innings together.Martin Guptill has looked assured, and has breezed away to solid starts throughout the series. The dismissals have been soft though – getting caught in the in-field while looking to work the ball away. If he can get over those momentary lapses, he could be the one who could do a Misbah for New Zealand.

Team news

Wright has hinted that the music is about to stop as far as the rotation chairs are concerned, and New Zealand will look to go in with their frontline side, injuries permitting. But different injuries are yet to allow Daniel Vettori (hamstring) and Jesse Ryder (finger) to be declared certainties for tomorrow. While Wright was hopeful about Ryder playing, Vettori remains a bigger doubt.New Zealand (probable): 1 Jamie How/Jesse Ryder, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Kane Williamson, 6 James Franklin, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt)/Jacob Oram, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Hamish Bennett.Pakistan have been unchanged for the previous two games, and in a potential series-decider, could go in with the same XI again. Sohail Tanvir has been a bit expensive so far, but he also got his side home in Napier with three fours in six deliveries. That he comes in at No. 10 shows the depth Pakistan have in their batting.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Umar Gul

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand’s 350 for 9 against Australia in 2007 at Seddon Park remains their highest ODI total in New Zealand, and the second-highest in the country.
• New Zealand’s 250 for 9 in the 3rd ODI is their second-highest total without any batsman making a half-century.

Quotes

“His was exactly the type of innings we need. I think throughout this series he’s been their glue, and we probably need some glue”
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“There’s still an opportunity to win the series with two games coming up. I think the teams are relatively level. It’s just that one individual performance wins the game.”
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England Lions found Pakistan A’s spinners too much to handle as they fell to an 83-run defeat in the opening one-dayer in Dubai after collapsing for a paltry 96

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2010
ScorecardEngland Lions found Pakistan A’s spinners too much to handle as they fell to an 83-run defeat in the opening one-dayer in Dubai after collapsing for a paltry 96. The Lions attack had impressed to restrict Pakistan A to 179, but Abdur Rehman and Raza Hasan ran through the top order with six wickets between them.Hasan, a 17-year-old left-arm spinner, made the important breakthrough when he bowled captain Andrew Gale after the Lions had progressed to 40 for 1 against the seamers. Rehman then struck twice in two balls when he removed Michael Carberry and James Taylor to leave the chase floundering on 41 for 4.For 10 overs Ian Bell and Steven Davies steadied the innings with a stand of 30, but the spinners remained a threat. Rehman ended the resistance when he nabbed Davies and Hasan then removed Adil Rashid for a duck to leave the Lions with a huge task in front of them.The lower order also succumbed to spin as Rehman collected his fourth by removing Chris Woakes and Mohammad Hafeez chipped in with a brace. Ian Bell was the only batsman to provide prolonged resistance and was left stranded on 46 when Hasan took his third to wrap up the match.Spin also played a key role when Pakistan A batted with David Wainwright, the Yorkshire left-arm spinner who was given his chance now that James Tredwell has left for Bangladesh with the senior squad, claiming 3 for 26. The Lions picked up wickets at regular intervals with Wainwright taking his first when he removed top-scorer Hafeez for 51.He also accounted for Hammad Azam, who was the star for Pakistan at the recent Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, and Aamer Sajjad for a useful 39 before the quicks returned to close out the innings. However, the total proved more than enough as Pakistan A set about trying to overturn their Twenty20 series defeat in successful style.

Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan are the uncapped players in the 17-man squad to be led by Jatinder Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2025Oman have named as many as four uncapped players for their maiden Asia Cup appearance next month. Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan are the uncapped players in the 17-man squad which will be led by experienced opener Jatinder Singh.”It is real that we are participating in the Asia Cup – a major tournament and a fantastic opportunity for our players to showcase their skills on a global stage,” Oman head coach Duleep Mendis said while looking ahead to their first Asia Cup. “Playing against teams like India and Pakistan is a moment to embrace for any cricketer. Anything can happen in a fast-paced T20 game, where one over of brilliance can change everything.”Our build-up has been strong, with the ongoing National T20 tournament providing competitive exposure, and our training sessions have been intense and focused. It’s not just about skills – in high-pressure games against elite teams, mental strength is equally crucial. We are hopeful of making an impact in this Asia Cup and showcasing Oman as a growing cricketing nation.”Oman enters the Asia Cup with a blend of experience and youth, determined to leave a mark against Asia’s cricketing powerhouses. The tournament will not only test their skills but also their mental toughness on one of the most watched platforms in the sport.”Oman are in Group A and begin their Asia Cup campaign on September 12 against Pakistan before taking on UAE on September 15 and India on September 19.Oman’s most recent appearance was in the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Lauderhill in the USA in May. This will be their second appearance in a major multi-nation tournament after the T20 World Cup last year.

Oman squad for Asia Cup

Jatinder Singh (capt), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava.

“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

• The good man Pattie and the scoundrel Cummins

• RCB have Narine to tackle, again, with their campaign starting to go belly-up

• The sloppiest IPL of them all? Here's what the numbers say

• The high-impact emergence of the uncapped Indian player

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.

The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-2022Australia 5 for 355 (Head 152, Warner 106, Stone 4-85) beat England 142 (Roy 33, Zampa 4-31) by 221 runs (DLS method)Life after Aaron Finch is proving a breeze for Australia with new opening pair Travis Head and David Warner piling up twin hundreds in a record-breaking partnership to hammer a listless England in the final ODI at the MCG a secure a series whitewash.The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284, to underpin Australia’s imposing total of 355 for 5 after the innings was reduced to 48 overs due to rain. They broke a host of records including becoming the second duo in ODI history to post two 250-plus runs stands behind India pair Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.Head continued his dominant year in ODI cricket scoring 152 from 130 balls, his second century and third overall, while Warner made 106 from 102 to post his first century for Australia in any format since January 2020, breaking a 68-innings drought. Head’s innings was even more extraordinary given he was fighting gastro, having struggled to take on food and fluids pre-game, and was unable to field.England are booked on a 6am flight out of Melbourne on Wednesday morning and played like they were already waiting for it as they slumped to their largest ODI defeat after winning the toss and electing to field. England’s intensity matched that of one of the smallest ODI crowds ever at the MCG of 10,406, on a miserable cold and wet Tuesday night in November, with the dead rubber resembling an Australian domestic one-day fixture. It was the lowest crowd at an MCG ODI since 1979. Two rain interruptions only dampened the mood further. All of England’s bowlers were collared at more than six runs per over. Olly Stone took four of the five wickets to fall but finished with the extraordinary figures of 4 for 85.Their chase was equally poor in pursuit of a DLS-adjusted target of 364, albeit they had the tougher of the batting conditions as the ball nipped and swung under lights. But it didn’t excuse a lack of intent from the top three and then a slew of poor shots from the middle-order as they folded to be bowled out for 142 in just 31.4 overs. Adam Zampa picked up 4 for 31 as all five Australian bowlers shared the wickets. The final margin of 222 runs surpassed England’s previous biggest loss of 219 runs. Australia could have ended the game sooner if they had not dropped four catches.Like Australia, England found some swing early on with the new balls on an overcast afternoon and Head enjoyed several slices of luck. He twice edged behind, flashing hard outside off stump, as one flew safely through a vacant third slip and the other escaped the grasp of Liam Dawson at second as he jumped high to his right. Head was also given out lbw onfield to Chris Woakes but had it overturned on review as it was pitching outside leg.From there Head found another gear, lashing England’s bowlers to all parts of the MCG on what turned into an excellent batting surface. Not even a brief rain delay could slow his momentum.The early swing subsided, and he feasted on the easy pace of England’s seam attack. He smashed 16 fours and four towering sixes, to reach his century off just 92 balls in the 27th over, celebrating by rocking his bat like a baby in acknowledgment of his recently born baby girl.David Warner had the chance to bring out the trademark leap•Getty Images

Warner was the silent partner for a large part of the partnership. He was on 62 when Head reached his century having barely taken a risk. He breezed to his 19th ODI century, punching a gift of a full toss from Stone wide of mid-off and celebrated with his trademark leap. It looked like a statement innings, moving to second on Australia’s all-time ODI centuries list just a day after he had vented his frustration at Cricket Australia for their handling of a review into his lifetime leadership ban.Australia were 217 for 0 at the second drinks break after 34 overs, having not struck a boundary in the previous five overs. Head and Warner then went into party mode smashing 52 from the next 24 balls as Head raced past 150. But both men holed out in the same Stone over to stall Australia’s momentum a touch. A second rain delay cut two overs off the innings and saw Marcus Stoinis fall attempting a wild swipe first ball after the break. But it allowed Mitch Marsh to come in and smash 30 off 16 balls to finish the innings.England never came close to chasing the adjusted target. Dawid Malan was caught behind cheaply while Jason Roy and James Vince opted to dig in rather than hit out as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins proved extremely challenging under lights. The pressure eventually built as most of England’s batters had one foot on the plane home. Jos Buttler’s wild swipe across the line fourth ball to be caught off a leading edge for just 1, just nine days after holding the T20 World Cup aloft on the same ground, summed up England’s mindset. The game could have ended sooner had Australia’s catching been sharper. Zampa dropped two, including one off his own bowling that cost him three wickets in an over. Steven Smith missed a very difficult diving catch at slip, and substitute fielder Mackenzie Harvey, who was on for most of England’s innings as Head had felt ill after his innings, spilled another challenging chance at deep backward square having held another earlier on.To make matters worse for England, Phil Salt was subbed out of the game with concussion after suffering a head knock and shoulder injury in a fruitless chase and dive to save a boundary. Salt had his left arm in a sling post-match but it is believed to be precautionary. Moeen Ali was subbed into the game having been rested after Buttler returned as captain.