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The left-arm spinner is relishing his role in the Titans attack, and the prospect of batters playing out Rashid Khan and coming after him

Shashank Kishore25-Mar-20241:18

McClenaghan: ‘Mohit’s experience really shone through’

As a spinner, dew can be your biggest nightmare. And when the opponents are cruising at 107 for 2, needing 62 off 48, the challenges are that much greater.R Sai Kishore had bowled three wicketless overs for 19 up until this point. Rohit Sharma was set on 43, and another few overs of him would have all but closed the door on the Gujarat Titans. It’s at this point that Sai Kishore made his mark.”I was actually expecting dew to play a major role,” he said later. “The ball was wet, but for some strange reason, the ball was still holding on the wicket. Usually it slides on, but I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting. So I tried to go into the wicket and mix my pace, and go slower through the air.”Related

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Sai Kishore hadn’t featured for Titans all of last season due to team-combination considerations. Even his five appearances prior to that, in 2022, had been staggered. He needed to conjure something special to keep Titans alive, and he did, by simply pulling his length back a touch, and getting the ball to dip.Rohit fell over attempting a sweep and was trapped plumb in front. Sai Kishore had brought the game back on an even keel. His figures of 1 for 24 played a key part in Mumbai’s slowdown, particularly in the second half of their chase, where Titans varied their lengths and bowled into the pitch to deny the batters.”Because the wicket was two-paced, we tried to go into the wicket a lot more, trust our length a lot more than directly going for yorkers,” Sai Kishore said. “That resulted in getting a lot of wickets. It was attacking bowling even if the situation was otherwise.”At Titans, Sai Kishore has had to adapt to being the second spinner to Rashid Khan. In the TNPL or for Tamil Nadu, he’s used as a trump card in the Powerplay. This change of role can be tough, but for someone longing for opportunities, it was the opening he needed.”In the other teams where play I usually do the lead role. To do the second role makes it even more exciting,” Sai Kishore said. “Most people are going to play off Rashid and come after me. That makes the challenge more exciting.”That sync [with Rashid] is there, we discuss the game very well. One of the strengths of this team is everyone sticks together. Jayant [Yadav, the offspinner] also used to come in [as a reserve player] and say ‘do this, do that, it’s going good.’ The communication is always there, which is superb.”Sai Kishore picked up the all-important wicket of Rohit Sharma•BCCI

Sai Kishore felt Titans were at least 10 short of where they’d hoped to be with the bat. The plan all along was to remain in the game for as long as they could and then seize key moments, like they did in the death overs with Mohit Sharma and Rashid building on Sai Kishore’s work.”We felt we were 10 short, but the thing about this whole team and how it has been run over the last two years is we give a lot of emphasis to competing. Whether we win or lose, we’re proud of the way we play. We competed really well. That was the talk given by [head coach] Ashish Nehra as well.”All credit to the culture he has set up over the last two years. People are not thinking about the result [alone], they’re focusing about competing and staying in the game.”Sai Kishore is coming off a sensational Ranji Trophy season, which he finished as the highest wicket-taker. He left his imprint as a captain too, backing young players who thrived because of role clarity.At Titans, Sai Kishore is relishing any opportunity he gets to play, prepared to do the tough job without fearing the consequences. “When you bowl four overs on the trot, it’s like a one-day game, you can be in rhythm a lot easier.”With the Impact Player rule, we’re playing six bowlers. I’m getting the role where I’m bowling four overs on the trot in the middle. I’m open to bowling one-over spells. In [the Syed] Mushtaq Ali [Trophy] or TNPL, that’s how I use my overs but with the quality of bowlers we have, am getting to bowl four overs which I’m enjoying.”

Following the loss to Royals, LSG captain also explains why he held Ravi Bishnoi back till “it was a bit too late” for him to make a difference in the chase

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20241:39

Moody: LSG’s decision to hold Bishnoi back was ‘very strange’

KL Rahul said that Lucknow Super Giants’ failure to maximise their total cost them their home game against Rajasthan Royals.”We left about 20 runs behind,” Rahul told the host broadcaster after the game. “We didn’t get off to an ideal start but the partnership that me and Deepak Hooda had [got us on track].”LSG had been reduced to 11 for 2 after being put in to bat but recovered while maintaining a good run rate thanks to Rahul and Hooda’s 115-run stand off 62 balls for the third wicket. The duo smashed 45 in the three overs leading up to Hooda falling for a 31-ball 50. Rahul carried on but couldn’t apply the finishing touches. He perished in the 18th over and LSG mustered only 25 runs in their last last three overs to finish with 196 for 5.Related

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“Once we were set, that’s the time [in which] if Hooda could have pushed on, got 20 more runs and if I could have pushed on and gotten 20 more runs, we could’ve probably finished at 220; and we’re seeing with more games being played that it’s important for the batters to make sure we give that extra cushion for the bowlers.”They [RR] bowled well in the last couple of overs, we were in a good position at 150 for 3 by the end of the 15th over. So, I think we should have capitalised a bit more and got about 20-25 runs more.”RR got off to a strong start in the chase but then LSG fought back to remove the in-form trio of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag in quick succession to have them 78 for 3 in the ninth. Legspinner Amit Mishra, playing his first game of the season, was brought in as the Impact Player and got Parag with his fourth ball. Mishra’s second over, the 11th, went for 12 and he did not bowl another.Ravi Bishnoi, who was brought on in the 16th over, bowled just the one over•BCCI

Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya bowled out at the end of 15 overs, but LSG’s other main spin option, legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who has played all nine of their games this season, was denied an opportunity to bowl till the 16th over. At that point the equation read 53 needed off 30 with seven wickets in hand. Rahul explained the reasoning behind bringing Mishra into the XI, and Bishnoi being held back.”Mishra is an experienced player and we’ve been thinking about using him from the first game,” Rahul said. “Today was the day where we felt like he could be useful against their batters in the middle [order] with how slow he bowls and the slightly larger boundary. That was the idea of using him and we were hoping to use Bishnoi in the latter half.”But once the runs kept flowing – even when they lost wickets, they just made sure that they put pressure on our bowlers… There was a period of two or three overs where Krunal bowled really well and we really squeezed them hard.”But then, once the faster bowlers came on, they [the batters] used the pace really well and I couldn’t find a good time to bring in Bishnoi, and I think it was a bit too late by the time I got him on. Obviously, the plan was to keep him at the back end and make sure if Rovman [Powell] and [Shimron] Hetmyer come in to bat, he’s bowled well against them. That was the plan of how we wanted to use our legspinners.”

Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam and Mohammad Naim have been left out of the squad

Mohammad Isam29-Apr-2024Bangladesh have called up Mohammad Saifuddin for the first three T20Is of the five-match series against Zimbabwe. The squad also includes left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, allrounder Afif Hossain, and opening batters Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain.Saifuddin last played T20Is for Bangladesh in October 2022 shortly before the T20 World Cup in Australia. He suffered a back injury which kept him out till January this year following which he returned during the BPL, where he took 15 wickets in nine matches in Fortune Barishal’s maiden BPL title run.Left-handed opener Tanzid, meanwhile, has got a maiden T20I call-up. He has played 15 ODIs since his debut last year. He had a decent BPL campaign but was not part of the T20Is against Sri Lanka last month.Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan are not in the squad for the first three matches. Shakib will return to Dhaka on April 30, after which he is likely to play a Dhaka Premier League [DPL] match before joining the squad for the remaining two matches. Mustafizur is set to arrive on May 2 after his IPL stint and will undergo a fitness assessment before being considered for the final two T20Is against Zimbabwe in Dhaka.Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam and Mohammad Naim have been left out from the squad that played T20Is against Sri Lanka, while Soumya Sarkar is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered during the third ODI of that series.The first three T20Is will be played in Chattogram on May 3, 5 and 7, before the action moves to Dhaka for the last two games on May 10 and 12.Bangladesh squad for first three T20Is: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin

They need to win their remaining games, and for Australia to beat Scotland to have a chance of making the next round

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Jun-20244:28

Paine: England’s white-ball teams are living in the past

Match details

England vs Oman
Antigua, Thursday, 1500 local time

Big picture: England – what have you got?

The first of a three-part fightback must start here. Before England can even indulge the unthinkable – rooting for Australia to take down Scotland by a sizeable enough margin to grant them sheepish passage into the Super Eights – they must hold up their end of this monkey-paw deal with NRR-boosting victories over Oman and Namibia. Simple enough in the spreadsheets.That Oman come first on Thursday is welcome. Three games in, they look a team on the wane, one stretched to their limits after two solid showings. A valiant Super Over defeat to Namibia and a solid start with the ball against Australia gave way to a listless display against Scotland.The 19th-ranked team in the world are currently number one as far as drops go – a total of eight putting them bottom on the catching front in the T20 World Cup. Captain Aqib Ilyas also lamented the number of dot balls faced on Sunday, which resulted in a score of 150 for 7, which Scotland knocked off with seven wickets and all of 6.5 overs to spare.Related

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Form does not quite go out the window for their meeting with England, no matter how much introspection the defending champions have indulged since Saturday’s defeat to Australia. And it is Oman’s tentativeness with the bat that will give Jos Buttler’s bowlers the belief they can make amends for two less-than-convincing outings.Buttler has put on a cheerier front this week, discarding the sterner visage he had adopted at the start of the T20 World Cup. ICC competitions demand a lot from captains when it comes to media engagements, and Buttler’s lack of enthusiasm for such duties is nothing new. So, it is fair to assume his new tact is an attempt to channel more favourable .The proximity to the 2023 ODI World Cup failure makes comparisons unavoidable, and the inability to call an audible in the field against Australia speaks to similar errors in planning. David Warner and Travis Head kiboshed a prepared plan of straight lines and length from the quicks, peppering the short boundary early on. Only Jofra Archer had the wherewithal – and skill – to make adjustments, leaning on cutters to emerge relatively unscathed with an economy rate of seven. The gut feel on Will Jacks for the second over was probably indigestion.That Australia’s pace attack took cues from Archer means analysing England’s one batting innings in two weeks is a little pointless. The collective 77 from 66 balls managed by batters three to seven was far from ideal, but understandable given the pace-off, Adam Zampa-led squeeze after Buttler and Phil Salt’s opening stand of 73. Nevertheless, improvements need to be made by the individuals – particularly Jonny Bairstow, who struck 7 from 12 deliveries before tamely hoicking one in the air – by any means necessary.There is a sense, however, that this group – even those, like Bairstow, who were on deck for last winter’s debacle in India – have their heads well and truly in the game. Their 2022 success was ultimately forged by a similar fightback following defeat to Ireland and a washout against Australia. Though there is a little less in their control this time around, they will look to emerge from the corner for what will be a defining four days for this iteration of English white-ball cricket.

Form guide

England: LWWLW
Oman: LLLLWAqib Ilyas’ party trick of bowling offspin to left-handers and leg breaks to right-handers has been effective enough•ICC/Getty Images

In the spotlight – Harry Brook and Aqib Ilyas

Part of the criticism Bairstow copped for his innings in Barbados was fuelled by the “demotion” of Harry Brook to number six. Moeen Ali’s floating role – which is set to continue – saw him come in ahead of Brook, who eventually got to the crease upon Moeen’s dismissal with 74 to get in just 26 deliveries. The Yorkshire wunderkind could only manage 20 from 16.Brook has never batted higher than four in T20I cricket, and he’s only done that six times in 29 knocks. Getting him into an innings early makes sense, and No.4 seems a prime spot for him in this line-up. Whether that means dropping Bairstow down the order or altogether – unlikely for now – it feels a necessary play to ensure Brook is not wasted. It is worth noting that both times Brook has faced more than 30 deliveries, he has pocketed half-centuries at strike rates of 231.42 (against Pakistan in 2022) and 186.11 (against New Zealand in 2023).Aqib Ilyas was refreshingly honest after the defeat against Scotland. But it is time for the Oman captain to contribute. Three innings at first drop have reaped just 34 runs from 25 deliveries, all of which have come in the first six overs. He did at least practice the positivity he preached in his last innings, striking 16 off five before being trapped lbw by Safyaan Sharif.His party trick of bowling offspin to left-handers and leg breaks to right-handers has been effective enough. He started economically across the first two matches at Bridgetown, particularly with his 0 for 18 from four overs against Australia. But there was a rude awakening at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium when his three overs were taken for 41.

Team news

Reece Topley is likely to be brought in for his first appearance of the tournament to add some much-needed dimension to England’s bowling attack. If that is the case, it will be for Chris Jordan, with the understanding that England are set to continue with dual pace-threat of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. The temptation to draft in Ben Duckett to add a left-hander to the XI, at the expense of Bairstow, has been resisted for now.England (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Jofra Archer 9. Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece TopleyOman need a refresh of their batting after a series of costly false starts. Their lead batter Ayaan Khan, with 92 runs at an average of 46.00, has been operating at six but is surely due for a promotion.Oman (probable): 1 Pratik Athavale (wk), 2 Naseem Khushi, 3 Aqib Ilyas (capt), 4 Zeeshan Maqsood, 5 Ayaan Khan, 6 Rafiullah, 7 Mohammad Nadeem, 8 Mehran Khan, 9 Fayyaz Butt, 10 Samay Shrivastava, 11 Bilal Khan

Pitch and conditions

The two matches played at North Sound so far have both been one-sided, which makes judging the surface a little harder. The ball has carried through well, and batters’ intent does bring rewards, but the wind is a big factor here. Much like in Bridgetown, it goes across the ground and is more forceful given the openness of this venue. The forecast looks good, with intermittent cloud cover and an afternoon high of 30 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first meeting between England and Oman in a full international fixture
• Despite playing 13 times at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, including twice during December’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean, this will be England’s first T20I at the venue. They played here twice during the 2007 ODI World Cup, against Sri Lanka and Australia, losing both.
• Zeeshan Maqsood needs two more wickets to become the second Oman player with 50 T20I wickets after Bilal Khan

Quotes

“We’re treating this game with Oman in isolation. They’ve got our full attention. We’re going to prepare really well for that. And then see what happens in this game. If we get into a position where we’re in a dominant position and can push hard, we will. If we have to scrap and fight and get the two points, we will as well.”

Banton, Rew, Kohler-Cadmore make key runs to stun Warwickshire

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2024Tom Abell hit a perfectly-paced century as Somerset chased down 410 to beat Warwickshire by five wickets on the final day of an absorbing Vitality County Championship Division One game at Taunton.The former club captain finished unbeaten on 152, off 207 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, as his side made light of their mammoth target, winning with 4.2 overs to spare.Tom Banton contributed 81, James Rew 57 not out and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 49 after Warwickshire had declared on their overnight second innings total of 281 for eight.It was the second highest successful fourth innings run chase in Somerset’s history. They took 20 points from the game to go second in the Division One table, while Warwickshire had to be content with seven.Chasing such a big target, Somerset knew a good start was imperative. Andy Umeed played positively from the outset and had made 30 of the 44 runs on the board when wafting at a delivery from Oliver Hannon-Dalby and edging through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.Kohler-Cadmore demonstrated admirable restraint to ensure a solid start, but lost another partner with the total on 77 when Tom Lammonby top-edged an attempted pull shot off Michael Booth and fell for 26, Ed Barnard taking a tumbling catch at fine leg.Having curbed his natural attacking instincts for much of the morning, Kohler-Cadmore opened his shoulders to hit left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell over long-on for six in the final over before lunch, which was taken at 117 for two, the former Yorkshire player unbeaten on 35.Abell was 25 not out and the afternoon session saw the pair complete a half-century stand off 92 balls. But, with the total on 144, Kohler-Cadmore aimed an expansive shot over the leg side off Hannon-Dolby and got a thick edge to third-man where Barnard pouched his second catch.Abell went to fifty off 92 balls with an on-driven boundary off Hannon-Dalby, but he and Banton sensibly took few chances in ensuring Warwickshire did not enjoy any more success before tea. Banton’s half-century occupied 76 deliveries and featured four fours and a six.Somerset went into the final session still needing 188 runs from a minimum of 33 overs. The century partnership between Abell and Banton was brought up off 158 balls and Banton immediately went on the attack, lofting Bethell for six over long-on.Somerset were starting to look favourites as runs started to flow more quickly. With 25 overs remaining, they needed a further 131 on what is traditionally a fast-scoring ground.Warwickshire desperately needed a wicket. It came with the total on 281 when Banton, who has made giant strides as a red-ball cricketer this season, attempted to force a short ball from Barnard through the leg-side and picked out Yates at mid-wicket. He had faced 109 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.Somerset promoted Migael Pretorius in the bid for quick runs. The South African had managed 14 off ten balls when top-edging a catch to cover off Will Rhodes. At 299 for five, the hosts required 111 off the final 20 overs.That brought in Rew, who has struggled for runs this summer after a prolific 2023 season. The left-hander produced a classic extra cover drive for four off Rhodes before Abell went to a chanceless 171-ball hundred, which included nine fours, with a single off Barnard.The second new ball was about to become due. Rew slog-swept Bethell for four and followed up with a straight six next ball. With 85 needed, the umpires signalled the final hour and minimum of 16 overs left in the game.Warwickshire delayed taking the new ball, perhaps reasoning a softer one was more difficult to strike for boundaries. Instead, Rhodes turned to Dan Mousley, giving the off-spinner his first bowl of the match.It was a gamble that didn’t work as Mousley’s two overs went for 12. By the time Oliver Hannon-Dalby was handed the new ball, there were just 11 overs left and 54 runs required, Abell and Rew having completed a half-century stand off 51 deliveries.From there, the pair cut loose to finish the game with a flurry of boundaries, Rew completing a 51-ball fifty and Abell ending a memorable day with a pulled six off Booth.

Samarawickrama and Dilhari strike fifties but fail to overhaul Ireland’s 173 for 3 and go down by seven runs

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2024Gaby Lewis’ smashing second T20I century backed up by Orla Prendergast’s all-round show helped Ireland record a close seven-run win in the second T20I against Sri Lanka to level the two-match series 1-1.Batting first in Dublin, Ireland lost Amy Hunter inside the powerplay, but Lewis kept the hosts going. She found an ally in Prendergast with the duo adding 119 runs for the second wicket off 80 balls. Lewis did the bulk of the scoring in the partnership with 78 off 49 balls while Prendergast scored 38 off 31.Lewis reached her fifty off 40 balls with both batters upping their pace after the halfway mark. Prendergast struck Achini Kulasuriya for back-to-back fours in the 12th over before Lewis followed suit in the next striking Shashini Gimhani for two fours of her own. Even with Prendergast not finding the boundaries often, Lewis made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking.Lewis raced to her second T20I century in the 19th over smashing Kanchana for a six and four, getting to the mark in 68 balls. An emotional Lewis hugged her partner and removed her helmet raising her bat to the crowd and her team-mates. She then took three fours off Kulasuriya in the final over and was run out off the final ball for 119 off 75 ball as Ireland raced to 173 for 3, their sixth-highest total in T20Is. Lewis struck 17 fours and two sixes in her innings.Sri Lanka lost Vishmi Gunaratne early in the chase but Harshitha Samarawickrama threatened to repeat her first T20I heroics once again. She started with two fours in the first over against Freya Sargent before hitting Jane Maguire for six.Samarawickrama got good support from No. 4 Kavisha Dilhari with the duo adding 72 off 49 balls for the fourth wicket. Just when things looked to be going Sri Lanka’s way, Jane Maguire struck a telling blow removing Samarawickrama for a 44-ball 65.Dilhari, however, kept finding the boundaries at regular intervals even as Sri Lanka lost wickets at the other end. The visitors required 22 off the last two overs and 16 off six. Dilhari struck a six in the final over to reach her fifty but with eight needed off two, failed to get a clean connection as the hosts managed to level the series.

The ban came following an Afghanistan Cricket Board anti-corruption investigation into the 2024 Kabul Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2024Ihsanullah Janat, the Afghanistan top-order batter, has been banned from “all forms of cricket activities” for five years for corruption, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said on Wednesday. The ban is effective immediately. The board said that the breaches of the ACB’s and ICC’s anti-corruption code had been committed during the second edition of the Kabul Premier League earlier this year.”Janat was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, which involves improper influence or efforts to fix the result, progress, conduct, or any other aspect of a match,” the ACB said in a statement. “In light of this violation, he has been handed a five-year ban from all cricket-related activities. Janat has admitted to the charges and confessed to his involvement in corrupt activities.”The statement added that the ACB’s anti-corruption unit has been investigating “three other players” for possible involvement in corrupt activities. “Decisions regarding their involvement will be made upon confirmation of their guilt,” the ACB said.Related

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Ihsanullah, 26, was in action for Shamshad Eagles at the Kabul Premier League 2024, and scored 72 runs in four innings at an average of 18 and strike rate of 150. The team finished last on the six-team league table with just one win from five games.Internationally, Ihsanullah has appeared in 20 games for Afghanistan across the three formats. Following his debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare in February 2017, Ihsanullah has played 15 more times in the format, scoring 307 runs (average 21.92) and has also turned out in three Tests (110 runs at 22.00) and one T20I, where he scored a 14-ball 20. That T20I, in June 2022 against Zimbabwe in Harare, was his last appearance for his national team.Ihsanullah comes from a family with close ties to the game, with his brother Nawroz Mangal one of the country’s stalwarts in their early years of international cricket. Nawroz was the captain of the national team when they became the first Affiliate nation to gain ODI status at the 2009 World Cup qualifiers, and again when they qualified for the 2010 T20 World Cup.

Murphy claimed 3 for 38 after Usman Khawaja posted 57, as Victoria held on despite some late batting heroics from Michael Neser

Alex Malcolm27-Sep-2024Three wickets to Test offspinner Todd Murphy and some nerveless catching from Victoria helped them to a thrilling six-run win at the Junction Oval after a brilliant cameo from Michael Neser almost stole the game for Queensland.Murphy took 3 for 38 as Queensland collapsed from 106 for 1 in the 24th over to 205 for 9 in the 46th chasing a very gettable 241. Neser was left with No.11 Tom Straker to chase the last 36 required from 24 balls. That equation became 19 off six after three excellent overs from captain Will Sutherland, Fergus O’Neill and Peter Siddle gave up just 15 runs.Neser faced two dots from Sam Elliott in the final over before launching two massive sixes to pull the Bulls within seven runs of victory with two balls remaining. But off the penultimately delivery he holed out to Jono Merlo at deep square who took an excellent catch looking into the setting sun to finish the game. Neser finished with 49 from 41 balls.Earlier, Test opener Usman Khawaja made a fluent 72-ball 57, sharing in a 90-run stand with opening partner Ben McDermott to have the game under control. But Murphy shifted the tide with an excellent spell. He forced a mistake from McDermott to break the stand after building some pressure. Sutherland then seized the moment.Noticing the grip and turn Murphy was getting on the worn surface, having seen another Test spinner in Mitchell Swepson take 3 for 38 earlier in the day, he called on the part-time offspin of opening batter Josh Brown, who had previously bowled just three balls in his professional career. After conceding a boundary first ball, Brown snared Khawaja caught behind with some extra bounce.Siddle then squeezed through the middle overs picking up two wickets. The second was courtesy of a stunning one-handed diving catch by Marcus Harris at mid-on. When Matt Renshaw fell for 38, Murphy turned the screws picking up two more to swing the game in Victoria’s favour.”It was really good that we were able to sort of stay in it,” Murphy said after the match. “I think when the ball got a little bit older, a bit softer, it’s a bit harder to hit as well. And I think we knew, especially the way their team structured, that they were very heavy at the top. So if we could make a breakthrough, sort of at any point and get a new batter in and put some pressure on him with a soft ball and a wearing wicket it was always going to be difficult.”Victoria were able to hold on despite Neser’s late heroics. His stand-in captain Swepson was full of praise for his efforts.”Ness played an unbelievable knock on a very tricky wicket, it seemed like it got harder and harder at the end there,” Swepson said. “For him to get us into the game in that last over, incredible knock from him. Unfortunately, we just fell short.”Queensland thought they had done enough with the ball, restricting Victoria to 240 for 7 after winning the toss. Harris made a vital 63 to hold the innings together before Sutherland (31 not out) and Elliott (32) produced more late-over heroics as they did against Tasmania, sharing a 63-run stand off the final 35 balls to post a winning total.Harris was pleased to spend some time in the middle after missing out in the opening game against Tasmania. But he was more excited to talk about his one-handed catch to dismiss Hugo Burdon.”I didn’t move very well and I thought I better stick a hand out and see what happens,” Harris said. “It was luck more than anything.”The win moves Victoria to the top of the One-Day Cup table after two rounds with two wins. Queensland depart Melbourne with just two points following a wash out against Tasmania.

Mitchell Starc also dismissed Marcus Harris for 26 while Peter Handscomb and Campbell Kellaway made half-centuries

Alex Malcolm20-Oct-2024Sean Abbott put his name in the queue of back-up Test quicks with an outstanding spell while Mitchell Starc won a key battle over Marcus Harris that could shape Australia’s side as New South Wales took the ascendency against Victoria on the opening day at the MCG.In front of a lively Sunday crowd of around 1800, Abbott took four wickets and arguably deserved more on the back of some high-quality sustained fast bowling across the day, including an incredible spell after tea that yielded 3 for 0 in 15 balls and the swung the momentum NSW’s way.Related

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Peter Handscomb and Campbell Kellaway made fighting half-centuries in challenging conditions that favoured the seamers.Harris was unable to kick on after batting the entire first session for 26. Starc bowled impressively in the morning but went unrewarded despite finding swing and extra bounce while operating at high pace. Harris fought hard and played reasonably well without being able to score freely. Shortly before lunch, Starc pinned Harris on the underside of his left arm to leave a large egg-shaped bruise.The left-armer returned after the break to first beat Harris on the inside edge and nearly bowl him, before picking him up caught down the leg side. Harris bemoaned his misfortune but Starc’s extra pace and bounce meant he was not in control of the leg glance.NSW did not claim another wicket for the next 34 overs as Kellaway and Handscomb shared a century stand against some excellent bowling. Abbott and Starc in particular beat the bat regularly. Abbott had a number of half-shouts turned down while Starc broke Handscomb’s bat with a searing delivery that climbed from a length and cracked the splice of his blade.Kellaway and Handscomb defended against that duo and then expanded against Nathan Lyon. Kellaway launched him for a huge six over wide long-on while Handscomb played him with typical class.Jackson Bird broke the stand after tea, finding the outside edge with a superb off-cutter to dismiss Kellaway for 55 from 160 deliveries.Abbott then returned to wreak havoc. Handscomb, on 64, attempted a drive at a fuller length, but Abbott managed to get the ball to straighten a touch and Steven Smith held the edge at second slip.In Abbott’s next over he removed Sam Harper in similar fashion. Abbott went wide of the crease and dragged his length back as Harper shuffled forward. Again the ball straightened off the seam and caught the edge with Nic Maddinson claiming the chance sharply at third slip. Abbott should have had another two balls later but Maddinson grassed an easier catch that went straight to him off Will Sutherland’s outside edge.It cost nothing as Abbott nicked off Sutherland again to the safe gloves of Josh Phillippe. When Lyon had Sam Elliott caught at short leg, Victoria had slumped from 164 for 2 to 185 for 7.”I thought we bowled pretty well,” Abbott said after play. “But equally, I think the Vic boys batted very well on that wicket.”It felt a bit frustrating at times. We went past the bat a lot. It was just nice to get some reward late in the day after some hard toil all day.”Tom Rogers took 37 balls to get off the mark while watching three of his team-mates fall at the other end. But he and Fergus O’Neill mounted a rearguard against the second new ball with a 58-run stand before O’Neill fell late in the day for 28. Jack Nisbet picked up a second when he had Todd Murphy caught behind in the shadows of stumps.Handscomb was pleased with Victoria’s score given how much pace and seam movement there was in the surface and how well New South Wales bowled.”They bowled beautifully,” Handscomb said. “They’re always going to be there or thereabouts, and not really give you any loose balls.”We just kept telling each other just to try and fight and keep getting through. Because it’s tough for us out there but it’s also going to be tougher for the next bloke coming in.”I think it’s a really good day for us today. We’re really happy with that situation. I think when you get sent in here day one where, if we can get somewhere between 180 to 220, we tend to feel like we’re still in the game.”

County Championship could provide tune-up if South Africa reach June’s final at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2024Kyle Verreynne will return to Nottinghamshire in 2025 and will hope that the first part of his stint ends up being preparation for South Africa’s potential involvement in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.Verreynne, the wicketkeeper-batter, played three games for Notts in the County Championship last year, and scored 248 runs including an unbeaten 148 against Warwickshire which helped to confirm their survival in Division One. He will return to the club next summer, and Notts expect him to be available for 12 out of their 14 Championship fixtures around his international commitments.Those could include the WTC final at Lord’s on June 11, with South Africa well-placed to finish in the top two if they continue their recent form. Verreynne scored an unbeaten 105 on the second day of their ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka after their convincing win last week, and they will complete the 2023-25 cycle with two Tests at home to Pakistan from Boxing Day.Related

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“I thought the competition was of a really good standard,” Verreynne said in a club statement. “When you’ve played international cricket, you still want to be tested at domestic level, so I really enjoyed adapting to English conditions. I know the challenge could be different next year in the early part of the summer, but I’m sure that will be beneficial for me.”I felt really comfortable playing cricket at Trent Bridge last season – it’s an awesome place to play… I was glad to be able to play my part in helping us stay in Division One at the end of the season, but we want to push further forward next season – and the players are definitely there for us to do so.”Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said: “Kyle provided an important injection when we needed it last season, bringing all his experience and qualities as an international player. We know conditions will be different in April to the time he spent with us at the end of the season, though his record in Test match cricket shows he has the ability to adapt and still be successful.”Notts announced last month that Australia’s Daniel Sams will be one of their overseas players for the T20 Blast next year.