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The captain says getting over jet lag and a quick turnaround after England T20Is will also be a challenge

Shashank Kishore05-Feb-20222:31

Who will be the key batters for West Indies?

It was only less than a week ago that West Indies were involved in back-to-back T20Is against England in Barbados with the series delicately poised. A few hours after wrapping up a morale-boosting series win, the Kieron Pollard-led side left for India. After a three-day quarantine in Ahmedabad, and negative Covid tests, they were allowed to train in groups of four on Friday.On Saturday, they held their first and only training session ahead of the series. And on Sunday, they will be thrown into the cauldron against a hurt Indian team looking to move on quickly from their 3-0 whitewash in South Africa. West Indies themselves are searching for answers, having lost the ODIs 2-1 at home to Ireland in January.”For us, we have to crack on,” Pollard said. “Today (Saturday) is the only full practice we had, and then we have to have our meetings and discussions, and stuff like that. Again, we know these are some of the things people don’t want to hear and understand because we need to perform on the cricket field, but these are some of the challenges we have to face as international cricketers. The most we can do in a short space of time is to try and be in the right mental space, have discussions about it, sort of visualise and plan as to how we want to go about it.Related

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“From a physical point of view, we can do it. We have to get over jet lag. Some of us are still living in the Caribbean time [zone]. It’s night here in India but the guys have eyes wide open, but we have to get up early in the morning to play a day-night game. So, the challenges are there, but that’s why it’s international cricket, and we try and overcome it, and not use that as an excuse.”We’re doing what is necessary to try to take the field and perform at that optimum level. Hopefully, we can overcome these things and can make us better cricketers as well as individuals at the end of the day when we stick out and look out for one another.”The limited acclimatisation time has given West Indies little time to try and address the batting problem Pollard felt they had after the Ireland series. But the talk has revolved around three things: learn to adapt, take learnings from their series loss, and try to bat out 50 overs. Along the way, they want to draw inspiration from the fight they showed in their previous ODI series in India. They had taken a 1-0 lead before losing the next two games to concede the series. This time they want to better that.”We need to put our heads together and try to improve in every area of our game we fell short against Ireland”•Associated Press

“For this series against India, the learning we need to take forward is how we bat 50 overs,” he said. “We haven’t batted 50 overs in the last couple of series against Ireland and Australia, so that is something we need to look at. As a team, we need to follow the template and plans that are put out there so that we can go out there and be successful.”For us, it’s another opportunity to improve our skills, another opportunity to test where we are in international cricket against a formidable Indian team. The last time we were here, if my memory jogs me right, we did okay. We didn’t win the series, but we pushed them. So now we’re looking to push that one step further. Having said that, we need to put our heads together and try to improve in every area of our game we fell short against Ireland.”Pollard has been vocal about the team’s need to improve fitness standards. He hasn’t been shy of calling out issues in selection – like being categorical about how average returns in the Regional Super50, West Indies’ domestic 50-over competition, can’t become the basis for international call-ups. This appears to have ruffled a few feathers higher up in the West Indies cricket administration, but as captain, Pollard insists he is “in a good space” and isn’t going to allow off-field chatter to come in the way of his vision.”Obviously, I didn’t tour Pakistan [for the limited-overs series in December], so I got some much-needed time off to refresh the mind and body,” he said. “Coming back in the Ireland series, yes it was difficult. And the England series was another tough series, but these things happen. Once you have the intention of playing the sport, emotions, mental space, [and] physical capabilities – all these things get tested.”I’ve played my entire career with a lot of things riding on it, and I have come through it with a smile on my face. That is how I’m going to finish my career as well. For me personally, I’m in a good space and always looking forward to a challenge.”As captain, one of the things he is doing is wearing a bigger cape around his broad shoulders to shield his players from external noise and give them the security to perform. For this, Pollard said it was imperative for him to “continue his process and judgment”.”For me, it is just a matter of backing my skill, ability, back my cricketing acumen in terms of leading,” he said. “Sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns. Sometimes you have to put guys in a situation where they can thrive with their confidence and stuff like that. For me, those are a couple of things coming out of it, just letting things happen and continuing my process and judgment.”

On the mend after an ankle surgery, the West Indies quick wants to lead the attack in England

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2020Even as Cricket West Indies continues to figure out whether the three-Test series in England – in a bio-secure environment – can take place or not, few people are more eager for a bit of on-field action than Shannon Gabriel. The 32-year-old quick underwent a surgery on his right ankle in November last year, and has just completed a six-month rehabilitation programme, and is now hoping to get on that flight to England.”It’s a good feeling always to represent West Indies. It’s good to be back out on the park,” he told . “The plan is right now to try to make it to the tour to England – hopefully that comes off. I’m just trying my best to stay positive and I hope everything goes well.”It has been a long journey since November when I did the surgery on my ankle. Everything is going well, it has been a long process in terms of getting back to running and bowling and stuff like that.”Gabriel’s last international appearance was in September 2019, against India, in a two-Test series in which he picked up just four wickets at an average of 56.90. Then his short county stint with Gloucestershire was unimpressive too, as he picked up two wickets in three innings. This was around the time the right ankle started troubling him.Now, having eased himself back in slowly, Gabriel hopes to be fully ready by July, when the tour is slated to happen. As things stand, the West Indies players are scheduled to leave the Caribbean in the first week of June for a preparatory camp.”I am trying my best to be as fit as possible so I’m really working hard in terms of my fitness and managing my weight, trying not to get too heavy to put too much strain on my ankle,” Gabriel said of his fitness sessions. “So I know once I put in the hard work everything will be ok in the end. I just want to stay positive.”There has been no high-intensity work, I’m just taking my body back into it easy, taking it one day at a time and not trying to push too hard but it’s still long while before the first Test in England and by that time I’m sure I’ll be fit and ready.”The process of becoming match ready has also involved reworking his action and run-up to ease pressure on his ankles. “My run-up has probably just tweaked a bit, in terms of my running technique and stuff like that, but I don’t think there are many changes,” he explained. “Obviously that ankle was getting most of the pressure and obviously I don’t want that type of injury to happen again, so I’m trying my best to stay fit so I can stay on the park [longer].”With the ICC having introduced guidelines with regards to shining the ball and several other physical-distancing measures, Gabriel also expects things to be “mentally taxing” when they return to cricket in the post-Covid-19 era.”It’s going to take a lot. It’s going to be mentally taxing on the brain but you have to stay positive. Keep your mind fresh,” he said. “I know they [England] are going to be coming at us all guns [blazing] at us, but I know the guys”Plus plenty of the guys haven’t been playing any cricket, so it is going to take us a while to get back there. On the positive side, you’re still getting the opportunity to play cricket and represent your country so that in itself should be enough motivation.”

The captain marked his return to international cricket with a crucial 78, as New Zealand made light work of a chase of 246

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-20231:36

Why is Lockie Ferguson’s form important for New Zealand?

Kane Williamson resumed international cricket by doing , scoring a precise 78 against Bangladesh. He shepherded New Zealand close to the eight-wicket win, but couldn’t quite see the chase through, as he left the field retired hurt in the 39th over. Daryl Mitchell got New Zealand home with 43 balls to spare, putting the seal on the team’s dominating start to this World Cup.Williamson missed seven months of competitive cricket due to a right knee injury he sustained during last season’s IPL, and his World Cup return was thought to be improbable at the time. Even when he was named in the New Zealand side as their captain, he was expected to miss the initial stages of the competition. But not only did he return sooner than expected, Williamson showed little drop in quality, as he went through the gears against Bangladesh.Related

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Williamson struck ten fours and a six in his 108-ball 78, eventually going off with cramps. More than his innings, Williamson’s biggest contribution was to add to two sizable partnerships. First, he made 82 for the second wicket with Devon Conway after New Zealand lost an early wicket. Then alongside Mitchell, he added 108 runs for the third wicket. It made the chase an easy one for New Zealand as they won with plenty to spare.At the start of New Zealand’s 246-run chase, Bangladesh gave their fans some hope when Mustafizur Rahman removed the high-flying Rachin Ravindra, opening for the first time in ODIs, in the third over. Mustafizur produced a second chance shortly afterwards when Conway, batting on 4, drove away from his body, only for Mehidy Hasan Miraz to drop the chance at point. It was a difficult diving chance, but that one sticking could have charged up Bangladesh.Soon after the reprieve, Conway struck Shoriful Islam for two fours to break free. Williamson then took his turn on Shoriful, cracking him over point and through point and cover in the 10th over. Then, it was Taskin who went for two fours in the 13th over, before he dropped Williamson at short midwicket when the New Zealand captain was on 27.Shakib, who suffered that drop, broke the second-wicket stand when he trapped Conway lbw for 45 off 59 balls. Conway’s attempted reverse sweep went awry as he missed the shot, hitting his back leg. The Conway wicket however did little to help the Bangladesh cause as the next batter, Mitchell, immediately picked up the pace.Daryl Mitchell plays a reverse sweep during his half-century•R. Satish Babu / AFP / Getty

He opened his account with a six off Shakib, before Williamson lifted his opposite number over long-on for his first six. Williamson continued to find the odd boundary for the next ten overs, hitting Shakib and Mehidy for four more boundaries before Mitchell got back into action with a stinging pull off Taskin, followed by two straight sixes off Shakib and Taskin.Even after Williamson called off his innings in the 39th over, Mitchell went after the Bangladesh bowling till the chase was completed in the 43rd over. Mitchell smashed six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 67-ball 89.Earlier, when Williamson put Bangladesh to bat first, it took them little time to fall into their familiar top-order slide. Litton Das clipped the first ball of the innings, from Trent Boult, right into Matt Henry’s lap at fine-leg. It was a well-timed shot that he met after coming down the track but he tried it on a difficult angle with the bat. Litton became only the second Bangladeshi opener to fall in the first ball of a World Cup match, the previous being Hannan Sarkar against Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas in 2003.Tanzid Hasan produced four boundaries in a quick recovery partnership with Mehidy, but the rookie left-hander once again fell on 16. It was a tame dismissal when Tanzid clipped a ball to short square-leg in the eighth over.A third soft dismissal followed in the 12th over when Mehidy pulled Lockie Ferguson into fine-leg’s lap for 30. He struck three superb cover drives in his 46-ball stay but once again, Bangladesh sent him to a batting position which usually takes a bit of time to getting used to.New Zealand reduced Bangladesh to 56 for 4 in the next over when part-timer Glenn Philips had the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto hit to midwicket. Conway took a tumbling catch but Bangladesh regrouped through their most experienced pair.Mahmudullah gave the ball a good bash towards the end of Bangladesh’s innings•Associated Press

Shakib and Mushfiqur added 96 runs in almost even time by pressing back at the New Zealand side. Mushfiqur wasted little time by hammering Philips with his favoured slog sweep for a six. Two more Mushfiqur fours later, Shakib pulled Henry before smashing Mitchell Santner for a straight four. Mushfiqur hit Ferguson for his second six, over third man, as Bangladesh looked to be on the road to recovery.Shortly after Mushfiqur reached his fifty though, Shakib cramped up. After taking a bit of medical attention, the Bangladesh captain took off his helmet as he smashed Ravindra for a straight four and a six over midwicket. He added another six off Ferguson but he was out next ball, again trying to slog the fast bowler.Mushfiqur followed him back shortly afterwards, though the Henry delivery that bowled him kept really low. It was still a valiant knock given that he had walked in with the task of reviving Bangladesh’s innings.Tohwid Hridoy, now batting out of position at No 7, couldn’t kick on so it was left to Mahmudullah, batting at No 8 for the first time in 13 years, to ensure a decent finish. He ensured Bangladesh batted out the 50 overs, himself remaining unbeaten on 41, but it was still a sub-par team score.

Australia had asked the VCA Stadium ground staff if they could leave the centre wicket and training pitches untouched for players to train on Sunday afternoon

Alex Malcolm12-Feb-20233:35

Smith: Don’t think our first-innings 177 was enough

Australia’s training plans for the day after the Nagpur Test ended have been scuppered after the ground staff at the VCA Stadium watered the centre and practice pitches overnight despite a request from the visitors to use the facilities on Sunday.Australia’s team management asked the VCA ground staff if they could leave the centre wicket and training pitches up in order for players to train on Sunday afternoon. But the ground staff were watering the centre wicket on Saturday night after the team had left the ground. Australia had planned to have an optional session with five players in the squad set to head to the stadium on Sunday afternoon but those plans were cancelled with the practice pitches having been watered too.Related

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ESPNcricinfo contacted the VCA for comment but was simply told both teams would train tomorrow.The cancellation of training is a blow to Australia as they scramble to find a way to get back into the series with their batters needing to find a method to handle Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin after the pair scythed through the visitors in both innings to bowl them out for 177 and 91.Head coach Andrew McDonald identified that Australia’s batters needed to be more proactive after a host of players got caught on the crease during the second innings collapse.”We felt as though we probably weren’t as proactive as what we needed to be in the extreme conditions,” McDonald said on Sunday. “In Galle [last year] we showed that in Test match one [against Sri Lanka] where we were really proactive. And in this instance, we probably weren’t and that showed up in the second innings.”If you stand still and look to defend for long periods of time against that quality spin line-up you’ve got pretty much a ball with a number on it and unfortunately, we weren’t able to get into the method that we wanted to apply.”We saw very little sweeping which is something that we valued leading in as well. So we’ll review why that was the case. And there’s no doubt that when you’re under extreme pressure like that, and you’re behind the game sometimes you narrow in and we need to be more expansive than that.”I thought Steve Smith summed it up really well after he came off and said we’re going to have to be brave, take some risks, take the ball down the ground, push some fielders out and give ourselves the ability to rotate the strike. They were able to crowd us, swarm us and we weren’t able to push the fielders back. You look at the way they played, they were able to push the fielders back, they took calculated risks. So you can always learn from the opposition, but you don’t want to be them in the same instance as well. We’re going to have to do it slightly differently.”

‘Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc back on the selection table’

Australia are also considering whether to make changes for the second Test with Queensland left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann flying in to join the squad for the second Test in Delhi as Mitchell Swepson flies home for the birth of his first child.Mitchell Starc is also likely to be available after flying into Delhi yesterday. Cameron Green is pushing to play the second Test but it might be a stretch as continues to recover from his broken finger while Josh Hazlewood remains unavailable due his Achilles issue.But McDonald was wary of making wholesale changes after one defeat.”If you feel as though your preparation was good and the way you want to go about it is good then you re-commit to that,” McDonald said.”If you shift and try to change too much that’s when you get lost as a touring team. We’ve seen teams come to Australia and try to do the same. We need to be committed to what we want to achieve.”Will there be changes? Potentially, we have Green and Starc back on the selection table so that will totally change the balance of how we want to go about things. However, we feel as though when we came here we had a clear vision of how to play, how we want to go about it and we need to reinvest into that.”We feel as though it can work and the players within the changeroom are very capable for the challenges ahead. We had a slight setback in the first Test match, we got behind in the game. We clearly know where we need to improve. If we improve those areas the margins will narrow very quickly.”

MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tend to take Twenty20 internationals as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tended to take Twenty20 internationals as a “warm-up for the one-dayers to follow”. India have now lost seven of their last ten Twenty20s and two of their three wins were against Bangladesh and Ireland.”I don’t think we were in the groove for a Twenty20 game and too often we treat it as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow,” Dhoni said. “It’s probably the reason for our defeats in these games.”Another, and more significant, reason for Wednesday’s defeat was India’s terrible fielding. They dropped five chances – two off the Sri Lankan openers before they made a start – and frequently fumbled balls in the outfield. Yuvraj dropped Sanath Jayasuriya on 4, Ishant grassed Tillakaratne Dilshan on 13 and Kumar Sangakkara as well, Rohit Sharma let off Chamara Kapugedera on 14, and Pragyan Ojha failed to reach a tough chance given by Angelo Mathews in the final over after which the batsman hit two sixes.”The catching is a bit of concern,” Dhoni said. “We are not a brilliant fielding side, but we don’t drop too many catches. That also hurt us also to some extent.”Had India taken their chances, Sri Lanka would have struggled to reach 215. In the over after he was dropped, Jayasuriya hit Ashish Nehra for five consecutive boundaries and provided the acceleration after a slow start. The opening stand of 43 set the platform for Kumar Sangakkara to score 78 off just 37 deliveries. Kapugedera provided propulsion by scoring 47 off 20 while Mathews made 15 off four balls.”What really set us up was the two openers batting for six overs, even if they didn’t get a flying start,” Sangakkara said. “They really applied themselves and got those 40-odd runs and we could launch our innings from there. I’ve been in good form, but I’ve been getting out cheaply because I’ve never really applied myself. I thought it was about time I really did something to inspire the side.”Sangakkara also described Jayasuriya’s four-over spell during India’s chase as “magic”. Jayasuriya came on after India had raced to 88 in seven overs and brought down the scoring-rate dramatically. He conceded only 19 off his four overs and also took the wickets of MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were also supported by far superior fielding effort and Sangakkara acknowledged as much.”I thought the fielding was outstanding, we were excellent in the first 16 overs and I thought we could have been a little more ruthless in the final four overs and finished the game off,” he said. “Overall, everyone played really hard and they showed a lot of hunger to win.”The second Twenty20 game is in Mohali on December 12.

Dushmantha Chameera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella and Hazratullah Zazai are the other big names in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen, Dasun Shanaka and Sikandar Raza are among the 14 overseas players signed by Dubai Capitals, the team owned by the GMR Group in the UAE’s International League T20.Dushmantha Chameera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazratullah Zazai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are the other big names, while Scotland’s George Munsey and Netherlands’ Fred Klaassen are the two Associate players. Four domestic (UAE) players will be drafted at a later date.Among the current signees, Powell is the only one who is part of Delhi Capitals, the franchise partly owned by the GMR Group in the IPL.”Being a part of T20 cricket’s most extravagant set-up, the Indian Premier League, for 15 years now – we felt that it was the right time to expand our wings on to the global popularity charts of this format of the sport,” Kiran Kumar Grandhi, the managing director of the GMR group and chairman of Dubai Capitals said.”The International League T20, which is scheduled to be launched in the United Arab Emirates in January 2023, is a perfect stepping-stone for GMR Sports towards building the Capitals universe comprising of a galaxy of cricketing stars from all corners of the world. We are looking forward to making a world-class city like Dubai, our home as Dubai Capitals.”Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are the other teams who have announced their overseas roster for the ILT20. The six-team league has been sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board and will take place between January 6 and February 12.Dubai Capitals squad so far: Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Hazratullah Zazai, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dan Lawrence, Blessing Muzarabani, Isuru Udana, George Munsey, Fred Klaassen

Max Walters has become the third state chief in a little more 12 months to resign, due to internal squabbles over club cricket in the state

Daniel Brettig03-Jun-2019Max Walters, Queensland Cricket’s chief executive, has become the third state supremo to resign in a little more than 12 months, joining the former Victoria chief Tony Dodemaide in quitting at a time of internal squabbles over club cricket in their state.The New South Wales chief executive Andrew Jones also vacated the field earlier this year, though Walters’ exit appears to share more in common with that of Dodemaide and the former Cricket Victoria chairman Russell Thomas in 2018.Having joined Queensland in 2016, after the CA Board director Michael Kasprowicz temporarily stepped in as caretaker CEO in place of Geoff Cockerill, Walters and his chairman Sal Vasta have run into difficulty over the task of dividing up money raised by the state association off the back of strategic funding handed over by CA’s Board in the recent past.It is an issue being debated at several levels of Australian cricket, also including the fund delivered by the Australian Cricketers’ Association following the hot-tempered 2017 pay dispute over the current MoU between the players and CA.There, as in Queensland, the debate centres on how the money will be distributed, whether on a strategic case-by-case basis – much as the money was handed from CA to Queensland – or via uniform grants applied to every club. With Vasta also believed to be under pressure, Walters informed QC staff of his decision to quit in an email on Sunday night.”The past three years working at Queensland Cricket have been extremely rewarding and enjoyable. I originally committed to a three-year contract at QC, and with that period nearing its conclusion, now is the right time for me to move on,” Walters said.”I hope people will agree that Queensland Cricket has made positive steps forward during my tenure. There is now a solid launching pad for success into the future, both on and off the field. I wish every good fortune to Queensland Cricket, and would like to thank the army of tireless volunteers in all the Clubs, big and small, across our great State that keep cricket moving.”Dodemaide and Thomas both departed Cricket Victoria in 2018 following a series of disagreements over the shape of Premier Cricket and the governance of clubs in the state – Dodemaide facing criticism from his own club, Footscray, amid the arguments.Walters, meanwhile, has overseen considerable work on Queensland’s sustainability, both in terms of infrastructure funding and sponsorship levels. It was during Walters’ tenure that the Gabba’s traditional standing as the venue for the opening Test of summer came under strain, missing out in both 2016 and 2018. Next summer it will host Pakistan and was recently confirmed as hosting the opening Ashes Test in 2021. However India’s 2020 visit remains shrouded in uncertainty after the BCCI preferred to commence last summer’s home series in Adelaide.”Max Walters returned to Queensland Cricket in 2016 with the objective to make QC the State’s leading sporting organisation and to ensure that our strategy revolved around delivering outstanding life experiences for Queensland communities anywhere, anytime,” Queensland’s chairman Vasta said. “He has delivered in spades.”Corporate entities such as CUA and Betta, all three levels of government and the Queensland community at large all recognise the professionalism and expertise of QC that has been achieved under Max’s stewardship.”Our strategic plan is the envy of other sporting organisations and clearly allows fans, sponsors and the Queensland Cricket family at large to see and understand our priorities. Max has been front and centre over the past three years and leaves QC well positioned to make even greater strides in the future.”

Can visiting bowlers keep Virat Kohli quiet at one of his favourite venues?

The Preview by Sreshth Shah17-Dec-20194:33

The Hetmyer and Hope threat looms again

Big picture

It’s been over 15 years since India last lost two consecutive bilateral ODI series at home. it’s been over 30 years since India last lost five straight ODIs at home. But both those things may happen if they lose to West Indies in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday – they lost the last three matches to concede the series against Australia 3-2 in March.Although Rohit Sharma has been off-colour so far against West Indies, the rest of the Indian batting contingent has displayed enough composure and grit for the spotlight to move away from the star opening batsman. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube have all shown across the white-ball series that they could be relied on to take responsibility, but the same cannot be same about the team’s bowling. Virat Kohli’s template as captain has been to strangle teams in the middle overs after the new-ball bowlers do their job in their first spells, but with Jasprit Bumrah missing, the early wickets have been more difficult to come by.It was on display in the first ODI, when the set West Indies batsmen played out the spin threat of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja with ease, despite plenty of turn on offer in Chennai. It forced Kohli to bowl out Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami before the slog overs, leaving young Dube with the task of bowling at the death. It was similar for India during the loss to Australia, where Vijay Shankar was often the go-to bowler at the back end.ALSO READ: Smart and on target, Cottrell is more than just the saluteThe only difference between India and the visitors in Chennai was the number of options each captain had, and West Indies’ seven-bowler plan helped Kieron Pollard use conditions to his advantage.In the preceding T20I series, West Indies had gone into the final game on level terms and then fallen short. While they walk into the second game here with confidence, they need to make sure they don’t let the opposition batsmen settle in.

Form guide

India LWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WWWWL

In the spotlight

Is Shivam Dube a better all-round option than Vijay Shankar? An exciting half-century in the T20I series got people to sit up and take note, but his bowling hasn’t been terribly impressive. On his ODI debut, he made just nine with the bat and conceded nearly nine per over with the ball. There are question marks over his pace – late 120s – and whether he can bowl accurately enough, to the team’s fielding plans.Shivam Dube gets into position to pull•BCCI

Shai Hope has been one of the keys to West Indies’ success in recent times. Hope’s role as an anchor will be crucial once again, whether they bat first or chase. In his 218-run partnership – at a strike rate of over 100 – with Shimron Hetmyer in Chennai, Hope was calm in his approach, scoring at a strike rate in the 60s while allowing his partner to bloom. He rotates the strike well, allowing his big-hitting partners to have that safety net, and gives a blanket of security to the team.

Team news

India may return to their “Kul-Cha” plans, having failed to trouble West Indies with spin in the first ODI. That means either Dube or Jadeja may be left out to accommodate Yuzvendra Chahal.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammad ShamiWhether Evin Lewis has recovered from a right-knee injury is not yet known. If he has, then he’s likely to return to the XI in place of Sunil Ambris.West Indies (probable) 1 Shai Hope, 2 Evin Lewis/Sunil Ambris, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Roston Chase, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Hayden Walsh Jr, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Stats and trivia

• The last time an ODI was played – last year – in Visakhapatnam, India and West Indies battled hard for a tie. With West Indies needing five to win off the final ball, Hope, who made 123, slapped a boundary through point to level the scores.
• Teams batting first have won just one of the last six ODIs played in Visakhapatnam
• The average first-innings total at the ground since 2010 is 275
• Virat Kohli averages 139 at the ground, having scored 556 runs – including three centuries, a 99 and a 65 – in his five outings in Visakhapatnam

Hampshire bowler key to visitors’ first-innings demise for just 56 before batting woes deepen

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2023Northamptonshire 56 (Barker 4-13) and 50 for 2 (Whiteman 25*, Turner 1-10, Barker 1-20) f/o trail Hampshire 367 (Vince 95, Dawson 63, White 4-80) by 261 runsNorthamptonshire’s batting woes continued as they were bowled out for 56 – the lowest total in the Ageas Bowl’s 22-year history during their LV= County Championship match against Hampshire.Fast bowler Keith Barker was their main tormentor as he pilfered 4 for 13 in his 12 overs, while Mohammad Abbas and Ian Holland grabbed two wickets each for the home side.Only Saif Zaib managed to reach double figures – scoring 29 – with four of his team-mates falling for ducks as they scored one run fewer than Hampshire’s 57 against Kent on the ground last season.It meant they gave up a 311-run first-innings deficit, after Hampshire had earlier been bowled out for 367, with a further two wickets falling before the close – the score 50 for 2 and Hampshire’s lead 261.Northamptonshire exceeded many expectations with their sixth-placed finish in the Championship last season – with Luke Procter, Emilio Gay, and Rob Keogh all scoring in excess of 800 runs. So far this year, there has been just a solitary batting point in five matches and totals of 72, 63, and now 56. They are also the only side not to have a batter make 300 runs yet this season – although that is somewhat mitigated by Gay and Procter’s missed games through injury.Unsurprisingly that modest batting record has only translated to a single victory. Their attempts to improve that started horrendously as Hassan Azad was barbequed by Gay and run out without facing a ball in the first over – Mason Crane’s brilliant direct hit at point splattering the stumps.No words were spoken as Azad trudged off, while Gay would frenetically go on to get dropped at second slip before taking on an Abbas bouncer, only to stick it straight down deep square leg Fletcha Middleton’s throat. Sam Whiteman would also fall lbw to Barker as Northamptonshire reached lunch on 18 for 3.That 11-over stint saw the very best of left-armer Barker. His six overs returned 1 for 4 and included only one scoring shot – off the penultimate ball of the session.Barker returned from lunch hungry for wickets and had Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw when walking across his stumps. The former Warwickshire man then produced a double-wicket maiden – his seventh maiden in 12 overs – where he found Keogh pushing to third slip and James Sales beaten for pace.Tom Taylor was caught low at fourth slip off Abbas and Jordan Buckingham edged Holland to second slip to continue the collapse.Zaib had replicated the steady Hampshire batting approach from the first day, where the pitch had seemed slow and patience was needed to pick the moments to score. With partners running out he advanced and slapped to cover.Hampshire’s bowling attack is without Kyle Abbott and James Fuller for this match – due to knee trouble and illness – it meant Championship debutant John Turner and leg-spinner Crane were promoted into the team. Turner bowled with decent pace in his first 3.2 overs before he ended the sorry Northamptonshire innings by knocking back Jack White’s off stump.It was Northamptonshire’s second-lowest total of the 21st century and lowest ever away to Hampshire.Rain knocked 27 off the day, but the belated start to the second innings saw Gay once again put down at second slip and Azam complete a same-day pair – although this time at least faced seven balls before Barker pinned him lbw.Gay and Whiteman showed some solidity before Turner entered the attack and had the former lbw to complete a miserable day for the visitors.Earlier, Hampshire added 36 runs and lost their four remaining wickets, as they gained a third batting bonus point. Liam Dawson and Barker’s 74-run stand for the seventh wicket was ended when Tom Taylor nipped one back to bowl Dawson for 63.White, who ended up with figures of 4 for 80, had Holland lbw and Turner caught brilliantly at second slip by Gay in successive balls. The innings was rounded up when Abbas edged Taylor to first slip.

England batter admits to “little blow-up” in dressing room after dismissal with 21 needed

Matt Roller09-Jul-2023Harry Brook described a three-wicket victory against Australia at his home ground Headingley as his best Test win for England, after his innings of 75 off 93 balls underpinned their successful run chase on the fourth day.Having batted at No. 3 in the first innings, deputising for the injured Ollie Pope, Brook returned to his customary No. 5 spot in England’s second innings. They needed a further 158 runs to win with seven wickets remaining when he walked out, but the loss of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow either side of lunch left him as the last specialist batter standing.Brook added 59 in 73 balls in partnership with Chris Woakes, bringing up a 67-ball half-century and surviving a short-ball barrage from Australia’s seamers. He did eventually fall to a bumper, top-edging Mitchell Starc to cover, then watched anxiously from the dressing room as Mark Wood joined Woakes to drag England over the line.Related

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Asked on Channel Nine how England’s win compared to previous victories he had been a part of, Brook said: “I think that tops it to be honest. To do it in the Ashes, at home on my home ground as well, it was very good… it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will after a few drinks.”He admitted to having “a little blow-up” in the changing room after his dismissal, with 21 runs still required, but only had to wait 14 balls for Woakes to hit the winning runs through cover-point and give England their first victory in a men’s Ashes Test since 2019.”It’s a lot more nerve-wracking when you’re sat up there than in the middle,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m not one to blow up when I get in the changing room but I had a little blow-up today. I like getting us over the line and yeah, it was annoying that I didn’t today, but I’m happy we won.”Everybody [in the dressing room] erupted. We only needed about 20 runs, and I had complete and utter faith in Woakesy and Woody. It was tense for a little while but when Woody hit that six, we kind of knew it was on.”He added: “Me and Woakesy were just trying to build a partnership there, just trying to go down in fives: we got it down to 40 and we said, ‘Let’s try and get it down to 35’; then, ‘Let’s try and get it down to 30.’ Then obviously I got out, which made it a bit more nerve-wracking.”[Woakes] has been a phenomenal player for England. Obviously, he hasn’t played as much in the last couple years but to have him back in the side and play a vital part like he has done there is really good.”Brook played tentatively in the first innings, edging Pat Cummins to second slip for 3, and said his dismissal caused him to recommit to his attacking instincts in the second innings. “In the last couple of innings, I feel like I’ve got out being stuck on the crease a little bit,” he said. “I feel like I’m at my best when I’m looking to score and put pressure on the bowler.”I was trying to be a bit more aggressive today. I hate it when I nick off when I get stuck on the crease, so I’d rather get caught at second slip playing a massive drive to be honest, but I’m glad I got a few.”His return to No. 5 owed to Moeen Ali, who approached Brendon McCullum and asked to be promoted on the third evening. “He came up to Brendon and said, ‘I want to have a crack at No. 3 and take these guys on,'” Ben Stokes explained. “It wasn’t necessarily a free hit for us but I loved that, in the pressure of a chase, he wanted to go out and deliver for the team.”Brook admitted that he preferred the switch, though Stokes hinted that it is unlikely to be a permanent solution. “I’ve batted No. 5 for the last four or five years of my career, whether it’s with England or Yorkshire, so I probably feel most comfortable there,” he said. “But I’m happy to just be in the XI.”He has played for Yorkshire since Under-13 level and has spent many years compiling a strong record at Headingley, but this was Brook’s first international match at his home ground in any format. “That’s probably the best part, to be honest,” he told Sky Sports.”I’ll know a lot of people out there in the crowd and to have done it in front of the home crowd is really nice. It always is [loud], whether it’s a T20 Blast game or an England Test match. They’re always good here. But that is the worst part about being a professional cricketer: every single person messages you asking for a ticket.”