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Captain is very confident in the way her players have trained ahead of series against South Africa

Annesha Ghosh06-Mar-20213:23

Mithali Raj – ‘It’s time we started our campaign for the 2022 World Cup’

When India face South Africa in the ODI series opener in Lucknow on Sunday, they would be taking the field after a 364-day gap in international cricket. South Africa, on the other hand, have had two full limited-overs series – of three ODIs and as many T20Is each, against Pakistan – during this period. Mithali Raj, the India ODI captain who is 85 away from 10,000 runs in international cricket, would herself be turning out in India colours after 487 days. With the next ODI World Cup in 12 months, Raj, 38, is hopeful that both she and the team will be able to get in into “rhythm” quick enough to challenge South Africa, whom they have faced more times than they have any other opponent since the 2017 ODI World Cup.”I am training the same way I do before any international series. But I am really looking forward to getting more runs. I was in rhythm in the last seriesm against West Indies, in 2019. Hope to do the same here,” Raj, senior-most player in the ODI side, said at a virtual press conference on the eve of the first of the ODI in Lucknow.”This series is very important for two reasons. We have young players, and it is the right platform to give them opportunities in the home conditions. At the same time, it is important to see that the core players get enough game-time to get out there and develop their rhythm, come together and set our standards out there and take it from there,” she said.Related

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In the six games between the two sides, played across two-match bilateral series, since the 2017 50-over World Cup, India, runners-up in that edition, lost only once to South Africa, semi-finalists in that competition. But South Africa have the advantage of more game time under their belt since the 2020 T20 World Cup in March last year, several of their players even playing a domestic T20 tournament in December following the Covid-19-enforced cancellation of the national team’s England tour. By contrast, the India cricketers have had the four-match Women’s T20 Challenge in November as their only opportunity of playing any top-flight competitive cricket in the whole past year.Raj believes that India’s preparations in the lead-up to the series, including the three training sessions they’ve had in Lucknow over four days since completing a five-day quarantine on March 2 – would hold them in good stead.”Clearly they’ve had game time, but we are playing after a gap. Having said that we definitely have put in the efforts, trained ourselves, have these short camps, four days of sessions here,” Raj said. “It doesn’t look like we are rusty or anything. I think the girls clearly are quite excited to get on the field and start putting our best performances because it’s time that we start our campaign for the World Cup, and start playing some cricket.”The girls have been training in their respective places before coming here. During the lockdown, we have all kept in touch and kept up with our routines via Zoom and other apps. We are communicating with the staff. It’s no different in that sense. A lot has gone in the mental set-up because it has been a long gap.”This series is very important for two reasons. We have young players, and it is the right platform to give them opportunities in the home conditions. At the same time, it is important to see that the core players get enough game-time to get out there and develop their rhythm, come together and set our standards out there and take it from there.”From the start of 2017 until November 6, 2019, when India last played the format, they scored 240 runs or more only nine times out of 22 instances while batting first. Among the top eight-ranked ODI teams, India’s tally in this regard is only the fifth-best, with South Africa one place above them.India kicked off their 2017 ODI World Cup preparations with a 50-over game on February 7, 2017. Their last appearance in the format was on November 6, 2019•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Raj said that while India would look to put on about 250 runs when batting first on the Ekana pitch, the priority for the home team in the first match would be to regain lost momentum.”Clearly, coming back into the one-dayers after 15 months, we first look forward to developing a rhythm, a momentum,” Raj said. “If it’s a good batting track, we definitely look forward to around 240-250. It’s something we can start aiming at. But if we get a good start may be, you know, push beyond.””But again, it all depends on how we take the first game, the wicket. But as on today, the girls seem to be very confident. We’ve had some very good sessions. So, clearly, I’m looking at a very confident unit to take the field tomorrow.The South Africa assignment is also the first time since July 2015, when they squared off against New Zealand at home, that India would be playing five ODIs in a bilateral series. Raj said that the length of series might allow her to field the four uncapped players – left-hand batter Yastika Bhatia, legspin-bowling allrounder C Prathyusha, left-arm medium pacer Monica Patel, and wicketkeeper Sweta Verma – named in the 17-member ODI squad.”[I am] Definitely [considering the possibility of trying them out], because it’s a five-ODI series. We have some young players in the side. As captain I would like to give them opportunities to show their talent, so yes, we’re definitely looking forward to giving them opportunities in these five ODIs.”She also explained that though 17-year-old Shafali Verma, the batter with the most runs – 163 – for India and the best strike rate – 158 – among those with 50 runs or more across teams in the 2020 T20 World Cup, was picked only for the T20Is against South Africa, a debut in the 50-over format may not be far away.”She definitely is in the scheme of things, she is on the radar. We need to have a little bit of patience and we will see her very soon,” Raj said, smiling.

Sialkot Stallions, who won 25 consecutive games between 2006 and 2010, remain on top of the list

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2019Sialkot Stallions, 25 wins, 2006-10
Competition: National T20 CupLong before Shoaib Malik became a sought-after allrounder in T20 leagues around the world, he was a serial match-winner for his regional T20 side in Pakistan: Sialkot Stallions. Stallions’ stunning streak comprised five consecutive National T20 Cup titles, a feat unlikely to be bettered given how competitive the circuit has become in modern times. If the low-profile nature of a domestic T20 competition makes it sound like a mean feat, its superlative nature is emphasised by the fact that no other T20 side has come anywhere close in the decade since then.With a core comprising players who featured in Pakistan’s run to the inaugural World T20 final in 2007 – Malik, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Asif and Abdur Rehman – they were clinical in dispatching all comers through that five-year run. A significant part of their winning streak came under Nazir’s leadership, when they won all 13 of their games between 2006 and 2009. Stallions’ streak made them the first Pakistan side to be invited to the Champions League, in 2012, where they did not make it past the abbreviated qualifying stage. They would go on to win the 2011-12 edition under Malik, but that was the end of their golden age.Karnataka, 15 wins, 2018-19
Competition: Syed Mushtaq Ali TrophyIt is rare in any T20 competition these days for a side to go through an entire tournament without being beaten, but that’s exactly what Karnataka did in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 competition, away from the glitz and hype of the IPL. While they are blessed with a number of players who have made the step up to India colours, it was Karnataka’s youngsters who stepped up through the tournament. The tournament’s top run-getter Rohan Kadam and their highest wicket-taker V Koushik were both stars from the local Karnataka Premier League, while big names like Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair stepped up in big games towards the business end.The 2019-20 edition of the tournament kicked off on Friday, and there was no change in the team’s attitude – ruthless and clinical – as they ran out nine-wicket victors in Visakhapatnam. Abhimanyu Mithun and Shreyas Gopal picked up two wickets each to stop Uttarakhand at 132 for 6, and Kadam, continuing his own streak, hit 67 not out and Devdutt Padikkal, another promising youngster, hit 53 not out to seal the chase in 15.4 overs. Luck ran out against Baroda, though, as captain Kedar Devdhar’s quick half-century and left-arm quick Meriwala’s five-wicket haul trumped Karnataka.Otago, 15 wins, 2012-13
Competitions: New Zealand Domestic T20 (HRV Cup), Champions League T20Otago, led by the vastly experienced Derek de Boorder, were a cut above the rest of the teams in the six-team competition at home, starting with a 24-run loss to Northern Districts but then recording nine consecutive wins in the league stage and then topping Wellington by four wickets in the final.That took their streak to ten in a row, which they extended to 15 after reaching India later in 2013 for the Champions League T20 tournament.They started in the qualifiers. First up, Brendon McCullum hit a 65-ball 83 not out to give them victory against Faisalabad Wolves, then came a Ryan ten Doeschate starrer, as he picked up two wickets and then smashed 64 in 32 balls in a big win over Kandurata Maroons, and the other McCullum, Nathan, then led a brilliant bowling display to give Otago victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.All those games were played in Mohali, and Otago made it 14 when they beat Perth Scorchers in Jaipur in the main competition next, Neil Broom’s 117 not out in 56 balls leading their cause. It could have been tricky for them had their match against eventual champions Mumbai Indians – before the one against the Scorchers – not been washed out, but they did go on to win the one-over eliminator against Lions to get to 15 after that before going down to Rajasthan Royals.Kolkata Knight Riders, 14 wins, 2014
Competitions: Indian Premier League, Champions League T20Kolkata Knight Riders were down and out in IPL 2014 with four points after seven matches when the tournament’s most storied winning streak began. Away from their familiar home conditions at Eden Gardens till the 47th game of the tournament, thanks to the 2014 parliamentary elections, they struggled to get going, first in the UAE and then at different makeshift venues around the country. Robin Uthappa, shifted up to the top of the order, smashed his way to the top of the run chart, Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav led the pace attack, while the spinners – Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla – starred with the ball to revive their winning formula.If they were unstoppable in the latter stages of the IPL, their continued dominance in the Champions League makes the case for this to be the most comprehensive winning streak in T20 franchise history. They beat the champions of Australia (Perth Scorchers), Pakistan (Lahore Lions) and South Africa’s second-best team (Dolphins) on their way to the final, where Chennai Super Kings ended their run at 14 games.

Yorkshire’s interest in Liam Plunkett lapsed the moment he accepted a late IPL deal, leaving Surrey to offer him a three-year contract

David Hopps26-Jul-2018Liam Plunkett has signed a three-year deal with Surrey and will leave Yorkshire at the end of the season after becoming the first casualty of the IPL rivalry to England’s county gamePlunkett’s future at Yorkshire was thrown into question on the eve of the season when he accepted a last-minute offer to go to the IPL as a replacement for the injured South African quick Kagiso Rabada at Delhi Daredevils.His departure, plus that of his team-mate David Willey, who also won a late deal with Chennai Super Kings, severely weakened Yorkshire in the early part of the season and prompted Martyn Moxon, the county’s director of cricket, to call for a cut-off window for late IPL call-ups.Willey did sign a new contract at Headingley, but Yorkshire came to the conclusion that Plunkett no longer offered value for money, also taking into account his regular absence with England’s ODI side, and presented white-ball only deals as an inevitable future consequence of divided loyalties.Surrey have the financial clout to play the longer game, in the anticipation that Plunkett may soon be available more regularly, but even for them, and even considering Plunkett’s exceptionally high level of physical fitness, a three-year deal at 33 for an out-and-out fast bowler represents a calculated risk.Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, made light of that, saying: “When a player of Liam’s ability and experience becomes available it makes perfect sense to sign him. Adding him to our squad gives us great options in all formats and we look forward to seeing him playing for Surrey over the coming years.”Yorkshire’s emphasis, meanwhile, is on developing a group of young pace bowlers with good availability to foster consistency and togetherness.Moxon said: “We are trying to assemble a squad that has availability and is within our budget to compete in all three domestic competitions. With that in mind we are not in a position to be able to offer Liam a new contract. He has played a big part in our recent success and we obviously thank him for that and wish him well for the future.”In 2017, Plunkett claimed 36 one-day international wickets in the calendar year, the joint-second best haul in the world behind only Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan. He is ranked No. 20 on the ICC’s list of ODI bowlers.But 2017 saw him play only 10 times across all three forms for Yorkshire, with injury ruling him out for large parts as well as the regular international commitments. This year could be even more unproductive as he has played only three Royal London Cup matches and one game in the Vitality Blast.Plunkett, a four-time Specsavers County Championship winner – twice with Durham in 2008 and 2009, and twice with Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015 – was a faltering county pro when Yorkshire took him from Durham, his confidence low and his accuracy awry.Moxon, who had worked with him at Durham, retained faith in his ability and he rebuilt his career under the tutelage of Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s former coach, as he concentrated on fast, aggressive bowling – short or full.That method should be suited to The Oval’s pitches and Surrey will surely make better use of him than Yorkshire as a dangerous lower-order hitter in T20. That reluctance in a side not overstocked with late-order firepower has been hard to understand.”It’s disappointing that it has come to an end,” Plunkett said. “Obviously Yorkshire took a chance on me after Durham and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. I feel as though I’ve played some of my best cricket at Yorkshire, including getting myself back in to the England team.”There comes a time in people’s careers where you don’t get offered a contract. Obviously, Yorkshire want to go in a different direction. I feel like I’ve met some really good people, made some fond memories and won some good trophies for an incredibly passionate club.”

Paul Edwards at Tunbridge Wells26-May-2017
ScorecardJoe Denly’s century was the bedrock of Kent’s innings•Getty Images

Joe Denly may play finer innings for Kent but he will make no century more precious than that which he completed just before five o’clock on an afternoon borrowed from Elysium. Denly’s hundred was constructed in the style of former Kent openers: Wally Hardinge, Arthur Fagg, Brian Luckhurst. It anchored his side’s effort when choppy seas threatened and it was largely responsible for his team ending the day moored in the relatively safe harbour of 316 for 8.Yet Denly’s 119 was freighted with more than statistical significance and this day’s cricket embraced more than deep enjoyment. Tunbridge Wells, you see, is quite gloriously the same but England is different. We did not need the early announcement of evacuation procedures over the public address to remind us of a new reality. Those travelling to this match by train from the north on Thursday were privileged to take part in a perfectly observed minute’s silence when the only noise was the gentle hum of the Pendolino. Then there were the extra police at Euston and a capital city with its Union flags at half-mast. We are suddenly more alert and newly protective of our liberties.Those liberties include sport, of course, and so it was with a special pleasure that folk arrived to watch the cricket on a day when rugs were needed only to prevent the sun’s glare reflecting off windscreens. The game began with a succession of four faultless maidens, which sounds rather like a medieval ceremony of purification. A sun-hatted slip cordon remained in vigilant attendance throughout a first hour in which Kent scored 25 runs off 15 overs and lost Sean Dickson for nought, the opener being caught behind when failing to cover Jofra Archer’s movement and bounce. Archer, of whom fulsome panegyrics have already been written, bowled well throughout the day yet enjoyed no more success.The next wicket fell instead to David Wiese, who sent down a nondescript bouncer to Daniel Bell-Drummond and was no doubt gratified to see the Kent opener waste his 65 minutes’ watchfulness and slap the thing to Danny Briggs at backward point. The French Open begins at Roland Garros this weekend so maybe that was on Bell-Drummond’s mind. Twenty minutes later Sam Northeast followed Vernon Philander’s fine away-swinger – a shot more from Hamelin than Harrow – and gave Michael Burgess the second of his three catches.Denly, meanwhile, was batting with studied precision, driving the Sussex seamers through the off side when they overpitched but otherwise protecting his stumps and playing shots only when they appeared necessary or without risk. At least he obtained full value for his aggression; the ball ran away across the square like a marble on glass.Kent lunched on 69 for 3 and many spectators promenaded contentedly on the outfield. This was “keeping calm”, and few places in our land are more conducive to serenity than the Nevill Ground; and this is “carrying on”, though we did so in the painful knowledge that there are people for whom the mere idea of getting through any day has become almost inconceivable…Kent dominated the afternoon session, scoring 126 runs in a style which brought pleasure to many of the near-as-dammit three thousand spectators. The pitch eased a shade and the ball softened. Joe Weatherly hit six pleasant boundaries and promised more before he was caught behind off a good delivery from Wiese. Darren Stevens, who is having the time of his life this season, batted with much greater aggression, taking three successive boundaries off Wiese and whacking eight fours in all in a run-a-ball 44 which was ended when he went down on one knee but only miscued Briggs to Chris Nash at short midwicket. Denly, meanwhile, had reached his fifty with a straight drive off Archer and the ball was beating his bat infrequently. The temperature settled in the seventies and the crowd basked in their sport. It was the sort of day when the gods turn up and watch the cricket while enjoying a pint of Goacher’s mild in the CAMRA tent.The honours in the evening session were shared, Kent scoring 121 runs but losing three batsmen to leg before decisions. Briggs was cut without mercy by Will Gidman whenever he pitched short but gained his revenge when he trapped the allrounder for 42, the ball striking the pad just prior to the bat. Denly reached his century off 188 balls after 290 minutes of fierce concentration but he then played tiredly across the line to Philander. James Harris became Wiese’s third victim and the day ended with Adam Rouse unbeaten on 32 and batting for Saturday morning in partnership with James Tredwell.The spectators drifted away, though many will be here again on Saturday; the county match is prized in these parts. And the crowd who watch their cricket at Tunbridge Wells over the weekend will share a bond with the thousands attending concerts or the slightly fewer turning up to Tredwell’s hog-roast at Pembury tomorrow evening. The same association links them to those going to the Cup Final at Wembley or the athletics events in the scarred city of Manchester. So perhaps such a day at the end of such a week even gives one the licence to paraphrase very slightly the greatest cricket poem of all, “J M Parks at Tunbridge Wells” by Alan Ross: “Kent 316 for 8. Moss roses on the hill / A dry taste in the mouth, but the moment / Sufficient, being what we are, ourselves still.”

Former Sri Lanka opener Avishka Gunawardene has been appointed coach of the Sri Lanka A team, and former senior team coach Roy Dias will take up a similar role with the Under-19 side

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2016Former Sri Lanka opener Avishka Gunawardene has been appointed coach of the Sri Lanka A team, while former senior team coach Roy Dias will take up a similar role with the Under-19 side. Both teams are scheduled to tour England in July, while the Sri Lanka U-19 team will also tour South Africa later.Gunawardene is part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s coaching panel and, until recently, was assistant coach of the U-19 team. He played six Tests and 61 ODIs between 1998 and 2006, scoring one century against West Indies in the ICC knockout in 2000. He is also remembered for his 53 against South Africa in the semi-final of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where Sri Lanka lost by one wicket.Dias, who played 20 Tests and 58 ODIs between 1979 and 1987, was appointed Sri Lanka coach in 1998 before he took up the role with Oman and Nepal. Dias coached Nepal’s junior and senior sides.Sri Lanka A will play two four-day games against Pakistan A from July 3, followed by a 50-over tri-series between the two teams and England A from July 18. Sri Lanka U-19 will play two Youth Tests against England U-19 from July 26, while the three-match Youth ODI series starts from August 10.

Division One leaders Middlesex are well placed to claim their third successive win after another bowler-dominated day at Hove

Press Association11-May-2015
ScorecardBen Brown top-scored with 46 for Sussex as the bowlers continued to thrive in Hove•Getty Images

Division One leaders Middlesex are well placed to claim their third successive win after another bowler-dominated day at Hove. Twelve wickets fell on a second day that ended with 21 overs unused after a sea fret rolled in.Middlesex closed on 126 for 6, having extended their overall lead to 203 after dismissing Sussex for 192 earlier in the day. No player has yet passed 50 in the match (although there have been 112 extras) and that statistic looks unlikely to change with batsmen on both sides struggling to combat a pitch of erratic bounce that is unlikely to get any easier.Sussex were indebted to Ben Brown’s counterattacking 46 for keeping their first-innings deficit to manageable proportions and although Middlesex slumped to 68 for 4 and then 102 for 6, Ollie Rayner defied his former team-mates with an unbeaten 19 before the mists descended.Sussex were hampered by the absence of their leading wicket-taker Ajmal Shahzad, who suffered an arm injury on the first day. In his absence Ollie Robinson took three wickets to take his tally on his home debut to seven, which just about kept Sussex in contention.Batting again with a precious lead of 77, Middlesex lost Nick Gubbins in Robinson’s first over when he edged an outswinger before Steve Magoffin reaped an instant reward for a change of ends when he plucked out Sam Robson’s off stump.Middlesex lost two wickets with the score on 68. Substitute fielder Simon Harmer ran out Nick Compton with an underarm throw from the covers and James Franklin completed a pair off the next ball when Magoffin had him taken at second slip.Robinson’s lifter accounted for Neil Dexter and Mike Yardy claimed his third slip catch of the innings shortly after tea when Adam Voges drove at another Robinson delivery that spat up off a length. Rayner and John Simpson survived for six overs before the players went off.Earlier, Sussex’s first innings had been something of a procession once skipper Ed Joyce shovelled a leg-side ball from James Harris to long leg in the second over of the day. Luke Wright briefly flourished with five boundaries in his 26 but it needed Brown to give the total some respectability. He attacked vigorously after lunch, hitting eight boundaries in a stand of 31 for the ninth wicket with Shahzad, who offered solid support despite being clearly inconvenienced by his injury.Brown gave Rayner his second wicket with a tame catch down the leg side while the pick of the Middlesex seamers was Toby Roland-Jones, who found the right length and was unfortunate to only finish with two wickets.

The ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Pallekele will be the first played with the altered playing conditions

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Pallekele31-Oct-2012The ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Pallekele will be the first played with the altered playing conditions, and Ross Taylor said it was important for his team to get used to them as fast as possible.Under the tweaked playing conditions, there will be only two blocks of fielding restrictions: the first ten overs, when a maximum of two fielders can be placed outside the 30-yard circle, and a second block of five overs – the batting Powerplay, when three fielders are allowed outside the circle – that needs to be completed by the 40th over. The bowling Powerplay has been done away with. During non-Powerplay overs, a maximum of four fielders can be placed outside the circle, a reduction from the earlier five.”These new rules, the players and I guess the officials will need to adjust quickly,” Taylor said. “It’s more a mindset change, for our batsmen. We’ve got to get ourselves in and keep wickets in hand, and capitalise in the last ten overs. With the new rules and the two new balls, it is difficult for whichever team does bat first, but if you can get a good total on the board, under lights it can be difficult as well.”New Zealand had one fitness concern ahead of Thursday’s contest, with fast bowler Adam Milne not turning up for practice on the eve of the game. “He [Milne] has picked up a bug and been out with it for the last couple of days,” Taylor said. “He won’t be in consideration for this match but hopefully he comes right and he’ll be in consideration for the match in Colombo.”The weather in Pallekele remained a concern after rain washed out the Twenty20 between the sides on Tuesday. New Zealand’s innings was reduced to 14 overs and they struggled to 74 for 7, and Sri Lanka made 6 for 0 in two overs before the game was abandoned.”Tomorrow is a new day. We played a little bit out there last night, it’s going to be a tough wicket for the batsmen,” Taylor said. “I feel sorry for the groundsman. It wasn’t an ideal wicket for a Twenty20 match and it was very damp. In saying that, we didn’t apply ourselves as well as we would have liked.”They did put balls in the right areas but it was very tough to score, and it shows you what kind of wicket it was when we set them 72 in 14 overs. It would have still been a tough chase and we would have been in the match.”Considering the weather and the state of the pitch, Taylor said the toss would play an important role in the first ODI. New Zealand had lost it in the Twenty20 and were put in to bat.

Geoff Marsh, the former Australia batsman and coach, has confirmed discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket about the possibility of becoming national coach

Daniel Brettig10-Sep-2011Geoff Marsh, the former Australia batsman and coach, has confirmed discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket about the possibility of becoming national coach.In Pallekele to witness his son Shaun’s century on Test debut, Marsh has been weighing up the possibility of taking over the position vacated by Trevor Bayliss following the 2011 World Cup. Sri Lanka has since been under interim coaches, first Bayliss’ assistant Stuart Law in England and then the former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake in this series against AustraliaGraham Ford, the former South Africa coach, was also sounded out about the role but reportedly declined. Marsh said that his former Australia team-mate Tom Moody, who coached Sri Lanka before Bayliss, had also been engaged in discussions.”They had a word but nothing’s come of it. I’m here totally focused on the Test match, but they’ve had a word to quite a few people,” Marsh said.”Definitely nothing formal, no. I may consider it but we’ll just see how things go. You’ve got the IPL and all that to take into consideration, a lot of things, there’s my job back at home. So they’ve spoken to Tom Moody and a whole heap of people, so we’ll see how that all pans out.”Marsh played 50 Tests for Australia and then coached the national team for four years. He also worked as the coach of Zimbabwe and is presently with the IPL franchise Pune Warriors.The Sri Lankans have not won in nine Tests since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. They appear in need of a strong hand in the backroom to deliver stability and direction to a team that is in transition following the loss of Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. The batsmen in particular failed to give a worthy account of themselves against Australia, rolled for 105 and 174 in two first innings in Galle and Pallekele.

Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, wanted to pull out of the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Monday following Ijaz Butt’s claim that England took money to lose the previous match at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2010Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, wanted to pull out of the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Monday following Ijaz Butt’s claim that England took money to lose the previous match at The Oval. It was only after extensive negotiations between the ECB and the players that the game went ahead, but Swann has revealed the players were ready to take drastic action.Andrew Strauss was involved in meetings that went into the early hours of Monday morning with the board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association before the decision was taken to continue the one-day series. The ECB issued strongly worded statements in response to Butt’s outburst and are still set on pursuing legal action against the Pakistan board chairman unless he makes a public apology for claiming England took “enormous amounts of money” to lose at The Oval.”I couldn’t wait for those games to end and get the hell out of there. It was a dreadful experience and one I never want to experience again,” Swann told . “In fact, I didn’t want to play at all in the one-dayer on Monday. I won’t lie about that – I was dead against playing. And I wasn’t alone, plenty of other players had strong reservations.”But Straussy, who has been brilliant throughout this episode, persuaded us the best thing we could do was get on with it as a team and make sure we won the series. He was proved to be right.”Swann, who took 11 wickets at 19.00 during the series which England won 3-2 with a 121-run success at the Rose Bowl, insisted it was no empty threat from the players about taking Butt to court over his claims.”I want to say I agree 100 per cent with the decision to send a letter on behalf of the England team demanding an apology from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt. If we do not receive a satisfactory response, we will start legal proceedings,” Swann said. “Mr Butt’s comments about bookmakers claiming we deliberately lost the third one-dayer in return for ‘enormous amounts of money’ were as offensive as they could possibly be. They went against everything I stand for as a professional sportsman.”We felt powerless as players because as soon as somebody says something like that and it is read by cricket followers, our name is sullied. You can’t go around accusing people and pointing fingers with completely unsubstantiated claims. In the civilised world, it is not something that should happen. I hope Mr Butt sees sense and retracts his claims or there must be severe consequences for him.”

They gave the hosts a 93-run first-innings lead, which Pakistan grew to 202 courtesy Shan Masood’s fifty

Danyal Rasool18-Jan-2025Noman Ali and Sajid Khan put on a spin-bowling masterclass on a surface they found to their tastes, taking nine of the ten wickets to skittle West Indies out for 137 in less than a session. Either side of that, Pakistan fared better with the bat, putting up 230 in the first innings despite a collapse after Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan’s 141-run stand was broken.But they pulled away from the visitors in the final session with a commanding second-innings show with the bat. That was spearheaded by their captain Shan Masood, whose half-century drove Pakistan’s lead to 202 with seven wickets still in hand. The dominant story of a day when 19 wickets fell, though, came in the middle session, where West Indies had little answer to Noman and Sajid, who bowled all but 14 deliveries of their innings.Sajid started the dismantling in just his second over when he dismissed Mikyle Louis and Keacy Carty off successive balls, even as Carty fell thanks to a superb slip catch from Mohammad Hurraira. By the end of his third over, Sajid had four wickets as West Indies floundered, unable to either defend or attack against an unerringly accurate spin duo.Noman joined the fun, getting drift and turn to clip the edge of Justin Greaves’ off stump. It was the first of five wickets for the left-armer, who was beginning to get huge rip off the barely formed footmarks.As the innings proceeded, West Indies began to adopt a more bellicose outlook, trying to swindle some runs along the way. But there was limited success as multiple batters dragged it on to their stumps, before the final two partnerships flourished. Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican began to play belligerent shots, with Warrican utilising the back of the bat while playing the reverse sweeps a handful of times.Shan Masood was adept against spin bowling•AFP/Getty Images

From 66 for 8 at one stage, West Indies added 71 for the last two wickets. After Motie and Warrican had a partnership of 25, it was only during the last-wicket stand between Warrican and Jayden Seales when West Indies dominated the spinners. Both batters connected cleanly as they hit the spinners over cow corner for multiple sixes.That forced Pakistan into bringing on Abrar Ahmed for the first time. Eventually, Abrar did end the partnership, but only after the pair had plundered 46 runs off 21 balls. Seales failed to pick up a googly and miscued it straight up, as Rizwan took the catch and ended the punchy counterattack.If West Indies thought that their collapse against spin meant they too would be among the wickets in the final session, Masood and Hurraira soon disabused them off that notion. Seales, whose pace and seam movement had made him the surprise pick of the bowlers on the first day, reprised his potent threat but without the wickets that would reflect this in the scorecard.Masood, meanwhile, was proactive in his use of the feet, and adept against spin bowling, eager to attack and expand the lead even further before the day was done. Some untidiness crept into the bowling; there were 12 byes as the spin became as tricky to handle for the bowlers as it was for the batters. But Warrican was dangerous with the one that carried on with the arm, and got both his wickets that way – Hurraira at first, before Babar Azam played for the spin and found himself rapped in front of middle.West Indies were unfortunate not to snare Kamran Ghulam too when a miscued sweep struck him on the arm as he got down low. The umpire raised the finger, although HawkEye, incongruously, projected the ball to be rising well above the stumps.Jomel Warrican took three wickets in the first innings, before hitting 31* with the bat•PCB

As if to compensate, West Indies were gifted the wicket of Masood. He called for a run and didn’t quite realise that Ghulam was well down the pitch in response, and found himself stranded in the middle of the pitch. Thus, Masood was left with little chance of getting to the non-striker’s end, before Warrican whipped the bails off.Earlier, during the morning session, West Indies took four wickets for 13 runs to trigger a Pakistan collapse. That started by breaking the stand between Shakeel and Rizwan, leaving West Indies two wickets away from wrapping the hosts up. Shakeel and Rizwan had begun with the same authority with which they had ended the first day. But once Kevin Sinclair snared Shakeel 16 short of what would have been his fifth Test hundred, Pakistan’s resistance melted away.Only a punchy rearguard partnership between Sajid and Khurram Shahzad prevented West Indies from running through the innings even sooner, but Pakistan were still bowled out for 230 on the stroke of lunch.West Indies had begun the day by sticking to disciplined and tight lines, at one point conceding six runs in seven overs as Seales and Warrican locked in. But neither batter offered up chances during this time, and when Pakistan negotiated the first hour without loss, West Indies were in danger of being shut out of the game.Saud Shakeel fell 16 short of what would have been his fifth Test hundred•AFP/Getty Images

But the first ball after drinks brought joy for West Indies. Sinclair lured Shakeel forward before getting the ball to grip, and then taking his edge. As if it had been forgotten, the pitch suddenly began to remind everyone how hostile it could be to batters against quality spin, as the ball hissed and spat off the surface.Salman Ali Agha was deceived in the flight from Warrican to drag on before Pakistan imploded. A bizarre mix-up between Rizwan and Noman saw the former turn his back on Noman to leave him unsuccessfully scrambling to return to the non-striker’s end. But an attempted reverse sweep off the next delivery ended Rizwan’s own innings, as a sharp review from West Indies finished Rizwan’s innings on 71.It was only an entertaining stand from Sajid and Shahzad that saw a few more runs flow for Pakistan, before the innings petered out. Sajid launched Sinclair over cow corner for six amid a little flurry as Pakistan added 25 quickfire runs. But Warrican returned to fold the innings, making short work of both, as West Indies took the last six wickets for 43 runs in a session of two halves. It was a harbinger for the rest of the day, when the wicket-taking continued unabated.