The hosts were bowled out for 69 in Dublin, with only eight of their XI falling for single-digit scores

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2022Ireland crumbled to 69 all out against South Africa on Saturday, with eight of their 11 batters falling for single-digit scores. There were four ducks in the innings, which lasted only 27.2 overs, as fast bowler Shabnim Ismail and legspinner Sune Luus went on a wicket-taking spree. Their combined figures read 13-4-32-6.The carnage began almost as soon as Ireland won the toss and opted to bat and soon enough they were 14 for 4. Shauna Kavanaugh (15), Sophie MacMahon (13) and Georgina Dempsey (19) were the only players to get into double-figures as South Africa took control and simply never let up. Ismail was responsible for three of the four ducks in the innings, even as her new-ball partner Ayabonga Khaka proved herself to be unhittable, getting through 5.2 overs for just six runs (one of those was a wide) and picking up two wickets. Luus took care of the middle and lower order to bowl Ireland out in 27.2 overs.The chase was little more than a formality, although Ireland did manage to pick up an early wicket – Laura Wolvaardt out for 8 in the fifth over. Andrie Steyn (21 not out) and Laura Goodall (32 not out) ensured there were no other hiccups as South Africa secured victory with nine wickets and 204 balls to spare.

Head coach calls on team to go ‘too far’, as other opponents wake up to new approach

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Jun-2022Brendon McCullum has challenged England to test the limits of their new attacking approach by taking it “too far”, and hopes county cricketers look to emulate how the Test batters have performed in their 3-0 series win over New Zealand.England ticked off three run-chases out of three in McCullum’s first series as head coach of the Test side, sealing an emphatic seven-wicket victory at Headingley. Just as at Trent Bridge in the second Test, when 299 was chased comfortably in 50 overs, victory came in a flurry on the final day, sealed by Joe Root (86 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (71 not out) in a 111-run stand spanning 14.3 overs that ultimately saw off a target of 296 in less than two sessions.This was only England’s second series win since the start of 2021. But the manner of it spoke of much more than simply a team overcoming a dire run of form. With the 277 achieved at Lord’s, England have three new entries in the top 12 of their all-time chases list, this one at Headingley coming in at No.7.As observers of English cricket wonder just how much longer the team can sustain this run, and indeed this style of play, McCullum believes they will only find their limits if they continue to push themselves to go bigger and better.”I hope we take it too far because then we’ll know exactly where that line is. Until you do that, you’re not really sure. We’ve seen it with the England white-ball stuff – there have been times where they’ve probably pushed too hard, and then they know. I think it’ll be the same with us, and we’ve got to keep exploring what that line is.”It’s not just about batting either,” McCullum added, reflecting on how England overcame a wicketless morning session on the fourth day at Headingley to run through New Zealand’s lower order with five quick wickets. “If you look at how we’ve fielded and how we’ve bowled as well, some of the field placements that the skipper’s had in place and the mentality the guys have had is constantly to try and chase wickets.”Even yesterday [Sunday] when there was a partnership establishing between Mitchell and Blundell, maybe in the past at times there might have been a slight unease about the total that was building up. But we kept attacking, the fields were very attacking right throughout, the bowlers kept trying to bowl towards modes of dismissal and to me that’s just part and parcel with how this team wants to play.”Highest run rate for a team in a Test series•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As dynamic as the batting has been, the bowling effort has carried a never-say-die spirit, typified by Jack Leach’s maiden ten-wicket match haul (comprised of five for 100 and five for 66) and Matthew Potts’ debut series of 14 dismissals, the most for the hosts.Speaking after stumps on Monday, new captain Ben Stokes hoped his charges have sent a message to those angling for Test honours in the future, whether with bat or ball. “I’d like to think people watching would know what they have to do to bang the door down to get in this team”. It was a sentiment McCullum was keen to amplify.”It would be nice,” McCullum said, when Stokes’ comments were put to him. “We can’t impose any of that stuff on them as well, because they’ve got things that they want to achieve, but I think you’ll see if we can build this and we have success doing it, you see the type of player (we want).”If I was a young player around county cricket and I saw what our No.5 for England [Bairstow] is currently doing and the role and how he’s encouraged to play that way, then I’d probably look at trying to play like that myself to ensure that I would get noticed as well, in case something was to happen to that person.”You hope that it filters down, you certainly can’t be belligerent enough to think that it will always be the case. I think that we’ve already seen with county cricket scores over the past couple of days that maybe that positivity has filtered down.”Those inside the dressing room and beyond have heaped praise on the way McCullum and Stokes have lifted a group of players who were coming into this summer with just one win in 17 matches behind them. Speaking to Sky during this third Test, James Anderson, who was unable to take part due to an ankle issue, championed McCullum for making him feel “ten feet tall”. Stokes, meanwhile, has practised what he preaches: batting selflessly – arguably to a fault, at times – and backing his bowlers completely in the field.No doubt there is a far greater atmosphere around the English game, the tell-tale sign being how engaged those who have been in the stands seem to be with the way the game is being played. McCullum, however, was keen to dampen down the influence of both him and Stokes, insisting that they have benefitted from circumstance to a degree.”Timing is important – you have got to be ready for change. I think taking over this job when the skipper and I have, there was a thirst for change. When your results haven’t been good, people are more receptive to change.”The freshness of some of the ideas, the approach, stripping out some of the noise, but getting guys to play the game for the game’s sake. Still understand your obligations and responsibilities but just play the game. Enjoy the game with your mates and understand you have a very finite time as an international cricketer, so you should try and enjoy that, rather than being paralysed by the fear of failure or the noise.”The skipper has taken them on a journey, I’ve tried to fill in the gaps where needed and they’ve got instant gratification for that change. It doesn’t always happen. But that’s why those guys are so keen on this style.”Related

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However, England are clearly benefitting from the fact that McCullum has already lived through the methods that he is calling for. Across an international career spanning 14 years, he was praised and pilloried for how he approached his cricket as a wicketkeeper-batter with a global profile. There were highs and lows, but most of the highs – certainly the ones celebrated fullest – seemed to come at the back-end of his career, once he had made peace with how he wanted to play and what he wanted from the game.Having only retired from professional cricket in 2019, his connection to the generations he is now overseeing is strong. As is his appreciation of the pressures facing them on and off the field and why, as well as shedding doubt and blocking out the external noise, they should enjoy this time as much as possible.”I had a great time during my career – loved it. It wasn’t always beers and skittles, but it was fun and at the end you look back at where you landed and the time you had. That’s why I’m so strong with my messaging, they should enjoy themselves.”They need to now play the game in the way that will give them the most satisfaction to try and quieten down the other stuff. Because if you are able to do that, and you are able to have success, you build that camaraderie in the group and it’s such a magic place to be. They’re the memories which you create. Then you leave the game content and not wanting to go back out there and play.”The next challenge is right around the corner, with India on Friday at Edgbaston for the fifth and final Test of the series which began last summer. India lead 2-1 and will no doubt have played close attention to the noise coming out of the England camp, both in their play and their talk.McCullum is looking forward to the challenge, in particular how his side copes after putting other teams on notice. In many ways, they have caught New Zealand cold. Other teams, including South Africa later this summer and Pakistan this winter, will not be as unprepared.”It’ll be quite good fun to look at a new opponent,” said McCullum. “The world test champions were a formidable opponent to overcome and the alarm bells have probably gone off somewhat around world cricket as to how this team is going to play. We need to make sure against a different opposition we’re well researched, well planned, well prepared for that and try and roll out a similar kind of performance.”Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s enjoy the moment and see what unfolds in the next little while. It’s exciting.”

Hampshire now assured of home tie in knockout phases

ECB Reporters Network21-Aug-2022Hampshire 260 for 7 (Prest 76, Snater 3-46) beat Essex 257 for 8 (Snater 64) by three wickets.Hampshire once again showed their insouciance as they chased down 257 to set up a home knockout fixture while knocking Essex Eagles out of the Royal London Cup.Hampshire had found themselves behind the rate despite Tom Prest’s 76 and required 78 from the last 10 overs, on a pitch difficult to score on.But Toby Albert – who had match-winning 84 and 65 not outs against Derbyshire and Lancashire – continued his clutch form with 34 in 26 balls before Felix Organ, Ian Holland and Scott Currie took their side to a three-wicket victory.Hampshire, who were already through despite losing for the first time against Glamorgan last time, will play a home semi-final if they beat Yorkshire at Scarborough on Tuesday, or a home play-off if they don’t and Lancashire defeat Kent.Related

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Hampshire found timing the ball a chore almost from the off of their chase, as Nick Gubbins was brilliantly caught at slip by Khushi in the fourth over before Ben Brown was bowled.Aneurin Donald added some impetus with a slog-swept and on-driven sixes and Prest looked at his most fluent during their 54-run partnership, the required run rate had gradually inclined though.Donald was run out attempting a push and run and Fletcha Middleton’s attempt to wrestle back the rate saw him sky straight up.Prest reached his third fifty of the competition in 73 balls before he hoisted to long off, having twice been dropped during his innings of 76. Victory seemed a distance off.But Albert’s flair in a vital 60-run partnership with Organ took Hampshire to 31 needed from 28. That was dragged down to 12 needed when Organ was caught at midwicket for 30.That dozen was knocked off by Ian Holland and Scott Currie with ten balls to spare, and took Hampshire back to the top of Group B.
Essex had chosen to bat and began with unbridled run-scoring with Feroze Khushi and Robin Das rushing to 44 inside six overs but a bowling change to Jack Campbell reversed the momentum.The fast left-hander struck with his fifth delivery when he found extra bounce to have Khushi caught behind before getting Tom Westley to loop to midwicket – both wickets sandwiched by Das flicking Ian Holland to deep square to leave Essex 48 for three.Grant Roelofson, the Eagles’ leading run-getter in the competition, lived a charmed life as he was dropped on five, eight and 29 before Toby Albert finally clung on under a steepler at deep square.Nick Browne and Luc Benkenstein had also departed by this point, with Essex 112 for six, with Aron Nijjar following when leg before to Nick Gubbins’ leg spin.But Shane Snater and Richards recovered things and took their side towards a par score. Netherlands international Snater caught the eye with a huge slog sweep but it was his intelligent gap finding that accumulated runs quickly.His maiden format fifty came in 51 balls during a 96-run stand with Richards – who only scored one boundary in his unbeaten 31. Snater was eventually caught at cover for 64 but Ben Allison thwacked two sixes to take Essex to 257 for eight.

The Knight Riders bowling, led by Anisa Mohammed, came to the fore again as Royals were stopped ten runs short in a low-scoring game

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2022The Women’s CPL final wasn’t a run fest, and the 190 runs that were scored came off 38.4 overs – at under five an over – but it still became an interesting contest, not least because of some special shows.Deandra Dottin, the Trinbago Knight Riders captain, came first, with a 62-ball 59. Hayley Matthews, Dottin’s opposite number, put in a sterling performance, with 3 for 22 and then a 49-ball 46, though it ended up being in a losing cause. And then four Knight Riders bowlers picked up at least two wickets each, giving them a ten-run win over Barbados Royals, and the title, at the inaugural edition of the tournament.Matthews won the toss, and asked Dottin to bat, and had reason to be pleased at the halfway mark after restricting the total to 100 for 7. In a low-scoring tournament, this was Knight Riders’ lowest total – they batted first in each of their three games – after they had put up 114 for 7 and 105 for 6 in their previous outings.Their innings was all about Dottin, who hit four fours and two sixes from the top of the order. Only one other batter, Sune Luus, got into double-digits, scoring 12. Her partnership with Dottin for the second wicket was worth 29. The only stand better than that was late in the script, when Dottin and Kyshona Knight (8) added 32 for the fifth wicket.For Royals, Matthews was the best bowler, with three wickets, though no one conceded runs at above six an over; Qiana Joseph (3.50) and Afy Fletcher (4.25) were the most economical among them.Matthews was then Barbados’ best batter too, as she opened the batting and top-scored with 46, before becoming the ninth batter out.Around her, it was a sorry sight. The next best individual score was 7, scored by three batters: Aaliyah Alleyne, Chloe Tryon and Chinelle Henry, but at no stage did a proper partnership take shape; Royals needed someone to bat with Matthews to have a chance.For Knight Riders, Anisa Mohammed was the most successful bowler with 3 for 16, Matthews among her victims, while Luus, Hayley Jensen and Sheneta Grimmond all picked up two wickets each.

Hardik Pandya on why what Virat Kohli did at the MCG – and getting to be a part of it all himself – was so special

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-20224:14

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Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli’s partner in the century stand that rescued India and set them up for their grandstand finish against Pakistan at the MCG, knows first hand why Kohli’s epic role in that finish was “so special”. It was because of all the hard graft the pair had to do to get the innings back on track from the depths of 31 for 4 in a chase of 160.Speaking with Kohli on the BCCI’s website after the game, Hardik said Kohli’s two sixes to finish the 19th over against Haris Rauf was something only he could do, given the situation and given the conditions. “Those two shots – I knew how important those two shots were. Let’s be honest, even if you [looking at Kohli] had missed one, they were running ahead of us.”I’ve hit a lot of sixes but those are special, special, and really special in my heart now because of what [it] meant for both of us. I’ve played cricket, so much cricket, but I don’t think anyone could’ve played those two shots except Kohli.”The best part about what I loved about him [doing that] is we struggled, bro. Why it was so special was we struggled together. This would’ve been not this special if we had just cruised through. You would have played exceptional shots, I would have been [in the flow]… This was special because we knew we’d struggled.”Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya soak in the atmosphere at the MCG•ICC via Getty Images

When Hardik walked in in the seventh over, India had lost KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel. They needed 129 runs from 83 balls – asking rate over nine. There was only Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin and the fast bowlers to follow. The asking rate would rise to over 11 as the partnership went the next 24 balls without a boundary.In the 11th over, the tempo briefly changed. It started with a Hardik straight drive off legspinner Shadab Khan, before the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz was dispatched for three sixes in six balls, two by Hardik, one by Kohli. But again, India managed only three fours off the next five overs, and it was 48 off 18 and then 28 off eight before Kohli went bang, bang against Rauf.Related

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Hardik was out one ball later, for 40 off 37, before Kohli and Ashwin got the job done. Coming into the game and the innings, Hardik said he could sense tension all around, but he was just “happy to be here”, having struggled with injury issues over the past couple of years, and overcome questions of whether he would ever bowl again following back surgery.”I sensed a lot of pressure in the group,” he said. “With all due respect, a lot of people in big games [feel pressure] and [know] how important it is. We all have worked every hard as a collective, and people are happy for each other.”But for me, I don’t know, I was very numb today. Even when I came on the ground, I was very happy and I was speaking to Rahul [Dravid] sir as well initially, I wouldn’t say he was tense but he told me: ‘you have done a lot of things’, and ‘be calm’ and all that. I had to tell him: ‘sir, please understand I’m happy to be here. Ten months back, I was working in my space and I had no idea and this is where I wanted to be, irrelevant of what happens. Just happy to be here, playing with all the best cricketers in the world, and they are my brothers.”The quality of relationship that I have with this group is something I cherish and always cherish. When I was coming inside [to bat], I would have taken a bullet for you [Kohli] at that point of time, I would not have let you get out at that point of time. My goal was simple: whatever I can to make your life easy [do it], because you have done this over the years in crucial games. No one is better than handling pressure than you.”

Batter looking to press his case for a T20 World Cup starting spot in Australia T20Is

Tristan Lavalette07-Oct-2022Opening batter Phil Salt hopes his new home ground in Perth can help him apply further pressure for a T20 World Cup berth as England prepare for a warm-up clash with Australia at Optus Stadium on Sunday.Salt has fond memories of playing at the 60,000-seat ground in Burswood, which is hosting international cricket for the first time since late 2019, having smashed 59 off 31 balls for Adelaide Strikers against Perth Scorchers in January 2020.His destructive, hard-hitting batting appears perfectly suited for a traditionally quick Optus Stadium pitch and outfield, which often fuels high-scoring BBL games. Calculating defending champions Scorchers made a shrewd decision after selecting Salt with pick No. 19 in the inaugural BBL draft in August.Related

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“Expecting it to be fast and bouncy. It’s a good wicket to bat, suits my game,” he told reporters on Friday. “The boundaries are pretty big square and generally does suit the guys who are stronger square of the wicket.”Salt plans to meet with Scorchers officials ahead of Sunday’s match, but in the meantime his focus is building on his Player-of-the-Match 88 not out against Pakistan in the sixth T20I in Lahore, which revived his T20 World Cup hopes after a grim run of form netted just 59 runs in five innings.Having opened in Pakistan in place of injured skipper Jos Buttler, Salt appears slightly behind Alex Hales, who has long dominated the BBL, in the pecking order and looms as a likely spare batter in England’s T20 World Cup squad.
“Not too sure right now,” Salt said when asked if he had been given clarity on his role in Australia. “It’s not a conversation we’ve had yet.”With a golden opportunity to further impress in the series opener against a weakened Australia attack, Salt said he would pick the brain of team-mate and former Scorchers star Liam Livingstone for added insight.”Obviously he’s done really well here and it would be silly not to lean on him on exactly how to play these conditions,” he said.After a thrilling 4-3 T20 series victory in their long-awaited return to Pakistan, a buoyant England are feeling upbeat ahead of the World Cup where they enter as one of the favourites.It’s been a low-key start to their campaign with players and staff staggering their arrivals to Perth this week and they hit the nets at Optus Stadium for a light session on Thursday morning to launch a hectic tour Down Under.While this three-match warm-up series against old foe Australia probably lacks the traditional punch, Salt believed there was still a lot at stake with game one set to be played in front of a 30,000 crowd on Sunday afternoon.”It’s a series to win and we’ve got an eye on the World Cup,” he said. “It’s very important to keep the momentum rolling after Pakistan. To beat them in their own conditions…that’s very tough to do.”We played with a lot of guys who hadn’t played much international cricket so we’re pretty happy with how that went. We want to keep the ball rolling and continue the momentum.”