A round-up of Sunday’s WBBL action as the finals line-up is confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2022Adelaide Strikers 4 for 144 (Wolvaardt 75*, Darlington 2-36) beat Sydney Thunder 118 (Beaumont 37, Schutt 6-19) by 26 runsMegan Schutt became the first bowler in WBBL history to claim six wickets in a match while Laura Wolvaardt produced a classy 75 not out to help Adelaide Strikers sew up second spot and a home final on the final day of the season against Sydney Thunder at North Sydney Oval.Needing a win to jump past Brisbane Heat on the table, avoid the Eliminator, and secure hosting rights for the Challenger, Schutt and Wolvaardt delivered the goods for Strikers and denied retiring Thunder captain Rachael Haynes a fairytale exit from the professional game. The former Australia batter instead received a guard of honour and a standing ovation from both teams at the end of the match.Chasing 145 for victory, Thunder were in a position to cause an upset. After losing Haynes for just 6 in her final WBBL innings, Tammy Beaumont had cruised to 37 and was joined by the dangerous Chloe Tryon with Thunder needing just 80 from 60 balls and seven wickets in hand.Beaumont was trapped lbw by Jemma Barsby two balls later. Tryon and Olivia Porter thumped two fours and two sixes in the next five overs to reduce the equation to 53 off 30. But Schutt extinguished all hopes taking three wickets in the 16th over. She returned to pick up two more in the last, having earlier bowled Phoebe Litchfield, to finish with the best figures in WBBL history of 6 for 19.None of it was possible without Wolvaardt’s one-woman show with the bat. She batted through the innings after Strikers were sent in making 75 not out from 56 balls as Strikers posted 4 for 144. She struck 12 boundaries in an exceptional display. Deandra Dottin and Madeline Penna were the only other batters to reach double figures but both struck at unusually low strike-rates.Strikers will now face the winner of the Eliminator between Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes. The Eliminator will be played at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide on Wednesday night with the winner to face Strikers at the same venue on Thursday night. The winner of the Challenger will play Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval in Saturday’s final.Ellyse Perry sweeps behind square•Getty Images

A stunning allround show from skipper Ellyse Perry has put the WBBL on notice as Sydney Sixers confirmed their status as the team to beat for the title after a comfortable eight-wicket win over Hobart Hurricanes at North Sydney Oval.Perry made 56 not out off 39 balls to help guide her side through the chase after earlier claiming 2 for 16 with the ball including 12 dot balls in her four overs to help restrict Hurricanes to just 156. Sixers had already qualified top to host the final and Hurricanes had already confirmed a place in the finals after Perth Scorchers lost earlier on Sunday. They had the chance to clinch second spot on the table and avoid the third versus fourth Eliminator with a win.But Perry and Ash Gardner snuffed out all hopes with a rollicking unbeaten 88-run stand in just 9.3 overs to mow down the target with seven balls to spare. Gardner finished 45 not out from 29 balls. She did survive one nervous moment when she thought she was caught behind off Nicola Carey but the ball just failed to carry to Lizelle Lee behind the stumps.Perry and Gardner struck 11 fours and two sixes between them as Hurricanes struggled to contain their mix of power and finesse. They had come together after Alyssa Healy and Suzie Bates had given Sixers a solid start but they still required more than eight runs an over in the final 10 overs of the chase.Earlier, Kate Peterson took 3 for 31 alongside Perry’s miserly spell to restrict Hurricanes after they threatened to post a big number. Peterson knocked over the dangerous trio of Lee, Elyse Villani and Carey. Nicole Bolton chimed in with the important wicket of Mignon du Preez who had played well for her 38 from 29 balls. Hurricanes were well poised at 3 for 88 in the 12th over but lost 7 for 68 in the final 50 balls of the innings.Hurricanes will now travel to Adelaide to play the cut-throat Eliminator against Heat on Wednesday night.Danni Wyatt made 52 off just 24 balls•Getty Images

A late downpour in Moe handed Brisbane Heat a point and denied Melbourne Stars the chance to pull off a remarkable run chase to finish off their season.Stars were 1 for 49 after just 3.5 overs chasing 105 in a game that had been reduced to 10-overs-a-side thanks to the earlier rain that had affected the Melbourne Renegades Perth Scorchers match in the double-header.Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sophie Reid made a blistering start smashing four fours and a six between them as the run-rate neared 13 runs per over in the reduced powerplay. But the moment Reid fell to Amelia Kerr the rain settled in and ended the match leaving the two teams to share one point each.Earlier, Danni Wyatt made a stunning half-century smashing 52 off just 24 balls to underpin Heat’s total of 5 for 104 in the 10-over sprint after being sent into bat. She struck seven fours and two sixes in a whirlwind innings before Sophie Day and Sasha Moloney pegged things back with two wickets apiece.Stars finished in sixth spot on the WBBL table with five wins and three no results. Heat slipped to third and will have to win three straight games away from home to win the title.Erica Kershaw hammered 34 not out off 18 balls•Getty Images

A stunning cameo from Melbourne Renegades left-hander Erica Kershaw has ended Perth Scorchers hopes of back-to-back WBBL titles in an eight-over-a-side rain-affected clash in Moe.Kershaw smacked 34 not out off just 18 balls to help Renegades chase down a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern adjusted target of 57 with six wickets in hand and three balls to spare after they had slumped to 4 for 15 in the fourth over. The loss means Scorchers will finish fifth on the table and miss the finals just a year after claiming the title with a very similar squad.Scorchers could have stayed alive if they had won but did need other results to go their way with all eight teams playing their final qualifying game of the season on Sunday. Scorchers were in control of the game after Lilly Mills claimed 3 for 9, including two in the first over of the chase. Chamari Athapaththu and Hayley Matthews both holed out trying to attack the offspinner. She also claimed Courtney Webb just four balls after Josephine Dooley fell to Alana King in the third over to leave Renegades in deep trouble.But Kershaw played a fearless knock pounding five fours and two sixes. She relentlessly attacked the spinners over midwicket and carved the seamers square through the off side to muscle her way to the target. Carly Leeson provided steady support at the other end in a 44-run unbeaten stand.Earlier, Scorchers’ innings was cut short by rain after the match had initially been reduced to a 16-overs-a-side game due to a wet outfield. Scorchers were cruising at 2 for 46 with Sophie Devine and Marizanne Kapp just starting to roll following the early losses of Beth Mooney and Maddy Green. Mooney had fallen for a first-ball duck to Ella Hayward while Shabnim Ismail castled Green in the fourth over. But rain intervened before Scorchers had a chance to accelerate and ended the innings leaving them to defend an adjusted target of 57.Renegades finished seventh, with four wins from 14 games.

India’s top order needs to step up on what could be a flat pitch in Rajkot

Hemant Brar06-Jan-20236:01

Who should bowl for India at the death? Should Dasun Shanaka bowl more?

Big picture: SL eye first T20I series win in India

The last time India lost a bilateral T20I series at home was in 2019 when Australia beat them 2-0. Since then they have been on an 11-series unbeaten streak. But that could change on Saturday.After running India close in the first T20I, Sri Lanka beat them by 16 runs in the second to make it 1-1. A win for Sri Lanka in Rajkot will not only snap India’s streak but also give the visitors their first T20I series win in India in six attempts.Sri Lanka’s batters may not put fear in the opposition’s mind, but they understand the grammar of the format. Throughout their innings in the second T20I, Sri Lanka had at least one batter in the middle – Kusal Mendis in the first half and Dasun Shanaka in the second – taking the attack to the bowlers. In Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, they have two have the wiliest spinners going around. If their fast bowlers click, as they did in Pune, they can compete with any side.

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Watch the third India vs SL T20I LIVE

India, on the other hand, had two top-order collapses in as many games. Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel rescued them in the first T20I, and Suryakumar Yadav and Axar tried to keep them in the game in the second. Apart from that, their bowling unit as a whole hasn’t clicked either. After the first T20I, Hardik Pandya spoke about putting his players in tough situations. In the form of a must-win game, he has got exactly that.

Form guide

India LWTWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLWLDasun Shanaka has a variety of shots in his repertoire•BCCI

In the spotlight: Arshdeep Singh and Dasun Shanaka

Despite making his T20I debut only six months ago, Arshdeep Singh was supposed to be the leader of the pace attack in this new-look Indian squad. He missed the first T20I with illness, and then bowled five no-balls in two overs, which cost India 37, in the second. Overstepping has been an old issue with Arshdeep, and it is high time he fixed it.Dasun Shanaka loves playing against India. In the opening game, his 47 off 27 balls kept Sri Lanka in the contest. On Thursday, he smashed the fastest T20I half-century by a Sri Lanka batter before picking up two wickets in the final over of the game to seal the win. His last five T20I knocks against India are 56* (22), 45 (27), 33* (18), 74* (38) and 47* (19). With ball, he has taken more than half of his T20I wickets (14 out of 23) against them. If he continues in the same vein, it will not be easy for India to keep their unbeaten streak intact.

Team news: Will India, SL make changes?

After the second T20I, Rahul Dravid said that India were not looking to make too many changes unless there was an injury. So expect them to go with an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalSri Lanka might be facing a selection conundrum. Do they retain the winning combination, or try to improve it further by replacing an out-of-form Bhanuka Rajapaksa with Sadeera Samarawickrama? In the recently concluded LPL, Samarawickrama was the second-highest run-getter with 294 runs at an average of 58.80 and a strike rate of 131.25.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Sadeera Samarawickrama/Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka

Pitch and conditions: Run-fest in Rajkot?

The Rajkot pitch is often compared to the adjacent national highway, so be ready for another run-fest. The teams will be looking to bowl first after winning the toss as this venue favours the chasing team. It’s expected to be a cool evening with clear skies; the temperature should be around 17°C.

Stats and trivia

• Yuzvendra Chahal (88) needs three wickets to overtake Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90) as the highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is.
• Hardik has captained India in seven T20Is so far. Thursday was the first time he finished on the losing side.
• Sri Lanka have never played an international match at the SCA Stadium, Rajkot.
• In his last ten T20Is, Rajapaksa has 137 runs at an average of 15.22 and a strike rate of 115.12.

Quotes

“They [Sri Lanka] have got a pretty experienced T20I side in this series. From the World Cup, they haven’t made too many changes to their playing XI. They’ve got some class players. They’ve got a couple of very good spinners, they have got power-hitters at the backend of the game. I think Dasun Shanaka is playing really well. They might have had some tough periods but certainly they are not a side you would take lightly at any stage.”
“It’s not about the mystery, it’s always about the right line and length. If I don’t hit the right line and length, they [batters] will go after me. So while bowling, I always try to focus on that. That’s why I have been continuously doing well in this format.

South Africa great calls time on career in wake of Championship-winning season in 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2023Hashim Amla, one of South Africa’s greatest batters, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, after confirming to Surrey that he will not be returning to help defend the County Championship title that the club secured in his final season as a player in 2022.In the course of a two-decade career, Amla, 39, scored 34,104 runs across all professional formats – 9,282 of which came in his 124 Test appearances between 2004 and 2019, second only to Jacques Kallis for his country. This included 28 hundreds and a best of 311 not out against England at the Kia Oval in 2012, which was also South Africa’s first triple-century in Tests.He scored a further 8113 runs including 27 hundreds in 181 ODIs, and 1,277 runs in 44 T20Is, and has already embarked on a coaching career, with a stint as MI Cape Town’s batting coach in the ongoing SA20. It is understood he could be in the running to become South Africa’s batting coach, under the country’s new coaching structure.Amla retired from international cricket at the conclusion of South Africa’s World Cup campaign in 2019, having bowed out of Test cricket against Sri Lanka at Gqeberha in February that year.He rejoined Surrey later that year, having also represented the county as an overseas player in 2013 and 2014, and after stints with Derbyshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Essex. He also represented Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, as well as Kwa-Zulu Natal, Dolphins and Cape Cobras in South Africa’s domestic competitions.Even in the twilight of his career, Amla’s impact was plain to see in his final two seasons at Surrey, in which he contributed five more centuries including a best of 215 not out against Hampshire in 2021, and provided crucial support to captain Rory Burns as a senior figure in the dressing-room”I have great memories of the Oval ground and to finally leave it as a player fills me with immense gratitude for what has been,” Amla said.”A sincere thank you to Alec Stewart and the entire Surrey staff, players and Members for their support. The Surrey ship runs so professionally that it would make any international player feel a sense of honour just to be involved with.”I wish them all the best and many more trophies.”Stewart, who has worked with Amla throughout his spells at Surrey, described Amla as a “true professional and a great of the game”.”Everyone at Surrey County Cricket Club will be sad to see Hashim retire, but we all applaud what has been a phenomenal career. He will quite rightly go down as a great of the game,” Stewart said.”Hashim is a fantastic cricketer and a wonderful person. He has been an incredible resource for the team to learn from on and off the field.”As well as posting big scores at vital moments, he has also shown his willingness to dig in and do what is needed to get his team a result in tough games. I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for Surrey and hold him up as an example to all young players of what a true professional looks like.”Everyone at Surrey wishes him the best in the future, and I am sure all our Members and supporters would like to thank him for his time here and congratulate him on such a decorated career.”

“Being able to rub shoulders with him and bounce ideas and debrief games, it’s something I’ve cherished,” Ellis says about bowling with Mitchell Starc

Deivarayan Muthu21-Mar-2023Nathan Ellis wasn’t originally in Australia’s ODI squad for the India tour. An injury to Jhye Richardson opened up a spot for him, and now he is relishing every moment of being with the Australia side on tour. Like pinning Virat Kohli lbw in a ten-wicket victory in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam. Like smashing the net bowlers for fun with the bat at the MA Chidambaram B Stadium, which is adjacent to the main ground, on a hot afternoon. Like answering every question at a press conference with a big smile.With Pat Cummins and the injured Josh Hazlewood also absent for the ODIs, Ellis could get another crack at the Indians at Chepauk as Australia look to seal a rare bilateral series victory in India.”Yeah, 100% [enjoying it]. I sort of have to pinch myself sometimes when I am wearing the Australia colours,” Ellis said on Tuesday. “It is obviously a dream come true. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Josh and Pat… all the guys in the squad, it is helping my game and it is helping me as a cricketer and as a person. So, having blokes like that around the squad and being able to have coffee with in the morning or dinner with in the evening is huge. Really thankful [for the experience].”Related

• Starc among the greatest fast bowlers in ODIs? Probably

• Can the batters fight back in spin-friendly Chennai?

Ellis expressed his excitement at bowling in tandem with fellow New South Wales native and leader of the attack Mitchell Starc. “Starcy has been huge for me,” Ellis said. “For me, personally, he is someone I looked up to for a lot of time. He presented me my first Australia cap too. He is a big part of my Australia journey. Even up to the other day, speaking to him pre-game and post-game… He is a calming influence; he is also someone who has been there and done almost everything the game has to offer, whether it is the ups or downs. Being able to rub shoulders with someone like Starcy and sort of bounce ideas off [him] and debrief games, it is something that I’ve cherished. It is invaluable, I think.”On Sunday, in the second ODI, Ellis bagged the prized wicket of Kohli for 31 with a fuller ball that seamed into the batter, and he then extracted extra bounce from a length to have Ravindra Jadeja nicking off for 16. With the Chepauk track likely to be on the slower side, Ellis is prepared to adapt and dip into his back-of-the-hand slower balls – his variations have given Hobart Hurricanes a potent point of difference in the BBL.”For me, I am not necessarily a bouncy bowler as it is,” Ellis said. “As I said before, it is a matter of assessing the wicket on the day and adapting my sets of skills to the wicket. Whether it is adjusting my line, being a bit straighter… if it is not as bouncy, slower balls if needed and changing my lengths. The scores haven’t dictated or gone as we thought the wickets might have played. Tomorrow is another case of not going with pre-conceived ideas and taking it as it comes.3:21

Tait: Starc close to being an Australia all-time great

“Obviously, it’s known to spin here [in Chennai]. For me, if I was to get the opportunity, the slower balls might come into play. I think it will be a matter of assessing the wicket if we are bowling first. You get a bit more information for the batters who will come out in the second innings and vice-versa for batting first… relaying the message back on what the wicket is doing and adapting as the game sort of progresses. It has not been a high-scoring series so far, so we will have to adapt to the wicket and what is presented to us on the day.”Victory on Wednesday will hand Australia their second bilateral ODI series win in three recent attempts in India. Barring Australia, no other team has toppled India in a bilateral ODI series since 2016. Ellis’ future opportunities after the Chennai ODI remains uncertain, but he feels playing in potential World Cup venues like the Wankhede and Chepauk will serve as a dry run for the main squad members for the tournament in October-November later this year.”I mean, it’s obviously a great opportunity for us as a squad to play one-day cricket in the place where we will be playing the World Cup at the end of the year,” Ellis said. “It will be silly not to take out as much as we can… try and sort of emulate maybe the set-up or squad we are going to have for the World Cup. For me, I was not part of this squad initially. I was a late call-up, I am just stoked to be here. I imagine that the guys who were named in the initial squad are taking it as a dress rehearsal. Absolutely!”

R Ashwin, putting in a special performance of his own on a track offering little assistance, made sure they did not bat India out of the game

Alex Malcolm10-Mar-20232:01

Tait: A bit of Jacques Kallis about Cameron Green

India 36 for 0 (Gill 18*, Rohit 17*) trail Australia 480 (Khawaja 180, Green 114, Ashwin 6-91) by 444 runsAn epic 10-hour 180 from Usman Khawaja and a dazzling maiden Test century from Cameron Green helped Australia post an imposing first-innings total in Ahmedabad but it would have been far greater without six wickets from a tireless R Ashwin to ensure India weren’t batted completely out of the game.Khawaja and Green shared a magnificent stand of 208, the first double-century stand by an Australian pair in India since 1979 and just the fifth overall. Khawaja faced 422 balls over more than five sessions to post the third-highest score by an Australian in India. He deserved a double-century but fell to one of his only lapses in the innings first ball after tea. Green struck 18 boundaries in an equally dominant display to shake off the Test century monkey that was starting to grow into a gorilla on his broad back.But Ashwin conjured some magic either side of tea taking five of the last six wickets to finish with 6 for 91 from a relentless 47.2 overs on a pitch offering precious little assistance to the spinners compared to the raging turners of the previous three Tests.Batting in black armbands to honour absent captain Pat Cummins’ mother Maria following her passing overnight, Khawaja and Green prospered in the first three hours of the second day. The pair complemented each other beautifully, batting through the entire first session almost faultlessly.Khawaja continued on his merry way from his first-day century. The serenity of his play was something to behold. He was completely unflustered throughout, picking off bad balls without risk and defending with ease. He never looked in any kind of trouble. Every time India’s bowlers erred straight, he tucked them away with sublime timing. Any time they erred wide, he would find a gap with elegant simplicity.Green fed off Khawaja’s energy to play the best innings of his career to date. An elusive Test century had been hanging over his head across his first 19 Tests, having failed to convert six previous Test half-centuries despite having scored eight first-class hundreds.He began the day on 49 and moved swiftly through the gears in the opening session. While Khawaja rotated the strike serenely, Green pummelled anything loose with eye-catching authority. Every time Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav overpitched, he dispatched them down the ground either side of mid-off. Shami tested him with the short stuff with men back on the fence as he neared the nervous 90s, and he clubbed a devastating pull shot to end that mode of attack moments after it started.He was patient to the spinners, defending solidly on the front foot and driving to long-off and long-on to rotate the strike. He went after anything fractionally short and wide, never missing a cut shot that was offered. He had to eat lunch stuck on 95 but only needed eight balls after the break to celebrate his maiden Test century with Ravindra Jadeja dropping short and wide for him to crack it behind point.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Green looked set for a massive score, having converted four of his previous nine first-class centuries into 150-plus scores including a 251. But Ashwin’s patience and willingness to dry him up on a leg-stump line eventually paid dividends. Having not swept a single ball in his entire innings, he tried to sweep a ball well down the legside and gloved it to KS Bharat.It sparked a mini-collapse as Australia’s tail threatened to fold cheaply yet again. Alex Carey played arguably his worst shot of the series trying to hit Ashwin over mid-off fourth ball only to skew a top edge to short third. Ashwin made it three wickets in quick succession when he had Mitchell Starc smartly caught at short leg by Shreyas Iyer via the inside edge.But Nathan Lyon provided stubborn resistance having been promoted to No. 9. He produced the longest innings of his Test career batting for 133 minutes and surviving 96 balls for 34. He helped Khawaja get to tea and was determined to take him further but Khawaja fell first ball after the break, missing a short delivery on leg stump to be trapped lbw by Axar Patel. Khawaja cut a dejected figure having fallen 20 runs short of a maiden Test double-century just two months after posting 195 not out against South Africa.India thought they would wrap the innings up in short time as per the previous three Tests but Todd Murphy made his highest first-class score of 41 with five boundaries. The pair added 70 and ground India into the dirt as they played with assuredness and comfort to prove how good a batting strip it is if you are prepared to spend time out there.But Ashwin found a way through them with the third new ball, getting two offbreaks to skid on straight, with Murphy trapped plumb lbw and Lyon caught at slip.Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill shook off any fatigue that might have developed from 167.2 overs in the field to bat out the last 10 overs of the day without any concerns. Both timed the ball sublimely to confirm the track is exceptional to bat on, particularly against the extra pace and bounce of Starc and Green. They were allowed fewer liberties against Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann, although Gill launched Lyon into the stands in the final over of the day to make a statement.

Chennai Super Kings’ pace spearhead says it takes time to get back into top rhythm, and he’s continuing to work on his death bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2023Coming back from a string of big injuries in 2022 is tough work mentally, Deepak Chahar feels. He was out for most of the first half of 2022 and then had a stop-start second half of the year, and has now gone two IPL games without a wicket. It will take time to get back to peak form, he said.”Mentally it’s very tough,” Chahar told select Indian newspapers in Chennai. “I had two major injuries, which are critical for a fast bowler. Other pacers are also struggling with a stress fracture in the back. It takes a long time to recover from that.”When you start playing it takes time to get back to your best, it takes time mentally and physically, and I’m getting there slowly.”Related

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Chahar had suffered a quadricep injury in February 2022, and while undergoing rehabilitation for that, he hurt his back. That turned out to be a stress fracture, and he was sidelined for six months overall. He returned for India’s ODI series in Zimbabwe in August, showed signs of getting back to his best – he was named in India’s reserves for the T20 World Cup – but then had to sit out again, from an ODI series against South Africa, because of a stiff back. He returned for the tour of Bangladesh in December, but was forced off the field after bowling just three overs with what turned out to be a quadricep tear. He played no further part in India’s home season, and has played just the lone game this year – a Ranji Trophy match for Rajasthan – coming into the IPL.Before the IPL, he had told PTI that such injuries were particularly hard on pacers. “They are both very big injuries. You are out for months,” he had said. “Anyone who comes back after the injury it takes time, especially fast bowlers.”If I was a batter, I would have been playing way back, but as a fast bowler…”

CSK’s Dwayne Bravo-sized gap at the death

Chahar, bowling alongside the less experienced Tushar Deshpande and Rajvardhan Hangargekar, has bowled more at the death this season as Super Kings continue to search for a way to plug the hole left by Dwayne Bravo’s exit. Chahar, who for long was a new-ball swing specialist, said he has been working hard on this aspect of his game.”In powerplays, you bowl with a new ball and have only two fielders outside whereas in the slog overs you bowl with an old ball and have five fielders outside. I take it as a challenge and I also practice a lot,” he said. “Earlier, I didn’t bowl much because we had more options to bowl at the death. Since I have many variations – yorker, knuckle ball, slow bouncer, legcutter, wide yorker, offcutter – I decide according to the batter and the pitch and execute [at the death] accordingly.”In Super Kings’ first game, against Gujarat Titans, Chahar bowled two overs in the powerplay and then the 17th and 19th overs, finishing with 0 for 29. Against Lucknow Super Giants, in a run-fest at Chepauk, he bowled three in the powerplay before bowling the 17th over. With Super Giants needing 62 runs from 24, that over went for 18 runs, including three consecutive wides, much to MS Dhoni’s chagrin.Super Kings’ next game is against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

“People don’t expect us to do certain things but we come out of all obstacles and manage our way through to get what we want”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-20233:48

Did Mumbai get lucky after injuries or were they prepared?

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is proud of his team for having fought through “obstacles” and “hurdles” after finishing last in IPL 2022 to make it through to the second Qualifier of IPL 2023 with a thumping of Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai on Wednesday.Mumbai have been plagued by injuries this season, even before the tournament started. Their lead bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been out for months, Jofra Archer returned home after playing five games with his recurring elbow injury, and they were also without Jhye Richardson for the entire tournament and Tilak Varma for a few league games.When asked at the presentation if he thought two weeks ago that Mumbai would make it to Qualifier 2, Rohit said: “I definitely thought about it. That’s what we’ve done over the years. People don’t expect us to do certain things but we come out of all obstacles and manage our way through to get what we want. Honestly, at the start of the season, of course we knew that we had a lot of work to do compared to what happened in the last season. But we managed our work through it, we scrambled through it. Yes, it was a scrappy one but I would take that any day.”Rohit credited Mumbai’s scouting team for providing them with largely unknown players who have turned to be match-winners, including Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal, who finished with stunning figures of 5 for 5 against Super Giants. Rohit said his role as captain was to make such players feel comfortable in the team environment and tell them clearly what their role is.”First and foremost, it’s important to make them feel special, make them feel part of the team,” Rohit said. “They play a lot of domestic cricket but this is a different ballgame with so many people here, a lot of pressure as well. My job as a skipper is to make sure that they feel comfortable on the ground. When they are about to execute with the bat or ball, our job – myself and the coaching staff – is to make sure that they’re comfortable and very clear in their roles about what they have to do for their team. As long as you make it very clear for them, that’s all [they] want.Mumbai had made it to the playoffs largely by winning high-scoring games at Wankhede Stadium, where they won five out of seven, but the conditions in Chennai for the Eliminator were quite different with the boundaries being bigger and the pitch offering more turn and not being as batting friendly. Rohit was pleased that his team came together to script a massive win in spite of the different conditions.”We knew coming to Chennai it’s not going to be one man who will take us trough; it’s going to be the whole unit who needs to come to the party and deliver at different points of time,” he said. “At Wankhede, you know you need one or two individuals to step up and take the game through, but when you play on a pitch like this, conditions like these, you need everyone to come together and that’s what we spoke about before coming to this game.”

Akash Madhwal a ‘gamechanger’

Rohit also heaped praise on Madhwal, who took the first wicket in the chase, and then dismissed Ayush Basoni and the hard-hitting Nicholas Pooran off consecutive balls in his second spell to reduce LSG to 74 for 5 before fittingly taking the final wicket.”He was part of the season last year as a support bowler, but he didn’t get to play. We knew what he had,” Rohit said. “Once Jofra was gone, we needed someone to bowl at the back-end. Having seen him enough I was confident that he can get the job done for us. [He has a] lot of skills, good attitude, a lot of character as well. So that was very pleasing to see about him.”Allrounder Cameron Green, Mumbai’s most expensive player in the previous auction and the top-scorer in the Eliminator with 41 off 23, also showered Madhwal, calling him a “gamechanger”.”He’s been awesome,” Green said of Madhwal. “Ever since he came into our team, we kind of realised we’ve got someone special here. The way he carries himself out there – in his first IPL season he doesn’t seem like he’s overawed at all. He bowled beautifully.”

The offspinner limped off the field having pulled up running in from the boundary

Andrew McGlashan29-Jun-2023Nathan Lyon has been diagnosed with a “significant” calf strain after he limped off the field during the final session of the second day at Lord’s leaving him highly doubtful to feature again in the series.Running in from the boundary to field a ball in the 37th over, Lyon pulled up and was immediately in pain. He hobbled to the edge of the field where the physio began to assess him then had to be helped around the rope to the pavilion.He was assessed overnight and arrived at the ground on crutches on Friday. It’s understood he may bat later in the game if required although runners are no longer allowed in international cricket.”He will require a period of rehabilitation after this match is concluded,” a CA spokesperson said. “A decision regarding his availability for the remainder of the series will be made at the conclusion of the game.”It is a cruel twist for Lyon who is playing his 100th consecutive Test – the first specialist bowler to reach the milestone – and was lauded before the match for his durability in having played unbroken since midway through the 2013 Ashes.Lyon had already shaped as a significant figure in this match – as he was at Edgbaston – having removed Zak Crawley to break an opening stand of 91, drawing him down the pitch for a stumping that was expertly completed by Alex Carey.Ben Duckett, who led England’s batting effort on the second day, expected Lyon to play a key role and questioned the impact his absence would have on the rest of the attack after the quicks opted for a short-ball approach.”It’s a huge shame and I really hope it’s not too bad for him,” he said. “You never want to see anyone go down with an injury. We all wish him the best. He was going to play a massive part in that fourth innings, he’s such a good bowler. It will be interesting to see how they go about it.”If they keep going bumpers with all four bowlers, I think they’ll be quite tired by the end of it, especially with back to back Tests. Travis [Head] bowled all right tonight, so he maybe he will bowl a bit.”Lyon’s absence leaves Australia having to rely on Steven Smith, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne for any spin required.It is the second time in consecutive Lord’s Tests Australia have suffered a major blow after Smith was concussed in 2019. On that occasion he was able to replaced under the protocols by Labuschagne, but this time the team will have make do.Looking further head into the series it will bring Todd Murphy, the 22-year-old offspinner, into the frame for when the series reaches Headingley. Murphy took seven wickets on his debut against India in Nagpur earlier this year and claimed Virat Kohli four times in the four matches.”He [Murphy] has been bowling beautifully in the nets and bowled really well in India when he got his opportunity as well,” Smith said. “I’d be confident if he came in he’d do a terrific job for us, but fingers crossed Nathan’s all right.”Legspinner Mitchell Swepson is now also in the UK having recently signed to play the County Championship for Glamorgan.

Vastrakar and Deepti were miserly while debutant Minnu Mani picked up her first maiden wicket

Ashish Pant09-Jul-2023Miserly bowling spells from Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma, followed by a quick fifty from Harmanpreet Kaur, set up a straightforward seven-wicket win for India over Bangladesh in their first international outing in over four months.Bowling first, India restricted Bangladesh to 114 for 5, with Vastrakar and Deepti drying the runs before Harmanpreet’s unbeaten 35-ball 54 and Smriti Mandhana’s 34-ball 38 sealed victory for the visitors with 22 balls left.

Bangladesh start strong in helpful bowling conditions

With conditions overcast and the surface having a tinge of green, Harmanpreet had no hesitation fielding first. Her decision was vindicated with Vastrakar starting with a maiden, finding generous movement in the air. It was Minnu Mani, one of the two India debutants, who struck the first blow, getting rid of Shamima Sultana. Despite being struck for a four and six off the previous two balls, Mani stuck to her plan of keeping it slow outside off. Sultana went for one shot too many and holed out at deep square leg.Shathi Rani, also on debut for Bangladesh, took down Amanjot Kaur for three successive fours as the hosts reached 46 for 1 after seven overs, starting to look comfortable.

Bowlers squeeze, Shorna shores Bangladesh up

While the quicks got movement, the spinners also found sharp turn and bounce, and Hamanpreet was quick to ring in the changes. Vastrakar roughed Rani up with a few bumpers before sending down a quick one to rattle her stumps. And once Rani fell, the runs slowed down to a trickle. Bangladesh managed the solitary boundary between overs eight to 16, also lost three wickets in the period.Their run-rate came down to five an over, and the captain Nigar Sultana’s needless run-out hurt them further. Deepti was at her miserly best, mixing her lengths and varying her speeds, and got good support from Vastrakar and the two debutants – Mani and B Anusha.Only Shorna Akter’s late blows helped Bangladesh go past the 100-mark. On 6 off 16 at one stage, she struck two sixes to finish unbeaten on a run-a-ball 28, helping Bangladesh creep up to 114 for 5.

Harmanpreet, Mandhana set up India’s easy chase

Defending a small score, Bangladesh couldn’t have asked for a better start with Marufa Akter trapping Shafali Varma, who played all around an in-dipper, in her first over. Jemimah Rodrigues struck a couple of crisp fours but was soon cleaned up by Sultana Khatun for 11.Mandhana and Harmanpreet, however, made sure the Bangladesh celebrations were short-lived. Mandhana got going with a four past point in the second over before slamming Marufa for back-to-back fours either side of the wicket right after Rodrigues’ dismissal. Harmanpreet also cashed in early as India reached 41 for 2 at the end of six overs.The duo made sure to capitalise on every loose ball, of which there were plenty, adding 70 off 55 balls for the third wicket. By the time Mandhana danced down the track only to be stumped for 38, the game was in India’s grasp.Harmanpreet, who was dropped on 24, did the final honours. She opened up her shoulders, smashing Rabeya Khan for a six and four, before bringing up her 11th T20I fifty off just 34 balls in the 17th over with a six over deep midwicket. The very next ball brought about the end of the game with Harmanpreet fittingly finishing things off with a four through midwicket again.

While rain couldn’t prevent a decisive result at the Chinnaswamy, it ensured the West-Central game in Alur finished in a draw

Himanshu Agrawal08-Jul-2023What was smooth sailing for most of the journey turned into a rocky ride towards the end, as South Zone, in pursuit of 215 against North Zone, slipped from 191 for 4 to 213 for 8 in their run chase. Eventually though, Sai Kishore kept his calm and deposited the opposition captain Jayant Yadav over long-on to steer South to a two-wicket win, and with it, a place in the Duleep Trophy final. South hunted down their target at better than a run a ball in Bengaluru, where there were two lengthy rain delays on the fourth and final day.The South batters kept playing their shots despite wickets falling in a hurry, with the finish line nearing, after the experienced Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari laid the foundations for their victory, which Ricky Bhui and Tilak Varma built upon with an aggressive partnership for the fifth wicket.Heading into day four, South needed another 194 to win with all ten wickets in hand, and the free-stroking Agarwal dominated his opening stand off 44 with Sai Sudharsan. Vaibhav Arora then removed Sudharsan and R Samarth in quick succession to leave South 59 for 2. That brought their captain Vihari to the crease, and with dark clouds overhead and rain in the air, he got into counterattack mode alongside Agarwal.They doubled the score in quick time, adding 59 off 47 balls while driving and punching boundaries at will. That forced North into defensive fields, but Jayant got rid of Agarwal for 54 to give North Zone a glimmer of hope. Vihari kept motoring at the other end, however, and even after he was dismissed for 43 by Harshit Rana, South were only 74 away with six wickets standing.Bhui and Varma then added 50 off just 33 deliveries, before Bhui’s wicket for 34 opened the floodgates, with Rana and Baltej Singh striking twice each in the space of 3.4 overs. In the end, South just scraped through, with defending champions West Zone waiting for them in a replay of the last Duleep Trophy final.File photo – Rinku Singh lit up a drab final day in Alur with a 30-ball 40•CAB

West Zone 220 (Sheth 74, Mavi 4-43) and 297 (Pujara 133, Suryakumar 52, Jain 4-56, Saurabh 4-84) drew with Central Zone 128 (Rinku 48, Nagwaswalla 5-74) and 128 for 4 (Rinku 40, Dodiya 1-16)Defending champions West Zone qualified for the final of the 2023 Duleep Trophy on the basis of the first-innings lead after persistent rain in Alur forced their semi-final against Central Zone to end in a tame draw. West will face South Zone for the title clash, starting on July 12 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Resuming the day on 292 for 9, West’s last pair could add only five runs before Saransh Jain dismissed Yuvrajsinh Dodiya in the second over of the morning.Central never threatened to chase down 390. They lost their openers, Himanshu Mantri and Vivek Singh, for single-digit scores. Dhruv Jurel and Amandeep Khare took them past 50 before Dharmendrasinh Jadeja had the former stumped for 25.Rinku Singh took the attacking route and hit three fours and as many sixes to take Central past 100 at lunch. But Dodiya ended his innings on 40 off 30 balls with the first delivery after the interval.Rain, though, allowed only six overs in the second session, forcing both captains to shake hands around 2.20pm local time.