Ari Karvelas takes 4-14 in Foxes’ collapse as Durham secure place in Division One

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2023Sussex revived their own promotion challenge and dealt Leicestershire’s a blow after dominating day two at Hove. Their seamers exploited a green-tinged pitch at the 1st Central County Ground to take eight wickets for just 40 runs in the morning session as Leicestershire were bundled out for 108 and conceded a first-innings deficit of 154.By taking just three bonus points, they also ensured that runaway leaders Durham will definitely be promoted from Division Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship next season with two games to spare.To join them Sussex probably need to win their three remaining matches, a tall order for a side with just one win all season – admittedly against Durham back in April. But their batters made sure their advantage wasn’t squandered.Tom Clark scored so far with 69 to help his side reach 234 for 5 at stumps, a lead of 388 with James Coles undefeated on 43.If Leicestershire do miss out on promotion they will reflect ruefully on a miserable collapse including a spell when they lost four wickets in 29 balls for just five runs after resuming on 68 for 2.First to go was Colin Ackermann, beaten by Indian left-armer Jaydev Unadkat’s late inswing. Undakat then moved one the other way to find Umar Amin’s edge and he was expertly backed up at the other end by Ari Karvelas, who finished with a season’s best 4 for 14 from 12 overs.Rehan Ahmed was athletically caught behind by the tumbling Ollie Carter poking outside off stump and Ben Cox shouldered arms in Karvelas’s next over.There was a recovery of sorts by opener Rishi Patel and Tom Scriven who survived nine overs before another collapse saw the last four wickets fall for 16 in 6.1 overs.Fynn Hudson-Prentice was rewarded for his exemplary wicket-to-wicket line as Scriven edged behind and Chris Wright lost his middle stump to an inswinger two balls later.Patel, who had watched six wickets fall at the other end on his way to 48, decided, with only the tail for company, to attack Karvelas but a mis-timed drive was superbly caught by Cheteshwar Pujara, running back from mid-on and hanging on to the ball at full stretch. Unadkat finished things off when Matt Salisbury slogged him high to mid-wicket.Tom Haines and Clark launched Sussex’s second innings with a stand of 49 but having done the hard work against the new ball Haines (34) frustratingly spliced a pull off Wright, who is joining Sussex next season, to mid-wicket.Ahmed was soon into a long spell down the slope and he picked up wickets either side of tea. Tom Alsop (31) unluckily played back but the ball rolled down onto his stumps while Clark, who batted for three hours for his 67 which included ten fours, was leg before to one that might have been sliding down the leg side.Leicestershire kept plugging away and Scriven took two wickets in the last hour. Cheteshwar Pujara under-edged a ball that was too close for him to cut, and wicketkeeper Cox pulled off an outstanding leg-side stumping to remove Carter, but it was a rare highlight on a sobering day for the Foxes.

The India captain had to deal with questions good, serious and leaning towards ridiculous on the eve of the Pakistan match – and he did it all with aplomb

Sidharth Monga13-Oct-20236:28

Rohit: ‘The guys in the team love big grounds’

A day before a big match against Pakistan can be challenging for the most seasoned of India captains. The match attracts press and attention from everywhere. Rohit Sharma, though, came out of this press conference having proved himself both as a statesman and as a cricketer, who has no time for nonsense. From the sublime to the mildly ridiculous, Rohit handled everything with aplomb.Let’s get the mildly ridiculous out of the way first, shall we? Midway through the press conference, a reporter asked him about tears in his eyes during the national anthem. “What are you talking about?” Rohit asked. “Tears in eyes?”Rohit lit up the room with that and also went on to say he couldn’t deny he does feel emotional when the national anthem is playing.Related

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There were serious questions too, which needed delicate handling. Playing out one of the biggest rivalries in all sport, in front of arguably the biggest crowd in all sport – almost all of whom are expecting you to win – in a stadium named after your prime minister… When does the home advantage start becoming a disadvantage? It is a fair question. Rohit took a pause to reflect on the gravity of it.Then he said: “I don’t think there is any disadvantage. You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is. My overall experience playing, not just in India, even outside India, we get massive support. So, I have so far never experienced where the crowd has gone against us or anything like that.”So, I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But we know that eventually it boils down to playing good cricket. And whatever it takes to win the game, you’ve got to do that. So yes, you can use the support, but eventually, you’ve got to play good cricket to win the game.”All the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. It can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheers, the noise in the ground. So yeah, the boys really enjoy it. Anywhere we go, people turn out in huge numbers. And that is good for the team and also good for the sport in general as well.”A record crowd is expected for the India vs Pakistan match in Ahmedabad•Associated Press

The pressure of expectation of such a big crowd, in such a big country, can sometimes weigh down on you. Rohit was asked how he was avoiding this in the lead-up. “I’m not on social media for past nine months now,” Rohit said. “Everyone [else] has their own way of dealing with it. Some people like it, some don’t. But that’s not my place to tell anyone how to do it. They have to work out their own way of dealing with these things.”Like I said many times before, in the context of it, yes, it’s a massive game. But for us, what is important is, we are playing an opposition tomorrow, which will be quality. So, we’ve just got to come against a quality opposition and play good cricket, which we’ve done in the last two games. And hopefully we can again show some consistency in our performance and play a good game of cricket.”There was no attempt to score psychological points either. “I don’t think it [7-0 record against Pakistan in World Cups] is a psychological advantage. Because you have to play good cricket every day. So, it’s important for us as a team that we, as I said, should not pay too much attention to what is already over. And, we should also pay attention to the fresh day, the fresh opposition.”Both the teams will start evenly. I don’t think there is a favourite or an underdog. Both the teams are equal before they go into the game. It’s just about handling the pressure, dictating terms.”

Australia batter explains how he turned his form around in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-20233:11

Pujara: ‘Once Maxwell gets going nobody can stop him’

After a rather sluggish start to the competition, David Warner has hit the levels he was hoping for, scoring back-to-back centuries, which pushed him past one ODI legend – Ricky Ponting – and level with another – Sachin Tendulkar – for World Cup hundreds. Australia rode on his 104 and Glenn Maxwell’s 44-ball 106 to a 309-run victory over Netherlands and firmed up a place in the top four as the race to the semi-final continues.”For me it’s about going over there and doing my best,” Warner told . “It so happens to be in live-play and in tournament-play and that’s what I get up for. We live for those World Cups. They’re every four years and you’ve got to really, really shine on this stage and try and emulate what I do in those bilateral series out here and, yeah, to be in the same category and class with those guys is special.”They’re greats of the game. For us, we grew up watching those guys. In this moment, we’re just staying present. In probably 20 years’ time or 30 years’ time, I might sit down and enjoy that.”Related

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Warner was one of the few Australian players who made an impression in the opening game against India, scoring 41 runs, but his wicket triggered a collapse. He followed that innings up with scores of 13 against South Africa and 11 against Sri Lanka, but hit his stride against Pakistan with 163 and brought up his sixth World Cup century today.Speaking with his former team-mate Shane Watson, with whom he works at Delhi Capitals during the IPL, Warner said the uptick in his form came from “going back to basics”.”We spoke about it during the IPL, Watto – it’s about timing and rhythm and on these wickets you have to be able to allow yourself time to do that,” Warner said. “I think the first game against India in Chennai, always going to be challenging, always is a challenging surface. You need to get yourself in.”And I didn’t feel like I was in great rhythm, and then on to Lucknow [against South Africa] which was a great wicket but the timing wasn’t there and the ball was sort of swinging, so for me it was about going back to basics and being nice and still. Still have my prelim[inary trigger movements] but I can stay still if I wanted to and just switching gears. I know I’ve got the ability to play on these wickets and in these conditions. It’s just about backing yourself and having control and batting those 50 overs.”Almost all of Warner’s best innings are characterised by his rapid running between the wickets and this one was no different, including an occasion where he came down the entire length of the pitch only for his partner, Steven Smith, to send him back.2:21

What has made Zampa so effective?

“You saw quite clearly today I ran a two for my mate and I didn’t get a run for it,” Warner said. “I’ll remember that for a long time. As you know, I’ve said it plenty of times. I pride myself on my fitness. It’s something I really, really think is part of my game.”You see Virat Kohli does it a lot as well. We pride ourselves on that, trying to pinch the odd two, running as hard as you can for your team-mate. You’ve got to have that inside you. It’s an attitude thing and that’s one thing that I love doing.”Australia have bounced back from two straight defeats with three straight wins, a fact that pleased their captain Pat Cummins.”We’re starting to play to our potential and play in the style that we always talk about,” Cummins said. “The openers started really well. Smithy at No. 3. Really good powerplay. That’s how we want to play. Get ahead of the game.”Australia had gone three matches without taking any powerplay wickets, but against Netherlands, they rectified that.”That’s what we’re aiming for,” Cummins said. “I think we’ve bowled quite well in the powerplay without a lot of luck. Good to see the guys do the job and [Adam] Zamps another four-for as well.””We saw that come up at the start of our bowling innings [no powerplay wickets in three games]” Warner added. “And the ball was swinging and the boys hit those lengths and they were able to penetrate through to the keeper and that was something they were talking about in the bowlers meeting, try to hit the gloves hard and hit the wicket hard and they were able to do that tonight and get powerplay wickets and hopefully we can emulate that in the New Zealand game.”

The Bangladesh captain copped a blow on his left index finger while batting against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam07-Nov-2023Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of his side’s last World Cup 2023 match, against Australia in Pune on November 11, with a fractured left index finger. He will fly back to Dhaka today, while the rest of the squad heads to Pune from Delhi. Batter Anamul Haque will join them having received the ICC event technical committee’s approval to be Shakib’s replacement.Shakib’s injury happened during his innings of 82 against Sri Lanka in Delhi on Monday. According to physio Bayjedul Islam Khan, Shakib suffered the injury in the early part of his batting stint.Related

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“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” Bayjedul said. “He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game, which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.”Shakib’s injury caps a dramatic 24 hours for him. During Bangladesh’s three-wicket win over Sri Lanka yesterday, he had initiated the appeal which resulted in Angelo Mathews becoming the first batter to be dismissed timed out in international cricket. After the game, Shakib said that he had felt like he was at a war out on the field.Bangladesh have lost six of their eight games so far in this World Cup campaign, putting them out of contention for the semis. But they still have hopes of qualifying for the Champions Trophy 2025; a top-eight finish on the table would seal that. Shakib himself had a lean run at the World Cup, scoring in single digits in three of the six innings he played before his Player-of-the-Match 82 against Sri Lanka.

Massive 360-run win set up by Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh’s partnership, before visitors folded for 89

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2023Offspinner Nathan Lyon claimed his 500th Test wicket as Australia’s formidable attack crushed hapless a Pakistan on a difficult Optus Stadium surface to win the first Test inside four days.In the middle of the final session, with victory imminent for Australia, Lyon became the eighth bowler to reach the milestone when he dismissed Faheem Ashraf lbw on review to spark jubilant scenes of celebration among the Australia players and the sparse crowd of 9000 fans. He joined Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as the only Australians to the landmark.Lyon then clean bowled Aamer Jamal later in the over to cap a successful return, after taking five wickets for the match in his comeback from a calf injury that had prematurely ended his Ashes series. Pakistan, who lasted only 30.2 overs in their second innings, crumbled on a wicket that was spicy throughout and deteriorated as the match wore on, with rearing deliveries contrasted by balls that crept low. Set 450 to win after Australia declared 30 minutes into the second session, Pakistan succumbed to brilliant bowling from quicks Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.They already faced a daunting task to avoid a 15th straight Test defeat in Australia, and it went almost as expected, as Pakistan were blown away in the opening seven overs to slump to 17 for 3. Opener Abdullah Shafique was caught behind in the first over when he poked at a menacing Starc delivery outside off. It was Starc’s 200th Test wicket at home, as he bowled with far more consistency than in Pakistan’s first innings.Captain Shan Masood was dismissed for just 2 when he was caught behind off Hazlewood after driving loosely. It was a tough captaincy debut for Masood, even as he had made a breezy 30 in Pakistan’s first innings; but his team were unable to play a proactive brand of cricket he had promised ahead of the series.Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh had a rapid partnership•Getty Images

Pakistan’s hopes rested on talisman Babar Azam, who defied Australia’s attack for almost ten overs. He worked hard against Cummins, as the pair renewed their battle after a riveting contest on day two. But Babar was helpless against a cracking Cummins delivery that seamed away, as he was caught behind on 14 after having made 21 in Pakistan’s first innings.The only interest left was whether Pakistan could take the match into a fifth day, and if Lyon would reach his milestone. Pakistan’s hopes nosedived when Sarfaraz Ahmed was caught in the slips off Starc before their plight was underscored with a disastrous run-out of Salman Ali Afgha after a mix-up with Saud Shakeel. It brought back ghosts of the past for Pakistan, who were outclassed throughout the Test.They had entered with optimism and made several bold selection calls, including overlooking veteran quick Hasan Ali and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. But debutant seamers Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal impressed by combining for 12 of Pakistan’s 15 wickets in the match. They bowled a hostile length late on day four and early on day five to rough up several Australia batters.They did the bulk of the heavy lifting, with spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi struggling throughout the match, having been elevated as vice-captain. He finished with match figures of 2 for 172 from 45.2 overs, and bowled mostly in the early 130kph range. Pakistan’s attack will rue their lifeless display early in the Test and had no answers for opener David Warner, who dominated the first day with a belligerent century after Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.Allrounder Mitchell Marsh also had a superb first Test on his home ground with two half-centuries and the wicket of Babar in Pakistan’s first innings. Opener Usman Khawaja made a gutsy 90 in Australia’s second innings, having overcome torrid bowling late on day three and early on day four. It was a dogged performance from Khawaja, having come into the match under the spotlight after not being allowed to wear shoes which expressed humanitarian views.Australia’s victory within four days came in the backdrop of a rebranded Perth Test match, with more than 59,000 fans attending – considerably more than last year’s corresponding Test against West Indies which went the distance. The surface was particularly spicier than last year’s game in a throwback to famous WACA Tests.For Pakistan, however, they barely mustered a better effort than their 72 in the previous Test match they had played in Perth back in 2004, as their horror run in Australia stretching more than two decades continued.

Pope says he tailored his technique for the Indian conditions after poor returns on his last tour

Matt Roller28-Jan-20241:32

Manjrekar: Pope’s innings ‘one of the finest’

Rahul Dravid said he hadn’t seen “a better exhibition of sweeping and reverse sweeping ever in these conditions, against that quality of bowling”. Rohit Sharma called it “one of the best that I’ve seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter”. And Ben Stokes described it as “the greatest innings played in the subcontinent by an English batsman”.The innings in question, Ollie Pope’s 196, inspired England’s dramatic turnaround victory over India in Hyderabad, helping them overcome a 190-run first-innings deficit to win by 28 runs on the fourth evening. It was all the more remarkable coming after seven months out of the game with a shoulder injury – sustained during the Ashes – that required surgery.Pope said that he rated his fifth Test century “head and shoulders above the other four” and described India as “probably the toughest place for a batter to come at the minute”. On England’s most recent tour of the country, in 2021, he managed 153 runs across four innings with a top score of 34 and said that he had made technical adjustments during his comeback.Related

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“I’ve tinkered throughout my career so far,” Pope said. “I’ve changed my technique slightly for this series specifically. I had shoulder surgery, so I’ve had a long time to prepare for this series and make some adjustments to what I produced the last time we were here three years ago. I’ve worked hard on my game and tried to tailor my technique for these conditions.”Pope was caught at slip for 1, prodding at Ravindra Jadeja, in the first innings. “We played on some pretty extreme wickets last time around and you realise that there’s always going to be one danger. For me, that was the outside edge,” he said. “If the ball is turning away from me, someone nicks me off and I get caught at slip, I’ve got to be at peace with that.”It was about covering my inside edge and trying to put some pressure back on the bowlers as well with the sweeps and reverse sweeps… The guys we are facing are very skilled bowlers. You can pretty much know where each ball is going to land and if you try to defend each ball there’s probably more chance to get out than if you play a cross-batted shot.”Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, have consistently told players that there will be no recriminations if they are out playing attacking shots. “We practise those shots enough and if you get out for none playing a reverse sweep you’re not going to get a load of chat in the changing room about that,” Pope said. “You can go and commit to it.”I don’t think I nailed my first 20-odd runs, I was thinking ‘why is it not hitting the middle of the bat’. But then out here it could be as safe as playing a defence, a sweep or reverse sweep. If we can keep nailing them we get more bad balls as batters if we can hit their best ball for four with a reverse sweep. That is going to lead to more short balls and more half-volleys and open up the outfield.”Boy, did Ollie Pope commit to the sweeps•BCCI

Dravid, India’s head coach, was particularly effusive in his praise for Pope. “That was an exceptional innings,” he said. “It’s important that we respond and come up with some plans and some strategies, and see how we can maybe make him play those shots from even more difficult lengths and be even more disciplined… hopefully in the next Test match, if we get our execution right, then I hope he makes a mistake.”Pope had not batted in a competitive match since the second Ashes Test in June, but said that England’s pre-tour training camp in the UAE had left him feeling confident heading to India.”It was just about getting back up to speed and playing cricket again, and getting my mind right – going through those processes you have as a batter,” he said. “In the past, I’ve generally been someone who needs a couple of knocks to start feeling my best, but credit to Baz [McCullum] and Stokesy for the way we’ve gone about this whole week in general. I brushed that first innings behind me pretty quickly… we got into a Test match pretty relaxed now. We put in all that work in Abu Dhabi in the pre-camp and just tried to enjoy it. That’s allowed us to come back from that big deficit.”Stokes said that Pope had also proved his worth in the field: not only when taking catches at short leg and silly point off Tom Hartley, but also as vice-captain. “I keep going to him for ideas, plans and what he sees,” he said. “There’s a lot of different angles and views from different parts of the ground. I thought Popey, not only with the bat this week but with his role as vice-captain, was fantastic.”Pope said that the role – which he has officially held since May – has helped him stay in the moment: “It’s good to immerse yourself in what you’re doing. Rather than just standing in the field thinking about my forward defence, which I probably did three or four years ago, actually thinking about plans and stuff is better. There’s no need to think too much about the batting.”

The RCB allrounder on letting her hair down, playing under Smriti Mandhana, the team’s change in fortunes this season, and more

S Sudarshanan13-Mar-20245:01

‘A chocolate ice cream and brownie’: How Perry celebrated her six-for

Ellyse Perry is not one to go overboard with celebrations and indulgences. She boasts of an enviable CV across sports – having played World Cups in football as well as cricket for Australia – and has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows the sport has to offer.But after her T20 best figures of 6 for 15 against Mumbai Indians in Delhi, the Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder let her hair down a bit.”Last night I had a chocolate brownie with the girls and some ice cream,” Perry laughed in a media interaction on Wednesday. “I then went to my room, put my red light glasses and read a few chapters of a book and fell asleep.”But she was quick to put the performance in perspective – she had bowled only six overs in WPL 2024 before Tuesday and was wicketless. She started with a two-run over before picking up two wickets each in the last three overs to become only the second Australian after Rhiannon Dick to return six wickets in women’s T20s.Related

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“It’s easy to get really carried away when things go well,” Perry said. “But I feel like a lot of time you don’t have that much control over things panning well or not. You certainly work hard to put yourself in pretty good positions but there’s so many other factors that go into any game, and the outcome.”Especially as I have got older, I don’t really want to react either way – whether it’s a good night or a bad night. The sun comes up the next day. Fortunately, in this competition, there is always another opportunity to play games quickly. Whether it goes well or not, we are so lucky to be in the middle with these ridiculously big crowd who are so fanatical about it.”It’s a far-cry from what it was like when I first started playing some years ago. There wasn’t really anyone coming to our games, and certainly no interest in the sport like there is no. When it does go well it doesn’t feel like you have got too much control over it, other than the hard work you have put into it. It’s easy to kind of just enjoy it for the moment when it lasts and life goes on quickly after that.”Given the plethora of allrounders at Australia’s disposal, Perry has had a reduced bowling workload in recent times. In Australia’s tour of India at the turn of the year, she did not bowl at all in the white-ball games and sent down only four overs in the one-off Test. She then sent down 16 overs in the Test and four overs each in the ODIs and T20Is in the multi-format series at home against South Africa. But that does not change the way Perry trains ahead of a game.”I have played for a long period of time now, so I have got a bit of a handle on how I need to prepare. There is always opportunity before a match to bowl overs out in the middle while warming up. I do that keeping in mind that you are available if the opportunity presents itself to bowl in a game. [I have] been playing solidly for the last 18 months now, I don’t feel like I am short on cricket or overs. Whenever there is a chance to contribute to the team, it’s being ready for that.”Soon after the WPL ends, Perry will link up with Australia for their first women’s tour of Bangladesh. They play three ODIs and as many T20Is – all in Mirpur – in conditions where the Women’s T20 World Cup will be played later this year. Has Perry made a compelling case for her national captain Alyssa Healy to utilise her more with the ball in those competitions?Perry followed up her 6 for 15 with an important cameo•BCCI

“I don’t think there is a case for anything,” she said. “I have played a lot of cricket over a number of years. We have been pretty fortunate in the Australian team that we have a lot of options. Here we have got a lot of bowling options with RCB.”From my perspective, what I love doing as a player and something that keeps me motivated is to keep working on things and try to get better. I spent a lot of time last couple of years working on that. I feel like there’s been bits and pieces that have helped me feel confident that at times I can contribute when needed. At the same time it’s not a big deal either way. I just enjoy being part of a team where we are all working towards the same goal.”RCB started WPL 2023 with five losses but have made the playoffs in 2024. They will take on Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday in Delhi. Head coach Luke Williams was the new major addition for them this season while Smriti Mandhana has looked assured as the captain. What has been the reason for RCB’s change in fortunes?”There’s a really strong sense of calmness and people are enjoying themselves. Luke Williams has brought a lot to the group from that perspective,” Perry said. “He has been clear from the start along with the other coaches, just to give us all the confidence and clarity that our best cricket will be competitive enough in this competition. The team, as a whole, has had more time together. Last year we took a time to find our feet.”Smriti has led the group exceptionally well. Her personality is quite introverted. She is big on developing relationships with each player and really making sure that she knows we are supporting her, but also she’s been able to develop that relationship with us. That takes time but there is so much upside to that. The fact that we can take the field knowing each other and supporting each other has been great.”

ESPNcricinfo commentary of the final moments of their incredible game against Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-202417.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Short and wide outside off. Stops in the surface a little and Rashid cuts it towards deep cover point17.4 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 1 run Slower bumper on middle and off. Tewatia waits an eternity for it before dragging it towards deep square leg17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Short and too wide outside off. Rashid swishes and misses, and the umpire has no qualms in stretching out his arms17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Well beyond the tramlines again, and some more exercise for the umpire17.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run What a save! Slower ball dug into the track outside off. Rashid stands up tall and slaps it flat towards long on. Buttler puts in a dive to his left and somehow manages to stop it on the half-volley. He went at it reverse-cupped and got the job done!18.1 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Sizzling yorker, honing into the pads. Rashid whips at it and squirts it away towards short fine leg. Might have nutmegged himself too but the important detail is that it is just a single. By the way, had Avesh hit the stumps at the batter’s end, Tewatia was well out of his ground18.2 Sen to Tewatia, 1 wide, Full and angled across the batter well outside off. Beyond the tramlines too, and called a wide18.2 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Gets it over! Rank wide full toss and Tewatia makes the most of it. Does not middle it but gets enough to clear extra cover. Buttler gives chase from mid off but cannot rein it in!18.3 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Back of a length outside off. Tewatia sits deep in his crease and swings it away towards deep mid wicket 18.4 Sen to Rashid Khan, (no ball) FOUR runs, Shot! Goes for the wide yorker but errs on the fuller side. Rashid, sitting deep in his crease, gets under it and scythes it over extra cover. And, it gets worse for the Royals because Sen has overstepped…18.4 Sen to Tewatia, 2 runs Taken at deep square leg but it will not count! Banged into the track just outside off. Gets up very high and Rashid cannot control his pull. Skies it and deep square leg takes it running in. A brace to Rashid18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Slower ball that goes wrong and slides well down leg. Another wide, and Sen might just be feeling the pressure now18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 leg bye Follows the batter well outside leg. Bowls it on a length and Rashid cannot connect with his swipe. The ball pings off the pads into the on side. Rashid livid with himselfRashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia were Gujarat Titans’ heroes•Getty Images

18.6 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Four to finish the over! Shortish outside off and this sits up nicely to be hit. Tewatia opens up his stance and boshes it over mid off!19.1 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Four off the first ball, oh my! Low full toss outside off. Rashid steps across his stumps and then shovels it over square leg. Deep mid wicket cannot get there either!19.2 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 2 runs Almost a yorker, just outside off. Rashid sits deep in his crease and tugs it towards long on. They hare back for two and RR are lucky there was someone backing up at the keeper’s end. That throw was wild19.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs An outside edge but they all count! Oh my days, the drama in Jaipur! Nails the wide yorker but Rashid somehow gets this away. He swishes hard at it and squirts it off the outside edge past the keeper!19.4 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Low full toss, following the batter on leg stump. Rashid can only dig it out towards extra cover for a single19.5 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 2 runs, OUT Tewatia gets it over mid off, but it does not go for four! And there is a run out too! Short and wide outside off. Tewatia holds his nerve and slaps it over mid off. Buttler puts on his skates and pulls it back into play. The batters get across for two runs comfortably and then they decide to go for the third. Tewatia is always struggling to get there. The throw is accurate enough, and Avesh does the rest, with Tewatia well short. In the middle of all of that, there was a check for a short run. That has been sorted now, and GT need 2 off the last ball!Rahul Tewatia run out (Buttler/Avesh Khan) 22 (11b 3×4 0x6 42m) SR: 20019.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Rashid wins it for the Gujarat Titans off the final ball! Oh my, this is some finish, and the Afghan Titan has come up trumps just when they needed him to! And the Royals, who looked so good for so much of the game, are no longer invincible! Short, wide and that is just begging to be hit. Not the best ball to bowl at this stage. Rashid lays back deep in his crease, brings those fast hands into play and thumps it over point. Speeds away to the fence and Rashid wheels away in celebration. He gestures to the dugout to not worry while he is there, and today, he has proven it!

“We’ve had injuries, we’ve been a little bit unsettled, but the main thing is getting guys in key areas and in form,” CSK coach Fleming says

Deivarayan Muthu24-Apr-20242:15

Fleming: ‘We’re a little bit uncomfortable with some areas’

Form – or the lack thereof – and the unavailability of key players have left Chennai Super Kings searching for their ideal team combination, eight games into the season. This is the assessment of CSK head coach Stephen Fleming after they suffered their first defeat at home, against Lucknow Super Giants, on Tuesday.CSK had left out Rachin Ravindra to bring back Daryl Mitchell and pair up captain Ruturaj Gaikwad with Ajinkya Rahane at the top. But the changes didn’t bring the kind of output that CSK were looking for, with Mitchell falling for 11 off 10 balls and Rahane for 1 off 3.”It’s a mixture of trying to find that [combination] and also form,” Fleming said at his post-match press conference. “We’re a little bit uncomfortable with some areas, so we’re trying to find not a quick fix, but the right combination where players are going to contribute for the back end of this tournament.”Related

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• Gaikwad: 'Dew took our spinners out of the game'

At various points during the tournament, CSK’s balance has been disrupted by injuries to Matheesha Pathirana (hamstring niggle) and Rahane (calf niggle). Mustafizur Rahman had also missed CSK’s away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad to tend to his US visa for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Mustafizur is available to CSK till May 1, when they will face Punjab Kings at Chepauk, and will then return to Bangladesh for their home series against Zimbabwe. Devon Conway’s replacement, Richard Gleeson, the England quick, is yet to join the CSK squad.”We’ve got another change coming up with Mustafizur [leaving] in a couple of games,” Fleming said. “So, we’re just trying to prepare and get a side that will give us the run home. We’ve had injuries, we’ve been a little bit unsettled, but the main thing is getting guys in key areas and in form. That sometimes takes a bit of time. Yes, there has been more change; some were forced upon us and some of it is form.”Mitchell, for whom CSK splurged INR 14 crore at the auction, has managed only 146 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 123.72. That he has batted in four different positions in seven innings hasn’t helped his cause, but Fleming is hopeful of Mitchell finding his feet at No.3, a role where he has had success for New Zealand.”There’s a lot of pressure obviously,” Fleming said. “Getting up the order is more comfortable for him. Me putting him down the order in the hitting role wasn’t his best position. So, we’ve looked to rectify that and get him up the order where he has had his best performances internationally. That might take a little bit of time, but the top three need to contribute the majority of runs.2:22

McClenaghan: CSK made mistakes in the field

“Ruturaj did that today, so hopefully he can continue his form and the others can pick that up… We’re not firing on all cylinders by any means but we’re in each game and we’re asking teams to play well to beat us. We just got to get a little bit better.”The surfaces in Chennai this season haven’t been as spin-friendly as they had been in the past, nullifying one of CSK’s major strengths. On Tuesday, in conditions that became better for batting with the onset of dew, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali bowled just two overs each. Overall, CSK’s spinners have picked up just four wickets in four home games and in contrast, the fast bowlers have taken 22 wickets in those games.”There’s not much assistance, we’ve had one pitch, which turned, and we won comfortably,” Fleming said. “Yeah, I would like more synergy between the pitch and what we’re trying to do. I unashamedly say that; it’s your home ground and you have to defend and pick teams accordingly. So, when it’s out of sync, you find it very difficult, so it’s not quite right yet.”But we just have to be good enough to play on what’s in front of us. So, while you can moan off the field and love to have a little bit different, it’s not the case and we just have to make sure we’re good enough to win and we have been. Again, today, we created a chance. It’s not like we’re down and out, but we know we could be stronger, if conditions are a little bit different.”The Chepauk conditions will come into sharp focus once again, ahead of CSK’s next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. While CSK have depth in their spin attack, SRH are missing Wanindu Hasaranga and their Indian legspinner Mayank Markande has leaked runs at 11.42 an over – the third-worst economy rate among bowlers who have bowled at least 15 overs this season.SRH have never beaten CSK in Chennai in four attempts.

Can KKR maintain their season’s flavour without Salt? How big a miss will Buttler be for RR? Is this finally RCB’s year?

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20241:41

Moody: Faf’s leadership important in RCB’s revival

Here come the IPL 2024 playoffs. It took a thriller on Saturday to decide which of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would complete the playoffs line-up, and till the very last league game – a washout in Guwahati last night – to know who would play whom exactly, but now we know. And it’s a completely different playoff line-up from last season, with none of 2023’s top four making the cut here.

Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH, May 21, Ahmedabad

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the first qualifier as table-toppers, the first time they’ve finished the league phase at No. 1. They finished three points clear of anyone else on the table, despite having their last two games washed out. Will they be refreshed, or rusty? If SRH are any example to go by, a break from the cricket is a good thing: they came in after a 10-day break – partly down to the schedule and partly down to the weather – and aced a chase of 215 on Sunday against Punjab Kings. This was only the second time in IPL 2024 that SRH won a game chasing.Related

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Previous meeting: They’ve played each other only once this season, both team’s first game of IPL 2024. It was a high-scoring thriller that ended in a last-ball four-run win for KKR at Eden Gardens.Player availability: The England players who will be going to the upcoming T20 World Cup have withdrawn early from the IPL, and among them is one of KKR’s lynchpins this season: Sunil Narine’s big-hitting opening partner, Phil Salt.Weather forecast: “Very hot with plenty of sunshine” – that’s the forecast for Ahmedabad on May 21, and the heat will hardly relent as the lights come on for the evening match: it’s a minimum of 31C on the day. The forecast says there’s a 0% chance of rain.

Eliminator: RR vs RCB, May 22, Ahmedabad

On April 22, RR were top of the table, flying high, having won seven of their first eight games. At the other end of the table, RCB were languishing, having lost as many as RR had won, six of those defeats coming in a row. Fast forward to May 20, and the turnaround is stunning: RR have since won one in six and lost four in a row before Sunday’s washout. RCB have won six in a row, and thus go into this knockout encounter with all the momentum on their side.Previous meeting: They’ve played each other once this year, a convincing win for RR in Jaipur, where Virat Kohli hit a century only to be outdone by Jos Buttler.Player availability: This time, RR will be without Buttler, who’s part of the English T20 World Cup contingent that’s left the tournament. RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley for the same reasons.Weather forecast: The forecast doesn’t change much from Qualifier 1. Ahmedabad should remain hot and dry for the Eliminator.After a blazing start to IPL 2024, things have gone downhill for Sanju Samson and Co•BCCI

Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of the Eliminator, May 24, Chennai

Weather forecast: Some clouds are forecast during the day, but only a 5% chance of rain. A low of 29C, so another hot, sweaty evening in store for the players.

Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, May 26, Chennai

There’s a possibility of a first-time winner: RCB, ending a 16-year drought in the same season that their women’s team knocked off the Women’s Premier League title in its second edition.Is this, finally, RCB’s year?•Getty Images

Or RR could win their first title since the inaugural season when Shane Warne’s relatively unfancied team saw off MS Dhoni’s Super Kings in the final.For KKR it would be a first title since 2014, and their third overall. Quite the homecoming for Gautam Gambhir, that would be – he had captained KKR to both their previous titles, and played for them till 2017. This season, he shifted from Lucknow Super Giants back to KKR as team mentor.SRH’s only title (not to confuse them with the other franchise from Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, who won it in 2009) came in 2016 – can they add to that?Weather forecast: Not much change from Qualifier 2, but slightly hotter even (min. 30 C) and even less chance of rain (4%).