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A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games played on January 18, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Deepak Hooda’s 35-ball 53 kept Baroda’s chase on track until the 17th over•ICC

Baroda survived three wickets in the penultimate over of their chase and managed to knock Mumbai out with a slender one-wicket win to book a final berth with a marginally better net run rate. Baroda’s pursuit of 152 was led by Deepak Hooda’s 35-ball 53 until the 17th over before Sagar Trivedi struck twice in the 19th over, which was followed by a run-out, and Bhargav Bhatt eventually sealed it with a four on his first ball. Baroda, level with Mumbai on points after the win, ended with a run rate of 0.299 compared to Mumbai’s 0.196.Dhawal Kulkarni dismissed Kedar Devdhar on the first ball of Baroda’s chase and Pravin Tambe got rid of Mrunal Devdhar (18) and Hardik Pandya (28) before they could capitalise on their quick starts. Hooda’s fifty steered them well past 100 with the help of five fours and a six before Yusuf Pathan (1) and Hooda fell within six balls and Baroda were 126 for 6, still needing 26 from 23 balls. Pinal Shah struck two fours to bring it down to a comfortable nine runs from the last two overs, but Trivedi’s double blow made it a tense chase again. He struck twice in three balls and Rishi Arothe was run-out on his first ball, to make the score 149 for 9, but Bhatt finished things off with six balls to spare.Earlier, Mumbai were put in to bat and saw low scores from their top-order batsmen, except Shashank Singh’s 23-ball 25. Shreyas Iyer, Aditya Tare and Siddhesh Lad could score only 20 runs together and they were reeling at 49 for 4 after Bhatt removed Shashank and Lad on consecutive deliveries, before the middle and lower order came to the rescue. Suryakumar Yadav (57*) first put on 47 runs in six overs with Abhishek Nayar, and then another 55 runs in under six overs with Shivam Dubey to help them put on a respectable score, but it didn’t prove to be enough.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh will face Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final after completing their eighth win on the trot, by beating Delhi by three wickets at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.Chasing 159, UP were reduced to 68 for 5 in the 11th over with twin-strikes from medium-pacer Navdeep Saini. Left-arm spinner Manan Sharma got the important wicket of Suresh Raina in the seventh over, for 22, after the batsman had struck four fours. Eklavya Dwivedi then took control of the chase with an unbeaten 49 from 35. He partnered with Praveen Kumar (18 off 13) to add 40 runs for the seventh wicket, after which he shared an unbroken 31-run stand with Amit Mishra (19 off nine) to take UP home with two balls to spare. Dwivedi smacked five fours and two sixes during his knock.Put in to bat, Delhi were hauled to 158 for 6 by opener Unmukt Chand’s 35-ball 48 and No. 7 Pawan Negi’s unbeaten 41 from 23. Delhi were 95 for 5 in the 14th over after their top and middle order was dented mainly by the spinners. Medium-pacer Amit Mishra removed Gautam Gambhir for 13 and Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav took two each before Mishra also dismissed Chand in the 12th over, and soon Delhi were 105 for 6 in the 15th over. But Negi’s late surge lifted them in the death overs. He paired with Manan Sharma to add an unbeaten 53 in the last 5.1 overs to take them past 150.
ScorecardJharkhand slumped to their third straight loss as Gujarat strolled to a six-wicket win, hunting down the target of 143 with 35 balls to spare, in Mumbai. Gujarat chose to bowl, and their bowlers gained the ascendancy with early wickets. Jharkhand lost three wickets and struggled to find the boundaries in the first 10 overs, which yielded 52 runs.However, the middle order – Saurabh Tiwary (22), Ishank Jaggi (39) and Kumar Deobrat (21) – provided the required acceleration with brisk cameos. The last 10 overs produced 90 runs as Jharkhand finished with 142 for 6. Rush Kalaria picked up two wickets while RP Singh produced figures of 1 for 20 in his four overs.In the chase, openers Parthiv Patel and Priyank Kirit Panchal got quickly into their stride. The pair added 26 in 18 balls before Parthiv was bowled off the bowling of Vikash Singh. Manpreet Juneja and Panchal then combined for a 58-run stand, before both fell in quick succession.However, Gujarat’s middle order’s quickfire contributions – all struck at a strike rate of over 200 – helped them romp to the target in 14.1 overs. Kaushal Singh claimed two scalps, but all the Jharkhand bowlers lacked economy.

Asad Baig’s allround efforts helped Habib Bank Limited to a six-wicket victory over State Bank of Pakistan in a low scoring encounter

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2013
ScorecardAsad Baig bowled miserly and led from the front with the bat•PCB

Asad Baig’s allround efforts helped Habib Bank Limited beat State Bank of Pakistan by six wickets in a low-scoring encounter in Karachi. SBP won the toss and elected to bat, but got off to a horror start, losing their first three wickets for just seven runs on the board, thanks to a double-strike from opening fast bowler Ehsan Adil.A 37-run stand for the fourth wicket looked promising, but Rameez Raja was caught by Kamran Hussain off Baig’s bowling for 26. SBP would lose two more wickets with the score on 68, before finding themselves in the unenviable position of 79 for 7. Rizwan Haider and Hasan Mahmood fought valiantly to push the team to 106 for 7. Adil and Baig finished with two wickets a piece.Despite a double-wicket blow in the second over rendering Habib Bank 5 for 2, the chase was largely uneventful. Baig stroked a 21-ball 27 to give impetus to the innings, while Behram Khan supported him ably in their 33-run partnership for the third wicket. Hasan Raza later joined Behram in a 48-run stand to effectively take the game away from SBP. Humayun Farhat hit an 8-ball 20, including two sixes at the end to finish off the game in the 18th over, handing Habib Bank a six-wicket victory.

On a day that began with Pakistan needing to bat positively to set a competitive target, Sri Lanka surged ahead with a strong chance of winning the series 2-0

The Report by Siddhartha Talya11-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Pakistan showed how tough a challenge coming from behind in a Test can prove. Even though they erased the deficit of 111 runs with relative ease, their position in the match was never secure. Even in conditions in which the assistance to bowlers had reduced drastically, the Pakistan batsmen struggled to perform collectively. Azhar Ali’s solid, determined century was the glue that held their innings together, but even he, despite having batted over six hours and taken the lead past 150, was not immune against a seemingly harmless delivery that got him out. On a day that began with Pakistan needing to bat positively to set a competitive target, Sri Lanka moved ahead with a good chance of winning the series 2-0, though a test against a strong bowling attack awaits them.Dilhara Fernando, in and out of the side for the past 12 years and currently on his 17th comeback, bowled quick, varied his lengths, slipped in his split-finger slower balls as well as accurate yorkers. But a couple of unlikely candidates for wicket-taking deliveries broke two fluent partnerships that looked good for more. A full and wide delivery prompted Mohammad Hafeez to chase it after adding 94 with Ali, only to land safely in the hands of the slip fielder. A short and wide delivery that kept a little low produced a slash, and a fatal edge, from Ali after a century-stand with Asad Shafiq, removing the biggest obstacle between Sri Lanka and a chaseable target.While Fernando delivered against the flow, en route to his 100th Test wicket, left-arm spinner Rangana Herath accounted for Pakistan’s two most experienced batsmen, forcing the settled Ali to restrain himself and focus on rebuilding and damage control instead of stepping up the scoring in an effort to level the series.

Smart stats

• Azhar Ali’s century is his fourth in Tests and third against Sri Lanka. However, he failed to surpass his highest score of 157 which he has achieved on two occasions against Sri Lanka (SSC in the previous Test) and England in Dubai.

• Azhar now has 17 fifty-plus second-innings scores by Pakistan batsmen against Sri Lanka. Five of the top six scores have come in Tests in Sri Lanka.

• Dilhara Fernando became only the fifth Sri Lankan bowler to pick up 100 wickets in Tests. He now has 100 wickets at 37.75 with three five-fors.

• Rangana Herath became the third Sri Lankan bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas to pick up 100 wickets in home Tests. Herath now has 102 wickets at 26.74 with eight five-fors.

• Herath also became the second Sri Lankan bowler and the 11th overall to reach the 50-wicket mark against Pakistan. He averages 31.07 and has two five-fors in Tests against Pakistan.

• The 100-run stand between Azhar and Asad Shafiq is the seventh fifth-wicket century partnership for Pakistan against Sri Lanka. Three of these have come in the team second innings.

• Prasanna Jayawardene went past Romesh Kaluwitharana to go second on the list of Sri Lankan wicketkeepers with the most dismissals. Kumar Sangakkara is on top with 144 dismissals.

Herath hardly got any turn until much later in the day, and was often met with batsmen charging out to him, defending, working it around and, in the case of Ali, driving him comfortably through extra cover. Younis Khan tried the same one ball after a 48-run stand with Ali, but failed to get to the pitch of a flat delivery; the ball scraped the thumb and lobbed up before silly point to be taken smartly by an alert Tharanga Paranavitana. Misbah-ul-Haq showed some intent straightaway, attempting a slog-sweep second ball. But when he tried to drive a loopy delivery from Herath, he edged to slip and departed for just 5.Amid all this, Ali showed a lot of maturity and confidence, having taken the responsibility to anchor the innings. Early in the day, with some movement on offer, he was content leaving deliveries outside off when Nuwan Kulasekara got the odd one to nip away, and adept at playing his preferred inswingers through midwicket and square leg. Extra cover was his favourite area, and he cashed in when allowed the room to free his arms. Kulasekara, Fernando, Mathews and Herath were all punished through that region, even with a deep point in place in the case of the seamers. He was strong down the ground as well, driving Fernando and Thisara Perera for boundaries, but in a hardworking knock, the singles were no less significant. He and Hafeez ran 39 out of 92 this morning in singles, and 40 out of 100 with Shafiq.Shafiq was impressive in his first innings’ 75 in more difficult conditions; he followed it up with another important contribution, and remains key to prolonging Pakistan’s innings and stretching their lead on the final day. If Ali’s strength was the off side, Shafiq continued to be dominant square of the wicket. He wasn’t given the width he got in the first innings, but the straight deliveries were whipped and pulled through square leg and midwicket. With a sound technique and footwork, and the potential to bat long, he and Ali are increasingly showing they can be the future mainstays of Pakistan’s middle order. But having lost Ali, and watched Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal trapped in front in a space of seven overs, he was left battling with an injured Adnan Akmal for company.The highlights for Pakistan on the fourth day promised much for their Test future, but the team was still behind at stumps.Their big hope, yet again, remains a Junaid Khan-led retaliation.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has come out in support of the ICC’s decision to make the Decision Review System mandatory in Tests and ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has come out in support of the ICC’s decision to make the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in Tests and ODIs, saying the technology eases the pressure on umpires. Misbah said that he found the system to be helpful whenever Pakistan have used it, including during the World Cup.”From my personal experience, I have found the system very useful and basically it gives the batting and fielding side a second chance, if the umpires have a bad day or decision,” Misbah told . “If you look at it positively it reduces pressures on umpires in tight decisions.”The ICC chief executives’ committee unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the DRS mandatory in all Tests and one-day internationals at the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong last month. The mandatory terms and conditions for the DRS that have been recommended to the executive board for approval consist of infra-red cameras and audio-tracking devices. The ball-tracking technology has been removed from the ICC’s original compulsory list of DRS technologies.”I am all for any technology that makes the sport more error-free and gives more options to the competing teams and players,” Misbah said. “Obviously with every new technology there will be hiccups but once the technology gets better, it will be become more effective for teams.”The ICC made a number of other recommendations at their meeting and Misbah was in favour of the proposed changes to the one-day game, such as using two new balls, allowing two bouncers per over and limiting Powerplays between the 16th and 40th overs. “Cricket is a sport and also about entertainment for the people and viewers and anything that can make the game more exciting, I will always welcome it,” he said. “ODIs are a staple diet of cricket and there was a need to bring some innovative changes. As it is the ball had to be changed after 34 overs and it was time bowlers were given more space in limited-overs cricket.”He also said he didn’t think it would be long before Test matches are played under lights with coloured balls. “Day-and-night matches are crowd pullers and the future platform for Tests. To a professional cricketer, five-day Tests mean the real challenge in cricket so it is important that modifications are made for its betterment.”

The captains of Ireland, Canada and Netherlands admitted there is plenty at stake for their sides as the ICC World Cricket League gets underway in Netherlands on July 1

Cricinfo staff30-Jun-2010The captains of Ireland, Canada and Netherlands admitted there is plenty at stake for their sides as the ICC World Cricket League gets underway in Netherlands on July 1. Ireland launch their title defence on the opening day against former champions Kenya, while last year’s runners-up Canada face Afghanistan; the hosts clash with Scotland.Ireland captain Trent Johnston believed the tournament was a good opportunity to launch his side’s World Cup preparations. “I think Phil Simmons and the selectors are pretty happy with the side we have here. I think it is a good opportunity for the players to put themselves forward for a place in next year’s World Cup squad,” Johnston said.”We have probably got five or six of the regulars here and rest of the guys are trying to put themselves up for further selection. We are in sort of a rebuilding stage, I suppose, before the tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”Johnston also saw the event as a stepping stone for the younger generation of cricketers in his squad. “We have a couple of guys who will be making their debuts, hopefully at some stage during the tournament. Craig Young, Andrew Bilbirnie, George Dockwell and Paul Stirling played in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. They are now in the senior squad and it is a fantastic achievement for Irish cricket to see these guys developing and making into the senior ranks,” he said.Johnston was eager for Ireland to retain their status as the top Associate side and challenge the top teams. “I just want to keep Ireland at top of the Associate tree and keep knocking at the door of the big boys above us. We were close to beating Australia a couple of weeks ago and if we can take that sort of commitment and ability on the field and put three disciplines together, we have got a very good chance of lifting the trophy again,” he added.Canada captain Ashish Bagai said his side was brimming with confidence ahead of this year’s event. “The 2009 tournament was very important for us as the pressure was obviously higher. We did well and what we can take away from that tournament is the confidence which we can use in this tournament. All the six teams are evenly matched so it is going to be a tough tournament but we believe we have enough gas in our tanks to finish at the top,” Bagai said.Bagai believed the tournament would give him a good idea of his side’s progress in cricket’s pecking order. “This is a very important tournament for us. It’s a milestone and a good checkpoint which we can use to see where we stand and what we need to do in future. It gives us a good time to try out a few youngsters and identify our strengths and weaknesses seven months away from World Cup 2011,” he said.Peter Borren also had the World Cup lead-up in his sights, but nothing short of victory in the WCL Division One would do for the hosts. “It is a home tournament and obviously, at the back of our minds is the World Cup but at this stage the most important thing is to win the tournament,” Borren said.”We have to win games of cricket and let’s try to put 100 overs of quality cricket together. It’s always a challenge and it will be the same for all the teams here. I have no doubt that at times during this tournament we’ll see some fantastic innings played by the Netherlands top six or seven batsmen. I also have no doubts that at times our bowling will be sharp.”It’s very often in cricket that you bat very well but let yourself down a little bit with bowling or fielding or the other way round. It has been a challenge for all the Associate sides to put it together for the whole match and our challenge in this tournament will be to be competitive and consistent match after match,” Borren said.

‘I’ve been around long enough to know how it works,’ captain says, after emphatic win over Oman

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2024Jos Buttler, England’s captain, praised his players for blocking out the noise and focussing on the task of beating Oman in style, as the T20 World Cup defending champions produced a command performance that has put them back on course for Super Eight qualification.England needed a grand total of 99 deliveries to beat Oman in the first of two must-win matches in three days, with Buttler himself striking 24 not out from eight deliveries to hunt down a victory target of 48 in just 3.1 overs.In so doing, England transformed their net run-rate from -1.8 to +3.08, placing them ahead of Scotland’s figure of 2.16, meaning that they will progress at the Scots’ expense from a tightly contested Group B if there are no more upsets or washouts in the remaining fixtures.Though the speed of England’s chase was a key factor in the NRR boost, the match was set up by a thrilling bowling display, led by Adil Rashid’s 4 for 11, with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer both returning the excellent figures of 3 for 12.”I thought the tone was set really well by the bowlers,” Buttler said at the post-match presentations. “We managed to pick up those early wickets and restrict them and knock them off, so job done today and we’ve got another big game in two days’ time.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Asked if he had been surprised by the mood around England’s campaign, after one washed-out contest against Scotland and a poor display against Australia in Barbados, Buttler smiled and acknowledged that he’d seen it all before.”I’ve been around long enough to know how it works,” he told Nasser Hussain, who was conducting the post-match interviews. “How guys like you make some comments, so that’s fine. That’s part of your job. I don’t mind. We know what’s going on in the dressing room. We have lots of confidence in our team and we have another huge match to come.”That match is against Namibia on Saturday, at the same venue in Antigua, which ought to suit England’s bowling attack given the steep bounce on offer for the quick bowlers and the sharp spin that Rashid extracted in the course of his four superbly executed overs.”I thought they bowled brilliantly,” Buttler said. “[Reece] Topley with his height, Jofra Archer with that high release point as well. They were really challenging bowlers on that surface. I thought they bowled a really good line and length.Related

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“I don’t think any of us expected the wicket to probably play like it did,” he added. “It looked a really good surface. But yeah, [Rashid] found spin and obviously you know what a threat he is. He bowled fantastically well.”England’s run-chase was ignited by Phil Salt’s volley of two sixes from the first two balls – the first such instance in a T20I since Spain versus the Isle of Man in February 2023, and sealed 17 balls later by Jonny Bairstow’s second four in as many balls.”Just be ultra-positive,” Buttler said, when asked what his message to the batters had been. “We’ve spoken in the lead-up to this about we have to win games, and if we get a chance we have to try and take advantage with the net run-rate, and we managed to do that today.”We can only focus on ourselves. We’ve got a huge game against Namibia and all focus now is on that.”

Victoria are closing in on the Sheffield Shield final after another strong day at the WACA

Tristan Lavalette15-Mar-2023Opener Marcus Harris hit a sublime 84 before quick Scott Boland again tormented Western Australia as Victoria moved closer to a pivotal Sheffield Shield victory at the WACA.Enjoying a first innings lead of 176, Victoria’s strong attack continually threatened late on day two with WA reaching stumps at 3 for 88.After taking 4 for 29 in WA’s first innings, having rushed back from Australia’s Test tour of India, Boland dismissed opener Sam Whiteman lbw for a duck.Related

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WA’s woes deepened when teenager Teague Wyllie fell for 16 to leave the hosts in tatters at 2 for 25.Routed for 122 on the opening day, particularly bogged down by Victoria’s disciplined bowling, WA decided to play more aggressively as Hilton Cartwright led the way with a slew of fluent strokes.He combined with opener Cameron Bancroft, the leading run-scorer this season, in a steadying half-century partnership to provide hope for WABut Boland summoned one last burst before stumps and bowled Bancroft, who inside-edged onto his stumps attempting a drive.Having already secured a home final starting on March 23, WA have so far been unable to match the intensity of a desperate Victoria who are locked in a fierce battle with second-placed Queensland for a spot in the decider.After a dreary opening day, where just 192 runs were scored in 91 overs, left-handed Harris provided a spark as he sped past his half-century.He was in imperious touch with sweet drives down the ground to dominate a weakened WA attack without regular quicks Joel Paris and Matt Kelly. Harris scored at a run-a-ball pace before out of nowhere being caught behind down the leg-side off seamer David Moody.It was essentially Harris’ first mistake in his 140-ball knock and the former Test player, who last played for Australia during the 2021-22 Ashes, knew he left a big score on the table.Harris was furious with the dismissal and shouted his disgust as he trudged into Victoria’s dressing room. But his wicket failed to halt Victoria’s momentum with in-form Matt Short, who has scored three tons in his last five innings, in glorious form.He drove beautifully down the ground to pounce on wayward bowling from WA’s quicks, who were unable to conjure menacing movement like their counterparts from the previous day.Short combined with 20-year-old Campbell Kellaway in a century partnership as Victoria eyed a massive first innings lead. After an uninspiring effort from WA’s frontline seamers, Cartwright sparked his subdued team with a terrific spell in the second session.Cartwright was selected as an allrounder for two Test matches in 2017, but rarely bowls these days. He had only bowled 4.4 overs in the Shield season before his six-over burst accounted for three wickets, including Kellaway for 64 off 167 balls. Cartwright triggered a slide for Victoria as Short’s brilliant 95-ball innings ended when he mistimed to mid-off.Victoria were left slightly disappointed at their vice-like grip on the contest being loosened, but they remain firmly in the box seat after Boland’s late heroics.

England’s openers survive but batters face a tough task on final day

Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2022Usman Khawaja became the new king of the SCG achieving the stunning feat of twin centuries in an Ashes Test to put Australia in a position to keep the whitewash alive if they can take 10 England wickets on the final day.Khawaja reached rare air in his comeback Test after being left out of the side for two-and-a-half years. His second-innings 101 not out saw him become the third man behind Doug Walters and Ricky Ponting to score twin hundreds at the SCG, the ninth to do it in an Ashes Test and just the 10th player in Test history to score twin centuries in a Test batting at No.5 or lower. Incredibly Khawaja’s match tally of 238 runs moved him past every single England player’s series tally bar Joe Root.Cameron Green made his second-highest Test score of 74 and put on the highest partnership of the series with Khawaja, 179, to take Australia from a wobbly position at 4 for 86, to a declaration where they could set England 388 to win with a day and an hour to play.But England’s maligned opening pair of Zak Crawley and Haseeb Hameed weathered another probing examination from Australia’s quicks to steer the visitors safely to stumps as storm clouds engulfed the SCG. They put on their highest partnership of the series, 30, and survived 11 overs under floodlights to leave England an improbable 358 to win on the final day or 98 overs to survive, weather permitting.Khawaja looked a class above on a surface where most players in the game have struggled. He was patient early as the pitch’s uneven bounce made scoring difficult. He helped guide Green through a nervous period prior to tea as Jack Leach caused some problems with inconsistent spin and bounce.He began after tea on 35 and then unleashed an assault on Leach and Root. Yet again it was a combination of reverse sweeps and slog sweeps that did the damage. Two slog sweeps went 20 rows back while he cut, pulled and drove the quicks with typical elegance. He scored 66 runs off 64 balls after tea and soaked in a standing ovation upon reaching his century.Usman Khawaja brought up his second hundred of the Test•Getty Images

Green was equally destructive in the latter stages of the partnership after fighting through yet another nervous start. His technique has been scrutinised throughout the series having scored 52 runs in four innings. But it was as much his mind as his technique that was tying him in knots.He fought through a stern test of his defence from Leach and the quicks. Consecutive boundaries off James Anderson broke the shackles. Anderson overpitched and he drove him straight, before Anderson overcorrected short and Green unfurled a brutal pull shot. He produced two more cracking pulls off the extra pace of Mark Wood, one to bring up his half-century in fine style. He also thumped a cut forward of square off Wood and launched Leach over long-on into the crowd. He fell unselfishly pushing for more runs prior to the declaration that oddly came three overs after Khawaja reached his century and two overs after the final drinks break.Alex Carey was incredibly sent out to bat after Green fell skying Leach straight up. Carey was out first ball also attempting a sweep. It came off pad onto the back of the bat in his follow-through and was expertly caught by stand-in wicketkeeper Ollie Pope. He was keeping because both Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler were off the field during Australia’s entire innings having had scans on their respective finger injuries.Ben Stokes also didn’t bowl in the innings but fielded for all 68.5 overs. Pope snared four catches, equalling the most by a substitute fielder in a Test and matching Wriddhiman Saha’s efforts for India as a substitute keeper at the SCG last year. Leach finished with four wickets but was denied a chance at a hat-trick when Cummins finally declared.Related

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England’s openers played well under the floodlights as the pitch appeared to play fewer tricks in the last hour after the heavy roller had been on it in the innings break. Scott Boland did get one to leap from a length at Crawley and catch the shoulder of the bat, but it ballooned safely over the cordon.It was a far better display of batting in the last hour of the day than what was seen in the first hour of the fourth day when Boland continued his staggering start to his Test career by claiming 4 for 36 as England were bowled out for 294 in their first innings.Boland knocked over Jonny Bairstow for 113 with some extra bounce, feathering a nick through to Carey. That came after Jack Leach holed out with a wild slog sweep to mid-on off Nathan Lyon while Stuart Broad swung lustily for 15 before skying Boland straight up to be caught by Carey. England made their second-highest total of the series, but they still have not breached 300 for the entire tour.Australia reached 1 for 52 in their second innings after the early loss of David Warner, who edged Wood behind. But they lost 3 for 34 in a nervous 10-over period. Marcus Harris again threw away a start, edging a half-volley from Leach on 27 to be well caught by Pope up to the stumps. Harris has four scores of 20-plus in a row and just one half-century to show for it.Marnus Labuschagne fell caught behind to Wood for the third time in three innings. Again he was flashing off the back foot and again he was beaten by Wood’s pace. Wood has bowled 25 balls at Labuschagne in three innings and taken 3 for 12.Steve Smith looked comfortable until Leach skidded one through him as he tried to play too square off the back foot and lost his middle stump. But that was the last wicket England would take for 40 overs as Khawaja and Green put them to the sword.

Jofra Archer and Sam Curran also instrumental in scripting improbable fightback

Andrew Miller13-Sep-2020Chris Woakes says that England’s only option was “attack, attack, attack” as they turned the second ODI on its head in a thrilling fightback late in Australia’s innings.Woakes claimed figures of 3 for 32, including both of Australia’s well-set batsmen, Marnus Labuschagne and Aaron Finch, as well as the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for 1, as Australia slumped from a seemingly impregnable 144 for 2 to 207 all out, and defeat by 24 runs.He was one of three England seamers to pick up three in the innings, alongside Jofra Archer – who claimed the Player of the Match award after ripping out two early wickets in a fierce new-ball spell, and Sam Curran, who rose to the occasion after his senior team-mates had bowled out with 3 for 35 in nine.And speaking to Sky Sports after the win, which has levelled the series at 1-1 with Wednesday’s decider to come, Woakes was delighted that England both came up with a plan and then stuck to it, to script an improbable turnaround.”If you held your length well, it was always going to be difficult for the batsman to score freely,” he said. “We certainly found that with the bat, and then pressure builds and that’s when you pick up wickets.”The chances come when you’re building dots regularly, so you’re constantly trying to bash a good length, and make sure the batsman is going to play your best ball as many times as possible.”England had looked dead and buried once already in the contest, after slumping to 149 for 8 in their own innings, before the tail – led by Tom Curran and Adil Rashid – rallied to post a competitive 231 for 9.And yet, on a used wicket that had already proven tricky for England’s strokemakers, England still believed even when Australia seemed to be coasting to their target on 121 for 2 after 25 overs. It was at that point that Eoin Morgan turned back to his new-ball pairing, Woakes and Archer, with devastating effect.ALSO READ: England level series after sparking dramatic Australia collapseNeither man struck immediately, but after drying up the runs for five overs in a row, Woakes then pinned Labuschagne lbw for 48. And with Morgan now intent on bowling out his strike pairing, Archer was primed to barrel through the defences of Mitchell Marsh, bowling him for 1 in his next over to send panic coursing through Australia’s ranks.”At that point, we were just thinking ‘attack, attack, attack’,” said Woakes, who bowled Finch for 73 four balls later and Maxwell with first ball of his subsequent over. “Try and get as many wickets as possible. We used cross-seam quite a bit to get that ball to go reverse and thankfully we got a bit of that.”It was moving off the straight, and we always felt that if we could pick up a cluster of wickets in the middle, it was going to be difficult for the new guys coming in. Eoin bowled me and Jof out, and we sensed that was the moment we had to make the most of the ball going sideways.”After a difficult time in the Test series against West Indies and Pakistan, when Archer’s game plan never quite seemed fully attuned to the format, there was no doubting his readiness for the challenge of transforming this particular contest.”We were quite versatile,” Archer said during the post-match presentation. “We went seam-up for the first two or three overs, and then Morgs said ‘give it a go and see what happens’ and it worked.”This is a second-day wicket as well, so you don’t have to do too much,” he added. “If you keep banging it in, it’s hard enough to bat as it is, so you don’t have to get too funky with the variations.”Even so, England’s work was not done by the time Woakes and Archer had finished their spells. Australia were rocking on 155 for 6 after 36 overs, but that left the back-end of the innings in the hands of Sam Curran, a relative novice when it comes to the dark arts of death bowling.”It was unbelievable really,” Woakes said. “Him going into the last 12 overs with six to bowl, that’s a tough gig. So credit to him, he held his nerve.”He kept saying ‘ I’m worried about bowling length’ and I said, ‘well, mate, it’s what’s working on this surface, just keep sticking to it’.”If you stick to the process, Morgs is always happy for you to do that, but it showed great character for him to pick up three great wickets as well.”Finch, Australia’s captain, also paid credit to England’s resolve in overturning the odds.”We knew it was always going to be tough for a new batter to start on a wicket like that,” he said. “England squeezed, they bowled really straight, a really good length, it was hard to take them on down the ground and it was hard to hit boundaries in that middle period. They bowled well but, yeah, we’re still very disappointed.”

Shrubsole hits 32 off 16 balls, claims two wickets as England win rain-interrupted match

The Report by Valkerie Baynes09-Jun-2019
Anya Shrubsole shone with the bat and ball to help England to another comprehensive victory – and an unassailable 2-0 series lead – in a rain-affected second ODI against West Indies at Worcester.Player of the Match Shrubsole smashed two sixes and two fours on her way to 32 off just 16 deliveries, lifting England to a highly respectable 41-over total after they lost a cluster of wickets following the first of two rain delays. She then claimed two wickets to put West Indies under immense pressure as they initially chased 244 off 41 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which was later reduced to 209 off 28 following the second rain interruption.The gulf between the two sides was shown to be huge during the first match in Leicester, which England won by 208 runs. West Indies put in a greatly improved performance with the ball and in the field in Worcester but at no point during their innings did their batsmen look like threatening the target. Not helped by losing early wickets, they simply did not score anywhere near the run rate required.Shrubsole – who was disappointed to go wicket-less in Leicester, where she conceded 27 runs off six overs – and Kate Cross were the architects of West Indies’ batting demise. Shrubsole finished with 2 for 12 and Cross 2 for 4 to decimate the tourists’ chase before it even began.”It’s nice to come out here, whack a few at the end and then get a couple of wickets, hopefully to get my summer kick-started,” Shrubsole told Sky Sports. “My batting is something I’ve worked really hard on. I’ve probably frustrated many people, many coaches, over the years, not taking it seriously. But it’s something I really want to be able to contribute to the team, coming in down the order and having a bit of a swing, it’s always fun.”Laura Marsh, playing her 100th ODI, chimed in after the second rain delay with a clever ball that turned back in and bowled Chedean Nation through the gate. At that point West Indies were 42 for 5 and staring at another heavy defeat. Shemaine Campbelle showed flashes of the big hitting West Indies needed, but they were mere glimpses and when she fell on the last ball she was her side’s top scorer with just 29 runs off 49 balls.England opener Tammy Beaumont had built on the fine touch she showed for limited reward in reaching 32 at Leicester, this time making 61 off 83 balls.Tammy Beaumont raises her bat for a half-century•Getty Images

But a 90-minute rain delay when England were 73 for 1 after 16 overs seemed to upset their rhythm. Beaumont reached her half-century shortly after the re-start, but she soon became the second wicket to fall in as many balls from Afy Fletcher.Legspinner Fletcher had Sarah Taylor out lofting a ball on the off-side, where Stacy-Ann King took a juggled catch at the second grab. She then had Beaumont adjudged out lbw with a ball that rapped the batsman on the front pad and looked well in line in real time, although replays suggested there was a chance the ball could have been going a fraction down the leg side.Fletcher claimed her third wicket three overs later, when she bowled Heather Knight with a ball that was bang on target. When Dani Wyatt sent a thick outside edge to Hayley Matthews at point, England were 153 for 5.Shrubsole was not the only one to show off England’s batting depth. Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone joined in, Brunt contributing 23 off as many balls and Ecclestone 11 off six, including one six.It had been a better start for West Indies who bowled to a plan and were much sharper in the field, where captain Stafanie Taylor had described their efforts on Thursday as “atrocious”. Their tactic of bowling wide outside off stump to an off-side field resulted in some wickets – including the early dismisal of Amy Jones for just 18 – and stemmed the flow of runs initially. But it perhaps didn’t yield the number of wickets they would have hoped for, or as quickly.”Very pleased to see how the bowlers actually bowled today,” Taylor told Sky Sports. “For us to come out and bowl the way we did at the English was really good. I’m always impressed with Afy [Fletcher], she’s special. We love every minute when we give her the ball, she’s always delivering, she’s that kind of player.”The sides head to Chelmsford for the third and final match of the series on Thursday before three T20I matches starting the following week.