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Daniel Sams picked up a four-wicket haul on T20 debut but ended up on the losing side as Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard conjured 16 off the last over to drag the Thunder over the line

Alex Malcolm at the Spotless Stadium19-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s best is still better than the rest.But even after a producing a sublime 77 from 46 balls, more than double the next-highest score in the match, Sydney Thunder still needed Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard to conjure 16 from the final over to steal the game off the final ball.Daniel Sams, on his T20 debut with just three first-class matches to his name, appeared to have won the game for the Sixers with the ball. In the 18th over of the chase, with just 26 needed, he conceded two singles and a leg bye and removed Ryan Gibson and Watson with consecutive balls.But the Thunder still found a way via a couple of powerful strikes and a fortunate top-edge.Sams’ 4 for 14 aside, spin was the most effective weapon at Spotless Stadium. Having been sent in the Sixers made a blistering start, scoring 55 in the Powerplay for just the loss of Jason Roy.Getty Images

Nic Maddinson looked in phenomenal touch, taking Watson to task in his only over. Watson turned to Fawad Ahmed and the legspinner spun a web. He removed Maddinson in a wicket-maiden in the seventh over of the innings.Nair overcame a nervous start to combine with Fawad to take 3 for 5 in 15 deliveries in the middle of the innings to grind the Sixers to a halt.Sam Billings salvaged the sinking ship with 32 from 21 to help the Sixers to a slightly-above-average total of 149.Sams started beautifully showcasing all his skills in the first over. A quick bouncer to Jos Buttler preceded a full and straight delivery and then the three-card trick, an off-cutter slower ball that forced Buttler to check his shot and pop up a return catch.Kurtis Patterson placed enormous pressure on Watson by striking at just 78 in his innings of 29. But Watson was unfazed. The veteran showed the value of continuing to play cricket at lower levels despite stepping away from two formats of the professional game.His two hundreds in Sydney grade cricket this summer helped prepare him for his masterclass tonight. He struck the ball with trademark power and authority. He showed the controlled hitting and calmness that made him one of the best T20 players on the planet in his prime.His dismissal to Sams came as a shock, but he wasn’t deceived so much as he failed to elevate his cover drive high enough.But Blizzard and Nair found the 24 required from the last 13 balls, mainly at the expense of Sean Abbott who gave up three boundaries in the last over.

The offspinner restricted Hong Kong to just 91, and then the Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer led his side to their second win in two matches

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo06-Mar-2018
Four wickets from offspinner Tom Sole helped Scotland to four-wicket win over Hong Kong at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. Sole’s 4 for 15 in ten overs restricted Hong Kong to just 91, and captain Kyle Coetzer then took his side to their second win in two matches with an unbeaten 41, though Scotland made heavy weather of the small target.After Mark Watt and Alasdair Evans made early incisions for Scotland, Sole eviscerated the middle order and apart from the opening stand there was no partnership of substance to steady Hong Kong.The damage started with Sole’s first delivery, which rushed on with the arm from around the wicket to pin Anshuman Rath lbw. In the same over, Scott McKechnie misjudged the line of an off stump delivery, the ball rushing through his defences to hit the stumps. From 46 for 0, Hong Kong had slipped to 52 for 4.Things were about to get worse for Hong Kong. Immediately after the drinks break, their captain Babar Hayat skipped down the track to Sole, but didn’t get close to the pitch of the delivery. The ball spun sharply in to him, taking the inside edge and looping up via the left pad to be easily caught by Craig Wallace at short leg.Hong Kong’s lower middle order appeared incapable of digging them out of the hole. Singles were hard to come by, while every attacking stroke seemed to bring a wicket. With an in-out field, Scotland cut off singles in the inner ring and left a couple of outfielders in place for the lofted stroke.The tactic soon paid dividends when Safyaan Sharif’s pace rushed Shahid Wasif’s pull shot, the ball looping tamely off the splice to be caught by Brad Wheal at midwicket. Hong Kong were 61 for 6 then, and that soon became 67 for 7 when Waqas Barkat charged down the track and swished airily at Sole to give the offspinner his fourth wicket.Tanwir Afzal scratched around for 29 deliveries, and then he too fell to a mistimed pull – his first shot in anger. After Watt bowled Ehsan Nawaz for his second wicket, Evans returned to have Nadeem Ahmed caught at second slip to wrap up the innings for 91.Coetzer led Scotland’s chase with aplomb. Weathering a bristling opening spell from Nawaz that brought the wickets of Matthew Cross and the hero of Scotland’s opening win over Afghanistan, Calum MacLeod, Coetzer attacked Hong Kong’s spinners. Nadeem Ahmed was swatted over long off for six and down the ground for four more.George Munsey pressed Scotland towards their target, pushing his luck with an edged stroke and a couple of reverse sweeps at Ehsan Khan before the offspinner got his revenge with a quicker one that trapped the left hander lbw. Khan bowled a sweeping Craig Wallace
for his third wicket, and Hong Kong then placed a short leg and two slips for the offspinner.Watt laced a cut behind point to get Scotland within touching distance of the win, but he then top-edged an attacking stroke to be caught by Nizakat Khan off Aizaz Khan’s medium pace. Scotland were six down then, but Sharif sealed the result with a flicked boundary off his legs.

The 35-year old opener will not be part of New South Wales’ final match of the season against Queensland next week

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2018New South Wales opener Ed Cowan has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following his team’s 23-run defeat against Victoria, which put them out of contention for the Sheffield Shield title. Cowan will not be part of the Blues’ final match of the season against Queensland next week.The 35-year old has 10,097 runs in 143 first-class matches over a career spanning nearly 15 years.”It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m grateful for all those who contributed along the way,” Cowan said. “I’ll always cherish the great memories and friendships that the game has afforded me. I feel incredibly lucky to have played around the world with so many great people over such a long period of time.The former Australia Test opener, who has 1001 runs in 18 matches, last represented the national side in July 2013. He has also featured in 53 games for Tasmania.”I’m indebted to NSW Cricket, which invested a lot of time, money and energy in me from a young age,” he said. “It’s equally as important to recognise everyone at Cricket Tasmania, who were hugely formative in my career.”Cowan will continue to play Premier Cricket with Sydney University. “I have loved the game from my earliest days and feel incredibly lucky to still do so. At this stage I will continue to play Premier Cricket with Sydney University for the remainder of this season and beyond as we aim for successive titles.”The leading run-scorer in the 2016-17 Shield season, Cowan played only five of New South Wales’ nine matches this season and finished with 336 runs.Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones praised Cowan’s contribution to cricket. “Ed is a great example of what hard work, self-belief and an ongoing desire to learn can achieve,” Jones said. “He continued to be attracted by the quest to master batting even after playing for Australia and retires at or near the top of his game. Ed should be proud of his achievements playing for NSW, Tasmania and Australia and scoring more than 10,000 first-class runs. He will remain a valued member of the NSW cricket family.”

Chris Liddle and Tom Smith claimed three wickets each as Gloucestershire skittled Surrey for just 88

ECB Reporters Network17-Apr-2019Chris Liddle and Tom Smith claimed three wickets each as Gloucestershire skittled Surrey for just 88 to win their opening Royal London One-Day Cup match at Bristol by 147 runs.The home side were bowled out for 235 after winning the toss, having been 156 for one, with Chris Dent and Gareth Roderick the main contributors, while Rikki Clarke and Tom Curran shared seven wickets. It looked a below par total. But Surrey turned in a hapless batting display, Jason Roy top-scoring with 19 as they were bowled out in only 24 overs.Liddle finished with 3 for 17 and left-arm spinner Smith 3 for 7 from two overs. Tightly as Gloucestershire bowled, it was an abject display by the visiting batting line-up.The game was played in bright sunshine on a slow pitch. Surrey made a quick breakthrough when George Hankins chased a wide delivery from Clarke and edged through to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.The best batting of the day followed as, having taken time to assess the pace of the pitch, Dent and Roderick played with increasing freedom.
Skipper Dent was first to his half-century, off 62 balls, with four fours and a pulled six off Clarke, and Roderick soon followed, off 65 deliveries, having struck seven boundaries.The pair were making batting look easy, Roderick having lofted Liam Plunkett over midwicket for six, when they fell in quick succession. Dent skied a catch to mid-on off Clarke to end a stand of 152 in 25 overs and the next over saw Roderick miscue to mid-off to give Curran his first wicket.The collapse that followed was a major surprise. Soon Gloucestershire were 171 for 5, with Ian Cockbain bowled off stump by Gareth Batty and Jack Taylor stumped attempting to swing Will Jacks’ offspin into the leg side. Benny Howell and Ryan Higgins added 43 for the sixth wicket before falling to Clarke and Curran respectively and there was little contribution from the tail as Gloucestershire were bowled out inside 48 overs.Tom Smith appeals for a wicket•Getty Images

Surrey looked strong favourites at halfway, but never recovered from losing Mark Stoneman to the third ball of their innings, bowled by Dan Worrall with a ball that nipped back off the seam. It was the start of a sorry procession, Liddle removing three of the top five in Roy, Rory Burns and Foakes, while Jacks, on 17, dislodged his leg bail attempting to pull Worrall as Surrey slumped to 61 for 5.There was simply no resistance as Howell had Ollie Pope caught behind down the leg side for 13, Clarke was bowled by Higgins and Smith polished off the tail by sending back Curran, Batty and Plunkett in the space of 11 balls.The speed with which the match ended caught everyone by surprise and Surrey – three times finalists in this competition between 2015 and 2017 – were left to reflect an opening group performance that was little short of embarrassing.Surrey head coach Michael Di Venuto was disappointed by his side’s performance.”It would be nice to start this competition well, but we have made a habit of doing the opposite in recent years,” Di Venuto said. “It was a particularly disappointing batting performance. We had a bit of bad luck with a few of the dismissals, strangles down the leg-side and a hit-wicket, but in general we didn’t adapt to the sort of pitch we were playing on.”Hopefully, we have got this out of our systems early and we will be looking to put things right quickly against Sussex at Hove on Friday.”

Hampshire openers rack up 152-run stand to set up thumping win in rain-reduced contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Leaders Hampshire Women clinched a semi-final berth in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup after a convincing nine-wicket victory with 13.2 overs to spare against Durham Women at the Banks Homes Riverside.The defeat leaves Durham in fifth place with two rounds to play, one point behind fourth-placed Surrey with the two sides meeting in the final group match at Chester-le-Street next Saturday.Initially chasing a target of 225, Hampshire opening pair of Maia Bouchier and Rhianna Southby produced an attacking start that saw 74 runs arrive from the 10-over powerplay and they had raced along with some fine strokeplay to reach 144 for 0 from 19 overs when rain took 13 overs out of the game.A revised DLS target of 171 in 37 overs made little difference, and despite the loss of Southby for 58, Bouchier and Freya Kemp quickly scored the 27 needed to clinch an impressive victory.Earlier, a fighting 88 by captain Hollie Armitage had given Durham some hope with the hosts posting 224 for 9 after a poor start. Armitage came to the crease in the eighth over and batted through to the last, hitting nine fours, but found partnerships difficult to come by until Grace Thompson finally provided great support for the eighth wicket. The pair added 72 to rescue Durham from a perilous 144 for 7 with 18-year-old Thompson contributing a List A career-best 39.Georgia Adams with 3 for 41 led an excellent bowling effort by the visitors with Freya Davies impressive with 2 for 30 along with Bex Tyson (2 for 40).Southby and Bouchier made a strong start to the Hampshire run chase, the pair attacking effectively to race to their fifty partnership from just 41 balls in increasingly gloomy overhead conditions that required the use of the floodlights.Bouchier was the first to reach her half century – her fifth in this season’s competition – from 47 balls hitting eight fours, with the century partnership arriving moments later from only 86 balls as Durham struggled to exert any control with the ball.Southby hit the first six of the game on her way to a 45-ball fifty that also included eight fours as the Hampshire openers raced along at nearly eight runs per over to put the outcome in little doubt.It was an impressive display, with Bouchier not out on 76 from 67 balls and Southby unbeaten on 56 from 50 balls when rain stopped play at 3.30pm with Hampshire 144-0 after 19 overs. After an 80 minutes delay, the target was reduced to 171 from 37 overs and Durham finally made a breakthrough when Thompson bowled Southby for 58 to end a fine 152-run partnership.Bouchier and Kemp then eased their way to 174 for 1 in the 24th over to clinch the win.After opting to bat, Durham lost both opening batters in the powerplay, Mia Rogers run out for 6 and Emma Marlow caught at cover for 12 during an impressive five over spell of 1 for 9 by Davies.Armitage and Mady Villiers had begun to fashion a recovery with a steady partnership of 30 before Villers on 19 was tempted into a drive off left-arm spinner Tyson that ended up in the hands of Mary Taylor at mid-on. That also proved to be the fate of Emily Windsor when she picked out Bouchier off Adams for 13 who then had Bess Heath caught behind three balls later to leave Durham struggling on 89 for 5 in the 22nd over.It left a lot resting on the shoulders Armitage, and she responded with a determined innings, passing fifty off 65-balls for the fifth time while becoming the second batter to pass 500 runs in the competition this season. But Durham continued to lose wickets at the other end. Having taken 1 for 14 from a six-over spell, Tyson returned to bowl Phoebe Turner around her legs for 18 while Adams picked up her third wicket when trapping Katherine Fraser lbw sweeping for 4.An excellent innings by Thompson finally lent Armitage the support needed over the final 15 overs, the pair adding 72 off 86 balls – easily the highest partnership of the innings – with Armitage’s excellent effort ending in the final over as Durham posted a far better total than had looked likely earlier, but one the visitors comfortably hauled in.

The match against Kings XI Punjab will be the allrounder’s last of the season before he joins England’s preparatory camp for the World Cup

Hemant Brar in Bengaluru23-Apr-2019It’s difficult to get noticed in a team that has Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, but Moeen Ali has definitely made his presence felt at Royal Challengers Bangalore this season.While Kohli (387), de Villiers (332) and Parthiv Patel (283) have more runs than Moeen, his 216 runs have come at the best strike rate among all the batsmen in the team – 168.75. Moeen played crucial roles in Royal Challengers winning their two most recent matches. His 66 off 28 balls set the platform for a 200-plus total against Kolkata Knight Riders, and his 26 off 16 ensured Royal Challengers piled on enough – just about – to beat Chennai Super Kings.”My job in the team is to do that [take the pressure off Kohli and de Villiers],” Moeen said on the eve of Royal Challengers’ match against Kings XI Punjab. “It is very difficult for a team to win if you rely on just two guys batting because they feel the pressure as well. My job is to come and score some runs and be part of the batting group, and contribute in winning games.”I think it gives a lot of confidence if Virat and AB don’t score, or if one of them doesn’t play, like AB didn’t against KKR, we can still score 200-plus. I have the confidence in my own game and belief that I can also score runs just as quick as them and take games away from the opposition. It won’t always happen, but I know I can do that.”I might be a quiet sort of person, but I’m quite confident in my own game. Before I even came to RCB, I said to myself (that) I wanted to score the runs that I could. I know I can do it, it is just going out and having the confidence to do it.”Dale Steyn’s arrival has given Royal Challengers a welcome injection of new-ball potency•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from Moeen’s contributions, one other aspect of Royal Challengers’ game in their last two outings was the difference Dale Steyn has made to their attack. In their first eight matches of the season, their bowlers had only taken three wickets in the Powerplay overs, at an average of 144.33. In their last two games, they have taken seven at an average of 9.85, with Steyn claiming four.”He’s been massive,” Moeen said. “We didn’t take wickets in Powerplays and now since he has come, we’ve been taking wickets. When you take two, three, four wickets [in Powerplays], most of the time you’re going to win the game.”I think just the name of Dale Steyn [is enough]. Well, he has not played much in the last couple of years, but he still has class. The way he bowls, the swing… he pitches it up, he’s quite brave in the way he bowls. It’s probably the thing that we’ve been lacking in this team and it has cost us in a few games. But having him has been huge for our bowlers as well – the way he sets the tone in the first couple of overs. Anybody can get smashed but he has been fantastic.”Wednesday’s game will be Moeen’s last of the season before he leaves to join England’s camp ahead of the World Cup. This means he will miss at least three games for Royal Challengers.”It’s not ideal, obviously,” Moeen said. “I think it’s worse when there are three games to go, that there’s not much cricket left and you always think, ‘I could’ve played those three games’. If there were six-seven games, it was a little more understandable. But it’s a small window. And knowing that there could be a chance of going through if we win all our games, then you miss out on a potential semi-final and stuff.”But I’ll definitely keep an eye out and see how they’re going, hoping that we’re winning all our games. It’s also difficult to leave a team, especially when I’m in a bit of form and I want to keep going in the IPL, trying to improve my game. I feel like I’m a big part of the boys and I’ll miss them. It’s a shame but there’s obviously the World Cup, which is very important as well.”

The seamer took 4 for 46 after Apoorv Wankhade’s unbeaten 157 swelled Vidarbha’s total to 800 for 7, the highest total in the Irani Cup history

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2018
PTI

After Vidarbha declared at 800 for 7 – the highest total in the Irani Cup – seamer Rajneesh Gurbani sliced through Rest of India’s batting line-up to help his side take a step closer to another title. At stumps on the fourth day, RoI were 236 for 6 and 564 runs in arrears.Apoorv Wankhade, unbeaten on 99 overnight, completed his second first-class hundred to swell Vidarbha’s total. Mayank Agarwal had the other overnight batsman Aditya Sarwate stumped for 18 and Hanuma Vihari took a return catch to remove Akshay Wakhare for a duck, but Wankhade and Gurbani forged an unbroken 56-run partnership in seven overs to propel their team to 800.There was not much respite for RoI even after the declaration. Gurbani, who had become only the second bowler to register a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final, continued his excellent form. He struck with his second ball to have R Samarth caught at midwicket for a duck and Umesh Yadav had the in-form Agarwal caught at first slip with an inviting outswinger for 11 in the seventh over. RoI recovered briefly with Prithvi Shaw’s crisp back-foot strokes and a six over wide long-on in his 51 off 64 but Aditya Thakare, Shaw’s Under-19 team-mate from the World Cup in New Zealand, had him caught at gully.Once Gurbani returned, he induced an outside edge off Karun Nair’s bat and struck the top of the off stump with a sharp inswinger when Srikar Bharat shouldered arms, for a two-ball duck. In Gurbani’s next over, R Ashwin tentatively pushed at a delivery outside off and handed a catch to first slip for 8 and RoI were in tatters at 98 for 6 with a massive deficit of 702 runs.But Vihari and Jayant put on an unbroken 138-run stand for the seventh wicket to give their team some breathing space. Vihari hit 10 fours in his unbeaten 81 while Jayant struck nine fours in his unbeaten 62.Even if Vidarbha fail to bowl RoI out twice, they have a strong chance of securing the Irani Cup by virtue of a first-innings lead.

Batting coach Thilina Kandamby said Sri Lanka had initially hoped to play three seamers, but changed their minds when they saw the pitch

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jun-2025Pitches at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo tend to come in two varieties. There were the mega run-fest flatbeds of the late aughts. Since then, they have tended to be be big-turning dustbowls.But the track for the second Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is unusual, as Bangladesh batter Shadman Islam and Sri Lanka batting coach Thilina Kandamby agree. Shadman is playing his first Test at this venue. Kandamby played domestic cricket here for more than a decade. But they’ve both arrived at roughly the same conclusion: this pitch is unexpectedly difficult to bat on.”It’s a two-paced wicket, when it usually has even bounce here,” Kandamby said after the first day’s play. “This is an unusual wicket at SSC because I’ve been playing here for almost 15 years. This is a totally different wicket. With the uneven bounce, even we were surprised by it.”Related

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Shadman, who is currently top-scorer for Bangladesh with 46 off 93 balls, also said that run-scoring was not easy. At least four of Bangladesh’s top seven batters were out playing aggressive strokes, including Shadman himself.”I think the wicket was a little bit slow,” he said. “You cannot score runs without playing shots. We played shots [during the first Test] in Galle too where those ended in boundaries. But unfortunately, maybe it was not our day today.”Having batted longer than anyone on this track, Shadman felt that 270 or 280 would be a good first-innings score for Bangladesh, who ended day one at 220 for 8. He also said there was enough juice in this pitch for Bangladesh’s own bowlers to exploit during Sri Lanka’s innings.”It’s very different conditions to Galle,” Kandamby said. “It was more batting-friendly than previous Galle wickets, and Bangladesh batted brilliantly. But here, we planned a few things about how to get them out, and some of those plans worked. We’d actually been hoping to play three seamers, but decided not to after coming here and seeing the wicket. For me, it’s an unusual SSC track.”

England’s new all-format head coach wants white-ball players to feel “bulletproof” again

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Sep-20241:51

McCullum excited to work with England’s ‘best-ever’ Jos Buttler

Cheering up a “miserable” Jos Buttler is key to revitalising England’s white-ball team. That is according to Brendon McCullum, the man tasked with rebuilding a fallen dynasty in his unified role as all-format head coach.The Test tsar watched on from a distance as a once-trailblazing outfit fell apart, culminating in two failed World Cup defences in the space of nine months. Matthew Mott lost his job as limited-overs coach as men’s managing director Rob Key sought a change of leadership, and Buttler was lucky to stay on as captain.Tactical errors across both 2023’s 50-over World Cup and the T20 edition earlier this summer, combined with undulating form with the bat, wore heavy on Buttler’s shoulders. As such, a once free-spirited cricketer, integral to England holding both ODI (2019) and T20 (2022) titles, adopted a far chippier disposition on the field and with the media.At this stage of Buttler’s career – he turns 34 on Sunday – the end is closer than the beginning, characterised by a setback in his recovery from a third calf injury in the last four years that has ruled him out of the upcoming T20I series against Australia. With Buttler also doubtful for the five-match ODI series, there is a chance he will not be able to fully oversee the initial stages of a much-needed generational shift.Related

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While McCullum will only take the white-ball reins from the start of next year with Marcus Trescothick holding onto them until then, getting Buttler back to his old, relaxed self is top of his priorities. “He’s been a little bit miserable at times,” McCullum said of Buttler. “I think he’s not naturally as expressive as what some may be.”But I think he’s done a great job, right? He won a [T20] World Cup as captain. He’s been part of World Cup-winning teams previously as well. He’s an incredibly gifted player. He’s a fine leader.”My job is to get the best out of him so that all those that sit in the dressing room feel like they can be 10 foot tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play. And they know that the skipper is going to give them that extra pat on the back and enjoy the ride with them. So it’s a great challenge. I’m so excited about it, and I know that Jos is too, which is great.”The confidence McCullum has in lifting Buttler’s spirits comes from their off-field relationship: the pair are good friends despite having never played alongside one another. McCullum believes this pre-existing connection – something he did not have with Test captain Ben Stokes – will be a key pillar for their professional relationship, and hopes he can show Buttler that the final stages of his career can be the most fulfilling.McCullum congratulates Buttler after his century at Edgbaston in 2015•AFP/Getty Images

“When I started the gig with the Test side, Stokesy and I knew each other – we had a natural respect for each other – but I wouldn’t say we were mates,” McCullum said. “What we’ve developed over the last couple of years is a very close friendship, to the point where I call him a very close mate. As much as you do this for cricketing reasons, ultimately you want good friendships and relationships to develop that last far longer than the time you’ve got in the job.”Jos and I actually start from a stronger base. We know each other, we’re mates, we have similar styles of play in our game. What I want from Jos is for him to enjoy the next few years. If he was to retire today, he’d go down as probably the greatest white-ball player England’s ever produced.”So, the opportunity for the next three or four years, however long he plays for, is just to enjoy it. Not to protect anything. Just get the most out of all those guys around him, keep walking towards the danger, play with a smile on his face and try to do something which is really cool. Where you can look back and say: ‘Gee, I really enjoyed those last few years’. I’m sure our relationship will go from mates to very good mates.”As for that friendship with Stokes, McCullum hopes to use it to squeeze more appearances in coloured clothing out of his Test captain.From reversing an ODI retirement to play in the 2023 World Cup to ruling himself out of contention for 2024’s T20 World Cup, Stokes has proved elusive to lock down as a limited-overs cricketer as far as England is concerned. Last week, men’s selector Luke Wright suggested Stokes is still considered available for the upcoming Champions Trophy.Ben Stokes has not played a limited-overs international since November 2023•AFP/Getty Images

With Test captaincy Stokes’ main priority, what itches he has for the white-ball cricket are scratched across the franchise circuit, which will include a maiden stint in the SA20 for MI Cape Town this winter. McCullum expects Stokes to stick around as captain throughout his tenure, which has been extended to 2027. As for his limited-overs future, there is a conversation to be had.”The skipper and I haven’t spoken about that [carrying on in Tests] actually, but I’m assuming he’s all-in,” McCullum said. “He seems like that sort of bloke. He’s been incredible and our relationship is fantastic.”You never know where the game’s going globally and what sort of opportunities will pop up for him which will challenge him, but I know how invested he is in English cricket and how determined he is to drive this team forward. I’d assume that will involve him being in charge for that period of time – even though he’s building a group of leaders around him that are growing and prospering in those leadership roles, too.”In regards to the white-ball – yeah, why not? I guess we’ll see where he sits. He loves big moments and big stages. As we’ll have to do with all our players, there’ll be times when they can’t play everything, so there’ll be some bilateral series where we simply can’t have all of our best players playing at the same time. But when it comes to major events and big series, I think those players are very much in those discussions.”

Stoinis’ 27-ball 61* allowed Australia to race to a modest target with nearly nine overs left

Danyal Rasool18-Nov-2024Australia signed off their T20I series against Pakistan as they played the rest of it: with a decisive seven-wicket win that also sealed the series 3-0. Pakistan limped to 117 before being bowled out in 18.1 overs, losing their last nine wickets for 56 runs. Adam Zampa ran rings around them after the Powerplay, his 2-11 in four overs the catalyst for their collapse. Babar Azam – who top-scored with 41 off 28, had led Pakistan to a good position in the first six overs; by that time, the visitors sat relatively pretty at 58 for 1.Marcus Stoinis put any jeopardy out of the contest in the chase when he smashed Haris Rauf for 22 in an over. His 27-ball 61 meant Australia got to the target with almost nine overs to spare after Pakistan had made a respectable start in their attempt to defend a below-par target. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short fell early, while Jahandad Khan’s variations made life tricky for Australia in the powerplay. But, as Stoinis later guaranteed, the visitors were merely delaying the inevitable.Pakistan’s bright startPakistan came out with clear intent after they had shown precious little of it when trying to chase Australia down in the previous game. Sahibzada Farhan fell early, but what Pakistan were trying to do was obvious: take advantage of the Powerplay. Even Babar, usually a slow starter, found the boundary off the first ball and carried on in that vein. Haseebullah Khan was riding his luck somewhat, his edges finding the boundary, but that, too, was a product of flashing hard. The upshot was Pakistan racing to 58 – their highest powerplay score in an innings against Australia.Zampa’s sorceryZampa’s impeccable control and skill makes him little short of a sorcerer in this format. For Pakistan, today, he was also their torturer – toying with batters at will as he varied pace, line, and variations, keeping batters second-guessing all the time.Adam Zampa put Babar Khan’s proactive innings to a halt•Getty Images

It took him just five balls before he saw to it that Haseebullah’s luck ran out, the flash outside off stump finding short third. In his third over, he put an end to Babar’s entertaining knock, adjusting the flight of his delivery as he saw the batter running down the wicket, and cleaning up his stumps.Even when he wasn’t taking wickets, he was piling on the pressure at the other end. Pakistan’s stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha played out five dot balls against him before he was put out of his misery by Aaron Hardie in the following over, and his figures of 4-0-11-2 didn’t remotely flatter him.Pakistan’s balanceIt’s difficult to expect the batters to play high-risk cricket when you simply don’t have enough batters. Pakistan had clearly briefed the team they expected aggression from the outset, even from players to whom it doesn’t come naturally. Usman Khan tends to take a few balls before being able to launch, but he came out from ball one looking to slog – even when the shot was never on. It never looked sustainable, as was demonstrated when he holed out off his fourth delivery, triggering a Pakistan collapse.Marcus Stoinis made 61* off 27 balls•Getty Images

Every fall of wicket was made all the more concerning for the visitors because of the extreme length of their tail; they effectively ran out of batters when the fifth wicket fell, with Abbas Afridi coming out at No. 7. It proved a problem for them in the second game, too, and remains an issue they need to find a way to resolve.Australia get on top of Haris – finallyA running theme in this series is Haris Rauf coming out and dominating whichever Australian batter he finds at the other end. This has been especially true of Glenn Maxwell, but Stoinis said post-match he told Haris this was the only time “one of us” got Haris’ number.And Stoinis did so in enthralling fashion. At the end of the eighth over, Australia were 57 for 2, and Pakistan still believed they had time to insert jeopardy into the game. But the ninth over saw him clobber Haris for two fours and two sixes off the first four balls, with the final six flying out of the Bellerive Oval altogether. It began a passage of play that saw Stoinis plunder 45 off his next 12 deliveries, including a 25-run over off Shaheen Afridi. The following over, Abbas had Stoinis caught at deep square leg but had overstepped. Sixty-one runs came off the final 21 balls to draw curtains to the match and the series.