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Former England captain says “ticking clock” of 2025-26 campaign down under was against James Anderson continuing

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Jul-2024Andrew Strauss has called for James Anderson to receive a knighthood as the England legend prepares for his 188th and final Test cap at Lord’s this week.As Test cricket’s most productive pace bowler with 700 career dismissals at 26.52, and England’s most capped cricketer, “Sir Jimmy” seems a foregone conclusion.Strauss is one of a number within English cricket to be recently awarded knighthoods, having received the honour in 2019 from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to charity, sport and cricket (his longtime opening partner Alastair Cook is also a Sir). Having captained Anderson for 42 Tests, and also worked above the 41-year-old as the ECB’s director of men’s cricket, Strauss has had a box seat to Anderson’s brilliance. He can also speak to his longevity, having retired from Test cricket 12 years ago, despite making his debut a year after Anderson in 2004.Related

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When asked if Anderson was worthy of being knighted too, Strauss was unequivocal: “Very much so! I think any fast bowler that plays 188 Test matches deserves a knighthood, I’ll put it that way.”Strauss had previously tried and failed to park Anderson and Stuart Broad, who retired at the end of last summer. Off the back of a disastrous 2021-22 Ashes campaign, Strauss, in his guise as interim director of cricket following the departure of Ashley Giles, dropped the pair for a tour of the West Indies.Their absence was short-lived as Ben Stokes restored Anderson and Broad for the home summer with his first act as Test captain. Two years on, Stokes, along with head coach Brendon McCullum and men’s managing director Rob Key, have finally pulled the plug on Anderson.”Jimmy’s still bowling well, as we saw from his performances at Lancashire [for whom he took 7 for 35 last week] but there’s a ticking clock there for the next Ashes, isn’t there?” Strauss said. “I think 18 games until the next Ashes. And at some stage you’ve got to juggle the needs for the future with the needs for the present. So I can understand why they’ve chosen this as the right time to do that.”One thing we know for sure is that to win in Australia, or to win any test match or any Test series, it all comes down to the quality and variety of your bowling attack. And so, to me, the next Ashes is too far away for Jimmy.”People have written him off many times, including probably myself, but that does feel too far down the road. And so at some stage you have got to start planning for that.”I think it’s a tremendous thing that he has the opportunity here this week to feel the love, I suppose, and to get the appreciation he deserves from the cricketing public for those 21 years. It’s going to be a very emotional and poignant Test match and, of course, the boots that need to be filled are immense. But I can understand why this is the right time.”Strauss will be present for Anderson’s farewell with Lord’s set to turn red on day two to support the Ruth Strauss Foundation’s #RedForRuth campaign.It will be the sixth year of the initiative, aiming to raise funds and awareness for the charity set-up in memory of Strauss’ late wife, which supports families facing the death of a parent from cancer, and funds more collaboration and research into non-smoking lung cancers.”Most of what I’ve done in my career, achievement-wise, has been about me but this isn’t,” Strauss said. “This is about a need that we can help fill and I feel very proud we are carrying out Ruth’s wishes to a certain degree. But our work is only just beginning, really.”We would struggle to do what we do without this ‘Red for Ruth’ Test match and we are incredibly grateful to the ECB, to Lord’s and to the cricket community for continuing to support us.”

Champions bowled out for their lowest T20 total of 74 as Ben Green, Matt Henry, Lewis Gregory chime in

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2023Revenge was sweet for Somerset as seamers Craig Overton and Matt Henry led them to a crushing eight-wicket Vitality Blast victory over reigning champions Hampshire Hawks at sun-drenched Taunton.Beaten in last season’s semi-finals by the same opponents, the hosts dominated from the start after winning the toss, Overton claiming 3 for 8 from four overs and Henry 2 for 19 from three to leave the Hawks 27 for 5.The Blast title holders never recovered and were bowled out for 74, their lowest ever T20 total, in 16.1 overs, Ben Green taking 3 for 11 and Lewis Gregory 2 for 13, while Overton added four catches to his heroics with the ball.It was a ruthless display by the Somerset seamers, backed by some razor-sharp fielding. In reply, the hosts breezed to 74 for 2 off just 9.3 overs, Tom Banton smiting 40 off 24 balls.Overton and Henry appeared to be trying to outshine each other when the Hawks innings began in front of a packed crowd, both maintaining excellent line and length.Sam McDermott fell to the last ball of Overton’s opening over, caught two-handed to his left by Tom Kohler-Cadmore at slip.It was 9 for 2 when Henry struck with his first delivery, bowling James Vince between bat and pad with a ball that nipped back. The New Zealand Test bowler then had Joe Weatherly caught at mid-on by Overton off a skyer to make it 12 for 3 in the fourth over.By the end of the six-over powerplay, the Hawks were in disarray at 26 for 3. Their plight worsened when Overton had Tom Priest caught behind attempting to pull a short ball.Overton notched his third victim in the same over as Toby Albert was also snaffled by wicketkeeper Banton, going hard at a wide delivery.
Albert had scooped a six off Henry, but it was a rare moment of defiance from the Hawks as Overton produced 17 dot balls in bowling his allotted four overs straight through from the River End.Rightly impressed by his opening attack, Somerset skipper Tom Abell did not make a change until the eighth over, which saw Peter Siddle replace Henry.Ross Whiteley hit fours off successive balls from Gregory and Liam Dawson pulled a a six off Green as Hampshire briefly threatened a recovery.But, having helped take the score to 57, Dawson fell to another Overton catch, this time at fine leg off a scoop, and Scott Currie went in the same Gregory over, the 12th of the innings, bowled off a bottom edged pull shot.Whiteley had reached his side’s top score of 18 when caught by Kohler-Cadmore, diving forward at long-off, having made decent contact with a Green full toss.At 61 for 8, the Hawks were down and out. Chris Wood was pouched by the diving Overton at mid-off off Green, who completed the rout by having Nathan Ellis, who had taken 13 off Henry’s final over, caught at long-on by the same fielder.Somerset’s big-hitting batting line-up were never likely to be troubled chasing such a paltry total and Banton soon signalled his intentions to end the match early by clearing the ropes with a ramp shot off Wood in the third over.A scoop off Ellis brought the England T20 international another boundary, followed next ball by a clip through the leg side for four. Will Smeed was caught at short third man for 5 in the same over, but by the end of their power play, Somerset were comfortable at 37 for 1.Banton launched another six over mid-wicket off Dawson before being stumped in the same over chasing a wide one. Kohler-Cadmore (18 not out) got off the mark by smashing the spinner over wide long-on for a maximum and by then the outcome had long been beyond doubt.

Konstas thought Kohli bumping into him was an accident but he said he enjoyed India coming at him: “It got heated at times, just feel like that brings the best out of me”

Alex Malcolm26-Dec-20241:51

Manjrekar explains how Konstas took down Bumrah

The naivety of youth. That’s the secret to reverse scooping Jasprit Bumrah for six, according to Sam Konstas.Not many 19-year-olds are conscious of how naive they are. But Konstas appears to be. He reverse scooped Bumrah twice to the boundary, and lap scooped him once, in his astonishing debut innings at the MCG, despite having nearly got out to the reverse scoop twice in the first three overs.Konstas had no fear of what might have been said had he got out to that shot, opting to focus on the scoring possibility rather than the consequences of an error.”I think it probably will look silly if I did get out,” Konstas said at the end of a day when 87,242 fans came to the MCG. “But I’ve worked pretty hard on that shot, and I feel like it’s probably a safe shot for me really. But I think that’s the beauty about being young and maybe a bit naive. I’m just trying to put pressure back on the bowler in the best way I think is, and it was good to get a few runs today.”Related

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Konstas showed the value of playing the ball and not the man. Bumrah had tormented Australia’s batters through the first three Test matches and tormented them again after Konstas was out by picking up three scalps – Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh – to drag India back into the game.He threatened to torture Konstas as well, having beaten him four times in the opening over and seven times in his first three, which included the two failed reverse scoops. But Konstas was completely unflustered.”I think I was just getting used to the wicket, first time facing him, getting used to his action,” Konstas said. “Obviously, he beat my bat quite a few times, and [I] was lucky enough to get a few away. But it was a great contest.”He’s a legend of the game, obviously, so I was trying to put a bit of pressure on him, and it paid off today. But obviously, he took three wickets and he changed the momentum. But I think I’m always challenging myself, trying to bring the best out of myself, so just getting that contest with him and trying to take his lines away.”He took more than his lines away. He did something no one had done to Bumrah in his Test career. Bumrah conceded 18 runs in an over for the first time. He conceded 38 in a six-over spell for the first time. He got hit for six for the first time in nearly four years and conceded two sixes to an individual for just the second time.Konstas explained that his reverse scoop was premeditated and designed to get the field changes that India ended up granting him.”Yeah, definitely premeditated, especially with the pace,” Konstas said. “[I was] just trying to keep my head still and just watch it as hard onto my bat. But yeah, got a few away today and changed the field, which was good, and then trying to [get them to] bowl in my zones.”Sam Konstas took on Jasprit Bumrah with high-risk reverse scoops•Getty Images

It is something former Australia captain Mark Taylor, the man who presented Konstas his baggy green at the start of the day, would have never dreamed of doing during his era. But Konstas is grateful to playing in a generation where he is allowed to express himself.”Yeah, definitely,” Konstas said. “I reckon maybe 20-30 years ago people were probably saying, defend a lot, just bat all day. But I think the new generation, new shots, it’s exciting for me. Obviously, I like doing that, putting pressure back on the bowlers, and hopefully it pays off for the next innings.”India also got baited into trying to intimidate him and paid an enormous price for it. Mohammed Siraj sledged him verbally and got dispatched to the boundary next ball.Virat Kohli deliberately bumped into him to spark a verbal argument which Konstas didn’t back down from. Konstas thought the bump was an accident but he said he enjoyed India coming at him.”I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me,” Konstas said. “But I think that’s just cricket, just the tension.”I was just trying to get in the contest and whoever I was facing, just trying to bring the best version of myself. Obviously, it got heated at times, which was good for me. Just feel like that brings the best out of me.”

Clarkson was to come in place of Williamson for the match in Dunedin but has suffered a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2024Josh Clarkson will no longer join the New Zealand T20I squad ahead of the third T20I against Pakistan after he sustained a shoulder injury. Will Young will instead take his place for the match set to be staged in Dunedin on Wednesday.Clarkson was to replace Kane Williamson for the third game as the New Zealand captain continues to monitor his knee injury. But Clarkson injured his shoulder while playing for Central Districts in the Super Smash. Young will join the squad after the second T20I on Sunday.Young has played 97 T20 games overall in which he has scored 2290 runs averaging 26.62 with 14 fifties and two centuries. In 14 T20Is, he has 260 runs at 20.00 with two fifties but at a much lower strike rate of 102.36 compared to his overall T20 strike rate of 133.83. Young comes into the squad on the back of a half-century and a hundred for Central Districts in the Super Smash in Napier. He smashed a 33-ball 50 against Wellington before scorching his way to an unbeaten 63-ball 101 against Otago in the next match.Related

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Williamson will meanwhile be back for the final two T20Is, which will be played in Christchurch on January 19 and 21. The teams will leave for Dunedin on Monday.New Zealand had a strong start to their five-game T20I series against Pakistan. Strong fifties from Williamson and Daryl Mitchell helped the hosts rack up 226 for 8. In reply, Babar Azam struck a fifty but Tim Southee’s frugal 4 for 25 helped New Zealand bowl out Pakistan for 180 and take the opening game by 46 runs.Mitchell Santner, who was supposed to lead the New Zealand side for the third T20I in Williamson’s absence missed the opening game in Auckland due to Covid-19. It will be interesting to see who leads the side in case Santner does not recover in time for the third game. He was in isolation at the team’s Auckland hotel after testing positive on Friday.

An exemplary fielding performance and a perfectly executed 19th over help Australia eke out a narrow win

Valkerie Baynes24-Feb-20232:45

Baynes: Australia’s death bowling the difference

India needed 18 runs off nine balls when Ellyse Perry sprinted to her right from deep-backward square leg, threw herself into the air and flicked the ball back before tumbling over the boundary rope to save two runs. That moment epitomised what makes Australia tick. Every piece of effort is given at 100% and forms part of the whole juggernaut, which even when pushed by India in the T20 World Cup semi-final prevails by five runs.At the time, left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen – who hadn’t played since their opening match as Australia opted for legspinner Alana King for the next three games – was in the middle of executing the perfect 19th over, conceding just four runs when India needed 20 from 12 balls, and pegging Sneh Rana’s leg stump back with the last ball.With India left to get 16 off the last over, the eventual Player of the Match Ashleigh Gardner gave away only ten and claimed her second wicket as Perry again held her nerve and settled under a skier, by Radha Yadav, at long-on to allow Australia to snatch a berth in their seventh successive T20 World Cup final.Related

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After the win, Gardner said the victory ranked “pretty high” on Australia’s unmatched list of triumphs.”I think at the ten-over mark in India’s batting innings, everyone had probably written us off, but I think that just shows our character within our side and that’s why the best teams win in those types of positions,” she said.”What we speak about is when our backs are up against the wall, we always try and find a way, and today we probably had no right to win at one point there. They were cruising and then we found a way to get some wickets and ultimately came out on top.”It was similar to last year’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal match, which Australia had won by nine runs. That, combined with Thursday’s performance at Newlands, suggests the gap might be closing somewhat compared to the 85-run thumping they had dished out to India in the final of the T20 World Cup back in 2020.India, on the other hand, squandered their chances with crucial drops of Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning, Australia’s two biggest run-scorers on this occasion, as well as leaking runs through numerous misfields and overthrows.”We showed our class today in the field and we always speak about as a group being the best fielding team in the world, and I think today really showed that,” Gardner said. “Ellyse Perry was elite on the boundary. Whether it’s dropped catches, [or] missed opportunities in the field, those ultimately add up to quite a lot of runs and I think we took those moments when we really needed to.Player-of-the-Match Gardner contributed 31 off 18 balls with the bat and followed that with two wickets•ICC/Getty Images

“I certainly think Pez is probably the blueprint for our side going forward – certainly on the boundary. At the end of the day, that could have been the difference between us and them.”Gardner, who had also contributed an excellent 31 off 18 balls with the bat, revealed it was no accident that Australia are so strong in the field.”We have KPIs and there are markers that show us whether we’re positive or negative in the field,” she said. “So there’s a pretty clear indication of how we’ve fielded. We just know how to push each other. In our training sessions, there are always really high-pressure situations, and as athletes, we all push each other – whether it’s on the field or off the field, whether it’s in the gym, running.”That’s something we really pride ourselves on is being fit, being strong, and ultimately that’s one of the things that has an impact in the field.”India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who overcame illness to put her side in a winning position before being run out when her bat got stuck in the pitch, acknowledged that the difference in fielding was the key.”The Australian side, they always field very well; and from our side, we made some mistakes,” Harmanpreet said. “But again, we have to just learn [from] whatever mistakes we have made. But obviously, the Australian side is better than us. They always field well, and today also, after I got out, their body language completely changed. The way they stopped two-three boundaries, that also made a huge difference.”Jemimah Rodrigues, India’s second-highest run-scorer on the day, agreed: “When you lose, you always find a lot of reasons. You can blame anything… but yeah, that is one aspect. As an Indian team, we know that we need to improve our fielding and our running between wickets. Today the running between was really good but I think there’s so much to learn from.”Gardner, Jonassen and Mooney all said that competing under pressure in franchise tournaments such as their own WBBL and England’s much-newer Hundred had contributed to Australia’s strength, which is encouraging for India ahead of their inaugural WPL season, which starts next month.”It probably comes back to the exposure of those sorts of situations,” Jonassen said. “Having such a quality domestic set-up, having the WBBL, having some of the best international players coming over every year – that plays a significant part. Then we’re almost primed for those same situations on the international stage.”We’ve had a few young players making debuts in different formats this season as well that have come from those competitions, and we’re always looking to try and improve, and try and push each other to that next level and try and get the most out of each and every person because ultimately we know if we can gain an extra one or two percent individually, then the team’s collectively going to be better off.”And such is Australia’s depth that Jonassen jokingly revealed her disbelief when head coach Shelley Nitschke told her after training on match eve that she was back in the side.”I had to get her to repeat it because I had walked about ten laps after training yesterday, sort of getting my head around how I would mentally deal with if I missed out again,” Jonassen said. “I’ve got my partner and my mum who have flown over, so I was pretty disappointed up until today that I wasn’t able to play a game in front of them. Hopefully one more and it’s another successful one.”One more will mean a contest for the trophy against either hosts South Africa or England. Besides India at this World Cup, only England have looked capable of threatening Australia. Whoever it is will need to do more than just threaten, as India found out.

England seamer acknowledges whitewash in Australia was big setback in attempt to inspire new generation

Valkerie Baynes07-Mar-2025Kate Cross believes cultural change must form part of England’s rise from their Women’s Ashes nadir as the team sets out to win back fans as well as cricket matches.Cross admitted there was little positive to say off the back of a 16-nil points defeat at the hands of Australia, as players and staff await the outcome of an ECB review into the tour.”There’s areas that we probably know we need to address from cricket points of view, but also from probably cultural points of view as well,” Cross said. “This review, I don’t know what’s going to come of it, but I’m hoping that these are the things that will get addressed, and pave the way for the next generation to want to play for England.”The result in Australia was particularly disappointing for England in light of the excitement and optimism that the team generated in the course of their home Ashes campaign in 2023, in which they battled back from defeat in the one-off Test to square the series 8-8 with victories in both white-ball legs.”Ultimately I feel like we might’ve lost a few fans in the last couple of months, which is really sad from our point of view,” Cross added. “I think the 2023 Ashes was how good it can be and the 2025 Ashes how bad it can be.”The review, announced by Clare Connor, managing director of England Women’s Cricket, in the immediate aftermath of the Ashes whitewash, has conducted player interviews and is expected to make public its recommendations later this month.Cross brought a unique perspective to her evaluation of the tour, having travelled with a bulging disc in her back, which ultimately kept her sidelined throughout despite repeated attempts to prove her fitness to play.She acknowledged that, as professional athletes, players must accept increased scrutiny of their performances and she hoped people would “fall back in love with English cricket” after a torrid winter for both the women’s and men’s teams, the latter dumped out of contention in the Champions Trophy after two matches.England failed to win a match in the multi-format Women’s Ashes and were comprehensively out-played by hosts Australia, with the tourists’ physical fitness and mental toughness coming under the microscope, particularly in the wake of a row involving Alex Hartley, the former World Cup-winner turned commentator.Related

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“It was unprecedented how poorly we performed over there, I don’t think anyone probably anticipated the Ashes turning out the way it did, and obviously there was a huge disappointment that came with that,” Cross said.”As a group of players now, we don’t know what’s going to come of this review that’s happening at the moment, but I think it motivates you to be a better group of players and a better, I guess, version of yourself.”For Cross, it was a particularly frustrating trip, coming more than a decade on from her breakthrough performance at Perth on the 2013-14 tour of Australia, where her starring role on Test debut helped set England up for their most recent Ashes series win.”My reflections on my trip were quite unusual. I didn’t get to play a game of cricket, but as a 33-year-old getting ruled out of an Ashes series was devastating. So I feel like it’s made me really think about how I want to manage my career now moving forwards and, with the new structure of the tiers in the counties, I’m hoping that I’ll be so well supported with that, that that wasn’t my last Ashes hopefully.England’s players look on as Australia celebrate their Women’s Ashes whitewash•Getty Images

“Ultimately as players, we still want to try and get young girls interested in the game and us losing quite drastically isn’t going to do that. So we’re going to have to have a real look at how we want to portray ourselves as a team moving forward and try and get a bit of love back from our fans because we, or certainly I, felt that we kind of lost a lot of that from our Ashes series, so hopefully we can move in the right direction now.”Her comments suggest an acceptance that the ‘inspire and entertain’ mantra the team has espoused since Jon Lewis took over as head coach in 2022 has become irrelevant amid a rash of poor performances, going back to the group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup in October.Cross was speaking at the launch of the Professional Cricketers’ Association Women’s Impact Report, highlighting advances made in the game since 2020. That progress includes equal domestic minimum salaries of £28,000 for men and women from this season, where women’s teams have been aligned with the men’s in a three-tiered county-based structure.But more work remains to be done, including addressing the salary gap between genders in the Hundred, which widened rather than closed this year. While the leading earners in the men’s competition will earn £200,000, an increase of 60%, the top earners in the women’s game will earn £65,000, up 30%. The base salary for men went up by £1,000 on last year to £31,000 compared to the women, who went from £8,000 to £10,000.”I would hope to see that it happens quite quickly, especially with how vocal the players were about the pay gap getting bigger,” Cross said. “It was obviously a disappointment, but I’m always of the bigger picture, that the Hundred has done a lot for the women’s game. It continues to do that. It puts us in a spotlight that we’ve never had before in the domestic game.”So as disappointing as those headlines are, there’s still a lot of great stuff and there’s a lot more money coming into the game now and hopefully that’ll get pushed in the right direction and the gender play gap will continue to get smaller rather than get bigger.”A PCA working group will lobby the ECB on various aspects of the Hundred, which will receive a huge injection of funds through private investment from next season.Daryl Mitchell, PCA chief executive, said: “From our side, I think particularly the announcement of the salaries took us a little bit by surprise this time around, I think the communication needs to improve, particularly in that sort of announcement. What we were shown in October actually, at the players’ summit, was very different in terms of salary bands to what was actually produced and put out publicly.”There’s been some pretty robust discussions about that process, it’s fair to say, over the last couple of months. The ECB have stated it was an interim year with the sale of the Hundred franchises with a view to increase the salaries across the board next year. There’s a lot of things to work through.”

Fast bowler joins Bristol exodus after agreeing three-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2025Fast bowler Zaman Akhter has become the latest Gloucestershire player to agree a move away from the club after signing a three-year deal with Essex.Zaman has featured for England Lions after impressing with his pace for Gloucestershire. He made his first-class debut in 2019 for Oxford MCCU before gaining a second chance through the South Asian Cricket Academy, leading to a county contract at the age of 24.Essex are currently third from bottom in Division One of the County Championship and beginning a process of reshaping their squad after the return of Chris Silverwood as director of cricket before the start of the season.”We are really excited to bring ‘Zum’ into the group,” Silverwood said. “He is a player we’ve had our eye on for a while and we really believe his quality will add and strengthen our bowling group.”I look forward to working closely with Zaman over the winter period when we prepare for the 2026 season, integrating him into the squad and our plans for the season ahead.”Zaman is the fourth Gloucestershire quick to announce their departure in recent weeks. Ajeet Singh Dale will join Lancashire at the end of the season, while Tom Price and Dom Goodman are making the switch to Sussex. Long-serving batter Chris Dent has also announced his retirement.Zaman said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Essex. It’s a great club with a rich history and a strong winning culture, and I can’t wait to get started.”I’m really looking forward to contributing on and off the field, learning from some outstanding players and coaches. Speaking to Chris Silverwood, it’s a really exciting time and hopefully I can thrive at Essex to help contribute to their future success.”

Tail-end pair delay follow-on then return as nightwatchers to give Worcestershire a boost

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2023Worcestershire 242 (Coad 5-33) and 22 for 0 trail Yorkshire 407 (Bean 135, Lyth 79, Hill 53, Finch 5-100) by 143 runsBen Coad returned his season’s best figures with the ball but Yorkshire’s victory push was held up by stubborn resistance from the Worcestershire last-wicket pair of Adam Finch and Ben Gibbon on day three of the LV=Insurance County Championship match at New Road.Coad finished with 5 for 33 from 21 overs – the 11th five wicket haul of his career – and he was well supported by Mark Steketee and Matthew Fisher as Worcestershire were forced to follow on 165 behind.But Finch and Gibbon ate up invaluable time to bolster Worcestershire’s hopes of securing a draw as they batted for 35.3 overs during a last wicket stand of 63 – the highest partnership of the innings.It kept Yorkshire out in the field for two hours and put extra miles into the legs of some of their bowlers when they were itching to have a crack at the Worcestershire top order for a second time.Gibbon’s 41 not out was a career best and Finch followed up his five-wicket haul yesterday by making a defiant 24 before he was last out.Yorkshire are probably sick of the sight of Finch as his three sixes in the final over of the Vitality Blast game at New Road in May off Fisher earned his side an unlikely victory.Coad picked up his second five-wicket haul of the campaign after his 5 for 54 against Sussex at Hove in April and was a constant threat.With just nine overs remaining, Finch and Gibbon went straight back out into the middle in nightwatcher mode to open rather than the established batters.They again proved difficult to dislodge as Worcestershire reached 22 for nought, 143 in arrears heading into the final day.Worcestershire resumed the day on 46 for 2 and Jack Haynes looked in good nick as he collected a trio of boundaries off Coad.He square drove, cover drove and flicked him off his legs to the ropes. But Coad had his revenge with the final ball of the sixth over of the day as Haynes (29) was adjudged lbw.Azhar Ali battled away against some probing bowling but fell victim to Coad after he switched ends. He was squared up by a delivery and provided George Hill with a comfortable catch at first slip.Coad bowled five successive maidens before being rested after morning figures of 8-5-14-2.Steketee came into the attack and he accounted for Ed Pollock who nicked a ball angled away to second slip.Adam Hose needed 26 balls to get off the mark but he then started to score freely with a succession of boundaries against Matthew Fisher and George Hill.But there was further reward for Skeketee as former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite appeared to edge a delivery onto his pad before the ball ballooned to third slip.Hose was unbeaten on 37 when rain brought about an early lunch but he only added a single after play resumed before being beaten all ends up by Fisher and losing his off stumpJoe Leach and Josh Baker added 31 for the eighth wicket before the latter was caught at cover driving at Coad.Leach made an accomplished 33 off 44 balls but then was undone by a ball which lifted on him and Coad held a head high catch at third slip.Worcestershire were then 179 for nine with 47 overs still remaining in the day. But then Finch and Gibbon joined forces to blunt Yorkshire’s efforts to quickly wrap up the innings.

Royals had dropped to second place on Sunday after five weeks at No. 1

Sreshth Shah06-May-20242:16

It’s Kuldeep and Axar vs Chahal and Ashwin

Match details

Delhi Capitals (sixth) vs Rajasthan Royals (second)

Delhi, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture: More carnage at the Kotla?

Delhi has been a batter’s dream and a nightmare for bowlers in IPL 2024, with an average first-innings score of 249 and an overall run rate of 11.38 – the highest of any venue this season – in the three matches there so far.It has worked out well for DC, who won their last two games at home on the back of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s fireworks. DC’s openers have averaged 57.33 with a strike rate of 292 in Delhi.The powerful starts have allowed Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant and even Axar Patel to continue the momentum. Stubbs is striking at 186 against both pace and spin, Pant is on track to have his best IPL season, and Axar’s left-handedness has proved to be a big weapon anywhere in the order. Those are all promising signs as DC need to win their remaining three league games, but the odds are stacked against them since they are facing Rajasthan Royals.It’s taken a lot to beat RR in IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans managed it by hitting a last-ball boundary, and Sunrisers Hyderabad denied RR two runs off the final ball in their previous game.Royals, who dropped to second on the points table on Sunday after leading for more than five weeks, have the standout bowling unit of IPL 2024. A win will not only help them reclaim the top spot but also assure them of a place in the playoffs. Their pacers’ economy of 8.22 and an average of 23.57 are the best among all teams. They are also exceedingly potent with the new ball, averaging three wickets per game in the first six overs. Add to that, the experience of their spinners and the form of their top order.If there’s any weakness, it is their undercooked lower-middle order. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are finding big shots but not finishing games off. Dhruv Jurel has also struggled apart from one half-century, and their Nos. 5 to 8 are averaging only 20.93. That makes the eight overs from Kuldeep Yadav and Axar major factors for DC, but the spinners will need support from a lacklustre pace-bowling unit that has conceded 10.35 per over this season.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals LWWLW

Rajasthan Royals LWWWW

Previous meeting

In Jaipur, Riyan Parag’s 84 helped RR recover from 36 for 3 to finish on 185. In response, DC lost their way after a strong start to the chase, with the RR bowlers squeezing the middle order. Pant, Abishek Porel and Axar scored only 52 runs off 49 balls between them, and DC went down by 12 runs.Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson go head to head in Delhi•BCCI

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
Ishant Sharma is fit again, but a call on David Warner’s availability will be taken on match day. DC will also toss up between Prithvi Shaw and Kumar Kushagra but the latter may get the nod. Shaw struggles against the ball swinging in and has an average of 11.75 in his last four games. Wicket-taking fast bowler Rasikh Salam is the expected Impact Player.Likely XII: 1 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Abishek Porel, 3 Shai Hope, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Axar Patel, , 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Khaleel Ahmed, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Mukesh Kumar, Rajasthan Royals

Mitigating circumstances aside, RR are likely to play the same team. They have no injury concerns. Jos Buttler for Yuzvendra Chahal is the likeliest Impact Player swap.Likely XII: , 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Dhruv Jurel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Sandeep Sharma,

In the spotlight – Pant and Samson

Outside the IPL, there’s another contest to keep an eye on, the one between the two wicketkeeper-batters in India’s T20 World Cup squad – Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.Both are approaching 400 runs and could finish with their best IPL seasons. There’s also little to choose between the two as Pant’s numbers (398 runs, strike-rate of 158.56, ball-per-boundary ratio of 4.56) are similar to Samson’s (385 runs, strike-rate of 159.09, ball-per-boundary ratio of 4.57).The one difference is that Samson is a better hitter of spin in IPL 2024 and his strike-rate of 150.92 between overs 7-16 is the best among all the players in India’s World Cup squad. One reason for that could be Samson, at No. 3, has more opportunity of being set before playing the middle overs. However, since 2019, Samson averages only 18.78 when walking into bat after the 11th over, while Pant’s performances are much stronger there. Who will take the upper hand with the World Cup approaching?

Stats that matter

• The team batting first has won all three games in Delhi this season, after making 220-plus each time.
• Kuldeep had dismissed Buttler three times in nine innings. The batter has a strike rate of 138.09 (87 runs off 63 balls) against the wristspinner.
• Rishabh Pant vs spin could be a key battle: he has a strike rate of 188 against pace this season, but only 118 against spin.
• Delhi is averaging 14.83 sixes per innings this season, the highest among all venues.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another highway. Dew should not be a major factor and conditions for batting will not change between innings. It will be a hot but dry in the evening.

Quotes

“We know that we are coming up against a very good Rajasthan side, but we know if we play our best cricket, as we have seen in the tournament so far, if we can play our best cricket for 40 overs, then I’ll guarantee we’ll be hard to beat. It doesn’t matter who we play or where we play them. We know we can beat anybody”

Before changing his statement, Robi had indicated that he had been hit in his back and in his ribs, possibly by local fans

Daya Sagar27-Sep-2024A Bangladeshi fan at the centre of an alleged altercation at Kanpur’s Green Park on Friday ended up in a hospital. Robi, the Bangladeshi superfan, initially said he had been at the receiving end of some violence from other fans but retracted that claim from hospital later, saying he had been feeling unwell after suffering from dehydration in the Kanpur heat. Local police also said Robi had been taken away from the ground during the opening day’s play of the India vs Bangladesh Test because he was feeling unwell.It was during the lunch break that Robi, with the tiger stripes painted on his face, appeared to stumble out of a gate and appear near the gate for the media personnel. Security officials and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials got him a chair, offered him water, and soon arranged for an ambulance to take him to a medical facility. Videos recorded at the time by ESPNcricinfo showed Robi in discomfort, and while his words were unclear, he indicated that he had been punched from behind in his lower back, and had been elbowed in the ribs. He appeared out of breath and struggling.Prior to this, before the interval, Robi had been spotted in Stand C at Green Park. He was the only fan – of either team – there, waving the national flag. Incidentally, parts of that stand had been deemed unfit for spectators prior to the Test, and Robi was in one of the barred areas. A few eyewitnesses ESPNcricinfo spoke to said that Robi had an argument with some Indian fans, after which there was some pushing and shoving, and his flag was snatched from him and thrown away. UPCA officials were unresponsive when ESPNcricinfo asked how and why Robi was able to get to that specific part of the stand.At the hospital later, Robi told mediapersons, “I was feeling unwell. The police brought me to the hospital, and I am feeling better after being treated.”Assistant police commissioner of Kalyanpur, Abhishek Pandey, said in his statement that Robi’s health had “deteriorated suddenly” and “reports of an altercation are baseless; he hurt himself when he fell”. “A liaison officer has been attached to him [Robi] so that he gets assistance whenever he requires it,” Pandey added. Police sources also said that Robi had undergone a number of tests and scans, and he has been found to be fit. At the time of filing this report, Robi was still in the hospital.All of this came even as protests against Bangladesh playing a Test match in Kanpur continued. Like on the eve of the match, activists connected to some right-wing political parties conducted protests barely a kilometre from the stadium on Friday. The protests are a response to reports that there have been attacks against members of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh over the past month-and-a-half. It has been a period of tumult in Bangladesh, since July, when student-led protests led to the end of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.Incidentally, Shoaib Ali Bukhari, the celebrated Bangladesh fan who travels around the world with the team, was allegedly manhandled during an ODI World Cup match against India in Pune last year.