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Getting to his 400th wicket in his 100th Test, with a flurry of records thrown in, makes it a game to remember for Mitchell Starc

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2025Mitchell Starc termed the Jamaica Test match as an “uncomfortable” one for him. West Indies’ batters might well have said, “speak for yourself”. Starc was not, of course, referring to when he had the pink ball in hand.Starc’s feelings around the last few days refer to the attention on him for his 100th Test. “Get on with the cricket,” he said ahead of the game. He has often spoken about how he will only reflect on landmarks and achievements when he hangs up the bowling boots. In this match, he added plenty to the list: a triple-wicket opening over, his 400th wicket, and the quickest five-wicket haul in a Test innings.It was as though he was putting together his own highlights package to mark the occasion: inswingers, pads struck, stumps splattered. Only one of his wickets needed the assistance of a fielder. In some ways, it was a bit of a shame Mikyle Louis got his pad in the way of the 400th.Related

• Ten days in the Caribbean: WI batters hit new lows, questions remain around Australia's top three

• Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

• 'Unreal' – Starc and Boland amaze each other with stunning feats

The night before the match, Starc was presented with a couple of signed shirts and a bottle of Jamaican rum to mark his century. But what seemed most special was a video put together with messages from family, friends, former Australia cricketers and players from his AFL team, Greater Western Sydney Giants.”It’s certainly been uncomfortable throughout the week,” he said. “I was happy just to have a win and sing the song. It’s certainly been a special week to play, to wear the baggy green. It’s been one I’ll cherish for a long time.”Such was the speed of Australia’s victory (or West Indies’ disintegration) that supporters were playing on the outfield before it even went dark. While Starc and Scott Boland finished the game in the blink of eye, this was not a collapse under lights. On the first two days of the match, wickets had been hard-earned in the first two sessions. But on the third, the sun hadn’t even started setting when Starc claimed three in his first over.In fact, Australia bowled just nine overs under lights for the game, on the first evening after they made the decision to have a thrash, losing 7 for 68 in the process. They found themselves batting under lights yesterday and were 99 for 6. In the fourth innings, they were preparing to try and hold the game until the lights took hold, hoping 203 runs would be enough to take the game deep if needed.”[It’s] probably a win against the conditions in the fact that we only bowled ten [nine] overs under lights,” Starc said. “I think everyone today with the ball was pretty spot on. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen that quickly. We were talking about almost consolidating the scoreboard until we got closer to that night session.”It wasn’t a plan to drag it out. [But] if things weren’t happening straight away, we knew that things would happen quicker in the night session. [It was like] this is what we want to do at the start, but if it doesn’t happen straight away, let’s just chill out and stop the scoreboard and cash in at night. Didn’t need to.”Starc’s 6 for 9 took him to 20 wickets at 16.45 in this four-Test stretch, which started with the World Test Championship final. For the second time in ten Tests, following his 6 for 48, also with the pink ball against India last season in Adelaide, he has improved his career-best.Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead the trophy celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

“I felt like my rhythm has been pretty good for a while now,” he said. “Even coming into the lead up to Lord’s, I felt like everything was clicking into place. It’s been nice to have that carry on throughout the series. Today, again, just felt like everything was in sync and got some late swing. I think perhaps the breeze might have helped in the fact that I wasn’t under lights.”Starc’s six and Boland’s hat-trick meant that for just the second time in an innings of significance when he was fit, Pat Cummins wasn’t required to bowl. “My favourite part,” he joked.”I think a lot of the chat leading into this week is how resilient you need to be and professional to make it 100 Tests,” Cummins said of Starc. “[But] I think that’s kind of the Starcy I always remember playing alongside. He can tear a game open by himself really in the matter of a couple of overs. It feels like he can do it in any format, any time.”When day-night Tests were introduced, Starc was a strong voice questioning the wisdom of it. He still believes they need to be scheduled carefully, and that Adelaide is an ideal model, but he can see a place for them – 81 wickets 17.08 no doubt helps.”It’s good for my record,” he said with a smile.

Nathan Smith came in for Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20251:27

Southee: Henry not playing the final a ‘massive loss’ for New Zealand

Matt Henry was ruled out of the Champions Trophy final against India because of the shoulder injury he picked up in the semi-final, against South Africa, on March 5 in Lahore. Nathan Smith was brought in as Henry’s replacement in the New Zealand XI.Doubts about Henry’s availability for the final emerged on Friday when Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said, “We’ve had some scans and stuff done on him, and we’re going to give him every chance to be playing in this match. [But it’s] still a little bit unknown at this stage.”Henry bowled and fielded in the New Zealand training sessions on match eve, raising his team’s hopes. But, on the morning on the match, when Henry was out on the ground with the rest of the team, he turned his arm over just a few times, grimacing each time, and walked out.Related

• New ball or old, Henry will make things happen

Henry, the highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy leading up to the final with ten strikes, had hurt his shoulder while taking the catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen. He left the field but returned to bowl two overs late in the match. He was also seen diving in the field after he came back.Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, had been optimistic about Henry’s availability soon after the match against South Africa, and Stead had also sounded a positive note, saying, “I guess the positive thing from our perspective is he got back out there to bowl.”Henry had been crucial to New Zealand’s run to the final. In the only match they lost in the first round, against India – also their opponents in the final – Henry returned a five-for. That match was also played in Dubai, like the final.New Zealand opted to field allrounder Smith in Henry’s place even though they had the option of a fast bowler in Jacob Duffy. Smith played one game in the Champions Trophy, the tournament opener in Karachi against Pakistan, where he didn’t get a chance to bat and picked up one wicket in two overs with the ball as New Zealand won by 60 runs.

Heat couldn’t lift their net run-rate enough to take top spot which means they will stage the Challenger final

AAP24-Nov-2024Brisbane Heat downed Sydney Sixers by five wickets but failed to steal WBBL final hosting rights from Melbourne Renegades.Heat, chasing the Sixers’ 140 all out, reached their target from 17 overs for victory at Allan Border Field. But they to chase down their target in 13.3 overs to eclipse Renegades on net run rate and secure hosting rights for the final.Renegades will host the WBBL decider at the MCG next Sunday night after topping the table from the second-placed Heat.Related

• Matthews and Molineux star to send Renegades top

• Kathryn Bryce carries Hurricanes to brink of finals, ends Scorchers' season

Heat will host the Challenger on Friday night at Allan Border Field against the winner of Wednesday night’s Knockout final between the third-placed Sydney Thunder and fourth-placed Hobart Hurricanes at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney.Heat on Sunday night made a dash for top spot in the last game of the tournament’s regular season. Jemimah Rodrigues smacked five fours and a six in making 39 from 22 balls but her rapid-fire knock ended when caught from Amelia Kerr’s bowling and Sixers spinner bowled Charli Knott next ball.The quick wickets left the Heat 58 for 3 after seven overs and, met with some miserly Sixers bowling, they changed tack to focus winning the game, rather than chasing the net run rate target.Georgia Redmayne made 25 from 29 balls and the outcome remained tight when Heat required 46 runs from the last 42 balls.Captain Jess Jonassen then called the power surge and capitalised on the field restrictions by cracking three fours and a six as Caoimhe Bray conceded 20 runs from her over. The burst from Jonassen and a late flurry from Laura Harris sealed victory.Earlier, Sixers couldn’t cash in on a bright start from their opening batters Kerr and Ellyse Perry. The pair put on 63 runs before Perry was dismissed in the 10th over.Ash Gardner became Lucy Hamilton’s first victim some two overs later and when Kerr’s 37 ball innings ended in the 14th over, Sixers had slipped from 63 for 0 to 90 for 3.From then, only Sarah Bryce, who smashed a six and four fours in making 28 from 19 balls, reached double figures.Heat’s emerging 18-year-old star Hamilton was again superb – she now has taken 10 wickets in her past three games – while skipper Jonassen claimed 3 for 26.

Visitors cling on after last-wicket pair defy Cricket Australia XI attack for more than an hour

ECB Reporters Network25-Jan-2025England Lions 316 (Flintoff 108, Davies 76, Whitney 4-72) and 276 for 9 (Coles 67, Hurst 53, Elliott 3-38) drew with Cricket Australia XI 214 (Hicks 64, Brown 5-21) and 442 for 9 dec (Ward 120, Clayton 84, Hackney 70*, Radhakrishnan 58, Cook 4-47)England Lions held out for a battling draw after last pair Josh Tongue and Sam Cook defied a Cricket Australia XI attack for more than an hour in their tour game at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.Half-centuries from Matt Hurst and James Coles rebuilt the Lions innings after they had slipped to 21 for 4, before the tail held on despite Jem Ryan and Sam Elliott claiming three wickets apiece.The Lions had been set a target of 331 after Ryan Hackney’s unbeaten 70 helped the home side to declare at 441 for 9. Cook finished with 4 for 47 but his unbeaten 8 in 86 minutes of batting at the end of the day was just as valuable as he survived alongside Tongue, who finished unbeaten on 19 from 50 balls.The Lions innings had run into trouble when Elliott struck twice in as many balls, removing Hamza Shaikh and James Rew, to leave the tourists four down inside nine overs.Opener Ben McKinney counter-attacked with 47 before Hurst and Coles got to work on balancing a salvage job with keeping a still-achievable victory target within their scope.Hurst was judged leg before after moving down the wicket and looking to engineer a shot to leg off Elliott before Coles pulled Ryan to Hackney as the field had started to spread.First-innings centurion Rocky Flintoff was cast into a different role, his patient 28 from 64 balls befitting the situation, while Shoaib Bashir (24) batted for an hour before Hugo Burdon found his off stump. Last pair Tongue and Cook completed the rearguard by surviving 45 balls, as the Lions reached stumps on 276 for 9.The Lions now turn their attention to next week’s first-class match against Australia A in Sydney, which start on 30 January.

Winner joins India in Super Four round from Group A; loser exits the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025
After a one-hour delay to the start of the game, UAE won the toss and opted to bowl against Pakistan in a must-win game for both teams in the Asia Cup in Dubai. PCB cleared the Pakistan team to play after the board claimed that match referee Pycroft had apologised to their players for his actions during the India-Pakistan game on Sunday.UAE captain Muhammad Waseem expected dew to play a part and confirmed that Simranjeet Singh replaced Muhammad Jawadullah.
“We will try to restrict them,” Waseem said. “It is a do-or-die game. We will take advantage. We had a good game in Abu Dhabi; this is a different game.”Related

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

UAE’s decision went down well with Pakistan, who wanted to bat first anyway. Pakistan made two changes to the side that lost to India on Sunday, with Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah coming in. They replaced Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf.One of these two teams will be eliminated after Wednesday’s result. Both sides beat Oman comfortably and lost to India, making this fixture in Dubai a knockout game: the winner joins India in the Super Four, while the loser exits.UAE: 1 Alishan Sharafu, 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Asif Khan, 4 Muhammad Zohaib, 5 Harshit Kaushik, 6 Rahul Chopra (wk), 7 Dhruv Parashar, 8 Haider Ali, 9 Muhammad Rohid Khan, 10 Simranjeet Singh, 11 Junaid SiddiquePakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Salman Agha (capt), 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Hasan Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

The offspinner, who has faced scrutiny over his action in the past, will need to undergo independent assessment within 14 days

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025South Africa allrounder Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a suspect bowling action following the first ODI against Australia on Tuesday in Cairns.The offspinner took 1 for 46 in his ten overs, dismissing opener Travis Head as South Africa went 1-0 up with a 98-run win. This was the 31-year-old Subrayen’s ODI debut, which came almost two months after he earned his first Test cap against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.Related

• Ngidi takes five, Breetzke, Stubbs shine as South Africa win series

• Australia set to face another trial by spin but Subrayen won't play

• Can't bat, can't play? Allrounders take centre stage in Conrad's T20 spin vision

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Rabada ruled out of Australia ODI series with ankle inflammation

Subrayen now needs to undergo an independent assessment of his action at an ICC-accredited testing facility within 14 days which South Africa are hoping he can do in Brisbane at Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Centre where Australia’s left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was tested earlier this year. Bowlers are permitted 15 degrees of elbow extension while delivering the ball and he is allowed to continue bowling in matches until the results of his test are known. But South Africa coach Shukri Conrad said on Thursday that the team has decided Subrayen will not play until he has completed the testing process.”He’s available to play,” Conrad said. “You are allowed to play until you get tested.””We just felt that less noise and get him out of the public eye, make sure he is okay and focuses on the testing.”The process is to get him tested as soon as we can and we are looking to do it in Brisbane. That suits everyone. We are going to the UK via Brisbane so hopefully we can get it sooner rather than later.”This is not the first time the Subrayen has faced scrutiny over his action. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) placed him under rehabilitation after two separate independent tests deemed his action illegal. He was cleared to bowl again in January 2013 after undergoing remedial work and re-testing.Subrayen was reported in September 2014 during the Champions League T20 tournament in India, and once more during a domestic T20 game in November 2015, and suspended from bowling after an assessment of his action found all his deliveries to exceed the 15-degree limit. He failed a re-assessment in January 2016, and was eventually cleared to resume bowling after having his action cleared at the CSA’s High Performance Centre in March 2016.”He has gone through this process before,” Conrad said. “It’s never easy. It’s taken him a long time to make his debut and we are rallying around him. Next week will reveal a lot and we will take it from there.”They’ve [the ICC] flagged 12 balls which they’ve forwarded to us. He has got to emulate those 12 balls during the test. We are going to be sending our bowling coach (Piet Botha) with him for support and for us to gain some knowledge about how these things work.”The second and third ODIs, which are the last two matches of South Africa’s white-ball tour of Australia, will be played on August 22 and 24 in Mackay.

They became the joint-most-expensive uncapped Indian players ever signed at an IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-20251:11

Watch – Prashant Veer’s family soak in the moment after CSK buy him for INR 14.2 crores

Prashant Veer, a 20-year old left-arm spin allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik Sharma, a 19-year old wicketkeeper from Rajasthan, have smashed the record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player ever bought at an IPL auction, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bidding a whopping INR 14.2 crore for each of them at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.The previous record bid for an uncapped Indian was INR 10 crore for fast bowler Avesh Khan by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022.Veer and Kartik headlined a massive payday for uncapped Indians, with Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi getting signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8.4 crore, and 23-year-old pace allrounder Mangesh Yadav by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 5.2 crore. Wicketkeepers Tejasvi Dahiya (INR 3 crore to KKR), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 crore to LSG) and Salil Arora (INR 1.5 crore to SRH), batter Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 crore to LSG), and fast bowler Naman Tiwari (INR 1 CR to LSG) were the other uncapped Indians to get to or past the INR 1 crore mark.Related

• Fleming on CSK's philosophy shift: 'Might've been a little bit slow to evolve'

• J&K star Auqib Nabi is used to IPL rejection, but this time 'feels different'

• Cameron Green becomes most expensive overseas player in IPL; uncapped Indians go big

Veer’s base price at the auction was INR 30 lakh but the bidding for him skyrocketed – it began between Mumbai Indians (MI) and LSG initially, followed by a battle between CSK and LSG, then with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and eventually Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining in. At the time of the auction, Veer had played nine domestic T20s and his performances in the UPT20 League, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Uttar Pradesh’s Under-23 fixtures earned him a call up for trials with CSK.After CSK had signed Veer for INR 14.2 crore from the set of uncapped allrounders, they bid aggressively for Kartik, whose base price was also INR 30 lakh, from the next set of uncapped wicketkeepers. Once again MI and LSG began the bidding, followed by battles between LSG and KKR, KKR and CSK, and eventually CSK and SRH, who once again dropped out once the bid reached INR 14.2 crore. Kartik, who has been signed up by JSW Sports, which manages several top athletes including the Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, is building a reputation as a lower-order finisher who can hit big sixes. In 12 T20s, Kartik has scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes.Prashant Veer (left) has become the joint most expensive uncapped Indian player bought at an IPL auction•UPT20 League

“Kartik Sharma, we had him last year and he did some trialing with us,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said. “We’ve been watching Kartik for some time and I’ll go back to the scouting and the work that’s done in a lot of tournaments. Prashant Veer, given that we needed that kind of skillset with trading Jadeja for Sanju and we identified him as a good talent going forward and filling that spot for us, doing that skillset.”As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it. Only halfway through the tournament [IPL 2025] we had a big shift and you saw with the players we got in as reserves, there was a shift in what we needed to do. Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success but we identified that we needed to shift and partly the work that we did last season halfway through has enabled us to continue that work done.”We knew if we can get a strong core of local players I think your team’s in good shape, and sometimes you have to invest time in them and also money because what is happening is the scouting on numerous tournaments around India are becoming very important. So players are being watched and being studied and being bought with a view to perform in the way they’re performing now but also another eye on the future. The fact it can be life-changing is a very rewarding aspect for doing something that they love. But first and foremost they are bought for their skills and that’s what they’ve been identified as doing which is a celebration for them and their family.”The first uncapped Indian player to go big at the IPL 2026 auction was Nabi, who was signed by DC after they fought off competition from RR, RCB and SRH. Unlike Veer and Kartik, the 29-year-old Nabi has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket over the past few seasons. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he has taken 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of under eight and has been a net bowler with KKR and SRH in the past.”He’s done well in all formats, he’s somebody we believe that gives us an option up top, he can bat a bit, and there’s a reason why he’s gone for that [high] price,” DC head coach Hemang Badani said. “And only when someone else is bidding against us can someone go up to 8-8.5 crores. So, that tells you that this kid has something in him, like a Prashant Veer has or a Karthik Sharma has. There’s a reason why people go up to 12 or 14 crores. One kid doesn’t go up to that price unless there’s a bidding war. A lot of the younger boys are coming through and Auqib Nabi is one of those we feel will go forward. We believe he’s a good bowler for us.”Mangesh’s bidding was between RCB and SRH, and his bid rose from his base price of INR 30 lakh to INR 5.2 crore, at which point SRH dropped out. He has played only two domestic T20s, scoring 28 runs off 12 balls and taking three wickets, but made a strong impression in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League.

Veteran opener steps away from the game after 16 seasons at Bristol

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2025Chris Dent, Gloucestershire’s long-serving opening batter, has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.Dent, 34, represented Gloucestershire in 356 matches, scoring over 15,000 runs across all formats, including 11,237 at 36.01 in first-class cricket, placing him 28th on the club’s all-time list.Born in Bristol, Dent joined Gloucestershire’s Pathway at the age of 12, and made his senior debut in 2009 during a Pro40 match against Nottinghamshire. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on four occasions, most recently in 2019, when he captained the side to promotion to Division One, their first such appearance since 2005.This season, however, he struggled for form in the opening round of Championship games, and had not featured for the first team since April.”After 16 memorable seasons playing professional cricket, I’ve decided that the time is right to step away from the game,” Dent said. “It’s hard to put into words what cricket has given me, but I will always be truly grateful.”I want to thank Gloucestershire CCC for giving me my opportunity 16 years ago. The support and faith you’ve shown me have been a huge part of any success I’ve had over the years.”To the fans – your encouragement throughout my career has meant everything. What stands out most, especially over these last few difficult years, is the love and kindness you’ve shown me. That support helped me more than you’ll ever know.”The biggest thank you goes to all the players. You guys are what made the last 16 years so memorable. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the field with so many brilliant people. When I look back on my career, my favourite memories are special because of the people I shared them with. Even though my time as a cricketer is over, I hope there are still more memories to be made with you all.”Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s head coach, said: “Reaching the end of a first-class playing career is always a daunting time, but I am sure Denty will look back with brilliant memories of his time with Gloucestershire.”I remember him in his teenage years, knocking around in the Academy, and I am not surprised he became one of our most valued players to come through our Pathway.”Batting at the top for most of his career in England is an unenviable task, but once again he managed to impact games from that position on a regular basis. His presence there kept him perennially in England’s shortlist, though he never quite got the call. I believe the international stage could have seen him flourish.”Although still in great physical shape, it has been more challenging mentally, and on that sad note, his appearances have been somewhat restricted.”The last few years will not define what has been a stellar career with the Glorious, and I would like to thank him for his immense contributions over the years.”

India captain believes the Dukes ball going soft and the pitches being flat are taking away from the fun of Test cricket

Sidharth Monga06-Jul-20256:09

Shubman Gill critical of pitches and ball quality after Edgbaston win

Shubman Gill feels the combination of flat pitches and the quick-to-go-soft Dukes ball is taking away from the essence of Test cricket in England.After India managed to take 20 wickets – 15 of them in bursts with three new balls – to level the series 1-1, he was asked what he thought of these conditions that happen to have coincided with the Bazball era in England.”It gets very difficult for the bowlers,” Gill said. “Even more than the [pitch], the ball is going soft and out of shape very quickly. I don’t know what it is – weather, [pitches] or whatever – but it gets very difficult for the bowlers to get wickets in these conditions. As a team, when you know it is difficult to get wickets and runs are coming easily, a lot of things are out of your control.Related

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• Breaking Baz – India cook up the perfect new-ball formula

“I think there should be a little help at least. If the ball is doing something, you enjoy playing. If you know there is only 20 overs of any help and then you have to spend the rest of the day on the defensive, thinking how to stop runs, then the game loses its essence.”Gill, though, joked that he didn’t mind the relief as a batter after having had a baptism in spicier conditions around the world. In the first Test at Headingley, in pretty much similar conditions, India left runs out in the middle through some casual batting from the lower order. Gill took it upon himself to lead by example after having holed out on 147 in the first innings of the previous Test.”Sometimes, especially when you are the captain, I think you need to lead by example so that whenever there is another player in that situation, you can command to that player,” Gill said after scoring 269 and 161 at Edgbaston. “This is what the team requires right now and you always have to put the team first rather than your personal desires. Or sometimes you want to try some things, but I think if you put the team ahead of you, you will always walk in the right direction or walk on the right path and that’s what I wanted to do in this match.”If a good ball gets me out, it gets me out, but as long as I’m there, I want to play as long as possible.”Having seen the might of India’s batting somewhere near its ruthless best, Gill joked he didn’t expect England to roll out such a flat track again. That was when he was asked whether he missed Kuldeep Yadav’s wristspin during those dreadful middle overs. He said it wasn’t easy for him to leave out a bowler of the quality of Kuldeep, but he felt he needed a bit of the batting depth that Washington Sundar could – and did – provide.Shubman Gill with his Player of the Match medal•Getty Images

India are not used to playing such long Test matches. The tracks at home aid spin, and when India play away, they are handed green seamers. When asked what he had learnt from these rare back-to-back Tests that practically went to the last session, Gill said India were pleased most of the time was spent by them batting.”Definitely helped us in a massive way,” Gill said. “I would say [there are] not many Test matches when we play in India [that] go for five days. But, luckily, most of the days when we are playing here, we are batting and not fielding, so that’s good for us. Even in the first innings, I think we fielded for about 90 overs, which is about a day. So I think that’s good. I think even in the series, in the upcoming matches, if you’re able to score runs consistently and post around 400 or 300 totals, we will always be in the game.”Gill was full of praise for the bowlers that made sure that India didn’t have to field for too long. “They were absolutely magnificent for us,” Gill said of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj. “[They] took 16-17 [17] wickets [together]. That itself is a big, big achievement coming into this Test match, especially without Jasprit [Bumrah] . There were a lot of questions if we would be able to take those 20 wickets. And the way these two guys delivered was just outstanding. I have no words to describe.”Gill said these were the best players in the country, and he believed that any bowling combination selected from the squad of 16 would be able to take 20 wickets anywhere in the world.

Australia allrounder will prepare for WTC final with five County Championship matches

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2025Gloucestershire have signed Australia’s Cameron Green for five County Championship matches, in a deal made possible by a “significant donation” from one of the club’s members.ESPNcricinfo reported this month that Green is hoping to make his return from a back stress fracture before the end of the Sheffield Shield season, and that he was lining up a stint in county cricket. Gloucestershire announced on Friday that he will play five games for them between April 18 and May 26 in the second division of the Championship.Green’s stint will enable him to play competitively ahead of June’s World Test Championship final, which sees Australia face South Africa at Lord’s. He will only be available as a specialist batter, rather than an allrounder, and faces competition for places in the middle order after the recent success of Josh Inglis and Beau Webster early in their Test careers.Gloucestershire’s finances have been perilous in recent years, with the club posting a £1.19 million loss in their most recent accounts. But chair Peter Matthews said one of the club’s 2,000 or so members had donated a sum of money which will enable them to cover the cost of Green’s wages without exceeding their playing budget for the 2025 season.”We are delighted to welcome Cameron to Gloucestershire,” Matthews said. “This deal would not have been possible without a significant donation from a member of the club, and we are incredibly grateful for his generosity, which has enabled us to do this deal without going over the playing budget.”Related

• Green unlikely to play Shield cricket before county stint

• Bancroft named Gloucestershire captain after shoulder 'trauma'

• Hampshire sign Stoneman as Vince cover

• Green hopeful of Shield return and county cricket ahead of WTC final

Green has never previously played county cricket and will link up with his Western Australia team-mate Cameron Bancroft in Bristol, who was appointed captain for their Championship season earlier this week.Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s coach, said: “Cameron Green’s ability is unquestionable… He usually operates in a key position for the best Test team in the world at the moment and having that pedigree in our camp is amazing for the players alongside him. We have serious ambitions in all formats in 2025 and Cameron’s signing will reinforce this sentiment.”Elsewhere, Hampshire have confirmed the signing of another Australian allrounder in New South Wales’ Jack Edwards. ESPNcricinfo reported this week that Edwards will effectively replace Mohammad Abbas for the first two months of the Championship season, with Hampshire’s hoping Edwards’ ability to bat No. 7 will help them fill the void left by James Vince quitting red-ball cricket.