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Former England star continues burgeoning coaching career with Hundred appointment

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2022Sarah Taylor, the former England wicketkeeper, says that more female coaches would “benefit the game as a whole”, after joining Manchester Originals as an assistant coach for this year’s Men’s Hundred.Taylor, who is widely regarded as one of the best wicketkeepers in the history of the game, male or female, has been working with Sussex’s men’s squad as a specialist keeping coach since the start of 2021, and more recently took up a role with Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10.Her appointment comes after a playing role with Welsh Fire in last season’s inaugural competition, when she came out of retirement to also feature for Northern Diamonds in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.While she admitted to the BBC that she had been tempted to continue with her on-field career, Taylor also recognised she would be “stupid to turn down” the chance to enhance her coaching credentials with another high-profile appointment.”These roles are coming around now and any woman that gets offered an opportunity, they should take it with open arms,” Taylor said. “I’m extremely grateful to Manchester for giving me this opportunity.”There is no rush for me. I’m still young enough and fit enough to play, so if an opportunity comes around I will absolutely consider it.
But right now coaching is the opportunity I was happy with, so I’m going down this route.”Taylor will be working under head coach Simon Katich, and alongside her fellow World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, one of 11 men’s squad players to be retained by Manchester. Other England players in the set-up include Ollie Robinson, Matt Parkinson and Phil Salt – with whom Taylor has previously worked at Sussex.”I fell into the men’s game and I’m taking every opportunity I can to keep learning,” Taylor added. “We have to keep pushing. There are some brilliant women’s coaches out there and I hope they get recognised, in the male or female game.”Although her primary role will be with the men’s squad, Taylor will also work with the Manchester women’s set-up when the chance arises – including her former England team-mates Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone, and South Africa’s Lizelle Lee.”I absolutely loved playing last year,” Taylor added of the Hundred experience. “It’s an exciting tournament and I loved how the boys and girls were treated as one unit.”

Young fast bowler in line to make ODI debut against Ireland this week

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2022Jayden Seales is in line to make his ODI debut for West Indies against Ireland on Saturday and knows that his ability to adapt to situations and learn on the job will be key, with limited experience of professional 50-over cricket to fall back on.Seales, who turned 20 in September, made his Test debut as a teenager last year and has impressed in a West Indies shirt, taking 16 wickets at 21.31 in his four caps to date.He has played only three List A games in his fledgling career, but was a key part of Jaffna Kings’ side as they won the Lanka Premier League last month and will try to take things in his stride if selected this week, with the first of three ODIs – all at Sabina Park – taking place on Saturday.Seales was playing in an overseas franchise league for the first time and took 15 wickets in only seven appearances. He was part of the same squad as Suranga Lakmal and Wahab Riaz, and credited them with helping him to develop his death bowling.Related

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“In the team I was with, they had a lot of guys around my age group [so] we tended to go to the gym and practise a lot together,” Seales said in a virtual press conference on Thursday. “But in terms of the fast bowling, I hung around a lot with Suranga Lakmal and Wahab Riaz.”They would kind of mentor me in terms of my death bowling. I think that was the biggest struggle for me in the tournament, bowling my yorkers and things like that. Being around those guys gave me a bit more confidence in my death bowling and helped me throughout the tournament.”It wasn’t that hard [adapting to white-ball cricket]. For me in the LPL, it was just to start off bowling that hard, Test-match length and when I was given the ball in the middle and death overs, bowl my variations and take pace off the ball, whether it be slower balls, yorkers, things like that.”Seales – who has also been named as a reserve for the T20I series against Ireland and England later this month – suggested that there was a certain amount of pressure on him to perform if selected, due to his quick rise to prominence.”I think I’ve been under pressure for the majority of the time in my career thus far, seeing as I’m a youngster and I’ve been performing,” he said. “Now the media and everyone will look at me [and say] he has to perform, or if he doesn’t perform, the talk might come up ‘he’s too young’.”Yes, there’s pressure, but I don’t take it on per se. I just go out and enjoy my cricket and play to the best of my ability. If, on the day, I happen to perform well for the team, I’m very pleased.”I was born into a family of cricketers from the age of three years old – I started playing windball cricket with my family outside. I was the youngest and the smallest and they never took it easy on me. Growing up into that, I think I got competitive because of that, and it made me grow into the cricketer I am today – it made me love the game even more.”I thought I would have started [playing international cricket] at the age of 21 or 22. That was the age I gave my parents, I told them at 21, I’d be at the top. Thankfully, it came earlier. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and I’m just enjoying it.”

The duo headlined a five-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades after Heat crossed the border from NSW at 2am on match day

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2021Brisbane Heat overcame a midnight border crossing to claim their first BBL victory of the summer, defeating Melbourne Renegades by five wickets on the Gold Coast.Set a target of 141 after Mackenzie Harvey’s unbeaten 71 lifted the visitors to 6 for 140 at Metricon Stadium, Heat were given a typically fast start by Chris Lynn’s 32 off 15 balls to reach the target with 19 balls to spare.The win comes after Heat left the northern New South Wales town of Kingscliff, where they had been staying following last week’s loss to Perth Scorchers in Western Australia, and crossed the border at 2am on Monday before reaching their hotel two hours later.Sent in to bat by Heat captain Jimmy Peirson, Renegades had plenty to be thankful towards Harvey for after he top-scored, off 56 balls. He was the only Renegades batter to pass 20 in a innings where the Heat bowlers Liam Guthrie (0 for 10) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (0 for 19) bowled their four overs each without conceding a boundary.Legspinner Mitch Swepson and English Lions batter Tom Abell added to Heat’s line-up after participating in the four-day tour game at Brisbane’s Ian Healy Oval, where Australia A defeated the Lions by 112 runs.Swepson, in tandem with Mujeeb, tied down the Renegades in the first half of their innings, as they went from the end of the third over until the 11th without scoring a boundary.Player-of-the-Match James Bazley was the leading wicket-taker for the hosts with 3 for 28 and then contributed a handy innings to help finish the game.Lynn smashed three boundaries and a six off the first four deliveries of Will Sutherland’s first over to get the Heat off to a perfect start. He fell trying to launch one too many off left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan who was the best of Renegades’ bowlers with 2 for 27 off his four overs.After a brief wobble at 5 for 107, Sam Heazlett guided the chase home with an unbeaten 44 off 29 deliveries.Brisbane next play Sydney Thunder at the Gabba on Sunday with Renegades’ next match at home against Scorchers on December 22.

Five wickets for Harry Gurney – a career-best 5 for 43 in fact – ensured that the magnificent contribution of the two rookie pace bowlers, Luke Wood and Jake Ball, was made to count as Sussex were finished off in 32 overs

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge03-Jun-2015
ScorecardHarry Gurney helped hurtle the match to swift finish on the final day•PA Photos

Five wickets for Harry Gurney – a career-best 5 for 43 in fact – ensured that the magnificent contribution of the two rookie pace bowlers, Luke Wood and Jake Ball, was made to count as Sussex were finished off in 32 overs in rather a tame end to what had been a contest of fluctuating fortunes, bowled out for 150 five overs into the afternoon session on the third day of the scheduled four.It gave Nottinghamshire a first win of the season after a worryingly inconsistent start for a county seemingly laden with talented. Ball, the 24-year-old right-armer, finished with 9 for 67 from the match, 19-year-old Wood 5 for 96 plus, of course, the little matter of 153 runs – a maiden century followed by 53 in the second innings – which suggests he is more than just a promising left-arm seamer.It leaves director of cricket Mick Newell facing an unexpected selection dilemma for Nottinghamshire’s next Championship match, against Somerset at Taunton the week after next, when he will have the former Australian Test bowler Ben Hilfenhaus available after arriving to replace Vernon Philander in the overseas slot, as well as Stuart Broad, now available after being omitted from England’s one-day international squad.Someone is going to be unlucky and it is not easy to identify who. With Michael Lumb likely to return from injury to bolster the top order but with Alex Hales and James Taylor away on England duty, Newell will go with four seamers instead of three, which opens up one place.”You are probably looking at two from three of Jake, Luke and Harry,” Newell said. “We have a lot of Twenty20 cricket in June so that comes into it and Luke will only play red ball cricket, so he has a good chance. And we’ll look at where we are with Jake and Harry when that game comes around.”Jake has been terrific in this game. I’ve said before that he has been out best bowler going back to our pre-season tour and like Harry he can do well in all forms of the game, so we’ll have the option to share things round.”Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager, would love a headache of that nature. With Tymal Mills, Ajmal Shahzad, Ashar Zaidi, James Anyon and Lewis Hatchett all injured, and Chris Jordan picked for the England ODI squad, his bowling resources could not be more stretched.At least Steve Magoffin appears to be unbreakable. The 35-year-old Australian took 12 wickets in this match, six in each innings, to take him to 35 for the Championship season so far. Robinson says Magoffin has yet to find a level of consistency the bowler himself believes to be satisfactory so far, although there were phases in this match when he looked close to his best. It is only the third time in his career he has taken 10 or more in a match. Goodness knows what he will achieve if he can return to peak form.Despite all the injuries, Sussex went into this match only 18 points behind the Division One leaders with a game in hand, so they are hardly struggling. The absence of Ed Joyce undermined their potential with the bat here on a difficult wicket, yet Robinson believed it was by letting Nottinghamshire off the hook twice in the match when his bowlers were on top that cost Sussex dearly.”The young lad Wood took it away from us in the first innings and then after having them seven down for 108 to let them get near to 250 on a 150 wicket left us massively behind the eight ball,” he said.”I was disappointed that we started to feel a bit sorry for ourselves towards the end of the second day and I think that carried over a bit. But for the last four games we have played on result wickets and the batsmen are a bit shell-shocked, really, and they need to get some confidence back.”Nottinghamshire’s last three second-innings wickets went in the space of 20 balls into the morning session. Wood thick-edged Ollie Robinson to point for 53 before Samit Patel completed his first century since the corresponding match in April last year, but then the innings ended rather rapidly with Patel top-edging his next ball to be caught at point and then Ball swinging at one and getting a nick as Magoffin finished with two wickets in two balls.That gave him 6 for 50 and 12 for 159 for the match. It is the second time the Australian has taken 12 wickets in a match although not his career best. Against Somerset in 2013 he took 8 for 20 and 4 for 11.Sussex needed 310 to win but they were quickly two down as both Mike Yardy and Matt Machan were out without scoring, both leg before to Ball. In match of duplications – three six-wicket hauls, two men out the ball after reaching 100 – Ball found himself on a hat-trick for the second time in the match, and as in the first innings by taking wickets with the last ball of one over and the first of the next. Chris Nash survived but then Brendan Taylor, who had dropped Luke Wells once, held on to a second chance offered by the left-hander off Wood.Chris Nash fended off a brutish ball from Wood into the hands of short leg before Gurney began a run of five wickets in 43 balls by having Craig Cachopa caught behind, then bowling Luke Wright for 39. Jordan and Robinson went to consecutive balls, after which Magoffin and Ben Brown at least extended the contest beyond lunch, adding 52 for the ninth wicket before Magoffin missed one and Ball claimed the final scalp.Patel, now 30 and until recently the last graduate of the Nottinghamshire academy system to find a permanent home in the first team, heralded the progress of Wood and Ball.”To see the way Luke Wood played in the first innings, that’s what won us the game,” Patel said. “And he played with a lot of maturity in the second innings too.”Jake has come on leaps and bounds and the pace he has gained his crucial. If you are to survive at this level you have to have a bit of pace. People talk about us needing to bring local talent through and to see them doing so well as local lads is fantastic.”

Karim Janat, Ikram Alikhil return among a host of changes

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2021Sediqullah Atal, Shahidullah Kamal, Abdul Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, who are all uncapped in ODI cricket, have found places in Afghanistan’s 17-member squad for their first bilateral ODI series against Pakistan. The three-match series is scheduled to be played in the UAE* in September.In addition to facing Pakistan in two Asia Cups and the 2019 World Cup, Afghanistan had come up against their neighbours in a one-off ODI in the UAE in 2012, when Pakistan won by seven wickets.Hashmatullah Shahidi is set to make his captaincy debut, having been appointed to the job in ODI cricket in May earlier this year. Rahmat Shah will be his deputy while former captain Asghar Afghan has been left out of the side altogether. Afghan had led the team in their most recent ODI series against Ireland in the UAE, which they won 3-0. Javed Ahmadi, Gulbadin Naib, Sayed Shirzad and Yamim Ahmadzai were among the others from the Ireland series who were omitted from this squad.Rashid Khan who was the first pick, by the Trent Rockets, in the ongoing Hundred, will be back to lead the spin attack along with Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Sixteen-year-old left-arm wristspinner Noor, who has already had stints in the BBL and PSL, is also part of the spin attack although he is yet to make his international debut.Left-arm seamer Farooqi, who made his T20I earlier this year and was subsequently picked by the Chennai Super Kings as an IPL net bowler, could be in line for his ODI debut on this tour.Kabul Eagles’ Atal has made the ODI squad despite having not played a List A game in his career. The top-order batter has played only seven T20s so far, scoring 114 runs at an average of 16.28 and strike rate of 107.54. His domestic captain Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the frontline keeper in the squad, with the returning Ikram Alikhil being his back-up. Alikhil has last played ODI cricket in 2019.Allrounder Karim Janat who has played only a solitary ODI for Afghanistan, back in 2017, also returned to the side.Afghanistan currently have 30 points in the World Cup Super league, having swept Ireland 3-0.Afghanistan squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediq Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil , Shahid Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
Out: Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Javed Ahmadi, Sayed Shirzad, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Usman Ghani, Yamin Ahmadzai
In: Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Ikram Alikhil, Shahidullah Kamal, Karim Janat, Abdul Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
Reserves: Yousuf Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Saleem Safi, Qais Ahmad

“Whichever opportunity I get to be back at the ground, I will be really eager for that”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2021Mumbai-based left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan has been cleared by the BCCI to resume playing professional cricket after he received a revocation letter from the board that confirmed his ban – originally for life – had been reduced to seven years.In an email accessed by ESPNcricinfo, BCCI interim chief executive Hemang Amin confirmed that Chavan’s ban had effectively ended on September 13, 2020 based on an order received last month. The BCCI ombudsman, the email said, “has restricted the ban imposed on you from life ban to 7 years, with effect from 13 September 2013. In view of the order dated 3 May 2021, the ban imposed on you therefore ended on 13 September, 2020.”Related

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While the ban in principle got over in September 2020, unlike Sreesanth, whose order for a similar term reduction arrived last August, Chavan had to wait till May 3, 2021 to get a copy of the order from the ombudsman. Chavan subsequently requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to apply to the BCCI for a confirmation letter, a requisite for him to return to competitive cricket, which he received on June 15 from Amin.”The ban has been completely over as of September 2020,” Chavan told PTI on Tuesday, soon after the development. “I am open for whatever (comes) my way. I am really looking forward to getting on the ground as soon as possible.”Unfortunately, because of the pandemic (Covid-19) and the rains, the grounds would probably be closed but whichever opportunity I get to be back at the ground, I will be really eager for that.”In 2013, Chavan was given a life ban for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal. Chavan was one of three Rajasthan Royals players, along with Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila, to be chargesheeted by the Delhi Police at the time.Sreesanth had received his order before his ban ended last year, allowing him to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year.”I got (a) letter from (the) ombudsman that my ban has been reduced to seven years,” Chavan told PTI earlier this month. “The same as what was given to Sreesanth, but his order came before the end of the ban and mine after the completion of ban. Since I didn’t get that letter, I had to write to MCA requesting them to write to BCCI for that letter.”Chavan, 35, has played 18 first-class matches, 20 List A games and 26 T20s. His last representative match was against the Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL season.

du Plooy top-scores with 47 before Guest smashes winning runs off final ball of the match

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2021Derbyshire Falcons held their nerve in a tense run-chase in the final over to defeat Durham by six wickets in their Vitality Blast clash at Emirates Riverside.The Falcons successfully chased down their total of 177 from their 20 overs as Brooke Guest smashed the final ball of the innings for a boundary to beat the home side. Guest and Matt Critchley put on a stand of 64 to defy Durham and close out only their fourth win of the competition this term.Earlier in the day, Alex Thomson claimed three wickets for 23 to limit Durham to 176 for 9. The hosts were made to rue lapses with the ball and in the field to put their hopes of reaching the last eight of the Blast in jeopardy.After Durham were inserted by Critchley, David Bedingham’s lean time in T20 cricket continued despite his excellent first-class form, edging Logan van Beek’s second legal delivery to Fynn Hudson-Prentice at first slip. Graham Clark injected Durham’s innings with pace, using his guile to make a rapid 25 in the powerplay before he chipped straight to Van Beek.Related

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Ben Raine and Cameron Bancroft continued to move the scoreboard along at a brisk pace, reaching 64 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. Raine made a solid 32 before he attempted a sweep against Critchley that was well claimed by Luis Reece. The Falcons’ excellent work in the field continued when George Scrimshaw made a great diving grab to remove Bancroft for a run-a-ball 20.Scott Borthwick played a gem of the innings through the middle overs. He notched three fours and a six before he was bowled for 33 by Thomson, who impressed with three wickets. Durham made a press towards a score of 180 in the closing overs led by Sean Dickson before being caught from the ball by Jade Dernbach for 37.The Falcons lost Luis Reece early in their reply when Bancroft produced a brilliant one-handed catch, allowing Paul van Meekeren to notch his first Durham wicket. Leus du Plooy and Tom Wood steadied the ship, and put the Durham bowlers under pressure with placement rather than power to find the fence.Wood and Du Plooy manoeuvred Derbyshire into a strong position, bringing the required rate under control in a partnership of 68. However, momentum turned when Van Meekeren broke the stand as Wood sliced a top edge to Clark at backward point. Luke Doneathy then claimed his maiden T20 wicket clean bowling Du Plooy for 47 to drag the hosts back into the contest.The Falcons found a second wind as Critchley and Guest combined to dispatch Potts for 17 in the 17th over. Guest then launched Potts for another maximum in the 19th to leave Derbyshire requiring only eight to win. The Falcons held their nerve under pressure as Guest blasted the winning runs from the final ball of Raine’s over.

It was not exactly 624 but Kumar Sangakkara’s career-best had a similar effect as the 2006 record stand he put on with Mahela Jawaywardene against the same opposition seven years ago

The Report by Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara’s career-best 169 proved to be too costly for South Africa•Associated Press

It was not exactly 624 but Kumar Sangakkara’s career-best had a similar effect as the 2006 record stand he put on with Mahela Jawaywardene against the same opposition seven years ago. Sangakkara’s 169 was his 16th ODI century, the highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman at home, which sent him past Ian Bell as the second highest run-scorer in ODIs this year and took his 2013 average to 75.55. It was also the difference between the two sides at the Premadasa Stadium.Sangakkara dominated the South African attack with unusual aggression. He built his innings to a crescendo, scoring 66 runs off the first 91 balls and 103 from the next 46 and bulleted the leg side with boundaries. Almost 78% of his runs – 131 – came on the on side.He made all South African bowlers – from their seamers who persisted with the short ball to their sitting duck trio of spinners – appear ineffectual and set their batsmen a target that would require them to complete the highest successful chase at the ground. That set Sri Lanka up to subject South Africa to their second-biggest loss and begin Russell Domingo’s tenure on a difficult note.South Africa went into the fixture understaffed, with Lonwabo Tsotsobe unfit for selection and Hashim Amla missing out because of an overnight neck problem. But they also seemed underprepared despite a week of training on the island.Morne Morkel and Chris Morris bowled 19 deliveries between them in the first two overs because of the seven wides they sent down. To add insult to that ill-discipline, Morkel had Upul Tharanga dropped on nought by Alviro Petersen in the first over after the quick changed angles to round the wicket as he tried to find his line.Morris discovered his soon after and bowled Tillakaratne Dilshan for 10 but Tharanga was there to remind South Africa what an error can cost. He took advantage of any width and put on 70 with Sangakkara before inside edging onto his stumps off Morkel.Sangakkara and Jayawardene evoked even more memories of 2006 in their stint at the crease together. In their 74-run stand, Jayawardene dispatched the short ball at will while Sangakkara dealt with the spinners. Jayawardene succumbed to the pull but left Sangakkara to inflict the bulk of the damage.Sangakkara imposed his authority in the latter third of the innings. Lahiru Thirimanne scored just 17 runs in a 123-run stand with Sangakkara, who hit audacious shots like the scoop and had some fortune with his edges. Already on a magical run this year, Sangakkara took that to new heights against an attack that ran out of ideas.Thisara Perera’s cameo at the end allowed Sri Lanka to take 103 runs off the last 10 overs and saw Sri Lanka post a total South Africa were never in with a chance of chasing.Colin Ingram, opening in place of Amla, was out for a golden duck as his defences were absent against a perfect, inswinging Lasith Malinga yorker. Duminy, who was in a new role at No. 3 and playing his 100th ODI, dealt with Malinga better and hit him for two fours in the fifth over. Just as he looked good, he outside edged off Shaminda Eranga and Sangakkara reacted outstandingly to take a one-handed catch, low down.Petersen showed why he should be considered in the openers’ role more permanently with a watchful knock. Along with AB de Villiers, who was dropped by Eranga off his own bowling on 4, he made a South African challenge seem possible. De Villiers drove well and looked comfortable until Rangana Herath was brought on.Sri Lanka’s go-to man produced a delivery that angled into de VIlliers and bowled him as he played inside the line. Petersen, who was joint top-scorer on 29, was caught behind in the next over and at 75 for 4, it was only a matter of time.South Africa’s last six wickets fell for 58 runs as the middle order lacked temperament and application. That only served to worsen their record: South Africa have not won an ODI against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka since 1993 and have won only one of the 11 completed matches against the hosts they have played there. They will question their flawed strategy, especially in the spin department as they played two left-arm spinners against a top five with three left-handed batsmen and two sublime players of spin, who made them pay today.

Laughing all the way to the win was Ravindra Jadeja, who mixed educated edges and meaty blows superbly to take Chennai home with 38 off 20

The Report by Sidharth Monga13-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The name’s Jadeja, Ravindra Jadeja: another day, another win•BCCI

The last time Royal Challengers Bangalore went to Chennai, Virat Kohli lost a won match when he bowled one over. The captain this time, Kohli lost a won game by handing over the ball to RP Singh, who conceded 16 in the last over, including a huge no-ball, which was caught at third man and would have won them the match had RP not overstepped – it was meant to be the final ball of the game. Laughing all the way to the win was Ravindra Jadeja, who mixed educated edges and meaty blows superbly to take Chennai Super Kings home with 38 off 20.After Ravi Rampaul and R Vinay Kumar removed the openers to reduce Super Kings to 10 for 2 in four overs, it was all uphill for the home side. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath rebuilt but when they fell Super Kings still needed 88 off 46. Vinay brought it to 65 off 30, conceding only six in the 15th over. Dhoni and Jadeja kept on hitting the odd boundary, one of them right out of the stadium, but the asking rate kept going up.With 29 required off the last two overs, Rampaul seemed to have sealed the deal with the wickets of Dhoni – for 33 off 23 – and Bravo – for 8 off 3 – in the 19th over. However, Kohli had a situation on his hands. Vinay had bowled out, and he had to choose between Daniel Christian and RP because the left-arm spinners would have turned or angled the ball into Jadeja’s natural swing. Christian had gone for just 13 in two overs, but has had a forgettable record bowling the final over in IPL games.So RP it was, and RP it was who bowled two length balls at the top of the over. Jadeja edged the first over short third man, but absolutely smoked the next one over long-on. The pressure was squarely on Royal Challengers now. Wearing the orange cap, reclaimed through an anchoring fifty earlier in the innings, Kohli misfielded the fourth ball at long-on, allowing the second. He had done so earlier too.Chris Morris, who had taken three wickets including the big one of Chris Gayle and two during the slog overs to keep Royal Challengers down to 165, accepted that couple and followed it with a single to make it two required off the last ball. Surreal scenes followed. RP bowled a bouncer, Jadeja ramped it straight to third man, Kohli thought he could yet end up on the right side of it until he saw the outstretched arm of the umpire and the celebrating Jadeja, who seems to be unable to do any wrong this season even if he tries.Replays showed this wasn’t just any ordinary no-ball, RP had overstepped by a foot. Kohli backed RP in the public, but there might be words spoken behind closed doors. Royal Challengers will also look at the last over when they batted, when Arun Karthik kept heaving and wasting deliveries as opposed to bringing to strike AB de Villiers, who scored a manic 64 off 32, full of sweeps against fast bowlers.

Boult, Henry and Patel all among the wickets after New Zealand make six changes from Lord’s

Valkerie Baynes10-Jun-2021Half-centuries to Rory Burns and Dan Lawrence restored order for England after a New Zealand attack bolstered by Trent Boult threatened to derail the hosts on an opening day when the ball and the momentum swung at Edgbaston with entertaining effect.Boult, New Zealand’s leading seamer, linked up with the squad on Saturday having served his post-IPL quarantine period and was an automatic inclusion amid a staggering six changes to the side which drew the first Test at Lord’s.With Kane Williamson (elbow) and Mitchell Santner (finger) out because of injury and BJ Watling (back problem) replaced by Tom Blundell shortly before play began, Will Young and and Ajaz Patel came into the side. They were joined by Boult for Tim Southee and Matt Henry for Kyle Jamieson, while Daryl Mitchell replaced Colin de Grandhomme as New Zealand showed an embarrassment of riches ahead of next week’s World Test Championship final against India.When Boult prised out opener Rory Burns for 81 with his 12th ball after the tea break, he removed England’s main hope for recovery at that point. It came soon after England had lost three wickets for 13 runs in less than 20 minutes and slumped to 152 for 4 in the afternoon session.But Lawrence stepped in with an assured and unbeaten 67 to guide England to the close in a far more comfortable position than had looked likely between lunch and tea.After removing Burns, Boult struck with the first delivery of his next over, removing James Bracey for a duck – his second in as many innings – but Olly Stone survived the hat-trick ball and went on to steady the innings with Lawrence, the pair putting on 47 runs for the seventh wicket.Dan Lawrence en route his half-century•Getty Images

The Stone-Lawrence union was a much-needed bright spot for England, along with Burns’ opening stand of 72 with Dom Sibley, which had steered their side to the lunch break at 67 without loss. What ensued in between times had the potential to devastate England’s innings.Burns and Sibley batted sedately but smartly in the morning, Sibley’s knock bearing little resemblance to his grinding 60 off 207 balls which helped England salvage a draw in the fourth innings at Lord’s. Sibley struck five fours on his way to 35 from 84 deliveries, including one through square leg to bring up England’s fifty.But when they returned from lunch, New Zealand’s bowlers started to find some swing and it proved a weapon.Henry struck with the sixth ball after the break when Sibley was caught betwixt and between by a ball just back of a length and in the corridor which swung away enough to find an edge and carry to stand-in keeper Blundell.Zak Crawley’s lean patch continued as he followed up twin scores of two at Lord’s with a duck. Having been rushed into a defensive shot by a Neil Wagner ball that swung in, Crawley hung his bat out to the next delivery which moved less and edged to Mitchell at third slip.Henry then claimed his second wicket – the prized scalp of Joe Root – with a late outswinger that caught the edge and was snapped up by Blundell.Related

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Burns brought up his fifty with an authoritative drive through extra cover for two as the wickets tumbled around him. Ollie Pope stuck with him for a while but not long enough, falling for 19 when he was caught behind off Patel.As Burns and Lawrence looked to rebuild, Boult came to the fore, luring Burns into an attempted cover drive with a ball that swung away and clipped the outside edge, with Tom Latham, acting captain in Williamson’s absence, taking a good, low catch at second slip. Bracey followed and with six men down, only three had reached double figures.That’s when Stone and Lawrence got to work and they managed to stall New Zealand’s momentum until Patel had Stone out lbw. From there, Lawrence really took control though. He struck Boult for two fours in an over late in the day, the first a gorgeous drive through extra cover and then a neat clip off the pads.Mark Wood stuck with him to be 16 not out at the close, his straight hit for four off Henry mirrored by Lawrence off Boult on the next ball and the 70-percent-capacity crowd enjoyed it – and every moment of the day – if the noise, colour and movement that heralded the return of fans under a post-pandemic Government trial was anything to go by.