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The fast bowling duo will return for the ODIs as South Africa look to expand their short-format player pool

Firdose Moonda11-Nov-2024Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka will be rested for the home T20I series against England as South Africa look to expand their short-format player pool. They have recalled medium-pacer Eliz-Mari Marx, who was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the CSA Women’s Pro20 series, and allrounder Nondumiso Shangase. Kapp and Khaka will return for the three-match ODI series which follows.South Africa’s T20 squad will also be without wicketkeeper-batter Mieke de Ridder and Seshnie Naidu, who were both part of the recently completed T20 World Cup. De Ridder has been replaced by Faye Tunnicliffe, while Naidu is completing her final school exams and will then be preparing for the Under-19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia in January.The rest of the squad includes three players currently at the WBBL: captain Laura Wolvaardt and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon, who will return from Australia in time for the first match on November 24. Bowlers Ayanda Hlubi and Tumi Sekhukhune, who were also at the T20 World Cup but did not play a game, may get an opportunity at home, where conditions are expected to suit them better.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Interim coach Dillon du Preez will continue to manage the side for now and said he hopes they can build on their performance at the T20 World Cup, where they reached a second successive final.”We would like to have the same approach that we did in the last T20 World Cup. Although the next T20 World Cup is in two years’ time, we would still like to grow as a team and continue to work on our T20 playing philosophy,” du Preez said in a statement. “We decided to give one or two players a chance in the T20I series to prove themselves and also to give us a chance to look at what stock we have available and what skill we need to work on.”South Africa have added additional resources to the 50-over squad, in batter Lara Goodall, experienced seamer Masabata Klaas while Hlubi is in line for an ODI debut. The matches are part of the Women’s Championship, which forms the qualification pathway for next year’s ODI World Cup in India. South Africa are currently in fourth place, with 23 points, five behind Australia and England. The top five teams along with hosts India will automatically advance to the event which means Australia and England have already qualified. South Africa have gone through as well, even if they are overtaken by Bangladesh or West Indies, both of whom have six matches left to play (including three against each other). That can happen if Bangladesh or West Indies win the bilateral series 3-0 and South Africa lose 3-0 to England.The tour also includes a one-off Test in Bloemfontein from December 15 to 18, for which South Africa will name the squad at a later date. The T20 games are on November 24, 27 and 30 followed by the ODIs on December 4, 8 and 11.

South Africa Women squads for England series

T20I: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloé Tryon, Faye TunnicliffeODI: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloé Tryon

The competition, featuring seven matches, will be held in Jaipur like last year

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-2020This year’s four-team Women’s T20 Challenge will be played on the sidelines of the IPL playoffs at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, which had also hosted last year’s competition.The BCCI confirmed via a release on Saturday that the expanded tournament – seven matches as against four last time and just one the year before – would be played “during the IPL Playoff and Finals week”, which will be after the league stage of the competition ends on May 17.ALSO READ: The case for a bigger, better Women’s T20 Challenge next yearThe first edition in 2018, had a one-off game between Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas and Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, while a third team – Velocity, led by Mithali Raj – was added in 2019, where the matches were played in a single round-robin format followed by a final, where Supernovas beat Velocity. They had won the inaugural edition too.Last year, 39 players including several top overseas stars, were divided among the three teams.

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.

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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• New Zealand's wholesale changes show immense strength in depth

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.

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

Allrounder smacks 51 and then returns 5-29 to help Bangladesh script a 62-run win and get in the top half of the points table

The Report by Saurabh Somani24-Jun-2019As it happenedShakib Al Hasan came, spun, and conquered, carrying Bangladesh to a comfortable 62-run win over Afghanistan that kept their semi-final aspirations alive at the 2019 World Cup.Shakib made it to the record books on the way, most significantly becoming only the third player – after Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh – to have a century and a five-wicket haul in the same edition of the World Cup, and the second, after Yuvraj, to score a 50-plus score and return a five-for in the same World Cup game. He first extended his good batting form to hit a fifth 50-plus score in six innings in the tournament, and then broke the back of Afghanistan’s chase with 5 for 29 in ten overs – Bangladesh’s best World Cup figures.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights of Bangladesh’s 62-run win over AfghanistanBangladesh now have seven points with two games in hand. Those two games are against India and Pakistan, but the manner in which Bangladesh have been playing, they will have the belief that they can continue to upset pre-tournament predictions.Against Afghanistan, form-wise, Bangladesh were heavily favoured to win. But they have had a prickly history with Afghanistan and the head-to-head record is a lot closer than they would want. They did look tentative in the initial exchanges, but on pitch that gripped, and a ground with long boundaries, that wasn’t catastrophic.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights from Mushfiqur Rahim’s 87-ball 83Gulbadin Naib made the surprising decision to bowl first on winning the toss, a move that made Mashrafe Mortaza happy because he wanted to bat first in any case.Afghanistan’s game plan while bowling revolved around their spinners – making the decision to bat first seem more inexplicable – and Bangladesh prepared their tactics accordingly. They broke up the successful opening combine of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, sending Liton Das at the top instead of Soumya to counter Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The move didn’t work, with Mujeeb accounting for Liton with a carrom ball. He would later get Soumya, who came in at No. 5, too.In the middle, he struck another crucial blow by trapping Shakib lbw, which allowed Afghanistan some measure of control in the middle overs. Mujeeb’s 3 for 39 was just rewards for his excellent show. He had bowled the tough overs and kept Bangladesh’s batsmen quiet. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan too had good outings, with Nabi taking out Tamim.Shakib Al Hasan entered the record books on his way to a match-winning performance•Getty Images

But Mushfiqur Rahim stayed put, moving the score along. Bangladesh had a phase of more than 12 overs – from 24.1 to 36.1 inclusive – without a boundary, but Mushfiqur didn’t lose patience in that phase and opened out after that. He had a shot at emulating countrymen Shakib and Mahmudullah in hitting back-to-back World Cup tons, but fell for an 87-ball 83 in the penultimate over.However, Bangladesh did get the finishing kick courtesy Mossadek Hossain’s 35 off 24, and once they had put on in excess of 250, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Afghanistan, who didn’t help themselves with a sloppy display in the field – ESPNcricinfo’s data had them saving three runs and conceding 19.The chase needed one top-order batsman to play a big innings, batting throughout, but Gulbadin’s 47 was the only substantial score in the top five. The openers built a steady platform, but they needed more than steady. Bangladesh gave the new ball to their pacers, Mortaza and Mustafizur Rahman, and Afghanistan’s best bet was to get off to a fast start against the hard new ball with the sun out, and later milk the spinners. But with Mashrafe and Mustafizur keeping things relatively tight, Afghanistan weren’t quite where they had hoped to be after the first Powerplay.Enter Shakib. And mayhem. He got Rahmat Shah in his first over, and then returned to prise the heart out of Afghanistan’s chase with the wickets of Gulbadin and Nabi within three balls.Adding to Afghanistan’s strange decision-making was another odd move: sending Najibullah Zadran at No. 8, behind wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil. Najibullah showed the folly of that move with pleasing strokeplay, but he had walked in against an asking rate that was improbable, against a spinner on top of his game.Shakib duly got his five-for when Najibullah wandered too far down and was stumped, and any faint hope Afghanistan might have had vanished, even though Samiullah Shinwari, playing his first game of the competition, did push them along with a stroke-filled 49 not out.When Kapil, in 1983, and Yuvraj, in 2011, hit a century and took a five-wicket haul in the same World Cup, their teams lifted the trophy. That final result is still a long way off for this edition, but Shakib’s wizardry has meant that the boulder souls in Bangladesh will dare to hope of a repeat.

The possible returns of Steven Smith and David Warner have also raised the Australia captain’s hopes

Daniel Brettig in Canberra04-Feb-2019Australia Test captain Tim Paine has revealed that he has been thinking about this year’s Ashes series for at least six months, and believes that the dominant 2-0 series win over a decidedly modest Sri Lanka side has helped the hosts crystallise a formula that can help them return to the pinnacle of world cricket.The two victories – by an innings in Brisbane and then by 366 runs in Canberra – were achieved against opponents who seemed completely unprepared for the challenge of Australian conditions in general and pace bowling in particular. Paine nonetheless was unequivocal in asserting that the unity central to those displays – bowlers hunting as a pack, batsmen building partnerships and, finally, centuries – provided the blueprint for success against stronger opponents on higher-profile days.ALSO READ: Starc clears his head and goes whang“Honestly, we were quite disappointed with the way we played against India,” Paine said. “I think the differences between the two series were that our ability to bowl as a group against India wasn’t quite there at times. Whether that’s because Virat (Kohli) and (Cheteshwar) Pujara were more patient than us and forced our bowlers out of their plans, but I thought we turned it around in this series with a real focus on bowling for each other and playing cricket as a team.”Obviously you need individual performances to win moments, but overall the stronger our team can be and the more that we play for each other – this series, or Sri Lanka and the way that we played in these last two Test matches – I think we can beat anyone in the world. The focus was on us playing as a team, so we’ve got to keep driving that home.”There will be no assignment of greater import than the Ashes in England later in 2019 where the Australians, bolstered by the possible returns of the banned Steven Smith and David Warner, will seek to become the first team clad in the baggy green to win the urn in the UK since 2001. Paine, who made his debut in England in 2010, albeit against Pakistan, admitted he had been thinking and dreaming of the series for quite some time, and also had a fair few names in mind for the likely 17-man squad.”About six months ago … I’ve been dreaming about it actually,” Paine said when asked when he would start thinking about the Ashes. “I’m happy now that we’ve got this out of the way, I can put everything into it because every Australian cricketer can’t wait to go and play an Ashes series and particularly in England.”It’s something that I’ve certainly dreamed of as a kid. I didn’t think I’d be going over as the captain, but in the back of my mind I’ve been thinking about it, I’ve been watching England, keeping a really close eye on them, I can’t wait to get over there.David Warner pulls as Steve Smith watches from the slips•Getty Images

“I’ve got a fair idea what it (the squad) might look like. But I’m not a selector, so I get asked my input. But I think they would have a pretty good picture of what it would look like. What we’ve seen over this summer is that we’ve now started to build a squad with plenty of depth. So there’s probably anywhere between 16 and 20 players now that we think are in the mix, a really good place to be.”First among these names will undoubtedly be paceman Pat Cummins, who reaped an eye-popping 14 wickets at 7.78 against Sri Lanka despite operating at first change behind Mitchell Starc and Jhye Richardson. “He’s got to be pretty close to it, isn’t he?” Paine said in response to whether Cummins was now among the world’s very best.”The difference with Pat and those guys is he doesn’t take the new ball. So he bowls at times when the ball’s not doing as much and the wicket’s a bit flatter. I think his ability to get it done in all conditions – whether it’s moving around or not – is second to none.”I felt as the summer went on he got better and better the more he bowled, it felt quicker and more accurate. He’d be the fastest Australian bowler to 90 wickets. That probably says he’s right up there.”Two other names clearly in Paine’s squad are Smith and Warner, who he identified as critical parts of an Ashes-winning team. The end of the Sri Lanka series marked the end of a stretch of nine Test matches that the former captain and vice-captain have missed through suspension, and there can be little doubt as to how warmly they will be received when they return to the fold.”I think everyone has to a degree got to earn their stripes, I think those two have plenty of runs in the bank,” Paine said. “I see us going to the Ashes and them having a huge part in us winning the series. That’s how I see how important they are to this team. We know how good they are. Hopefully once their bans are up they’ll be welcomed back and they’ll win Test matches like they did before.”

Azhar Ali makes 88 as Derbyshire endure day of toil in the field

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2022Worcestershire 326 for 5 (Haynes 133, Ali 88) vs DerbyshireJack Haynes scored his second consecutive first-class century as Worcestershire edged the opening day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.The 21-year-old backed-up his maiden hundred against Durham on Sunday with 133 from 207 balls out of Worcestershire’s 326 for 5.Azhar Ali made 88 from 192 balls, adding 187 in 56 overs with Haynes to follow the 195 stand they shared to save the Durham match before Derbyshire hit back with the second new ball.Sam Conners removed Haynes before a brilliant catch by Anuj Dal sent back Brett D’Oliveira five overs before the close.Derbyshire’s decision to bowl first on a pitch tinged with green was possibly based on the amount of rain in Derby the previous day but apart from Suranga Lakmal, the bowlers struggled.Lakmal’s opening spell tested the technique and judgement of the batsmen and deserved more than the one wicket of Ed Pollock in the sixth over.Pollock was drawn into pushing forward at a good length ball that moved away enough to take the outside edge which was taken low down by Brooke Guest.Azhar could easily have followed but survived a rigorous examination by Lakmal to bat through the first session and establish a foundation that he and Haynes built on in the afternoon.Haynes joined him in the 13th over after Jake Libby was lbw to one that cut back from Ryan Sidebottom and continued from where he left off at Worcester on Sunday.His driving off the back foot through the covers was a feature of another impressive display of application and selectivity although the top-edged pull that took him to 50 could have easily gone to hand.There were few other mistakes as he and Azhar batted through the afternoon session, adding 120 in 34 overs.Azhar became increasingly fluent after completing his second 50 for Worcestershire and was clearly annoyed when he failed to convert it into a century.His attempt to cut Alex Thomson’s off-spin only gave Wayne Madsen a sharp catch at slip five overs after tea but Haynes did not miss out.Last year at Worcester Haynes fell for 97 against Derbyshire but this time he pulled a short ball from Sidebottom for his 12th four to go to his second hundred in four days.Derbyshire took the second new ball as soon as it became available and struck immediately when Conners nibbled one away to have Haynes caught low down at first slip.D’Oliveira and Ed Barnard took Worcestershire to a third batting point which was the first time in Derbyshire’s history that scores of 300 or more have been posted in five consecutive innings before the home side broke through again.D’Oliveira cut Sidebottom firmly to point but Dal underlined his reputation as an outstanding fielder by leaping high at point to take a superb catch.

Only 4.4 overs needed for visitors to take final two Kent wickets on fourth morning

ECB Reporters Network08-Sep-2022Essex 573 (Khushi 164, Critchley 90, Cook 78, Westley 54, Allison 53) beat Kent 164 (Allison 4-40) and 149 (Cox 65, Cook 7-33) by an innings and 260 runsEssex routed Kent by an innings and 260 runs on day four of their LV=Insurance match with Essex at Canterbury. The visitors needed just 4.4 overs to claim the remaining two wickets on day four, bowling Kent out for 149.Sam Cook took 10 for 60 in the match, including 7 for 33 in the second innings, while Jamie Porter claimed 3 for 50. Jordan Cox was Kent’s top-scorer with 65, but the hosts are now deep in the relegation mire, having taken just a single point, while Essex claimed 23.”Credit to Kent and the groundstaff, they’ve actually done an outstanding job getting the ground fit and ready to play, “Essex’s captain, Tom Westley, said. “It was frustrating last night needing the two wickets and knowing there was some bad weather around today, but everything’s worked out for the best.”We could keep talking about Sammy Cook and I have done relentlessly, but he’s absolutely world class, I don’t think there’s a better seamer. The stats will back it up, he gets wickets in the first innings, the second innings, at Chelmsford and away from Chelmsford and he’s phenomenal. We’re very lucky to have him at Essex.”Torrential rain delayed the start until 12.38pm, with Kent resuming on 137 for 8 in their second innings, needing a notional 272 to make Essex bat again.In reality, with Milnes’ mobility drastically reduced due to a stress fracture in his back, Kent’s only hope of escaping with a draw was to bat for as long as possible and hope the rain returned.Milnes, in what may be his final act as a Kent player before he moves to Yorkshire next season, lasted three overs before getting a bottom edge to Cook that was taken by a tumbling Nick Browne. Although dark clouds were hovering, the rain stayed away and the victory was sealed when Cox edged Porter and fell to a juggling catch by Matt Critchley in the slips.Kent’s coach, Matt Walker, said: “I don’t think we deserved the rain to save us really, we haven’t played well enough over three days and if you’re hoping for rain to save you, you know you’re in a pretty tough spot. We fought hard last night to try and drag it out till today where we knew the forecast was a bit indifferent, but we didn’t deserve to get anything out of this game.”The numbers are pretty stark. It was a good cricket wicket, there was a bit in it, it was a good toss to win and we didn’t make the most of those conditions early on. It wasn’t a terrible first session but we didn’t challenge them enough and they just showed us how to go about it and how to bowl on this wicket. It almost at times looked as if it was two different surfaces and that’s what happens when you do your basics well enough.”

The culture of togetherness within the squad was the main reason for the upturn in fortunes, Sri Lanka’s captain has said

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2019Sri Lanka have made history in South Africa, becoming only the third team overall – after England and Australia – and the first from Asia to breach the fortress in a Test series.It came against all calculations. After all, Sri Lanka have had very few reasons to cheer on the cricket field – or off it, for that matter – in recent months. Not to forget they had a new captain in the form of Dimuth Karunaratne for the series, with Dinesh Chandimal getting the axe after two huge defeats in Australia. The sword was hanging over coach Chandika Hathurusingha’s head too, and more than one key player picked up injuries and dropped out.”Beating South Africa two-nil isn’t easy. When we came here, we were underdogs. But we learnt a lot of things on previous tours, and the players executed really well in these conditions. That’s why we are here. It’s a great achievement for us,” Karunaratne gushed after Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando struck unbeaten half-centuries to take Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win in Port Elizabeth for a series sweep.Just how big was the result? Karunaratne admitted that even when, at various stages, there were words of positivity and hope thrown about in the dressing room, “we didn’t take that seriously”.”I think we never expected to do it,” he said. “But when we started winning, we had the faith. We wanted to compete. Winning is the ultimate goal, but if we do the right things, the result will definitely be good for us. Most of the guys said that but we didn’t take that seriously, because when we have additional pressure, it’s not easy.”Cut to Saturday, which started with Sri Lanka 60 for 2 in their chase of 197, and “we said when you go out there, you play your natural game; if you can score, if you can hit over the fielder, go for it. That’s what in the first hour Mendis and Oshada did … when we played like that, South Africa were on the back foot.”Kasun Rajitha is pumped up•Getty Images

Karunaratne stressed on “keep smiling” and “keep enjoying” as the main mantras for the players. After over two months on the road – with very little joy – the words proved useful.”The tour (in New Zealand) started in December, so we are out of the country for three months. If you don’t enjoy and if you can’t free your mind, you can’t give your best,” Karunaratne said. “I know the talent we have, so we wanted to get those out. If you’re enjoying yourself, you can definitely get those out.”With Mendis, who hasn’t had his best run with the bat while on the road, the new captain had to work extra hard. “He was really feeling the pressure, he was thinking about the social media and everything,” Karunaratne said. “But I said, ‘When you get a good knock, you’ll forget about it and we’ll keep supporting you. It’s high time you do it.’ And he did it for me.”Mendis and Oshada pulled it off in the end, but Sri Lanka had many other heroes in Port Elizabeth after Kusal Perera had done it all almost single-handedly in the first Test in Durban.South Africa only scored 222 and 128, and that was because the pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha picked up 13 wickets between them and Dhananjaya de Silva, the lone spinner after Lasith Embuldeniya dislocated his left thumb, provided crucial breakthroughs in conditions not too suited to his brand of offspin.And no, comments from South Africans like Keshav Maharaj didn’t serve to spur the players on, according to the new captain, who now looks set to hold the job at least for the foreseeable future.”We had a few discussions, what I expect, what the management expects, and after that, we kept hanging together, we ate dinner together, we were together,” he said of the team culture he has tried to put in place. “When you make that culture, when you come overseas, only the squad will stay here … I wanted them to give their best and stay in the game all the time. They enjoyed a lot, still they are enjoying. It’s really a great feeling, when we are playing together, and my job becomes easier.”When we came here, no one thought we can win a series here. But if we back ourselves, we can win those matches. We wanted to do something good for the team, for the Sri Lankan fans. End of the day, we did a really good job.”