Board said the fast bowler had reported the incident immediately to the authorities

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2023Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has imposed a five-year ban on a “fan” for making a spot-fixing approach to fast bowler Luke Jongwe in August last year. ZC said that Jongwe had immediately reported the approach to the authorities.”Edward Walter Mupangano, a 27-year-old cricket fan from Harare who in the past also had playing trials with a local club, received the sanction after he approached Luke Jongwe on 4 August 2022 and sought to introduce him to an Indian bookmaker who allegedly wanted the player to bowl in a pre-arranged manner during an international match in return for a payment amounting to US$7000,” ZC said in a statement.”The facilitator himself would allegedly receive US$3000 if the planned corrupt activity was successful.”The board said Mupangano had accepted the charge of violating the anti-corruption code and that he had been banned from all ZC-affiliated events, activities and venues for five years.In the wake of this incident, ZC called for Zimbabwe to make “fixing and any other sporting corruption a criminal offence” under the country’s law.”It is our view that harsh sanctions, including custodial sentences, will go a long way in helping cricket to curb one of the biggest threats to its credibility,” ZC chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani said. “Criminalising match-fixing and spot-fixing will send a strong warning to offenders and would-be offenders that corruption has no place in cricket and those who engage in it should be jailed or put out of the game.”ZC said it would “intensify its anti-corruption education drive within its structures and continue working with the ICC to ensure that cricket locally and globally is not tainted”.”The integrity of ZC and the game itself is of paramount importance and, therefore, the need to maintain high levels of honesty and professionalism at all levels of the game cannot be overemphasised,” ZC managing director Givemore Makoni said. “Let me take this opportunity to place on record our thanks to Luke Jongwe for reporting the approach – this is what is expected of all participants in cricket if we are to keep our game clean.”Jongwe, 28, has played one Test, 37 ODIs and 45 T20Is for Zimbabwe since making his debut in 2014.

Hayley Matthews provides bedrock for West Indies but England reach target with 5.3 overs to spare

Alan Gardner11-Feb-2023England swept aside the challenge of West Indies in a punchy opening Group 2 encounter in Paarl, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight sealing the chase with an unbroken 67-run stand. Hayley Matthews struck the ball cleanly with 42 off 32 for West Indies but a solid total of 135 for 7 was made to look far from adequate by England as the top order dealt in boundaries to hunt down victory with 33 balls to spare.West Indies were buoyed at the toss by the return of Stafanie Taylor and were given a fast start by Matthews, reaching 47 for 0 at the end of the powerplay. But Taylor looked rusty, falling for 3 off 15 soon after, and when Matthews was second out in the 11th over – one of three wickets for Sophie Ecclestone – it was left to Shemaine Campbelle to try and hustle a defendable total.West Indies’ No. 3 made 34 from 37 before falling to some smart glovework from Amy Jones and England pulled off two run-outs to help keep the shackles on through the closing stages. It was, nevertheless, West Indies’ best total batting first in a T20I against England since they made 140 for 6 at Bridgetown in 2013.In reply, England’s spark came from Sophia Dunkley, who belted 34 from 18 as the powerplay yielded 58 runs – their best in World Cups. Both of the openers had departed by then but Alice Capsey continued the freewheeling approach before Sciver-Brunt and Knight ensured there would be no slips-ups in the manner experienced by the hosts, South Africa, during their opening-night defeat to Sri Lanka. Victory was sealed in emphatic fashion by Knight pumping Chinelle Henry over long-off for six.

Slam Dunkley sets the tone

England have talked up the aggressive approach adopted since the arrival of Jon Lewis as head coach, and they walked the walk at the start of what could have been a tricky chase. Dunkley was the aggressor in chief, the opener taking particular liking to Matthews’ offspin when the West Indies captain brought herself on in the third over.Matthews’ first ball was dumped serenely over long-on for the first six of the match, and she proceeded to go over the top twice more with a pair of controlled lofts towards long-off. England had 37 on the board when Danni Wyatt holed out to deep cover in the next over, and raised their 50 from just 29 balls before Dunkley’s fun was cut short by a magnificent reflex caught-and-bowled from Henry.

Sciver-Brunt and Knight keep the foot down

England were already more than halfway to their target when Capsey was stumped yards out of her ground giving Afy Fletcher the charge. After eight overs, the requirement was a comfortable 61 from 72 but Sciver-Brunt and Knight ensured they would not get bogged down by scoring at almost ten an over during their partnership.Zaina James, the 18-year-old spinner playing her second T20I, saw her first ball – a high full toss that was a called a no-ball – swatted disdainfully over the rope at deep square leg by Sciver-Brunt, while Knight brought out the reverse sweep for her first boundary later in the over. In all, there were six overs in which England scored two or more boundaries, and no letting up as West Indies were handed their 14th consecutive defeat in T20Is.Hayley Matthews drives through the covers•ICC/Getty Images

Matthews flies, Taylor stalls

Having won the toss, West Indies sent out their two most-experienced batters at the top of the order. Matthews has been carrying her side in recent times, but the return of Taylor for her first T20I since July 2021 following a back problem came with the promise of greater support – although, in the event, Matthews continued to do the bulk of the hard work.She was in regal touch during the powerplay, during which eight fours flowed off her bat. Matthews got stuck in to Lauren Bell’s wayward third over of the innings, cutting and driving successive boundaries, took a brace of fours off Ecclestone and then three more from Katherine Sciver-Brunt – two deftly steered to deep third, the other a rocket pull – in the sixth to leave West Indies in a healthy position.Taylor had been far less fluent, struggling to get bat on ball and taking 10 deliveries to get off the mark. She was given out in Bell’s first over but successfully overturned Vrinda Rathi’s lbw decision. After six overs, she had 3 off 13 – while Matthews had peeled off 37 from 23 at the other end. But then, to the second ball after the powerplay, Taylor played back to Sarah Glenn and was put out of her misery.

Campbelle keeps Windies out of the soup

The dismissal of Matthews, lbw attempting to sweep Ecclestone, was the point at which England began to exert their grip. Shabika Gajnabi was run out in the next over attempting to come back for two, and West Indies were grateful to Campbelle’s nimble feet and hands during a stand of 41 from 31 with Henry. Campbelle struck four fours and five twos but was brilliantly held by Jones standing up to the wicket, before Knight’s direct hit ran out Henry.Ecclestone helped prevent any lower-order heroics, finish with tidy figures of 3 for 24, as England conceded just one boundary from the final 23 balls of the innings.

New Test captain delivers series-sealing knock to restore feelgood factor to South Africa

Firdose Moonda11-Mar-2023The Temba Bavuma who returned home from Australia at the start of the summer, after South Africa’s exit from the T20I World Cup at the hands of the Netherlands, was so distraught he could not even look up. Not directly at the people who were present at one of the first live press conferences of the post-Covid era. And nor at the Zoom screen either, where several squares stared at him, waiting for answers to a question no-one could answer: how had South Africa slipped that far?If you had said to that Bavuma that, four months and one chastening series loss to Australia later, he himself would be orchestrating a feel-good series win against West Indies – both as Test captain and as Player of the Match in the series decider – he may have praised your imagination. But that is exactly the kind of magic turnaround cricket sometimes provides.This time, Bavuma could look every fan in the eye in the Wanderers crowd – admittedly there weren’t many of them, given that the Test started mid-week and ended midway through Saturday – and with a smile after his series-defining century in his first rubber as captain. It turned out that four months is a long time in cricket, long enough for a complete turnaround for a player and a team that had been spiralling.”What happened in Australia took place a long time ago,” Bavuma said after his side’s 284-run victory. “What happened in the T20 World Cup, it’s in the past now. It’s happened and I’ve moved on from it. I’m here now and my mind is in a different space now.”Bavuma had to return to Australia after that defeat, for a Test series in which South Africa had been lucky to lose just 2-0, and in which they had extended their stretch of sub-200 to seven successive innings. He was at least South Africa’s leading run-scorer in that series, with 185 runs at 37.00 with a solitary fifty, but finished below three Australian batters.The series was chastening for a team that had previously won three successive series in Australia but Bavuma took it as a teachable moment and wanted to come back better. “It was tough in Australia and as players, we were all under pressure,” he said. “There were things that I learned in Australia and when I returned from the tour, I sat down and thought through them. I looked at where I needed to improve my game and I hope the results were there for everyone to see.”Related

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• Temba Bavuma ends seven-year wait with a high-pressure hundred

• West Indies search for balance between Tests and T20 league for their players

• Maharaj in danger of missing ODI World Cup with Achilles injury

• Rabada, Coetzee, Harmer wrap up 2-0 series win for South Africa

A key criticism of Bavuma over time had been his strike rate. In T20Is, it is considered too low for him to even make the team, and he has since been dropped after standing down as captain; and in Tests it was also sluggish enough for it to be cited as one of the reasons he had only scored one century in 54 appearances prior to this series. Despite that, South Africa’s new Test coach, Shukri Conrad, saw something in Bavuma that he liked and decided he was the man to captain the Test side – a factor in his relinquishing of the T20I reins to concentrate on the formats he is strongest at.Bavuma is now the face of a new South African Test outfit – albeit one that will not play again until December against India – and has the support of his dressing room. They’ve had to work through the sacking of Dean Elgar, who continues to open the batting and has been re-contracted for the 2023-24 summer. Conrad conceded that Elgar’s demotion was an issue that would require sensitive handling, but insisted that South Africa have moved on.”It’s no secret where the side has come from. Australia was really dark,” Conrad said. “We spoke honestly and candidly about Dean [Elgar] no longer being the captain. That’s the only way one moves on. Dean also appreciated that. For Temba to step up the way he has … we’ve also got key guys in that changeroom who perform leadership roles without being at the forefront of team conversations. The fundamentals and the cornerstones are there for this team to grow from a culture point of view.”Bavuma’s impact on the Test team was seen everywhere, from the way Wiaan Mulder celebrated his century on the third afternoon – leaping and fist-bumping as though he had brought up the hundred himself – to the way the support staff continue to back Bavuma. “Thankfully the cameras weren’t in the coaches’ room because there were some other wild scenes,” Conrad said. “But all the guys lauded him. With all the stick he gets, that was a hell of a knock.”Never one to expect too much praise, Bavuma swiftly deflected attention to the player of the series, Aiden Markram, who returned to the Test side to score a century at SuperSport Park and fell four short of doubling up at the Wanderers. “A guy like Aiden coming back into the team and leading the way” Bavuma said. “He was the difference between the batters in this series.”In the end, Bavuma’s 172 was the difference in the second Test and signalled a second coming for a batter and a leader who has always been under pressure because he is the first of his kind. Bavuma is South Africa’s first black African batter and captain and he has now established himself as the person to take the Test game forward.”As a leader you want to lead from the front,” he said. “Me being a batter, it’s at the top of my mind that I want to score runs. And I want to be able to speak with good authority in the dressing-room. This Test, things went my way. It’s unfortunate that we are only playing our next game in December. We need to make sure we keep ourselves in check and make sure our cricket is going in the direction we want it to go.”

Zak Chappell encourages hopes that he can lead Derbyshire to better things

ECB Reporters Network16-Apr-2023Leicestershire 451 for 9 dec (Hill 162*, Ackermann 114, Chappell 4-115) drew with Derbyshire 254 for 7 (Guest 92, Wright 4-38)Centuries from Colin Ackermann and captain Lewis Hill, followed by a fine spell of seam bowling by Chris Wright, saw Leicestershire secure the bonus points they needed to go to the top of Division Two in their severely rain-affected championship fixture against Derbyshire.No play had been possible on the previous two days, and with the pitch still relatively new and the outfield still very damp, there was no serious prospect of Hill and opposite number Leus du Plooy agreeing to set up a final day run chase for the visitors.Instead it was a case of maximising the bonus point return, and led by Hill, whose undefeated 162 was his first-class best, Leicestershire did just that before leaving Derbyshire 48 overs of batting.The visitors responded in kind through Brooke Guest (92) and Wayne Madsen (75), before Wright’s 4 for 38 helped the Foxes secure a further two bowling bonus points.Resuming with their partnership already worth 141, Ackermann and Hill continued where they left off on Thursday. Ackermann, who had made 67 and 72 in Leicestershire’s opening match victory over Yorkshire at Headingley, looked back to his considerable best, hitting 18 fours in reaching his century off 165 balls before falling leg before to Anuj Dal.As on day one, Derbyshire’s seamers struggled to bowl a consistently threatening line and length, with the honourable exception of Zak Chappell, whose endeavour was rewarded when he had Peter Handscomb caught at second slip – one of four catches in the innings for Madsen – and going on to pick up the wickets of Rehan Ahmed, Wright and Michael Finan to ensure Derbyshire picked up three bowling bonus points.Hill, however, remained admirably unflustered, reaching his hundred off 211 balls, before accelerating after lunch and passing 150 for the first time in first-class cricket.With nothing to lose, Derbyshire’s batsmen went for their shots, Madsen and Guest putting on 143 for the third wicket after Wright had had Haider Ali leg before wicket. At one stage it looked as though Derbyshire might reach 300 and a second batting point of their own, but Wright came back to dismiss Madsen bowled off the inside edge, and Matt Lamb and Anuj Dal caught at slip, before the players shook hands with two overs remaining.

Sunday’s training session gave no possible answers to Bharat vs Kishan and how many spinners India will pick

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jun-2023Two spinners and three fast bowlers? Or one spinner and four fast men including Shardul Thakur as bowling allrounder? Who should be wicketkeeper – the specialist KS Bharat or the X-factor player Ishan Kishan?These are among the key questions that have confronted India since they announced their squad for the WTC final. If you were at The Oval on Sunday, two days before the Test billed as the Ultimate Test, you would have struggled to come away with any hints as to what combination India are leaning towards.Two young men, good friends, both in their 20s, were in focus during India’s first training session in London after almost a week in Arundel where the squad assembled in batches, with players joining at different times while the IPL concluded.Related

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Shubman Gill and Kishan share a close bond off the field, and are not shy to rib each other with friendly banter. Gill needled Kishan as soon as he noticed the left-hander attempting to sweep a few times, albeit not convincingly. Kishan acknowledged that it was “not my shot.”Kishan, who is yet to make his Test debut, had two long batting sessions lasting close to three-quarters of an hour overall, but didn’t practise his keeping. He also had a potential scare late in his second stint, taking a hit to his left forearm while trying to push at a delivery from left-arm quick Aniket Choudhary, one of India’s back-up bowlers. Kishan instantly dropped his bat and walked out to get his forearm iced and wrapped.It didn’t appear to be a serious injury, as Kishan carried two bats comfortably in the hand of his injured arm post-training. A couple of hours later he and Gill walked onto what could potentially be the match pitch for a quick inspection.Though he did not keep wickets, the ample batting time he got is an indicator that India are seriously considering Kishan. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said Kishan would feature in his India XI because the left-hander is an “X-factor player that you need when you might be pushing for a win in a Test match.” Ponting felt that job had previously been done by Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash last December.Bharat, Kishan’s direct competitor, started the training session with a spell of wicketkeeping drills on one of the practice strips on the main square and then returned to bat. Bharat replaced Pant for the four-Test home series against Australia in February-March and showed signs of being a talent who remains a work-in-progress both behind and in front of the stumps.A major challenge for wicketkeepers in England is that the ball tends to wobble and dip after passing the stumps, so technique and positioning are key attributes while standing back to fast bowlers. Neither Bharat or Kishan have any international experience of keeping in England, though Bharat has kept wickets for India A in one match, against West Indies A in Beckenham in 2018.Mohammed Siraj is expected to start at The Oval, but Umesh Yadav could also feature if India play four quicks•ICC via Getty Images

Overall, the Indians turned up at full strength on a sunny Sunday. While they had their sweatshirt hoodies on in the morning, they discarded them when noon approached and The Oval shone under a clear blue sky.Barring Ajinkya Rahane and the fast-bowling trio of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav, the rest of the Indian squad got through batting sessions.Gill enjoyed his time in the sun. He has experience of long-format cricket in English conditions, having played two Tests there in 2021, including the previous WTC final in Southampton, as well as three County Championship games for Glamorgan in 2022, scoring 244 runs at an average of 61.00, his four innings including a 92 against Worcestershire and a century against Sussex. Incidentally, Gill batted at No. 3 in all four innings.With KL Rahul injured, Gill is set to open in the WTC final alongside Rohit Sharma. Gill arrives in England on the back of stellar form across all international formats in 2023 and in the IPL. Gill, though, will be mindful both of Australia’s bowling attack and the seamer-friendly conditions where the Dukes ball can surprise the best of batters. On Sunday, Gill spent considerable one-one-one time with batting coach Vikram Rathour.A good opening partnership was a catalyst in India playing the dominant hand in the first four Tests of the 2021-22 Test series in England, with both Rohit and Rahul scoring big runs. Both scored match-winning hundreds, Rahul in the second Test at Lord’s and Rohit in the fourth Test at The Oval.Any apprehension India may have felt about playing in June (The Oval has hosted Test matches since 1880 but never one in June) would have been eased by the forecast for the coming week, promising sunny weather with temperatures ranging from the late teens to the early 20s Celsius. While there was no confirmation about which strip will be used for the match, it will be a fresh pitch with the surface likely to be dry,All three Indian spinners bowled and batted on Sunday, suggesting both R Ashwin and Axar Patel were in contention for the second spinner’s slot if India pick two slow bowlers. But if they field four seamers, India ensured Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh were ready alongside the lead new-ball pair of Shami and Siraj.Both Thakur and Unadkat bowled long spells and then had decent batting stints. Unadkat also received advice from head coach Rahul Dravid on his bat swing.Having watched more than three hours of the training the impression you would walk way with was: India are keeping all their options open, but ready.

Notts allrounder continues stellar form as batters flunk on “blameless pitch”

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2023Brett Hutton claimed a five-wicket haul as Nottinghamshire took control on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.The hosts could post only 163 all out after winning the toss on a bright morning, Tom Kohler-Cadmore top-scoring with just 38 and Kasey Aldridge contributing 35. Hutton’s 5 for 34 and Matt Carter’s 3 for 43 did most of the damage for an accurate Notts attack.In reply, the visitors slipped to 105 for 4 on a seemingly blameless pitch, but opener Ben Slater’s unbeaten 67 saw them to 145 for 4 at the close, just 18 behind.With the sun shining brightly for most of the day, it was strange that 14 wickets should fall. Inability to post meaningful first-innings totals has been a long-standing problem for Somerset, and again there was a fragility about their top order as Hutton maintained an exemplary line and length from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.Sean Dickson and George Bartlett were both dismissed shouldering arms to the experienced seamer; the former bowled for 1 and the latter leg before for 13 to a ball that nipped back. Sandwiched in between was the wicket of Tom Lammonby, who edged Hutton to first slip having made 24.From 48 for 3, Tom Abell and Kohler-Cadmore added 40 in positive style before the introduction of Carter’s offspin from the River End. With the first ball of his second over, he had Abell caught at slip, driving, for 19. Kohler-Cadmore looked strong through the off-side, producing some sweet drives and depositing Carter over long-off for six. By lunch, he had helped Somerset to 106 for 4.The afternoon session began disastrously for the home side as, with only four runs added, they lost first James Rew, caught at short leg off bat and pad to give Carter his second wicket and Kohler-Cadmore lbw to Dane Paterson, having faced 53 balls and hit four fours and a six.There was no way back from 110 for 6, despite the valiant efforts of Aldridge, who reverse-swept Carter for six and struck five fours. He quickly ran out of partners as Craig Overton edged Hutton into the slips where Carter’s left hand scooped the ball up for Joe Clarke to complete the catch.Hutton returned after an opening spell of 3 for 27 from eight overs to mop up the tail, bowling Matt Henry and having the advancing Aldridge caught behind. His wickets were largely the result of keeping the ball on the spot and taking advantage of batting errors.Somerset had been bowled out in just 48.1 overs and it looked like a well below par total in the conditions. Henry struck an early blow in the Notts’ reply by beating Haseeb Hameed’s defensive push and bowling him for a duck. By tea, the visitors had reached 23 for 1. Soon Slater and Matthew Montgomery were building confidently on that total under increasingly clear skies.They had put together a stand of 71 in 23 overs, with few alarms, when Montgomery, on 33, got an inside edge onto his leg off Aldridge and was powerless to prevent the ball rolling back onto his stumps.Slater edged Aldridge just short of wicketkeeper Rew and Somerset’s fightback continued when 19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, making his first Championship appearance at the Cooper Associates County Ground, pinned Clarke lbw on the back foot for 12 to make it 94 for 3.Slater went to fifty off 104 balls before Henry struck another blow for Somerset with the total on 105, Lyndon James edging to Abell at first slip and departing for the second duck of the innings. But Steve Mullaney hit a six and two fours off a Bashir over as Notts regained some momentum before the close.Before the start of play, the teams lined up for a minute’s applause in memory of 19-year-old local club cricketer Barnaby Webber, who lost his life in the Nottingham stabbings earlier this month. Signed shirts from both counties were laid on the pitch at the toss and then presented to his mother, father and brother as tokens of support.

The experienced Salma Khatun returns and Rubya Haider misses out with a knee injury

Mohammad Isam05-Jul-2023Bangladesh have left out two big names in Jahanara Alam and Fargana Hoque from the women’s T20I side ahead of their three-match series against India this month. Jahanara, who played just one game in their previous series against Sri Lanka in May, was one of five changes in the team.Fargana is Bangladesh’s second-highest scorer in the format, and along with her, allrounder Lata Mondal and left-arm quick Fariha Trisna were also dropped from the side. Left-hand batter Rubya Haider’s knee injury meant she had to be left out too.The experienced Salma Khatun returned to the side alongside batters Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani and 16-year-old Shorna Akter, apart from pace bowler Marufa Akter. Salma, Dilara and Marufa were not in the squad for the Sri Lanka series. Then selector Manjurul Islam had said at the time that Salma was “rested” due to the volume of cricket this year.

Bangladesh T20I squad changes

IN: Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani, Shorna Akter, Marufa Akter, Salma Khatun

OUT: Jahanara Alam, Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider (wk), Lata Mondal, Fariha Trisna

Selector Sajjad Ahmed said that they brought Salma back to bolster the spin attack, while Dilara, Shathi and Shorna were promising for the shortest format. Sajjad, however, declined to comment on the players dropped from the side, citing his short time spent in the new role.Bangladesh’s batting will depend on Nigar Sultana, the captain, and Shamima Sultana, apart from Dilara, Sobhana Mostary, Murshida Khatun and Shorna. Uncapped Shathi Rani could open in one of the matches, after she was selected on the back of a strong domestic season.The spin attack will have to carry much of the bowling department, as only two pace bowlers were picked: Marufa Akter and the uncapped Disha Biswas. The spin attack comprises Salma, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Ritu Mondol, Sanjida Akter and Sultana Khatun.The Indian team will arrive in Dhaka on July 6 for the three T20Is on July 9, 11 and 13 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Bangladesh squad for India T20Is: Nigar Sultana (capt, wk), Nahida Akter, Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani, Shamima Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Disha Biswas, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter Meghla, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Salma Khatun, Fahima Khatun

Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz, meanwhile, felt too many of his batters failed to capitalise on starts

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2023Pakistan will be aggressive as they attempt to knock off the 83 runs they need to get to go 1-0 up in the series. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, need three early wickets to give themselves a chance in the Galle Test.This was the latest from the two camps after play on day four. Although a target of 131 seemed like it would not present Pakistan with much of a challenge, particularly as they had hunted down 342 at this same venue on exactly the same day last year, three late wickets to Sri Lanka, including two to Prabath Jayasuriya, who has a spectacular record at this venue, made Pakistan’s position a little more precarious.Related

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Still, Pakistan have plenty of batting to come (one of those dismissed was nightwatcher Noman Ali), so there’s no cause to worry, said middle order batter Agha Salman. He also suggested there could be more of the new, attacking batting style that Pakistan embraced in the first innings.”We’re very confident, and at the same time we are very excited as well,” he said. “We’ll play the brand of cricket we have been playing since day one.”Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz was understandably not quite so upbeat about his team’s chances.”We’re going to go hard and try and put as much pressure on the Pakistan batsmen, to see what we can get out of it,” Nawaz said. ” I think if we can get through to another one or two wickets in their top order, it’s not going to be easy. The wicket seems to be taking a little bit of grip, and a bit of spin as well.”Dhananjaya de Silva followed up his first-innings 122 with 82 in the second•AFP/Getty Images

Sri Lanka were also left to rue their own batting. They had been 54 for 4 in the first innings before recovering through Dhananjaya de Silva to post 312. And in the second innings, they were 99 for 4 before another de Silva innings led a partial recovery.”Most of our batters got starts, and we needed them to carry on and make big runs,” Nawaz said. “If you look at the Pakistani batting, it was just two batters that contributed, and one of them made a big score and the others batted around them to put 400-plus on the board. That’s what we lacked. Dhananjaya was there till the end with a 120-odd. Angelo Mathews also contributed. We needed a few more contributions in the middle.”Unlike many Galle surfaces that take substantial turn from day three onwards, this one has remained reasonable for batting into day four. Sri Lanka, said Nawaz, should have taken advantage.”When we batted the pitch was good, even this morning. There wasn’t a lot of turn, though there was a bit of unevenness. There wasn’t a huge threat.”I thought we should have scored more runs in the second innings. If our batters had done well we could have got at least 100 more runs. In my head I was thinking that we should have batted for 120 overs to get to a good place in this match. Then we could have had them chasing 240 or more. If we had a score that we could have defended for 60 or 70 overs, we would have had the advantage. But that’s not how it happened.”

Tourists boss Powerplay to level series 2-2 after Mitchell Santner keeps lid on England

Matt Roller05-Sep-2023New Zealand squared this four-match T20I series by chasing down 176 with relative ease at Trent Bridge. They got ahead of the game by belting 73 runs in the Powerplay, with Tim Seifert nailing 48 in his 50th T20I, then stayed there thanks to Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman.England had started brightly themselves, with Jonny Bairstow crunching six sixes in his 73 off 41. But their innings fell away after his dismissal, as New Zealand’s three spinners squeezed in the middle overs; England’s total looked a little light at a venue with notoriously short boundaries, and so it proved.This was due to be a five-match series before three ODIs, but the fifth T20I was quietly converted into a 50-over game last year with an eye on the World Cup. As a result, this was not quite a decider – and it felt decidedly low-key, with Jos Buttler opting to rest himself ahead of greater tests to come.Yet it served as more valuable preparation for New Zealand, who recovered from an abject start to the series to share the trophy. Friday’s first ODI in Cardiff marks the start of the more relevant part of their tour, but this was a clinical victory under the Nottingham floodlights all the same.

Clinical Kiwis

Finn Allen played in the only way he knows how, smoking three of his first four balls for four before losing his off stump when attempting to smear Luke Wood across the line. His six-ball 16 was only a cameo, but ensured that New Zealand were ahead of the required rate throughout the chase.Promoted to open, Seifert was brutish. He camped on the back foot, lofting England’s seamers back down the ground with mid-off inside the ring, and crunched Adil Rashid for two fours and a six in the fifth over. Daryl Mitchell was run out shortly after the Powerplay, taking on Wood in the deep, but New Zealand were in control.Rehan Ahmed, playing his first international game at home – and in the city he grew up in – bowled tidily for his 2 for 27, having Seifert caught-and-bowled and Phillips caught in the deep, but Phillips had crunched Moeen Ali, Rashid and Brydon Carse in between times for his 42 off 25.The rate was down to a run a ball by the time Phillips holed out, and Chapman finished the job in style, cruising to 40 not out off 25 balls. Rachin Ravindra cut the winning boundary through the infield, with Wood misfielding at cover to sum up England’s disappointing night.Jonny Bairstow launches another boundary during his half-century•ECB via Getty Images

Bairstow’s fireworks

After four quiet games for Welsh Fire in the Hundred, Bairstow has roared back to form in this series. He top-scored in England’s win in Manchester, batting through the innings for 86, and raced to 47 off 22 after five overs after Moeen chose to bat.This was Bairstow’s first innings at Trent Bridge since his 136 off 92 in a Test against the same opposition last year, the knock that secured his status as Bazball’s standard-bearer. His first two boundaries – short-arm jabs for four and six off Matt Henry – were reminiscent of that century, and he swiped 17 runs off Kyle Jamieson’s first over as England raced to 63 for 0 after six.Bairstow was the only England batter to score freely against spin through the middle, crunching both left-arm spinners – Ravindra and Mitchell Santner – for six, though holed out to long-on immediately after the second. He was due to keep wicket in the run chase, though handed over to Buttler after experiencing shoulder pain while batting; he later played down the severity of the injury.Rehan Ahmed picked up 2 for 27•PA Photos/Getty Images

England’s spin slowdown

Bairstow apart, England’s batting line-up floundered against spin for the second game running. Ish Sodhi was not at his best but Will Jacks edged him behind after a fourth consecutive unconverted cameo, before Harry Brook hoicked his drag-down to deep backward square leg for 4 off 8 balls.Neither Dawid Malan nor Liam Livingstone looked at their best in making 26 apiece, and Santner claimed two wickets in his fourth over – Malan and Moeen caught in the deep on the leg side – to finish with 3 for 30. Ravindra, playing ahead of the rested Devon Conway, had Sam Curran caught at wide long-on, and the three spinners finished with combined figures of 6 for 68 in 10 overs.When Henry closed things out with a superb final over, which culminated in Livingstone drilling his wide yorker straight to extra cover, England had fallen some way short of the total they had lined up. It did not take long for New Zealand’s top order to underline that their 175 was under-par.

India opener is recovering from dengue and has missed the first two games of their World Cup campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2023Shubman Gill will re-join the Indian team in Ahmedabad but remains doubtful for their World Cup fixture against Pakistan on October 14 as he recovers from dengue.Gill did not travel with the team to Delhi for their second fixture against Afghanistan on Wednesday, after missing India’s opening game of the World Cup against Australia on October 8. He was taken to hospital in Chennai for treatment but was subsequently discharged after his health improved.”Gill is doing absolutely fine and is set to leave Chennai for Ahmedabad today,” a BCCI official told PTI. “It is still not clear whether Gill will have a light training session at Motera on Thursday. His recovery has been fine but can’t really be sure if he can play against Pakistan.”In Gill’s absence, Ishan Kishan opened the innings against Australia along with Rohit. Though India were reduced to 2 for 3 in a chase of 200 – Kishan, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed for ducks – they recovered to chase down the target with six wickets in hand and 52 balls to spare.Gill is the leading run-getter in ODIs this year with 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03. In his last four ODIs, he has hit two centuries and a half-century.