All posts by n8rngtd.top

The BCB announced the allrounder had sufficiently recovered from his finger injury and is expected to arrive in Colombo on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2018Shakib Al Hasan will join the Bangladesh squad on Thursday, ahead of the final league match against Sri Lanka, the winner of which will progress to the final of the Nidahas Trophy. The BCB announced Shakib had recovered sufficiently from his little finger injury, and is expected to arrive in Colombo on Thursday afternoon.Shakib’s return will bolster the Bangladesh line-up, particularly the bowling attack which has looked threadbare in all three games. He will also take over the captaincy from Mahmudullah, who was filling in as T20I captain during the tournament.Shakib had hurt his finger during the January 27 tri-series final against Sri Lanka, after which he missed the Tests and ODIs against them at home. He also missed the Pakistan Super League, as well as the first three games in the Nidahas Trophy.During this time, he saw specialists in Thailand and Australia, before taking up gym and training sessions in Dhaka earlier this week.

The players refused to take the field for more than an hour after umpires informed them of their decision to change the ball

Andrew Fernando and Nagraj Gollapudi16-Jun-2018Sri Lanka have strongly denied any wrongdoing after being charged with altering the condition of the ball during the St Lucia Test against West Indies. Their players protested the charge – and the subsequent penalty of a ball change and the award of five extra runs to the opposition – by refusing to take the field at the start of the third day’s play. The match eventually resumed after a two-hour delay, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have said the players are effectively continuing with the game “under protest”.ESPNcricinfo understands that umpires laid the charge after reviewing footage of the second day’s play, and finding evidence pointing to the application of a substance to the ball. Officials privy to the case say the incident was similar to the one involving South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who was found guilty of altering the condition of the ball during the 2016-17 Test series in Australia.

ICC laws on changing the ball

41.3.4 If the umpires consider that the condition of the ball has been unfairly changed by a member or members of either side, they shall ask the captain of the opposing side if he/she would like the ball to be replaced. If necessary, in the case of the batting side, the batsmen at the wicket may deputise for their captain.
41.3.4.1 If a replacement ball is requested, the umpires shall select and bring into use immediately, a ball which shall have wear comparable to that of the previous ball immediately prior to the contravention.
41.3.4.2 Regardless of whether a replacement ball has been chosen to be used, the bowler’s end umpire shall
– award 5 Penalty runs to the opposing side.
– if appropriate, inform the batsmen at the wicket and the captain of the fielding side that the ball has been changed and the reason for their action.
– inform the captain of the batting side as soon as practicable of what has occurred.
The umpires together shall report the occurrence as soon as possible after the match to the Executive of the offending side and to any Governing Body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain, any other individuals concerned and, if appropriate, the team.

“The ICC can confirm the match officials in the second Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka changed the ball and awarded 5 penalty runs to West Indies,” the ICC later tweeted. “If there are any, Code of Conduct charges will follow as per usual at close of play.”The Sri Lankan board sent out a statement defending its players: “SLC advised the team to take the field to ensure the continuity of the match and wish to commend the decision taken by the team to continue with the game ‘under protest’ to ensure the upholding of the spirit of the game.””The team management has informed us that Sri Lankan players have not engaged in any wrongdoing,” a board release said. “SLC shall take all necessary steps to defend any player, in the event any unwarranted allegation is brought against a member of the team.”At close of play on day two, West Indies were 118 for 2 in reply to the opposition’s first-innings score of 253. Day three was due to start at 9.30am local time, half-an-hour early to make up for time lost to rain delays on day two.But even as the umpires made their way out to the middle, none of the Sri Lanka players joined them. Broadcaster visuals of their dressing room showed coach Chandika Hathurusingha, captain Dinesh Chandimal and team manager Asanka Gurusinha in discussion with match referee Javagal Srinath.When the players eventually came onto the field at 10.50am, West Indies were officially given five extra runs and umpires Ian Gould and Aleem Dar oversaw the changing of the ball. The two batsmen at the crease – Devon Smith and Shai Hope – were given the right to choose the replacement, which is the protocol under ICC Law 41.3 (see sidebar).Before the first ball could be bowled, though, the Sri Lanka players left the middle of the ground and made their way to its periphery, which became the site of further discussions among players, team management, and match officials. It took another 40 minutes for play to finally begin.Loads of people were interested in the state of the ball•AFP

An official present at the ground said one of the main reasons Sri Lanka did not take the field was because “the umpires informed them about the ball change just 10 minutes before the start today without evidence of any footage.”It is understood that the umpires were concerned about the condition of the ball at the end of the second day’s play. “We did see the umpires looking at the ball a few times yesterday, but there was no statement made at the end of the day,” the official said. “It all happened this morning.”The controversy comes at a time when SLC is under inexperienced and temporary leadership. Although CEO Ashley de Silva is still in his job, the board has no office bearers at the moment because the previous administration’s term had expired on May 31, before fresh elections could be held. A “Competent Authority” effectively appointed by the government presently runs the SLC, and sports minister Faiszer Mustapha – who was in the crisis meeting which advised the team – has himself only done his job for a matter of months.The SLC release did not confirm whether the team will officially contest the ball-tampering charge when an inquiry is held into the incident, after play on Saturday. But based on this official denial, it seems likely that the charge will be contested. Sri Lanka’s team management refused to comment when approached directly.This is the second time in two years that Sri Lanka have found themselves part of a controversy over the condition of the ball. Allrounder Dasun Shanaka was charged for a similar offence by the ICC in November 2017 and in that case the team accepted the sanction.A previous instance of a side refusing to take the field after a ball change came at The Oval in 2006, when Pakistan chose not to come out after tea on day four, after umpire Darrell Hair changed the ball and awarded five penalty runs to England. Pakistan eventually forfeited the Test.

Pakistan smashed their highest-ever ODI score and then won by the second-biggest margin in terms of runs

Danyal Rasool20-Jul-20181:08

By The Numbers – Pakistan’s run-fest thrashes Zimbabwe

Who knew there were so many layers to rock bottom? In every game this series, it has appeared it couldn’t get any worse for Zimbabwe, or easier for Pakistan. It seemed impossible there could be a nadir beyond what transpired in the third ODI, with Pakistan bowling Zimbabwe out for 67 and chasing it down in 9.5 overs. But the chasm grows wider by the game.On Friday, after winning the toss and deciding to bat, Pakistan began to put statisticians around the world on notice. Pakistan plundered 399 – their highest ODI total – while Fakhar Zaman made a brutally destructive 210 not out off 156 balls as Pakistan pulverised Zimbabwe by 244 runs.Along with Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar smashed a slew of records against – it has to be said – a poor, second-string Zimbabwean side who had a terrible day. Even so, their powers of concentration, their hunger for runs, and refusal to be complacent hint at traits even the best batsmen in any generation struggle to master.Zimbabwe never appeared to have the conviction or the resources to begin an attempt at a chase, a pretty cameo from their captain Hamilton Masakadza notwithstanding. Playing his 289th match, he overtook Grant Flower as the most experienced Zimbabwean international. His experience would have been vital for a young Zimbabwe side if they were to post a more respectable total. But once he holed out to midwicket, this slipped into a no-contest zone.The noteworthy performances came from Fakhar and Imam, who brought up their third hundred partnership in four games. Once again, there never seemed to be any hint of a wicket-taking threat in the hosts’ line-up. Even Blessing Muzarabani, far and away Zimbabwe’s best bowler in the last two series, was strangely erratic.Fakhar brought up his third ODI hundred in the 31st over, carving Wellington Masakadza away between cover and point to the boundary. Two balls later, he muscled the bowler over wide long-on for six, serving everyone notice he was about to properly cut loose. And cut loose he did.AFP

At some point, it becomes churlish to harp on about the lamentable performance from the hosts, so if you wanted uplifting, you needed ignore what went on at the bowler’s end and simply watch Fakhar playing like a child on his favourite ride in Disneyland. Without a care in the world, the left-hander batted like it was the day he had given up on everything else to become a cricketer. It could not get easier, or more fun. After he had raced to 150, he was standing well outside off, exposing all three stumps, to open up that midwicket area he will probably cherish more than his first-born.Nothing the bowlers did provided him any semblance of a challenge, and as he bolted along, it became obvious Saeed Anwar’s 24-year record – the highest score for a Pakistan batsman in ODIs was under serious threat. A hoick to midwicket (where else?) for four knocked Anwar off that perch, to be replaced by this 21st century left-handed opener. A few balls later, he had become the eight man to reach 200, getting there off just 147 balls.Meanwhile, Imam, by no means sedate but made to look so by Fakhar, brought up his third century in just his eighth ODI as Pakistan’s opening partnership left record after record tumbling in their wake. The highest opening partnership in Pakistan history? Gone. The highest opening partnership for any country in ODI history? See you later. The first 300-run opening partnership? Easy peasy.Zimbabwe conceded 304 in 42 overs before they had a wicket; Imam perished while attempting yet another slog over the leg side, as Zimbabwe avoided the ignominy of becoming the first side in history to go wicketless right through an innings. But that brought the explosive Asif Ali to the crease, and he, along with Fakhar batting like a man possessed, pillaged 90 runs off the last eight overs. By this time, Asif had taken over from Fakhar, and found enough time to bludgeon 50 off 22 balls, and helping bring up Pakistan’s highest ODI total.Zimbabwe tried to begin as brightly as they could, but without any belief they couln’t have dared to even get near They were also up against arguably the best bowling attack in the world. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, opening with his captain, isn’t exactly a household name yet. By the time Masakadza was dismissed, Kamunhukamwe and Tarisai Musakanda had already perished. To their credit, both young batsmen were trying to be selfless, playing attacking shots instead of conservatively looking to muster up a respectable personal score.After the top order was back in the pavilion, the run rate dropped like a stone; any pretence of seeking to hunt down the target had been abandoned. Peter Moor and Ryan Murray consolidated, but there was a nihilistic feel to the contest by that point. Elton Chigumbura and Donald Tiripano cobbled together a 67-run partnership, but there was no reason for joy to be found there, so little could be read into it. There is still no indication Chigumbura can continue to be the attacking threat that made him so dangerous an option for Zimbabwe over the years, and Tiripano bats far too high at No. 7 despite top-scoring with 44.The only reason for uplift from a Zimbabwean perspective was listening to the deep passion for the game in the voices of the tiny crowd who bellowed the hymn-like Zimbabwean anthem proudly from the bleachers. They have seen this before, and become almost inoculated against their side as it perilously lurches from crisis to crisis. They will be back. Whether Zimbabwean cricket can reward them with performances their loyalty and passion deserves is a very different question, with no comforting answers in sight.

Allrounder left out after enduring tough outing at Edgbaston, with Somerset left-armer set to take over spin duties

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2019England have dropped Moeen Ali from their squad to face Australia in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, with Somerset’s left-arm spinner Jack Leach called up in his place. James Anderson and Olly Stone also miss out on the 12-man group through injury, as England attempt to fight back from 1-0 down in the series.Moeen endured a difficult time in the opening Test at Edgbaston, taking three wickets at a cost of 172 runs to go with scores of 0 and 4; he was dismissed by Nathan Lyon in both innings, extending the offspinner’s mastery over him to nine of his last 11 dismissals against Australia.England seem set to hand a Test debut to Jofra Archer, who was included in the squad for the first Test but left out as a precaution while he continued to work back to full fitness after a side strain suffered during the World Cup. He played for Sussex 2nd XI in a three-day game this week, taking 7 for 106 and scoring a century to prove his readiness.The other option to replace Anderson, who suffered a recurrence of his calf injury after bowling four overs at Edgbaston, is Sam Curran. The left-armer has played 10 Test, most recently for Ireland’s visit to Lord’s last month.Despite coming into the Ashes as the leading Test wicket-taker in the world over the last year, Moeen’s form had suffered a dip at the World Cup, where he lost his place in the starting XI after defeat to Australia in the group stage. His place is likely to be taken by Leach, who was England’s spinner for the four-day Test against Ireland – winning Man of the Match for his 92 as nightwatchman, having only been required to bowl three overs.While Moeen has been a valuable contributor for England since his debut in 2014, his career has not been without its ups and downs. He suffered a chastening Ashes in Australia two winters ago, losing his place on the New Zealand leg of England’s tour – with Leach handed a debut in Christchurch.He returned in style against India at the Ageas Bowl last summer, claiming nine wickets in the match, and was then England’s leading wicket-taker on their tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies, though his returns with the bat remained light.However, presented with a turning Edgbaston pitch – on with Lyon claimed a nine-wicket haul – Moeen was unable to provide either control or wicket-taking threat. On the fourth day, with England hoping to limit Australia’s lead, Moeen was ruthlessly milked as Steven Smith went on to record his second century in the match.England’s problems in the opening Test extended to negligible contributions with the bat from Jason Roy, Joe Deny, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, but the selectors, headed by Ed Smith, have shied away from making any major changes. Rory Burns did enjoy success, scoring his maiden Test ton, while Joe Root made 57 and 28 after moving up the order to No. 3.England squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

Along with 90s from Shan Masood and Ben Cox, Foxes dominate Kent attack

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-Sep-2025Kent 17 for 0 trail Leicestershire 459 for 7 dec (Patel 114, Cox 93, Masood 90, Hill 54) by 442 runsA fine century from Rishi Patel, along with 90s from Shan Masood and Ben Cox, saw Leicestershire secure maximum batting bonus points and left them the verge of securing the Division Two title as they dominated a callow Kent attack after being put into bat at the UptonSteel County Ground.Beginning the match 25 points clear of second-placed Glamorgan, the Foxes could not have hoped for a better second day of this Rothesay County Championship match after the first was entirely lost to the weather.It made for a chastening first-class debut for 19-year-old all-rounder Corey Flintoff – one of a remarkable five teenagers in the Kent side – who, with father Andrew watching, bowled 15 wicket-less overs for 91 runs, though he did take a catch.Kent openers Harry Finch and Ben Dawkins survived a difficult nine overs before the light closed in.After the loss of the entire first day to the strong winds that made handling the covers too dangerous to undertake, it was a relief to see the ground ready for play from the start.Flintoff, the second son of former England allrounder Andrew to be embarking on a career as a professional cricketer, following in the footsteps of brother Rocky, took his place in what must surely have been the youngest slip cordon ever formed in county cricket, all three slips and gully being in their teens.They were in the game early, when Jaydn Denly at second slip dropped a straightforward chance given by Sol Budinger off the bowling of Joey Evison. To make matters worse, Denly left the field with illness soon afterwards, while Evison’s feelings will not have improved when Budinger casually swung an in-swinger over the midwicket boundary for six. The Kent allrounder had his revenge soon afterwards however, when Budinger again edged to second slip and this time Flintoff held on.Patel, however, looked in good touch from the start. The 27-year-old has struggled for consistency this season after missing the early weeks with a thumb injury, but has recently shown signs of finding the form which saw him called into an England Lions training camp, and he took full toll on the regular loose deliveries from the visiting attack.There were plenty of testing balls too, and George Garrett produced a beauty to square up and bowl Ian Holland, but a score of 151 for 2 off 30 overs at lunch told its own story. Having hit ten boundaries in going to his half-century, Patel hit another ten in going to three figures, his second Championship century of the season, shortly after lunch.Kent were already looking down the barrel, but Patel played too soon at an Ekansh Singh delivery and got a leading edge that looped to mid-on, a maiden first-class wicket for the 19-year-old, and Lewis Hill, having registered his seventh half-century of the season, slashed a wide short ball from Michael Cohen straight to point.When Steve Eskinazi, who never settled, went leg before to Evison, Leicestershire were in danger of wasting their flying start, but the elegant Masood was calmness personified, and he found lively support from Cox. Together they added 161 for the sixth wicket and both seemed certain to reach three figures, but Garrett, bowling with the new ball, pushed one across Masood to find an edge which carried to slip before Grant Stewart took a fine leaping catch at mid-on to dismiss Cox off the bowling of Evison.

Babar extends his record as tournament’s leading scorer with characteristically classy 63

David Hopps24-Aug-2019Only one county, Derbyshire, has ever gone through a T20 season in England without a victory and Glamorgan now have two matches left to avoid the same outcome. They came to Taunton in the nick of time for Somerset’s quarter-final ambitions and obliged by conceding a 25-run victory that never looked in doubt.Somerset’s defeat against Gloucestershire in the West Country derby in Bristol on Friday night had undermined their prospects of a top-four finish, and with it a quarter-final place, but thanks to Middlesex’s defeat against the leaders Sussex at Uxbridge earlier on Saturday, Somerset sneaked ahead of them on run rate and returned to the top four with two matches remaining.They owed much once again to their opening pair of Babar Azam and Tom Banton, who front loaded their innings with a stand of 61 in 5.4 overs. Babar, the leading scorer in the tournament, led the way with 63 from 42 balls. He now has 541 runs at 60.11 and few, if any, players anywhere in the world approach T20 with such a combination of ambition and security.Glamorgan deserve sympathy for the four washouts that have afflicted their season, and understandably they are now blooding youngsters in what skipper Colin Ingram termed “a hostile environment”, but they have been poor for all that and any prospect they had of nailing Somerset’s 177 for 8 perished for within nine balls with the departure of their two gun batsmen, Shaun Marsh and Ingram himself.Marsh, playing only his second match for Glamorgan after breaking his arm, damaging his shoulder and then being called up for Australia’s World Cup squad, edged Jerome Taylor’s ball to first slip as it left him off the seam.As for Ingram, his demise for 1 from the only ball he faced owed everything to Nick Selman’s accident-prone first T20 match of the season. His run out of Ingram was the accidental saw-off the summer as he pushed the ball to extra cover where Tom Abell, tight in the circle, threw down the wicket, Ingram having long abandoned all hope. Soon afterwards, Selman had to dive for the crease to avoid being run out himself and was clanked on the helmet by the throw. He needed to go through concussion protocols, although he appeared more in need of them when he ran out Ingram.As Glamorgan collapsed in front of a capacity crowd, confounded by Max Waller’s googly (oh, the irony that Cardiff is a venue for The Hundred when Taunton is not), and as David Lloyd put up single-handed resistance with a plucky 63 from 37 balls, discussion also turned to the performance of the experimental hybrid pitch, interwoven by up to 5% polyethylene yarn.This was the third hybrid pitch that has been openly revealed in the Blast this season, but that does not necessarily mean there have not been others, or whether they have all been identical, such is the ECB’s habitual secrecy, especially when something untested is the order of the day. This one appeared to have less natural grass than the one at Old Trafford and may have been all the worse for it.But over-analysis of Glamorgan’s second-innings crawl is best avoided. Lancashire also made 189 for 3 against Durham at Old Trafford earlier in the tournament, with Durham collapsing to 117 in reply, but in both cases the inferior side batted second.It is also true that, from 86 for 1 at midway, Somerset would have had designs on 200, which encourages the suspicion that the pitch died somewhat, but that start was courtesy of Banton and Babar. Tom Abell, Somerset’s captain, identified their partners hip as the place where the match was won – and he will hope the same is true of the tournament.Come to Taunton these days and a spectator yearns to be assured by Babar and electrified by Banton, the next England T20 batsman off the rank, most probably against New Zealand later this year. Banton plays contemptuously, strikingly so for one so young, whether he intends to or not. Babar’s talent, which has him ranked as the No. 1 T20 batsman in international cricket, is more understated and as yet much less susceptible.Banton’s imperious innings was halted by T20 debutant Roman Walker, an England under-19 from Wrexham, who had him dropped first ball at 45 attempting a reverse lap and dismissed him with his fourth as he holed out to deep square.That signalled a loss of momentum for Somerset as the next six overs yielded just 28 runs. Unable to break loose against spinners Andrew Salter and Callum Taylor, the seasoned campaigner James Hildreth scored at less than a run a ball in contributing a clarty 22 before he was run out by Ingram’s direct hit from mid-off.At 114 for 2 with six overs remaining there was work to do, but Glamorgan were inhibited by an intercostal injury for their seamer Dan Douthwaite which ended his stint after two overs.Babar’s perfect straight six as he hit Ruaidri Smith into the Sir Ian Botham Stand signalled a change of pace. By the time he holed out at deep square, Somerset were up and running again. Marchant de Lange, hitting speeds above 90mph, struck the stumps three times in the final over as a trio of batsmen made room without effect, but even allowing for Taunton’s short boundaries, the late rush of wickets already felt like a consolation.

Usman Khawaja has gotten leaner and fitter in the past few months as he looks to get into the best physical shape ahead of Australia’s tour of the UAE later this year

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2018Usman Khawaja says he’s lost up to seven kilos since Australia’s ill-fated tour of South Africa to get into the best fitness of his life ahead of the next stage of his career. Khawaja, 31, has only played 33 Tests since making his debut to much fanfare in 2011, and even though he has been more of a regular over the past three years, he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.”I wanted to get fitter, lose a bit of weight and keep my strength,” Khawaja told . “I’d found it a bit difficult in the past few years, especially after coming back from my [knee reconstruction], to get in the work. It’s always hard coming back from a major injury and it’s only the last 12 months I’ve felt in a good place again, ready to go a bit harder.”The last few months have seen a clearing out in Australian cricket, with three players with whom Khawaja would normally be jostling for places – Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft – banned for up to a year for the ball-tampering controversy that marred the tour of South Africa in April. There’s also a new coach in charge, with Darren Lehmann having left to be replaced by Justin Langer, and though Khawaja wasn’t selected for the ODI tour of England – Langer’s first assignment in charge of the national team – he feels confident about making the squad to play against Pakistan in the UAE later this year.”We had long conversations,” Khawaja said. “He knew I was disappointed. We had some really good chats. I know the expectations, and I know where I stand.”So Khawaja’s gone back to what he can control – his own fitness – and as far as that goes, he feels he’s getting better results than he’s ever previously had. “I’ve dropped seven kilos since South Africa – I’m down to 77kg. I got just about 7:30 in my 2km time trial, which is a personal best. I did jump testing the other day and I jumped higher than I have before. So all the markers have been better than I’ve had for at least the last five years.”I did it all on my own pretty much. I had a month-and-a-half on my own (after South Africa) just doing fitness stuff, going to the gym. I had a space downstairs where I’ve set up my own gym now, I invested some money in that and it’s great. I can just walk downstairs now, do what I want to do.”Khawaja is part of an Australia A tour of India, which is effectively an audition ahead of the Pakistan tour. Asia has not been a happy hunting ground for Khawaja, with the left-hander averaging just 14.62 from nine innings in the region. Walking into a team where he played a Test before any of the current Australian squad, he will need to bear a greater share of the responsibility if Australia are to overturn what has been a wretched recent record away to subcontinental sides.But it isn’t just in physique where Khawaja feels he is lighter than ever; he’s not placing too much psychological pressure on himself either. After having let the pressure get to him a number of times in the past, he’s not obsessing over how the next few months’ work out.”You do have to enjoy what you’re doing. I remember working my arse off before the 2013 Ashes and I went there and only scored one fifty and didn’t play well, and got dropped. But I probably wasn’t in a good space (mentally); if you’re doing fitness work, you’re starving yourself and you’re in a bad headspace, then I don’t reckon you’re going to score runs – no matter how fit you get.”But this is the first time I haven’t really given a crap about what anyone else thinks – I’m doing this for myself, trying to be the best version of myself, and I’ve been enjoying it. Hopefully I can go out there and do really well in the ‘A’ stuff and the rest will take care of itself. But if I don’t, I know it’s not the end of the world.”He isn’t looking too closely at all that’s changed around him in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, which saw three key players get hit with long bans and the coach resign.”JL (Langer) is my fifth coach of Australia now [after Tim Nielsen, stand-in Troy Cooley, Mickey Arthur and Darren Lehmann]. I’ve been through it all, I’ve seen a lot of different coaches, and I’ve been in and out of the team a lot – especially in my younger years. I’ve learnt to just realise there are some things you can’t control.”What he can control, though, he appears to have been doing very well indeed lately.

Pant could not keep wicket for the rest of the Lord’s Test after suffering an injury on the first day

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2025

Rishabh Pant suffered a finger injury on the first day of the Lord’s Test•Getty Images

Rishabh Pant “should be fine” in time for the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford from July 23 after scans revealed “no major injury” to the index finger of his left hand, according to India captain Shubman Gill.Pant is the second-highest run-scorer in the series, with 425 in six innings at an average of 70.83.He was struck on the index finger of his left hand while attempting to collect a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah down the leg side during the 34th over of England’s first innings in the Lord’s Test. He was in considerable pain and needed treatment from the physio that caused a long break in play. Though he finished that over, he could not continue keeping wicket, and was replaced behind the stumps by Dhruv Jurel for the rest of the Test.Related

• Gill 'extremely proud' of India's lower-order fight

Pant, however, came out to bat at No. 5 in both of India’s innings at Lord’s. He scored 74 off 112 balls in the first innings, and 9 off 12 in the second. However, there were moments during both innings where he was in discomfort due to the injury and had to take the injured bottom hand off the bat as he connected with the ball.This was most apparent during India’s chase of 193 on the final day, when Pant walked out to bat with India needing another 135 to win with six wickets in hand. He was not at ease facing the pace of Jofra Archer, frequently releasing his bottom hand from the bat handle.Pant became the first wicket to fall on day five when he lost his off stump to Archer while trying to defend, and India went on to fall short of the target by 22 runs to go 2-1 down in the five-Test series.It is unlikely that Pant will be allowed a keeping substitute for the same injury during the next Test at Old Trafford so he will need to be fully fit going into that fixture.

Ben Compton and Tawanda Muyeye reach close unscathed after Hampshire enforce follow-on

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Kent battled hard to save their Division One status after being forced to follow on by Hampshire, on a rain-affected third day in the County Championship at Canterbury.The hosts could be relegated by the end of this round of fixtures, but they reached the close 70 without loss in their second innings, still 126 behind, with Tawanda Muyeye unbeaten on 46 and Ben Compton 24 not out.Torrential rain fell during an already truncated evening session and play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5.26pm. Earlier, Kyle Abbott took 5 for 46 as Kent were dismissed for 207 in their first innings, Compton their highest scorer with 51.Kent began day three on 64 for 5, still 339 runs behind Hampshire’s first innings score of 403, but Compton and Harry Finch survived for the first 90 minutes of an extended morning session, aided by some sub-optimal slip fielding. Toby Albert dropped Compton twice, on 24 and 32, the first when he couldn’t hang on to a difficult slip catch off Abbott, the second a more routine head-high chance offered by James Fuller.Albert finally snared Compton at the third attempt when Abbott found his edge with the first delivery after he had switched to the Nackington Road End. In his next over, Abbott had Finch caught behind for 44, before Liam Dawson bowled Charlie Stobo for 10.Kyle Abbott claimed a five-wicket haul•Getty Images

Matt Parkinson was out soon after lunch, caught behind off Brad Wheal for four, but the last-wicket pair of George Garrett and Jas Singh proved a nuisance, particularly after James Vince dropped the former when he was on 17, again in the slips.Singh passed his previous best first-class score of 14, before he was removed by the new ball, lbw to Abbas for 18, leaving his partner stranded on 27.With 45 overs remaining in the day Hampshire immediately announced they were enforcing the follow on, but a whiff of farce arrived when Muyeye hit the penultimate ball before tea for a six into the gardens on the Old Dover Road side of the ground. Hampshire were unhappy with the replacement and four of their fielders, the twelfth man and a coach climbed awkwardly over the fence to look for the original, finally finding it after seven minutes.Shortly after the resumption the potential importance of those seven minutes was magnified when the rain arrived and a total of nine overs were lost. When play resumed at 5.05pm it was already raining again, the groundstaff were already holding the covers and Compton faced down three balls from Abbas before they gave up and went off again.

On Saturday he edged to slip five short, and on day three he could only make four runs before falling to Prasidh Krishna

Andrew McGlashan05-Jan-2025For the second time in two days, Steven Smith fell agonisingly short of reaching the 10,000-run landmark.On Saturday he edged to slip five short. Then 24 hours later, with a crowd approaching 40,000 watching on during Jane McGrath Day of the Pink Test in Sydney, Prasidh Krishna made a delivery climb from short of a length as Smith advanced down the pitch and he could only fend it into the gully. He became the second batter after Mahela Jayawardene to fall on 9999 runs.Smith will now have to wait until the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle later this month for his next opportunity to become the 15th batter to join the 10,000 club.Often termed the best since Bradman, Smith will be the fourth Australia batter in the group after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Ahead of this SCG Test, Border paid tribute to Smith and where he stands among the game’s greats.”Averaging 57 or so is in the top echelon ever, if you take one certain bloke [Bradman] out of it and he’s right up there with the very, very best,” he told newspapers. “As far as Australia’s concerned, we’ve had Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, those sorts of players.”But now Steve [Smith] ranks equally with that group, no problems whatsoever. I’m a huge fan of Tendulkar and Lara, they were phenomenally good cricketers, but Steve is definitely up with that lot, for sure.”It has felt like a run-scoring feat that Smith was destined to achieve – he was the fastest to 8000 Test runs and second fastest to the 9000 mark – although the final climb to the summit has taken longer than expected after a relatively lean 2023-24 season which included a brief spell as opener following David Warner’s retirement. Back-to-back centuries in Brisbane and Melbourne left him on the brink, but now the wait goes that big longer.Smith is likely to captain Australia on the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka where Pat Cummins is expected to miss at least one Test for the birth of his second child.