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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.

Captain Jason Holder says squad have “a duty to show solidarity”

Matt Roller28-Jun-2020West Indies will wear a Black Lives Matter emblem on the collars of their shirts during July’s Test series against England.Captain Jason Holder hinted in his first press conference of the tour that West Indies would look to support the movement in some way, and said in a statement on Sunday: “We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness.”The logo used will be that worn on the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport’s restart earlier this month, designed by Alisha Hosannah, whose partner Troy Deeney is Watford’s captain. Deeney was contacted by CWI for approval, and the ICC gave permission for the emblem to be worn on the teams’ collars.ALSO READ: Holder says ‘world must come together’ as West Indies arrive for historic tour“This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team,” Holder said. “We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality.”As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for generation to come.”We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop.”We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background.”Jason Holder sports the new West Indies shirt•CWI

Deeney said: “Alisha and I are immensely proud to be asked and take part in a monumental moment in world sport, this amazing decision by the West Indies cricket team to show their support for Black Lives Matter.”Watching cricket with my grandad, and seeing Brian Lara transcend from being a cricketer to a worldwide superstar, shaped my childhood, so it’s great to be able to help West Indies cricket show their support in such a meaningful way.”The shirts are expected to be worn for the first time in this week’s first-class, four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, which starts on Monday.The ICC had previously told ESPNcricinfo that they would operate a “common-sense approach to the implementation of regulations” regarding demonstrations of solidarity with the movement, which would be assessed on a “case-by-case basis”.England are also expected to mark their support for the movement during the series following discussions within the squad, and may also wear blue armbands in recognition of the contribution of NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ECB announced last week that players would wear the names of cricket-supporting key workers on their training shirts ahead of the first Test.West Indies’ shirts will also be the first to feature a chest sponsor, like those seen in football since the 1970s. The ICC’s chief executives’ committee ratified a change earlier this month to allow a relaxation of rules on apparel logos for the next 12 months, seemingly to help them maintain relations with sponsors during a difficult financial period.Logos on the fronts of players’ shirts will not be permitted to exceed 32 square inches in size, as per the regulations for ODI and T20I kits. England are also expected to release a shirt with a chest sponsor in the next few days.

van der Merwe scores 76, de Lange 75 as Somerset look to bat once with visitors three down in reply

ECB Reporters' Network05-Jul-2021Josh Davey’s career best 75 not out helped Somerset dominate the second day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Leicestershire at Taunton.The Group Two leaders began by extending their first-innings score from a precarious 242 for 7 to 461 for 9 declared, Davey sharing century stands with Roelof van der Merwe, who scored 76, and Marchant de Lange, who reached 75.Then Somerset’s seamers got to work, reducing Leicestershire to 60 for 3 in reply. They closed a final session curtailed by rain on 95 for 3, with skipper Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 21.The day began under cloudy skies at the Cooper Associates County Ground, with van der Merwe on 18 and Davey 4. The former proved the aggressor, taking successive boundaries off Ben Mike as the total advanced to 272 for 7 before the second new ball was taken.It made little difference as van der Merwe moved confidently to fifty off 70 balls, with six fours and a six. He and Davey looked untroubled in extending their eighth-wicket partnership to 102.Ed Barnes eventually had van der Merwe caught at long-on to end an innings that had transformed Somerset’s prospects. But if Leicestershire thought their troubles were over, de Lange was about to prove them wrong. On no fewer than six occasions, the powerful South African swung from the hip to clear the ropes over mid-wicket. And all the time Davey was patiently accumulating to reach his first Championship half-century for Somerset off 144 balls.Roelof van der Merwe drives during his 76•Getty Images

It was 408 for 8 for lunch, by which time de Lange had reached a 38-ball fifty and the hosts were looking to bat only once in the game.They had progressed to 446 when de Lange was caught at long-on off Callum Parkinson. It remained for Davey to go past his previous best first-class score of 71, made for Middlesex on debut against Oxford University back in 2010. At the declaration, the Scotland one-day and T20 international, often an unsung hero of Somerset’s team, had faced 169 balls and hit 11 fours.All the momentum was with the home side and they maintained it before tea, claiming the wickets of Lewis Hill, Rishi Patel and Marcus Harris to leave their opponents 60 for 3.Skipper Craig Overton dropped Hill on 14 at third slip off Jack Brooks, but responded by pinning the opener lbw with the first ball of the following over.Brooks and Davey claimed a wicket apiece before Ackermann dug in, receiving solid support from Josh Inglis in an unbroken stand of 35.The action looked set to continue beyond 7pm to make up for overs lost on day one. But heavy rain set in and the umpires called play off shortly before 6pm.

The series will comprise three ODIs and a one-off T20I, all at Sabina Park

Matt Roller06-Dec-2021West Indies will play three ODIs and a T20I against Ireland in Jamaica from January 8 to 16, the CWI has announced, with the possibility that the standalone T20I will be used as a farewell match for Chris Gayle.Gayle confirmed after West Indies’ exit in the T20 World Cup that he had played his last game in a major tournament but revealed his hope that CWI would “give me one game in Jamaica to go in front of my home crowd… then I can say ‘hey guys, thank you so much.'”Related

• Four Ireland players, assistant coach test Covid-19 positive ahead of USA, Caribbean tours

• Kevin O'Brien omitted from Ireland's T20I squad for USA-West Indies tour

• Chris Gayle reveals he hasn't retired yet, hopes for farewell game in Jamaica

While Gayle will not be part of the ODI squad, with the series counting towards 2023 World Cup qualification through the Super League, the one-off fixture at Sabina Park could be used as his farewell game. ESPNcricinfo understands that a decision has yet to be made on Gayle’s inclusion but that the issue will be up for discussion at the next meeting of CWI’s board of directors later this month.”It’s whether collectively we all feel that it’s appropriate for him to have one last game at home to say farewell in a one-off game,” Johnny Grave, CWI’s chief executive, told the Mason and Guest radio show in Barbados last month. “That Ireland series would represent that opportunity.”It would certainly be appropriate, as far as I can see it, to treat our players and give them the opportunity to bow out – especially players like Chris who have had unbelievable careers and won trophies for the West Indies.”

West Indies vs Ireland fixtures

January 8 – 1st ODI
January 11 – 2nd ODI
January 14 – 3rd ODI
January 16 – Only T20I (D/N)

Ireland will travel to the Caribbean on December 31, immediately after their series against USA which starts on December 22 and comprises two T20Is and three ODIs. They have already named their squads for both tours, with Kevin O’Brien left out and David Ripley taking temporary charge as interim head coach.Ireland last toured the Caribbean in 2020, drawing the T20I series 1-1 and losing the ODI series 3-0. Sabina Park was also the venue for one of the finest moments in Irish cricketing history, their victory over Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup on St Patrick’s Day.”We are pleased to be returning to the Caribbean where we have so many great memories,” Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s performance director, said. “The World Cup Super League is a crucial set of fixtures for Ireland as we attempt to qualify for the next Cricket World Cup, and – if the series in 2020 is anything to go by – we look forward to a highly competitive series in January.”

Offspinner’s 12-wicket haul sees Essex to an innings win and up to third in the table

David Hopps at Chelmsford17-Jun-2019The debate over whether Simon Harmer is the finest spin bowler in Essex’s history has sounded premature for a player contesting only his third Championship season, but the evidence is growing at a rapid rate. Twelve more wickets, at a cost of only 61 runs, dispensed of Hampshire before tea on the second day at Chelmsford. Harmer was irrepressible, but in considerable part that was because Hampshire were dire.No county can host a result within five sessions and feel entirely comfortable about the outcome and a post-match conversation between the Essex groundstaff and the ECB’s cricket liaison officer, Stuart Cummings, a former Rugby League referee, was inevitable, but there was no sense whatsoever that they saw anything too untoward about a surface that had also been used for a women’s ODI between England and the West Indies last Thursday.During that match, a West Indies player was reportedly sick on the pitch. Presumably on a length. For a spin bowler operating from the River End.Hampshire’s two innings spanned only 63.5 overs as Harmer rushed Essex towards victory as inexorably as a river flows to the sea. He is now the leading Championship wicket-taker with 42 and the Chelmsford pitches do encourage him, as did the rough created by Hampshire’s left-arm seamer Keith Barker.But as well as he bowled, Hampshire’s supposed Championship challenge – they began the round in second place – should surely be categorised under Fake News. They met Harmer with an air of defeatism disguised as counterattack. Even Harmer felt obliged to politely chastise them, saying: “There was turn and bounce with the new ball. They needed to be more patient before taking me on. When it flattened out it would have been easier.”Joe Weatherley, showing the circumspection Harmer advocated, batted through the second innings for 29 from 80 balls. The India international Ajinkya Rahane made a pair and lasted only three balls in the match, twice edging Jamie Porter to the wicketkeeper; decisive breakthroughs because he might have had the wherewithal to play Harmer with aplomb. As for Rilee Rossouw, he succumbed to two of the wildest slogs imaginable.Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s coach, summed things up fairly enough. “Harmer bowled fairly well but the ball wasn’t turning square, it wasn’t impossible to bat,” he said. “Joe Weatherley batted through. He applied himself and needed someone to bat through with him.”It is a painful and hurtful result. Hopefully it is a defeat in isolation. We can’t afford to let this affect us. It was a very bad two days.”Essex had begun the day on 147 for 3 but were themselves bowled out before lunch, as they lost seven wickets for 67 runs, seven to lbw decisions with Kyle Abbott the main recipient as he jagged the ball back sharply.Observe Harmer from behind the arm and he flows into the crease. Watch him from side-on, however, and he is a more unprepossessing sight. Dare it be suggested, his run is little more than a gentle waddle, but the snap of his fingers fills his action with energy.He was on by the fourth over, initially because pace bowler Sam Cook had limped from the field. In the time needed to sneak off for a cheap haircut close to the ground, Hampshire’s second innings had been snipped back. When Harmer is bowling, do not attempt this if you have a luxuriant head of hair.Facing a first-innings deficit of 96, Hampshire lost seven wickets for 32 in only 13.5 overs before finally coming to grief 15 minutes before tea. They were in danger of registering their lowest score against Essex – they made 54 at Southampton in 1931 – but at least that ignominy was avoided.Harmer began by having Sam Northeast stumped; advancing down the pitch he contrived to let the ball squeeze between bat and pad and his ponderous efforts to regain his ground allowed Adam Wheater enough time to stretch to his right to gather and complete the stumping.In the same over, Rossouw paddled his first ball for four then tried to slog over long-on and edged a simple catch into the off side. Aneurin Donald slog-swept a non-turning delivery to midwicket before Harmer took two wickets in his seventh over, having James Fuller lbw, leaving a ball that turned out of the footholds, and finding gentle turn as Barker, reaching forward, edged to first slip.Harmer rounded off the victory as Mason Crane was caught in circus-trick style with the edge running down Adam Wheater’s chest at which point he expertly volleyed it, left-footed, to forward short leg. Never criticise all those pre-match football kickabouts ever again.This was Harmer’s third 10-wicket haul for the county, and fourth of his first-class career. He has taken four five-wicket hauls in his six innings bowling at Chelmsford this year. Essex, who have comfortably won all three of their Specsavers County Championship at home, have moved within seven points of Hampshire, and boast a game in hand.If they beat the leaders Somerset at Chelmsford next week, they will begin to believe a repeat of their title triumph of 2017 is not beyond them. When Harmer has the ball in his hand, anything is possible, but surely Somerset will play him better than this.

“I understand the need to try and play in slightly inclement weather to try and get a result. But we overstepped that mark in this game.”

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-20222:47

Houghton: ‘I don’t think we should have bowled even one ball’

Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton was fiercely critical of the decision to carry on with his side’s game against South Africa even as the rain in Hobart grew heavier, saying he didn’t believe the “conditions were right to play”, and that Zimbabwe “shouldn’t have bowled a ball”.Related

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• As it happened – South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Hobart

Rain halted Monday’s game in Hobart on multiple occasions, before it was finally called off with South Africa on the verge of victory. South Africa needed a further 13 runs to win with all ten wickets in hand and 24 balls to go, but the innings hadn’t yet reached the five-over mark, the mandatory cut-off for a game to produce a result. During the chase, Zimbabwe’s bowlers and fielders complained several times about the wet outfield as the rain grew steadily heavier. Even when fast bowler Richard Ngarava slipped and had to be taken off injured, the umpires kept the players on.It was a decision that left Houghton furious. “He’s lying in the changing room with a bunch of ice strapped to his ankle,” Houghton said. “Obviously we’re not too happy about the fact he’s not in a great space for bowling at the moment. We’ll have to assess it in the next day or so.”I thought the rain had got so heavy it was ridiculous. Most of the evening or nighttime, it was misty. But it got to the stage where we could actually hear it thumping on the rooftop in the dugout. To me, that’s no longer drizzle; that’s time to get off the field. The field was wet when we started and when South Africa fielded. They were difficult conditions for both sides but it just got more and more wet as we bowled. When your keeper’s sliding trying to move down the leg side standing up to the spinners, it’s too wet. I don’t think the conditions were right to carry on playing.”Richard Ngarava had to leave the field after taking a tumble•AFP/Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo understands the entire Zimbabwe unit were unhappy at what they considered were dangerous conditions, and believed higher-profile teams wouldn’t have been put in that position. While Houghton declined to comment publicly on whether he thought the umpires would have made the same decision if the roles had been reversed, he was emphatic in his disagreement with the call.”I understand the need to try and get these games on for the public and for TV.” he said. “I understand the need to try and play in slightly inclement weather to try and get a result. But we overstepped that mark in this game. The umpires are the guys making those decisions in the middle and they seemed to think it was fit to play. I disagree with them. But there’s not much I can do off the field.”After Ngarava’s injury, Zimbabwe turned to spin rather than risk their premier pace bowlers, with Sikandar Raza bowling the third over. But when Sean Williams was handed the ball for the fourth over, Houghton revealed Williams thought enough was enough.”Craig [Ervine, Zimbabwe’s captain] and Raza had had a word with the umpires and asked “what do you constitute as rain because we’re getting quite wet here?” Eventually Sean Williams said just as he was about to start bowling he didn’t think he could bowl. It was too wet. And then they brought us off.”South Africa coach Mark Boucher, meanwhile, suggested that the situation of the game may have played a part in Zimbabwe’s reluctance to carry on. “If Zimbabwe were in our position they would have wanted to carry on playing,” he said. “We bowled with a ball that was quite wet as well. We were in a very good position. You walk away from this game thinking we were hard done by. We are not there to make the calls, that’s what officials do and officials made the call and we’ve got to live with their decisions.”The abandonment leaves South Africa and Zimbabwe with one point each, putting South Africa under early pressure in a group where, on paper, they’re expected to compete for two available semi-finals slots with India and Pakistan. On a frigid night in Hobart, there was plenty of heat from both coaches as an incensed Zimbabwe fumed at an injury to a key fast bowler while South Africa seethed at a win that, not for the first time at a World Cup, was denied to them by rain.

Opportunity for meaningful practice for tourists at high-scoring venue

Matt Roller11-Jul-2022South Africa marked the start of their England tour by training in the Taunton sunshine on Monday afternoon, ahead of the first of two 50-over warm-up games against England Lions. They will play three ODIs, five T20Is (including two against Ireland in Bristol) and three Tests over the next two months, a return to old-school touring after two years of short series being squeezed into schedules following the Covid pandemic.That means that they will have the opportunity to acclimatise rather than heading straight into a series, beginning their trip at a venue that played host to the highest English domestic T20 total of all-time on Saturday night. Rilee Rossouw, who starred as Somerset piled on 265 for 5 against Derbyshire, will only come into the mix for the T20I leg of the tour but South Africa’s batters will be enticed by the combination of short boundaries and a flat, hard pitch.The second tour match, at New Road in Worcester on Thursday, will carry List A status but despite the ECB’s efforts, Tuesday’s will not; South Africa were keen to give as many of members of their 17-man squad a chance as possible. “We can try and get all of our batters to bat and all of our bowlers to bowl,” Mark Boucher, their head coach said, returning to the venue where he suffered a career-ending eye injury a decade ago.”Hopefully, we get the proper headache of having everyone in the runs. The second game will be a proper game of cricket, classed as a List A game. It’s going to be a good opportunity for us in the next couple of days to get everyone ready and also see where each individual is in these conditions.”Keshav Maharaj will stand in as captain for the 50-over leg of the tour, with Temba Bavuma missing through injury. “He’s a massive loss for us,” Boucher said, “but we have our back-up plans as well.”The England series is not part of the ODI Super League, in which South Africa have struggled, leaving them facing the possibility of having to play in next year’s qualifiers in order to reach the World Cup in India. “There’s maybe been a bit of a lack of form and continuity in certain series as well, where we’ve lost players to IPL,” Boucher added. “Our plans are good. If we can just settle on that then the results will naturally come.”Related

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• Boucher on Bazball: 'It's probably the way that red-ball cricket is going'

The ECB have picked a strong Lions squad for this series, with the usual blend of “next-best” and “future-best” players, according to Mo Bobat, England’s performance director. “We cross over with the England ODIs so we had to be really mindful of which players we picked and also think about the county game,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “You could easily decimate the Championship.”The Lions have hardly played since the start of the pandemic, with the demands of England’s schedule often meaning they have required two enlarged squads simultaneously. When they did, in Australia last winter, the tour was badly affected by quarantine demands and inclement weather.They are due to play South Africa in a red-ball game on August 9 and will tour Sri Lanka this winter if the political situation allows, but this week effectively marks the full return of the programme after what Bobat described as a “pretty difficult” couple of years.”It’s always quite tricky playing Lions cricket in the summer anyway because of the congested schedule, so getting to a point where we could put this game on and put a decent side out felt like quite an important thing. It’s nice for us to feel like we’re getting Lions cricket going again. It’s a good opportunity this week for these guys to play some 50-over cricket against international opposition.”Keshav Maharaj (right) will captain South Africa in the absence of Temba Bavuma•AFP/Getty Images

Tom Abell, the Somerset captain, will lead the side on his home ground and expects the Lions to replicate England’s attacking style. “Getting to captain is a huge privilege and it’s extra special being here at Taunton,” Abell told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve got a really good group. Hopefully we can come together and put South Africa under a bit of pressure.”A lot of us haven’t really experienced playing at this level against international opposition so the next couple of games are going to be amazing for us. What we want is for the group to feel free and be able to express themselves. We’ve all been playing T20 cricket and everyone’s approach is pretty positive so it’ll be about adapting to the 50-over format, but still trying to maintain that mindset: we want to have that positive, attacking intent at all times.”There are three capped players in the 14-man squad – Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and David Payne – and a mix of recent Under-19 graduates like Rehan Ahmed and Will Smeed, and older players with strong recent form such as Benny Howell and Jake Lintott. Not that many of them have played much 50-over cricket of late, since the Royal London Cup now clashes with the Hundred.”I haven’t played a 50-over game for God knows how long – a club game, probably,” Smeed, who could make his List A debut on Thursday, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not something that’s been on my radar but it was a lovely call to get. They’ve got a lot of tall, quick bowlers which will be fun. It’ll give me a good reflection as to where my game is at against that sort of bowler – you don’t get loads of them in the Blast so this should be a good challenge.”England Lions squad: Tom Abell (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton (wk), Sam Cook, Ben Duckett, Stephen Eskinazi, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Benny Howell, Jake Lintott, David Payne, George Scrimshaw, Will SmeedSouth Africa ODI squad: Keshav Maharaj (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne

Now for South Africa, who have no time for England’s gap-year levels of rediscovery, writes Vithushan Ehantharajah

Vithushan Ehantharajah16-Aug-2022″It’s the last time I will ever write on a whiteboard, because I needed to ask how to spell ‘environment’.”Who’d have thought we would see the day when Ben Stokes is at the front of the class, pen in hand, not writing lines on a board. Instead, here he was on Sunday in the home dressing room at Lord’s, giving his teammates a refresher of the values outlined and abided by during the first four Tests of the summer. Values created in his own image that led to four bombastic wins against New Zealand and India and re-instigated a nation’s love for Test cricket.”I don’t think it was a necessity,” said the men’s Test captain on the meeting, almost regressing to the cool kid who didn’t want to be seen as the square. “It was a case of getting everyone back together and going over, in smaller detail what we spoke about before we played that first game against New Zealand.”When we get together as a group we have our environment, our way of playing and getting that message across to everyone that we are back in this dressing room with our way of playing and thinking about the game.”All present were aware of how important this session was. The 43 days between the last day of the India Test and the first day of the South Africa series at Lord’s on Wednesday have felt twice as long. But even packed to the brim with the demoralisation of limited overs series against India and the Proteas and the distraction of the men’s Hundred has been an anticipation of getting back to the five-day stuff. And in the 10 minutes that Stokes spent up there in front of the whiteboard, the mood in the room was of a group of players and staff glad to be back in each other’s company and well aware of how they will continue to extol the virtues established at the start of the international summer.Related

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• Elgar hopes boards 'give players more safety' during scheduling conflicts

In a different era, certainly under a different captain, this might have been a long, more numbers-orientated exercise. It is wrong to assume this is a group who aren’t bothered by data, especially when coming up against a Proteas side with plenty of new faces. But this is a squad that has, ultimately, been brought out of their shell by focusing on their personalities and strengths rather than their statistics and weaknesses. Where there might have previously been a check on the robustness of the algorithms, now there is a top-up of the good vibes.Importantly, though – the best way to test the robustness of “good vibes” is by exposing it to bad ones. Finally, after a relatively docile three Tests against New Zealand, and a one-off anomaly against India comes three against a South Africa side who simply have no time for England’s gap-year levels of rediscovery of self and purpose.Ben Stokes lines up with his side for a team photo ahead of Wednesday’s first Test against South Africa•Getty Images

Despite messages from the hierarchy within the South Africa camp not to be drawn into discussing the dreaded “B-word”, players and coaches have been coerced into addressing it in their various media commitments over the last month. Captain Dean Elgar, fiery quick Anrich Nortje and grizzled coach Mark Boucher have all had their say – they’re not fans – with Boucher taking the lighthearted route, pre-empting questions in Monday’s press conference by saying anyone who mentions it needs to do a shot of tequila. And thus, he got off lightly, with only two questions relating to the buzzword. Elgar’s presser on the eve of the first Test brought a few more. By now the Proteas have sipped right down to the scorpion.There is a lot to praise of the mood around this England side, particularly how it has been maintained during this Test hiatus. A format that was once a grind now feels like a laugh, even for a 40-year-old like James Anderson who has seen it all but still feels a unique urge in his 20th home summer: “It feels like we can carry on doing special things in the future. So you want to be around that as much as possible.”Since playing his last competitive match on July 19 – his ODI swansong – Stokes has kept a few plates spinning. Beyond resting to ensure his body – specifically left knee – was primed for the rigours of three Tests in four weeks, there have been regular check-ins with those under his watch or others wanting to be. There have been encouraging messages for performances – both in private and over Twitter – as well as checking in on the likes of Zak Crawley who left the first portion of the Test season with a few more doubts than the rest. Even those currently injured who have yet to play in this revamped team, such as Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, have had a check-in from their captain.Even without the captaincy, Stokes would probably have done all those things as the senior man. But there is clearly a growing sense of acknowledgement from him that he is the key part of all this. He has quietly become one of the most powerful voices in English cricket and appreciates the clout he now wields.Zak Crawley gets another opportunity at the top of the order•Getty Images

During a County Championship match between Durham and Middlesex at Chester-le-Street at the end of July, Stokes mentioned that Mark Ramprakash, former England batting coach, now a consultant at Middlesex, picked Stokes’ brain for the benefit of those under his care. “He (Ramprakash) was asking me what he needs to tell his players about what we want to see from players to get noticed,” revealed Stokes.Head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key did as much last week with the Lions, along with assistant coach Paul Collingwood who assumed the main coaching role. A debrief at the start of the week of their tour match with South Africa, along with conversations throughout, inspired an innings-and-56-run victory that suggests the next crop are all in.”[It’s about] not just keeping everything in our dressing-room here, because at the moment if lads want to get into this England team it’s unfair for us not to deliver the message to those guys who are representing Lions.”If you’re leaving lads unsure about what’s expected of them to get into the team, that’s unfair on players because we have a certain type of way of playing and everyone trying to push for this England team needs to know that.”A wider buy-in is essential if this mindset is to last – there’s a reason the most “successful” cults have the most followers. And from Stokes’ sermons alone, he can gauge there is “more excitement than normal” because players now won’t get a “slap on the wrist for playing a stupid shot”. It is the exact kind of rhetoric that is music to the ears of batters up and down the country.All told, it is not for South Africa to believe. But it will be wrong to totally dismiss their annoyance as refusing to address what England are doing.So much of what the hosts have concocted is built on forgetting their doubts, moving away from conservatism and ignoring risk. Ultimately, disregarding the three aspects of this format of the game that have made some legends and destroyed countless others.Over the last month, South Africa have been quietly pinpointing ways to make England acknowledge them once more. And perhaps one of the key weapons at their disposal is that, for all the love from the home fans, there remains a typical British cynicism that is never too far from the surface. They saw that first-hand during the limited-overs series. Victory in the T20s and a 1-1 stalemate in ODIs led to questions over Jos Buttler’s captaincy and a sudden apathy towards a charismatic white-ball team. A Test side that came into this summer with one win in 17 has shakier foundations and much less credit in the bank.”What I will say is they’ve had more time to prepare than New Zealand or India have, because they’ve seen what we’ve done in four games,” said Stokes, when asked if South Africa carry any fear. “They might have more ideas as to how to stop Rooty (Joe Root) or Jonny (Bairstow) when they get going.”This is a rivalry that has always had plenty of niggle to accompany the hard-fought cricket. And on the eve of what should be another cracker to add to its long history, as both Stokes and Elgar speak of only being concerned about what they themselves are doing, it is amusing to think of this as a battle to see which is the least bothered by the other. With all the talking done, we’ll finally get our answer.

Pakistan tightened their grip on the second Test match after they increased their lead to 281 runs with eight wickets still in hand

The Report by Danyal Rasool17-Oct-2018

Siddle to stay back as T20 cover for hamstrung Starc

Australia’s spearhead Mitchell Starc has complained of tightness in his left hamstring while bowling in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, leaving him in doubt for the T20 series that follows. Peter Siddle, a revelation with the white ball for the Adelaide Strikers in their BBL-winning campaign last summer, will be retained as cover for the T20 matches rather than flying home.
Starc took on a heavy workload in the first Test in Dubai and has looked stiff and sore in the second, bowling only one spell so far in the second innings and also fielding in the slips rather than running round the outfield.

Today was the day all days this series were supposed to be like. With a Pakistan team that has historically been near-invincible in the UAE against an Australian Test unit that was near-unrecognisable, the hosts, at last, dominated in every single facet. Their fast bowlers outbowled Australia’s, their spin bowlers were a class apart, and the batting was in a different league to the visitors’ calamitous effort that they offered this morning. The upshot was Pakistan lead by 281 runs with eight wickets still in hand. With three days remaining in this Test, any fourth-innings batting heroics this time, however Herculean they may be, are unlikely to prevent an Australian defeat.Australia’s only chance of victory lay in turning over Pakistan cheaply, but those hopes were dashed courtesy another deft innings from debutant Fakhar Zaman. This one was more to type, the opener clever enough to understand he would be able to cut loose in the way that’s become his strength, quick runs being the best way to put the game out of Australia’s reach. He put on 66 of them, and looked on track to reach the debut hundred he was so agonisingly denied yesterday. But a stunning catch from Nathan Lyon off his own bowling dashed Fakhar’s hopes. Lyon looked to be taking evasive action after Fakhar struck the ball hard, but the cherry lodged itself in his hands, and Australia could celebrate a fleeting moment of joy.Even Azhar Ali, who had struggled for runs over the past 18 months, found form today, finishing unbeaten on 54 when the day drew to a close. He looked more confident than he has in months, looking more certain when he used his feet. He was also willing to be patient when the bowling grew tight, refusing to yield in the manner he had in two of his three previous innings this series. While Lyon remained – by a distance – Australia’s best bowler, it wasn’t compliments but numbers in the wickets column that Australia needed to feel more hopeful at the end of the second day.For the second time in as many Tests, Pakistan punched big holes in Australia’s middle order, establishing firm control right from the outset. It was Mohammad Abbas, the flavour of this season, who continued to endear himself to Pakistan’s fans. He teased and tested Australia’s batsmen in a game of patience, as Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were his third and fourth victims this morning, adding to the two scalps he had from last evening. The pair fell in almost identical fashion: Abbas pitching on a line just outside off stump and nipping away ever-so-slightly, the outside edges almost drawn to the ball as if they were in its magnetic field.Sarfraz Ahmed, keen to take advantage of the new ball while the pitch was cooperative, kept Abbas in for a lengthy seven-over spell, and Pakistan seem to have unearthed a gem who looks dangerous whatever the conditions or situation. He can bowl in England, West Indies or the UAE without so much as noticing where he is. Right-handers, left-handers, new ball, old ball. He is a trump card Pakistan may continue to play for years to come.Mitchell Marsh looked solid for the time he was at the crease, and with Aaron Finch, who had managed to survive all morning, Australia needed a partnership of the sort Sarfraz and Fakhar had put on on Tuesday. But within the last half hour before lunch, the session’s pendulum swung decisively in Pakistan’s favour as the spinners made their presence felt. First it was Yasir who took Marsh’s edge, another catch for the reliable Asad Shafiq at first slip. Bilal Asif then struck the hammer blow when he removed the opener Finch for 39, with short leg diving to take a smart catch after the ball had skimmed the inside edge. And there was still time for Asif to remove the Australia captain Tim Paine in the last over before lunch, trapping him on the crease as the ball spun sharply into his pads.Pakistan didn’t need any help, but they were assisted by a moment of madness from Marnus Labuschagne which ended Australia’s biggest partnership – 37 runs. After Starc drove Yasir tamely back to the bowler, Yasir got a touch onto the ball as it headed towards the stumps. Labuschagne had his bat in the air as he watched the ball hit the stumps, but inexplicably failed to ground his bat. Soon after, Asif broke through Lyon’s defences, before Abbas completed a five-wicket haul – and his career-best innings figures – to wrap up Australia’s innings.With none of the batting concerns Australia had before this series coming close to being resolved, it appears hard to see a way out of this hole for Paine’s men. Pakistan, meanwhile, are on course to put last week aside as an unfortunate blip, and walk away with the authority to claim that their UAE formula still adds up.

Jofra Archer set to win a chance in England’s next ODI engagements as coach admits some are playing for their places in the World Cup squad

George Dobell in St Lucia03-Mar-2019You might think, after four years as England coach, that Trevor Bayliss might be inured to England’s occasional – and, perhaps, not so occasional – propensity for a batting collapse.But, seeing him at the team hotel on the morning after the night – okay, the early afternoon – before is to see a man clearly struggling to come to terms with events. He uses words such as “embarrassed” and admits he “can’t get my head around” the disparity in quality between England’s performances. For them to suffer the largest defeat, in terms of how long it took West Indies to knock off the target, in their ODI history on Bayliss’ watch clearly hurts.It wasn’t just the extent of the defeat, though. It was the fact that it came in the final ODI before England were obliged to select their World Cup squad. Despite all the tours and training and faith in the players, it seems the England team retain a propensity, when confronted by conditions outside their comfort zone, to collapse in spectacular fashion. A difficulty in adapting to conditions is clearly a recurring problem.And while Bayliss admitted the performance – perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the lack of performance? – could be the “wake-up call” his side required, he also said that some of the current players have had every opportunity to nail down their places and failed to do so. As a consequence, Jofra Archer be given an opportunity to show what he can do during the ODIs against Ireland and Pakistan despite having just 14 List A appearances to his name. He would appear to have every chance of winning a World Cup spot.ALSO READ: ‘It’s been an honour to wear the crest’ – Gayle bows out“Was it the worst yet?” Bayliss said of defeat in St Lucia. “I think it was. To lose in such a fashion… I think they [the players] were embarrassed.”We talk all the time about playing smart cricket but, quite simply, we didn’t play smart cricket. We kept making the same mistakes.”Whether it’s a bit of overconfidence – have we gone into the match with, not a blasé attitude, but an overconfident attitude where they go out and play their natural games and think it’ll just happen? Batting can’t be easy and free flowing all the time. And it’s happened a few times.”Bayliss hopes the game will prove to be something of a watershed moment. Straight afterwards, the team held a long meeting in the dressing room where they reflected on their failings and, he believes, understood where they went wrong.”I didn’t have to say very much,” he said. “Eoin Morgan started the conversation and three or four of the most experienced players in the team led it. They were on the money.”They were talking about getting to 220-230 on that pitch. That conversation was going on out in the middle and in the dressing room. But we didn’t put it into play.”You’re not going to score 400 on a wicket like that but you make high 200s, 300, 350 and it’s enough to win games on those wickets. Yesterday we just didn’t. Two hundred and we would have been right in the game.”If it doesn’t sink in after this one – so close to the World Cup – then there’s something wrong. I’d like to think that, after their chat yesterday in the changing room, it will sink in.”While the batting was the focus of most reports, Bayliss was also underwhelmed by some aspects of the bowling during the series. There had, for example, been talk ahead of games about bowling yorkers at Chris Gayle. But very few were delivered and Gayle was able to hit 39 sixes in four innings; one every 8.10 balls.”We just bowled a lot of balls in his strike zone,” Bayliss said. “We just didn’t get the ball in the right area enough. Yorkers were spoken about a lot. Sometimes the bowlers go out to try and do it and just can’t.”Partly as a result, Bayliss confirmed that Archer – who is now just a few days from qualifying as eligible for England – is almost certain to made his debut in the ODIs to be played in May ahead of the World Cup. While England are obliged to name their 15-man World Cup squad by April 23 (they are expected to name it a week or so early), they can make as many changes as they like until May 22. After that date, they need ICC approval for any change and they will only be allowed in the event of injury or exceptional circumstances.”Jofra Archer’s name keeps cropping up and I think, at some stage, we will give him an opportunity,” Bayliss said. “Those matches against Pakistan and Ireland, I think he will get an opportunity to show us what he can do. He’s said publicly that he’s keen.”He’s a bowler you don’t get many of: someone who is able to bowl in all three phases of the game. He can take the new ball, he can bowl through the middle and he can bowl at the end which is a good skillset to have.”There was a little bit of contact made during the Australian summer and there was talk a month or two ago about when the date was that he qualified. At the time, it was around 31 days that he needed to be back in the UK.”Are the players he’s competing with aware of the situation? I don’t know, you’d have to ask them. There is plenty of speculation all the time in the papers and I’m sure they read that.Ben Stokes was dismissed by Carlos Brathwaite•AFP

“The guys in the team, they’ve got hold of those positions and in a way it’s theirs to lose. If they keep performing and doing well it’s difficult to bring people in.”The implication? That they been performing. Several fringe members of the squad now face an anxious wait.England resume training on Monday ahead of the first of three T20Is against West Indies in St Lucia on Tuesday. They will be without Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali, who have all been given time off before they depart for the IPL, while Jason Roy will shortly go home to be present at the birth of his first child. Mark Wood is also likely to be rested for one or two of the T20 games.The likes of Sam Billings, Dawid Malan, Chris Jordan and Sam Curran – who have all been brought in for the T20I series – are likely to win opportunities in the coming days, as is Joe Denly who has been a non-playing member of the ODI squad.