Category Uncategorized

The rain-hit affair was the last league match of GSL 2025 with Riders already in the final and Stags knocked out

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2025Match abandoned The last league match of the Global Super League (GSL) 2025 was replete with rain interruptions, and eventually inclement weather had the final say.A downpour in Guyana in the morning delayed toss by 45 minutes. Nurul Hasan called right and Rangpur Riders opted to bat – despite the weather around – but had to wait more because rain returned. The game began 90 minutes later than scheduled time as a 17-over contest.Central Stags opened their bowling with spinners from both ends and pegged back Riders twice inside the powerplay: Soumya Sarkar holing out off offspinner Angus Schaw second ball and Ibrahim Zadran falling to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox. The heavens opened up again and this latest stoppage meant the game was further reduced to 14-overs-a-side affair.Upon resumption, fast bowler Blair Tickner broke the back of the Riders middle order. He accounted for Mahidul Islam Ankon, Iftikhar Ahmed and Nurul Hasan to leave Riders reeling at 66 for 6. Schaw and Lennox returned to mop up the tail as the Bangladesh Premier League side folded for a mere 79. Which was when another spell of heavy rain forced abandonment.Riders are already in the final with Stags finishing third in the season.

Ricky Ponting suggested the club might need to consider moving to find better conditions

AAP09-Jan-2024Sydney Thunder remain committed to their western Sydney home, despite question marks over a Showground wicket labelled “substandard” by Ricky Ponting.Thunder’s seven-wicket loss to Perth Scorchers on Monday was plagued by questions over a slow, spinning wicket that produces the lowest scoring rates in the Big Bash League.Ashton Agar took 2 for 6 off four overs for Scorchers, as Thunder were kept to 137 for 8 from their 20 overs. Scorchers reached their target with five balls to spare.Related

• Finch raises prospect of relocating BBL teams, calls for draft to go

• Khawaja, Labuschagne and Carey available for BBL cameos

• Ponting slams Showground pitch as Thunder lose low-scoring game to Scorchers

It is not the first time the Sydney Showground wicket has come under attack, with Scorchers captain Ashton Turner labelling it “disappointing” in early 2019.The run-rate at the Showground of 7.76 since the BBL’s inception is the lowest of all regular grounds, with spinners and off-pace deliveries the norm.That raises questions over the ability of the venue – situated in one of Sydney’s most-populated areas – to assist the BBL in acting as a gateway for new fans into the sport.Former Australia skipper Ponting, in commentary for Seven on Monday night, went as far as to question whether Thunder should move to Canberra permanently, concerned the Showground wicket would stop them attracting or keeping talent.Two of Thunder’s home games this summer are at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.But AAP has been told there are no plans for Thunder to shelve western Sydney, or for the number of games in the area to be reduced.It is more likely Thunder could increase games in the region, given its population of 2.6 million, with the hope of kick-starting the introduction of better facilities.Thunder captain Chris Green rejected any suggestion the club should pick up and leave the Showground for the national capital.”We’re the Sydney Thunder, this is where we like to play. This is our home ground. This is where we’re from, the west of Sydney,” Green said.”I’d hate to see us move down [to Canberra] permanently. I like staying at home, playing at home, having my family come and watch me play. This is our home base.”Green also shot down any suggestion the Showground pitch had been a long-term issue, joking he would love to take the wicket everywhere he goes as a spinner.”This is better than a lot of wickets in the country. It’s just about adapting to those conditions better,” Green said on Monday. “We had a 200-game here last year [in the finals] and the rain ruined it. The Sixers game this year was a sellout, and the rain ruined it.”If we scored 10 more runs or about five less wides tonight, it’s probably going down to the last ball which is an entertaining fixture. So I disagree with those comments.”We can’t just roll out a belter of a wicket and have 220 plays 220, because that tests one side of skill – but this is another side of skill.”

Glenn Maxwell also misses opening game against England while Cameron Green stays with the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2022Australia’s frontline attack have all been rested for the first T20I against England in Perth on Sunday as the selectors continue to juggle their resources ahead of the World Cup.Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa, along with Glenn Maxwell, will not make the cross-country trip to Perth and instead remain in the east and rejoin the squad the two games in Canberra.Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar officially return to the squad for the England series having been managed through side injuries over the last few weeks.Related

• Cummins wary of burning Green but 'huge demand' inevitable as IPL question looms

• Australia's balance rests on bowling fitness of Marsh and Stoinis

• Finch batting at No. 4 leaves Australia with more questions than answers

Cameron Green has been retained for the England matches while Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis have been added for the first game.”We have a World Cup to win and that is what we have got to peak for,” Cummins said after the opening game against West Indies. “There is no point in burning out in these five games. We’ve been over in India for three games as well.”You might see some people having a rest and in some different roles to make sure we give ourselves the best chance not only for the start of the tournament but the back end if we are there.”Richardson and Mitchell Marsh, who played as a batter only in the first T20I against West Indies as he returns from an ankle injury, have travelled to Perth on Thursday so will therefore miss the second match in Brisbane on Friday.The selectors have taken a cautious approach with players ahead of the World Cup, particularly around flying them to and from Perth in quick succession. Stoinis was left in Perth rather than heading to Queensland while Australia’s main bowlers have avoided two lengthy journeys either side of a match day.”The high-performance team and selectors have planned these matches to ensure our squad get to the World Cup fresh and ready to perform,” national selector George Bailey said.”Some squad members travelled to Perth early to begin preparations slightly earlier than the main squad and a handful of others will not make the trip to Perth. With some players remaining on the east coast, it provides further opportunity for Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams who both performed well in India.”Likewise Mitchell Swepson was a part of last year’s World Cup squad and continues to provide good depth in our T20 spin bowling department.”After the opening game against West Indies, captain Aaron Finch said they would be using the upcoming matches to try out players in various positions and combinations ahead of the World Cup”We’re going to keep tinkering with things just to try and make sure that we’ve got all bases covered.”Australia squad for England in Perth Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Ellis, Kane RichardsonAustralia squad for England in Canberra Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson

Veteran allrounder digs deep in low-scoring thriller to seal one-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2021Northern Diamonds 110 for 9 (Gunn 27*) beat Western Storm 106 for 9 (Macdonald 4-17) by one wicketAlex Macdonald registered career-best figures to put the skids under Western Storm and help Northern Diamonds achieve a dramatic one-wicket win at Taunton to take control of Group B in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Diamonds skipper Holly Armitage won the toss and opted to field, a decision which reaped dividends when Macdonald took 4 for 17, eclipsing the 4 for 28 she claimed for Yorkshire women against Surrey in 2015. Undermined by poor shot selection and unable to build meaningful partnerships, Storm posted a below-par 106 for 9, Katie George top-scoring with 21 and Nat Wraith contributing 20.But the hosts came roaring back into contention, Danielle Gibson, Alex Griffiths and Nicole Harvey claiming two wickets apiece as Diamonds lurched to 96 for 9. It required all of Jenny Gunn’s vast experience to see the visitors over the line, the former England international hitting the winning four off the final ball to finish unbeaten on 27 from 21 balls.Put into bat, Storm were up against it from the outset, Linsey Smith pinning Georgia Hennessy lbw without scoring in the first over, and then holding a catch at point as Gibson succumbed to Gunn in the act of cutting. When Phoebe Graham located Sophie Luff’s outside edge and Sarah Taylor took a brilliant diving catch at the second attempt behind the stumps, Storm had lost their captain for a duck and were under duress at 28 for 3 in the fourth over.Having played second fiddle in a stand of 23 for the fourth wicket with George, opener Fi Morris fell to MacDonald, top-edging a catch behind and departing for 16.Dropped on 11 by Katie Levick at mid-on off the bowling of Graham in the sixth over, George made good her escape to accrue 21 valuable runs from 23 balls, striking a brace of fours in the process. Chancing her arm once too often though, she then hoisted a delivery from MacDonald high to Campbell at deep mid-on and exited at a crucial juncture in the innings with the score on 64-5 at the halfway stage.Former Gloucestershire bowler MacDonald struck again in her next over, inducing Griffiths to sky a catch to point and then removing Lauren Parfitt, held by Graham at mid-off, as Storm subsided further to 76 for 7 in the 13th over. Emily Edgecombe was comprehensively stumped by Taylor off the bowling of Levick, but Wraith mustered tail-end defiance, contributing a forthright 20 from 21 balls, before Smith returned to remove her off stump and complete a handy return of 2 for 15 from four overs.Edgecombe struck an early blow for Storm, having Armitage caught at the wicket for five in the first over, but Leah Dobson and Ami Campbell staged a progressive alliance of 27 in three overs to lay solid foundations.Yet Storm stuck to their task in the field and, when Griffiths removed Dobson and Campbell in the space of five balls in the fifth over and Gibson then bowled MacDonald for six, there was the merest hint of an unexpected outcome.The fight-back was well and truly underway when Griffiths performed a brilliant stop and throw from the deep square leg boundary to run out Taylor for 11, the former England star falling inches short in pursuit of a second run. Rachel Hopkins was trapped in her crease by Morris for two and Dutch international Sterre Kalis played down the wrong line and was clean bowled by the impressive Gibson, at which point Diamonds were teetering on 78 for 7 and heavily reliant upon veteran campaigner Gunn.Offspinner Harvey accounted for Smith and Graham in the penultimate over to set-up a tense finale. With 10 needed from the final over, Gunn held her nerve, lofting a length ball from Griffiths over mid-on to register her third boundary and clinch a memorable victory at the death.

Earlier, a disciplined bowling performance from Karachi strangled Lahore’s batsmen

The Report by Danyal Rasool12-Mar-2020Karachi Kings snuffed out Lahore Qalandars’ resurgence with a clinical performance to put themselves back in consideration for the playoffs of PSL 2020. Following a washed-out game against the Multan Sultans and a Ben Dunk-inspired defeat at Lahore’s hands last week, Karachi bounced back thanks to a disciplined bowling performance that strangled Lahore’s ability before cruising to the total without losing a single wicket – just the second ten-wicket win in PSL history.Openers Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan barely appeared to get out of the third gear, but that didn’t stop them from overwhelming the Lahore bowlers completely. They scored 69 and 74 respectively and took the side to victory inside 17 overs.Put in to bat, Lahore did get off to a solid start thanks to their ever-improving captain Sohail Akhtar, whose 49-ball 68 held together an innings that appeared to be gearing up for a big finish.But the middle order let him down, while Karachi’s accuracy and intelligence following the halfway mark ensured Lahore never really attained the fluency they required to put up a challenging total. Umaid Asif took the key wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Dunk kneecapping Lahore’s big-hitting prowess, while Chirs Jordan’s accuracy at the death ensured Lahore managed only 150.Enter Azam and Sharjeel. It seemed Sharjeel might have been going too slow to start off, but seeing off the dangerous Shaheen Afridi proved a tactical masterstroke. The only way for Lahore to get into the match was to take wickets, depriving them that saw the pressure lift quickly, and the run-scoring increased exponentially. Azam was supremely untroubled, and before long, Sharjeel unleashed the big hits. It might have been billed as the contest of the season, but ended up being a cakewalk.Star of the dayArshad Iqbal had struggled during the early stages of the PSL, but thrust into the big game today, he repaid his franchise’s faith with his best performance of the season. When he was called upon for the ninth over, Lahore were going steadily at 65 for 1, with Chris Lynn having just arrived at the crease. Iqbal was greeted by a slice behind backward point for four by Akhtar but came back strongly in the over conceding just three more while also getting rid of Lynn, who was deceived in the air and holed out to deep midwicket. Iqbal was unlucky not to have sent Akhtar back off the first ball of his next over, with Alex Hales dropping a skier. He got his man in his next over, though, with Akhtar misjudging the bounce of a delivery that struck his pads, and the lbw call withstanding despite Lahore’s review. Iqbal didn’t complete his quota, but the two wickets he picked up in three overs came at the cost of just 15 runs.Miss of the dayWith Dunk having proved the tormentor-in-chief for Karachi just four days ago, Lahore had high hopes from the Australian who appeared to be in the form of his life. Instead, Dunk had perhaps his worst game of the season. When he came out to bat, he struggled for fluency. Both Usama Mir, who bowled well enough for his first game of the PSL, and Jordan kept him quiet before he lost his patience. The left-hander went for a half-hearted pull shot against Asif, only for Mir at short fine leg to complete a simple catch. It had taken fourteen balls for him to score 9 runs, and his day would get worse. He put down a simple chance Sharjeel offered during the powerplay, when the Karachi opener had just scored 18. He would go on to smash 74*.Where the teams standKarachi leapfrog Lahore to get to nine points and third place on the table, while Lahore stay on eight with four wins and five losses. Both teams should qualify with one more win, though Karachi have two games to get there, while Lahore’s final game is likely a must-win.

The Pakistan left-armer has signed for eight games in this year’s English T20 competition.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2019Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan left-arm seamer, will return to Essex for part of the 2019 Vitality Blast. Amir, who was involved in Essex’s 2017 Championship success, has signed for eight games in the T20 competition.Amir is due to arrive in time for Essex’s first fixture in this year’s Blast, against Middlesex at Lord’s on July 18, before missing two games due to family commitments. He will then be available until mid-August before heading to the Caribbean Premier League.”I’m very excited to return to Chelmsford and re-join my Essex team mates,” Amir said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in 2017 and I’m looking forward to playing my role in the club’s success this season.”Essex have already re-signed Australia legspinner, Adam Zampa, one of the few successes of last season, as well as bringing in T20 veteran Cameron Delport for 2019. Last year, they finished third from bottom in the South Group, winning just two of their 14 games.The club also failed to reach the Blast quarter-finals in 2017, but Amir was a success, taking 14 wickets in 13 games and with an economy of 6.77.”Mo is one of the most exciting bowling talents in the world and I’m ecstatic he’s going to be back with us,” Essex’s head coach, Anthony McGrath, said. “He has the ability to bowl at a fast pace whilst swinging the ball both ways and showed a real desire to come back to Chelmsford and be an Eagle again.”Everyone has seen how devastating he can be with the ball and the talent he has, so I think alongside our other overseas player, Adam Zampa, we’re going to have one of the most dangerous bowling attacks in the Vitality Blast this year.”

Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny took combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs to choke Chittagong to 139, a total they chased down with 11 balls to spare

The Report by Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Comilla Victorians beat Chittagong Kings by six wickets, in almost the same fashion as their other two wins in the tournament. After restricting their opponent to 139 for 4, Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler almost walked them to the target.The pair added 74 runs for the third wicket before both were dismissed with not left to chase. Imrul top-scored with 45 while Buttler got out for 44 off 31 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.Chittagong, who have now lost three out of four games, lost just four wickets in their innings, but struggled for fluency right through. The Comilla spin trio – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny – put the brakes on with combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs.Brisk start, slow finish, againLuke Ronchi provided Chittagong with another brisk start, with 31 off 19 balls. No other batsman score more despite consuming more deliveries. Sarkar used 32 balls for 30 runs, with two fours and a six over midwicket, before he was stumped off Nabi. Dilshan Munaweera made 19 off 25 balls, which had one six, before he was bowled by a beautiful Rashid Khan googly.Sikandar Raza found just one boundary in his 24-ball 20 which ended with a scoop to Al-Amin Hossain at short fine leg. Ronchi’s 19-ball 31 included five fours and a six that was hit over long-on off Nabi. He fell lbw to Mohammad Saifuddin.Imrul steadies another chaseMunaweera removed the returning Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das in seven overs but Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler took control quickly. Imrul struck Subashis Roy for first six pulled over midwicket before lifting Sikandar over square leg for his second in the tenth over.His third six was his best, swatting Chris Jordan over midwicket off one knee as he struggled with cramps. He made 45 off 36 balls, having also struck two fours. It was his third successive match-winning innings, having remained unbeaten on the two previous occasions.

Shaun Marsh is expected to be named in Australia’s squad for the South Africa Tests after he struck a century against South Australia on the third day at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2016
ScorecardShaun Marsh aggregated 183 in two innings against South Australia at WACA•Getty Images

After scoring 73 in the first innings, Shaun Marsh struck a century on the third day of Western Australia’s day-night Sheffield Shield game against South Australia at the WACA. Marsh, returning from a hamstring injury, has been declared fit and is expected to be named in Australia’s squad for the home Tests against South Africa on Friday.Marsh had suffered a right hamstring tear while batting for Western Australia in a Matador Cup game earlier this month. He played the Shield match to prove his fitness and may have done enough to merit selection, having struck a century in Australia’s previous Test against Sri Lanka in August.However, despite Marsh’s efforts, Western Australia were facing defeat, with South Australia requiring just 37 more to win the game with all 10 wickets intact.South Australia had begun the day on 8 for 474. Kane Richardson and Chadd Sayers, the two overnight batsmen, built the lead before South Australia declared on 9 for 505 to take a 234-run advantage. Western Australia put up 302 in their second innings, courtesy Marsh’s 110 and Hilton Cartwright’s 110-ball 80. That left South Australia with 69 to get. They ended on 32 without loss.Marsh and Cartwright were left to lift Western Australia from 4 for 107, after Chadd Sayers picked up three quick wickets to derail them from 1 for 97. Marsh and Cartwright added 109 for the fifth wicket, before Sayers struck again, having Marsh caught behind for his fourth and final wicket.Cartwright added 42 more for the sixth wicket with Ashton Agar before being dismissed by Travis Head, the South Australia captain. Agar was the ninth man dismissed, for 33, and Western Australia’s innings ended shortly after. Sayers finished with 4 for 57, and Daniel Worrall, Kane Richardson and Head took two each.South Australia struck at four an over in the eight overs they batted, with Kelvin Smith and Jake Weatherald striking six fours between them.

Fidel Edwards took a six-wicket haul but Riki Wessels’ hundred prevented relegation-threatened Hampshire from taking charge at Trent Bridge

David Hopps at Trent Bridge22-Sep-2015Hampshire 0 for 1 trail Nottinghamshire 340 (Wessels 104, Edwards 6-88) by 340 runs

ScorecardFidel Edwards claimed six wickets but Nottinghamshire’s tail thwarted Hampshire•PA Photos

Two West Indian pace bowlers are in situ for the final throes of the Championship. Like Fidel Edwards, cutting a dash for Hampshire at Trent Bridge, Shannon Gabriel was in the wickets at Worcester. But while Worcestershire are already down, and Gabriel’s two-match contract no longer has much point, Edwards clings to the belief, as he has all season, that he can keep Hampshire in the First Division.It must be like clinging to Norway’s Storseisundet Bridge, known by the locals as the drunk bridge, for its tendency to sway in strong winds. For Hampshire, the wind began at force 7, and rose to force 8 once Riki Wessels registered his second Championship century of the season, a sweetly-timed affair.Edwards took 6 for 88, his season’s best figures as Nottinghamshire fell late in the day for 340. He has surely never bowled more intelligently in England than this season. At 33, he has done himself proud: always watchable, and occasionally destructive. Over at Worcester, Gabriel bowls with serious intent; Edwards assembles passion from the air itself. Two very different Caribbean quicks, both good for the game. County cricket desperately needs characters, standards, stories. It will not survive in the public consciousness merely as a glorified England academy.Edwards has been this season’s “stuff you” signing, the quick bowler brought in on a Kolpak contract to widespread doubts that he could do the job, but who has responded with verve and skill to become Hampshire’s leading wicket-taker, his 41 wickets coming at 21.53 each. Without Edwards, Hampshire would have been doomed long ago: at least he has helped them drag it out to the final days.He is likely to fail. On this evidence at least, Hampshire, once the overseas new-ball pair of Edwards and Ryan McLaren are repelled, have little to commend them. The third seamer, Gareth Berg, is doing as much as can be expected in a late flowering; Ryan Stevenson, introduced into a relegation scrap in September, so far has nods of respect and two wickets at 100 each. Perhaps his time will come. It will be a surprise if it comes this week.Hampshire could have done without Nottinghamshire’s recovery from 247 for 7, a recovery fashioned largely by Stuart Broad and Brett Hutton, as the final three wickets added 93. Having won the toss and inserted on a sunny day, but with dampness underfoot, they would have hoped to complete the job far sooner than that.Dale Benkenstein, Hampshire’s coach, said: “If you are looking at what we were aiming to do, then we’ve managed to get full bowling points, so that’s a positive. But it wasn’t our best performance and having put them in, a score of around 300 should have been more realistic”.Maximum batting points will be more taxing. They have faced one ball and lost one wicket – the nightwatchman Stevenson, a victim for the Stuart Broad / Chris Read combo.Trailing Sussex by 16 points and Somerset by 18, Hampshire’s task is a daunting one if they are to avoid relegation to Division Two of the Championship. They must beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge – a Nottinghamshire side with designs on second place – and then hope one of their companions in distress suffer, at best, an unproductive draw to send them down instead.Edwards, who took eight wickets against Nottinghamshire in a pre-season match in his native Barbados, relished another foray in more important circumstances, summoning an opening burst that brought him three wickets inside his first five overs and signalling that Hampshire would not depart Division One easily.But Wessels and Steven Mullaney responded by adding 115 either side of lunch. Hampshire missed one opportunity to part them as a regulation nick from Mullaney, on 52, was put down by Sean Ervine at first slip, off Edwards. He made only made six more before being bowled as he tried to whip Liam Dawson’s off spin to leg.For Nottinghamshire, and a few neutrals besides, interest centred upon the debut of Billy Root, younger brother of Joe, national cricket hero. He has been loosely characterised as the less driven younger brother (aren’t they always) but he walks to the wicket with the same stiff-legged farmer’s gait before preventing all further comparisons by batting left-handed. There were fewer to watch him than watched Joe in the Ashes on the same ground a month earlier – this late in the season battle-hardened county supporters wear the toughened, slightly-glazed expression of walkers nearing the end of the Pennine Way , but on debuts you tend not to gaze around too much.He played confidently for his 37, until an edge from Gareth Berg was smartly taken by Ervine, who responded to the ball rebounding out of James Vince’s hand at second slip.Wessels escaped a tough chance to the wicketkeeper, Aam Wheater, on 16, drove effortlessly and went past 1,000 Championship runs for the season, reaching his hundred from 153 balls, having hit 13 fours and a six. Straight after tea he tamely clipped Ervine to midwicket and three overs later Read was bowled by Edwards, shouldering arms. Hampshire had lost three wickets for just 11 runs.Edwards’ most eye-catching wicket was a big inswinger to bowl Chris Read. He claimed his third five-wicket haul of the season when he induced Broad into hooking into the hands of Ryan McLaren at fine leg, after also making 37. Jake Ball was bowled on the retreat before Hutton was last out, lifting McLaren into the deep to depart for 46.Among his three new-ball wickets was Brendon Taylor, who casually flicked into the hands of Gareth Berg at midwicket. It is a long season and Taylor has not survived it well. County cricket, judging by his stats, does not look as appealing to him as it did when he decided to abandon Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has apparently developed a habit of delivering the same speech. Without a half-century since midsummer, Taylor is delivering the same innings. A winter’s reassessment lies ahead.

Johnson Charles, the West Indies opener, who scored his second consecutive ODI century, against Zimbabwe in Grenada, has said his recent success owes to a change in approach over time

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2013Johnson Charles, the West Indies opener, who scored his second consecutive ODI century, against Zimbabwe in Grenada, said he owes his recent success to a change in approach over time. Charles made 130 in 111 balls to set up a massive victory in the first ODI for West Indies, together with Darren Bravo, who scored his maiden ODI ton.”People know me as ‘Johnson Charles the man who is a blaster’, but I wanted to show that it’s not about what you like, but what you have to do,” Charles said after West Indies’ 156-run win. “My role in the team as an opener is to give the team a solid start and look to bat deep into the innings, and I managed to achieve that today.”Charles made his ODI debut in March last year, got starts in his first few games and then slipped up. He joined the High Performance Centre in Barbados and said he was able to address his problems with the bat there. “I used to look to hit everything but I have realised there is a job to be done as an opener. If I get the ball to hit I will hit it, but I am more selective and I look to build a platform and build an innings. My time at the Sagicor HPC has been the turnaround in my career. The HPC has played a vital role in helping me to refine my game and I have a new kind of confidence that I can play and do well at this level.”I have increased my range of strokes and I now realise I have more scoring options – I look to work the ball into the gaps and pick off runs, not just blast everything out of the ground. This is a special knock for me and I want to dedicate it to the people of my country in St Lucia as we celebrate our Independence Day today.”The game was a significant one for Bravo too, as a century in the 50-over format had eluded him in 50 games before this. He added 80 with Charles for the second wicket in just 62 balls and his own unbeaten innings of 100 included nine fours and four sixes. “I never panicked. I soaked up a lot of balls at the start of the innings as I tried to get myself in,” Bravo said. “Johnno [Charles] was going great guns so my role was just to support him and turn over the strike, as it was a right-hand/left-hand combination. I knew that once I got in I could pick it up at the back end and that is what happened.”The batting Powerplay was just around the corner so it was just a matter of playing it smart. It was a good pitch and the ball wasn’t doing much, so I just had to make sure I kept my shape and played to my strong areas.”