Result guarantees India a spot in the semi-finals, while the Bangladesh vs Pakistan match becomes a knockout

Shashank Kishore05-Nov-20222:21

How did Netherlands pull off the unimaginable?

That sinking feeling! The all-too-familiar ‘c’ thing, which will reverberate – again – for a while to come. And the despondency, knocked out of yet another World Cup despite having everything under their control…South Africa will have to deal with all of that and more after their horror run in Adelaide culminated in yet another heartbreak, this one perhaps bigger than anything they have endured in recent times on the cricket field.But Netherlands, they will celebrate long and hard after scripting a seminal moment in their cricket history. If qualification into the Super 12s was big, victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites on Sunday could be even bigger, for a top-four finish in the group will guarantee them automatic qualification for the next edition of the T20 World Cup, in 2024.Along with Netherlands, all of Pakistan and Bangladesh would have celebrated, too. The match between those two teams later in the afternoon – which could have been dead had South Africa won – was turned into a knockout contest to decide the second semi-finalists from Group 1, because Netherlands’ win also meant India qualified for the final four.The moment that changed the match, for good•Getty Images

Ironically, it was Johannesburg-born Roelof van der Merwe, who represented South Africa in two editions of the tournament [2009 and 2010], who put a dagger in South African hearts with an incredible catch to turn the game around.With South Africa needing 47 off 29, van der Merwe ran nearly 20 yards back, from short fine-leg towards square leg, to latch on to a catch from David Miller off Brandon Glover. Having covered all that ground, while looking straight into the sun all along, he put in a dive as he pulled off a blinder with the ball swirling in the air.The man who had been standing in the way of Netherlands and an unlikely win was gone. What followed was mayhem and magic in equal measure. South Africa imploded, Netherlands swelled with passion and pride. It was a victory to savour for the team in orange, a bitter pill to swallow for the men in green.The Myburgh boost at the top
The Netherlands’ charge started with Stephan Myburgh’s big-hitting up front. In the second over, he hit Kagiso Rabada on the up twice to the extra-cover boundary to make his intentions clear. Over the course of the next 20 minutes, he gave a fine exhibition of aggressive batting, seemingly unperturbed by the reputation of Rabada and Anrich Nortje, as he pulled, whipped, cut and drove his way to seven boundaries. At 56 for no loss in eight overs, he had set a firm base. Even as Myburgh went hell for leather, Max O’Dowd was happy to turn the strike over and play the perfect second foil.The win could mean a top-four finish in the group for Netherlands, and therefore an automatic spot in the next T20 World Cup•Getty Images

Cooper cranks it up
Netherlands lost Myburgh to a slog sweep, but Tom Cooper, with all his experience of playing in the BBL, kept up the tempo. Let off on 11 when Aiden Markram put down a tough return chance, Cooper used the shorter boundaries to his advantage as he punished Markram and Rabada. But it wasn’t just the pull that he profited from. With fields set for the shot, Cooper reverse-swept Keshav Maharaj for six over deep point where there were no boundary riders. He was beginning to look dangerous, but South Africa hit back with the wickets of O’Dowd and him in quick succession.The big finish
Going into the last four overs, Netherlands were in a slowdown with Colin Ackermann struggling for timing. He was on 9 off 11 and simply had to find his hitting range quickly. The wickets of Cooper and Bas de Leede didn’t help. But Netherlands managed to wrest back the momentum in the 19th over when Rabada was hit for three fours, including a neat reverse scoop by Scott Edwards. Ackermann then kicked up the perfect finish by muscling two sixes in the final over, bowled by Wayne Parnell, to finish with 41 not out off 26. The last two overs brought Netherlands 31 and all the momentum heading into the break.2:36

Moody: Regardless of captaincy, Bavuma shouldn’t be in this format

South Africa’s no-power powerplay
Quinton de Kock crashed a cover drive off the second ball but left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen stuck to his strengths – varying his lengths and being deadly accurate – to string up 12 dot balls in his first three overs, all of them in the powerplay. The bonus was the wicket of de Kock, who nicked behind while charing down the track. Temba Bavuma, who has been under pressure to score every time he’s batted, was the next to go for a run-a-ball 20 when he played all around a full delivery after shuffling a long way across. He saw his leg stump flattened and South Africa slipped to 39 for 2.The Glover and van der Merwe show
Six years ago, seamer Brandon Glover debuted for Boland in first-class cricket, hoping to earn his stripes with South Africa. Fate would have something else in store. Three years after debuting in T20Is for Netherlands, Glover made his most impactful contribution yet, nipping out three big batters, including the set Rilee Rossouw and dangerman Miller – to that van der Merwe catch – to tilt the scales in Netherlands’ favour. In between, Netherlands also had the wicket of Markram when Myburgh, who had let off Miller only a short while earlier at backward point, held on to an excellent catch at extra cover. The wheels had truly come off for South Africa. Glover and de Leede stuck to their lengths to ensure no late dramas as Netherlands sealed a historic win.

“That’s an approach that can work if the conditions are really docile like it was in Pakistan”

Firdose Moonda08-Dec-2022Batting in Test cricket is not all fun and games, even if England are making it look that way. That’s the word from returning South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen, who favours a balance of powers in the red-ball game rather than the run-dominant approach England have taken since Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes took over in May.In the Bazball era, England have scored runs quicker than anyone else, at 4.77 to the over, and won seven of the eight Tests they have played. Their most recent triumph over Pakistan in Rawalpindi was built on the back of four first-innings centuries, a brave second-innings declaration and speedy scoring – at 6.50 and 7.36 runs in the two innings – and is being spoken as a victory that could change the way Test cricket is played. But van der Dussen is not that convinced.”If there’s ever a place to play like that it’s probably Pakistan,” he said, quickly remembering that South Africa did not bat like that when they toured there in early 2021. “And then you are going to follow up with a question of why didn’t we play like that when we were there. But if you look at the English side, they have been very vocal in terms of they are going to back their guys, even through a few failures. They are out of the World Test Championship (WTC) for this run so it’s almost a nothing-to-lose type of game that they can play.”Related

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South Africa, on the other hand, are second on the WTC points table and need to win at least one Test on the Australia tour to stay in the final race. While they plan on approaching the series in a similar way to how they have always played – steady with the bat and sensational with the ball – van der Dussen also hopes conditions will support a “good balance between bat and ball,” something South Africa have not had in the WTC cycle so far.They have played on slow surfaces in the West Indies, and seamer-friendly pitches at home, in New Zealand and in England, where they suffered their only series loss. The 2-1 defeat is where van der Dussen believes his point was best proved: England’s ultra-aggressive approach only works if the quick bowlers can’t get into the game.”To an extent, they [the England batters] tried it against us and it didn’t really work, even though we lost the series at the end,” he said. “That’s an approach that can work if the conditions are really docile like it was in Pakistan. As soon as the bowlers are a bit more into it, like we saw at Lord’s, it’s a very fine line between going out and playing aggressively and then getting out, as opposed to being more disciplined.”All that said, van der Dussen conceded that South Africa have not been the model line-up either. With only two centuries in their current WTC campaign and six from their last 19 games, they are lagging behind the other WTC contenders and know that more is expected of them.”We are not looking for excuses. We want to get more hundreds and more partnerships and score a lot more runs individually,” he said. “But if we can bat as a unit, and get our team across the line, that’s the main thing.”Scraping together small individual scores got South Africa a victory at Lord’s but it quickly proved not enough. They were bowled out for under 200 in each of their next four innings in England, where all three Tests in England ended in three days. That spoke as much to the quality of and assistance for the bowlers, as to the weakness in both batting line-ups. There were only two centuries in the series and in the final Test at The Oval, wickets fell every 4.2 overs – more frequently than ever before in a Test match. In the complete opposite to what took place in Pakistan earlier this week, bat dominated ball which is also not exactly what van der Dussen is advocating for. He punts for Test cricket that is “supposed to be a fair battle between bat and ball.”But what about the entertainment value?McCullum and Stokes have taken the approach that more proactive batting will put bums on seats and eyeballs on screens. Asked if he thinks that is the case, van der Dussen stuck to his stoicism.”I prefer the cat and mouse,” he said. “We played against the England Lions in Kent and they played the same way. It was a very flat and tame wicket that they prepared and the guys came out swinging. At the end of the day, you say well played but this is not the Test wickets we are used to. A week later we were at Lord’s and it was going around and the bowlers were much more in the game. That’s where the real quality batters will come to the fore – the guys who are disciplined in that fourth-stump channel, who can judge the length, who can play the short ball – short ball that can actually come up to head height and not just shoulder height. There needs to be some sort of risk element involved in batting.”And he hopes fans will agree. “People like seeing that – a lot of shots and a lot of runs – but the purist and the real Test fan likes it when the balance is even between bat and ball and the bowlers are in the game as much as the batters.”

Tom Rogers’ first BBL half-century ensure Stars win with 33 balls to spare, keeping their slim final hopes alive

AAP12-Jan-2023Melbourne Stars made light work of their 109-run chase in a nine-wicket thumping of Adelaide Strikers that keeps their slim BBL finals hopes alive.Strikers’ high-powered batting line-up crumbled at the MCG on Thursday night as they were bowled out for just 108, following successive scores of 200-plus. It was the lowest total of any side batting first this season and the third-lowest in Strikers’ history.In reply, Tom Rogers hit the first half-century of his BBL career as Stars cruised to victory with 33 balls in hand. Fellow opener Joe Clarke was the only player dismissed when he was run out by a direct hit from Ryan Gibson.The win lifted Stars off the bottom of the ladder and improved their net run-rate, giving them a finals lifeline ahead of Saturday’s derby against Melbourne Renegades. Strikers host the last-placed Brisbane Heat on the same day and are also firmly in the mix.Strikers’ low total came despite Matt Short hitting two of the first three deliveries of their innings for six as he took 20 off Luke Wood’s opening over. They were the only two sixes of Strikers’ innings.Experienced duo Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa shone for Stars, who clamped down on their opponents and bowled almost 60 dot balls.Liam Hatcher removed the competition’s top two run scorers – Short and Chris Lynn – while Beau Webster took a superb diving catch at extra cover to remove Adam Hose. Wood was the only Stars bowler with an economy rate above five an over.Harry Nielsen top-scored for Strikers, who are winless from six attempts against Stars at the MCG.

Shoriful Islam has made a comeback, while Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been dropped

Mohammad Isam22-Mar-2023The uncapped pair of Rishad Hossain and Jaker Ali have earned national call-ups for the first time, for Bangladesh’s T20I series against Ireland – the three-match series starts on March 27. Shoriful Islam has come back, making it three changes from the side that beat England 3-0 earlier this month. Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Rejaur Rahman Raja have been left out.Getty Images

The inclusion of legspinner Rishad is the most interesting call. He has been around the senior setup for the last few years but has hardly had any opportunities – even in the domestic circuit, like many legspinners in the country. The last time he played regularly in a domestic tournament was nearly two years ago in the Dhaka Premier League T20s. This season, Rishad has only bowled 5.1 overs in the first-class competition.It’s likely that Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach, wanted to have a look at him in competitive cricket. During his first stint as Bangladesh coach, too, Hathurusingha had drafted in legspinner Jubair Hossain after seeing him bowl in the Bangladesh nets in 2014.

Bangladesh T20I squad changes

IN: Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali, Shoriful Islam
OUT: Afif Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Rejaur Rahman Raja

Jaker is an in-form batter, who scored three consecutive centuries in the Bangladesh Cricket League – he was the top-scorer in the tournament with 492 runs from six innings. He was also part of Comilla Victorians’ BPL triumph this season.Shoriful came back in place of Rejaur, who hasn’t played an international match despite being in several Bangladesh squads since late 2021.Afif’s exclusion counts as a major setback for the young left-hand batter. His unbroken string of 61 T20I appearances ended when he was dropped for the third T20I against England, and till recently a shoo-in for both white-ball formats, Afif now finds himself on the sidelines.The three T20Is will be played in Chattogram on March 27, 29 and 31.Bangladesh T20I squad for Ireland series: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das (wk), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Jaker Ali

Bangladesh lose home rubber for first time since 2016 after dominant England performance

Andrew Miller03-Mar-2023England 326 for 7 (Roy 132, Buttler 76) beat Bangladesh 194 (Shakib 58, Curran 4-29, Rashid 4-45) by 132 runs Jason Roy’s 12th ODI century and second in five innings set England on their way to a hefty total of 326 for 7, but Sam Curran’s masterful spell of left-arm swing bowling wrecked any prospect of a contest in the second ODI at Mirpur. His opening burst of three wickets in eight balls condemned Bangladesh to their first bilateral ODI series loss at home since England’s last visit in 2016-17.Adil Rashid picked away at the middle order with 4 for 45 in his ten overs, but the game had been as good as won at 9 for 3 after 14 balls, after Curran – replacing Chris Woakes in the side – bagged Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto for golden ducks in his first over before adding the key scalp of Mushfiqur Rahim for 4. England’s eventual 132-run victory wrapped up a 2-0 series lead with Monday’s third contest in Chattogram still to come, and so secured Jos Buttler’s first ODI series win in five attempts since taking over from Eoin Morgan at the start of the English summer.And if that record seems incongruous given England’s lofty status as dual World Cup-holders, then this was a throwback performance from a team that has been forced by circumstance to put the 50-over format on the back-burner in recent campaigns, but which retains a core of senior players who, on this evidence, will still be a force to be reckoned with come the defence of their title in India this winter.Related

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No England player has had more 50-over exposure since that 2019 final than Roy – he’s featured in 31 of England’s 35 subsequent ODIs, despite struggling for fluency for long tracts of the past 12 months in particular. However, this was a performance that repaid the faith, as he tailored his typically proactive methods to the vagaries of another tacky Mirpur surface, one on which it was tough for all batters to make starts, as four of his top-six colleagues showed in making 24 runs from 54 balls between them.Roy’s own hard-handed approach caused him a few early scares, particularly off the probing seam of Taskin Ahmed whom he edged short of slip and past his own stumps inside the powerplay. However, his determination not to be cowed by the conditions was the defining aspect of a magnificent innings of 132 from 124 balls. In all he struck 18 fours and a six before falling lbw to Shakib Al Hasan, by which stage he had added a crucial stand of 109 in 15.3 mid-innings overs with Buttler, who went on to make 76 from 64 in a typically understated expression of his class in tricky conditions.Between them, England’s senior pair covered off the entirety of England’s first 44 overs, whereupon Moeen Ali and Curran applied a final flourish to a relay-race of an innings, crashing 75 off 54 balls between them as England added 106 more runs in their final ten overs.Jos Buttler rolls out the reverse-sweep•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s captain Tamim Iqbal hadn’t bargained for conceding the first 300-plus total at Mirpur in five years when he won the toss and inserted England, although had Roy not taken a leaf out of Dawid Malan’s one-man show from the first ODI, his gambit might well have paid off. Roy’s opening partner Phil Salt managed four scoring shots in a 15-ball stay before fencing Taskin low to Shanto at slip, while the introduction of Mehidy Hasan Miraz did for Malan this time, as he played back to his second ball to be pinned plumb lbw for 11.And though Roy kept busy to keep the score ticking, England were in danger of stalling at 96 for 3 in the 21st over, after Taijul Islam had combined with his fellow spinner Mehidy to tie down the new man, James Vince, eventually luring him outside his eyeline with extra flight and bounce to induce a nick to the keeper for 5 from 16.Buttler, however, arrived in a mood to get things moving, with a reverse-sweep for four in the same Taijul over, and continued to work the angles to pick off the spinners with minimum risk before greeting the extra pace of Mustafizur Rahman with a sweetly-struck cover drive to bring up the fifty partnership.That was the signal for England to pick up their tempo. In Mehidy’s next over, Roy took him down the ground for the first time in the match, with a free-flowing golf swing over long-on for six, and eased through to his hundred from 104 balls in Mustafizur’s next over, with a measured pull out through midwicket.Jason Roy hits over the top•AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Roy celebrated with a punch of the air but overall his reaction was muted – perhaps an indication of the struggles he’s endured in recent months, with no scores above fifty in last year’s series against India, South Africa and Australia, and a total of 14 runs from 32 balls in three innings since appearing to rediscover his touch in the opening ODI against South Africa in January.After his century, however, Roy relocated the sort of freedom that has characterised his most domineering displays. England went to drinks with their platform set at 165 for 3, whereupon he crashed five fours in his next 12 balls, including three in an over from the previously threatening Taskin – the last of them a full-toss that wriggled through the sliding Mahmudullah at deep midwicket, as Bangladesh’s heads started to drop.Shakib struck back in his next over, pinning Roy lbw on the sweep as he attempted one forcing shot too many, whereupon Will Jacks also discovered how difficult it can be to force the pace on this surface, as he climbed through a clip off his pads off Taskin and lobbed a simple catch to midwicket for 1 from 4.At 219 for 5 after 40 overs, however, Buttler took up the cudgels for himself. He clipped Taskin with sublime timing through midwicket to reach his fifty from exactly 50 balls, and after powering England past 250 with back-to-back sixes off Mehidy, it took a brilliant return catch one ball later to cut him off in his prime, as Mehidy stooped low in front of the non-striker’s stumps to cling onto another firm bash down the ground.Moeen, however, got the memo, carting Mehidy for two more vast sixes over deep midwicket in his next over, en route to a bruising knock of 42 from 35, and when he mistimed a clip to midwicket, Curran clattered through the death overs, with a brace of final-over sixes to finish unbeaten on 33 from 19.Sam Curran wheels away in celebration during his new-ball burst•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

That was just the warm-up act as far as Curran was concerned. Armed with the new ball (and with a headline act at the IPL to warm up for) he tore a swathe through Bangladesh’s top order, with a series of ball-on-a-string outswingers that confounded all attempts to negate him. Das threw his hands through the full length to scuff a drive high to point, Shanto opted for a block but was scuppered by half a bat’s width of movement, before Mushfiqur attempted a back-foot punch and was sent on his way after Buttler reviewed a feather into his gloves.Shakib and Tamim rebuilt as best they could in a fourth-wicket stand of 79, but England offered them little room for manoeuvre. Tamim had ground along to 35 from 65 when he attempted to launch Moeen over long-on but picked out Vince inside the rope, and when Shakib holed out to mid-off to give Adil Rashid the first of his four wickets, there could be no recourse. In the course of his spell, Rashid overhauled Stuart Broad to become England’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs – still some way shy of James Anderson’s seemingly unassailable record, of course, but a nice way to get back to the day-job after his uncomfortable afternoon on the (virtual) witness stand on Thursday.And though he went wicketless in his nine overs, the sight of Saqib Mahmood, back in the team for the first time since suffering a stress fracture of the back last year, capped an uplifting evening for Buttler’s men. They may be running out of opportunities to finetune their World Cup plans but, on this evidence, they aren’t as short of matchwinners as their recent results have implied.

LSG needed 12 from the last over with seven wickets in hand. They could score only four runs and lost four wickets in the six balls

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-202319.1: Sharma to Rahul, 2 runs
Mohit starts with a pace-on yorker, which Rahul manages to dig out, and it goes over Mohit’s head. So slow is it hit that they come back for two. Badoni dives in to make the second possible19.2: Sharma to Rahul, OUT
And he has got out after turning an easy equation into a tough one. Slower short ball, into the pitch, cutting in, Rahul pulls, gets a top edge, and is caught at deep square leg. Rahul looks distraught: 0 off the first 6, 30 off the next 12, 20 off the next 20, 18 off the next 23.
KL Rahul c Yadav b Sharma 68 (61b 8×4 0x6) SR: 111.4719.3: Sharma to Stoinis, OUT
Slower short ball. The lethal slower short ball when you are desperate for boundaries. He has to create all the power. Slaps it down the ground but imparts only enough to reach long-on. Mohit is on a hat-trick, and GT are the favourites now.
Marcus Stoinis c Miller b Sharma 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 019.4: Sharma to Hooda, 1 run, OUT
Good from Mohit. He is not greedy. He knows the batters are expecting the slower ball, which is the wicket-taking delivery. He goes for the yorker, Hooda digs it out, they go for the second, and Badoni is run out. The second is never on.
Ayush Badoni run out (Shankar/Sharma) 8 (6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 133.3319.5: Sharma to Hooda, 1 run, OUT
Mohit is not focusing on the non-striker. He nails another yorker, Hooda digs it out to deep midwicket, and goes back for the non-existent second to keep the chances of a tie alive. The throw from the deep is spot on. He is gone. GT win if they don’t bowl a no-ball or a wide.
Deepak Hooda run out (Rashid Khan/†Saha) 2 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 10019.6: Sharma to Ravi Bishnoi, no run
Mohit beats him with a slower ball. That is a seven-run win after LSG needed just 56 off the last 10

Opening batter is part of a squad due to play three matches against Afghanistan starting June 2

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-May-2023Opening batter Dimuth Karunaratne has been recalled to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad, more than two years after he last played a 50-over game in international cricket. Also returning is fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, who had missed the New Zealand tour in March 2023 after undergoing ankle surgery.Legspinning allrounder Dushan Hemantha is the only uncapped player in the 16-man squad to face Afghanistan in three ODIs, starting on Friday. There was no room for left-arm spinning allrounder Dunith Wellalage however, while wicketkeeper Kusal Perera is out with a hamstring injury.Karunaratne’s presence is an indication that the selectors are once again set to fall back on his experience in a World Cup year, after he’d led Sri Lanka in the 2019 edition. They had also recalled Angelo Mathews earlier in the year, and have consistently had Dhananjaya de Silva in the middle order as well. Karunaratne may be poised to open alongside Pathum Nissanka. Nuwanidu Fernando, who had opened the batting in New Zealand, was not picked for this series.Related

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Hemantha, 29, is something of a surprise selection. He had not been especially impressive with the bat in this year’s National Super League – Sri Lanka’s most competitive List A tournament. But he had been good with the ball, taking 13 wickets at an average of 23.61 across eight matches. It is possible he is there as cover for Wanindu Hasaranga, who is “currently undergoing rehabilitation for a foot injury” according the Sri Lanka Criket release. The only other frontline spinner in the squad is Maheesh Theekshana.The seam attack appears especially strong after the return of Chameera, with Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, and Matheesha Pathirana in the squad. Pathirana is fresh from a strong showing as an impact player in the IPL, but has never played an ODI. Allrounder Chamika Karunaratne is another seam-bowling option.The batting line-up is fairly predictable. Kusal Mendis likely to take the gloves and bat at No. 3, with the likes of Charith Asalanka, Mathews, and de Silva to make up the middle order. Sadeera Samarawickrama, who recently made a maiden Test hundred against Ireland, has been picked for these matches as well, though he’s not played an ODI since 2019.Each of the three matches will be played at Hambantota. For Afghanistan, it will be part of their lead-up to the World Cup, having already qualified for the marquee event. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are yet to seal their place. They must play the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe next month; these matches will serve as preparation.Sri Lanka ODI squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana

Seren Smale falls six short of century as Sparks bowlers keep Thunder under pressure

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Central Sparks resumed their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy programme in solid style with a 29-run victory over struggling Thunder at New Road, Worcester.Sparks put a disappointing Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign behind them as they totalled 233 all out from exactly 50 overs thanks principally to Ami Campbell (68 off 72 balls) and Abigail Freeborn (67 from 98). Tara Norris kept the Sparks total to around par with 4 for 42.Seren Smale’s superb career-best 94 off 125 balls then proved to be in vain as Thunder were bowled out for 204 by a Sparks attack which maintained collective pressure as six bowlers got among the wickets, Katie George taking 3 for 57.The defeat leaves bottom-of-the-table Thunder still looking for their first 50-over win of the season but Sparks will move forward with their sights still very much on going all the way in the competition.Thunder skipper Eleanor Threlkeld won the toss and chose to field and her decision was quickly vindicated by the removal of both Sparks openers in 20 balls. Bethan Ellis was bowled through the gate by an inswinging yorker from Mahika Gaur and Norris struck a big blow when she hit Eve Jones’ off stump.When Erin Burns lifted Gaur to cover, Sparks were in trouble at 27 for 3, but Freeborn and Campbell organised a revival with a well-constructed stand of 129 in 26 overs. Campbell counter-attacked effectively, hitting nine fours in a near run-a-ball innings, before she missed a pull at Norris and was superbly stumped by Threlkeld.The left-armer secured her third wicket next ball when Davina Perrin was adjudged lbw and Sparks’ loss of momentum was heightened when Laura Jackson floated one inside Freeborn’s attempted cut and bowled her.Charis Pavely restored some impetus with 33 from 36 balls, a cameo which transpired to be crucial, but became Norris’s fourth victim when she lifted to mid-wicket.Thunder’s reply took an early hit when Naomi Dattani was bowled for a 12-ball duck by a nicely-flighted ball from Georgia Davis. Fi Morris skied Grace Potts into the deep but Smale and Deandra Dottin added 50 in ten overs before the latter missed an attempt to turn Ria Fackrell to leg and fell lbw. Burns then turned one inside Threlkeld’s attempted leg-glance to win another lbw decision.Danielle Collins helped Smale add 52 in ten overs but both fell in five balls. Collins lifted Ellis to mid off and Smale, six runs short of a thoroughly-deserved maiden century, miscued Katie George to mid off. That left the Thunder lower order with a tall task – to find 72 from 11 overs – and despite a perky 22 off 29 balls from Norris it was beyond them.

Todd Murphy’s chances of playing at Old Trafford remain unclear as crunch time nears in thrilling series

Andrew McGlashan18-Jul-2023David Warner will retain his place at the top of the order at Old Trafford and Josh Hazlewood will replace Scott Boland, with Australia’s final decision set to be between Cameron Green and Todd Murphy as Australia look for the victory that will secure the Ashes and avoid the series from going to a decider.Warner’s position has come under scrutiny after his double failure against Stuart Broad at Headingley – making it 17 times he has fallen to Broad – with Australia needing to work out if there is a way of getting Green back into the XI.Since 2021, Warner has averaged 28.17 in 23 Tests, and that includes his double hundred against South Africa during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG last year. In a clear sign that he remained in Australia’s plans, he was part of the slip cordon during practice on Monday and Pat Cummins, although saying the selectors had not yet met, endorsed Warner’s contributions in the series where he has put on opening stands of 61, 73 and 63 with Usman Khawaja.Related

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“I think [Warner] has been going really well,” Cummins said. “I thought at Lord’s, he was really impressive. Last week, like many of us, he probably didn’t contribute as much as he would have liked with the bat.”He’s been out there over the last couple of days putting in a lot of work, but I think this tour he has shown a lot of good signs and hasn’t quite kicked on to make that big score. Some of those innings he’s played under really tough circumstances has made it easy for [Steven] Smith to come in and score runs, or the like.”With Warner retained, and Mitchell Marsh seemingly undroppable after his Headingley hundred, the only other way for Green to return would appear to be in place of Todd Murphy leaving Australia with an all-pace attack supplemented by Travis Head, who did have an extensive bowl in the nets on Monday. Murphy was lightly used at Headingley and Cummins appeared to hedge his bets slightly on what the decision could be.David Warner’s runs earlier in the series are likely to secure his spot•Getty Images

One byproduct of the aggressive way England play is that their innings last fewer overs (they have batted more than 80 just once so far in the series, and that was by nine balls in the second innings at Lord’s) so there is less opportunity for a spinner to make an impact, particularly if conditions favour the quicks, although there’s no doubt that if Nathan Lyon was fit, he would be locked in the side.”Every situation is different,” Cummins said. “We’ve played games with one quick; we’ve played some games with heaps of quicks. It’s all really conditions based. As I said last week about Toddy, I would have loved to bowl him a bit more but there wasn’t a heap of overs in the game, the ball seemed to swing and seam a little bit, so that’s certainly something to weigh up this week.””Nathan Lyon is the greatest offspinner we’ve ever had so it’s not quite apples for apples,” Cummins added. “We are really excited by Todd, think he’s fantastic. We played a Test in Hobart last year in the Ashes where Nath didn’t bowl an over. It’s all conditions based, we are really excited by Todd, with think it’s a gun, we love having him around, he’s got a big future. It was more conditions or the way I used him, as opposed to how he bowled.”Selection issues aside, Australia are entering a two-week period that will define how this tour – and this team – are remembered. If they can win at Old Trafford, the job will be complete before The Oval with a first series win in England since 2001. Fail from 2-0 up and the missed opportunity of 2019 will pale by comparison.So much of Australia’s planning for this tour has been based around them still being able to peak towards the end of the trip if needed, which is how things are playing out after they slipped up at Headingley.The squad only came back together in Manchester on Sunday as most players took the best part of a week off. Some have questioned if that has been the best use of time with the series on a knife-edge, but Cummins has experience of the 2019 tour, which did include a couple of tour matches, and while the team was able to win at Old Trafford, they ran out of steam at The Oval although for some the trip had also involved the ODI World Cup beforehand.”I didn’t play a tour match so I was able to grab those windows, but for a lot of the guys after the Test finished they were off to play a tour match somewhere,” he said. “You’ll hear us talking about trying to give players breaks as much as we can because on a 60-day tour playing 30 days of cricket, it’s already pretty busy.”That’s part of the thinking how we set up this tour around our prep, and even for a few of us missing IPLs or having shortened IPLs so that when we get to this stage we feel in as good a position as we can.”When you look back to a few of the recent tours we’ve had in Pakistan or India, we played some of our best cricket at the end of the tour. Hopefully this one’s the same, even getting more and more used to the conditions. And fortunately, other than Nath [Lyon], we haven’t any injury troubles so it feels like it’s set up quite nicely.”

There is the World Cup looming for the visitors, while the hosts will be aiming for their first ODI series win against India since 2006

Hemant Brar31-Jul-20235:25

“Hope India bring back Kohli and Rohit for the decider”

Big picture

After India’s loss in the second ODI, their head coach Rahul Dravid said: “With the Asia Cup and World Cup coming up, we have to look at the bigger picture. We cannot get worried about every single game and every single series. If we do that, it will be a mistake.”If India walk the talk, Tuesday’s series decider could be another rest day for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Even in the first ODI, Rohit batted at No. 7 and Kohli never came out.Ishan Kishan has made good use of these World Cup auditions, scoring a fifty in each ODI. However, two other candidates – Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson – have failed to impress. Suryakumar got starts in both games but couldn’t convert them into something substantial. Samson played only the second match and scored 9. But Tuesday could present them with another opportunity.Related

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West Indies will not be going to the World Cup, but they have a chance to register a rare ODI series win against India in recent times. Since 2006, the two teams have played 12 bilateral ODI series against each other with India winning every time.Batters from both sides – barring Kishan and Shai Hope – found it difficult to score in Bridgetown as the pitch helped fast bowlers and spinners alike. Hope said after the first ODI that a 9.30am start was the main reason behind that. It will be another 9.30am start in Tarouba, where the third ODI will be held, and while the pitch may not be as conducive for seamers, spinners could once again prove to be difficult to score off.

Form guide

West Indies WLLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LWLLW1:25

“Forget about the past, look ahead to better days”

In the spotlight

Until the start of 2023, Shai Hope was primarily a top-order batter who doubled up as an anchor. He averaged 48.95 with a strike rate of 74.68. But since then, despite moving down to the order, he has struck at an average of 69.66 and a strike rate of 96.75. The main contributing factor towards that elevated strike rate is his improved six-hitting skills. He is now hitting a six every 33 balls as opposed to one every 93 balls prior to that. With scores of 43 and 63 not out so far in the series, he will once again be a key batter for West Indies.Few can do what Suryakumar Yadav does in T20 cricket, but he is finding it difficult to adjust to the rhythm of the 50-over game. While he has a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs, he has managed just 476 runs in 23 innings, at an average of 23.80. After the second ODI, coach Dravid said that the team management wanted to give him as many opportunities as they can. With the ODI World Cup roughly two months away, Suryakumar better grab these chances soon.

Team news

After a win in the second ODI, West Indies are unlikely to make any changes.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Keacy Carty, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Jayden SealesIndia, too, could field an unchanged XI, resting Rohit and Kohli again.India (probable): 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Mukesh Kumar3:05

“Our last chance to try different combinations”

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium. The venue has hosted only one men’s international game to date: a T20I between West Indies and India last year. In 23 List A matches there, teams batting first have breached 250 only seven times. On Tuesday, the weather is expected to be cloudy but the rain should stay away.

Stats and trivia

• Hope is 65 away from 5000 ODI runs. If he gets there on Tuesday, in his 113th innings, he will be the third fastest to the mark behind Babar Azam and Hashim Amla.
• If Kohli plays and scores 102, he will become the fifth batter to reach the 13,000 mark in ODIs.
• Ravindra Jadeja needs six wickets to become the seventh Indian to 200 ODI wickets, and the first Indian since Kapil Dev (3783 runs and 253 wickets) to complete the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets.
• Kyle Mayers is only the third West Indies player to open both batting and bowling in the same ODI. Phil Simmons and Chris Gayle are the other two.