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Sophia Dunkley helps seal last-over win after stuttering batting display by reigning champions

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Tash Farrant made a fairytale return to cricket as South East Stars beat reigning champions Southern Vipers by four wickets in a thriller on the opening day of the 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham.England star Farrant, after missing almost two years of cricket with stress fractures of the back, struck a career-best 94, sharing a stand of 165 with skipper Bryony Smith – a record for any wicket for Stars – as the hosts got home with three balls to spare.Australian Charli Knott kept Vipers in it until the final over with a tidy spell of 2 for 35, but England batter Sophia Dunkley’s composed unbeaten 48 saw Stars home amid rising tension.Earlier, Freya Kemp, a day short of her 19th birthday made a maiden List A 50 with Georgia Elwiss 44 and Knott 41 propelling the visitors to a competitive total, Ryana MacDonald-Gay returning figures of 3 for 46.Ella McCaughan and Knott survived some early fishing outside off stump to post an 80-run opening stand after Vipers were put in. Knott impressively drove MacDonald-Gay for successive fours, one square of the wicket and another straight. However, Macdonald-Gay would have her revenge, thanks to a stunning catch by Phoebe Franklin, diving full length to grab a ball dropping over her shoulder.McCaughan soon followed, trapped lbw by Danielle Gregory, but it proved the high point for the Stars spinner, later banished from the attack for a second head-high full toss, the first despatched by Vipers’ skipper Georgia Adams for the day’s first six.Adams became the first of two lbw victims for slow left-armer Bethan Miles just as she looked set to dominate but the visitors were well placed at 190 for 3 with 13 overs remaining. Miles though struck again, ending Elwiss’ polished innings after which wickets fell at regular intervals, Dunkley picking up two with her legbreaks.That Vipers posted 273 was down to Kemp, mixing aggression with good running to reach 50 at better than a run a ball. Alice Monaghan also hoisted MacDonald-Gay for a huge six before falling to another wonderful catch from wicketkeeper Chloe Hill.Farrant was promoted to open with skipper Smith and gave the hosts early impetus with five boundaries in the powerplay. Smith then clicked through the gears, taking two fours in an over off Mary Taylor.Farrant won the race to 50 from 56 balls while Smith took 13 balls longer, before upping the pace, drilling Linsey Smith for two fours in an over to take Stars to 131 for 0 at the halfway mark.History was made when the stand reached 156, eclipsing the 154 posted by Dunkley and Alice-Davidson Richards against Western Storm at The Oval in 2021 before the fun ended when Linsey Smith struck Adams into the hands of Monaghan at cover.Knott quickly removed Paige Scholfield, but Farrant responded by lifting Freya Davies for a straight six as she moved into the 90s. But there would though be no maiden hundred as the excellent Knott struck again to pin the allrounder in front for 94 with 78 needed.As the tension mounted, Adam damaged her left hand failing to cling onto a caught-and-bowled chance offered by Alice Davidson-Richards, but the drop wasn’t costly as the England allrounder was castled by Linsey Smith for just 8.Franklin struck three fours in a rapid 19 before being run out with 14 needed from 15 but Stars got home with a scrambled leg bye in the last over.

Former NSW skipper Sangha moves to South Australia to reignite his career while Harvey moves from Victoria having not played any state cricket since 2022

Alex Malcolm18-Apr-2024Jason Sangha and Mackenzie Harvey are hoping to reignite their domestic careers after signing with South Australia.Sangha, 24, has made the shift from New South Wales after his career had stalled last season playing just five Sheffield Shield matches and five Marsh Cup games. He did not play any matches for NSW in the second half of the season following the BBL. He averaged just 19.12 in eight Shield innings last year with one half-century and has not made a Shield century since scoring 142 against South Australia in Adelaide in March 2022 when he was stand-in NSW captain. He averages 26.95 in 64 innings across his Shield career with three centuries.It is understood Sangha is also likely to join Adelaide Strikers in the BBL after playing just two matches for Sydney Thunder last year having previously been captain of the club.Harvey, 23, was not contracted last summer having lost his deal with Victoria at the end of the previous season. The left-hander has not played any Shield cricket and played the last of his 13 Marsh Cup matches in 2022. But he is coming off his best season in grade cricket having started the season playing in Queensland’s Premier Cricket competition scoring three centuries for Sunshine Coast before returning to Victoria to help his Victoria Premier team Carlton win the first grade premiership, making 140 in the semi-final.Related

• Kuhnemann joins Tasmania to push for a Test return

• Kuhnemann leaves Queensland, Burns not offered a contract

• Under-19 World Cup trio Konstas, Hicks and Anderson earn NSW contracts

• Philippe and Maddinson make move to New South Wales

• McSweeney's leadership climb continues with South Australia captaincy

South Australia is going through a significant transition period both on and off the field with coach Jason Gillespie and High Performance manager Tim Nielsen both leaving their roles recently. Former Australia quick Ryan Harris has become the interim head coach and he said Sangha and Harvey had been recruited to add depth to the state’s struggling batting stocks.”After the 2023/24 season, we identified the need to improve our batting stocks and we have done just that with the recruitment of Jason and Mackenzie,” Harris said.”Only in their early 20s, both players bring a lot of potential and upside to the list and we are excited to see what they can do.”We look forward to welcoming Jason and Mackenzie to South Australia later this year.”South Australia has also named Nathan McSweeney as their new men’s skipper after a stellar season, having long been identified by Australia’s selectors as a leader of promise after captaining Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI.Elsewhere, Tasmania has re-signed batter Charlie Wakim on a two-year deal following an excellent Shield campaign and also added him to Hobart Hurricanes BBL squad on a one-year contract after playing one game for Brisbane Heat last season.South Australia contract list 2024-25 Wes Agar, Kyle Brazell (rookie), Jordan Buckingham, Aidan Cahill (rookie), Alex Carey (CA contract), Harry Conway, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Travis Head (CA), Henry Hunt, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann, Harry Matthias (rookie), Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Campbell Thompson (rookie), Henry Thornton

Central Sparks short-circuit with four runs needed in final over at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2024Northern Diamonds beat Central Sparks by one run in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in a thrilling match with the most sensational finish at Edgbaston.Chasing 216, Sparks entered the last over, bowled by Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage, needing just four to win with three wickets in hand, but lost all those three wickets to fall short on 215.Armitage ended with three for 40 after a delivering an ice-nerved final over which secured her side’s third victory in the competition this season.Diamonds chose to bat but were bowled out for 216 by a disciplined attack in which six bowlers took wickets. Former Sparks player Erin Burns offered most resistance with 49 (63 balls), supported by a late cameo by the in-form Abi Glen (31 not out, 27).A second-wicket century stand by Eve Jones (65, 98) and Abi Freeborn (49, 70) then gave the Sparks chase a strong platform but the last nine wickets fell for 103 – and the last five for just 15 – as Diamonds squeezed home in memorable fashion.Diamonds openers Lauren Winfield-Hill (28, 47 balls) and Emma Marlow (20, 38) supplied their side with a solid, if sedate, start with a stand of 45 from 74 balls. Both were skilfully uprooted by Katie George who shaped one away from Winfield-Hill to find the edge and bowled Marlow with an inswinging yorker.Armitage and Bess Heath also made a start but didn’t develop it. Armitage miscued Hannah Baker to mid off and Heath was brilliantly caught, one-handed, by Eve Jones in the same position off Grace Potts. Leah Dobson ladled Potts over mid-wicket for six but followed the get-in-then-get-out trend when she was yorked by Charis Pavely.As Jones juggled her attack cleverly to keep the batters thinking, Phoebe Turner chipped Pavely to mid off before Ria Fackrell struck twice in an over. Sophie Turner clipped to mid-wicket and Burns was caught at mid-off. The latter departed having held the innings together with a diligent 49 which included just two fours alongside six twos and 29 singles.Glen went to the crease averaging 92 with the bat this season and returned averaging 123 after striking two sixes in three balls off Issy Wong in a punchy ninth-wicket stand of 38 with Jess Woolstone.Burns soon damaged Sparks’ reply when she held a simple return catch from Pavely in the second over. Jones and Freeborn added 105 in 25 overs to lift their side into a promising position but the departure of Jones, who drove Sophie Turner to cover, triggered a collapse.Freeborn, called for a quick single by Courtney Webb, was run out by Sophie Turner’s throw. Katie Levick then struck twice in four balls. Ami Campbell reverse swept her first ball for four but chipped the third back to Levick. Webb fell lbw, sweeping and from 112 for one, Sparks had hit 145 for five.George (35, 55) and Bethan Ellis (23, 40) adding 56 in 14 overs but Ellis was caught at over with 16 still needed and the last over arrived with four required. Armitage had George caught at backward point off the first ball and, after a wide and a single, trapped Fackrell lbw with the fifth before Potts was run out off the last trying to scramble a bye for the tie.

India spinner pleased with return to starting XI in Super Eight after sitting out first round

Melinda Farrell22-Jun-20241:23

Kumble: Kuldeep broke the back of the opposition in the middle overs

After spending the group stage waiting in the wings, Kuldeep Yadav continued his run as Super Eight specialist, taking 3 for 19 in India’s comprehensive victory over Bangladesh in Antigua.Kuldeep has now taken five wickets across India’s two Super Eight matches, after picking up 2 for 32 against Afghanistan on Thursday in Barbados.India held Kuldeep back for the Caribbean leg of the tournament in the belief the pitches would suit his left-arm wristspin more than those in the USA. And, while he admitted he was keen to play in the group stages, he knew once he returned to the islands where he made both his white-ball debuts for India, during the 2017 West Indies tour, his experience would be called upon.Related

• Kul-dip and driftin' away to becoming one of the best

• Hardik serves reminder of his power and excitement with the bat

• Rohit on batting show vs Bangladesh: 'That's how we want to play and go forward'

• Hardik and Kuldeep lead India to their second win in the Super Eight

“I was helping out the team-mates and carrying the drinks [in the US]. That is more like playing,” joked Kuldeep. “I would have loved to bowl there. But it’s more like an Australian sort of wicket. But here I made my T20 [and] ODI debut back in 2017. I knew the conditions very well, just the length and trying to vary my pace. So it’s perfect for spinners to come here and bowl.”While there was a sound reason to bring Kuldeep into the side on Caribbean surfaces, having a bowler play their first competitive match so late and at such a crucial stage of a T20 World Cup is unusual. But Kuldeep said he didn’t feel any added pressure playing for the first time in the tournament at the Super Eight stage.Kuldeep Yadav was at the top of his game•CREIMAS

“It’s very important to play every game, take every game as a normal game. Now obviously we playing at Super Eight, obviously we have a lot of pressure as well. We’re going to play Australia in a couple of days’ time. The wickets are good for spinners, as you have seen in the last few games as well. Nothing changes. I’ve got four overs to bowl and that was my plan. Just sticking with the length and varying my pace. For me it’s nice.”Bowling in the middle phase, Kuldeep went wicketless in his first over but struck in each of his next three. He flummoxed Tanzid Hasan with a fizzing googly that jagged back in and cannoned into the front pad before foxing Towhid Hridoy with a straight one that struck the back pad. After Shakib Al Hasan slog-swept a looping delivery for six, Kuldeep tossed another one up as a tempter, but the slower pace and extra bounce drew a top edge and a third wicket.Kuldeep bowled his four overs from the Sir Andy Roberts End, which gave assistance to left-handed batters hitting into the wind on the leg-side and help to right-handers outside their off stump. But while the stiff cross breeze posed challenges, he said it was important not to overthink its effect.”It was difficult from this end as a spinner because my rhythm is like, not like running rhythm, it’s more like a one step and then aggressive. I didn’t think about the wind, just the length matters. And obviously reading the batter what they are expecting from me, just reading one step ahead, what they are thinking. So just keeping this in mind and changing the line and length, and obviously they were targeting the windy side, and just reacting to what they are doing.”When the other team needs 10 runs or 12 runs per over and the batter’s going against you my plan is to just stick with the length, and obviously when they try to attack you, if you have a proper plan against them and you are bowling in probably the better length, you have maximum chances of getting the batter out. So that is my thinking, not thinking I have to get him out, just the length.”

Leicestershire establish 133-run lead despite being skittled before tea in first innings

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2024Career-best bowling from Ben Mike and loan signing Ben Green enabled Leicestershire to dismiss Middlesex for 86 as the opening day of their Vitality County Championship match saw 21 wickets fall in bowler-friendly conditions.Earlier, Ryan Higgins and Toby Roland-Jones led the way for Middlesex as Leicestershire were bowled out for 179. Lewis Goldsworthy and Lewis Hill shared a 65-run partnership for the third wicket before a collapse from 82 for 2 to 126 for 8 was rescued by fast bowler Scott Currie’s unbeaten 34.Leicestershire had extended their lead to 133 by reaching the close at 40 for 1 after Sol Budinger, caught off a top-edged pull, was out for the second time in the day.Green, the 26-year-old allrounder, is Somerset’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast this season but has not figured in their red-ball side. He played three Championship matches for Leicestershire earlier in the season and is back at Grace Road as emergency cover for the latest round with seven senior members of the Foxes’ first-team squad either injured or unavailable.Leicestershire had surprised some onlookers by opting to bat first, yet on a green pitch and with heavy cloud cover, it was hardly a surprise that the Middlesex seam attack should find plenty of encouragement.They removed both Leicestershire openers within the first seven overs. A rare failure from Rishi Patel, leg before half-forward to Roland-Jones for his first single-figure score of the season, preceded the departure of Budinger, who marked his first appearance of the season with two boundaries before edging Higgins to give Leus du Plooy the first of three catches at second slip.Middlesex could not immediately press home their advantage, with Henry Brookes and Ethan Bamber struggling to bowl the right lines at first. As they added 65 over the course of the next hour or so, it might have appeared that Goldsworthy and Hill were getting the upper hand.But then Bamber found some late swing from a ball that squared up Hill to have the Leicestershire skipper caught at first slip. Harry Swindells, like Budinger making his seasonal debut, chopped on to Higgins two overs before lunch, leaving the home side 94 for 4.Worse was to follow at the start of the afternoon, four more wickets tumbling in the first seven overs of the middle session as more edges flew to hand. Higgins had Goldsworthy snaffled by du Plooy before Roland-Jones struck three times in as many overs.Louis Kimber followed his epic, record-breaking 243 against Sussex last week with a 15-ball duck, caught at backward point off a leading edge, before Green edged to second slip and Ben Cox feathered one behind.Middlesex were batting 12 overs before tea but were three down by the interval and 53 for 6 half an hour after the resumption, which made the 53 runs Leicestershire were able to add for their last two wickets look potentially invaluable.Higgins dismissed Mike leg before and Brookes had Matt Salisbury caught at third slip, but Currie’s six boundaries gave their bowlers something to work with.Indeed, after Mike found the edge to have Mark Stoneman caught at second slip in his first over and produced an inswinger missed by Sam Robson, Green’s spell at the pavilion end soon had Middlesex in trouble.Max Holden was given out caught behind off an inside edge from the Devonian’s second ball before his first two overs after the tea interval included a near-unplayable delivery to bowl Higgins and one that took the edge of Josh De Caires’s bat to give Currie a catch at third slip.An airy drive saw Jack Davies caught behind to give Green his fourth at 70 for 7 before Mike returned with three wickets in five overs, bowling Luke Hollman with a full delivery, trapping Roland-Jones leg before with a full toss, notching his second career five-for as du Plooy fell for 28, bowled between bat and pad.Matt Salisbury completed the rout by bowling Bamber before the home side, batting positively, added 40 in nine overs with Budinger, who hit a six and two fours in his 18, the one casualty.

Pacy Filer in the wickets, but Sciver-Brunt and Gardner looked to have done enough to win

ECB Media29-Jul-2024Manchester Originals held their nerve with ball in hand to defy a record partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner and take the victory at Emirates Old Trafford in The Hundred.Sciver-Brunt (56 not out) and Australian all-rounder Gardner (36) combined for a record fourth-wicket partnership of 86 and looked primed to take Trent Rockets over the line, but with three balls left and victory in sight Kathryn Bryce dismissed Gardner to drag the game back in the home side’s favour.Ultimately Sciver-Brunt needed a final-ball boundary to win the game, but could only manage two.Bryce’s momentum-swinging intervention rounded off a team performance for Manchester Originals, who would have been happy to post 137 for 6 on a slow pitch after being asked to bat first.Eve Jones (34), Beth Mooney (24) and Bryce (32) herself were the mainstays of their effort – their highest total since 2022 – and once again captain Sophie Ecclestone added late momentum with a powerful five-ball 13.Early wickets in Trent Rockets’ reply from the pacy and impressive Lauren Filer saw the Originals ahead of the ledger as far as WinViz was concerned, but once Sciver-Brunt and Gardner came together the Rockets appeared increasingly comfortable despite the rising run-rate.When Sciver-Brunt hit Ecclestone for two fours within the final 15 deliveries, she appeared to have done enough to make it two wins from two for her team but Bryce and the Originals had the final say to get off the mark in the fourth year of The Hundred.Meerkat Match Hero Filer said: “It was a real team performance today. Everyone did their job and it’s just so good to get over the line.”The pitch is actually a bit slower than last game. We batted very, very well on it and we thought it was a good total.”We talked about doing the simple things for longer and nailing our skills, and I think we did that today.”

Sri Lanka captain and debutant revive team from early collapse, but England unbeaten at close

Andrew Miller21-Aug-2024England 22 for 0 (Duckett 13*, Lawrence 9*) trail Sri Lanka 236 (de Silva 74, Rathnayake 72, Woakes 3-32) by 214 runsDhananjaya de Silva justified his own decision to bat first with a gutsy 74 from 84 balls, while Milan Rathnayake followed his captain’s lead with a startlingly composed knock of 72 from 135 balls, the highest by a debutant at No.9 in Test history. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, however, even those exceptional efforts couldn’t quite atone for a dreadful top-order collapse that had handed England control of the first Test by stumps on day one at Emirates Old Trafford.By the time Vishwa Fernando was last man out, run out for 13 from 61 balls in an innings that echoed his famous tail-end defiance in partnership with Kusal Perera at Durban in 2019, Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 236 in gloomy half-light that had caused England to rely exclusively on spin bowling for the final hour of their bowling stint – an early challenge for Ollie Pope’s tactical acumen on his first day as Ben Stokes’ captaincy stand-in.And, even though that total was seemingly below-par on a hard and dry surface that Pope anticipated would stay true for the first half of the match at least, it was riches compared to what had been anticipated after the first half-hour of the contest. At that point, Sri Lanka’s innings had been in tatters at 6 for 3 after seven overs, with all three wickets falling in the space of ten deliveries to Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes.Related

• Dhananjaya: Sri Lanka wanted extra warm-up but were denied

• Pope vows to lean on Stokes as he begins stand-in captaincy reign

• Lawrence accepts his top billing even as middle-order wait goes on

• What does Bazball without Ben Stokes look like? We're about to find out

• Jayasuriya: 'Karunaratne is a strong-minded player. He can do something major on this tour'

The first blow was landed by Atkinson, who had limited Dimuth Karunaratne to a solitary scoring stroke in his first 17 deliveries, only for the batter to fluff his first shot in anger, a swish across the line to a well-directed lifter. Four balls later, Nishan Madushka’s early discipline also deserted him as Woakes served up a juicy outswinger that he could only scuff straight to Joe Root at first slip, who clung on in the heel of his palms.And with the final ball of the same over, Woakes had his second courtesy of a ghastly misjudgement from Angelo Mathews. The hero of the 2014 series win was gone for a five-ball duck, burning a review in the process as he offered no stroke to an inducker that was shown to be hitting the top of middle.Kusal and Chandimal showed some gumption in a limited counterattack, with the first five boundaries of the innings all coming in the space of 12 balls, four of them to Kusal off Matthew Potts, whose wide angle into the stumps offered the chance to free the hands through the off-side, and who would finish as the attack’s weakest link with 48 runs from his nine overs.But, after limping to drinks on 37 for 3, there was another challenge waiting for the second hour. Wood tore into his opening spell with typical gusto, and struck with his seventh ball – a gruesomely quick lifter to Kusal that crashed into his left thumb and looped to Harry Brook at second slip. Much like the snorter that broke Kevin Sinclair’s wrist in the West Indies series, Kusal left the crease wringing his hand, and looking in urgent need of an ice-pack at the very least.Out came de Silva to shore up the listing innings, but with lunch approaching, his measured stand of 32 in seven overs with Chandimal was undone in cruel and unusual fashion. Shoaib Bashir entered the attack for an exploratory pre-lunch spell, and struck in his second over with an unplayable daisycutter, reminiscent of Nasser Hussain’s viral moment against Carl Hooper in Trinidad in 1998. Though Chandimal gambled on the review, hoping against hope that he’d been struck outside the line, Bashir’s sheepish appeal and celebration could have told him everything he needed to know.That would, however, be the nadir of Sri Lanka’s innings. De Silva himself grew into his role either side of the lunch break, farming the strike well in between a diet of eight well-struck boundaries, each of them showcasing his sharp footwork and delicate balance, not to mention his pre-toss faith in the surface’s true nature.Though there would be some more guileless dismissals to come – with both Kamindu Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya snicking off with uncertain footwork after Woakes and Atkinson had varied their lines and lengths – Rathnayake would not prove quite so gullible in his shot selection.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite channelling a bashful schoolboy while being presented with his Test cap by Kumar Sangakkara before the start of play, Sri Lanka’s debutant was more than man enough to withstand England’s eager attempts to dislodge him. His first role was to act as de Silva’s doughty sidekick, which he did to superb effect, picking off the first of his four fours in an eighth-wicket stand of 63.And then, when disaster had seemingly struck just before tea, with de Silva fencing a Bashir offbreak to Lawrence at leg slip to leave his team on 176 for 8, Rathnayake took up the cudgels for his team with impressive results. Despite boasting a previous best of 59 in 52 previous first-class innings, he picked the perfect moments to cut loose, first with a lusty swing over long-on to reach his half-century, and then a sweet drill over long-off to move along to a new career-high.England did at one stage attempt to bring Wood back into the attack to break up his burgeoning 50-run stand with Vishwa, but with his jumper halfway over his shoulders, the umpires stepped in to insist that the light was too poor for the pace bowlers. And though it took a while, Bashir eventually did the needful, tempting Rathnayake into one lofted launch too many, as Woakes back-pedalled at mid-off to end his fun.With half-an-hour to the close, Sri Lanka also turned instantly to slow bowling as the reply got underway, with two spinners sharing the new ball in a men’s Test in England for only the second time since 1970. With Lawrence opening the batting in place of Zak Crawley, he and Ben Duckett showed the probable riches still on offer in the surface, in clattering along to 22 for 0 in four overs.Prior to the start of play, both sides lined up on the outfield for a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe, who died on August 4, aged 55. England will be wearing black armbands throughout the match in memory of an England great who averaged 44.66 in a 100-Test career, and went on to play a key role as a batting mentor to many of the current team, including Pope, Root and Stokes.

Australia have shown their depth over the first two matches and will be favourites to clinch the series in Durham

Andrew McGlashan23-Sep-2024

Big Picture

Australia have played like world champions, England have played like a team that has only just come together and are trying to figure out their next style of one-day cricket. Which is exactly the position of both sides.What will (or at least should) frustrate Harry Brook and Marcus Trescothick – stand-in captain and coach – is that England have had their opportunity in both games: at Trent Bridge they were 213 for 2 in the 33rd over before falling away to Australia’s collection of spinners and at Headingley they had the visitors 161 for 6 and 221 for 9 before Alex Carey swung the momentum.Related

• Could more crushing ODI failure be just what England need?

• Carey takes his chance to silence hostile Headingley

In both matches, Australia have found key performances from potentially unlikely sources, firstly with Marnus Labuschagne’s three wickets then Carey’s superb 74 off 67 balls from an opening that only presented itself due to Josh Inglis’ injury.With Australia struck down by illness ahead of Trent Bridge, it always felt as though that was going to prove a big missed opportunity for England and so it proved as Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell returned at Headingley and combined to take 7 for 119. With an eye to the future, Aaron Hardie’s performance was also significant with 2 for 26.England have some of the building blocks to make their attempts at rejuvenation a success. Ben Duckett is in excellent form, Jamie Smith is a high-class batter whatever colour ball he is facing, Brydon Carse could yet replicate the Liam Plunkett role – even if Carse says it’s never been spoken about – Adil Rashid remains world-class (although replacing him is a concern) and there is a collection of quicks with genuine pace.However, at the moment they seem unable to quite find their groove, especially with the bat, with Brook’s comments about not caring whether batters are caught attempting to clear the boundary not yet carrying the weight of when Eoin Morgan backed his team’s ultra-aggressive mantra in 2015. There is time yet for the rebuild to come together; Chester-le-Street would be a good place to start to at least ensure this series remains undecided for a few more days.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LLLWL
Australia WWWWW4:07

The Huddle: Smith recalls his battle with Archer in Ashes 2019

In the spotlight: Phil Salt and Steven Smith

Phil Salt appears to have the task of playing the ultra-aggressive opener but he hasn’t looked entirely convincing in the first two matches. At Trent Bridge he seemed somewhat perplexed when bowled as he gave himself room against Ben Dwarshuis then at Headingley he was given a working over by Josh Hazlewood. He survived a review for a caught behind and was dropped at slip as he flayed at Hazlewood’s relentless short-of-a-length line around off stump before edging through to Carey. He will, no doubt, be fully backed to continue in the same vein but Australia’s quick bowlers are not easy to smash off their lengths.Back home, Steven Smith is at the centre of the key debate in Australian men’s cricket – or at least as much as these things raise attention during the September football final season – about where he will bat when India arrive for the Test series. For now he’s been at No. 3 and 4 in this series and would no doubt like a decent score. He looked in good touch in the opening game before offering a return catch to Liam Livingstone then was beaten by a superb delivery from Matthew Potts at Headingley. There is a good chance of a second rematch with Jofra Archer which always makes for compelling viewing.

Team news: Archer in line for return, Australia hopeful illness has passed

Archer would appear likely to slot back in having been given his expected rest at Headingley. Who he replaces will be interesting: Olly Stone bowled with good pace in Leeds, Potts was excellent and Carse adds some batting depth at No. 8. England felt potentially a seamer light in the last game, but without a true pace-bowling allrounder it’s hard to squeeze another option in.England: (possible) 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jamie Smith (wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Jacob Bethell, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Matthew PottsBen Dwarshuis has flown home after picking up a pectoral injury which restricted him to just four overs on debut in Nottingham. However, other than that Australia are hopeful of having a full squad to select from for the first time in the series. If Inglis is fit it creates an interesting call to make after Carey’s success in the last match. Inglis could play as a specialist batter, but there isn’t room for that, either, unless there’s some rotation. The north of England in September may require an extra pace-bowling option with Cameron Green and Sean Abbott available.Australia: (possible) 1 Travis Head, 2 Matthew Short, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Steven Smith, 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Aaron Hardie, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam Zampa

Pitch and conditions

Teams were forced to train indoors on Monday but the forecast for game day is a little better, albeit with the chance of showers. To say it will be mild might be stretching things. Overhead conditions could assist the bowlers although pitches at Chester-le-Street are usually pretty good for batting in one-day cricket.

Stats and trivia

• Starc needs one more wicket to move into fourth spot alone in Australia’s ODI tally. He equalled Mitchell Johnson on 239 during the previous game.
• England have two ODI centuries in the XI which played at Trent Bridge – one apiece for Duckett and Salt – while Australia had 28.
• England have a 3-1 winning record at Chester-le-Street against Australia. In 2018, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh struck centuries but England comfortably chased 311 as Jason Roy made 101 off 83 balls. Only three players from that game will likely appear this time: Carey, Travis Head and Adil Rashid

Quotes

“There have been big changes, new batters, new bowlers. It will take time. It will always take time when it is a rebuilding process. We have got every base covered in terms of bowling, batting, keeping. Everything is there for us.”
Adil Rashid on England’s new era“There’s been a big emphasis on being flexible, being adaptable, there’s so many players who have cemented their spots – Travis at the top, Mitch [Marsh] through the middle then you’ve got Smith, Labuschagne – so it’s just about filling the roles as they pop up, whether it’s with the bat or ball, just being adaptable, jump up and down the order, and be able to contribute wherever possible.”

The fast bowler returns to action for the first time since a side strain in September, and will spearhead Australia’s T20I attack against Pakistan

Tristan Lavalette12-Nov-2024The return of Xavier Bartlett will be a welcome sight for the national hierarchy hoping to shore up fast bowling depth with a gruelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to test the fitness of Australia’s frontline quicks.Bartlett has not been sighted in domestic cricket so far this season after a side strain cut short his white-ball tour of the UK in September. He has recently returned to local cricket in Brisbane and is set to play in the T20I series opener between a shorthanded Australia – missing their Test players – and Pakistan at the Gabba on Thursday.Showcasing immaculate upright seam positioning, enabling him to conjure menacing late swing with the new ball, Bartlett was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s BBL and a key in Brisbane Heat’s stunning title triumph.He subsequently claimed four-wicket hauls in his first two ODIs against West Indies and has taken 6 wickets from four T20Is at an average of 17.66.Bartlett has been on the hierarchy’s radar as they strive to build depth behind the big three quicks of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who have been resilient over the years but face the tough challenge of five Tests against India within seven weeks.There have been fitness issues with Australia’s fringe quicks. Michael Neser suffered a hamstring injury in the recent Australia A-India A match at the MCG, while WA speedsters Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson have been working their way back through white-ball cricket. Scott Boland is Australia’s reserve quick for the first Test in Perth starting on November 22.Xavier Bartlett topped the bowling charts in the last BBL•Getty Images

“Those main three [Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood] have been amazing for so long, unbelievable,” Bartlett told reporters in Brisbane. “Going forward there will be opportunities. Personally, the goal is always to try and play Test cricket for Australia.”There’s so much cricket and every time you get a chance to play for Australia it’s a childhood dream. Whether it’s [due to] people who are unavailable or available you just have to try to take your opportunity. And this is a great opportunity.”Everything is good [with my fitness]… champing at the bit to get out there.”Bartlett, 25, will be part of a second-string Australia team aiming to salvage some pride after their surprise ODI series defeat to Pakistan, which included successive thrashings in Adelaide and Perth.Australia’s batters had no answer for Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack who relished favourable fast and bouncy conditions throughout the series. “They have been amazing, the last two games they only used four bowlers,” Bartlett said.”The 140 [kph] from both ends, been exciting to watch. They bowled some really great lengths and were really attacking. Hopefully we can emulate that. We’ve spoken about just trying to take wickets and try to make early inroads.”Bartlett is set to share the new ball with left-arm quick Spencer Johnson in a return in tandem for the pair who so often ignited Heat during their title run. Much like at Optus Stadium, the Gabba surface tends to be fast and bouncy but runs can flow quickly there in white-ball cricket.There has been stormy weather in Brisbane this week with showers forecast on Thursday. “It’s a really good cricket wicket, so it should make for entertaining cricket,” Bartlett said.While some eye-catching performances across the three-match T20I series could see Bartlett move up the pecking order of fringe Test bowlers, his Heat teammate Nathan McSweeney will make his debut in the first Test after being named as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner.”To see his journey from when we were about 11 or 12 [years of age] to where he is now, making his Test debut, it’s unbelievable – I’m absolutely stoked for him,” Bartlett said of McSweeney, who is from Brisbane but captains South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.”He’s worked so hard. I can’t wait to see him go out there and hopefully go well for Australia.”

Pope to continue as wicketkeeper, Stokes fit after back niggle

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Dec-2024Jacob Bethell will continue at No. 3 after England announced an unchanged XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve.Victory in Christchurch by eight wickets was rounded out by a maiden half-century from Bethell. The 21-year-old debutant struck an unbeaten 50 from 37 deliveries as England chased down a fourth-innings total of 104 in 12.4 overs.Bethell’s first innings at the Hagley Oval – 10 off 34 – was the first time the Warwickshire batter had ever gone in higher than No. 4, from a sample size of just 20 first-class matches. The England management deliberated changes, particularly with Durham wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson in situ after being drafted to replace the injured Jordan Cox but decided to stick with the same team.Related

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That means Ollie Pope will continue with the gloves at No.6. England’s vice-captain was shifted from his usual spot at first-drop to focus on keeping duties. It will be his fifth Test as designated wicketkeeper, all of which have come overseas.Pope reiterated he wishes to remain at No. 3 after scoring a vital 77 in the first innings – from No. 6 – and he is expected to return to the spot he has held consistently throughout Ben Stokes’ tenure when Jamie Smith comes back into the XI. Pope was tidy throughout the first match, with a couple of catches, and looked broadly at ease in the role.”They always say when you don’t notice a keeper he’s done a good job and Ollie certainly did that,” said Chris Woakes on Wednesday in Wellington. “He was brilliant last week, stepping into a role he hasn’t done a lot of.”Obviously he can keep and has done previously for England, but to step up at short notice like that and do the job he did was fantastic. For him to score runs just shows his character, putting his hand up for the team without any fuss and cracking on. to move to number six, get such a good score for us and contribute to a big partnership was massive.”Stokes retains his own spot and is set to continue as an allrounder at No. 7 after sustaining a back niggle in the first Test, which prompted him to abort an over midway through on the fourth and final morning.Woakes also backed Zak Crawley to turn around his form against New Zealand, which took a hit after a duck and 1 in the first Test. The opener now averages a dismal 9.88 against the Black Caps in 17 innings, who have emerged as a bogey team for the Kent batter.”A lot of the time I think these stats that come out are pure coincidence,” said Woakes. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with anything. New Zealand have some very good opening bowlers. He faces the new ball when they are their freshest and best, so he’s probably got some good balls in there.”We’ve see the quality Zak has. Opening the batting is such a difficult job to do, that you will have occasions where you get low scores. We’ve seen what Zak can do. When he gets in, he’s one of the worst batters to be bowling at in international cricket. I’m sure that will change.”England: 1 ⁠Zak Crawley, 2⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, 3⁠ ⁠Jacob Bethell, 4⁠ ⁠Joe Root, 5 ⁠Harry Brook, 6⁠ ⁠Ollie Pope (wk), 7⁠ ⁠Ben Stokes (capt), 8⁠ ⁠Chris Woakes, 9⁠ ⁠Gus Atkinson, 10⁠ ⁠Brydon Carse, 11⁠ ⁠Shoaib Bashir