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England U-19s overcame a significant batting collapse to secure a three-wicket victory and level the one-day series against Australia U-19s

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2015
ScorecardDan Lawrence’s hundred dominated England’s chase•Getty Images

England U-19s overcame a significant batting collapse to secure a three-wicket victory and level the one-day series against Australia U-19s. It meant an outstanding hundred from Dan Lawrence, which followed an impressive bowling and fielding display, did not go waste but it needed a cool head from Brad Taylor to complete the win.Taylor, the Hampshire offspinner, completed a fine all-round day as he added an unbeaten 23 to his earlier 3 for 50 which helped ensure Australia struggled for late momentum. When he was joined by Jared Warner, England still required 27 having lost 6 for 45 against a combination of Jonte Pattison and David Grant. It was hard work for the pair, but two boundaries for Taylor off Arjun Nair helped ease the pressure and he struck the winning blow off the first ball of the penultimate over.It should have been far easier for England as Lawrence, the Essex batsman, compiled a stylish 90-ball hundred as he dominated a second-wicket stand of 108 in 22 overs with debutant Jack Burnham. He struck 18 boundaries – including six in the first nine overs – and a six, although he was given a life on 31.England had bowled their overs so quickly that they were required to bat before the interval and Lawrence gave them a brisk start before Adam Hickey fell to the last ball before the break. England were never under run-rate pressure, but Pattison broke the second-wicket stand when he removed Burnham and next ball captain Aneurin Donald watched the ball dribble onto his stumps.Pattison claimed his third when he trapped Lawrence lbw sweeping and the nerves really started the jangle for England when Grant, spearing in his yorkers after a wayward first spell, claimed three wickets in consecutive overs. Aaron Thomason lofted into the covers, Callum Taylor was pinned by a toe-crusher and Ryan Davies swung to midwicket.Earlier, Australia and chosen to bat but were made to struggle by impressive new-ball bowling from Saqib Mahmood and Hugh Bernard. The innings was revived by a stand of 137 between Caleb Jewell and captain Jake Doran, but England managed to keep a handle on the scoring rate to such an extent that when Jewell fell for 80 in the 40th over Australia were still under four an over.Spin was to the fore. Lawrence played his part with the ball, slipping in five overs of offspin for 16, while Hickey bowled his ten for 38 and Taylor removed both Jewell and Doran among his three scalps.

Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first two matches for Australia A against the England Lions this month due to the latest in a series of foot ailments

Daniel Brettig14-Feb-2013Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first two matches for Australia A against the England Lions this month after his unfortunate litany of foot ailments was maintained during Australia’s Twenty20 loss to the West Indies in Brisbane on Wednesday night.Alister McDermott has been called up to replace Hazlewood for the two fixtures in Hobart, leaving Cricket Australia medical staff to determine whether he will be ready to return for the balance of the five-match series.Figures of 1 for 36 at the Gabba did not do full justice to Hazlewood, who impressed with his height and bounce, claiming the wicket of Chris Gayle. But the news that he has again suffered foot trouble will be a source of concern for the national selectors given their desire to ease him into a more regular place at international level.”Hazlewood suffered a foot injury during last night’s T20I in Brisbane and as a result has been withdrawn from the first two matches of the Australia A series,” A CA spokesman said. “A decision on his participation for the remaining fixtures will be determined once a further assessment has taken place.”At 22, Hazlewood is widely considered one of Australia’s most promising pace prospects, his height and disciplined line providing a contrast tot he swing and pace of James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.However the selectors’ efforts to increase Hazlewood’s familiarity with the national team have been confounded numerous times by foot injuries. He was close to selection for the third Test against South Africa in Perth last year before a stress hot spot was located, keeping him out of the summer until the closing rounds of the Big Bash League.Last summer Hazlewood was also absent for long periods with a foot stress fracture. He debuted for Australia against England at Southampton in 2010 but in a first-class career that began in 2008 he has still played only 16 matches.

Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday

David Hopps14-Jan-2012Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday. As if to prove it, he followed up his statement by diving from a racing yacht into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.Swann needed a scan on a sore thigh before playing in England’s 100-run victory against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI. He described himself as “100% fit” as he joined team-mate Alastair Cook for a quick flight to Abu Dhabi and a ceremonial plunge off the racing yacht Azzam, Abu Dhabi’s official contender in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.Swann, 32, admitted he had briefly felt his age as injury threatened to disrupt a tour that gives him the opportunity to reassert himself as one of the world’s leading spin bowlers. “I was a bit nervous going into the last warm-up game because my thigh felt like a 32-year-old’s rather than a 22-year-old’s,” he said. “But it managed to get through and I felt great by the end of the game. So touch wood I’ll be 100% fit for the first Test.”If there had been any injury doubts, Swann’s jaunt to Abu Dhabi would not have been countenanced. The players donned heavy-weather, waterproof safety gear to join a short-sprint course that officially started the third leg of the race from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China.Swann was left to marvel at the camaraderie on the yacht, skippered by Britain’s double-Olympic medallist Ian Walker, a useful reminder shortly before the start of what England expect to be a gruelling Test series against Pakistan.”Ian told us that Azzam translated as determination in Arabic,” Swann said. “That seems a perfectly apt name having seen the unbelievable camaraderie and teamwork the crew put in during our short stint on board.”Swann became the first England spinner to take 50 Test wickets in a calendar year in 2009, as he made a spectacular entry into international cricket. His success has been more hard-won over the past year as he has needed all his know-how to survive a series of unsympathetic pitches, but he has high hopes of greater assistance in the UAE.He has already bowled 70 overs in the two warm-up games and can expect his workload to remain heavy, with three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals to follow. He was overshadowed by Monty Panesar against the PCB XI, taking only two wickets in comparison to Panesar’s match-return of 8 for 103.Swann told the he would prefer to have Panesar alongside him in the opening Test. “I like the rhythm of spinners at each end and I’d go with two in this part of the world. He has shown he can be a matchwinner when he’s back to his best. I spin the ball in, he spins it away and a partnership like that can be formidable.”The decision to use the same pitch for England’s first two matches gave both spinners encouragement. “The ball does spin, especially on a six-day old pitch,” Swann said. “I should be getting a lot of work out here. It’s obviously hot, and the seamers can’t do the job they do in England because it’s just not the same conditions.”

Pakistan have left out experienced allrounder and former captain Shoaib Malik from the list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011Pakistan have left out experienced allrounder and former captain Shoaib Malik from the list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup. Malik had been under the scanner of the PCB’s integrity committee and ultimately appears to have failed to gain clearance for selection. Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, over whom there has been as much speculation, has, however, been selected.The pair, alongside legspinner Danish Kaneria, have been frozen out of recent Pakistan squads. The trio have not participated for Pakistan in any format since the summer tour to England; Kaneria was part of the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE but was prevented from travelling by the board at the very last minute. Though not an ODI regular, he also doesn’t find a place in the 30.The PCB hasn’t said so publicly but the trio have been under suspicion in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Pakistan’s cricket. Akmal was the subject of an ACSU notice earlier this year but has since asked for and received a written clearance from the ICC. Kaneria’s name featured in a separate spot-fixing scandal at Essex county. Malik has not been linked with any specific incident though he features regularly in the fevered speculation and gossip of Pakistan’s cricket structure.As a result, over the last few weeks the players have appeared three times before the PCB’s integrity committee and handed in various financial documents and statements. They last appeared before the committee last Thursday. The lack of clarity over Akmal and Malik in particular had forced the PCB to ask the ICC for more time in naming their probables. The world body extended the deadline for Pakistan from December 19 to January 5.Elsewhere there is little genuine surprise. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, provisionally suspended for their alleged role in the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal, were never in the running for the squad. Mohammad Yousuf, the veteran batsman recently discarded from Pakistan’s Test side, is in the running for a middle-order spot. There will be quibbling over the axing of Fawad Alam, who averages nearly 38 in the limited opportunities he gets, but at least one member of the selection committee has been against his inclusion as a matter of policy. Nasir Jamshed, the left-handed opener, is also included, in place of Imran Farhat.”We are satisfied that we have selected the best squad from amongst the available players,” chief selector Mohsin Khan said. “There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding clearance or otherwise of players by integrity committee of PCB. The integrity committee has given its views on some players to the selection committee which has taken into consideration that input and has selected the 30 players for the World Cup.”The ODI squad for the series against New Zealand will be announced next week.Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Taufiq Umar, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Naveed Yasin, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Ali

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2010Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for over-ruling the recommendation of Daljit Singh last year, which led to the abandonment of the final match of the India-Sri Lanka ODI series at the Feroz Shah Kotla on December 27. As a consequence, Daljit , chairman of the BCCI pitch and grounds committee, and his panel, were sacked the same day by the BCCI, which held him responsible.But Atkinson, who visited various Indian venues hosting next year’s World Cup earlier this month, inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15. Though he was happy with the remedial work in progress that has started under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators’ panel, Atkinson stated in the report to the BCCI, a copy of which was available to Cricinfo, that all the controversy could have been easily avoided if the DDCA ground officials had heard Daljit’s suggestions.”As a consequence of the state of affairs that occurred with the pitch throughout last
year, the decision to use of Perennial Rye grass was the only option left at a very late
stage in an attempt to obtain some grass cover for the ODI on the 27th December and
was recommended by Mr. Daljit Singh (Chairman BCCI Pitches Committee) quite
correctly as an emergency measure,” Atkinson wrote.”Unfortunately the then local authority of DDCA did not agree with that course of action and went ahead and planted some local Cynodon grass, creating damage to the surface levels in doing so,” he addedIn the eight-page report, addressed to Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Atkinson explained the disastrous consequences. “As predicted this grass did not grow then, and now the remains of it which is decomposing below the surface of the pitch will need to be removed mechanically so that the organic content will not further dilute the clay content of the soil and reduce the ability of that soil to produce fast hard pitches in the future.”According to Atkinson the surface level, too, was damaged as a result of using a heavy roller, thereby “creating low and high areas (Ridges)”. This was amply evident during the Sri Lanka ODI where Alan Hurst, the match referee, in his report submitted to the ICC few days after the game, said he was forced to stop the match after 23.1 overs because he deemed the Kotla pitch “dangerous” and “unfit”.Consequently the ICC penalised the Indian board and suspended the venue from hosting any international matches until the end of 2010. Though the BCCI appealed against the ICC decision, which was arrived at by the pair Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, the chief match referee, Michael Beloff QC rejected their plea, insisting the penalty was in order.Fans were not happy when the match was called off and Andy Atkinson said the situation could have been avoided•AFP

Last April, after the second edition of the IPL had moved to South Africa, DDCA decided to re-lay the whole ground and Daljit was appointed as a consultant. But just months after the main pitch block was re-laid, DDCA agreed to host the Champions League Twenty20 games, an erroneous decision according to Atkinson.”The new grasses planted then were not given adequate time to grow in and establish a resilient deep root structure,” he wrote, “and when rolling began to prepare the pitches for the IPL Champions League the grass quite unsurprisingly died off as it was too delicate at that time to survive the stresses that were put on it by the act of rolling.”But he is against the re-laying the entire pitch square. “I can find no appropriate reason to excavate and reconstruct the pitch block at this time,” Atkinson said. “The basic construction of the pitch block as supervised by Daljit Singh is sound in my opinion and the reasons for the problems encountered were basically self inflicted by basic and terminal mistakes made by playing on the pitch far too early after its reconstruction in 2009.”With just twelve months to go until the World Cup the process is at a critical stage to get the Kotla back in shape. But Atkinson is not panicking yet as long as his suggestions are followed. “The problems to be overcome for CWC 2011 are fundamental issues of additional correction of the surface levels and ensuring the re‐establishment of the correct grass species by replanting the entire pitch block with the most suitable grasses for its long term benefit.”If the various authorities, and importantly the DDCA, adhere to his guidelines, Atkinson said Delhi would have no problems in hosting their four World Cup games. But there are some strict timelines that need to be adhered to. As soon as the last IPL game ends on April 17, Atkinson has said there will be no play at the ground, which would then undergo complete corrective work for 20 weeks between April 17 and August 31. This would be followed by hosting trial matches to test the pitches between September 1 and November 30. For the next 16 weeks, between December and February 17, 2011 the ground would be completely closed for maintenance and preparations of the pitches and the venue.Atkinson also stated that he would be visiting Delhi frequently, starting on March 15, two days ahead of the first IPL game, to inspect the developments.

Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz and Abbas Afridi are the newcomers to the side led by Salman Agha

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2025Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, to be played between July 20 and 24.The squad has been trimmed by one from the time Pakistan played their last T20I series – also against Bangladesh – but at home in May-June, when Pakistan won 3-0.Shadab has recently undergone surgery on his right shoulder and is currently recovering. Rauf, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury at the MLC, which has ruled him out of San Francisco Unicorns’ playoff matches. Apart from them, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah have been left out. Hasan, who was the top wicket-taker when Bangladesh toured Pakistan earlier, has been allowed to continue playing in England while selectors try out other options. Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi – also absent – are being considered for ODIs by Pakistan for the moment.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The replacements don’t bring a lot of experience with them. Ahmed Daniyal, the medium pacer, and Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, are uncapped in international cricket, while left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem is just ten T20Is old. Top-order batter Hasan Nawaz made his international debut earlier this year and has played just eight T20Is, although he also did have a stellar PSL season. Abbas Afridi, the medium pacer, is relatively more experienced, having played 21 T20Is since making his debut early last year.Some of them were among the better performers at the PSL earlier this year. Abbas Afridi was the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 wickets from 11 innings for Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza picked up nine wickets from just four games for Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz, meanwhile, was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 399 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators, going at a strike rate of 162.19.This is the second T20I series Pakistan will be playing under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, with the next T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.The squad for the white-ball series against West Indies, to be played in Lauderhill (T20Is) and Tarouba (ODIs) in early August, “will be announced in due course,” the PCB said in a statement. The board’s COO Summer Syed said they were in negotiations with Cricket West Indies to turn the ODIs of that tour into more T20Is, given there is a T20 World Cup next year.

Pakistan squad for T20I series against Bangladesh

Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Bumrah took charge of India in his absence

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20241:35

Manjrekar: Rohit had an answer to all of Stokes’ plans

India captain Rohit Sharma, suffering a stiff back, did not take the field at the start of the third day of the the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. The designated vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, took charge of the team.Rohit has enjoyed rich returns over the back end of the series, scoring centuries in two of the last three Tests. He was instrumental in establishing India’s advantage in Dharamsala, bringing up his 12th Test century and his 10th at home. With all five of the top-order making fifty-plus scores, the hosts were able to take a lead of 259 as the game moved forward.Related

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Rohit had partnerships of 104 and 171 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill respectively as India took hold of the game despite losing the toss. Jaiswal made 57, his fifth score of 50 or more in this series – two of which he converted into double-centuries. Gill went on to score his second century of the series.India have faced a spate of injuries over the course of the series. Mohammed Shami (ankle injury) and Virat Kohli (birth of his second child) have not been involved at all. KL Rahul has missed all but the first Test, recovering from a quadricep tendon injury. Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t available for the second Test with a hamstring injury. R Ashwin had to leave the team in Rajkot briefly to attend to a family emergency. Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi. And Rajat Patidar has been nursing a sore ankle. All of India’s first-choice players have the IPL coming up, on March 22 through to May, which then leads into the T20 World Cup in June.India are leading the series against England 3-1, bouncing back from a defeat in Hyderabad to win three on the trot.

A total of 140 cricketers have signed up for the season, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller and Alex Hales

Aadam Patel22-Nov-2022The sixth season of the Abu Dhabi T10 begins on Wednesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium with New York Strikers, led by Kieron Pollard, taking on Bangla Tigers, who will be captained by Shakib Al Hasan.Wednesday’s double-header will also see the reigning champions Deccan Gladiators clashing with Team Abu Dhabi. The two sides will be led by Nicholas Pooran and Chris Lynn respectively,Mushtaq Ahmed will once again be in charge of a Gladiators team with the likes of Andre Russell, David Wiese and Tabraiz Shamsi. The Gladiators came on top of the group standings last year, winning seven out of their ten games before beating Delhi Bulls in the Qualifier and then again in the final.The Bulls, coached by Andy Flower, will begin their campaign in a triple-header on Thursday and are captained by Dwayne Bravo who will be hoping to go one better after falling short after fellow West Indian Russell smashed 90* off 32 balls in last year’s final.Two new franchises have joined for this year’s edition from USA with the launch of the Strikers and Morrisville Samp Army increasing the amount of teams to eight.Moeen Ali will lead the Morrisville franchise once he joins up in the UAE after winning the T20 World Cup with England in Australia, while Lance Klusener is head coach. The Strikers will be coached by Carl Crowe and will also benefit from having Yuvraj Singh as a mentor.He isn’t the only Indian name set to feature, with the likes of Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth all signed up for the competition.The tournament will feature some of cricket’s most well-known names with 140 cricketers signed up, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Wanindu Hasaranga and Alex Hales.Each team will face each other once, with 33 games scheduled over the next 12 days in Abu Dhabi. The top two sides will advance to a Qualifier with the winner progressing to the final on Sunday, December 4. The winner of the eliminator between third and fourth place will face the loser of the Qualifier in a virtual sem-final, with the winner of that game advancing to the final.A T10 league for Sri Lanka has also been announced with the Lanka T10 League schedule to take place in June next year.

Mendis, Hasaranga and Chameera show spirit but lack support in five-wicket loss

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Jun-2021England 189 for 5 (Root 79*, Chameera 3-50) beat Sri Lanka 185 (Perera 73, Hasaranga 54, Woakes 4-18) by five wicketsIt’s not as if this profoundly depleted Sri Lanka side did not have their moments.During the 99-run fourth-wicket stand between Kusal Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga, a creditable total seemed possible. When the seamers, led by Dushmantha Chameera, claimed four England wickets for 26 runs, leaving the opposition 80 for 4 (it would have been 80 for 5 if Perera had held on to dismiss Moeen Ali first ball, off Chameera), there was the slim possibility of making the run-chase difficult for England.But because the remainder of the game went roughly as expected, England’s victory was straightforward, ultimately. Sri Lanka lost 3 for 45 at the top of their innings, then their last seven for 40, making an eventual 185 that was miles form being sufficient.England’s new-ball bowlers had set the match up – Chris Woakes particularly disciplined and skilful as he claimed 4 for 18 from his 10 overs. Then Jonny Bairstow blasted a 21-ball 43, and Joe Root nurdled his way to the game’s top score of 79 not out, Moeen keeping him company through most of it. England had bowled Sri Lanka out inside 43 overs. They surpassed their score inside 35 overs, with five wickets to spare.A comfortable England victory had anyway been expected following the T20Is, which they had easily won, but the gulf between the sides had widened further when it became clear that no fewer than six of Sri Lanka’s original touring squad were unavailable for this game. Bio-bubble-popping trio Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis were already in Sri Lanka before this match began, having been flown back in economy class for their sins. Avishka Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva, meanwhile, were out through injury, and Oshada Fernando was unavailable due to illness.Related

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This left the visitors with little choice but to field a slew of inexperienced players. Three – allrounders Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya Lakshan, plus left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama – were on ODI debut. Three others – Binura Fernando, Ramesh Mendis and Chamika Karunaratne – had played only one ODI. On top of which Pathum Nissanka was playing his seventh match. In fact, across their XI, Sri Lanka only had 195 caps – 105 of them belonging to captain Perera. Eoin Morgan was playing his 244th game.Woakes and David Willey ensured that England began the match as expected, extracting seam and swing in the first Powerplay, though Woakes in particular would probably have troubled even much better opposition. He rarely strayed from the channel, finding movement both in the air and off the surface, and nicked off Nissanka in the fifth over. Four overs later he bowled the delivery of the innings when he angled a ball in from over the wicket, then moved it away off the seam to take the edge of Dasun Shanaka. At the other end, Willey had had debutant Asalanka caught at slip for a duck.Chris Woakes claimed four wickets in a superb display•Getty Images

After Perera and Hasaranga had each struck fifties, it was these two bowlers who came back into the attack to rip through the middle order. Woakes bounced Hasaranga out for 54, before nicking Lakshan off soon afterwards. Perera had been Sri Lanka’s most settled and confident player, but perhaps sensing a collapse from his team-mates, holed out to deep square leg off the bowling of Willey, for 73 off 81. That Perera could produce these kinds of innings was known, but Hasaranga’s half-century was encouraging – he had come in at No. 5 and had to battle through some excellent seam bowling before finding his feet against the spinners.In reply, Bairstow was brutal in the early overs, bashing six fours and a six in his 21-ball stay to propel England at greater than 10 runs an over in the early overs of their innings. But when he chopped Binura Fernando on to his stumps, England had lost both openers in quick succession – Liam Livingstone having spooned Karunaratne to mid-on the previous over.Joe Root celebrates a half-century in his 150th ODI•AFP/Getty Images

Then, Chameera – the best of Sri Lanka’s bowlers – had Eoin Morgan caught behind, and Sam Billings flashed one aerially to backward point. His next ball should have accounted for Moeen too, but Perera was standing too far to the leg-side, and was late moving towards his left. He spilled that chance, and England rebuilt.Root’s innings was measured. There was little pressure from the required rate, so he chose to collect safe singles and twos into the outfield, relying heavily on a dab to third man against the quicks. In fact, in the whole of Root and Moeen’s 91-run stand, only three boundaries were struck. Although Moeen did seem bogged down at times, ultimately striking at less than 50, Root was untroubled by the lack of boundaries. He guided England home in the company of Sam Curran.

England’s 46-run victory over West Indies takes them a step closer to the title decider

The Report by Valkerie Baynes01-Mar-2020England took another step towards the title decider by booking their place in the semi-finals with a convincing victory over West Indies in Sydney. Before her side left for the tournament, England’s new Australian coach, Lisa Keightley, had stated that she expected her charges to be in the final and, while their wobble against an impressive South Africa in their opening match raised concerns that objective might be under threat, their latest performance confirmed it remains the basis of their expectations.Natalie Sciver set the tone with another half-century to lead England to a competitive total on a pitch where, earlier in the day, South Africa had managed 136 for 6 in advancing to the knockout stages with victory over Pakistan. Sophie Ecclestone finished the job with an emphatic 3 for 7 off 3.1 overs. The bowlers were undermined by some sloppy fielding from England, but a spate of troubling injuries for West Indies helped to put the result beyond doubt.England bowler Kate Cross was taken to hospital after hurting her ankle during the warm-up. While Cross has not played so far in the tournament and was not due to face West Indies, any enforced absence would rob England of an option at the business end of their campaign. But it was a groin injury to West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, that led to her being stretchered from the field after retiring hurt on 15, that put a serious dent in her side’s prospects of taking the fight to England. Taylor played no further part in the game as England moved to the top of Group B with a superior net run rate to South Africa, who also have six points with a game in hand. Their opponents will be decided in the final round of matches, with India already through, and Australia and New Zealand primed for a winner-takes-all clash on Sunday.Stunning SciverSciver’s rich vein of form continued, her third fifty in four innings at this World Cup had match-winning potential all over it. Sciver made 57 off 56 balls on a slow pitch, following innings of 50 in a losing cause against South Africa, an unbeaten 59 against Thailand and 36 against Pakistan.Sciver’s command of the innings became ever more important when England’s other in-form batsman, Heather Knight, was run out through what looked like a lack of urgency on the part of the England captain. She ambled through for a single and was found short of her ground as Shakera Selman fired the ball in from short midwicket. Like Knight before her, Sciver fell slightly tamely with an over of the innings to come, spooning a catch to Hayley Matthews at midwicket, but her touch is undeniable.Top-order shuffleEngland’s top order has been a talking point so far in this tournament, with Tammy Beaumont being pushed down the order – ostensibly due to her superior skills at the death – in favour of an opening partnership of Danni Wyatt and Amy Jones. The jury remains out after Beaumont was moved back up to the top after Jones had struggled with scores of 23, 0 and 2. Beaumont was out for a second-ball duck, playing round a full Selman delivery which pinned her plumb in front of the stumps.But if that part of the switch didn’t pay off, then Jones’ free-flowing cameo at No.6 against West Indies certainly did. She scored an unbeaten 23 off 13 balls, including three fours, to provide England with some vital late momentum as they claimed 36 runs in the final three overs. While Beaumont and Jones have opened together in ODIs in recent times, that effort, along with Wyatt’s solid 29 off 27 balls at No.1, looks to have cemented their respective roles for the final matches.Taylor troubleWhen Taylor was stretchered off with an apparent groin injury, the wind seemed to go out of West Indies’ sails. Taylor struck a Sciver delivery towards cover and set off but could barely manage to hobble through and collapsed to the ground clutching at her upper thigh in obvious agony. The same motorised stretcher that had driven Cross from the ground before the match was called upon again and Taylor retired hurt.It was not the only worrying injury for West Indies, with Britney Cooper rolling her ankle as she ran between the wickets and battling with discomfort for the rest of her innings, which by necessity consisted of her taking aim at the boundary rather than seeking singles. She was out attempting a big shot off Ecclestone only to find herself stumped.Spin twins… triplets?Ecclestone was in the thick of the action, dismissing Deandra Dottin with just her sixth ball, in the third over of West Indies’ chase. Ecclestone tempted Dottin into a pull that wasn’t there to be had, and Sciver took a low catch at short midwicket. Ecclestone also took the last wicket, pegging back Anisa Mohammed’s off stump to seal the win and claim her 50th wicket in T20Is. That a proven performer like Ecclestone was delivering wickets was no surprise, nor was it that Sarah Glenn, a legspining revelation for England in the past few months, was also instrumental. Glenn finished with 2 for 16 from her four overs, giving her six wickets for the tournament so far at an average of 11.33 and following her her 3 for 15 in the previous match against Pakistan.On a pitch that was conducive to spin, England opted for a third specialist in the area, Mady Villiers. Making her World Cup debut and playing just her fourth T20 international, offspinner Villiers opened with a wicket maiden when she took a sharp return catch with just her fourth ball to dismiss Shemaine Campbelle, all the while avoiding a near collision with non-striker Chedean Nation.