Stand-in captain managed only 58 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 105 against South Africa

Hemant Brar20-Jun-20223:32

Jaffer: ‘Pant will find it hard to keep a spot in a full-strength India XI’

India head coach Rahul Dravid has backed Rishabh Pant, saying he remains “an integral part” of the side, despite the wicketkeeper-batter managing only 58 runs at a strike rate of 105.45 in the five T20Is against South Africa.Coming into this series, Pant had scored 340 runs at an average of 30.90 in IPL 2022. His strike rate at the tournament was 151.78, significantly higher than that in the last two editions – 113.95 in 2020 and 128.52 in 2021. Dravid said the team is expecting him to play a similar attacking role at the international level as well.”When you’re asking people to play a slightly more attacking brand of cricket in the middle overs and to take the game on a little bit more, sometimes it’s hard to judge based on two or three games,” Dravid said after the washed-out fifth T20I in Bengaluru.Related

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• How bowlers have used the wide line to keep Pant quiet

• 'Warm and fuzzy' India help bring out Karthik's A game

“I thought he had a pretty good IPL. He might not have looked good on the averages, but his strike rate was really good. He looked to move that up a little bit – to where he was probably three years ago. We’re going to hope that we can get those kinds of numbers from him at the international level as well. In that process, he might go wrong in a few games.”But he remains an integral part of our batting line-up. We know what he does with the power he has. The fact that he is a left-hander is very important to us as well in the middle overs. And he has played some good knocks. Of course, personally, he would have liked to have scored a few more runs but it’s not that concerning. For us, he is certainly a very big part of our plans going ahead in the next few months.”2:10

Rahul Dravid wants to firm up India’s T20 World Cup squad

Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, continues to impress in the niche role as a strictly final-five overs batter. In the fourth T20I in Rajkot, Karthik had smashed a 27-ball 55, the sort of knock that, Dravid said, “certainly makes you start”. Karthik and Hardik Pandya, who hit 46 off 31 deliveries, had added 65 off 33 balls to lift India to 169, which proved to be a winning total.”He was picked for a very specific skill,” Dravid said of Karthik. “And it’s nice when that’s kind of indicated in a sense that it came together brilliantly for us in the Rajkot game, where we needed that big performance in the last five overs to be able to make a par score. He and Hardik [Pandya] batted beautifully for us; both of them are our enforcers at the end, guys who can capitalise on those last five-six overs.”They are probably two of the best in the world in those last five-six overs. So, yeah, it was really nice to see Karthik come off and do what he has been picked to do. It certainly opens up a lot more options for us going forward. Innings like that certainly make you start. Like I was telling the guys it’s not about knocking the door – you have to start banging the door down, and an innings like that certainly means he is knocking very hard.”With Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli not part of the series, there was a chance for fringe players to present their cases. Ishan Kishan scored 206 runs – by far the most in the series – at a strike rate of 150.36, but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer failed to impress. Gaikwad tallied only 96 runs in five innings at a strike rate 131.50, and Iyer 94 runs at 123.68. But Dravid isn’t disappointed with them.”We’re not going to make knee-jerk reactions,” he said. “As you have seen, I don’t like judging people after one series, or one game. Every one of the guys who got the opportunity here truly deserved the opportunity; they have earned it. And in this format of the game, you’re going to have some good games and some bad games.”I think Shreyas, in the early part [of the series] on a couple of tricky wickets, showed a lot of intent and played really positively for us. Ruturaj showed in one particular innings [in the third T20I] what quality and skill he has got.”In Twenty20, you can have the odd games [where] your form and performance goes up and down a little bit. So we are not very disappointed with anyone. As a group, we were looking to play a slightly more positive and attacking brand of cricket right from the beginning. And we knew you when you’re trying to do that, it’s not always going to come off. But what we are certainly clear about the kind of cricket we want to play.”

The visitors’ spinners were handled with ease in Colombo leaving Aaron Finch with issues to ponder

Andrew McGlashan20-Jun-2022

Big Picture

Other than the opening T20I which was a very one-sided affair, Sri Lanka have heaped the pressure on Australia during this tour. They nearly stole a low-scoring clash in the second T20I, thrillingly won the third game off the bat of captain Dasun Shanaka, were only beaten by a Glenn Maxwell special at the start of the one-dayers and have now taken back-to-back ODIs against Australia at home* for the first time in 20 years to stand on the cusp of a series victory.It was a superb run-chase on Sunday night in Colombo when they made what had looked a strong total prove under par. It shone a harsh light on Australia’s spin bowling – which, admittedly, is missing the first-choice pair of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar – and raised questions about the allrounder-heavy balance of the side.However, with these matches not carrying any Super League points Australia do have one eye on the upcoming Test series, especially when it comes to their all-format fast bowlers. Barely a day has gone by on this tour without an injury being added to the list and there will have been some concern when Maxwell grabbed at his left leg after a piece of fielding.Related

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Significantly for Sri Lanka they have won the last two matches without their main weapon Wanindu Hasaranga who had appeared the major threat to Australia. Instead the 19-year-old Dunith Wellalage has shown outstanding composure in his first international series and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay caused plenty of problems in the third game with sharp turn.The starring role in the record chase in Colombo, though, went to Pathum Nissanka, who played the innings of his short career with a superbly-paced 137, as he battled the oppressive heat which forced Kusal Mendis to retire hurt. It was a statement innings from a young player who should have a huge role to play in Sri Lanka’s future.

Recent form

Sri Lanka WWLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLWLLDavid Warner is yet to show his best with the bat in this series•AFP

In the spotlight

Niroshan Dickwella‘s return livened up proceedings in his first ODI for nearly a year. He was his usual talkative self behind the stumps – reading one play perfectly when he predicted Alex Carey would come down the pitch, then to see him send the ball straight for six – and though his innings did not develop from a promising position, the early flurry of boundaries played a part in making Sri Lanka believe they could succeed in a big chase. However, having played just two ODIs in the last three years he’ll want to make the most of every chance he gets.David Warner has taken a couple of blinding catches in the outfield during this series but has not quite got going with the bat. Trapped lbw by Maheesh Theekshana in the first game, he was then cut off when looking good for 37 in the second and top-edged a pull off the impressive Dushmantha Chameera in the third. With the series on the line Australia could do with him producing a dominant display.

Team news

Mendis has recovered from the cramps that forced him to retire and is available for the fourth match so there would not appear a need for Sri Lanka to change a winning team unless Danushka Gunathilaka passes a late fitness test. Hasaranga’s groin injury is expected to keep him sidelined.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Maheesh TheekshanaThe balance of the attack is the big question for Australia. Can they find a space for Mitchell Swepson and do they have the confidence in him? Mitchell Starc has yet to play in the series after his cut finger while Pat Cummins may be protected ahead of the Tests; speaking of which Josh Hazlewood could be due a rest too having played every game on tour.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Travis Head, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Cameron Green/Mitchell Swepson, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Matt Kuhnemann, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Mitchell Starc

Pitch and conditions

The Colombo pitch did not live up to Aaron Finch’s pre-match thoughts of becoming trickier to bat on, instead skidding on nicely under lights with dew also playing a bit of a role. Both sides may, therefore, be keen to chase.

Stats and trivia

• The combined figures of Sri Lanka’s spinners in the third game were 36-0-177-5. In comparison Australia’s went for 25-0-163-1
• Sri Lanka’s last bilateral ODI series win over Australia came in 2010.

*The statistic was corrected to make reference to home matches

Hannon-Dalby hits back in evening session to leave contest in the balance

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2022Hampshire 42 for 3 (Hannon-Dalby 2-22) trail Warwickshire 217 (McAndrew 63, Sibley 56, Abbott 5-45) by 175 runsDom Sibley answered Ben Stokes’ call to arms with an aggressive LV= Insurance County Championship half-century before Warwickshire collapsed to 217 against Hampshire.England Test captain Stokes sent a message to county cricketers that the manner in which they play “will be on the selectors’ minds” – with Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum promoting a more aggressive mindset.Sibley, previously criticised for his slow play when playing for England, responded at the Ageas Bowl with a 56-ball fifty, full of shot-making.He fell for 56 to start a post-lunch wobble of five wickets falling for 17 runs – headed by Kyle Abbott’s five for 45 – before Australian Nathan McAndrew countered with 63.In reply, Oliver Hannon-Dalby pilfered two wickets for 22 as Hampshire stumbled to 42 for three at stumps.Visiting skipper Will Rhodes couldn’t have said “bat” any quicker having won the toss under blue skies and warm sun, and before lunch, everything was as easy as the conditions suggested.Sibley made things look even simpler with an approach which would have pricked Stokes and McCullum’s attention, having not played a Test since last autumn. The third and fifth balls he faced disappeared to the deep third boundary with controlled and uncontrolled edges.While thick outside-edges were an early motif of his innings, it was a pair of straight drives that drew surveillance due to their rarity in a typical Sibley innings. Those took him to 27 from only 20 balls.Surrey-bound Sibley went away over the winter to work on his cricket, pulling out of an England A tour to Australia. He has returned with 537 runs at a smudge under 45, with two centuries – with only Ben Compton and Alastair Cook bettering his record as an opener in Division One.A glorious cover drive continued his off-side dominance before he reached the fourth score over 50 this summer with a flick off his legs to the boundary.Alex Davies was leg before to Liam Dawson attempting a scoop and Chris Benjamin was bowled shouldering his arms to the returning Mohammad Abbas, but otherwise, it had been a batting morning.The afternoon was not. The ball started to nibble slightly more as Abbott and Keith Barker asserted their pressure. Abbott’s post-lunch spell was exemplary as his eight overs produced figures of three for nine.Barker was equally prolific with his first five-over after the interval two for 11 as he had Sibley caught behind, having narrowly missed the outside edge the ball before. Abbott pinned Dan Mousley in front and Will Rhodes squared up and outside edging to third slip before Barker bowled Matt Lamb while leaving.Michael Burgess tried to charge Abbott but couldn’t get out the way of a bouncer, which he gloved to first slip.Having been 77 for one, Warwickshire were now 104 for seven. Enter McAndrew and Danny Briggs – who was afforded a warm welcome on his return to his first county. The pair put on 57 to take the sting out of the afternoon before Hannon-Dalby added a further 56 with McAndrew once Briggs became the third victim not to offer a shot.McAndrew, in his 18th first-class match, reached his fifth half-century in 79 – although he and Hannon-Dalby were both given lives earlier in their innings.Abbott ended the resistance as McAndrew hooked to deep fine leg and George Garrett was bowled. Sam Hain-less Warwickshire bowled out for 217.The Bears’ bowling display in 23 overs was magnificent. Hannon-Dalby saw off Felix Organ lbw and James Vince nicking to first slip.Garrett didn’t go for a run in his opening three overs – and only conceded four runs in five overs – while McAndrew removed Nick Gubbins for a turgid two off 30 balls with a catch at second slip.

McKiernan seizes the initiative as Essex slump to heavy home defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2022Brooke Guest anchored Derbyshire to Royal London Cup success against Essex with the highest 50-over score of his increasingly impressive career.Guest, who has four first-class centuries to his name this season, frustrated a sizeable, sun-drenched Chelmsford crowd with a 79-ball 88, entering stage right in the midst of a mini-collapse when three wickets fell in five balls.However, the Derbyshire innings spluttered back into life when the 25-year-old Guest was joined by Mattie McKiernan (72 not out) for a 125-run sixth-wicket stand. It helped Derbyshire reach 318 for 6 and, ultimately, to record only their second Royal London win in two seasons.Related

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Essex were semi-finalists last year but were always second-best despite winning the toss and asking Derbyshire to bat on a benign wicket.Only South African Grant Roelofsen and 18-year Jamal Richards hung around for any length of time, marking their debuts with 43 and 46 respectively, as Essex were bowled out for 226 in 45 overs to fall 92 runs shortUnder the floodlights of a day-night contest, Essex’s chase got off to the worst possible start when Feroze Khushi was trapped on the back foot by Sam Conners without scoring. He was quickly followed by captain Tom Westley, who went in similar fashion to a ball that kept low from Ben Aitchison.Josh Rymell steadied things with Roelofsen, the pair piecing together 53 runs, before edging Luis Reece behind to the irrepressible Guest for 38.Robin Das entertained briefly with 19 from 13 balls, including a straight six, before Mark Watt gained revenge by positioning himself under a steepling catch off his own bowling. Will Buttleman was caught behind off Reece and suddenly Essex were in serious trouble at 99 for 5.Roelofsen had impressed in local club cricket and the 2nd XI this summer, and played himself in quietly but efficiently. He had not looked in any trouble until he was stranded in mid-pitch by Anuj Dal’s throw from mid-on to be run out for 43.Aaron Beard, at the other end then, was on the wrong end of a different type of run-out when McKiernan diverted Aron Nijjar’s drive on to the non-striker’s stumps with Beard out of his ground.Shane Snater ballooned an attempted sweep off Alex Thomson to give Guest, behind the stumps, a comfortable catch. Nijjar and Richards refused to go down without a fight with a hard-hitting ninth-wicket stand worth 51 before Guest took his fourth catch to end Nijjar’s fun.Richards clubbed two sixes over midwicket in his enterprising first knock before falling to a catch just inside the ropes.Earlier in the day, Reece and Billy Godleman overcame a tentative start by targeting Beard for some rough treatment – including inadvertently bundling him over in his follow-through when Derbyshire’s captain scuttled through for a quick single.Beard had conceded just two runs off his first two overs, but was withdrawn after a four-over opening spell with 35 against his name accentuated by successive sixes over his head from Godleman. Godleman departed when he decided to charge Snater and was bowled after a 64-run opening stand.Harry Came joined Reece to add another fifty for the second wicket before chipping the ball back to Nijjar to precipitate the quick clutter of wickets. Tom Wood lasted three deliveries before his middle-stump was pegged back by Nijjar and then Reece tamely patted the ball back to Westley to end a 63-ball stay for 52.Richards claimed his first senior wicket when Dal clipped to midwicket after a fifth-wicket partnership of 52 with Guest that put Derbyshire back on an even keel.Guest and McKiernan kept the scoreboard ticking to the extent that Derbyshire only failed to score from four of the last 68 balls. Guest moved to 88 with a six over mid-on off Snater, but perished the next ball when attempting the same shot but only finding Beard on the fence.

Five-day Test at Trent Bridge and major venues for white-ball leg for 2023 home campaign

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Sep-2022England Women will play a five-day Test match against Australia as part of an Ashes campaign in 2023 in which they will return to the country’s major venues. It will be only the second scheduled women’s Test of that length, after Australia hosted England at North Sydney Oval in 1992.The Test will take place at Trent Bridge, beginning June 22, and will be the first match of a multi-format points-based series set out across a number of major venues. Three T20Is at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s follow, before three ODIs in Bristol, the Ageas Bowl and Taunton. As has been the case for several campaigns now, the white-ball matches will be worth two points each, with four on offer for the winners of the Test.It is a seminal moment in English women’s cricket, stepping up off the back of the success of the women’s Hundred and the Commonwealth Games this summer, both of which have shown that the audience and appetite for the game in this country is only going one way.Later this week, England play their first bilateral ODI at Lord’s since 2014, against India on Saturday, and that theme will continue in 2023 with Trent Bridge hosting their first international women’s match since 2000.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Meanwhile Edgbaston, Lord’s and the Kia Oval will all be hosting their first Women’s Ashes T20Is. The England and Wales Cricket Board have taken a page out of the Hundred’s book by allowing both men’s and women’s Ashes to run concurrently next summer.Heather Knight, England’s captain who scored a century in the drawn Ashes Test at Canberra in January, and whose team ran out of time to force victory over South Africa in a rain-affected four-day match this summer, told the PA news agency that this moment had been a long time coming.”I’m so happy,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been banging the drum for five days for a long time, so it’s a special moment. It feels like the right time, for five days, for bigger grounds, and it feels like it’s been a long time coming. Last year’s South Africa Test was set up nicely but withered out because of rain and it wasn’t given the chance to finish, so this is a really good step by the boards.”The women’s series will begin a week after the men face Australia for the first of five matches at Edgbaston, beginning on June 16, before fixtures at Lord’s, Headingley, Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval.Ben Stokes’ side will begin their red-ball summer against Ireland at Lord’s in a four-day match starting on June 16. The World Test Championship final is scheduled between those matches, and will be hosted at the Kia Oval in June. It was also confirmed that Lord’s, who had originally been expecting to host the showpiece event, will get to do so in 2025.As expected, the month of August has largely been saved for the Hundred, with the only international match coming on August 30 when England’s men begin a exclusively white-ball diet of four T20is and four ODIs against New Zealand. Ireland then return for three one-dayers in September as Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott look to fine-tune their plans ahead of the 50-over World Cup in India in the winter of 2023. Meanwhile Heather Knight’s team will play three T20is and three ODIs against Sri Lanka.Clare Connor, the ECB’s interim CEO, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be hosting two Ashes series in 2023, as well as hosting Ireland Men, New Zealand Men and Sri Lanka Women.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Next summer will be huge for England Women and England Men. There are few events more special in English sport than a home Ashes series and I know that Heather, Ben, and their teams, will be excited and driven by the challenge of regaining the Ashes.”I am particularly delighted that we have announced our England Men and England Women’s fixtures side by side for the first time, meaning that supporters can enter the ballot or register interest for any fixture on the same day. June and July will be very special months for cricket in this country with the buzz of two Ashes series taking place simultaneously.”The women’s game continues to grow and we have clearly entered another phase in terms of the demand for elite women’s sport. We’ve seen record numbers flock to stadia for the second season of the Hundred. Now we want to give more fans the chance to watch England Women in person next summer as they compete for the Ashes on home soil.”

ICC money hasn’t reached the country because of international sanctions following the Taliban’s takeover last year

Umar Farooq12-Oct-2022The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is staring at a financial crisis, with ICC funds not able to reach the board after July 2021.Since the Taliban’s return to political power in August 2021, international sanctions have made it increasingly difficult to send money into the country. ESPNcricinfo understands that while the ACB has completed pending payments to players at all levels as well as the coaching staff, it will be able to pay only 30% of the salaries to employees and other staff working in Afghanistan.ACB officials based in Dubai have been talking to the ICC on the matter, and it is understood that attempts are on to find alternative routes – including via registered NGOs – to get the money into Afghanistan, but no solution has been found yet. It is understood that the ICC has told ACB that money cannot be moved into Afghanistan without an approved regulatory mechanism in place.Afghanistan became Full Members of the ICC in 2017, which entitled them to enhanced distribution of funds from the ICC revenues, like other Full Members. According to the ICC’s funds-disbursement model, the ACB was expected to get around US$ 40 million for the 2016-23 commercial rights cycle based on projected ICC revenues of $ 2.7 billion. However, with the ICC’s projected revenues coming down, that has been adjusted to around $4.8 million per year.