Ben Stokes took three late wickets to seal a dramatic final-day victory for England at Newlands

The Report by Matt Roller07-Jan-2020Ben Stokes took three late wickets to seal a dramatic final-day victory for England at Newlands to level their series against South Africa at 1-1.Stubborn resistance from Pieter Malan, Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen had taken South Africa into the tea interval five wickets down, with the pitch offering little for England’s attack and the draw looking ever more likely.But after Joe Denly removed de Kock and what initially seemed to be an inspired piece of captaincy from Joe Root accounted for van der Dussen, Stokes burst through the tail in the final hour to complete a 189-run win with only 8.2 overs to spare.De Kock had put on 66 off 203 balls alongside the valiant van der Dussen to see South Africa through to tea, and with James Anderson absent throughout the session – seemingly with a side injury – England’s chances had appeared to have faded.That was, at least, until Denly, the part-time legspinner, broke the stand with one of his worst deliveries of the match. Having dismissed Dean Elgar the previous evening, Denly had caused de Kock – another left-hander – problems by landing the ball in the rough outside the off stump. Faced instead with a rank long-hop, de Kock looked to free the shackles by pulling off the back foot, but only managed to find Zak Crawley at short midwicket.It looked like inspired captaincy had brought the seventh wicket. Root, who appeared to have grown increasingly frustrated with his side’s inability to take a wicket, moved Anderson from silly mid-on and into the leg gully position where Stokes had caught Steve Smith in the final Ashes Test last year off Stuart Broad’s bowling. The following ball, Broad slid a full delivery down the leg side, which van der Dussen tickled round the corner straight to the gleeful Anderson. Root later gave credit for the field placement to Broad, who admitted that he had missed his line, rather than pulling off a masterful plan, but England’s fans celebrated all the same.Stuart Broad wheels away in celebration•Getty Images

Dwaine Pretorius joined Vernon Philander with runs an irrelevance, as South Africa moved into the final hour with three wickets intact. Stokes, with relentless energy, continued to bound in and push 90mph, and after three near misses in an over, Pretorius eventually departed. Hitting a hard length in the off-stump channel, forcing the batsman to play, Stokes drew the edge as Pretorius steered to Root at slip.Anrich Nortje, who had proved such a frustration to England at Centurion, was the new man in, and Stokes could be seen repeating “same ball, same ball” to himself at the top of his mark. His note-to-self worked a treat: not only was it the same ball, but the same result, as Nortje pushed with hard hands at a back-of-a-length delivery and Crawley held a juggling catch at third slip, initially palming it up with his right hand before snaffling the second chance with his left while prone on the turf.Philander was left to bat out 12.2 overs with only Kagiso Rabada for company, and looked to nullify Dom Bess with a handful of attacking strokes despite men surrounding the bat. Rabada, usually a poor player of spin, kept Bess out, playing with soft hands to dig out anything tossed up on the stumps.But Stokes made the breakthrough with 50 balls left in the day, firing in a back-of-a-length ball that bounced sharply off the pitch, struck Philander’s glove and skewed up to Ollie Pope in the gully. Yet again, England’s talisman had risen to the occasion.England had hoped for an early breakthrough after removing Zubayr Hamza late in the piece on the fourth evening, and Anderson struck in the third over of the day, trapping Keshav Maharaj plumb in front to the extent that the nightwatchman had started to walk before being given out. He had looked in trouble against Anderson from the outset, even having his bat snapped in two in the day’s first over by an inswinger that hit the splice.Anderson could have had another soon after, when his booming inswinger struck Faf du Plessis’ pad before the bat, skewing into the leg side and almost causing him to be run out coming back for the second. England had barely appealed after hearing two noises, but UltraEdge confirmed it had hit pad first and would have gone on to smash into leg stump.Stokes – regularly touching the 90mph/145kph mark – and Bess continued to keep South Africa honest, as Pieter Malan maintained his measured innings by leaving and defending with composure, but du Plessis decided to try and free the shackles soon before the new ball and picked out Denly at square leg.Perhaps surprisingly, Sam Curran took the second new ball, but Root’s gamble was vindicated as he struck to end Malan’s resistance. Bowling a tight line across the right-hander from over the wicket, Curran enticed a defensive prod to a back-of-a-length ball which took the edge and flew into the grateful hands of Stokes at second slip for his sixth catch of the match.That brought van der Dussen and de Kock together, who looked set to seal a draw for South Africa having taken them through to tea with five wickets still remaining. But not for the first time, it was Stokes who would have the final say.

For 15 Tests at the start of his career, Vernon Philander was one of the most prolific wicket-takers of all time

Andrew Miller23-Dec-2019Vernon Philander will retire at the end of the forthcoming England series, having claimed more than 200 Test wickets in an eight-year career. However, his very best form came right at the start for South Africa, when he racked up a remarkable nine five-wicket hauls in his first 15 Tests…Test No. 1 – 5 for 15 v Australia, Cape Town
The original crazy Cape Town day. Philander had been waiting for more than four years to upgrade an abortive ODI career into a maiden Test cap, but when his chance finally came on his home ground at Newlands, he wasted little time to display the skills for which he would become renowned. Proud seam, full length, deadly nip to offset an apparently innocuous pace. With South Africa on the ropes after being bundled for 96, Philander roared to recognition with 5 for 15 in seven overs, routing Australia for 47 (and at one stage 21 for 9 after 11.4 overs) on a day when 23 wickets tumbled.Test No. 2 – 5 for 70 v Australia, Johannesburg
One week later, and now with a series lead to defend, Philander was at it again – a lone resistor at the Wanderers as a chastened Australia set out their stall to chase a stiff 310. Three times in the innings, he seemed to have ripped the guts out of Michael Clarke’s men, first when bagging both openers in the space of 11 balls, including Shane Watson for a second-ball duck, then when Clarke himself was bowled by a massive inducker to rock Australia’s partial recovery, and finally when Brad Haddin nibbled to the keeper to end a fighting fifty that had nudged his side in front. From 292 for 8, however, Mitchell Johnson and an 18-year-old Pat Cummins refused to yield.Test No. 3 – 5 for 53 & 5 for 49 v Sri Lanka, Centurion
The first ten-for – and true to his fast-developing habit, Philander made it an even split of five and five to send Sri Lanka packing at Centurion. His first wicket of the match was Kumar Sangakkara for a three-ball 1, and epitomised the threat that was able to pose when conditions were even remotely in his favour. More nip from a devilishly full length, and a front foot-committed batsman had nowhere to hide as the ball lobbed to slip. Sri Lanka folded for 180 and 150, either side of a perfectly adequate total of 411, in which AB de Villiers’ 99 was the mainstay.Test No. 6 – 6 for 44 v New Zealand, Hamilton
All this home Test success was all very well, but could Philander replicate his threat outside of South African conditions? Happily for him, his first port of call, in March 2012, was the green and pleasant land of New Zealand, a place that rarely hesitates to favour those of a nagging seam-and-swing persuasion. After five more wickets in the drawn Dunedin Test (albeit across two innings this time), Philander found his range to devastating effect in Hamilton, scalping a nine-wicket win with ten more for the match, including a career-best 6 for 44 in the second innings (although to call it a “career” after six matches was pushing it a touch). “You again,” he said to the now-familiar faces in the South Africa media pack as he wandered into the press conference after his third Man-of-the-Match award.Vernon Philander had Kane Williamson caught behind•Getty Images

Test No. 7 – 6 for 81 v New Zealand, Wellington
The match award this time went to the lanky wrecking-ball that is Morne Morkel, who broke Ross Taylor’s arm in the first innings in a terrifying display of angular fast-and-nasty bowling that, coupled with Dale Steyn’s unchallenged status as the world’s No.1 fast bowler, confirmed that South Africa’s seam attack was now the most potent in the world. But Philander, on the face of it a rest cure, proved anything but in picking off a second-consecutive six-for – and in the process reaching his landmark of 50 Test wickets in just seven matches, the fastest for 116 years. “Bowling form is like batting form,” he said afterwards. “If things go for you, make sure you keep doing it.”Test No. 10 – 5 for 30 v South Africa, Lord’s
Another Man-of-the-Match display – Philander’s fourth in ten Tests – and this time it was arguably as much for his under-rated batting as for his distinctively nagging line, length and nip. In a match played on a curiously patchy Lord’s outfield – the legacy of the recent archery events at the London Olympics – and overshadowed by Kevin Pietersen’s banishment in the wake of the text-gate affair, Philander’s twin innings of 61 and 35 were critical factors in a tightly-fought 51-run win. However, it was his second-innings 5 for 30 – including three in his first nine overs – that set South Africa firmly on course for the coveted World No.1 ranking.Test No. 13 – 5 for 7 v New Zealand, Cape Town
Another visit to Philander’s Newlands home ground, two years on from that display against Australia. And lo and behold, another crushing display of line, length and movement proved far too much for a browbeaten New Zealand team. Within five overs, Philander had bagged five wickets; within 20, New Zealand were 45 all out. “The spell we saw from Philander was as good a spell as you’re ever likely to see in Test cricket,” said Brendon McCullum, New Zealand’s. “He never missed his length and asked questions defensively. In terms of defending his stumps, he also managed to get the odd ball to kiss away.”Test No. 15 – 5 for 59 v Pakistan, Cape Town
By the end of Philander’s fourth Test at Newlands, he had racked up 30 wickets at 12.00. But this match – unlike his previous Cape Town cakewalks – was far more of an arm-wrestle. Despite racking up his ninth five-for in 15 Tests with 5 for 59 in the first innings, a brace of centuries from Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq had confirmed that Pakistan would not be a pushover. Sure enough they secured a 12-run lead, and that might well have been enough to set up a famous win, had Philander’s 4 for 40 in the second innings not set in motion a match-defining collapse.

The players were docked 40% of their match fee after the fourth T20I against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2020For the first time in nearly six years, India have been found guilty of slow over-rate. The players were docked 40% of their match fee for a violation in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Wellington, bringing to an end a streak that had lasted 264 matches since the Oval Test in August 2014. This was also the first such violation under Virat Kohli.As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the stipulated time. Notwithstanding time allowances, India were found to be two overs short of the requirement at Westpac stadium and thus the fine was doubled.ALSO READ: Breaches and bans – All you need to know about over-rate offencesOn-field umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig, and third umpire Ashley Mehrotra, reported the matter to match referee Chris Broad, who imposed the sanction, which went uncontested as Kohli accepted the charge. There was no formal hearing needed.India clinched that cliffhanger on Friday after it resulted in a second Super Over in as many matches to extend their series lead to 4-0. The final T20I will be played at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

Earlier in the game, Pujara battled throat infection and fever, and didn’t bat at his usual No. 4 slot for Saurashtra

Shashank Kishore in Rajkot11-Mar-2020Cheteshwar Pujara is in doubt for the remainder of the Ranji Trophy final because of back spasms. India’s Test No. 3 felt some stiffness in his back prior to taking the field on Wednesday, the third day of the ongoing final against Bengal, in Rajkot.He eventually didn’t take the field for the entire day and underwent a precautionary scan. “He will bat if absolutely necessary”, according to a Saurashtra Cricket Association official. “It’s not a major issue, he is feeling fine, and we’re just treading caution.” Samarth Vyas substituted for Pujara through the 65 overs Saurashtra bowled on Wednesday.On Tuesday, Pujara struck a crucial half-century, a 237-ball 66 that helped Saurashtra post a more-than-competitive 425 on a tricky surface that had little preparation time, as the semi-finals between Saurashtra and Gujarat had finished only three days earlier.His 142-run stand with Arpit Vasavada was a masterclass in deadbeat defense that prolonged Bengal’s agony on the second day. In the third session, when the bowlers lost steam, he cashed in to bring up his maiden fifty in Ranji finals, after four earlier attempts yielded the highest of 27.Earlier in the game, Pujara battled throat infection and fever, and didn’t bat at his usual No. 4 slot for Saurashtra. When he eventually arrived to bat at No. 6, he managed to bat through fo 40 minutes before retiring hurt after experiencing dizziness.Despite the illness, Pujara has been a constant feature in the Saurashtra dressing room. He has had a hectic three weeks first playing for India A in a four-day fixture in Christchurch in the lead-up to the two Tests, in Wellington and Christchurch. Prior to the final, Pujara shrugged off jet lag and trained for two days with the team after arriving from New Zealand on Wednesday.On Tuesday, Pujara took time off to arrange a visit to his academy, in the outskirts of the city, for visiting journalists, where he and Arvind, his father, train kids from underprivileged backgrounds.

The earlier than expected birth of his child means he is now available for the T20Is

Umar Farooq20-Jul-2020Fast bowler Mohammad Amir will join the Pakistan squad in the UK after all, having initially made himself unavailable for it. When the Pakistan squad was originally announced, Amir had pulled out because the dates clashed with the birth of his second child and he was concerned about travelling in that period. But an earlier than expected birth means he is now available for Pakistan’s T20Is against England.He is expected to now join the squad but will need to test negative for Covid-19 twice before departing for England. He was tested on Monday, and will be tested again in two days’ time.The first T20I is scheduled for August 28 in Manchester.Amir announced the birth of his child on July 17 on social media, allowing chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq to recall him in place of Haris Rauf. Rauf had undergone six Covid-19 tests the last month, out of which five have returned positive.He was due to fly to the UK on Wednesday after this fifth test was found to be negative, only for his sixth test – each player needs two negative results before flying out of Pakistan – to turn out positive. He is asymptomatic and has been advised to self-quarantine for another 10 days before undergoing yet another test.An additional wicket-keeper, Rohail Nazir, will return home, leaving Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed as the primary options ahead of the Test and T20 series. Rohail, elevated from the Under 19 circuit, was with the squad as cover when Rizwan tested positive in the initial round of tests last month. Rizwan was later cleared to travel after returning two negative tests. The PCB will also send an additional masseur Mohammad Imran to ease the workload of the team’s regular masseur Malang Ali who, also tested positive twice before finally being cleared to travel earlier this month.Shoaib Malik, who was scheduled to join the side later this week, has now seen that date pushed back to the second week of August. Malik, who is only available for the T20I leg, was allowed to join up late after being given special dispensation to spend time with his family in the UAE. However, that reunion has been delayed because his wife, Sania Mirza, is currently in India. India has extended a ban on international flights put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic to July 31, meaning Mirza will not be able to leave until after that date.The Pakistan players and the support staff arrived in England on June 28, several weeks before the start of the first match to be able to train in the country, as well as complete the mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK. The touring party is living in a “bubble” where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour. The three Tests and three T20Is will all be played behind closed doors.

Legspinner outlines the challenges posed by the uncertainty surrounding India women’s international fixtures

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2020Poonam Yadav, India women’s premier legspinner, believes that it will be hard to come out of months of physical inactivity and resume playing at peak intensity following the pandemic-induced hiatus. Yadav last played competitive cricket earlier this year in March, when India lost to Australia by 85 runs in the women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG.ALSO READ – Poonam Yadav: India’s pint-sized magicianIndia were initially scheduled to tour England in June, but it was pushed back to September because of covid-19, and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently planned to turn it into a tri-series with South Africa as the third team. However, India pulled out of the tour earlier this week because of the growing threat posed by the pandemic.”If you turn up at the ground after four-five months, it will be very difficult to perform instantly for all players,” Yadav told . “But we are keeping ourselves fit and when we are allowed to resume group training, we should be back to full fitness in 20-25 days.”The men’s T20 World Cup that was scheduled for October-November this year has already been postponed to next year, and a decision on next year’s Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand will be made soon, according to Greg Barclay, chairman of New Zealand Cricket.”It is a massive challenge,” Yadav said of the uncertainty around international fixtures following the pandemic. “I have been bowling here but it is totally different in a competitive environment. We last played in March and there is still no clarity over our next series.”So, what has Yadav been up to at her home in Agra during this downtime?”There are many things I have done in this phase that otherwise I didn’t have time for,” she said. “Spending time with family, watching TV (mainly Mahabharat and Ramayan – Indian mythologies). I can cook now, my mother always wanted me to learn that. I had never cooked anything other than (tea) and Maggi (instant noodles) but thanks to the lockdown.”I always wanted to ride a bullet but I was not being able to learn with the schedule that I had. There was this fear also: what if I get injured?So I never used to try it, but now I have learnt that, thanks to my brother.”Yadav had a memorable T20 World Cup in Australia, where she emerged as India’s highest wicket-taker, with ten strikes in five games at an average of 11.90 and economy rate of 5.95. On the bigger grounds down under, she proved particularly difficult to get away with her loopy legbreaks and wrong’uns. She is now looking to add more variations to her repertoire and be ready for the ODI World Cup if it goes ahead.”I plan to start working on a few variations like working on a flipper and topspinner,” Yadav said. “Flipper is much tougher and it will take me at least three-four months to perfect the ball.”

West Indies will take an 18-player squad on the tour which will include five T20Is in late September

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2020Anisa Mohammed, the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, has opted out of the five-match tour of England which will be played in a biosecure venue next month.West Indies have named an 18-player squad for the tour, captained by Stafanie Taylor, which includes the uncapped Kaysia Schultz.”All players were given the option to decline selection for any Covid-19 related concern,” a Cricket West Indies statement said. “Anisa Mohammed was the only potential selectee who declined the invitation to travel to England. CWI fully respects her decision to choose to do so.”When the West Indies men’s team toured England earlier in the season Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul opted out of the trip.The squad will undergo Covid-19 tests this week before taking a charter flight to the UK on August 30.The series will mark the resumption of the top level of the women’s game for the first time since the T20 World Cup final at the MCG on March 8 with West Indies visiting England in place of India and South Africa who both cancelled proposed trips due to Covid-19.”It is with pleasure that we are able once again to have our West Indies Women’s team involved at the international level,” lead selector for women’s and girls cricket, Ann Browne-John said. “This tour to England gives our players a great opportunity.”The larger eighteen-member squad also gives an opportunity to have young developing players involved; like the two players from Guyana, left-arm bowler Kaysia Schultz and all-rounder Shabika Gajnabi. It also gives the opportunity to the young Trinidadian offspinner Karishma Ramharack to get some international experience.”CWI’s director of cricket Jimmy Adams said: “CWI is pleased to be restarting its international women’s program with a tour to England, where the standard of women’s cricket has grown tremendously. We thank the ECB for their invitation and the added opportunity to travel with a larger squad affords us the chance to introduce a few younger players to this level of the game, and fast track their development. With so much uncertainty surrounding cricket scheduling currently, this is a timely opportunity for our women to resume competitive cricket at the highest level.”West Indies had a disappointing T20 World Cup tournament in Australia with just one victory in four group matches.The five T20Is will be played from September 21 to 30.West Indies squad Stafanie Taylor (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Natasha McLean, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman

All the buzz from the game between KL Rahul’s Kings XI Punjab and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2020