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Allrounder takes match tally of sixes to 15 as visitors close in on rare Edgbaston win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025 Warwickshire 184 and 55 for 2 need a further 338 runs to beat Worcestershire 333 and 243 (Brookes 87, Roderick 50) Ethan Brookes climbed into Warwickshire’s bowlers again, in record-breaking fashion, to keep Worcestershire on course for a vital Rothesay County Championship victory at Edgbaston.Of his side’s second-innings total of 243, Brookes’ share was a violent 87 from 137 balls. He struck seven sixes which, added to his eight in the first innings, amounted to 15 in the match – a record for any individual at Edgbaston, surpassing the 12 by Ian Botham for Somerset in 1985 and Dean Jones for Australia in 1989.The former Warwickshire allrounder’s barrage left his old team needing 393 to win and they closed the third day on 55 for 2 after losing both openers in the first four overs.Worcestershire resumed on the third morning on 31 without loss, already 180 ahead, but were pegged back by disciplined bowling. The opening partnership reached 80 in 32 overs before three wickets fell for 12 runs in 51 balls. Gareth Roderick (50 off 110) edged an expansive drive at Beau Webster. Jake Libby’s 149 minutes of toil for 25 ended when he pulled Ed Barnard to midwicket. Kashif Ali collected a tortuous 29-ball duck when he pulled Corey Rocchiccioli to short fine leg.As Warwickshire went on the defensive, Rocchiccioli bowling on or outside leg stump, Worcestershire’s batters appeared unsure how to handle such a big advantage. That advantage began to diminish as Ethan Bamber bowled Adam Hose and had Tom Taylor caught at point and Rocchiccioli’s leg-stump probing was rewarded when Brett D’Oliviera tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Kai Smith and Ben Allison nudged to leg slip.Seven wickets fell for 52 runs in 22 overs but Brookes defended diligently as he awaited support. It arrived from Bertie Foreman, who got the scoreboard moving again before edging Webster to second slip, and then Adam Finch. Having added 88 in the first innings, this time Brookes and Finch put on 91.The cricket descended into farce after tea as Warwickshire went ultra-negative. Rocchiccioli wheeled away while Olly Hannon-Dalby bowled far outside off stump to deny Brookes scope to seek the short boundary. Warwickshire’s supporters bore it stoically though if an opposing team had resorted to such tactics some forthright views would have emanated from the stands. The grim spectacle concluded when Brookes hoisted Barnard to deep fine leg and Finch sliced Webster to second slip,Warwickshire faced a target of 393 in a day plus 26 overs, weather permitting, and in moderate light, soon lost their openers. Rob Yates was trapped in front by a rapid shooter from Khurram Shahzad; Alex Davies chipped to midwicket. Dan Mousley and Zen Malik batted assiduously to the close but Worcestershire would be gutted, from this position, not to bank their first Championship win at Edgbaston since 1993.

India batter backs the next generation to carry forward the strong performances in ICC tournaments

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2025Virat Kohli believes India have a squad “ready to take on the world” for the next eight years, following their victory in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai.”When you leave, you want to leave the team in a better place, I feel we’ve a squad that’s ready to take on the world for the next eight years,” Kohli said on the broadcast after the game. “Shubman [Gill] has been outstanding, Shreyas [Iyer] beautiful, KL [Rahul] has finished games, and Hardik [Pandya] has been superb with the bat.”Kohli said the Champions Trophy triumph somewhat made up for India’s Test series loss in Australia. “It’s been amazing. We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, and we ended up doing that. So it’s an amazing feeling.”Related

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Standing beside Gill during the celebrations, Kohli was asked for his thoughts on leaving the dressing room a better place when he eventually finishes up. “There’s so much talent in the dressing room,” he said. “They’re trying to take their game further and we [seniors] are just happy to be of help, sharing our experience and that’s what makes this Indian team so strong.”These are the things you want to play for [titles], playing under pressure and putting your hand up. The whole team, everyone has put their hands up sometimes or other during the course of the tournament. Everyone has put up impactful performances, we’ve been part of an amazing team, the amount of work we’ve done in the practice sessions, it feels great.”Kohli had words of appreciation for New Zealand. “Amazing, we’ve always been in awe with what they can do with the limited number of players they have had over the years, and just maximise their talent,” he said. “Every time we played against them in big games, we knew they were going to come with a set plan. No team in world cricket executes plans as well as they do.”Every fielder knows where the bowler is going to bowl, you can sense it, they’re all attacking the ball, they know the bowler is going to be accurate. Credit to them for being the most consistent team in the last few tournaments. The reason for that is the immense belief in their skills, and the amount of talent they have they utilise that to the maximum.”They’re easily the best fielding side in the world, a huge shout-out to them. They continue to display why they are one of the top teams in the world. Again, a great campaign. It’s sad to see a very good friend [Kane Williamson] on the losing side, but I’ve been on the losing side a couple of times when he has been on the winning side, so only love between us.”

There was speculation the enclosure would be renamed due to the political dynamics in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2025The PCB has dismissed speculation that former captain and politician Imran Khan’s name would be removed from an enclosure at the recently-renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore owing to his imprisonment on charges of corruption.Speculation was doing the rounds that PCB had removed Imran’s name due to the current political situation in Pakistan. The Gaddafi stadium has been renovated for the Champions Trophy that starts on February 19.The Imran Khan enclosure, which is one of the VIP stands in the stadium, has been a permanent fixture at the venue since 1992, when he led Pakistan to victory in the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Tickets for Champions Trophy games in Lahore are being sold online under the ‘Imran Khan Enclosure’.Imran is presently in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi and has denied allegations of corruption, insisting he is a victim of a political vendetta. However, a court recently convicted him and his wife Bushra Bibi in a corruption case, sentencing them to 14 and seven years respectively in prison.Imran, who leads the Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, is currently in opposition to the ruling coalition government of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party. The Punjab province is governed by a PML (N) government led by Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former premier, Nawaz Sharif.

With his captaincy ban overturned, Warner has led a resurgent season for last season’s bottom-placed team

AAP25-Jan-2025In unpacking how Sydney Thunder transformed from BBL laughing stock to finals force, it is impossible to overstate the influence of the “ball of energy” that is David Warner.Thunder didn’t just collect the wooden spoon in the previous season, they snatched it with eagle-like precision in a miserable one-win campaign.On Monday night, they tackle Hobart Hurricanes with a golden chance to add to the club’s one title that was won by Jacques Kallis, Shane Watson and Michael Hussey in 2016.Related

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Warner was on Thunder’s books the past two seasons, memorably arriving for an SCG derby via helicopter after his brother’s wedding in the Hunter Valley, but a bit-part player because of national-team commitments. This summer, the 38-year-old has been the face of the franchise and the BBL.Warner has captained Thunder, after Cricket Australia overturned his leadership ban emanating from the ball-tampering scandal, scored a league-best 357 runs and looked a man on a mission at every turn.”He puts bums on seats and I’m convinced he is still the best player in the tournament by a country mile,” Thunder star Sam Billings said. “This is coming from an Englishman, but you can see why he’s been one of the best players in the last 15 years in this format. He is incredible.”Unbelievable talent. But the way he thinks about the game as well. And his attitude with getting in the game and that energy, it’s infectious … everyone who steps out onto the field with him, you’re a foot taller.”The return of Billings, who produced a match-winning knock in Friday night’s derby Challenger final, and other roster rejigs from new general manager Trent Copeland have helped fuel the turnaround.But Warner’s passion and words of wisdom, and the knock-on effects throughout Thunder’s squad, have been profound during an injury crisis.Jason Sangha, who captained Thunder when they were bowled out for a record low of 15 in 2022-23, is one example.Sangha first picked Warner’s brain while playing grade cricket together in 2018-19, when the latter had a full summer with Randwick Petersham during his year-long ban from international and domestic cricket. On Friday night, Sangha made a seamless return from injury in a 29-run opening stand with Warner.”Davey has been great with all the guys, he’s always helping us get better,” Sangha told AAP. “It’s pretty cool getting to go out there and bat with someone like him.”I remember I had a Kaboom when I was young, it was one of my first cricket bats. So it’s great seeing Davey go about his business and just learn a lot. He’s just a ball of energy.”Warner’s men have won consecutive knock-out finals, with different players stepping up at key moments in both matches.”He’s been encouraging everyone – whether it’s bat, ball or field – to always be brave,” Sangha said. “Take the game on and back yourself. And from a captaincy point of view, he’s tactically very intelligent. He does some different things and he’s quite aggressive, takes risks and it just rubs off on the rest of the group.”

Adil Rashid lost his spot as the leader in the bowling charts, while Jofra Archer dropped four places to tenth

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2025India batter Abhishek Sharma moved up a whopping 38 places to go second in the ICC rankings for men’s T20I batters after his blazing knock of 135 from just 54 balls in the fifth T20I against England in Mumbai. Abhishek’s knock saw him get to 829 rating points, as he replaced his team-mate Tilak Varma in the second spot.Abhishek had also started the series against England on a high, bashing 79 off only 34 balls to power India’s modest chase of 133 in Kolkata. Although he didn’t cross 29 in the next three innings, he lit up the stage in the fifth and final T20I. Abhishek smashed seven fours and 13 sixes during that record innings, thus setting the base for India’s 150-run victory.While Travis Head leads the T20I batting charts, Phil Salt and Suryakumar Yadav round off the top five batters in the rankings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Meanwhile, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series against England, moved up three spots to go joint-second in the T20I bowling charts. Varun’s 14 wickets in the five games came at an average of a meagre 9.85.Varun, whose performances in the T20Is saw him added to India’s ODI squad against England as well, bagged his second T20I five-wicket haul on the way. He is now level on rating points with England’s Adil Rashid, who had shot up to the top of the rankings during the series only to lose his top spot to Akeal Hosein after returning figures of 1 for 41 in Mumbai. Both Varun and Rashid are just two points below Hosein.

Full rankings tables

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Another India spinner, Ravi Bishnoi, also took some big steps in the rankings, moving up four spots to go sixth. He got 1 for 9 from one over in Mumbai, and finished the series with five wickets. Jofra Archer, who conceded 55 runs from his four overs in the same match, dropped four spots to go tenth.

Raza, Muzarabani and Evans shared eight wickets among them to never give the visitors a sniff

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Sep-2025Sri Lanka crashed to their second-lowest T20I total ever, going down for 80 inside 18 overs, as Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, and Blessing Muzarabani shared eight wickets between them. At no point in their batting innings did Sri Lanka stage even a mild recovery. There was a 26-run partnership for sixth wicket, but even that appeared laboured, and had multiple close calls.Zimbabwe’s top partnership was also worth just 26, but they strung greater periods of batting competence together, even in the face of some penetrative bowling from Dushmantha Chameera. Tashinga Musekiwa’s assured 21 not out off 12 balls helped the hosts stroll to victory in the 15th over.

Muzarabani and Evans boss the powerplay

Muzarabani took 2 for 10 from two overs in the powerplay. Evans claimed 2 for 14 from his two. Sri Lanka were 37 for 4 by the end of it. It takes lower-middle order miracles to salvage good batting performances from there.The first wicket was off a poor ball, truth be told. Muzarabani had been expensive in the last match and bowled a wide bouncer that Kusal Mendis tried to punish, only to toe-end aerially to deep third. But then Muzarabani was back to bowling the tight, testing lines he had delivered in the ODI series. He’d have Nuwanidu Fernando caught at mid-off in the fifth over and concede only two boundaries in the powerplay.Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets in the powerplay•Zimbabwe Cricket

Evans, meanwhile, took the prize wicket of Pathum Nissanka with a shortish ball on the pads which Nissanka struck to deep square leg. Evans also sent Kamil Mishara’s stumps flying with a yorker. He later wrapped up Sri Lanka’s innings by having Maheesh Theekshana hole out to cover.Muzarabani took 2 for 14 in the end. Evans’ haul was 3 for 15.

Raza’s middle-overs rampage

The seamers delivered Sri Lanka’s middle order on a platter for Raza and he duly gobbled them up. With so many wickets having fallen, Sri Lanka’s batters were watchful, and Raza did not conceded a single boundary through his four overs.He got the dangerous Kamindu Mendis out for a fourth-ball duck. In his third over, he dismissed Charith Asalanka and Chameera in the space of three deliveries. He finished with 3 for 11 off four overs, and was player of the match for these efforts.

Chameera dents Zimbabwe’s small chase

It never seemed likely that Sri Lanka could defend this, but Chameera gave it a chance. He was too quick for Tadiwanashe Marumani and Sean Williams, who had his off stump knocked out of the ground. He then had Raza drag onto off stump. Chameera would have had a fourth wicket had Asalanka held a sharp chance offered by Musekiwa, at short midwicket.

Sophie Devine made a fifty and Amelia Kerr made 40 off 67 for the White Ferns in Bengaluru

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2025India chased down 237 to beat New Zealand by four wickets in their second Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru after a heavy loss to England in their first match.After a solid start, where they reached 54 for 0 in the eighth over, India lost Pratika Rawal and Uma Chetry to leave the score at 71 for 2. Harleen Deol (74) and Harmanpreet Kaur (69) then put on a 132-run third-wicket partnership, guiding India towards the target. Despite a late collapse from 203 for 2 to 230 for 6, India held on to win with ten balls to spare.Earlier, after a rain delay, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. India struck early, reducing them to 38 for 2 by the eighth over. Sophie Devine’s 54 and Amelia Kerr’s 40 steadied the innings, taking New Zealand to 132 for 3. They finished on 232 for 8 in a 42-overs-a-side contest.For India, N Shree Charani claimed three wickets, while pacers Kranti Goud and Arundhati Reddy – back in action after suffering a blow to her leg in the previous match – each took two.

Unicorns are still on top of the table, but Freedom now have the same points as them and are only behind on net-run rate

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2025San Francisco Unicorns are not unbeaten in MLC 2025 anymore, and though they are still right up there on the points table, it’s only on net run-rate now, after Mitchell Owen’s five-for helped Washington Freedom hand them a 12-run defeat in Dallas on Saturday.Matthew Short, the captain, had another good day with the bat as Unicorns started their chase of 170, a smallish target looking at the way the games have gone so far. But he had to go it alone at the start, with Unicorns getting to 52 for 1 in the powerplay despite Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk contributing very little.In Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Short found a slightly more enterprising partner, but when Short became the third man out in the 11th over, he had scored 67 of the 97 on the scoreboard. But with just 73 to get, Short hadn’t left his middle-order batters with a lot to do.That’s when Owen the bowler came to the fore. Short was his first wicket, in his first over, and Owen sent back Hassan Khan and Romario Shepherd off consecutive balls in his next. And in no time, with Jack Edwards and Ian Holland chipping in with wickets, Unicorns were 113 for 7 in the 16th over.Xavier Bartlett ran through the Washington Freedom top order•Sportzpics for MLC

Owen wasn’t done. Returning for the 19th, he sent back tailenders Haris Rauf and Brody Couch too, to finish with 5 for 17, leaving Unicorns with 27 to get from the last over. Despite Jahmar Hamilton’s unbeaten 18-ball 31, Saurabh Netravalkar closed the game out, conceding 14 from his six balls.When Freedom opted to bat, they wouldn’t have expected to be down at 13 for 3 by the end of the third over, all thanks to Xavier Bartlett, who ran through the top three of Owen (a first-ball duck), Rachin Ravindra and Andries Gous.Glenn Maxwell didn’t last long either, but the resistance came from Edwards and Glenn Phillips, who added 71 for the fifth wicket, even though they took 64 balls to do it. Phillips hadn’t really changed gears till that point, but did immediately after as he and Obus Pienaar added 31 in 12 balls, and, after Phillips fell for 58 in 39 balls, Pienaar added 37 in 16 balls in his unbroken seventh-wicket stand with Mukhtar Ahmed.Both teams now have six wins from seven games, but Unicorns still have a big advantage on NRR: 2.016 to 0.603.

Finalising the playing XI for the second Test will be on Gambhir’s agenda once he is back with the touring party

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2024Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, will rejoin the touring party in Australia on Tuesday, having flown out of India after having returned home because of “personal reasons”.Gambhir missed India’s two-day tour game – which was later reduced to a limited-overs contest following rain on the first day – against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, having flown back home at the conclusion of the first Test in Perth on November 25. Gambhir left on November 26, the scheduled final day of that Test.The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a day-nighter in Adelaide, will start on December 6.Related

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In Gambhir’s absence, the support staff of Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel had overseen the team’s training, and were part of the Canberra fixture, which the Indians won by six wickets, with Harshit Rana (4 for 44) and Shubman Gill (50 in 62 balls) playing key roles.Now, Gambhir will have to be part of the tricky discussions around India’s playing XI, with Rohit Sharma, the full-time Test captain, having linked up with the team after skipping the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Jasprit Bumrah had led India to the comprehensive 295-run win in the Perth Test in Rohit’s absence.Gill, who had also missed that Test after fracturing his right thumb during a training session, is also back in the reckoning.Even if India bring in Rohit and Gill for Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, who were part of the XI in Perth, there is the question of the opening combination, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul having put on a double-century first-wicket stand in India’s second innings in Perth. Indications from the pink-ball tour game, though it wasn’t a full-fledged contest, are that Jaiswal and Rahul will continue to open with Gill replacing Padikkal at No. 3, and Rohit possibly going in the middle order behind Virat Kohli. Rishabh Pant is the other certain starter in the middle order.

Pakistan have their own top-order issues to iron out to bounce back

Danyal Rasool19-Aug-2021

Big picture

The agonisingly tense denouement to the first Test between these sides would be enough to inject life into any series, and the shot in the arm West Indies gained from that thrilling one-wicket win should serve them extremely well. Having struggled in the format over recent years, it felt like the sort of Test West Indies tend to end up on the wrong side of, and when Kemar Roach nudged one through the covers to send the Caribbean into raptures, you might be tempted to wonder if this was something of a new beginning.It helps that the victory was timed as sweetly as a Jason Holder extra-cover drive, coming as it does right at the start of this World Test Championship cycle. It catapults West Indies to second spot on the table, but against a dispirited Pakistan, the second Test represents an ideal opportunity for a perfect start to this two-year period.

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West Indies were by no means perfect, which of course indicates there’s room for improvement. But having outbowled Pakistan for significant periods of the Test, Phil Simmons’ side will be aware they have to keep up that quality when it comes to fast bowling, while working out how to put more runs on the board. The coach had been vocal about calling on his batters to improve, and after that first Test, it’s not hard to see why. There might not be too many changes in personnel, but with the home side’s top order capitulating in both innings, there remains the risk of a wounded Pakistan bowling unit looking to rip through an innings.There’s been an uneasy calm in the days that followed that Pakistan defeat, but likely little appetite for stomaching another one. Pakistan will feel disconsolate at the manner in which they let the game slip out of their grasp, given the multitude of opportunities they had to put distance between the sides on the first three days, and clear-cut opportunities to seal it on the last. Individual errors aside, Pakistan’s opening pair looks well short of the quality required at this level, with the extra burden that places on the middle order leaving the side looking unbalanced.The complete lack of influence spin bowling played in that first Test came as something of a surprise. With both sides opting to field a spinner, it’s clear that startled the teams, too, with all 39 wickets falling to the quick bowlers. With the second Test to be played at the same venue, under similar conditions, team selection around spin options might be something worth watching out for.

Form guide

West Indies WLLDD (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWW

In the spotlight

With all the drama around the climax of the first Test, Kemar Roach, Kraigg Brathwaite and Jayden Seales took the plaudits, but Jermaine Blackwood‘s role ended up being slightly underrated. On a treacherously difficult surface for batting, he came in on both occasions with his side in trouble, bravely looking to go after the bowlers. It translated into key partnerships, taking the pressure off his captain in the first innings by lifting the run rate. But it was the second innings where his contributions really shone, batting at perhaps the hardest time of the game. Shaheen Afridi was on fire and had just removed three top-order batters. Just before lunch, Blackwood lofted him for two leg-side fours, halting Pakistan’s momentum in a priceless 55-run knock. His role might have been overshadowed, but both sides recognise his quality, and importance to this side.Jermaine Blackwood scored a vital 55 in the second innings of the first Test•AFP/Getty Images

For much of his career, Yasir Shah was close to the first name on the Pakistan Test team sheet, but it’s difficult not to wonder whether those days might be gone for good. Returning from an injury that kept him out of the Zimbabwe Test series, the legspinner who took 10 more wickets than any other bowler the last time Pakistan toured the West Indies was conspicuous by his absence. He went wicketless through the game for just the third time in his career, struggling visibly with his length and failing to generate much spin. It was admittedly a game dominated by fast bowling, but in a low-scoring fourth-innings chase, Babar Azam turned to him for just three overs. With Nauman Ali in the squad, Shah might consider himself lucky to get picked for this game, and he certainly has a point to prove if he does.

Team news

Kieran Powell’s dual failure could bring Shai Hope into the picture, with Jomel Warrican’s place in the XI also under scrutiny. Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, or even Rahkeem Cornwall are options should West Indies want a different kind of spinner.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Kieron Powell/Shai Hope, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Jermaine Blackwood, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Kyle Mayers, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 9 Alzarri Joseph/Chemar Holder, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jayden SealesPakistan must also wrestle with the Yasir Shah conundrum, and determine whether his ineffectiveness in the first Test was a function of the pitch or his own lack of form and confidence.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abid Ali, 2 Imran Butt, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Yasir Shah/Nauman Ali, 10 Mohammad Abbas, 11 Shaheen Afridi

Pitch and conditions

Rain is forecast for part of this Test, but the first day is completely clear. There should be enough good weather around not to seriously spoilt the contest.

Stats and trivia

• The three overs Shah bowled in the fourth innings were the fewest he has ever bowled for Pakistan in the final innings of a Test other than Cape Town 2020. On that occasion, South Africa needed 41 for victory, and Shah didn’t bowl.
• Roston Chase needs 14 runs to reach 2000 in Test cricket.
• The last two two-match series between the two sides – in 2011 and 2005 – ended 1-1. On both occasions, West Indies won the first Test, with Pakistan rebounding to level things up.

Quotes

“Me and Monty [Desai] have been putting a lot of work in the nets behind the scenes. He’s just told me to be a little more patient, but he doesn’t want me to take away my aggression, but to choose the right shots and not lose focus.”