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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.

Batsman happy “mixing electrolyte drinks” if it means he can help England win series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2020Keaton Jennings has insisted that he has plenty to offer England after his recall to their squad for the Test tour to Sri Lanka, regardless of whether he can break into the side.Jennings, picked as the back-up top-order batsman in the absence of the injured Rory Burns, won his place on the tour primarily due to his record on the subcontinent: he averages 44.44 in five Tests in Asia, and his two hundreds for England have come in Mumbai and Galle.And while he hopes that his ability against the turning ball can put pressure on incumbent opening pair Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley, Jennings said that he hopes he can use his own experiences in the spotlight to help them through difficult times if necessary.ALSO READ: The Keaton Jennings recall: has the era of batting specialisation arrived?“We’ve got a few guys competing for top-order places but that’s healthy” Jennings told PA. “It’s almost like the old opening batter’s union – only you know the pressure they are feeling and what they are going through.”They [Sibley and Crawley] are two very good blokes and two guys who are working very hard at their game. Whether I get the chance or not, I’m here to help England win the series. If I play, that’s awesome, if I end up mixing electrolyte drinks then I’ll do that.”You cannot underestimate the level of support everyone offers each other in that dressing room. It becomes a family-type unit. You feel your mate’s hurt when he nicks off early doors – it’s hard to see because you have been in that situation and you can double it when you’re playing for England.”Jennings’ struggles at the top of the order in seam-friendly conditions saw him come in for heavy criticism during his second spell in the Test team, with the nadir coming in England’s series at home to India in 2018 when he averaged 18.11 across nine innings.”I’ve had an absolute battering at times,” Jennings said. “The sport section can be hard reading. But there are going to be times when you see things you don’t want to see or hear things in the street… that’s the life I’ve chosen.”I’ve got to make sure I’m big and strong enough to know where my values are. I don’t want to run away from my failures or my shortcomings. I have no issue being open and honest if it lets me put my head on the pillow at night.”If a youngster reads this, sees that someone who plays for England struggles with this stuff, it might help them learn to cope. Maybe that youngster can go on and become the best player in the country.”Even before arriving in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Jennings has had a busy winter. He travelled to Mumbai for England’s spin camp at the end of 2019 before returning for a Lancashire commercial event in January, and last month captained England Lions to their first-ever victory against an Australia A side at the MCG.”Any Australia side is up for it and always wants to compete, so to captain and to win there definitely makes me very happy,” he said.”It’s something I’ll look back on with a beer in front of my fireplace and be very proud of. There’s potential for some of the guys to go back there in a little while and recall those experiences. You live between Ashes series, that’s the way English cricket works.”

van der Dussen and Shamsi win men’s ODI player of the year and men’s T20I player of the year awards

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2021Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at CSA’s annual awards ceremony, which was held virtually on Monday. Nortje became the 12th player to win the newcomer of the year and men’s cricketer of the year awards in successive years.Both players also bagged other major awards, with Nortje being named the Test cricketer of the year, South Africa fans’ player of the year and South Africa men’s players’ player of the year (sharing a tied vote with Aiden Markram). As for Ismail, she also won the women’s T20I cricketer of the year and South Africa women’s players’ player of the year awards.Having previously scooped up the women’s premier award in 2015, Ismail joined Marizanne Kapp (2013, 2014) and Dane van Niekerk (2016, 2018, 2019) as multiple winners in the professional era.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Batter Rassie van der Dussen was named men’s ODI player of the year while left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently No.1 on the T20I bowling rankings, took the men’s T20I player of the year award. Lizelle Lee, meanwhile, claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award.”Anrich and Shabnim have set the highest standards that we expect from our icon Proteas players,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Acting Chief Executive, said in a statement. “Anrich’s international career to date has been remarkable. In the space of a year he has gone from being named our International Newcomer of the Year to our overall Player of the Year – an incredible achievement. The pandemic has restricted him to just 10 Test matches to date in which he has taken 39 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls.”Shabnim is the fastest bowler on the women’s international circuit, and she has been the leader of our Momentum Proteas attack for a long time now. She is the only South African to have taken 100 wickets in the T20 International format and she recently passed the significant landmark of 150 wickets in ODI cricket.”She has played a huge role in enabling our Momentum Proteas to break into the top group of countries with a world ranking of No. 2 in the ODI format.”Allrounder George Linde was adjudged the men’s international newcomer of the year while fellow left-arm fingerspinner Keshav Maharaj won big on the domestic front. He was named the SACA Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as domestic players’ player of the season.Dolphins’ Ottniel Baartman, who recently earned his maiden call-up to the South Africa Test squad, was the inaugural winner of the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award. Titans’ Markram was named the 4-day domestic series player of the year for racking up 945 runs in seven matches at an average of 94.50, in the 2020-21 season. Former Dolphins allrounder Robbie Frylinck, who had announced his retirement earlier this year, was awarded the one-day cricketer of the season title while Lions’ Sisanda Magala was recognised as the T20 challenge cricketer of the season.

Stand-in captain leads way with bat before Moeen, Rashid and Parkinson share five wickets

George Dobell18-Jul-2021England’s spinners combined to secure a series-levelling victory in the second T20I of the series against Pakistan in Leeds. Adil Rashid, Matt Parkinson and Moeen Ali claimed five wickets for 87 runs in their 11 overs combined as England defended a total of 200 to secure a 45-run win.It means the series will be decided in the third and final game to be played at Emirates Old Trafford on Tuesday.For much of the afternoon, this was a pitch that looked full of runs. Certainly seamers gained little joy from it, with England’s total of 200 appearing little better than par when Pakistan’s openers started their chase by plundering 43 from their first five overs.But England’s spinners gained a surprising amount of assistance from the surface. Sohaib Maqsood and Azam Khan were both stumped off Rashid and Parkinson respectively, while Fakhar Zaman was bowled by a beauty from Moeen, which gripped, turned and took his off stump. With Mohammad Rizwan hitting a full toss back at Rashid and Mohammad Hafeez mishitting to the leg-side boundary, Pakistan lost 5 for 34 in six overs in the middle of their innings, which effectively defined the game.On a surface on which seamers experienced little other than heartache – Chris Jordan bowled only one over in the Pakistan innings – it was a performance that showed the depth and versatility of England’s bowling attack and will, perhaps, provide some encouragement ahead of the T20 World Cup on the slow, dry wickets of the UAEEarlier, a high-quality half-century from Jos Buttler helped England to a competitive total of 200 on another decent batting track. Buttler had not played a game since sustaining a calf injury during the victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff almost a month ago, but you would never have known it to watch him.Timing the ball beautifully, Buttler produced a series of conventional – if unusually sweetly hit – strokes off front and back foot, as well as scooping Mohammad Hasnain for a six over fine leg.Although nobody went on to make an especially large individual score, Player of the Match Moeen Ali’s 36 from 16 balls followed by Liam Livingstone’s 38 from 23 ensured the innings retained momentum and England ended the 14th over with 150 on the board.While the innings fell away a little from that point – England subsided from 137-3 to 200 all-out, managing only 10 from the final two overs of their innings – it proved more than enough as Pakistan’s batters struggled against the spin.What next for Morgan?
As a key character in the revolution that took England from world chumps to World Champs, Eoin Morgan’s reputation is assured. He remains a figure of huge authority within the England set-up, too, and will probably remain once after his playing days are over.But his decision to leave himself out for this match was intriguing. While he had indicated ahead of the first game of this series that England intended to use it to take a look at different combinations and options, the fact is he has reached 30 only twice in his 17 most-recent international innings. And in his last 15 T20Is, he is averaging 12.10 at a strike-rate of 124.74.None of this means his place in the side is in immediate doubt. Batting in the middle order is notoriously tough in T20 cricket and England have very few contenders for the spot. Morgan has a vast amount of credit in the bank.But, given the competition for places among England batters – the likes of Alex Hales, Joe Root and Tom Banton are among those currently unable to break into the side and Ben is Stokes currently out as he continues his rehabilitation from a finger injury – and Jos Buttler’s presence a natural replacement as captain, that is a run of form that is bound to start raising concerns.Moeen Ali played an aggressive cameo•Getty Images

Imad’s contribution
At first glance, Imad Wasim’s figures of 2 for 37 don’t look especially pretty. He conceded almost 10 an over, after all, and was struck for three sixes. At one stage in his first over, he had bowled only three legitimate deliveries and already conceded 11 runs; he could have been forgiven for thinking he was in for a rough afternoon.But he also claimed two important wickets. And, despite bowling two overs in the Powerplay, delivered 11 dot balls. Nobody in the game bowled more. On another flat surface with relatively short boundaries, it was an impressive contribution and, on another day, those early wickets of Jason Roy and Dawid Malan could have proved decisive.Tailing off
One of the characteristics of England’s limited-overs cricket in recent years has been their commitment to the positive approach. This has routinely seen the lower-middle order continue to attack even if the top order have been blown away with batters as good as Adil Rashid (who has 10 first-class centuries) sometimes coming in as low as No. 11.Might that be changing a little? While there is no obvious alteration in England’s approach – they continue to attack all the way down the order – there are, perhaps, one or two questions about the depth of their batting.In this side, for example, Tom Curran came in at No. 7 (he had only batted as high in one previous T20I) and Rashid came in at No. 9. It meant the top order didn’t have quite the same safety net as before and might, in time, result in them playing slightly more careful cricket.This was not England’s first choice side, of course. The likes of Sam Curran and Chris Woakes might well come into the side ahead of the T20 World Cup. But the fact that they were bowled out in successive matches for the first time in their T20I history – albeit having made 200 on each occasion – was a reminder, perhaps, about the value of such batting depth.Eyes on Livingstone
So vital a player has Liam Livingstone suddenly become in this side, that even his dismissals are entertaining. Having just hit a vast six – the ball disappeared over the top of the new stand which borders the rugby ground; as big a hit as most have seen – he was run out when an attempted scoop somehow found its way to square leg. And while Haris Rauf had knocked off one bail with his elbow before completing the run-out, the other one remained in place to ensure the stumps could still be broken. The groan that went round the ground suggested that Livingstone has quickly become something of a crowd favourite – a remarkable thing for a Lancashire man in Leeds.

England claim unassailable 3-0 series lead on back of Roy’s century and Stokes’ unbeaten 71

The Report by Valkerie Baynes17-May-2019
Jason Roy and Ben Stokes are back – and it seems England are here to stay.Roy’s century laid the foundation but it was Stokes’ rescue mission after England suffered a mini-collapse against Pakistan that delivered the hosts a three-wicket victory with three balls to spare at Trent Bridge and an unassailable 3-0 series lead.Belligerent is a term at risk of being over-used in cricket but it is simply the essence of Roy’s batting style and was there for all to see as he stepped back and away to club Mohammad Hafeez over the extra cover boundary to bring up his eighth ODI century.His knock of 114 off 89 showed fewer signs of the rust he had to scrape off en route to 87 in the second match of the series in Southampton, his return from a back injury. On reaching his ton, Roy pumped both fists in triumph and looked to the skies, rolling his eyes in relief, as if that commendable 87 and the 79 that followed in Bristol were not enough.However, when he was out edging behind a pull at Mohammad Hasnain, England’s chase looked like being derailed.England lost the wickets of Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali in quick succession, a collapse of 4 for 15, and it fell to Stokes – who had been rather subdued in recent times – to save the day. Stokes played with a cool head and, at the right times, a swinging bat to reach an unbeaten 71 off 64 balls.He was well supported by Tom Curran, who followed his four wickets to be the pick of the England bowlers with an important cameo of 31 off 30. Before he got off single figures, Curran survived two run-out chances off the same ball, narrowly in the second instance with replays suggesting he may have been out had Pakistan made an issue of it.Roy’s innings was not chanceless. He was dropped by Fakhar Zaman off Imad Wasim while on 27 and with England 62 without loss. The mistake – not the only one in the field by Pakistan – proved costly.James Vince, opening in place of the resting Jonny Bairstow, made a handy score without going on with it, his 43 off 39 balls coming during a stand of 94 with Roy. Root also chipped in but after he was out on the second grab by Hafeez in a tricky one-handed juggling effort over his shoulder off the bowling of Imad, England lost Buttler and Moeen for ducks.Joe Denly, in the side as a back-up spin bowling prospect for the World Cup found himself in the role of potential batting saviour alongside Stokes. With England needing 101 off 80 balls the pair went into steadying mode, with the likes of Curran, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer still available as testament to their formidable batting depth – with or without Bairstow and the suspended Eoin Morgan.That depth was called upon, however, when Denly fell to a brilliant caught-and-bowled by Junaid Khan, the left-armer changing direction on his follow-through and leaping high to his right to pull down the ball and send Denly on his way for 17.Needing 44 off the last five overs, Stokes and Curran looked comfortable but when Curran was bowled by Hasan Ali, England needed 22 off 16. A six and a four in Junaid’s next over as good as settled things, before Stokes hit the winning run off Hasan.Earlier, Babar Azam’s steady-handed 115 off 113 balls helped Pakistan to 340 for 7.Babar was involved in two century partnerships after Pakistan overcame the loss of in-form opener Imam-ul-Haq, who retired hurt on just 3 when he was struck flush on the left elbow attempting to pull a Mark Wood delivery in the fourth over. X-rays revealed no fracture but he remained in the changing-room with his arm packed in ice until late in the innings.Fakhar and Babar steered their side to 116 before the first wicket fell to some good pressure from Curran. Looking to smack the ball over cover, Fakhar sent the ball to third man, where Wood claimed a good catch diving forwards.Babar and Hafeez teamed up for the second century stand of Pakistan’s innings, Hafeez cracking a boundary off Wood to bring up his half-century before Wood’s response was to have him caught simply at mid-on by substitute fielder Chris Jordan for 59.Babar brought up his century with a sweetly struck four off Curran, but he was out slicing the same bowler over cover as Archer ran in to take a fine catch.When Imam returned with seven wickets down and only 16 balls remaining, he looked in some discomfort still and it begged the question whether it might have been wise to put in a batsman who could swing with more freedom, especially when he added just three more runs to his score.Curran claimed 4 for 75 off 10 overs but looked gutted not to have bagged five wickets as he walked off.Wood made an encouraging return to cricket, showing the pace and wicket-taking ability that heralded his initial comeback from an ankle injury in the Caribbean. Playing his first match since early March against West Indies, he hit 91.6mph in his first over here and ended with 2 for 71 off his 10 overs.

Decider wrapped up in style inside an hour-and-a-half on the fourth morning

Andrew Miller27-Mar-2022West Indies 297 (Da Silva 100*) and 28 for 0 (Brathwaite 20*) beat England 204 and 120 (Mayers 5-18) by ten wicketsThe stadium DJ was playing as the last rites of England’s Caribbean humiliation were being administered by West Indies’ openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell. 4.5 overs was all they needed to pick off the 28 runs needed for victory in the third Test in Grenada, and just 89 minutes of the fourth day’s play all told, as the Botham-Richards Trophy was captured with an elan to match the heyday of that pair’s rivalry.Fittingly, it was Brathwaite who sealed the spoils with a flick through midwicket for two off Chris Woakes, as he finished a series of stunning personal resolve with an unbeaten 20 from 21 balls – a gleeful sprint for the finish at stark odds with the equivalent of eight marathons that he had run in compiling his 673 minutes of resistance in the drawn second Test at Barbados.England, shellshocked by the extent of their shortcomings in the course of this series-deciding Test, had no prayer as their fleeting stint in the field began, although in throwing the new ball to Saqib Mahmood, they did at least acknowledge the one seamer to have truly enhanced his credentials in the course of a miserable campaign. But the closest he came to a breakthrough was a speculative review for lbw, as Brathwaite pinged him for consecutive fours in his second and final over.England had resumed the final day with even a miracle feeling a far-fetched option for salvation. They led by 10 runs overnight with just two wickets standing, although in keeping with the trend of the match, there were few demons for Woakes and Jack Leach to confront against the softer, older ball, which was already 53 overs old when play got underway.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

West Indies resumed with their third-day wrecker, Kyle Mayers, at one end, and the quicker options of Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph alternating at the other, but Leach and Woakes watched the ball carefully and played within themselves to add 13 runs in a sedate first 40 minutes.But then, Mayers made way for West Indies’ attack leader, Kemar Roach, and all he required was a solitary delivery to break the deadlock. The ball itself was a rank leg-sided long-hop, but Woakes’ firm flick flew rapidly to Jason Holder’s right at leg gully, who clung onto a one-handed blinder with the ball almost behind his back.Woakes was gone for 19, having added just one run since an earlier moment of alarm, when Joseph tucked him up from back of a length for a looping deflection to short leg. After a successful review, umpire Gregory Brathwaite had to reverse his decision – the 19th overturned decision of the series.At 116 for 9, Leach was joined by England’s last man – and first-innings top-scorer – Mahmood, with the team management hoping against hope that could at least replicate their first-innings stand of 90, without which West Indies would already be celebrating an innings victory.This time, however, their partnership was almost ended after four balls, as Roach bent his back on the short ball, and Leach sliced inches short of point. Mahmood then got in a tangle twice in the same Joseph over, first with an appeal for caught-behind that flicked off his arm-guard, and then with a flapped pull off the eyebrows that looped over gully.The hostility of the short-ball approach was at stark odds to the tame fare that England had served up when hunting the tenth West Indies wicket on the third morning, and with Leach pinned to his crease, Roach fired in the surprise fuller ball, to produce a thin edge through to the tumbling Da Silva. Once again, umpire Joel Wilson was unmoved, but West Indies were already celebrating before their review revealed a thin spike on UltraEdge.Related

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Afterwards, England’s captain, Joe Root, was magnanimous in defeat as he sought out each of West Indies’ players for a handshake, but despite the growing sense that he has taken his team as far as he can carry it, he claims for the moment that he still relishes the challenge of leading the urgently required rebuild.”Throughout this series we’ve played some really good cricket, and shown what we’re capable of as a group,” Root said. “We’ve grown over first two games as a batting group, we’ve shown big strides in that department.”But as Brathwaite and his men held aloft the Richards-Botham Trophy, all such issues were secondary to the glory of a West Indies team that has once again rallied round. Their remarkable home run of success against England has now extended to three series wins and a draw since 2004, and one loss in 11 campaigns since 1968.”We had a camp before the series began, and we said this is one of our best series at home, we’ve got to fight hard,” Brathwaite said. “It’s carried through in every game, someone else raising their hand and doing the job, whether’s it’s in the field, or with the ball or with the ball, spending time. The effort was remarkable.”

Warwickshire spinner could play first match for England since 2014 after Covid reshuffle

George Dobell07-Jul-2021Danny Briggs is promising not to put too much pressure on himself as he makes a return to the England set-up that he admits he thought would never happen.It’s seven-and-a-half years since Briggs last played a T20I for England and almost a decade since his only ODI. But now aged 30, and called up to the hastily-picked squad for the ODI series against Pakistan after the original squad were ruled out due to Covid protocols, he believes he has the experience to cope with whatever the next few weeks throw at him.”I was 21 when I was first picked for England,” Briggs told ESPNcricinfo. “And 23 when I played my last game. It’s very young, isn’t it?”Looking back, I put too much pressure on myself. I don’t think I’d ever experienced any lows in cricket before then and I sort of expected to be successful.”I think I tried too hard, really. I was trying to impress other people. Obviously it’s great to play for your country, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as I should have done, really.”It’s an odd situation now, but it’s an incredible opportunity, too. This time, I’m going to try to take it all in. I’m going to do my best, of course, but I want to try and enjoy every minute of it.”Briggs has been a consistent performer in T20 cricket for years. His tally of 184 wickets in England’s domestic T20 competition is more than anyone else and, of those in the top 39 wicket-takers, only three men (Jeetan Patel, Stephen Parry and Imran Tahir) have lower economy-rates than his 7.16.But while he has always bowled his left-arm spin with impressive control, he now feels he has the experience to optimise his variations. And he hopes his positive experience in the most recent BBL season – only six men who delivered more than 30 overs had a better economy-rate than his 7.41 – bodes well for his return to the top level.Related

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“I took a lot of confidence from that Big Bash experience,” he says. “There’s a certain level of expectation that comes with being an overseas player in a high-profile tournament like that; you’re expected to do well.”But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the responsibility and I enjoyed helping the younger players. I performed pretty well and it felt like a stepping stone on the return to international cricket.”He’s also improved his batting. While he remains something of a blocker, he has made two half-centuries in the Championship season – he had only reached 50 twice previously in a first-class career that stretches back to 2009 – and has developed into a willing nightwatchman and reliable lower-order player. He could probably hold up an end at international level pretty effectively, which is one of several reasons why a Test call-up isn’t entirely out of the question.”I’ve worked hard on my batting,” he says. “Particularly my four-day batting. I’ve upskilled a little, but for me, it’s been about being disciplined. I’ve always enjoyed batting and it makes you more selectable.”He’s had some opportunity, too. He only played four first-class games in 2019 and none at all in 2020. But once Sussex had made it clear they didn’t see much of a future for him, Warwickshire offered him the chance to replace Patel and become a central figure in all formats.”I just felt I had more to offer in first-class cricket,” he says. “I was desperate to play in all formats and Warwickshire were good enough to give me that opportunity.”Coming to Warwickshire has been brilliant. They’ve demonstrated a huge amount of confidence in me. They way they’ve backed me – and the way the bowling coach, Graeme Welch, in particular, has kept saying I shouldn’t have given up on England – has helped me believe in myself much more. I hope I’ve shown I can play four-day cricket now. I’ve loved it.”If I’m honest, there were times I didn’t think I’d win a recall. It’s been a long haul and there have been times when I’ve felt miles away. Yes, I’d told myself it wasn’t going to happen.”And I know this is a very unusual situation. I know there are a few who would be ahead of me in the pecking order. So I’m not looking too far ahead.”But I’ve always worked hard. I’ve always been willing to learn. And yes, of course in the back of my mind, I’ve an eye on both the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. I’d love to be there.”But whatever happens, I feel very lucky. I’ve a great role at a great club and I’m really enjoying my cricket. I’m happy in everything I’m doing and my feet are staying on the ground.”

They will face Brisbane Heat in the Eliminator on Friday after a rocky chase against Melbourne Stars

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023Returning allrounder Jason Sangha believes Sydney Thunder can cause some trouble in the BBL finals after sneaking into the top-five.Thunder locked in the last spot in the BBL finals with a tense three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Wednesday night.The unconvincing victory allowed the Thunder to jump into fourth to secure a home final, knocking Hobart down to sixth. Thunder will host Brisbane at Sydney Showground Stadium on Friday night.Related

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“Looking back at our season, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster,” Sangha said. “The one good thing is we’ve managed to find a way in those tight situations, we’re just finding ways to win.”In the finals series, all you need is a couple of things to go your way. For us going forward is just recognising those key moments in a game.”The clash with Thunder was Sangha’s first game since he broke his collarbone on December 18. Despite being named captain for this season, the captaincy was left with Chris Green after the spinner had done the job for most of the tournament.But Thunder are likely to be without paceman Gurinder Sandhu against Heat after the 29-year-old suffered another calf injury. However, David Warner, who has yet to leave a mark on the tournament, will be available and would also play the Knockout if Thunder qualify before flying out to India with the Test squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Thunder’s appearance in the finals looked shaky at numerous stages throughout the campaign, with the low-point coming when they were all-out for a T20 record low of 15 against Adelaide Strikers.The winner of the clash between Thunder and Heat will back up on Sunday night for another sudden-death match against Melbourne Renegades.Top teams Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers will battle on Saturday night in front of up to 50,000 fans at Optus Stadium.The winner of that match will earn hosting rights for the final on February 4, with the loser to play the winner of Sunday night’s match at Marvel Stadium.

The grade-one strain has also left the Sri Lanka seamer doubtful for the South Africa Tests, that follow close on the heels of the Australia tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jan-2019Sri Lanka seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the series against Australia, after scans revealed he had sustained a grade-one strain in his left hamstring. He is also doubtful for the South Africa Test series that follows close on the heels of the Australia tour.Pradeep had picked up the injury on day one of Sri Lanka’s warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart, on Thursday. He immediately left the field, having bowled only two overs in the match, and underwent scans over the weekend that confirmed the severity of the injury. Pradeep’s career has been plagued by leg injuries – particularly hamstring complaints – and this is largely why he has not played a Test since October 2017.Although a fit Pradeep did not get a game during the two Tests in New Zealand, he may have been a good option for Sri Lanka at the seam-friendly Gabba Stadium, as he is often capable of generating appreciable movement off the deck.Despite his being one of the most experienced members of the pace-bowling battery, and although no replacement has been officially named yet, Sri Lanka are still left with a serviceable seam-bowling contingent in Australia. Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera all remain fit and available, with all four of those bowlers having played at least one Test over the past six weeks.Sri Lanka’s first Test begins in Brisbane on Thursday.