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Beau Webster returns to Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Australia Test allrounder Beau Webster has returned to BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes on a three-year deal, having not played for his home state’s team since 2017.Webster, 31, played five matches for Hurricanes in 2016-17, but has spent the past eight seasons in Melbourne: he was there for four seasons with Renegades, before another four with Stars.But having played his entire domestic career for his home state Tasmania, Webster will return to play for Hurricanes in the BBL over the next three seasons.Related

  • Marsh and David set to re-sign as BBL, WBBL contracting embargo ends

  • Swepson moves to Melbourne Stars on deadline day

  • Melbourne Renegades sign Doggett, Jewell set to follow

  • Owen earns SA20 deal on the back of BBL heroics

  • Renegades sign Jason Behrendorff in first BBL free agency move

“I am pumped to return to Hobart next summer for the BBL, and get the opportunity to play on a packed Ninja Stadium in front of our fans, my friends and family,” Webster said.”Vaughany [Jeff Vaughan] and Nelly [Nathan Ellis] have got the group playing a really good brand of cricket, and to see them win a championship makes me hungry to bring another one to ‘Canes fans next season.”Webster signing is an interesting move by Hurricanes given they already have seam-bowling allrounders in Mitchell Owen and Chris Jordan in the top seven of their title-winning team. Despite Webster’s outstanding first-class record, he hasn’t been as dominant in T20 cricket.He has failed to strike at more than 132 in any of his last seven BBL seasons, and it will be interesting to see how he slips into Hurricanes’ high-tempo batting unit. But Hurricanes general manager Salliann Beams was pleased to bring Webster back to Hobart.”We have seen over the past 18 months just how special of a player Beau is, and to have him re-join the Hurricanes is something that will make all Tasmanians proud to hear,” Beams said. “Beau’s skill set in the short form of the game is up there with some of the best in the country, and he can take the game away from the opposition with the bat while also providing another wicket-taking option with the ball.”His leadership will also be a vital aspect of his role at the Hurricanes, and he is great mates with the players we already have on our list, which means he will fit into what we are trying to build seamlessly.”

Stars hopeful about David, and sign Hatcher

Hurricanes are still yet to re-sign title-winning power hitter Tim David, but they are hopeful of keeping him after a successful season. But Stars are still hoping of landing him as a free agent.Meanwhile, Stars have signed New South Wales fast bowler Liam Hatcher on a two-year deal after he spent the past two seasons with Sydney Thunder. Hatcher began his BBL at Stars in 2020, playing 17 matches over two seasons before moving to Thunder in 2023. But he played just four games in his first season in 2023-24, and did not feature at all in Thunder’s run to the final in 2024-25.

India and New Zealand face off to identify semi-final opponents

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Big picture: Kohli joins 300 club

Scroll down to the form guide section. Actually, no need, because, spoiler warning, both teams have WWWWW next to them going into this match.These are two exceptional ODI outfits in potentially title-winning form, deep and balanced thanks to the allrounders they possess. They are well-suited to conditions at this Champions Trophy – particularly, perhaps, to those in Dubai where this contest will take place – thanks to their spin options and the variety of batting gears in their top orders.There has also been, especially over the last five years and a bit, a lot of history between these two teams.Related

  • Phillips confident NZ have the resources to find success in slower Dubai

  • KL Rahul plays down India's injury worries ahead of NZ clash

  • India wary of keeping bowlers fresh for semi, says ten Doeschate

  • Dot-ball 'beast' Bracewell stays under the radar but soars high

  • Trial by spin on slow Dubai pitches a key step in Gill's evolution

This should, for all those reasons, be a main-course kind of contest, but it’s an appetiser in the context of where this Champions Trophy stands. India and New Zealand are both through to the semi-finals, and know exactly where and when their respective semi-finals will be played. All that remains to be decided is whom they will face there, and it’s unlikely there’s a “preferred” opponent for either team, given it’s a choice between South Africa and Australia.With that in mind, and the short turnaround before the semi-finals – particularly in the case of India, who only have a one-day gap before their game on March 4 – Sunday night’s contest may not necessarily be played at vein-throbbing intensity. There’s a chance of big names resting, and also – as India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate suggested on Friday – of key bowlers not completing their full ten-over quotas.There’s one man whose intensity is never short of vein-throbbing when he’s on the field, though, and he’s set to play a very special match. Virat Kohli is set to play his 300th ODI, becoming the 22nd player and seventh from India to get to that landmark. Given how infrequently ODIs are now played, and given how far away Kohli’s closest contemporaries are – Mushfiqur Rahim (274) and Rohit Sharma (272) are the only two to have played more than 250 – will he also be the last to get there?Virat Kohli is poised to play his 300th ODI•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Form guide

India WWWWW
New Zealand WWWWW

In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and Kyle Jamieson

India’s batting is yet to face a truly daunting test in this Champions Trophy. They have batted second in both their games so far, and chased down targets of 229 and 242. Whether they bat first or second on Sunday, they are likelier to face a stiffer challenge from New Zealand, particularly from their fingerspinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell through the middle overs. It is perhaps in this context that Shreyas Iyer becomes especially important. Where Kohli and KL Rahul have gone at strike rates in the low 80s against spin in the middle overs since the start of 2023, Iyer has struck at 95.24. New Zealand know how dangerous Iyer is against spin – he hit five sixes while scoring 48 off 35 balls against their spinners during his century in the Mumbai World Cup semi-final of 2023.If the Kohli generation is India’s golden generation, it probably peaked around the time of the inaugural World Test Championship of 2019-21. And it’s quite possible that India may have won that trophy had they not happened to run into Kyle Jamieson. This towering and hugely gifted fast-bowling allrounder has gone through a testing time since then, mostly due to injury, and he’s now set to face India for the first time in any format since December 2021. Jamieson hasn’t yet had the same impact in ODIs that he has had in Tests; could the sight of his favourite opponents bring out his best?

Team news: Daryl Mitchell fit, but where does he fit in?

India only have a day’s gap between this match and their semi-final, but had a six-day gap between their previous match, against Pakistan, and this one. Do they believe, then, that their key players are adequately rested for 200 overs over three days? Or do they rest one or two of them? And what of the players on the bench, and their match-readiness should they suddenly be required in a knockout game? Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami went off the field with niggles at various stages during the Pakistan game, but both, according to the team’s press-conference representatives, are fit.India didn’t train on Saturday, but Rishabh Pant had an extended session in the nets on Friday, which suggests he could get a game – he has only played one ODI, back in July 2024, since his return from injuries suffered during his car crash. Given that as many as five left-hand batters could feature in New Zealand’s top eight, there’s a chance India may replace one of their two left-arm fingerspinners with the offspinner Washington Sundar. If Pant plays and adds his left-handedness to India’s top five, it relieves them of the need for Axar Patel as a floater.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Mohammed Shami/Arshdeep Singh.India, especially, will have a question of balancing workloads to address•Associated Press

Daryl Mitchell is fit again after missing the match against Bangladesh with an illness, and this leaves New Zealand with a major top-order headache. Rachin Ravindra, who was himself returning from injury, replaced Mitchell and scored a match-winning hundred against Bangladesh. Will Young scored a hundred in the tournament-opener against Pakistan. Devon Conway, who had replaced Ravindra at the top of the order, has also been among the runs, scoring 97 against South Africa in the tri-series that preceded the Champions Trophy.New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’Rourke.

Pitch and conditions: spin to win?

Dubai has been the most spin-friendly of the four Champions Trophy venues, with spinners currently returning an average of 37.07 and an economy rate of 4.36 here. Rawalpindi is second on both counts, at 40.60 and 4.81.This, of course, may also have something do to with the quality of India’s spinners. In any case, the pitches in Dubai, far from being square turners, have tended to be merely slow, with the large outfield also serving as an ally to the slower bowlers.Bangladesh and Pakistan both won the toss against India and chose to bat, reflecting the trend for dew not to be much of a factor at this time of the year. It’s possible that bat-first may still be the way to go, given the tendency for the pitches here to slow down over 100 overs.A clear, pleasant day is expected on Sunday, with a maximum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.Vital runs aside, Tom Latham now has 100 ODI catches as a keeper to his name•ICC/Getty Images

Stats and trivia

  • India and New Zealand have only met once before in the Champions Trophy: the final in 2000 when an unbeaten Chris Cairns century led New Zealand to a four-wicket win.
  • India have won each of their last five completed ODIs against New Zealand; New Zealand won five in a row before that stretch.
  • Tom Latham’s unbeaten 118 made all the headlines, but he also enjoyed a big moment on the field during New Zealand’s tournament-opener against Pakistan: the catch of Shaheen Shah Afridi, off Matt Henry, was his 100th as wicketkeeper in ODIs.

Quotes

“That’s a lot of ODI games and a lot of international games and yeah, he’s been… I mean, words fall short to express how good a player he’s been, and what a great servant of Indian cricket he’s been.”

Abhishek up to No. 2 in T20I batting rankings; Varun joint-second among bowlers

by csb10.top Uncategorized

India 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

  • Click here for the full team rankings

  • Click here for the full player rankings

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.

High-flying Punjab Kings hope to set home record straight

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Big picture: PBKS put the chaos behind

A year ago, Punjab Kings (PBKS) had hit a few lows with confusion around the real Shashank Singh, Shikhar Dhawan’s dismal form, and them finishing ninth with just five wins to miss out on a playoffs spot for the 10th year in a row.There’s a sense of calm around the group now. Led by Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, they have started IPL 2025 with two away wins and hope to set right their home record.PBKS won just one out of their five games in Mullanpur in IPL 2024. But this is a different team, with the kind of depth that makes them everyone’s envy. Only their top order is doing so well that it has made that depth almost decorative. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen are all very useful with the bat but they have hardly been needed.Rajasthan Royals (RR), though, are grappling with several issues, starting from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s underwhelming start to concerns about their batting depth. They have tried to circumvent this issue by being flexible with their line-up, which is why their win over CSK, courtesy a Nitish Rana special last week to round off the Guwahati leg, would have come as a soothing balm.Both sides have had the propensity to produce thrillers while playing each other. Can they produce another?

Form guide

Punjab Kings: WWL (Last three matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals: WLL
Sanju Samson will take back captaincy of Rajasthan Royals•Associated Press

New Loyalties

Yuzvendra Chahal is up against his former franchise, with whom he achieved considerable success. He took 27 wickets for RR in IPL 2022 and earned the purple cap and a place in the final for his team. RR let him go and PBKS snapped him up for INR 18 crore, making him the most expensive spinner in the tournament’s history.

Team news and likely XII

Sanju Samson is set to take over the RR captaincy from Riyan Parag after being cleared by the Centre of Excellence to keep wicket following a finger injury. Samson had played the first three matches as an Impact Player.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Wanindu Hasaranga, 7 Shimron Hetmyer, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Shubham DubeyPBKS have used two different impact subs in the two games so far. How they juggle with their options is anybody’s guess.Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Suryansh Shedge, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak/Nehal Wadhera

Big Question

Should Shimron Hetmyer be batting as low as he has been in the first two matches? Against KKR, Hetmyer came in at No. 8, even below their impact sub, Shubham Dubey. Against CSK, Hetmyer came in at No. 7, behind Wanindu Hasaranga. RR are seemingly focused on his entry point as against his batting number, but the question remains. Are they maximising his potential?

In the spotlight

Prabhsimran Singh has been playing IPL since 2019. He has got through two mega auction cycles with the same franchise. But for all that time, he only has five half-centuries, including the his 34-ball 69 from earlier this week. This is Prabhsimran’s opportunity to show he can add consistency to his potential.Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn’t been anywhere near his best in the 32 deliveries he has faced so far in IPL 2025. Between his previous game and now, his switching from Mumbai to Goa in domestic cricket has been dissected threadbare. If he can find form, Jaiswal will help deflect attention away from the off-field rumblings.2:58

Boucher: Jaiswal almost seems to be missing Buttler

Pitch and conditions

PBKS were left confused about what home advantage really means, having to navigate through slow surfaces in Mullanpur in IPL 2024. The bigger boundary dimensions at the ground usually bring spinners into play and explain why in five games last year, 180 was breached just twice while batting first.

Key Stats

  • Samson is one win away from being the most successful RR captain outright. He is currently tied on 31 with Shane Warne.
  • Sandeep Sharma has a favourable match-up against Shreyas Iyer, whom he has dismissed three times in nine T20 innings while conceding 47 runs at a strike rate of just 84.
  • Samson has been out five times in 11 T20 innings to Chahal. Will that force PBKS to go out of the box and throw him the ball during the powerplay?
  • Teams scoring 170 or more while batting first have defended their score successfully eight times out of nine in all T20s in Mullanpur

Quotes

“Rolls-Royce just stayed in third gear for most of the day. Didn’t have to go any harder than that. Just steers the ship home.”
PBKS coach Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer’s 52* off 30 after their second win against LSG”It was just two games, but it felt very long. Happy.”
Riyan Parag after securing his first win as RR’s stand-in captain

Phil Simmons calls for 'patience' towards 'in transition' Bangladesh

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons requested “patience” from fans following a loss to Zimbabwe in the first Test in Sylhet last week, adding that the team ‘in transition’ needs time to achieve their goals.Since October 2024, when Simmons took over as head coach, Bangladesh have won just one out of the five Tests and one out of eight ODIs, apart from winning a T20I series against West Indies. Bangladesh’s loss to Zimbabwe in the first Test also extended their losing streak at home to six matches.”I ask for patience from the Bangladesh people, I know how passionate they are for the team to do better,” Simmons said on the eve of the second Test in Chattogram.”I request for patience. We are trying to put the right things in place to get us to play better. We pick players. They play at their tempo. The aggressive part comes into [things like] running between the wickets, attitude when you get to the wicket and attitude on the field. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to score at five runs an over. Some days you can bat at five, other days you will bat at two or three [runs an over].”Simmons said the instruction to the team has been to play a “positive brand” of cricket without being careless.Related

  • Bangladesh anti-corruption commission raids BCB's headquarters

  • Zimbabwe seal Sylhet thriller to complete first away Test win since 2021

  • Anamul Haque in, Nahid Rana out of Bangladesh Test squad

  • 'It was my fault that we lost the match' – Shanto takes blame for Sylhet defeat

  • Pressure on Bangladesh as Zimbabwe eye rare overseas Test series win

“I think we know that as a unit we didn’t bat properly in the first innings [against Zimbabwe when they were bowled out for 191]. We put ourselves in problems. We want to play a brand of positive Test cricket, not just going for 200 runs in a day. The word “transition” is mentioned in the press. It will take a bit of time to reach where we want to be.”My message to them is that there were a few loose shots and some soft dismissals but we need to make sure that we improve as we go along. We can’t have this for one, two or three Tests [in a row]Bangladesh have also been hit by player unavailability, specifically in their bowling attack. Taskin Ahmed is recuperating from injuries while Nahid Rana will play in the PSL instead of the second Test. Simmons said that the likes of Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan will be able to handle the load.”Our pacers have skills,” Simmons said. “Hasan has taken five-fors in Pakistan, which is not far different from here. Khaled has done well. [Tanzim] Sakib hasn’t played that much but we know what he can bring to the attack. We still have the skills and depth from the seamers.”I think [Tanzim] can shine in any format, with the lengths he bowls. He is deceptive with his pace. We have seen it with the white ball. He hits the stumps regularly. He gets people caught behind regularly. He also brings a bit of batting, which is always good for the team.”Off the field, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is grappling with allegations of financial discrepancies and a player’s suspension – Towhid Hridoy. Two board employees have tendered their resignation as well. Simmons said the coaching staff has been trying their best to keep the “outside noise” away from the dressing room.”As coaches, the outside noise is one of the things that we try to keep away from them. We are going into a Test match so in the final meeting this evening, it is one of the things that we have to make sure. It is about Bangladesh cricket for the next five days; not anything else that’s going on outside.”

MacDonald-Gay powers Surrey revival as Essex succumb again

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Kalea Moore and Ryana MacDonald-Gay both hit their maiden half-centuries for Surrey to maintain the county’s recent revival in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition with victory over Essex.The pair dug Surrey out of trouble at 117 for six, with Moore posting 66 from 70 balls and MacDonald-Gay 57 from 77 in their partnership of 113 from 135.That enabled the visitors to total 259 for nine at Chelmsford, despite Eva Gray’s return of five for 52 – the Essex seamer’s second five-wicket haul of the tournament. Jo Gardner’s gutsy unbeaten 73 from 46, which included a string of sixes, almost snatched an improbable victory for the home side – but she was left stranded as MacDonald-Gay (three for 52) claimed the last two wickets in as many balls to seal Surrey’s success.Missing several top-order batters due to England commitments, Surrey were forced to rejig their line-up and lost makeshift opener Phoebe Franklin in the first over after being put in, courtesy of a miscue to midwicket.Essex squandered three opportunities to remove Priyanaz Chatterji – two of them off Gray – before the bowler finally pinned her leg before for 21, but Amy Hunter provided the innings with some impetus.The Ireland international’s run-a-ball knock of 29 ended when she was lbw to Sophia Smale, but Alice Davidson-Richards (32 from 41) quickly settled into her stride, using her feet to the spinners and finding gaps in the field.However, Davidson-Richards was among a trio to depart in the space of 18 balls, scooping Esmae MacGregor to mid-on – but Moore and MacDonald-Gray rebuilt with steady, sensible batting.Moore led the way, reaching her half-century from 60 deliveries just after Smale had failed to hold a well-struck return drive and her partner soon followed suit, crashing the left-armer over midwicket for six.Both batters eventually holed out in Gray’s second spell, with Alexa Stonehouse hauling Surrey’s total above 250 before becoming the seamer’s fifth victim in the final over of the innings.Grace Scrivens gave her side’s chase a positive start, cutting Stonehouse for four and the Essex skipper had advanced to 15 from 17 when she was run out by Emma Jones’ pinpoint throw from cover.The home side also lost Lissy Macleod, caught top-edging a sweep off Tilly Corteen-Coleman in the powerplay and regrouped through Smale and Ariana Dowse’s steadfast partnership of 91 from 117.With the required rate hovering at around a run a ball, Surrey prised out both set batters in quick succession as Dowse (44 from 70) miscued a pull off Franklin and Smale (42 from 63) was castled by Gregory.The leg-spinner (four for 57) scythed through Essex’s middle order – aided by Jones’ impressive reaction catch at midwicket to dismiss Amara Carr – only for Gardner and Kate Coppack to threaten a late comeback with a ninth-wicket stand of 54 from 42.But it was not enough as MacDonald-Gay removed Coppack (16 from 22) and Abtaha Maqsood to end Essex’s hopes.

Ebadot Hossain back in Bangladesh squad for SL Tests

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Ebadot Hossain returns to the Bangladesh team for the first time in almost two years, after being named in the 16-man squad for the two Tests against Sri Lanka later this month. He has recovered from an ACL surgery after he was injured during an ODI against Afghanistan in July 2023. Litton Das also returns to the Test side after he was given time off during the Zimbabwe series in April.The selectors, meanwhile, have dropped Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanvir Islam and Tanzim Hasan for the Sri Lanka Tests. Taskin Ahmed couldn’t be fit in time for the Test series as he recovers from an ankle injury.Ebadot’s return, however, is good news. He played 27 competitive matches in the 2024-25 season including three first-class matches. He played one of those against the visiting New Zealand A side last month. The 31-year-old Ebadot has taken 42 wickets in 20 Tests so far.Left-arm spinner Hasan Murad returns to the Test side too, after he was in the squad against South Africa and West Indies last year. Murad played only three first-class matches in the past season, as he was touring with the senior team during the 2024-25 National Cricket League.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will kick off the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. Bangladesh drew their last Test series, against Zimbabwe at home, in April.Bangladesh are likely to arrive in Sri Lanka on June 13, with their first Test in Galle from June 17. The second Test is at the Singhalese Sports Club Cricket ground in Colombo from June 25. The Tests are followed by three ODIs and three T20Is, with the tour ending on July 16.IN: Litton Das, Hasan Murad, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled AhmedOUT: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanvir Islam, Tanzim Hasan SakibBangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mahidul Islam, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Khaled Ahmed

Injured Doggett out of West Indies Tests, Abbott called up as replacement

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Brendan Doggett has been ruled out of Australia’s Test series against West Indies due to a hip injury with Sean Abbott called up as his replacement.Doggett, whose injury has been described as “minor”, was the traveling reserve for the World Test Championship final and was due to be part of the squad in the Caribbean but will now instead return to Australia.He ended the 2024-25 season with the spectacular match figures of 11 for 140 in the Sheffield Shield final for South Australia, during a summer where he climbed back up the national pecking order of pace bowlers, and may have pushed for a Test debut in West Indies.Related

  • Australia's batting issues: questions surround Khawaja, Labuschagne, Konstas and Green

  • Smith avoids surgery, faces race to be fit for West Indies Tests

  • Khawaja has Ashes backing, but Labuschagne's spot uncertain

Abbott, like Doggett, is uncapped at Test level, was in Australia’s squad which toured Sri Lanka earlier this year and also during the India series at home. He is often considered one of the unluckier players yet to earn a cap.Australia will travel to Barbados in the middle of next week ahead of the first Test which begins on June 25, followed by matches in Grenada and Jamaica, the latter of which will be a day-night encounter.There is a chance Australia could alter the balance of their attack at stages during the series if conditions are conducive to turn with left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann a potential partner for Nathan Lyon alongside two quicks. Beau Webster’s presence in the side means they would still have an extra seamer if needed.”What are we going to get in the Caribbean? We haven’t been there since 2016, so there’s a little bit of the unknown, but we feel as though we’ve got a squad that can cover all bases,” head coach Andrew McDonald said.They will also need to assess the fitness of Steven Smith when they arrive following the compound dislocation he suffered on the third day at Lord’s which has left him doubtful for the opening Test. However, he avoided a break which would likely have required surgery and though he is required to wear a splint for eight weeks may be able to bat in it after around a fortnight.”It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage,” Smith told the ICC. “I think in a splint for eight weeks now and may be able to play with it in a couple of weeks, so it’ll depend on my functionality and what I’m able to do, but it’s probably the best result I could have hoped for.”

Akash Deep ten-for seals statement win for India

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After leaving out Jasprit Bumrah, losing the toss, and waiting out a storm on the morning of day five, India beat England by 336 runs in this second Test, squaring the series 1-1 and winning their first Test at Edgbaston.Fittingly, it was Akash Deep, Bumrah’s “replacement”, who capped off India’s dominance. A maiden five-wicket haul of 6 for 99 dismissed England for 271 in their second innings. He took ten in the match, becoming only the second Indian bowler since Chetan Sharma in 1986 to use English conditions to such devastating effect.Related

  • Stats – India's first win at Edgbaston and it's by a record margin

  • Shubman Gill: 'The game loses its essence' without help for bowlers

  • Stokes' batting in focus as England count cost of Edgbaston errors

  • Breaking Baz – India cook up the perfect new-ball formula

  • 'We ran second for five days' – McCullum admits England got the toss wrong

The glory of a record-breaking Test for Shubman Gill has been enhanced ten-fold. His remarkable batting exploits – centuries in both innings, the first a double, 430 runs all in – have come in his first win as Test captain. Fittingly, Gill took the catch for the final wicket, off Akash Deep, both celebrating wildly themselves before meeting for a hug before they were engulfed by gleeful team-mates.The scale of defeat made a mockery of the notion England might have fancied chasing a target of 608. At no point were they in with a shout.Akash Deep’s 21.1 overs were an exhibition of unerring accuracy, use of the crease, and some devastating seam movement, stating his case for a starting berth of his own come Lord’s. Arriving into Sunday with Ben Duckett and Joe Root already in his back pocket, both bowled from the Pavilion End, he skittled a third from the City End when Ollie Pope defended onto his stumps 19 balls into a delayed morning session.A handful of storms pushed the start time to 12.40pm, losing ten of Sunday’s allotted 90 overs. By 1.04pm, India had the second of the seven wickets they arrived needing, when Harry Brook was pinned on the inside left knee, plumb in front.The nip off an amenable final-day surface was vicious enough to have the England No. 5 limping out of his crease having been given out lbw by umpire Chris Gaffaney. Encouraged by Ben Stokes, Brook reviewed, which only served to offer a few slow-motion close-ups on the big screen of just how far Akash Deep had decked the ball in. Five days of cricket had created enough wear and tear on a pitch that had produced 1692 runs and Akash Deep kept hitting the cracks ruthlessly to gain the kind of movement that left the batters looking terribly unprepared. Brook was a case in point.4:11

Stokes: We weren’t able to deliver our skills when needed

It was then that Jamie Smith arrived, with the score 83 for 5, one run shy of the score when he walked in on day three on his way to a staggering 184 not out. Yet again, he put his team-mates in the shade, top-scoring with an 88 that was controlled, even with its pockets of assault, right until an attempt to strike Akash Deep for a third consecutive six on the leg side fell into the hands of Washington Sundar at deep-backward square-leg.That was Washington’s second involvement on the fourth innings scorecard. His first came at the back end of a settling partnership between Smith and Stokes. A sixth-wicket stand had made it to 70, and almost to a very late lunch, before the tall offspinner struck. Around the wicket to the England captain, on 33, gorgeous drift was followed by enough turn to clip the edge of the left-hander’s pad as he pressed forward to defend. Stokes’ review of umpire Sharfuddoula’s on-field decision was more out of hope than expectation.England did at least successfully overturn one decision, with Smith given out to Prasidh Krishna on 71, only for the projected path to show the ball was expected to clear the top of the stumps by a distance. Prasidh, nevertheless, had a first wicket of the innings when Chris Woakes failed to keep a pull shot down.

Smith would fall three overs later, having already pulled the chord on some retaliatory boundaries. With 272 in the match, he now has the record for the most runs in a Test by an England wicketkeeper.The real glory, however, was with those donned in Indian creams, and the majority of the 18,000 strong crowd, who by now were partying in the stands knowing the end was nigh.It might have come sooner had KL Rahul hung onto a chance at slip off Brydon Carse, or Mohammed Siraj hung on to a skier from the same batter, even though Siraj had taken a spectacular catch at midwicket to see off Josh Tongue six balls earlier. Shoaib Bashir then successfully reviewed a catch to slip off Ravindra Jadeja, who, like Akash Deep earlier in the day, was making use of the uncertain bounce from the City End. But that only allowed the ideal finale of ‘caught Gill, bowled Akash Deep’ as Carse holed out to cover.India were smarting after they had done the running for the first four days in Leeds, only to lose on the day that mattered most. Here in Birmingham, they nailed every single one.

Rain forecast for final day of The Oval Test, but will it affect the result?

by csb10.top Uncategorized

After the climax of The Oval Test spilled over into the final day because of poor light and rain in what has been a thrilling five-Test series, it’s fair to wonder what the weather on the 25th and last day of the series will be like.There is rain around, but there’s no reason to believe there won’t be time to get a result.Both England and India currently have a clear shot at victory, which keeps the possibilities of 2-2 or 3-1 still open. While England are just 35 runs away from lifting the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India need another four wickets, including that of Chris Woakes, who is ready to bat one-handed if needed despite a suspected dislocated shoulder, which is in a sling.The weather forecast for Monday in London says it will mostly be cloudy and breezy with a couple of showers in the afternoon, expected around 2pm local time (6.30pm IST). If the first session is clear, with an 11am local time (3.30pm IST) start, the Test shouldn’t go into the afternoon. According to BBC Weather, there is some chance of rain even around 1pm local time, which, again, might not affect the outcome.The weather has been a feature of this Test – it has rained on three of the four days so far. In the dying moments of the final session of the fourth day, it was bad light that forced the players off the field at around 5.30pm local time, when at least half-an-hour’s play was still left, apart from the extended half-hour which allows action to go on till 6.30pm. It started to rain soon after the players went off and stumps were finally called at 6.01pm.