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He is believed to be unhappy over treatment meted out by SLC during the contracts standoff

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Jul-2021Angelo Mathews has informed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) he is considering retirement, after turning down the tour contract for the forthcoming series against India.Mathews, 34, in understood to be disillusioned at the treatment he and fellow senior players have received during the contracts standoff with the board. He was also unhappy to be dropped from the limited-overs sides earlier this year, though he has since been offered a place in the white-ball squads.Although SLC said his decision to pull out from the India series was down to “personal reasons”, Mathews is believed to have conveyed to the board that he is unhappy with the environment in which he is expected to play. Under the central contracts offered by the board, Mathews was set to take a pay cut in the range of US$ 50,000 (approx. 99,50,000 LKR). This is despite his batting output over the last three years having largely been good, in both Tests and ODIs. Mathews had also raised his fitness levels in early 2020.Related

• Angelo Mathews willing to return to Sri Lanka fold

• Karunaratne, Hasaranga among 18 players to sign SLC contracts as months-long standoff ends

• Dinesh Chandimal seeks clarity from Sri Lanka Cricket about international future

• SL batting coach Grant Flower tests positive for Covid-19 after returning from England

• SLC forms five-member panel to probe Durham bubble breach

Mathews is now expected to take several weeks to consider his future as an international cricketer.Earlier this year, Thisara Perera retired from international cricket soon after it was revealed that he would be dropped from the ODI and T20 teams.Over the past few months, Sri Lanka’s selectors and coach have jettisoned several senior players in favour of younger cricketers, with an eye on the 2023 ODI World Cup. Sri Lanka have, however, won only one ODI of their last five completed matches. They were also whitewashed 3-0 in the recent T20Is by top-ranked England.

The same injury made him miss the whole of Hampshire’s 2020 season

Matt Roller17-Jul-2021Aneurin Donald has been ruled out for a second consecutive summer after a recurrence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw him miss the whole of Hampshire’s 2020 season.Donald, 24, joined Hampshire from Glamorgan in August 2018 citing his desire to play international cricket and had a strong first full season with the club, scoring 554 County Championship runs at 39.57 and making 203 T20 Blast runs while striking at 138.09.But he suffered an ACL injury in December 2019 which required surgery, ruling him out for the whole of the 2020 summer, and reported a knee twist during an intra-squad match in March which has required further reconstructive surgery.The news is a significant blow to Donald’s career. Aged 19, he equalled the record for the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket by hitting 234 off 136 balls against Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay, and he had shown flashes of brilliance in white-ball cricket as a top-order batter. James Clegg, Hampshire’s head of sports science and medicine, said that he was “absolutely confident” that Donald would be able to resume his career in 2022 despite another setback.”Most ACL failures occur when a new unstable episode disrupts the repaired ligament graft,” Clegg said. “In Aneurin’s case, the scans showed that his repaired graft was slowly failing – ultimately you rely on the harvested graft tissue repairing and being able to withstand the demands cricket places on it.”It is really unfortunate Aneurin finds himself back in an ACL rehabilitation programme and these are inevitably long, drawn-out processes but he is the model professional and continues to go above and beyond. Whilst he now unfortunately faces a significant spell on the sidelines, we are targeting a full return to play in 2022 and are absolutely confident Aneurin will return despite this setback.””I’m devastated to be back on the sidelines following my reinjury,” Donald said. “It’s certainly a tough pill to swallow after such a long rehabilitation process that led to me being back in a position to feature on the pitch at the start of this pre-season.”Unfortunately, after trying to continue without a functioning ACL, a scan showing a tear in my meniscus a few weeks later finally led to surgery being the only remaining option. Fortunately, with thanks to Andy Williams and his team at the Fortius Clinic, my second surgery was a success, and I have already begun to dive into the rehabilitation process once again with a full recovery fully expected.”

Campbell also has his eye on Enoch Nkwe, another South African coach, to rejoin Dutch ranks

Firdose Moonda24-Nov-2021Ryan ten Doeschate has been tipped to take over as Netherlands’ national coach by incumbent Ryan Campbell, who heaped praise on the recently retired Dutch international. ten Doeschate retired at the recent T20 World Cup after 19 seasons as a professional cricketer and has travelled with Netherlands to South Africa, where he will work as a mentor. Campbell doesn’t think it will be too long before he will be in the main coaching role.”I know that he is really keen on his coaching,” Campbell said. “He is doing his Level 3 now in England and I have no doubt he has got offers thrown at him left, right and centre. To be honest, I am probably keeping this seat warm because next time we are here, you’ll probably be interviewing him as head coach and not me.”For this tour, which consists of three ODIs, ten Doeschate’s role is to work with Netherlands’ batters. “With our young batting line-up, having someone as calm and as knowledgeable as ten Doeschate in our coaching group, you can’t buy that off a shelf. Our youngsters are spending every minute of the day with Tendo and it’s going to hopefully improve them as cricketers and as people as well. We hope to keep Tendo involved as long as possible.”Related

• Ryan ten Doeschate named Netherlands mentor for South Africa tour

• Campbell: ten Doeschate took call not to play final game before retirement

Campbell added that last statement because Netherlands have not always been able to hang on to ten Doeschate. He took a break from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup until late 2017, during which time he played as a T20 freelancer and captained Essex. It was only on Campbell’s appointment that ten Doeschate agreed to return to the team.”Tendo left Dutch cricket in 2011, and said it wasn’t professional enough, that he had had enough and it was sort of a one-man show,” Campbell said. “When I took over the job in 2017, my No. 1 goal was to prove to Ryan ten Doeschate that we had changed and we were a professional outfit and a really good cricket team and, most importantly, it would be something he would want to get back involved in. It’s one of my proudest moments as a coach to get him back involved and he’s played some amazing games of cricket for us.”In the four years since his return, ten Doeschate has played six List A matches for Netherlands, scoring an unbeaten 65 in their victory over Namibia in Dubai in 2017, and 15 T20Is, in which he scored 319 runs at an average of 39.87 and a strike rate of 135.74. He also continued racking up runs for Essex in red-ball cricket to underline his ability in all formats.”One of the words that gets thrown around way too much in sport is the word great but the fact is that Ryan ten Doeschate will go down as probably the greatest Associate cricketer ever to play the game,” Campbell said. “His numbers for the Dutch stack up against the world’s best. I think his ODI record is equal, or even in front of Virat Kohli’s. Unfortunately, Covid-19 cost us and him the last year and a half or two years of his career. But you can’t lose quality people and quality players as a system and so I have tried to move heaven and earth to make sure he gets involved as a coach.”Campbell also has his eye on another South African coach to rejoin Dutch ranks. Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s former assistant coach who resigned before the T20 World Cup, worked as Campbell’s assistant in 2017 and has close ties with Netherlands and Associate cricket, which Campbell hopes will result in him heading back to their set-up soon.”Enoch is a really good coach and he is one of those who want to improve the game. I’ve texted our high-performance manager to tell him we need to find out about Enoch’s plans and see if we can get him back into Dutch cricket.”

South Africa’s commanding show consigned a swashbuckling fifty from Rishabh Pant to a footnote; India lost their fourth game in a row on the tour

Vishal Dikshit21-Jan-20223:07

Cullinan: Very pleased to see de Kock play so freely

A stroke-filled, aggressive half-century from Quinton de Kock followed by a measured fifty from Janneman Malan broke the back of India’s flat-looking bowling attack to consign the visitors to their fourth straight loss of the tour and give South Africa the ODI series. South Africa’s commanding performance consigned a swashbuckling half-century from Rishabh Pant to a footnote, as they chased down 288 with all of seven wickets to spare.Barring Pant’s 85, India’s middle order failed to impress again. They were eyeing 300 or more but the hosts’ bowlers fought back in the middle overs to snatch the momentum from India.de Kock set the tone early for the chase by attacking every bowler he saw. He went after balls that were marginally wide or full, especially in the second over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, dispatching him for a six behind square and two fours on the leg side. de Kock didn’t spare Jasprit Bumrah’s erring lengths either, and along with Malan collected 11 from R Ashwin in the eighth over to bring up the fifty partnership. That over also offered de Kock a life when Pant missed a stumping on the second ball, and the batter made India pay with a sweep for six the very next ball.

SA penalised for slow over rate

South Africa have been fined 20% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate against India in the second ODI in Paarl on Friday.

Andy Pycroft of the ICC Elite Panel of match referees imposed the sanction after Temba Bavuma’s side was ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. On-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Adrien Holdstock, third umpire Bongani Jele and fourth umpire Allauhudien Palekar levelled the charge.

Bavuma pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over rate offences, players are fined 20% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

Malan was more sedate but always prepared for the poor balls. He deftly used the pace of the quick bowlers and pierced gaps against the spinners with his sweeps and reverse sweeps. de Kock got to a fifty off 36 balls, and brought up the century of the partnership with a big six over wide long-on off Bhuvneshwar – that shot brought the asking rate to under 5.50 an over from the remaining 34 overs.It was the eighth century opening partnership India have conceded in 23 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, and it reflected their flat performance in the series.Quinton de Kock got South Africa off to a blazing start•AFP via Getty Images

Shardul Thakur broke the opening stand with a low and inswinging full toss that struck de Kock in front to dismiss him on 78 off 66. Malan then chaperoned the chase, with a patient Temba Bavuma by his side. The duo chipped away with regular singles and twos in a fifty stand of their own. Malan fell in Bumrah’s second spell when he misjudged and gloved an offcutter onto the stumps, but by then South Africa needed a comfortable 76 from 92 balls. Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram saw them home, for the further loss of only Bavuma, who handed a return catch to Yuzvendra Chahal on 35.India had opted to bat and had a brisk opening stand between Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. Dhawan got off the mark with a flick off his pads for four and punished both Sisanda Magala and Lungi Ngidi, but he fell when he tried attacking Aiden Markram for a second four in the 12th over, not able to clear deep midwicket.Rahul enjoyed more luck at the other end, getting as many as three lives – on 8, 27 and 42. He was first put down by Malan at gully in the fifth over, then survived a run-out chance, and was dropped by Markram in the 27th. Around these chances, he played anchor as Pant went for his shots after Virat Kohli handed a straightforward catch to cover for a five-ball duck.Pant joined Rahul when Keshav Maharaj and Markram had choked India’s scoring rate. Soon after Rahul survived that run-out chance, Pant cut loose with his usual array of shots – the powerful slog sweeps, the fierce cuts, and the unorthodox slaps on the leg side… He overtook Rahul’s score in the 24th over, collecting three fours in the over off Shamsi.India were cruising at 179 for 2 in the 32nd, when they lost Rahul and Pant in successive overs. Rahul flicked a catch to midwicket and Shamsi had the last laugh when he had Pant caught at long-on for 85. Shamsi trapped Shreyas Iyer lbw four overs later. Venkatesh Iyer was stumped down the leg side off Andile Phehlukwayo – like Pant was in the first ODI – with India running out of batters at 239 or 6 with over six overs left to play.Thakur and R Ashwin salvaged things a bit for India in the end, with a few elegant strokes in their unbroken stand of 48 off 38. Thakur dispatched Phehlukwayo over midwicket for six and thumped him to the straight boundary for four before going after Shamsi and Maharaj in his unbeaten 40 off 38. Ashwin too swept Maharaj for six in the 47th and capped the innings with a drive over the covers for four. Ultimately, though, it would not be enough for India.

Allrounder hopes late fireworks in Bridgetown can turn heads ahead of mega-auction

Matt Roller24-Jan-2022Just like anyone else, IPL owners, head coaches and general managers are afflicted by recency bias. Whenever the time comes to sit down at the auction table, performances that are fresh in the memory are given greater weighting than those that happened several months previously.It is no surprise, given their usual windows in the calendar, that players who have performed well in the most recent Big Bash season tend to be popular at IPL auctions, regardless of the difference in standard and conditions. It is a widespread, long-standing cognitive bias – and one that cricketers themselves are fully aware of.In that light, England and West Indies’ players know that they are not only competing for a series win and for long-term retention in their respective XIs in Barbados this week, but also for a bigger bid at the auction. And with a dearth of seam-bowling allrounders available in the auction longlist – Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes all opted out, while Chris Morris recently announced his retirement – Romario Shepherd’s fireworks on Sunday night have done his chances of a deal no harm at all.Shepherd hit 44 not out from 28 balls from No. 7 to take West Indies within one run of England’s total, adding 72 off 29 in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand with Akeal Hosein to add a sense of jeopardy to what had looked like a cruise to victory. Thirty of his runs came in sixes, including two over the longer leg-side boundary off Chris Jordan and one off Liam Dawson that cleared the Garfield Sobers Pavilion.”I try to focus on what is at hand right now and try and put my all in here,” Shepherd, who has entered February’s auction with an Rs. 75 lakh ($100,000 USD approx.) base price, said. “Eventually, if an IPL contract comes, that would be great for me. I’m not saying that I don’t think about it – I do think about it, but I try not to think about it during a game, I just focus on wherever the game is and trying to get ourselves out of a situation.”It’s a great platform. For any youngster, it’s their dream to go to the IPL and I’m no different. I’m trying my best to get myself in there, but at the same time trying to win a series here. It’s something that I’ve dreamed about for a very long time. My name was in the [auction] for the last three years, so this year, I’m looking forward to it.”Related

• Resilient Powell serves up lethal T20 cocktail to leave England feeling punch-drunk

• Reece Topley embraces the pressure in overdue return to T20I colours

• Death-bowling problems return to take shine off England win

• Moeen expects Mahmood to 'learn from' off-night at death

• England climb off the canvas to level series with one-run victory

Shepherd had struggled early on in his innings, scoring only one single from his first seven balls and failing to pick Adil Rashid out of the hand, but immediately targeted Dawson when he came on to bowl the 13th over. He was one of only a handful of batters to clear the longer boundary – around 90 metres towards midwicket – and his clean hitting left England hanging on by their fingertips.”When I went out, the coach told me to take a few balls,” he explained. “Then when I got out there the ball was spinning and Rashid got me. I was like one off six balls, one off seven balls, so I was kind of on the back foot.”When I saw Liam come on for his first over, I said to myself I would try and take him down. I hit him for two sixes in that over so that gave me a push-start there. Eventually I started flowing better at the crease.”It plays with your mind to see that one side is very short and one side is very long. Eventually when Jordan came in that over, I had no choice but to try and take on the long boundary. I know as long as I hit them well, the boundary don’t matter.”Hosein hit three fours and two sixes off Saqib Mahmood’s final over to keep the game tense until the final ball, but was aggrieved that Mahmood’s first legitimate ball was not given as a wide, having appeared to reach him past the tramline. But Shepherd said that Joel Wilson, the umpire, was “only human” and that West Indies were more concerned about a sloppy night in the field than his decision-making.”I told Akeal: ‘don’t worry about it, you can hit the next couple for six and he can bowl a no-ball or another wide,'” Shepherd said. “The umpire missed that one, but he’s just human – hopefully he can correct his mistake in the upcoming games. I think that was a wide but he didn’t think so.”Yesterday was a total off-day: we didn’t field well, we didn’t catch well. Those are some of the little things that [cost] us last night: we could have got them down to less than 170 but we fielded poorly.”Reacting to the contest’s unexpected ending, England’s player-of-the-match Moeen Ali admitted that the power in West Indies’ batting line-up was “very scary”, and Shepherd agreed with the sentiment.”It must be frightening for other teams to know that our No. 10 batsman can do that,” he said. “For us, it’s a very big confidence booster for us to know that we bat this deep. We showed how well we can bat and we can get ourselves out of a situation from nowhere.”We just need to focus a little more on the powerplay and the middle phase, because the back end will take care of itself. We have a lot of power at the back end. We have to continue to work and hopefully we can pull off something special and win this series.”

Promoted assistant eyes chance to “reset and rebuild” with squad to be named on Tuesday

Matt Roller07-Feb-2022Paul Collingwood will be England’s head coach for their Test series against West Indies next month after being appointed as a stand-in by Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s interim managing director of men’s cricket.Chris Silverwood was sacked last week after just over two years as head coach, paying the price for England’s latest thrashing in an away Ashes series. Ashley Giles also lost his job as managing director following the 4-0 series defeat.Collingwood, who was appointed as an assistant coach in late 2019 after several years working as a consultant for the England team, filled in as head coach when Silverwood missed an ODI series against Ireland in 2020 and recently oversaw the 3-2 defeat against West Indies in last month’s T20I series in Barbados.He has stayed in Barbados on holiday and will join up with the Test squad when they arrive in Antigua on February 25. England are due to play a four-day warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground – their first trip back since the infamous Stanford 20/20 for $20 million in 2008 – on March 1 ahead of the first Test at North Sound on March 8.Related

• Strauss calls on ECB to be 'bold and radical' in resetting red-ball fortunes

• Harrison denies he is 'clinging on for grim death' as ECB chief executive

• Miller: Giles' fatalism sealed his fate – Test revival depends on tough calls

• Root to remain Test captain as Thorpe becomes latest Ashes casualty

• Collingwood: Players 'deserve medals, not criticism' for Ashes

The ECB are expected to announce the squad for the tour on Tuesday, with Alex Lees, James Bracey and Josh Bohannon among the contenders to bolster England’s batting after they failed to reach 300 across five Ashes Tests. Strauss – who is part of the interim selection panel along with Collingwood and national scout James Taylor – confirmed last week that Joe Root would continue as captain, insisting he was “100% the right person to take this team forward”.”I am genuinely excited to be leading the Test team for the tour of the Caribbean,” Collingwood said. “I can’t wait to get started. Having a challenging Test series against the West Indies straight off the back of the Ashes disappointment gives us a chance from now to reset and rebuild.”Playing Test matches for England is the highest accolade in the game. My objective is to give players clarity, direction and encouragement for them to start building something special.”I have spoken to Joe Root and Ben Stokes, and both are excited and passionate to take the team forward in this new cycle. Although they know it won’t be easy, they have the desire and bravery to do things differently to ensure the team can prosper. We have an opportunity to get back on track.”Collingwood could be a contender for the vacancy as England’s head coach on a full-time basis. His lack of experience in a similar position at county or franchise level counts against him – not least after the gamble to promote Silverwood from within backfired – but he will be a strong candidate as white-ball coach if the roles are split, as Strauss suggested last week.Collingwood was the first England men’s captain to lift an ICC trophy, the 2010 World T20, and has worked closely with Eoin Morgan since his international retirement in 2011. He raised eyebrows last month when he said that players deserved “medals, not criticism” for making it through the Ashes series but his focus on player welfare and mental health could be viewed favourably given England’s relentless schedule.Marcus Trescothick, England’s other assistant coach, is likely to be part of Collingwood’s backroom staff for the Caribbean tour, with further appointments to follow this week. Richard Dawson, the elite performance pathway coach who led England to the Under-19 World Cup final, is expected to be part of the touring party.February 7, 2022, 1330 GMT – This story was updated to add details of England’s interim selection panel

Sri Lanka have now lost their last eight T20Is in Australia. They had also been whitewashed 3-0 in 2019

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-2022

Big picture

Two matches in to the series, it seemed like Sri Lanka were going to make Australia sweat. In both those games their bowling restricted an explosive Australia middle order, and the second game went to a Super Over. Since then, though, Sri Lanka have lost key players to either injury or Covid-19, and Australia have cruised home twice. Sri Lanka’s main problem is their batting. With Charith Asalanka struggling to produce the sorts of innings he lit up the T20 World Cup with, and several of the other top-order batters struggling, Sri Lanka are frequently losing matches inside the first ten overs of their innings.Australia, meanwhile, have showcased their depth – several fringe players producing excellent performances. Josh Inglis, who had not previously played for Australia, is the leading run scorer in the series, while with the ball Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson, and even Ashton Agar have kept Sri Lanka’s batters under pressure. They’ve won the last two matches so convincingly they’ve barely needed their finishers.Related

• Josh Inglis right at home on international stage

• Agar, the opener, wants to 'thrive than survive' as Australia seek right balance

• The Ashton Agar puzzle for Australia

If the hosts win on Sunday they will have recorded their first whitewash in a five-match T20I series. It’ll take Sri Lanka’s batters raising their game substantially to prevent that.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLLW

In the spotlight

Josh Inglis’ scoops, rasping pull shots and crunching drives have brought him 132 runs at a strike rate of 150 this series, prodding Australia forward through the early middle overs. He hadn’t exactly set the recent Big Bash League on fire with his batting, so this is a well-timed coming to form. He has been so impressive Australia will struggle to displace him once their first-choice top order returns.Maheesh Theekshana rarely seems to stray far from his tight wicket-to-wicket line•Gallo Images/Getty Images

With or without Wanindu Hasaranga in the XI, fingerspinner Maheesh Theekshana has continued to be quietly impressive. So far in his international career, he hasn’t been a big wicket-taker, though in four matches this series he has managed five dismissals. He provides consistently cheap powerplay overs and rarely seems to stray far from his tight wicket-to-wicket line. He has not had the attention of some of the other emerging players, but he has been one of Sri Lanka’s best finds of the past 12 months.

Pitch and conditions

Expect the MCG surface to be good for batting again. The forecast suggests rain will not interrupt play.

Team news

With Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all rested, and Steven Smith out with concussion, Australia don’t have a lot of scope for changing their XI. Though they may just think about giving either Moises Henriques, or Travis Head, or both a game, as those players have not yet appeared in this series.Australia (probable): 1 Ashton Agar, 2 Ben McDermott, 3 Aaron Finch (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Moises Henriques/Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Sams, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Kane RichardsonSri Lanka, similarly, don’t have a lot of options, as Avishka Fernando, Binura Fernando, Hasaranga and Ramesh Mendis are all unavailable. They may think about bringing in Janith Liyanage for the misfiring Danushka Gunathilaka.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Janith Liyanage, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have now lost their last eight T20Is in Australia. They had also been whitewashed 3-0 in 2019.
• Pathum Nissanka is by a distance the top scorer of the series so far, with 171 runs. Those runs have come somewhat slowly, however – his strike rate is 113.
• Although clearly one of the best T20I teams on the planet, even a win on Sunday is not enough to lift Australia into the top five on the team rankings table. Sri Lanka languish at tenth.

Australia’s first-wicket pair put on 216 runs – the highest partnership at this edition of the tournament

Valkerie Baynes29-Mar-2022Australia secured their place in the World Cup final after a powerful century by Alyssa Healy and her dominant opening stand with Rachael Haynes set West Indies a target that proved well out of their reach.The 157-run drubbing reflected each side’s path to the semi-finals, Australia unbeaten after starting the tournament as overwhelming favourites for the title and West Indies scraping into the top four on India’s last-ball heartbreak at the hands of South Africa in their final group-stage match.Australia’s opening pair put on 216 runs – the highest partnership of the tournament so far – passing the 196 by Haynes and Meg Lanning for the second wicket against England, to post an imposing total of 305 for 3 from 45 overs after rain over Wellington’s Basin Reserve had delayed the start by an hour and 45 minutes.Related

• Healy and Haynes, the fine line between desire and deed, and a date with World Cup destiny

Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews began the chase as aggressively as their hefty target required, but they both fell for 34. By the time captain Stafanie Taylor dug in for a steadying but rather circumspect innings, it was too late.Australia will play the winner of Thursday’s second semi-final between defending champions England and South Africa in the title decider.Despite a sedate start by Healy, West Indies’ bowlers struggled to find their lines and lengths after winning the toss. A rash of fielding mistakes spread from tough chance to squandered gifts as Healy overtook Haynes, to whom she’d played a supporting role initially. Healy’s first fifty runs came off 63 balls while her second came from just 28 and she finished with 17 fours and a six.After the powerplay, reduced to nine overs because of the rain delay, Australia were 37 without loss, although Healy hadn’t found the boundary while Haynes looked in fine touch, punishing anything short or overpitched as she picked off four fours en route to 26 from 34 balls.With four spinners at her disposal, Taylor turned to Matthews in the ninth over and she got her offbreaks turning sharply at the outset, using a patch of green grass outside the right-hander’s off stump to find some grip.Encouraged, Taylor brought on Anisa Mohammed – a replacement for Afy Fletcher, who was out after testing positive for Covid-19 – a short time later and her third legitimate delivery – a full toss – yielded Healy’s first four as she cleared mid-on.With Healy finding her groove, having survived on 5 when Chinelle Henry spilled a difficult return catch, she struck three fours off six balls from Mohammed and Henry, and Karishma Ramharack promptly replaced Mohammed in the attack as West Indies searched for a way to break the union.Even a return to pace with Dottin failed and both batters brought up their fifties in the same Ramharack over, the 22nd of the innings, before Dottin conceded 18 off her third over in which a gorgeous Haynes pull to the deep midwicket boundary was bookended by fours driven wide of cover and threaded through fine leg by Healy.Haynes miscued a sweep off Ramharack but was put down by Shamilia Connell at midwicket, and by the time Healy heaved Ramharack over mid-off, a patch of bright sunshine had broken through. But the pall of missed opportunity hung heavy over West Indies when Matthews put down a sitter at mid-on four balls later that would have seen Haynes dismissed for 61.It got even worse for West Indies as Mohammed, chasing hard to stop another Healy boundary, pulled up with what looked like a serious hamstring injury and had to be driven from the field.Healy then smacked a Ramharack full toss from about a foot above head height down the ground for a 73m six over long-on and struck the next ball for four back down the ground to move to 98. She brought up her maiden World Cup century – and fourth in ODIs – with a single through cover, with a visceral “yeeeeessss!” as she struck the ball.Beth Mooney took a stunning catch early in the chase•ICC via Getty Images

Healy was put down again on 123 by substitute fielder Shakera Selman running in from long-on, but she made amends a short time later, diving forwards at mid-off to hold onto a Healy top-edge off Connell and finally give West Indies a wicket in the 33rd over.Australia plumped for big-hitting finisher Ashleigh Gardner instead of usual No. 3 Meg Lanning but she failed to make and impact and Haynes fell spooning Henry to Dottin at extra cover for 85. Beth Mooney produced a neat cameo of 43 not out off 31 balls, including three consecutive fours off Taylor, as she and Lanning added 68 runs.Mooney then took a screamer during West Indies’ chase, diving to her right at square leg to pluck the ball from the air almost after it had passed her, which left bowler Megan Schutt aghast and Rashada Williams trudging off the field for a duck.At the end of the powerplay, West Indies were on track at 39 for 1 but Tahlia McGrath entered the attack in the 10th over and struck with her third ball as Dottin holed out to Annabel Sutherland at long-on.By the time Jess Jonassen removed Matthews, caught by Alana King who had earlier copped a nasty blow to the neck trying to stop a ball flicked soundly by Matthews on the bounce to midwicket, the required run rate was nudging 10 per over. And it crept ever higher as West Indies lost 3 for 8 in 10 balls, including Chedean Nation, run out by none other than Healy, while she was attempting a second run.Taylor was dropped on 46 by Sutherland off Gardner, although Gardner trapped Ramharack lbw next ball. With the injured Mohammed and an unwell Henry unable to bat, Australia progressed when King had Taylor caught by Jonassen at backward point for 48, sealing a comprehensive victory and a seventh World Cup final berth.

Notts skipper plunders unbeaten 55-ball hundred as Fletcher shines with bat and ball

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2022Steven Mullaney and Luke Fletcher left Middlesex facing the prospect of their heaviest ever runs defeat at Lord’s on a sobering third day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash.Mullaney plundered a magnificent unbeaten 55-ball hundred littered with mighty blows while Fletcher scored his second 50 of the match and Joe Clarke hit 66 not out before the visitors declared on 295 for 5, some 515 runs ahead.Fletcher wasn’t done there either, ripping out both Middlesex openers for ducks among figures of 2 for 6 as the host struggled to 69 for 3 at the close.They need to reach 216 to avoid rewriting the record books, having lost by 301 runs to Ray Illingworth’s Leicestershire at the home of cricket in 1976.First-innings centurion Haseeb Hameed departed early after slashing a wide ball from Toby Roland-Jones to Sam Robson at slip.Fletcher, however, revelled in his role as night-watchman, picking up where he’d left off 24 hours earlier to plant a rare half-volley from Tim Murtagh into the grandstand. The shot travelled down the stairs of the stand meaning Middlesex opener Mark Stoneman was forced to temporarily leave the field to retrieve the ball from the spectator concourse.While Ben Slater took 28 balls to get off the mark, Fletcher made hay in the sun, forging on to make his second 50 of the match, the first time he’d ever achieved the feat in his professional career. As in the first innings he departed to his next ball, trapped lbw by Martin Andersson.Ben Duckett continued the momentum, hitting Luke Hollman for three fours in an over before attempting to reverse sweep the leg-spinner only to send it down the throat of skipper Peter Handscomb at long leg.Hollman, who returned three for 77, struck again in his first over after lunch with a superb caught and bowled to remove Slater and he later dislodged Lyndon James’ off-bail with one which proved too close to cut.The remainder of the innings however was batting carnage, Joe Clarke pulling a short ball from Murtagh into the Grandstand as he moved to 50 in 73 balls.This though was snail-like compared to skipper Mullaney, who first hit Hollman out of the attack before planting his replacement Josh De Caires into the Warner Stand over cover as his half-century came in 31 balls.Incredibly he then accelerated, racing to 100 in another 24 deliveries, smiting Andersson for two sixes in an over and then belting Hollman back over his head with a shot which struck the pavilion sightscreen.The declaration came leaving Middlesex facing a record chase for 516 or pragmatically four sessions to bat for a draw.Fletcher all but ruined those hopes with his opening salvo, removing Stoneman caught a slip for a second ball duck before bowling De Caires, also without scoring, the ball deviating from the glove to the wicket, the youngster’s decision to withdraw the bat having come too late.Handscomb somehow survived 46 torturous minutes before edging James Pattinson to Duckett at second slip to leave the Seaxes 32 for 3.Robson though stood firm, surviving a huge caught behind shout when on 6 to reach a stubborn 50 shortly before the close and hopes of an unlikely draw rest heavily on the shoulders of the former England opener.

Seamer revels in the moment after “rollercoaster” first day in Test cricket

Andrew Miller02-Jun-2022After a staggering first day of punch and counter-punch at Lord’s, Durham’s debutant Matthew Potts promised there would be no let-up in England’s pedal-to-the-metal approach in the first LV= Insurance Test against New Zealand, after warming to the theme of a chaotic day with the standout figures of 4 for 13 in 9.2 overs.If it was a rollercoaster for England as a whole – as they somehow managed to squander New Zealand’s post-lunch scoreline of 45 for 7 to finish a 17-wicket day with the prospect of a first-innings lead in doubt – then Potts’ own performance epitomised their wild swings in fortune.A wicket with his fifth ball in Tests, and that of New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson too; two nerve-testing catches on the fine leg boundary; a worrying moment of cramp that caused him to leave the field midway through his final over, and finally a second-ball duck in his maiden innings, as Trent Boult bombed his gloves with a bouncer that ballooned to slip. It’s been quite the ride already, and his career is only 78 overs old.”We’ve had an eventful day,” Potts said, as England limped to the close still in deficit. “We’ve come to entertain, that’s our first and foremost thing, and it’s been an entertaining day of cricket, and it’s one that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I know the team’s enjoyed it. And we’re still in a contest to win a game of Test cricket here.Related

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“We’ve got three wickets left in hand, we’re going to attack the day tomorrow and then when we get the opportunity to bowl, we’re going to put it in the same areas we’ve put it in today and we’re going to pick them up and hopefully try to win the game of Test cricket.”We’re going to throw our punches. Personally I think it’s very, very entertaining, I think it’s what we all want to see. We want to exchange blows, and if they throw us two, we’ll throw them four. So we’ll just see what happens.”It was a remarkably composed assessment of the first day of England’s new era under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, Potts’ Durham team-mate. But it was also in keeping with what is already a remarkable season for Potts, who demanded selection for this contest with the stand-out stats of 35 wickets at 18.57, including four hauls of six wickets or more, and has now improved his season’s first-class average to 39 at 17.”I’ve wanted the approach that I’ve taken towards my Durham cricket, and I see no change in the way I’m looking to approach it,” he said. “Maybe the outcome’s slightly different – a little bit of a bigger scale, a bigger stage – but I’m personally trying to bring the same kind of gameplan to the forefront, and that’s one of the assets that’s got me picked, and hopefully deliver on that.”Perhaps nothing displayed his sang froid better than his two steepling catches in the afternoon session, both of them top-edged pulls off James Anderson that could have given him far too much time to think about the consequences. But, having already done his utmost to block out the acclaim from an already supportive crowd, he was able to set himself well and pocket them with ease.Debutant Matthew Potts is up in the air after getting Kane Williamson as his first wicket•PA Images/Getty

“The first one I didn’t see,” he said. “I looked up and thought ‘oh no, can it not go to deep square instead of fine leg’. But when the ball goes up, I’ll always put my hand forward and try to catch the ball. It’s all about how [the crowd] affects you. I don’t know how I will react if I gee the crowd up. The body does weird things. Especially on this stage. It’s nice to know I have the country’s support but there’s no need to get distracted. I was focused on the job at hand.”Potts did, however, permit himself a moment of pure joy when, having brought into the attack early by Stokes, he struck before his first over was complete, as Williamson pressed forward to a good length on off, and Ben Foakes stooped behind the stumps to deliver England’s fourth and most-prized wicket of a wild first ten overs.”Honestly, I felt very composed before the first ball, and then I bowled a long-hop second ball and I was very nervous after that,” Potts said. “But I just focused on putting it in a good area, hitting the pitch hard with a bit of wobble on it, and that ball nipped off a good length, drawing a bit of a false shot, with a nice catch from Foakesy.”I mean, absolute elation,” he added. “A Test debut at the home of cricket, in the pinnacle format of cricket, and then to get the New Zealand captain out fifth ball. Absolutely over the moon and can’t put into words really how that feels. I know it probably meant an awful lot to me, and an awful lot to my family as well.”By the end of New Zealand’s innings, England’s newest boy was in a race to a five-wicket haul with the oldest stager James Anderson. But then, after two balls of his tenth over, Potts felt his calf tighten and he barely had time to think before Stokes had grabbed the ball from him and told him to rest up for the business end of the contest.”We had them nine-down and the calves were barking at me a little bit,” Potts said. “An eight-over spell, a bit of soft ground and me probably throwing 110, 115% into it without realising. A bit of nerves probably takes its toll on the body.”I could have gone for five. I told Stokesy I could keep on bowling. I am the first person to keep on battling through things at Durham. But it was more of a case of making sure you don’t pull anything or do anything stupid,” he added. “I’m trying to get myself right and win a Test, rather than us be a bowler down because I’ve pulled a calf trying to take five.”Stokesy took the decision off me and said ‘get off the pitch, go rest and we’ll get the last wicket’. He said ‘you make sure you’re ready for the second innings’ because that is crucial, that’s where the endgame is going to be.”Even though his first day of England cricket didn’t end with quite the dominance it had promised, Potts was phlegmatic about the ebbs and flows already experienced.”Look, you don’t have a gameplan set in stone, you know gameplans don’t always go the way they should, and we have to be able to adapt and that’s what we’re going to have to do,” he said. “Yes, it was a rollercoaster, yes I wanted to take the boots off and just put the feet up. But the battleplan’s always changing, and we’re constantly changing on the move.”The way we want to play our cricket is entertaining, we want to be on the forefront of it, we want to be on the front foot, and I think that’s the way we’re going to go with it.”