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On a rain-hit day, West extend lead to 384 despite Saurabh and Jain strikes, while South need 194 runs to beat North

Himanshu Agrawal07-Jul-2023Cheteshwar Pujara hit his 60th first-class century to leave West Zone in a dominating position on the third day of their Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone in Alur. Rain stopped play immediately after he was run-out for 133, with West ending on 292 for 9 – thus, 384 ahead of Central – even as no play was possible after that stoppage.Pujara added crucial partnerships with the middle and lower orders after West were 150 for 4 at one stage, when Saurabh Kumar dismissed Sarfaraz Khan for 6. He shared important stands of 47, 32, 21 and 26 for the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth wickets, respectively, as the defending champions took one step towards the final. Pujara picked up pace towards the latter stage of his innings after initially taking his time to build his innings, going for his shots with the tail for company.However, Central’s spinners Saurabh and Saransh Jain kept a lid at the other end, sharing seven of the nine wickets to fall between them. In fact, all six wickets went to the duo on the third day, with Saurabh finishing with 4 for 79, and Jain with 3 for 56. After Saurabh had struck first to remove the overnight batter Sarfaraz, Jain grabbed the next three wickets to keep West in check before Saurabh got Chintan Gaja.That continued a sensational Duleep Trophy for Saurabh, who leads the wicket-taking charts with 16. However, his batting team-mates might have to deliver something special even if West were to declare at this stage and set Central 385 to win. And they will be especially wary during the chase after having folded for 128 in the first innings.R Sai Kishore celebrates a wicket with his South Zone team-mates•PTI

Rain spoiled the party in nearby Bengaluru too, leaving the match between South Zone and North Zone tantalisingly poised ahead of the final day’s play. Inclement weather interrupted play after South were 21 without loss in their chase of 215, first forcing an early tea break and then complete abandonment of the evening session. But before that, Vijaykumar Vyshak’s 5 for 76 helped South restrict North to 211 in the second innings, after they were three runs ahead in the first.Vyshak led the way, picking up four of the last seven wickets to fall, as North slid from a comfortable position of 146 for 3. The collapse began when Prabhsimran Singh, on 63, found the fielder at deep square leg while trying to pull a short ball from Vyshak in the 37th over. Two overs later, Sai Kishore dismissed Ankit Kumar, while Vyshak struck twice in the 46th: he first had Jayant Yadav inside edging on to his stumps, and then Pulkit Narang slashing one to slip.Vyshak’s fifth came when Ricky Bhui held on to a good, low catch down the leg side to send Nishant Sindhu back, even as Sai Kishore helped clean the tail up with the last two wickets to fall.Earlier, Prabhsimran played an enterprising knock which contained 11 fours, although North needed help from No. 9 Harshit Rana to boost their score. Rana smashed 38 at better than a run a ball, setting the game up for a final day which could see more rain breaks.

Graham Clark chimes in with 72 as visitors post their record List A total of 427 for 9

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2023Memorable hitting from Alex Lees, David Bedingham and Graham Clark propelled Durham to a record List A total of 427 for 9 at Hove, setting up a crushing 132-run win against shell-shocked Sussex Sharks – later bowled out for 295 – in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.A good-sized crowd of more than 2,000 saw Durham captain and former England Test opener Lees score a magnificent career-best 144, from 107 balls and featuring 19 fours.But as impressive as Lees was, the truly spectacular strokeplay came from Bedingham, who struck seven sixes and six fours in a runaway 102 from just 54 balls, and Clark, whose 58-ball 72 included three sixes and seven fours.Bedingham and Lees blitzed 194 for the second wicket in only 19 overs after Clark and Lees had opened up with 135 in the first 17 overs following Durham’s decision to bat.Only Tom Haines, with 65 from 56 balls, put up any sort of challenge to Durham’s massive score as Tom Alsop was bowled in the second over of Sussex’s reply and returning Indian Test star Cheteshwar Pujara disappointingly slapped a return catch to off-spinner George Drissell.James Coles also pulled a long hop from Liam Trevaskis to midwicket to go for 12 and Haines edged Jonathan Bushnell’s medium pace behind to leave the Sharks 113 for 4 in the 19th over. From there it was only a matter of time before Durham completed victory, although Fynn Hudson-Prentice had some lower-order fun with two sixes and eight fours of his own in a 34-ball 65 and Henry Crocombe helped himself to a career-high 47 before being last man out.Lees struck a remarkable six fours in one seven-ball Crocombe over, which included a no ball and cost the young paceman 26 runs, while off-spinner Jack Carson’s first three overs were plundered for 41. To both Sussex bowlers’ credit, they stuck to their thankless tasks on a belting batting pitch to finish with 3 for 81 and 4 for 83 respectively.Bedingham struck left-arm quick Bradley Currie for three sixes in an over, and two straight sixes off successive balls from slow left-armer Coles. His first six, perhaps the biggest hit of the lot, was hoisted off Carson, and he also swung Haines’ medium pace high over the same hospitality boxes.Clark, who took two legside sixes off Hudson-Prentice’s seam-up and a glorious extra cover four besides, began the carnage by flipping Steven Finn over the long leg ropes in the former England fast bowler’s fourth over with the new ball, which also contained three legside wides. Finn later left the field, despite some boundary-edge treatment, and also did not bat.There were 12 sixes and 37 fours in Durham’s imposing total, which comfortably eclipsed their previous List A best of 405 for 4, made against Kent at Beckenham in 2021.At one stage, when the Lees-Bedingham stand was at its height, it looked as if Durham would make 500, let alone top 400. Indeed, at the 35-over mark they were 320 for 1 but Lees fell in the next over to spark a collapse – if it could be called that – of six wickets for 19 runs in 4.3 overs.However, Bushnell and Michael Jones then added a sensibly-paced 65 in eight overs for the eighth wicket, and Durham’s score easily passed 400 in the end.Jones drove Crocombe straight for six in a 29-ball 38 before falling to a catch in the deep off the same bowler in the penultimate over. Drissell managed one neatly cut four in a brief stay and Bushnell remained unbeaten on 37, from 31 balls.Earlier, Crocombe had Clark caught at deep square leg and later added the wickets of Bedingham, taken at long off in the 37th over, while Carson sent back Lees, leg-before sweeping, Migael Pretorius, Ben McKinney and Trevaskis in quick succession.When Hudson-Prentice bowled Paul Coughlin, at the start of the 41st over, Durham were suddenly 348 for seven but the Jones-Bushnell partnership ensured a record-breaking total was reached.

PCB chairman says cricket committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq will be part of the process to decide whether changes are needed

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2023PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that “no concrete decisions” have been taken regarding the composition of Pakistan’s coaching and management staff, addressing speculation over whether there would be changes made under the new PCB administration.In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Ashraf said the decision would be made on the recommendation of a newly-formed cricket committee headed by former captain and national coach Misbah-ul-Haq.”I don’t think it matters whether coaches are local or foreign,” Ashraf said. “There’s no concrete decision on whether to change coaches as of now. I’ve created a committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq. That committee will look at all cricketing matters and will consult any cricketers they want to be a part of it. When they give us their final analysis, I’ll get involved in the discussion and we’ll make a joint decision that is in the best interests of Pakistan cricket.”It is the first time there has been any official communication from the PCB about the fate of the Pakistan men’s coaches since the recent tour of Sri Lanka, where Pakistan won the Test series 2-0. Over the past week, ESPNcricinfo understands there were robust internal discussions on the fate of the coaches and team manager, with some reports suggesting an immediate change was inevitable.Mickey Arthur was appointed Pakistan team director in April, with Grant Bradburn, who previously served as Pakistan’s fielding coach, becoming head coach the following month. Rehan-ul-Haq, who was general manager of Islamabad United for all eight seasons in the Pakistan Super League, was appointed team manager of the national side. Each of those appointments took place during Najam Sethi’s interim six-month stint as PCB chairman.While the committee is yet to formally convene, Misbah has in the past made clear his disapproval of some of the coaching arrangements. He called the PCB’s pursuit of Arthur under Sethi “a slap on Pakistan cricket”, and had replaced Arthur as Pakistan head coach in 2019.The simmering unrest comes ahead of a busy time for the Pakistan side, who return to Sri Lanka to play a three-ODI series against Afghanistan, before co-hosting the Asia Cup. They are then set to travel to India for the World Cup. The PCB has repeatedly said travel to India for the World Cup will be contingent on government approval and mutual agreement on appropriate venues, a point Ashraf repeated in this interview.

Meanwhile, Former Australia Test paceman Peter Siddle leaves Strikers to join Renegades while Queensland quick Mark Steketee moves from Heat to Stars

Alex Malcolm01-Sep-2023West Indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran and Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have both withdrawn from the BBL draft while South African Dane van Niekerk is out of the WBBL due to the fractured right thumb she suffered during the recent women’s Hundred.Pooran and Rizwan were set to be platinum picks in the BBL draft and Pooran was potentially going to be a sort-after option given he was likely to be available up until finals before heading to the ILT20. But his West Indies white-ball commitments in December against England may have affected his early availability and he has withdrawn from the tournament.Rizwan was always going to have availability issues given his commitments with Pakistan as they are playing three Tests against Australia in Australia across the first month of the six-week-long BBL.Related

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• Rauf, Pooran, Harmanpreet and Kapp among platinum nominations

Van Niekerk did not play in the WBBL last year but has previously played for Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers. But her fractured thumb means she is unavailable for the tournament.Meanwhile, former Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle has returned to Melbourne Renegades after six seasons at Adelaide Strikers where he captained Strikers 27 times. Siddle, who will be 39 by the time the BBL starts, previously played seven games at Renegades from 2013-15 while he was a mainstay in Australia’s Test attack.Renegades have become one of the oldest lists in BBL history with Siddle joining Nathan Lyon (35) as a new signing. Renegades already have three players over 35 – Shaun Marsh (40), Aaron Finch (36) and Jon Wells (35).”We’ve made a concerted effort to add more experience to our playing list this off-season, so to welcome ‘Sidds’ back to the Renegades, alongside the additions of Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon is a fantastic result,” Melbourne Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten said.”Sidds is well respected not just for his contributions with the ball over a long period of time, but for his leadership, tactical awareness and broader knowledge of players and the T20 landscape.”He has plenty of existing relationships within our playing group and we know he will be an important contributor for us not only on the field but with all the other attributes he brings that help build successful teams.”Peter Siddle returns to Renegades where he started his BBL career•Getty Images

Siddle was thrilled to be back in Melbourne having also moved back to Victoria in domestic cricket after three seasons with Tasmania.”I’m excited to be returning to where my Big Bash journey started and to be back in red this year,” Siddle said.”I’ve loved my time in Adelaide over the last six seasons. But it’s time for a new challenge, and I’m looking forward to reuniting with some good mates of mine at the Renegades.”Looking at the playing list that’s being assembled, there’s no reason we can’t challenge for the title this year.Elsewhere, Queensland and Australia A fast bowler Mark Steketee has signed with Melbourne Stars in the BBL after 10 seasons with Brisbane Heat. Steketee had been a mainstay in all formats for Queensland and Heat earlier in his career but only played eight games in each of the last two BBL seasons. The emergence of Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett forced him out of the Heat side last season and he did not play in their finals campaign.He instead joins the Stars to bolster their bowling stocks alongside the off-season signings of Scott Boland and Joel Paris.”We identified Mark as a target to further strengthen our fast-bowling stocks and we can’t wait to see what he can do at the MCG,” Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said.”He has been a consistent wicket-taker in the BBL over a number of years now and he’ll bring a lot of valuable experience and cricket IQ to the group.”

Pakistan struggled to score on a slow surface and ended up with an under-par score in the semi-final

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2023Sri Lanka outplayed Pakistan on a slow and sticky surface in Hangzhou to advance to the final of the Asian Games. Chasing a small target of 76, Sri Lanka took the game till 17 overs to set up the gold-medal contest with India – who beat Bangladesh in a low-scoring, one-sided contest earlier in the day – on Monday.Opting to field first in the second semi-final, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were all over Pakistan’s batters from the beginning. They were restricted to 75 for 9 in 20 overs with right-arm medium pacer Udeshika Prabodhani starring with three wickets and young offspinner Kavisha Dilhari picking up two wickets. Inoshi Priyadharshani, Achini Kulasuriya and Inoka Ranaweera took a wicket apiece to blunt Pakistan. That only three batters crossed double digits showed how Nida Dar’s side struggled to score.On the other hand, Sri Lanka got off to a decent start with Chamari Athapaththu using sweep shots to negate the spinners’ turn. After scoring two boundaries, she mistimed a slog sweep to hole out on 14 off 19 balls. Opener Anushka Sanjeewani also fell inside the powerplay for a 13-ball 15 but Harshitha Samarawickrama at one-drop stitched a 35-run stand in 51 deliveries with Nilakshi de Silva for the third wicket to ensure Sri Lanka didn’t lose wickets in a flurry. Samarawickrama, despite consuming 41 balls, played a crucial knock of 23 while de Silva’s unbeaten 18 saw Sri Lanka chasing down the target with 21 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.Sadia Iqbal, Daina Baig and Umm-e-Hani were among the wickets for Pakistan, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sri Lanka from advancing to the final. They will face Bangladesh for a third-place play-off on Monday.

“Of all the wickets we’ve played on this World Cup, this one was the best,” Fakhar said

Danyal Rasool05-Nov-20231:47

Mumtaz on Fakhar’s knock: ‘Pakistan’s dreams and hopes alive due to one man’

Pakistan captain Babar Azam believes that as long as Fakhar Zaman was batting on Saturday, they “could even have chased 450″ against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Speaking on an in-house PCB video, Fakhar and Babar talked about their unbeaten 194-run partnership that saw Pakistan post 200 for 1 in just 25.3 overs before rain put paid to the game, giving Pakistan a 21-run win by the DLS method. Pakistan were originally set 402 to win from the 50 overs.”My view was as long as Fakhar was there, we could even have chased 450,” the Pakistan captain said. “When he plays innings like these, we win 90% of games. After every six I said to him, ‘don’t force the issue’. He said okay but then ignored me and started hitting sixes anyway. So I then said to him, ‘do whatever you want, just don’t get out’. [It’s] one of the best innings I’ve seen.”While the prospect of rain had hung around all day, it hadn’t eventuated until partway through the second innings. New Zealand amassed 401, their second-highest ODI total, before a brief rain interruption delayed the start of the chase. But according to Babar, Pakistan approached the chase in the belief the game would go all the way.Related

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“We didn’t have rain in our mind at all,” he said. “But the clouds came suddenly, and then we started to calculate the DLS and we wanted to stay with it throughout. We were trying to keep wickets in hand, and I was trying to take it deep. Fakhar was utilising the short boundary while I held one end up and we made sure we didn’t let the run rate get out of control.Fakhar praised the wicket as “outstanding for batting”. He stopped short of calling it his best innings, reserving that for his 193 against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2021. But the value of an innings where he smashed an unbeaten 126 off 81 was not lost on him; he hit more sixes in that innings than any Pakistani has throughout the entire World Cup. And it meant Pakistan stayed alive, becoming just the second team to win an ODI after conceding more than 400 runs in the first innings.”Of all the wickets we’ve played on this World Cup, this one was the best,” Fakhar said. “It was clear from the second over that the wicket was great for batting. If Southee and Boult aren’t swinging the ball, you know the wicket is great to bat on. After four overs or so, whatever little swing there was also evaporated, and that gave me even more freedom.”This is a World Cup innings so this might be one of my favourite ones. It still doesn’t pip the 193 I scored at the Wanderers, because it’s the fastest wicket in the world and Asian players struggle there, but this innings and the situation I scored my runs in made me very happy.”

Who supports senior quicks Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali is a key question for Pakistan

Andrew McGlashan07-Dec-2023Pakistan are using their four-day match in Canberra to assess the balance of the side they may take into next week’s first Test with at least one fast bowling spot up for grabs, although the key decisions will still be based on what conditions are served up at Optus Stadium in Perth.The visitors have utilised the contest against the Prime Minister’s XI to give their less experienced bowlers a run out in Australian conditions – albeit on a pitch that will likely bear little resemblance to the Test surface – and also to look at the role of the allrounders with a view to how they balance the line-up.Related

• Abrar likely to miss first Test against Australia after 'discomfort in right leg'

• Masood kickstarts Pakistan's Australia tour with unbeaten century

• Harris and Bancroft audition for Australia's opening spot

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali are all-but-certain starters in Perth, while legspinner Abrar Ahmed seems sure to feature, but the identity of the third frontline quick could be up for debate with Faheem Ashraf appearing likely to take the No. 7 spot.Left-armer Mir Hamza caused the occasional uneasy moment on a docile surface against the PM XI’s top order while the uncapped Khurram Shahzad bowled tidily and claimed the wicket of Cameron Bancroft.”We’ll only be able to decide when we get closer to the game, see the pitch, see the conditions, see where the guys are at with their fitness and their loads,” captain Shan Masood said on how the Test attack could shape up. “You have to look at the opposition as well, match-ups, or type of bowling, is huge in cricket now.”Obviously Shaheen and Hasan are senior bowlers, they are probably penciled in, but you want to look at everyone and give them a fair run before you make that ultimate decision. The permutations on the structure if the side matters as well – do we go with an allrounder, what will the role of the spinner be? So there are a lot of things we are looking at and we are very glad we are playing a fixture like this.”Masood hinted that he sees Abrar, who has taken 38 wickets in his first six Tests, playing a key role. He sent down 19 overs on the second day and will likely be needed in both attacking and defensive roles in support of the quicks. However, the struggles of Yasir Shah in Australia – he averaged 89.50 in five Tests in the country – are a warning of the challenges ahead.”Spinners are crucial and we’ve seen that with the Australian team, how good Nathan Lyon has been for a number of years,” Masood said. “So a spinner plays an important role, he’s very complimentary to the fast bowlers in these conditions. Abrar has done really well for us, he’s taken a lot of wickets against good sides and we’ll be hoping he does the same on this tour.”Marcus Harris, who was Abrar’s wicket on the second day when he lofted to mid-on, was impressed by what he saw and believed his accuracy would stand him in good stead.”He’s good, he’s different,” he said. “We were lucky to see a bit of footage of him. If you hadn’t seen him before it would have been a little bit tough to face early. He’s very accurate as a legspinner which is half the battle then he’s got some good variations. Not sure the wicket at Perth will suit him too much, or even Melbourne the way it’s been, but Sydney probably won’t be too different to this. Thought he bowled really well throughout the day.”

India’s bowling coach says the fast bowlers have broadened their skillsets and developed a feel for when to use their variations

S Sudarshanan19-Dec-2023Renuka Singh has 38 wickets in women’s T20Is, at an average of 21.13. Since her debut in October 2021, only Ireland’s Arlene Kelly has taken more among fast bowlers from Full-Member teams. Also among the top ten is Pooja Vastrakar, who has picked up 21 wickets in this period, at 24.80.Renuka and Vastrakar were India’s fast bowlers in the one-off Test against England last week and picked up a combined six wickets in the match. Bowling coach Troy Cooley has praised their work ethic and lauded them for broadening their skillsets.Related

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“[Renuka] is definitely improving every time I see her,” Cooley said after India’s training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. “She is coming from a couple of injuries and she has worked extremely hard to not only develop fitness but also to develop her skills. You are starting to see rewards now of all that hard work. Not only does she swing the ball back in naturally. She has now got the ball that straightens and leaves the right-handers.”Renuka had been sidelined with a stress injury since the end of WPL 2023. The T20Is against England earlier this month were her first international outings on her return, and she impressed with her new-ball spells. She dismissed England opener Sophia Dunkley all three times in the T20Is and also in the first innings of the Test, and used the bowling crease well to create angles that tested the batters.”It is great to see her using the angles,” Cooley said. “I really like the way she is putting together the sequence of deliveries and the number of deliveries she has got in option. Her toolbox is quite big now and [she] is definitely using those tools in a strategic and tactical way.”Vastrakar, who made her international debut in 2018, was riddled with injuries at the start of her career. But for the last couple of years, she has been a vital cog in India’s white-ball squads. She was named as a non-travelling reserve for the Asian Games this year, but made it to the squad after Anjali Sarvani pulled up on the eve of departure, and starred in the final with a four-for to help India to a gold medal.In the Test match, Vastrakar used the wobble seam and hard lengths to dismantle England’s top order, including bowling Nat Sciver-Brunt through the gate for a first-ball duck in the second dig. Cooley attributed her success to a balanced run-up and attacking lines.”She had a little bit of a sore knee and she came back through that nicely,” Cooley said. “Through rehab she dedicated herself to improve her run-up and get the most out of it. She has done a marvellous job there. Now she is more balanced at the crease.”You can see the natural tendency now to get into the stumps and challenge those batters. She has got her run-up sorted which is great from a bowling coach [persepective] here. She has got enough pace and variations to be a good red-ball bowler.”In their return to Test cricket after two years – and at home after nine years – India bowled out England for 136 and 131 at the DY Patil Stadium with offspinner Deepti Sharma picking up nine wickets in the match. The fast bowlers held their own even when they didn’t make inroads, adding to the pressure on England’s batters. Cooley said the bowlers have not only added more variations to their armoury but also know when to use them.Along with the inswinger she naturally bowls, Renuka Singh has now developed a ball that straightens and leaves the right-hand batter•BCCI

“I know behind the scenes what work they are putting in and the growth has been in line with the work they have done,” he said. “The biggest improvement is they have added some skills and variations. Not only that, but the control and when to use them, that’s come into it quite nicely.”The strategy behind what ball they are going to use – whether to attack or defend – we talk about talking to the ball now and they are getting some good answers back. They are improving very well, there is still more room to go but they are up for it, and they have got the work ethic to be able to do that.”They have got the support of the captain [Harmanpreet Kaur] and the new head coach [Amol Muzumdar] – he is hell bent that everybody who comes into training or in games is about improving themselves. There are a couple of World Cups coming up and he wants to see improvements all the way and we have got a good environment for that under his leadership.”The fast bowlers put in hard yards behind the scenes even during the domestic T20s, Cooley said, and he felt this would hold them in good stead during India’s upcoming home series against Australia.”These girls have been doing extra work in the last two-three months,” he said. “Their work ethic is through the roof. They may be playing the domestic T20s but in the back they’ll be topping up their work to make sure their resilience and capacity to go into Test-match cricket and to survive international cricket is building up all the way. Full credit to the medical team, the coaching staff and S&C [strength and conditioning] staff who got together and made these plans and worked towards them.”

Punia called up as back-up for Shubha

Priya Punia was seen batting for a long time in India’s first training session ahead of the one-off Test against Australia. She batted against a healthy dose of fast bowling and spin after starting with throwdowns for about 20 minutes. Shubha Satheesh, who top-scored with 69 on debut against England, was not to be seen.Shubha was ruled out of the rest of the game after taking a blow to her left ring finger while training before the start of the second day’s play. She was seen with a splint on her left hand and Harmanpreet confirmed after the match that she had suffered a broken finger and a dislocation.Cooley confirmed that Punia had been called up in case a replacement was needed.”No update on Shubha, the medical team would have got hold of that,” he said. “It is very sad for us to see after she batted so well to get a knock on that finger. We are hoping it will heal quickly. The replacement player is coming in just in case. [Punia is a] very good player, the squad balance and strength is still there. We’ll miss [Shubha] if she is not available.”

The left hander will be the spare batter against West Indies after winning the selection race

AAP11-Jan-20241:30

Michael Clarke not concerned by ageing Australia Test side

After being recalled to Australia’s Test squad, batter Matt Renshaw has been left musing on how the last six months has been “a weird time”, but also the best of times, for him.Renshaw is not in the playing XI, but has been named in the 13-man squad as the spare batter for the first Test against the West Indies, starting in Adelaide on January 17, edging out fellow red-ball openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft who were also in the mix.Related

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When David Warner announced in the middle of last year that he would retire from Test cricket after the recently concluded Pakistan series, the race was on to find his successor, with Steven Smith now confirmed as opener after being elevated from No. 4.But the 27-year-old Renshaw is just happy to be back in the Test environment, after learning a lot about himself since last being part of the squad during the Test series in India last year.”It is really nice and a lot of hard work has gone into that. It has been a weird six months since Davey said what he said but I have just tried to enjoy my cricket,” Renshaw explained. “That is the big one for me. As much as all this stuff has been looming over my head, I play my best when I am having fun.”Obviously, people come and go. That’s the way cricket is but I’ve just tried to enjoy my cricket…whether that is for Australia A, Prime Minister’s XI, Queensland and in county cricket as well.”Matt Renshaw had a brief return to the Test side last year•Getty Images

Renshaw has scored 1566 first-class runs at an average of 52.20, with seven centuries, since July 1, 2022. They are impressive figures and reveal his consistency.His selection is a message from selectors that he is the next cab off the rank if he can stay on his upward trajectory. The opening position that could have been his has been taken by Smith, rather than a regular red-ball opener.Smith volunteered to move up from No. 4 but Renshaw is not kicking stones. It is a move he understands.”He averages 60 in Test cricket. He is the best player in the world. It gets Cam [Green] in the team as well and we all know what Cam is capable of,” he said. “Selectors talked about the top six batters in the country and there is no doubt those six guys are. It is just about me trying to learn from them while I am in the squad.”We have got amazing players in the team but I’ve had a little nibble at Test cricket already. I know what it is like to score a hundred, and how that feels. I jut want to try and get that enjoyment and be myself around the Test team.”Renshaw was just 20 when he scored 184, his sole Test century, against Pakistan in Sydney.”I feel a completely different player. I look back at that and I think I was very naïve with cricket,” he said. “I came in wet behind the ears and hadn’t really had much experience with what the game can do. I’ve learned from that…tried to get better with that and tried to improve myself as a cricketer.”That’s all-round with my game knowledge and probably some technical aspects. I look back at my technique then and it probably wasn’t that pretty. It is still probably not that pretty, but I feel like I have ironed out a few things I needed to.”

Bhatia and Harmanpreet steered Mumbai’s chase after Capsey and Rodrigues helped Delhi set a target of 172

S Sudarshanan23-Feb-2024The opening evening of the second season of the Women’s Premier League ended like it started – in a blockbuster fashion.Defending champions Mumbai Indians won a last-ball thriller by four wickets to kickstart their title defence in Bengaluru. A movie-like ending – after the game swung one way and then the other – was only apt after an opening ceremony headlined by the who’s-who of Bollywood.Chasing a challenging target of 172, Mumbai needed 22 off the last two overs with captain Harmanpreet Kaur set. She hit a six off the last ball of the penultimate over to bring the equation down to 12 off 6. Capitals turned to the part-time off-spin of Alice Capsey with the longer boundary on the leg side. The move nearly worked after she dismissed Pooja Vastrakar and Harmanpreet in the first five balls.Related

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But with five needed off one, Kerala allrounder S Sajana, playing her first WPL match, walloped Capsey over long-on to spark celebrations in the strong crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Only hours ago, Capsey had starred by scoring a 53-ball 75 – aided by a dropped catch by Sajana – but her night ended in disappointment.

Bhatia powers Mumbai’s chase

Mumbai lost Hayley Matthews to the second ball of the chase, when the opener tried to drive Marizanne Kapp and edged behind. Yastika Bhatia got off the mark with a delightful drive past wide mid-off. She then hit Annabel Sutherland for two fours before going after Shikha Pandey in the last over of the powerplay.Bhatia lofted her over mid-off before getting a thick outside edge past the wicketkeeper. She then hit a short delivery over deep midwicket as Mumbai raced to 50 for 1 after six overs.Arundhati Reddy struck with her first ball for Capitals, yorking Nat Sciver-Brunt with an inswinging slower one, but Bhatia powered on. She brought up her fifty off 35 balls and looked set to bat through the chase. But she found Kapp at deep midwicket when she heaved across the line at another slower one from Reddy.

Harmanpreet takes over

Harmanpreet got off the mark with a crisp cover drive first ball. She rotated strike and found boundaries regularly even after Bhatia holed out. The pace of Sutherland and Kapp, as the chase got tighter, helped her. She hit a massive six over long-on to bring up a 32-ball fifty. It seemed like we’d seen it before – she had struck a half-century in a successful chase in the opening game of WPL 2023, too.But Mumbai’s chase seemed to lose steam once she was dismissed, before Sajana did the unthinkable.Shabnim Ismail picked up the first wicket of WPL 2024 by castling Shafali Verma•BCCI

Ismail breathes fire

When Mumbai bought Shabnim Ismail at the auction, there was talk of her being a back-up for Issy Wong. But she not only started WPL 2024 ahead of Wong but also bowled an opening spell that dispelled all notions of her being a back-up. Ismail started with a one-run first over which was backed up by left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque from the other end.Ismail then struck with the first ball of her second over – a 118kph delivery bowling Shafali Verma, who cleared her front leg and looked to mow across the line. Capitals scored only 26 for 1 in the powerplay, with Ismail’s figures reading 3-0-10-1. She then returned at the death, where a dropped catch denied her the wicket of a set Capsey.

C for Capitals, C for Capsey

Meg Lanning and Capsey had rebuilt Capitals’ innings steadily before the shackles were broken in the first over after the powerplay. Capsey danced down to loft Amelia Kerr over extra cover before Lanning did the same to hit over mid-on. Another legspinner, WPL debutant SB Keerthana, was taken for 13 in her only over. When Lanning and Capsey hit a six and a four in Kerr’s next over, Capitals had managed to score 37 in three overs after the field restrictions were lifted. One over after the timeout though, Sciver-Brunt managed to get the better of Lanning.Despite losing the captain, Capsey accelerated, hitting two sixes and a four off Matthews to bring up a half-century off just 36 balls. Along with Jemimah Rodrigues, who combined deft touch and aggression, Capitals managed to find boundaries regularly heading into the death overs. Capsey and Rodrigues added 74 off just 40 balls before Capsey missed a reverse sweep to get trapped lbw off Kerr.Rodrigues also showed her power by regularly peppering the on-side boundary. She deposited an Ismail slower one over long-on before clubbing a slower bouncer from Sciver-Brunt over deep midwicket.A final flourish from Kapp, who hit three fours in the last over, helped Capitals finish on 171. But that was not enough for Mumbai, who maintained their perfect record in chases in the WPL.