Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner hold their nerve as New Zealand take a series lead

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Sep-2019A bruising 79-run fourth-wicket stand off 37 balls between Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme energised a flailing New Zealand innings, and set them on track for what would eventually become a comfortable victory.The visitors ran down Sri Lanka’s 174 with three balls and five wickets remaining. The pair had come together with the score at 39 for 3, with the required rate climbing toward 11, but blasted four sixes and seven fours between them, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to contend with a wet, slippery ball. The game was still not quite safe when the two were dismissed, but Mitchell Santner and Daryl Mitchell saw the visitors home with a 31-run stand that came off 16 balls.

Sri Lanka fined for slow over-rate

Sri Lanka were found to be two overs short of their target during the Pallekele T20I against New Zealand and, in accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, all 11 of their players were fined 40% of their match fees [each over comes with a 20% fine].

New Zealand’s victory was despite Sri Lanka having produced the best individual innings of the evening. Kusal Mendis had earlier struck 79 off 53 balls opening the innings, putting on a 63-run partnership with Niroshan Dickwella for the third wicket in the process. But some dawdling in the middle period, and some excellent bowling from Tim Southee at various stages of the innings, prevented Sri Lanka from posting a really big total.Southee took 2 for 20, and was almost matched by Lasith Malinga, who struck the base of Colin Munro and de Grandhomme’s middle stumps with searing Yorkers on his way to 2 for 23. Had he not flung five wides down the legside at the start of the 19th over, Sri Lanka might have had a chance in the final over. As it happened, New Zealand required only three to win off the 20th.It hadn’t taken long for either de Grandhomme or Taylor to begin finding the boundary. De Grandhomme clubbed his second ball for four past cover, and Taylor found his first four via the sweep – various iterations of the shot going on to prove fruitful for him through the evening – but it wasn’t until the halfway mark in the innings that big blows began to come in quick succession. New Zealand made 17 runs off each of the 11th, 12th and 13th overs, the pair hitting four sixes and two fours through this period, in addition to running well between the wickets.It could have gone wrong, though. Sri Lanka would rue the dropped catch off Taylor on 31 – attempting a third six off Akila Dananjaya, Taylor miscued one to deep midwicket, but Dasun Shanaka could not hold on to a straightforward chance.De Grandhomme was out for 44 off 28 in the 14th over, but Taylor carried on until the 17th, before being trapped lbw by Wanindu Hasaranga after 48 off 29 balls. A six apiece from Santner and Mitchell, plus those five Malinga wides, ensured New Zealand’s dominance at the finish.In Sri Lanka’s innings, Mendis’ opening stand with Kusal Perera had been rapid – 41 runs coming off 4.3 overs – but Avishka Fernando’s inability to find the gaps or the boundary helped sap momentum from the innings, as Mendis himself entered a quieter phase of batting with the spinners in operation. Fernando was eventually dismissed for 10 off 17 – the pair going at just under a run-a-ball through the course of their 28-ball association.Sri Lanka’s run rate recovered during Mendis’ next partnership – Dickwella making 33 off 25, before Southee had Mendis caught superbly at long-on by Martin Guptill. Between them, Shanaka and Isuru Udana hit three sixes in the final over, and seemed to have raised themselves to a competitive score. But their bowlers were rattled by that Taylor-de Grandhomme stand, and the spinners in particular could not find the turn that would have envenomed them, as they struggled to grip a wet ball.New Zealand go 1-0 up in the series. The second match of three is on Tuesday.

The third season of the tournament is set to be played between November 15 to 24

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2019Trevor Bayliss’ hunt for more trophies continues with the former World Cup-winning coach of England unveiled as the man in charge of the Abu Dhabi franchise in the T10 league. He will have a familiar face for company with allrounder Moeen Ali announced as the side’s marquee player at the tournament draft held on Wednesday.The T10 league is into its third season and is set to be played between November 15 to 24. Eight teams will take part in the competition including three that have been newly formed: Team Abu Dhabi, Qalandars, who signed former Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi as their icon player last month, and Bangla Tigers, who picked up 2015 World Cup-winner James Faulkner. He last played for Australia in October 2017.”T10 cricket is big, and it’s bold, but it also requires a certain style of player and capability,” Bayliss said. “It tests players’ tactical talent and skills at the very highest level.”Moeen said: “It’s an impressive list of some of the best T10 players on show in Abu Dhabi. Fans are going to be treated to something quite special, there’s no doubt about it. I would say there’s extra incentive playing for Team Abu Dhabi to show the world what Abu Dhabi T10 cricket is all about.”There is a strong English presence in the T10 league this season with Somerset’s new sensation Tom Banton, often compared to Kevin Pietersen and mentored by Marcus Trescothick, picked up by the Qalandars. Eoin Morgan, who became the first England captain to win a 50-over World Cup, is an icon player with Delhi Bulls (a rebranding of the Bengal Tigers team which took part in the 2018 T10 league) and he will have the assistance of legspinner Adil Rashid, who played a key part of the revolution that culminated with an ICC trophy. Former England head coach Andy Flower is at the helm of the Maratha Arabians franchise, who chose Australia’s T20 specialist Chris Lynn as their icon player.Most short-form tournaments become a hub for West Indian players and this one is no different. Darren Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup winner lines up for Northern Warriors. His team took the trophy home the T10 league last season. West Indies’ current white-ball cricket captain, Kieron Pollard, was picked up by Deccan Gladiators (previously the team called Sindhis) while Marlon Samuels and Evin Lewis will partner former South Africa batsman Hashim Amla and Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane at Karnataka Tuskers.Pakistan also had solid representation with fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who retired from Test cricket to focus on the white-ball formats, finding a place with the Arabians. Allrounders Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hafeez are part of the Qalandars, who have close links with their Pakistan Super League (PSL) namesake Lahore Qalandars. Young fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain and the now retired (from internationals) allrounder Shoaib Malik were picked up by the Bulls.Sri Lanka’s T20 stars such as Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera (Bangla Tigers) and Niroshan Dickwella (Abu Dhabi) will also be a part of this season’s actionThere was no Indian picked up at the draft but the reported that the T10 league is in talks with a very big name. “Yuvraj Singh is almost there,” tournament chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said. “We hope to make an announcement soon. We are in the final stages of negotiations with him.”This season, we are limited by the BCCI’s policy of having only retired India players in leagues outside India.” Harbhajan Singh recently took his name out of consideration from the Hundred for the same reason.The early seasons of the T10 league had issues with corruption. This year they have shifted base from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi and claim that the ICC will be involved in dealing with it.”We have always had a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to corruption.” Shaji Ul Mulk was quoted as saying by the . “The whole monitoring of the tournament has been done by the ICC. We have outsourced anti-corruption and dope testing to the ICC. All key elements are outsourced to the ICC.”

Interim team director Enoch Nkwe and interim director cricket Corrie van Zyl are vying for the roles on a permanent basis

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2019Faf du Plessis has called on Cricket South Africa (CSA) to finalise the team director and director of cricket positions as quickly as possible in order to allow the national team to put long-term plans in place.South Africa currently have Enoch Nkwe serving as interim team director and Corrie van Zylas interim director of cricket. They picked the squad for the recent tour of India, which ended with a 0-3 Test-match whitewash.”It is is a massive red flag,” du Plessis said upon his return from from leading the team in that series. “An interim coach, interim director – it needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We need to make decisions that influence the team positively, but also from a point of view that you have trust in people coming to work for more than just a month. [At the moment], the coach can’t hire someone for a month because, in two months’ time, someone might decide something completely different. The most important thing right now is clarity and someone needs to make decisions.”Du Plessis’ request comes after CSA announced a massive restructure of the way the men’s team will function. Instead of the traditional head coach and assistant roles, South Africa will now have a team director, who reports to a director of cricket who will oversee all national cricket structures, and will have the freedom to choose his own support staff. A selection convenor will also be appointed.Enoch Nkwe is positive about the road ahead for South African cricket•Getty Images

Van Zyl, who has worked in CSA’s High Performance structures for several years, explained that the positions should be filled soon. “What is happening at the moment is that the director of cricket role has been advertised. Next Thursday, the applications close. The idea is to get that done as soon as possible With that, we also need to get the convener of selection done. The convener of selection was advertised a while ago. That decision will be made shortly by CSA. The two roles will be announced more or less the same time.”While there has been little information about potential candidates for the various jobs on offer, van Zyl confirmed that he intends to apply for the director of cricket role in the coming days. “I haven’t put in my CV for director of cricket, but yes, I am going to.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Linda Zondi, who was removed as convener of selectors after the 2019 World Cup, has applied to get his old job back.Meanwhile, Nkwe, who has been promoted to the team director role after just one season as a franchise head coach, also indicated he is interested in taking on the role permanently. Asked if he thinks he is the right man for the job, Nkwe said, “I believe I am, especially, now that I have had this experience [India tour] and seen what areas need to be addressed. The last two months has helped me as a coach to grow to new levels. I strongly believe I am in the right position to do that.”Corrie van Zyl defended the austerity measures•Getty Images

The results, especially the Test series which South Africa lost 0-3, do not seem to agree with Nkwe but CSA made it plain before the tour that they would not judge him on the outcomes of one tour. At the time, van Zyl said it would be “very unfair”. Instead, he suggested CSA would play the long game and appoint someone who could help the team succeed in both the ODI league which begins in 2020 and leads up to the 2023 World Cup, and the two T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021.With “two ICC events in the subcontinent,” Nkwe understood how important it is for South Africa to find the right personnel, including management. Though he would like to be that person, he gave an assurance that if he isn’t, he will try to contribute in other ways. “I strongly believe I am the right person but that’s not my decision. If I end up not being the person, then I will go back into the [domestic] system, and help improve the system in a different way,” Nkwe said.For now, despite what du Plessis described as a period of uncertainty and which van Zyl acknowledged could have created confusion over the structures, van Zyl and Nkwe are operating as though they are the people that will take South African cricket forward.”The interim roles isn’t the best way we could have done it. But, given the situation after the World Cup, it’s the best we could have done,” van Zyl said. “We need to start planning for the England tour and we need to act as if we are in those positions. If it changes, it changes and we have got no control over that.”

Catch up with the weekend action from the WBBL as the race for the knockouts hots up

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2019Amanda-Jade Wellington bowled a superb Super Over and Sophie Devine’s outstanding tournament continued in a thrilling victory for the Adelaide Strikers over the Sydney Thunder in Hobart. Devine top-scored in the main contest with 88 off 56 balls, taking her top of the run-scoring table, before striking the first ball of the Super Over chase to the boundary to ensure chasing seven to win was not an issue. Wellington, who took 3 for 17, had done superbly to keep the Thunder to six in their over after Sarah Coyte had trapped Nida Dar lbw with the final ball of the initial contest following two last-over boundaries from Rachel Trenaman which left the Thunder needing four off three. The Thunder had been well on track in the chase after an opening stand of 59 in 5.2 overs by Rachel Priest and Naomi Stalenberg but the game changed in the hands of Wellington who remove Priest, Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield.A masterclass from Australia captain Meg Lanning helped the Perth Scorchers sweep the Sydney Sixers in back-to-back matches at Lilac Hill and all but secure a semi-final berth. Chasing 165, Lanning ripped the game away from the Sixers scoring 81 from 50 balls and shared a 104-run opening stand with Amy Jones in less than 13 overs. She fell with 19 still needed from 15 balls, but Nat Sciver continued her good form making 39 not out from 22 balls to guide the side home with four balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. Earlier, Sciver made the big breakthrough with the ball removing Alyssa Healy with the first ball of the match. Healy top-edged a pull shot back to Sciver who claimed her for the second time in two days. Erin Burns and Ash Gardner both made half-centuries, with Burns batting through the innings to finish on 60 not out. But Dane van Niekerk was the only Sixers batter to strike above 133 in their total of 6 for 164 and there semi-final prospects are in the balance.November 23Sarah Coyte held her nerve in the face of a thrilling onslaught from Chloe Tryon as the Adelaide Strikers clung on for a two-run win against the Hobart Hurricanes to book a place in the semi-finals. The Hurricanes were well behind the rate when Tryon entered in the 14th over but she showed her striking power. She took 20 off the 18th over from Suzie Bates to leave 20 needed off 12 balls, then a six off the last ball of the penultimate over from Amanda-Jade Wellington left 11 needed for the last. That became six off four when Tryon found the boundary again, but Coyte then got the deliveries full and two singles were turned down only for Tryon to run off the penultimate ball leaving Tayla Vlaeminck needing four for a Super Over which proved beyond her. The Strikers’ total looked set to be much higher after an opening stand of 85 between Bates and Sophie Devine, who was dismissed for the first time in 207 deliveries, but they struggled for boundaries in the latter part of the innings. Bates’ 65 off 54 earned her the player of the match.Melbourne Renegades‘ finals hopes took a major blow after the Melbourne Stars claimed just their second win of the season thanks to 62 from Lizelle Lee in a superbly timed run chase in Ballarat. Following the early loss of skipper Elyse Villani, Lee and Mignon du Preez put on 90 to take control of the chase. The pair struck eight fours and four sixes, with du Preez making 41, but their demise in the 14th and 16th over respectively threatened to derail the chase. With 42 still needed from 27 balls, Erin Osborne (34 not out off 15) and Annabel Sutherland (16 off 16) guided the Stars home with four balls to spare. Earlier, former Stars batter Anna Lanning stood tall in her first WBBL game of the season for the Renegades. A late inclusion for the absent Sophie Molineux, Lanning made 73 from 49 balls with eight four and two sixes to help set up the Renegades total of 3 for 165. Jess Duffin made 35 not out from 17 balls in a late flourish after Tammy Beaumont fell for 39 with a couple of overs remaining.The Sydney Sixers fell to back-to-back defeats as the Perth Scorchers jumped ahead of them in the table with a crushing 52-run win to further shake up the battle for semi-final spots. Nat Sciver played a starring role with a half-century to lift the Scorchers to 5 for 152 then claimed the vital wicket of Alyssa Healy in the first over the Sixers’ chase. Without the injured Ellyse Perry at the top of the order the Sixers stumbled to 5 for 35 in the ninth over from where there was no way back. Heather Graham, who had contributed a useful 25 off 14 balls, nipped in with 2 for 17. The teams face each other again in a rematch on Sunday.November 22Amelia Kerr played a key all-round role in the Brisbane Heat’s victory•Getty Images

Defending champions the Brisbane Heat secured their semi-final spot with a seven-run victory over the Hobart Hurricanes. Grace Harris played the key innings with the bat as her 43 off 27 balls put the Heat’s innings back on course after they slipped to 4 for 58 in the 10th over. Amelia Kerr, who contributed an important 21 off 16, then struck vital blows with the ball to halt a promising start to the chase from the Hurricanes who had reached 0 for 52 in the powerplay. Kerr had Erin Fazackerley caught behind, with a juggle, first ball and then added Nicola Carey as Beth Mooney, who had a superb evening with the gloves, pulled off another excellent catch. Chloe Tryon threatened a late heist when she struck three boundaries in the penultimate over but Delissa Kimmince bowled with the third ball of the last as she comfortably defended 16.

England allrounder enjoying the relaxed world of franchise cricket, after missing NZ tour

Barny Read20-Nov-2019Moeen Ali insists he has not put a timeframe on his return to international action with England, despite hints from Joe Root, the Test captain, that his comeback could happen as soon as the South Africa tour next month.Moeen opted out of travelling to New Zealand for the two-Test series which gets underway in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, and has instead been plying his trade on the white-ball franchise circuit – first with a two-match stopover with Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League, and now as captain of Team Abu Dhabi in the T10 League.Speaking on the eve of the first Test, Root had said that England were “very open” to Moeen’s return to action, but admitted that the player himself would need to be in the right frame of mind to resume a Test career that was put on indefinite hold after he was dropped midway through this summer’s Ashes.However, speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Abu Dhabi, Moeen himself said that, after a gruelling few months of high-pressure cricket with England, he was enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere on the franchise circuit, and indicated that his international comeback could even be delayed until next summer’s visits of Pakistan and West Indies.”I want to play at some stage but I haven’t decided when or anything,” Moeen said. “I’ll just take it as it comes. Obviously Leachy [Jack Leach] is in the side and bowling really well, so I’ve also got to get back in the side as well.”It could be South Africa, could be Sri Lanka [in March], it could be just the summer,” he said of his anticipated return. “There’s no sort of timeframe on it. I’ll be speaking to Rooty after the series in New Zealand, and to Chris Silverwood [England coach], and we’ll have a bit more clarity and more idea about it then. But at the moment I’m not thinking about it too much.”Though Moeen’s winter hasn’t exactly been restful, with long-haul flights to South Africa and the UAE and yet more nights away from home, he is adamant that the demands of franchise cricket are far removed from those at the very highest level of the game, and consequently, more players are going to have to decide how they want to prioritise their professional careers.”There is a lot of cricket played around the world, but in the franchise stuff the pressure is not quite the same as international, particularly Test cricket,” he said. “Players will have to pick and choose depending on what they really want to play, and the stages they are at in their careers because playing so much cricket is difficult, with all the travelling and flying.”Franchise cricket is a lot more relaxed,” he added. “Obviously you get the whole day to do what you want, then play in the evening, whereas in international cricket, Test cricket, everyone’s watching, the pressure is on you to go and do well for your country. It is mentally and physically harder than any sort of franchise cricket.”Asked if he would feel any pangs of regret when England take the field against New Zealand on Thursday, Moeen was adamant.”I actually don’t,” he said. “I’d obviously love to be there and playing Test cricket but at the stage I was at, I felt like I needed that time away from Test cricket, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Obviously I’m supporting them and I’ve been in contact with the players, but I’m just trying to enjoy my cricket and the franchise stuff.The stint in Abu Dhabi had helped to rejuvenate him, he added. “I really love it, I’m enjoying my batting and captaining here, I’m enjoying that too. It’s different, the pressure’s off almost. It’s a different type of pressure, and it’s nice to get away from that a little bit just to refresh myself.”On the lessons he had learnt from his time in the T10 competition, Moeen said there was plenty that he’d picked up that could help to enhance his T20 game, especially with consecutive T20 World Cups looming in 2020 and 2021.”When you don’t play or you look from the outside, it’s just a slog, but there’s a lot more to it,” he said. “You can’t play it like a T20, the tempo’s faster and the batter’s under the pump from the start. I really like it.”Every dot ball can bring a wicket, pressure builds massively on batters and bowlers, and as a bowler you’re just bowling for survival, really, and you can take that to T20 too.”It will help improve T20 cricket, even though it’s played really well already, but it’s more for the power guys, because there’s no time to knock the ball around. Particularly the Windies guys are bigger and stronger, and on a different level when it comes to hitting sixes.”

The Melbourne Stars have been uncatchable at the top of the points table for a while, but they have now lost three matches in a row

The Report by Daniel Brettig25-Jan-2020AB de Villiers arrived with a masterful display for the Brisbane Heat to lead them to a yawning victory over the suddenly listless Melbourne Stars at the MCG. The Stars have been uncatchable at the top of the points table for a while, but they have now lost three matches in a row.On a slow surface, the Heat were kept quiet early after shuffling their batting line-up dramatically, but de Villiers bided his time to find the best way to go on the attack, before unleashing a succession of sixes, most of them off the back foot, to rush the Heat to 186 with 88 runs from the final six overs. He had significant assistance from Marnus Labuschagne in the closing overs, as both took a heavy toll on the Stars’ replacement paceman Dilbar Hussain.There was a decided lack of intensity about the Stars in their pursuit of the total, in contrast to the Heat’s high level of focus. This was personified by the excellent spells from James Pattinson and Mitchell Swepson, who ensured the Heat have destiny very much in their hands ahead of their final qualifying game against the Melbourne Renegades.Heat go higgledy piggledyNeeding a victory to stay in touch with the BBL top five, the Heat’s decision-makers Darren Lehmann and Chris Lynn unveiled a line-up that might easily have involved names in a hat or at the very least a dartboard. Ben Cutting was promoted to open with Sam Heazlett, de Villiers was handed the wicketkeeping gloves and Labuschagne shunted down to No. 6 in their latest attempt to wring a winning performance from a talented but imbalanced squad.Heazlett got a few early boundaries away, but neither Cutting nor Lynn could find their timing as the Stars again relied heavily on spin. There was a sense of aimlessness as the Heat drifted to 3 for 98 after 14 overs, having leapt to 38 from the opening three, as de Villiers struggled once more to find the sweetness of hitting that has marked many of his best T20 innings.De Villiers catches fireOn a sluggish MCG pitch, it took time for de Villiers to figure out that it was not particularly easy to tee-off on the front foot, and to conjure an alternative route to the boundary. He laboured to 13 from 16 balls with six overs remaining and then showed the crowd he could use his trademark wrists and fast hands to swing freely at short-of-a-length spin bowling while sitting back in the crease.What followed was the acceleration that won the Heat the match, as de Villiers ransacked six sixes and two fours to add another 58 from his final 21 balls. Two other figures had contrasting fates as a result: the beneficiary was Labuschagne, who was able to build into his innings before detonating in the final over with two sixes of his own. The fall guy was Hussain, a left-field choice as the replacement for Haris Rauf, who found his skiddy 140kph seamers landing obligingly in the slot for both de Villiers and Labuschagne.Heat prosper through classical skillsNo lesser judges than Bradman and Benaud always reckoned that the best combinations in cricket involved the use of high pace bowling opposite tantalising wristspin, and there was something of that ilk about the way the Heat were able to ensnare a decidedly sleepy-looking Stars’ batting line-up. Though Matt Renshaw’s opening over was expensive as he dropped short to Marcus Stoinis, Pattinson bowled with genuine speed and no little fire to coax a mistake from the opener, and then followed up by bursting through Seb Gotch.The Stars’ hopes then rested on Glenn Maxwell, but his stay was swiftly ended by the other half of the classical combo, as Swepson skidded a flatter delivery through his defence, and went on to claim two more. There was very little sense of purpose about the way the Stars undertook the remainder of their chase, with Peter Handscomb running himself out and Nick Larkin’s rearguard effort having far too little in the way of support to be meaningful. The Stars are still top of the table but with plenty of thinking to do about the finals.

England recover from rusty batting display and hosts’ bright start to run chase to seal victory

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2020England overcame several scares in their first game back in sky blue since the World Cup final to beat an inexperienced Cricket South Africa Invitation XI by 77 runs as they warmed up for next week’s ODI series in Paarl.Jason Roy struck a fluent 104 as he continued his comeback from a shoulder injury, but there was precious little else for England’s batsmen to shout about as they were bowled out for 240 in 44.1 overs.And it looked as though they were set for a humbling defeat when Jacques Snyman started positively in the run chase, taking them to 91 for 1 after 17.3 overs, but after Matt Parkinson and Tom Curran made breakthroughs, the hosts’ raw middle order was exposed, with a collapse of nine for 72 handing England the win.Despite the low-key nature of the contest, Roy admitted to having been a bit “giddy” at the prospect of getting back on the field with England, having been rested for the tour of New Zealand before Christmas before picking up a shoulder injury at the Mzanzi Super League.”It was nice to get the shirt back on,” he said. “I was pretty giddy getting on the plane back home to come out here. Obviously I haven’t represented England for a while now so it’s quite nice to get going.”Playing a warm-up game in Paarl when the last game you played was in the World Cup final is quite difficult but we’ve got to build foundations again going forward for the next few years.”[The World Cup win] is a memory that we can keep close to us, but we’ve got to move forward and work hard for the next four years now until the next World Cup.”After winning the toss and choosing to bat, England made a disastrous start as they slumped to 16 for 3 after 19 balls. In a passage that must have reminded the tourists’ supporters of several games more than a decade ago, a fast bowler named S Tait struck early – though this time it was the left-armer Stephan, as opposed to Australia’s Shaun – trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw and having Joe Root caught down the leg side first ball. Eoin Morgan then chopped on, shaping to cut Imran Manack’s offspin, to leave the tourists in trouble.Joe Denly, in an unfamiliar role at No. 5, steadied the ship with 29, but he and Tom Banton fell to Smangaliso Nhlebela’s left-arm spin in quick succession to leave England five wickets down with only 109 on the board. Part-timer Andile Mokgakane bowled Sam Curran, but Roy began to find some rhythm, shifting through the gears to reach a 94-ball hundred as he added fifty for the seventh wicket alongside Chris Woakes.Woakes continued to tick over with Tom Curran and Chris Jordan, but the wickets continued to fall as England eventually limped up to 240, Matt Parkinson the last man out with 35 balls unused.In response, Snyman, a top-order batsman from Pretoria, started aggressively despite the early loss of Kabelo Sekhukhune, who was bowled by Sam Curran. He struck Woakes for six, before taking 14 from a Curran over, while No. 3 Jean du Plessis struck a couple of boundaries to leave the CSA XI 58 for 1 after ten overs of the chase.But the introduction of dual spin in the form of Adil Rashid and Parkinson stemmed the flow of runs, as du Plessis was stumped off a wide and Jesse Christensen was clean bowled. Snyman’s scoring dried up, as he added only one boundary after the Powerplay, and was eventually trapped in front by Tom Curran.Curran also removed the team’s senior player in Qaasim Adams, the 35-year-old Western Province batsman, before a run-out, and two wickets apiece for Woakes and Jordan sealed England’s win.One mitigating factor in England’s wobbly display with the bat was a two-hour power-cut, due to load-shedding, that hit the ground midway through the first innings. It left Roy unsure of how to pace England’s innings, and also caught him unawares at the moment he reached his century.”I thought the umpire stitched me up, to be honest!” he said. “Everyone started clapping and I didn’t have a feeling because I didn’t get clapped for my fifty or anything.”I could only assume it was for my hundred so I raised my bat. He said ‘are you sure they are not clapping the team’s 150?’ I said ‘I bloody hope not’, as I would have looked like a bit of a muppet.””It was frustrating without [the scoreboard] but more with the team score because you don’t know where you are after 10, 15 or 20 overs. It is annoying especially when you get to the 30-over mark. You like to know where you are at that point.”

“We deemed the risks (in India) to be very low,” says Dr Shuaib Manjra

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2020How did CSA look at the situation before travelling to India?
Prior to the India tour, Cricket South Africa had engaged in a risk assessment to determine whether it was safe for us to travel to India. At that point in time, India had about 30 cases isolated. None of the cities that we were going to play in [Dharamsala, Lucknow and Kolkata] had any cases recorded of the novel coronavirus. And, at that point, the world was a very different place. We deemed the risks to be very low, and therefore we proceeded with the tour while taking the necessary precautions.How did things change while the team was in India?
While on tour in India, the world had clearly become a different place and we had to take cognizance of the fact that there was a change in global environment. Largely, the pandemic had moved from the east to the west, where Europe had become the new epicentre of the disease, the United States was affected, the World Health Organization had called it a global pandemic and countries were closing their borders.But since we were in India, we had to look at a number of scenarios: the local conditions in India, which was still considered as a low-risk country; we had to look at what was happening in South Africa, which was at low to medium risk, and then we had to look at the global environment, as to what was happening in the world in places like Europe, including France, Spain and Italy, and also in the United States, where we saw a rapid escalation of the disease.Looking at all three conditions, we had to predict where this disease was going to go and what the potential risks were for the tour. Some of the risks were that a few countries would close their borders and we would remain stuck in one country or the other. South Africa itself may have closed its borders, with the entire team stopped from leaving India or entering South Africa; or alternatively, we would have been quarantined or isolated in South Africa. So those were some of the scenarios that we thought of, but importantly and ultimately, it was the players’ frame of mind that was the determining factor.In fact, Joe Root, England’s captain, had said the same thing about their tour to Sri Lanka [which was also cancelled] though Sri Lanka had fewer cases than England did. But the players were in a different frame of mind – they were thinking about what was happening back home to their families, the risks about being stuck in Sri Lanka, the medical services in Sri Lanka, and therefore, they decided to go back home. So the players’ frame of mind had an important role to play in terms of the decision made by the BCCI in consultation with Cricket South Africa.ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly indicates IPL 2020 likely to be ‘truncated’Was everyone comfortable while in India? What safety measures were taken?Absolutely [comfortable]. We ensured that the players were isolated in their hotels and every place that they were being transferred to – the hotel, the grounds, the team bus or the aircraft – was appropriately sanitised. They were not allowed to leave or go out and we ensured we had sufficient security around us to ensure that we didn’t get close to the public. We took sufficient means to ensure that the players were protected. Some even decided to wear masks while they were travelling.So, from the chain of movement that we had, we ensured that whether it was the change-room attendant or anyone else and even in the restaurants that we went to, they were all wearing masks. So, from their point of view, we were pretty isolated and largely immunised from the outside world, which also reduced the risk of infection significantly. And so we did take appropriate measures; we even travelled from city to city by a chartered flight and were whisked through airports and security. Even after we landed, we were similarly whisked through the security into the team bus and the hotel. So in a sense, we were in a quarantined state.What is the scenario for the next couple of weeks?
We relied on expert evidence and guidance such as the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, the Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control in the United States and the World Health Organization. We looked at the recommendations that they have made for different countries, which they have divided into high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk countries. Even with medium- and low-risk countries, they have made specific recommendations. Some of our own measures have been educating the players about the disease – what it is, what it means, what the symptoms are, recognising the symptoms, monitoring themselves in terms of temperature and any other symptom that could come with respect to COVID-19. So we are comfortable that they know what the symptoms of the disease are.What has been your recommendation to the team?
We have continued to make our experts available to them, so should they have any concerns about the symptoms even post the tour, they would contact us or the medical staff closest to them from the cricket fraternity, who would assist them. We have recommended that all players either self-isolate or social distance them for a minimum of 14 days. That would be the proper way to protect people around them, the community, their families and, in particular, the vulnerable people in their families. In this period, should anyone develop such symptoms or any other factor that is a cause for concern, we will ensure that they are investigated appropriately and managed as per the protocols that are currently existing.

Australia missed Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie only in spirit as they routed India by 125 runs

Anand Vasu14-May-2020Australia missed Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie only in spirit as they routed India by 125 runs to win the World Cup for a historic third time. The mischievous smile rarely left Ricky Ponting’s boyish face as he led from the front, playing the innings of his life for an unbeaten 140 that powered Australia to 359/2 from 50 overs. In the face of great pressure chasing 360, India were given fleeting glimpses of hope by Virender Sehwag (82) and the rain, but succumbed to 234 all out in 39.2 overs.Without losing a single game on their way, Australia stamped their authority on world cricket. The mantle rested easily on Steve Waugh’s shoulders, and Ponting can now tell the world that he has lived up to every expectation Australian fans would have had.For the Indians a much cherished dream came crashing down to earth at the Wanderers. With no player having experience of being in a final as big as this, their bowlers appeared nervous and jerky after their captain gave them first use of the conditions. Zaheer Khan, charged up, oozed nervous energy as he charged in and delivered a 15-run over to get the game under way, accompanied by a few kind words to Adam Gilchrist.The best time to have a cheeky word with aggressive Australian batsmen is when they are walking back to the pavilion, not when they’ve just played and missed. Showing the stomach for a big fight, Gilchrist proceeded to tear the Indian bowling apart.He telegraphed his intentions early on, crashing the first ball of the third over, delivered by Zaheer Khan, to the long-off fence. From then on, there was no stopping him. Srinath, in particular, was treated severely, walloped for five fours and a six before he was taken off the attack. At the other end, Hayden was circumspect, getting his eye in and playing second fiddle.After Gilchrist had piled misery on the experienced Srinath and raw Zaheer Khan alike, Ganguly was forced to turn to his only spinner in just the 10th over.It paid dividends soon enough. Having slowed a touch after reaching his half-century off just 40 balls, Gilchrist attempted to heave Harbhajan over midwicket. With two fielders in the deep, there was little margin for error. The extra bounce from Harbhajan ensured that Gilchrist was beaten; the top edge swirling high towards midwicket where Sehwag held on to a well-judged catch.India had their first breakthrough, with Gilchrist gone for 57 (48 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) in the 14th over. While he would have been disappointed at falling against the run of play, he could take heart from the fact that he put Australia right on top with his contribution in a better-than-run-a-ball 105-run partnership for the first wicket.As is so often the case in one-dayers, one wicket paved the way for another.
The fall of Gilchrist slowed things down considerably and not a single boundary was struck in the 5.5 over spell it took for the second Aussie wicket to fall.Extracting big turn from the damp spots on the wicket, Harbhajan got a ball to turn square from outside the leg and Hayden (37, 54 balls, 5 fours) could only manage a faint edge to wicketkeeper Rahul Dravid. Australia were 125/2, one ball shy of the 20-over mark.India savoured their twin strikes, and it was a good thing they did, for they was little else to celebrate on the day.What Gilchrist and Hayden did, Ponting and Damien Martyn did better. They batted India out of the game with a belligerent 234-run partnership in 30.1 overs that powered Australia to a mammoth 359/2, the highest-ever score in a World Cup final. The bowling was well short of even being tidy – they conceded as many as 37 extras – and paid the price.You can’t help but feel for Srinath, who might well have played his last one-dayer for India. After all, who wants to end a career with the figures of 10-0-87-0 in a World Cup final?For the Indian seamers, who have done a sterling job all series, the final proved the moment when the law of averages caught up with them, along with a determined batting line-up.Using the launchpad afforded them by Gilchrist’s early burst, Ponting and Martyn took time to play themselves in. Once they did, there was no holding back. Australia’s captain showed the world exactly what he was capable of perpetrating, hitting eight sixes and four fours in a 121-ball 140. He unveiled an array of pull shots, sending his sixes sailing into the stands in the arc from midwicket to square leg.Martyn, while not playing the breathtaking shots that Ponting essayed, scored at a fast clip while every now and then unveiling the kind of delicate artistry that would have classicists purring with delight. A back-foot cover drive that sailed over the ropes showed a sense of timing that few in the world of cricket can match. With 88 off just 84 balls in a World Cup final, Martyn can be well pleased with his effort.At the end of the Ponting-Martyn assault, Australia had 359/2 in 50 overs.Drawing deep into the resources of a well of optimism and hope, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag walked out to attempt to make this World Cup final the greatest ever by pulling off a sensational win.One can only imagine the pressure piled onto the shoulders of Tendulkar as he stared down the wicket to Glenn McGrath first up. After pulling him unconvincingly to the midwicket fence off the fourth ball, Tendulkar tried to repeat the shot off the very next ball. The extra bounce beat him and the resultant top edge bobbed straight up in the air for McGrath to catch in his follow-through.The Australians had the big wicket they wanted; Tendulkar was back in the pavilion and a mere four runs were on the board. For most Indian fans, hope took a beating as the man who scored 673 runs in this World Cup was back in the pavilion.Ganguly (24) did his best to keep up the run rate, but fell to the pace of Brett Lee in the 10th over. Just three balls later, Mohammad Kaif was back in the hut for a duck and India were reeling at 59/3.From there on India did their best to keep up the pace, but were flagging when the skies opened and rain poured down at the Wanderers, threatening yet another twist in the tale with India on 103/3 in 17 overs. Even this rate was possible only as Ponting turned to his slow bowlers, in order to get through the overs. Brad Hogg and Darren Lehmann were introduced early and Sehwag went after both. Three consecutive boundaries off Lehmann in the 14th over got the Indian fans in the ground on their feet.Hogg too got a taste of the action, going for a four over cover and a six over long on off the third and fourth balls of the 15th over.When play resumed with the threat of rain gone, Ponting went back to his strike bowlers and they delivered the goods.While Sehwag kept the hopes of Indian fans up with good clean hits, the asking rate kept climbing. The sheer volume of runs required meant that scoring at a run a ball did nothing to arrest the steady climb of the required run rate.
Dravid, meanwhile, played foil to Sehwag, nudging singles and attempting to keep the scoreboard ticking over and the strike rotating. Ones and twos, however, were never going to be enough and soon Sehwag began to feel the pressure.Using his range of strokes, Sehwag thumped a couple of pulls, a slog-sweep and an extra-cover drive for three fours and six. Reaching 82 off just 81 balls, he probably had the Duckworth/Lewis target in mind as he attempted a suicidal run in the 24th over. Driving Bichel firmly to mid off, Sehwag set off for a single and was well short of his crease when Darren Lehmann’s throw nailed the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Sehwag’s 10 boundaries and three sixes brought much joy to Indian fans.Dravid (47) played a dogged hand and Yuvraj Singh made a brisk 24, but neither could do anything to stop Australia’s march.Wickets fell at regular intervals, shared almost equally between all the bowlers and India’s resistance was cut short on 234 in 39.2 overs. While Ganguly might rue his decision to bowl first, you can’t help but feel that Australia were simply too good on the day. And yes, on every other day they walked out to play cricket in their successful 2003 World Cup campaign.

Stead will still have to go throw a “robust” interview process this month

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2020Gary Stead, the New Zealand men’s head coach, could be in for a three-year contract extension until the 2023 ODI World Cup. NZC chief executive David White said the board is “delighted” with Stead’s work but the coach will still be expected to go through a “robust” interview process this month.”We are delighted with what he’s done,” White told stuff.co.nz. “When we appoint someone it’s a consultative process with players, management, and then a recommendation to the board. We’re hopeful to have that wrapped up before our board meeting at the end of August.”It’s important that the process is robust and is formal to a degree. It’s appropriate we do that.”White further said if Stead was reappointed, the contract would likely be till the 2023 World Cup in India.”We haven’t agreed a term as yet but I would think that’s likely to be until the next World Cup, which the ICC has now extended to November 2023. That would be a logical period,” White said.Taking over the reins from Mike Hesson, Stead was appointed as head coach in August 2018 for a two-year term until the T20 World Cup in Australia, which, originally scheduled for October-November this year, was recently pushed back until late 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Last week, Stead had expressed his willingness over carrying on in his role and said he had begun discussions with the board about extending his tenure at the helm.”Talks have been pretty positive and, if New Zealand Cricket and the players feel as though I can keep contributing, then I’d be interested in continuing on,” Stead told . He also said he shared a “really strong” working relationship with captain Kane Williamson, adding that they were both gung-ho about taking the team to the next level.Stead, 48, had guided the team to the 2019 ODI World Cup final and, an extension until the 2023 ODI World Cup would mean his overseeing the two upcoming T20 World Cups as well – in 2021 and the following year, in India. That would take his tenure to just a year short of Hesson’s six-year term, the longest served by a New Zealand men’s head coach.