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Mark Wood’s availability could determine the make-up of the pitch for the Saturday game in Lucknow

Abhimanyu Bose21-Apr-2023

Big picture: How will LSG use their home advantage?

Lucknow Super Giants have won two of the three games they have played at home this season. The two pitches, though, were very different. Against Delhi Capitals, it was a red-soil pitch where Mark Wood picked up a five-wicket haul with his blistering pace. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was a black-soil surface where the Super Giants spinners flourished. Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets and Amit Mishra claimed two. Ravi Bishnoi struck just once, but gave away just 16 runs in his four overs.Super Giants – with Deepak Hooda as the fourth option – have more depth in the spin department than Gujarat Titans, who have largely relied on just one spinner – Rashid Khan – this season, and banked more on their pace attack. This may tempt Super Giants to opt for another slow turner. That said, Rashid ran through Super Giants with four wickets the last time these two teams met. While Rashid hasn’t quite been his miserly self in IPL 2023, he has been among the wickets: he has a strike rate of 10.9 this season compared to 20.1 last season and his IPL career strike rate of 18.8.Of the other spinners, Titans did play Rashid’s compatriot, the left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, in the loss against Rajasthan Royals, where he bowled 2.2 overs. Rahul Tewatia has not bowled a single delivery this season.Wood missed Super Giants’ last game with illness, and his availability may also determine the kind of track they prepare against a team that they lost to twice last season – including the first ever game both the franchises played in the IPL.

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants WLWWL
Gujarat Titans LWLWW1:37

‘Noor Ahmad has got some mystery about his bowling’

Team news: Is Wood good to go?

Mark Wood’s illness is the only fitness concern for Super Giants. Titans have no injury worries, though Hardik Pandya’s workload is always a matter of interest.

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants: While batting first, Super Giants have started with Ayush Badoni and subbed either him or Kyle Mayers out for Mishra. But when they have suffered a collapse, K Gowtham has been used as the Impact Player to shore up the batting. While bowling first, Mishra starts and Badoni comes in as the substitute when they bat.Probable XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers/Quinton de Kock, 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 , 8 Yudhvir Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq/Mark Wood, 12 Gujarat Titans: Titans have been happy to start with three overseas players while batting first, with one of Josh Little or Noor coming in as the Impact Player in the second innings. They have, however, stuck to starting with four overseas players while chasing, with Vijay Shankar likely to be subbed in.Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 , 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 2:19

What is LSG’s best batting order?

Stats that matter

• Hardik has faced Krunal in two games, both coming in the IPL last year, and scored ten runs off 13 deliveries while being dismissed once.
• Nicholas Pooran’s strike rate of 63 against Rashid is the lowest for any batter in T20s who has faced at least 40 deliveries from Rashid.
• Super Giants have taken 19 wickets in the last five overs this season, the highest for any team. Their economy of 9.7 in this phase is the joint second-best in the league.

Quotes

“Vijay, who battled last season a little bit, he wanted to come back and prove that he is a player to be reckoned with. He got himself in great physical condition and his training and work ethic at the nets has been second to none.”

The big question

Archer, who has been replaced by Chris Jordan at Mumbai, will continue to have his fitness and recovery monitored by ECB

Matt Roller09-May-20234:31

Explaining Jofra Archer’s sudden exit from the IPL

Jofra Archer has flown home from the Indian Premier League “to focus on his rehabilitation” with four games remaining in the group stage of the tournament.”Archer has been recovering from right elbow surgery,” an ECB statement said. “However, pushing through the discomfort whilst recently playing, hoping it will settle, has proven challenging. Therefore, it has been agreed for him to return to the UK for a period of rest and rehabilitation to give him the best opportunity for a full recovery.”Archer, who has been replaced at Mumbai Indians by his England team-mate Chris Jordan, will return to the UK this week and work on his rehab with the ECB medical department and how county, Sussex.Archer has played five of Mumbai’s ten matches this season and has struggled to make an impact, taking two wickets and conceding 9.50 runs per over – though has regularly bowled at speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph.Related

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• Jofra Archer: 'I want to make the most of all the cricket that is available to me'

After playing in Mumbai’s opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Archer experienced discomfort in his right elbow. He briefly travelled to Belgium to visit a specialist during a short lay-off, and returned to the side just under three weeks later.He has played in four of their last five games, but will not take part in Tuesday night’s game against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium or in their final three league fixtures.Mumbai said in a statement that Archer’s “recovery and fitness continues to be monitored” by the ECB’s medical team. “Jofra will return home to focus on his rehabilitation,” the franchise added.Archer told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview that he retains ambitions as an all-format cricketer, heading into a year which sees England involved in a home Ashes series and their defence of the 50-over World Cup.Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, said earlier in the tournament that the ECB were speaking to Mumbai Indians “all the time” and that they had been “a brilliant franchise to work with” on Archer’s return to fitness since they bought him at the mega-auction in early 2022. The ECB have been approached for comment.Jordan, Archer’s replacement, has been with the squad on standby for the last two weeks. He went unsold at December’s auction but has previously played for Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and joins for a fee of INR 2 crore (£200,000 approx.)

Head coach Mickey Arthur hopes Derbyshire captain can be persuaded to stay

Matt Roller21-Jun-2023Leus du Plooy is considering an offer from Middlesex as he weighs up his future as a Derbyshire player.Derbyshire gave du Plooy his first opportunity in county cricket in 2019 and he has become one of their senior players during his five seasons at the club. He was appointed captain earlier this year but his contract expires at the end of the season, meaning other counties have been allowed to approach him for the last three weeks.ESPNcricinfo understands that several counties have been in contact with du Plooy but Middlesex have emerged as frontrunners. He would be a vital player for them in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast, and is understood to be keen to test himself in Division One.Related

• Derbyshire prepare for rebuild with David Lloyd capture

• Durham confirm signings of Ackermann, Parkinson

Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, has been trying to convince du Plooy to sign an extension with the club and he is expected to make a decision in the next few days. If he chose to leave, he would be the second consecutive captain of Derbyshire’s T20 side to leave the county after a single season in charge, following Shan Masood.Du Plooy is not a household name but has an excellent record as a middle-order batter across formats and his stock is on the rise in franchise cricket. He played for Joburg Super Kings in the inaugural SA20 earlier this year and impressed coach Stephen Fleming so much that Fleming signed him for Southern Brave at the top salary of £125,000 in March’s Hundred draft.He qualifies as a local player in county cricket thanks to a Hungarian passport and pre-settled status in the UK, and at 28, he retains ambitions to play international cricket. He is expected to qualify for England next year, telling the magazine earlier this year: “I’d love to play for South Africa if I could, and I’d love to play for England if I could.”Elsewhere, Durham are close to confirming the signing of Callum Parkinson, the left-arm spinner, who is out of contract at the end of the season. They have also approached his Leicestershire team-mate Colin Ackermann, who captains their T20 side.As reported at the start of this month, a number of Worcestershire players are out of contract this year and have received approaches from other counties. Foremost among them is recent England debutant Josh Tongue, whose potential suitors are believed to include Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.Worcestershire recently confirmed the appointment of Ashley Giles as their chief executive, and convincing some of the county’s best young players to extend their contracts appears to be his most pressing task.

Usman Khawaja unscathed at stumps – for third evening out of four

Matt Roller19-Jun-2023An Edgbaston Ashes classic is brewing. England batted frantically for two sessions on the fourth day to set Australia a target of 281 to win the first Test, and Stuart Broad took two late wickets to remove Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith and leave the game in the balance overnight.Australia’s pursuit started with the biggest partnership of the day as David Warner and Usman Khawaja added 61. But then Ollie Robinson cracked the game open, inducing a thin outside edge from Warner to bring Labuschagne to the crease on a king pair and give the raucous Hollies Stand an early-evening pick-me-up.The stage was set for Broad, who became the game’s protagonist as he bounded in from the Pavilion End. Labuschagne, who had reached 13, was beaten by his first ball and dismissed by his fourth, unable to avoid the temptation of chasing a wide one in the channel outside his off stump which nipped away to take his outside edge.When Smith walked out, the field was up; so too the volume, as Broad stood at the top of his mark and revved the crowd up once more. Smith swung him away for four, but then edged through to Jonny Bairstow on the bounce and Broad sensed another moment. As Smith shaped to drive through cover, the ball swung in and shaped away off the seam. Bairstow took the catch, Broad peeled away and England had the foothold they were after.Khawaja walked off unscathed at the close – for the third evening out of four – with nightwatch Scott Boland for company and 174 more required on Tuesday to put Australia one-nil up; England are seven wickets away. With showers forecast in the morning, a tight finish looms in the golden glow of the late-afternoon sunshine.Joe Root had fought to survive eight balls under thick, dark clouds on Sunday afternoon and decided to free his arms under blue skies on Monday. He attempted to reverse-scoop the first ball of the day over the slip cordon and missed it entirely; he connected with the sixth and seventh, picking up six and then four with the same audacious shot.Pat Cummins spread the field in a bid to stem the flow as Root and Ollie Pope traded boundaries, but he produced a ball that made his team-mates redundant. From wide on the crease, he sent down a booming inswinger that snuck underneath Pope’s bat and ripped his off stump out the ground.Harry Brook joined Root and made a fast start, picking length early and taking 13 runs from Nathan Lyon’s first over of the day. Root himself continued at a quick tempo and by drinks, England had scored at 6.88 runs an over in the morning, adding 93 in 13.3 overs.But four runs short of his half-century, Root ran past one. He skipped down to a sharply-spun offbreak, looking to heave Lyon up and over the leg side, but was beaten by the turn. Alex Carey whipped the bails off, and for the first time in his 131-match career, Root was stumped in a Test match.Josh Hazlewood and Lyon dried England up as Ben Stokes looked to play himself into some kind of rhythm. He survived a convincing lbw shout off Lyon which Australia reviewed unsuccessfully, but Brook fell while trying to force the initiative with a pull off the same bowler, straight to short midwicket.Bairstow was given out in the over before lunch, struck on the pad by a Boland in-ducker, but successfully overturned the decision and tried to push on after the interval, taking Cummins for back-to-back boundaries. His innings proved to be England’s latest cameo: trying to reverse-sweep Lyon, he was trapped leg-before.Australia were on top and tried to turn the screw, appealing in every other over. Labuschagne was convinced he had taken a blinding catch at short leg to dismiss Robinson, only for replays to confirm he had grounded it, and then convinced Cummins into burning their final review when Robinson played-and-missed at a short one.Moeen Ali slashed Cummins for four then slog-swept Lyon for six, but gloved a pull behind as Hazlewood returned for his second spell to expose the tail. Robinson added 27 useful runs, surviving a short-ball barrage before lofting Lyon straight to Cameron Green at long-on, and James Anderson managed a couple of boundaries then steered Cummins into a sprawling Carey’s left hand.Cummins and Lyon shared eight wickets and struck regularly, with England’s batting in a state of hyperactivity. Ten of their 11 batters reached double figures but nobody made a half-century, and the most substantial partnership – between Root and Brook – was worth just 52.After Khawaja edged Anderson through the gap between Bairstow and Root to pick up a streaky boundary through the slips, Australia’s progress was serene. They were aided in no small part by Moeen’s struggles with a blistered spinning finger and their seamers’ difficulty in finding movement on a slow, dry surface.That was, at least, until Warner’s dismissal prompted that enthralling half-hour passage. If the weather allows, this clash of styles and cultures should go down to the wire.

Essex well beaten despite Webster-Harmer stand leading recovery from Barker’s opening burst

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2023Nick Gubbins and Ben Brown’s half-centuries maintained Hampshire’s 100 per cent start to the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, as they beat Essex by four wickets.Captain Gubbins eased to a 63 while Brown ended a poor run of form to tot up 59. The pair put on 92 together, before Aneurin Donald’s exciting 47 off 45 all but ended the contest.Australian Beau Webster and South African Simon Harmer had saved Essex from 53 for 4 – shaped by Keith Barker’s 3 for 25 – to reach 236.But after Fletcha Middleton’s quick start, Hampshire never looked in danger and won with just over an over to spare to make it two wins from two in the competition, and condemn Essex to two defeats and a no result.Essex chose to bat, and after rain cut the game back to 45 overs a side, found themselves on the receiving end of a devastating Barker spell.The veteran left-armer pinned Josh Rymell with an in-seamer with his second ball, found Tom Westley slogging across the line to deep square and beat Robin Das for pace with a ball that smashed into the top of off stump.Barker’s 3 for 25 off his nine overs his best List A figures for Hampshire and his best since 4 for 33 for Warwickshire back in 2010.The rampant start saw Essex 27 for 3, which became 53 for 4 when Noah Thain pulled Scott Currie to fine leg, and in danger of replicating their 69 disaster against Notts Outlaws.Webster had already been spilt on 11 but with Harmer they corrected the malaise with an innings-defining 121-run stand.The rebuild was largely played in a risk-free manner, gaining confidence throughout to the stage where both crashed sixes off Dom Kelly.Webster’s fifty came in 78 balls and Harmer’s with a reverse-sweep in 60 balls – but their demise saw the remaining five wickets fall for 62 runs.Hampshire were hampered by Currie being withdrawn from the attack due to two no-balls – not helped but constant drizzle making the ball soap-like – but Gubbins made up the overs with a pair of wickets to return 2 for 24.File photo: Barker took his best List A figures since 2010•Getty Images

Ian Holland picked up 2 for 42 in the death, with Felix Organ dismissing Aaron Beard and Essex ending up on 236.Middleton, on the back of a maiden century, blazed his way out the gates with a 25-ball 36 in a 51-run opening stand. He was caught off a skier and Tom Prest nicked off as Jamie Porter took a quick-fire double.Gubbins was less fluent but, with Brown, glued the innings together to take any possible sting out the chase. The experienced pair putting on 92 for the third wicket, which included Webster bowling medium-pacers to Brown and offspin to Gubbins.The former Middlesex batter had opened his season with 40 but passed that, and reached his half-century in 80 balls before being bowled by Tom Westley’s first delivery. Brown reached his first half-century in all formats since April but fell leg-before to Harmer.However, Donald had already entered and killed the contest with his typically sprightly style – capped off with two towering sixes on the hook.The Welshman fell trying to bring up his half-century with a six to the long boundary and Organ clothed to mid-on, but Barker comprehensively carved a boundary to win it.

Three wickets each for Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer before Maia Bouchier hits winning runs

Valkerie Baynes09-Sep-2023Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer showed off more than a glimpse of a bright future for England, each taking three wickets on ODI debut to set up their side’s seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Durham.Combined with three wickets for legspinner Sarah Glenn and Amy Jones’ prowess behind the stumps – becoming the first England wicketkeeper to take five catches in a women’s ODI innings – the duo helped bowl Sri Lanka out for 106 inside 31 overs and the home batters reeled in their paltry target for the loss of just three wickets with 32 overs to spare.Gaur, who at just 17 had played 19 T20Is for UAE before making her England debut in the format with two matches against Sri Lanka during this tour, was handed her maiden ODI cap by retired seamer Katherine Sciver-Brunt and she honoured the changing of the guard with 3 for 26, including the prize dismissal of captain Chamari Attapaththu for just 10. Impressive quick Filer then got in on the act, snaring two wickets in two balls and three in total for figures of 3 for 27 after England won the toss.Legspinner Glenn was England’s only frontline Spinner with Sophie Ecclestone injured – although she would have been rested for the series anyhow – and offspinner Charlie Dean overlooked. She also took 3 for 20 as Sri Lanka failed to halt their slide, sparked – and ended – by Gaur.Gaur’s second delivery in ODI cricket resulted in five wides, a length ball to Anushka Sanjeewani swaying down the leg side and evading wicketkeeper Jones’ attempt to gather. Seven dot balls followed from the tall teen, however, including a gem which shaped back past Sanjeewani’s bat and bounced over the stumps and another which beat Attapaththu’s outside edge after jagging away from an off-stump line.Attapaththu, Sri Lanka’s captain and danger player after playing a decisive role in both her side’s T20I wins over England, chipped a low full toss over midwicket off Gaur two balls later but, at the end of her next over, Gaur snared a prize wicket with a beauty which angled in then moved away to clatter into the top of Attapaththu’s off stump, gone for just 10.When Gaur bowled Sanjeewani with a full inswinger that smashed middle stump, her debut struck dream territory and England were off to the best start they could have hoped for, their opponents reduced to 26 for 2.Glenn trapped Vishmi Gunaratne lbw and then Filer was brought into the attack to excellent effect. Where England had struggled against Sri Lanka’s spinners in losing the last two T20Is, the tourists had no answers for Filer’s raw pace.Filer came on in the 14th over then struck with the third ball of her next, when she did Hasini Perera for pace and bounce, pulling back her length and brushing the glove as Jones did the rest. Then, in the 20th over, Filer claimed the back-to-back wickets of Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshi de Silva, both caught behindJones also removed Harshitha Samarawickrama off Alice Capsey when England overturned umpire James Middlebrook’s not-out decision and Oshadi Ranasinghe attempting to cut a turning Glenn delivery. Then Glenn bowled Achini Kulasuriya through the gate with one that gripped the surface.Fittingly, it was Gaur who closed out Sri Lanka’s innings with another stunning delivery that nipped into Udeshika Prabodhani, slid between bat and pad and kissed the top of leg stump.Having twice been bowled out inside 20 overs during their defeats to Sri Lanka, England welcomed back ODI openers Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb to the 50-over format and the pair guided their side to 61 without loss before Beaumont fell for 32 attempting to cut Inoka Ranaweera only to find the hands of Hasini, diving low to her right at slip. Lamb was gone in the next over, chipping Ranasinghe to mid-off.Despite Heather Knight gloving her attempted sweep off Dilhari behind with eight more runs needed, Maia Bouchier – another making her maiden ODI appearance – struck the winning runs, a four off Athapaththu through the covers to make it a day for the debutants.

Against the best bowling attack, this was a serene way of rediscovering one’s mojo

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Sep-2023The best overseas signings are ones with something to prove. And when one of those happens to be only the second Indian batter to score a Test triple hundred, consider yourself lucky.Karun Nair is still only 31, a different man from the one who flayed England for an unbeaten 303 at Chennai at the back end of 2016. The batter, however, still has some of that precocious early magic left in him, as per the unbeaten 144 that takes Northamptonshire into Thursday on a healthy 351 for 9.In turn, Surrey, for the first time this season, are glancing over their shoulders as Essex, 18 points behind, assumed a dominant position at home to Hampshire.This 16th first-class hundred of Nair’s career, and first for the county, came off a patient 184 deliveries and carried a clear theme of rejuvenation for player and club. The start of a possible about-turn in a meandering career may trigger an unlikely about-turn in Division One’s relegation scrap.You have to go back to February 2022 for Nair’s last three-figure score; 175 for Karnataka against Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy. He has since left, joining Vidarbha, and speaking to ESPNcricinfo before this penultimate round of the Championship, relayed a desire to take some form back home with him. Having opened his three-game stint at Northants with 78 against Warwickshire, this knock against the best bowling attack in the division was a serene way of rediscovering one’s mojo.Related

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• Karun Nair climbs his way towards the top with renewed hunger and fire

The only points of malice came with No.11 Jack White, swinging wildly and occasionally nailing over midwicket and scything over backward point for six, amid the odd scuff for four. The 17th boundary, which took him to his hundred, was a gorgeous uppercut ramp in response to Surrey trying to prolong his stay in the nineties with short stuff.Otherwise, an innings that began early on day one at 51 for 2, and will continue into a third day after rains washed out 63.1 overs on day two, was all about sound judgement. And though Surrey were able to take the three necessary wickets for a third bowling point, an engaging stand of 114 between Nair and Tom Taylor was a welcome shot of adrenaline.Yet even with the three batting points – Northants had managed just four in the previous 12 matches – time out of the game is more damaging to the visitors than the hosts, adrift at the bottom by 32 points before their last two matches. It will take a lot of work to convert this into a second win of the season, especially with the defending County Champions desperate not to risk too much ahead of next week’s final round of games.Nair’s availability for the run-in came about primarily through an existing UK visa following a stint for Burbage & ER Cricket Club earlier this summer. He was on a plane a week after a former manager sounded him out about replacing Sam Whiteman, who was returning to Australia. That he has picked up where the club’s leading scorer left off has been a boost, albeit one that perhaps should not have happened to this degree.He was on 11 when Jamie Overton shelled him at second slip on Monday, and was dropped on Tuesday – with 131 to his name – when flaying to Ryan Patel at deep midwicket. The catch was taken initially, before the elbows hit the turf, dislodging the ball. It would, and should, have been 338 all out.The worst drop, however, belonged to Cameron Steel, who not only shelled a regulation take a third slip that would have dismissed Taylor on 1, but may have cost Tom Lawes a second five-wicket haul of the season. Lawes, the pick of the quicks so far, had registered his fourth after dismissing Justin Broad with a thrilling bit of teamwork between Overton and Ben Foakes. The former scooped up an edge low to his left at second slip that the latter managed to clutch just above the ground with his right mitt.Taylor, who is set to join Worcestershire on a three-year deal at the end of the season, was almost a shot a ball, chancing his arm from 193 for 7 with expansive drives and exactly the type of verve Surrey did not want. Nair relished the opportunity to coast, allowing Taylor to assume the dominant role, contributing 32 of the 50 stand, which came up in 57 deliveries. Taylor stung the fingertips of Steel at third once more with a full-blooded hack on 44, on his way to a second fifty of the season, and eighth of his career, off 55 deliveries. An inside edge past his stumps brought up the century stand from 115, with Taylor providing 59 of them.If anything, Taylor’s demise after lunch only reinforced how wasteful Surrey had been. Overton pinned the right-hander on the pads seven balls after the lunch break, before hitting the top of Ben Sanderson’s off stump with the very next ball. Out walked Jack for the hat-trick ball, which was left precariously as it whistled full past off stump.Nair then assumed the role of shepherd, ensuring the tailender only faced 15 of the 32 deliveries remaining in the day. The addition of 44 runs (and counting) for this final wicket was by no means crisp. Though Nair is off the back of 532 runs at a strike rate of 162.69 in the Maharaja Trophy, Karnataka’s T20 competition, he found the red Dukes ball harder to connect with, striking about one in three, much to the annoyance of the Surrey fielders. And Lawes of course, who ended up on the receiving end of both Nair’s sixes. Instead of five wickets, the 20-year-old is nursing 100 runs, with a delivery to go in his 23rd over.The weather may yet make all this academic. But for now at least, Northants’ endeavour and Surrey’s profligacy gives both an evening wondering if the 2023 Division One season has one last twist in its tale at the top and bottom.

Hobart Hurricanes’ very slim final hopes were extinguished as they collapsed for 87 at the SCG

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2023The in-form Adelaide Strikers are pulling all the right moves in pursuit of back-to-back WBBL titles, thrashing the Hobart Hurricanes by 77 runs in their last game of the regular season.Strikers won Sunday’s game with a patient first innings anchored by Laura Wolvaardt, who it was later confirmed will be available for the final despite having been named South Africa captain, and Tahlia McGrath’s WBBL career-best bowling figures that helped trigger a batting collapse of 6 for 25.Chasing 165 runs for victory at the SCG, Hurricanes were all out for 87 runs, their sixth-worst total in a WBBL game.The loss officially ended Hurricanes’ hopes of clinching a berth, though they would have needed a minor miracle to oust the Sydney Thunder and finish fourth.Strikers had already locked up top spot on the ladder and hosting rights for the tournament final, which they will enter on a five-game winning streak and with six days between games.With the ball, Strikers spinner Jemma Barsby sparked the mayhem, bowling veteran Elyse Villani for the first of six wickets to fall in the space of five overs.Captain McGrath was the most influential with the ball, snaring Nicola Carey and Naomi Stalenberg in back-to-back deliveries to consign Hurricanes to 49 for 4 after they were 41 for 1.After Strikers were sent in, South African opener Wolvaardt formed a steady 67-run partnership with Katie Mack to get the ladder-leaders moving.Wolvaardt brought her half-century up in the 16th over with a single to deep square leg from Carey’s bowling.She cut loose late with back-to-back boundaries in the 19th over, including her only six, before being caught in the deep from the penultimate delivery of the innings. Strikers added 100 in their second 10 overs.

Houghton retained as coach ahead of Africa region qualifier later this month

Sreshth Shah04-Nov-2023Following Zimbabwe’s 3-2 defeat in the T20I series against Namibia, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has rung in major changes to the set-up, including naming Sikandar Raza as the new captain.Placing an importance on Zimbabwe’s pursuit of a spot at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies next year, the board also retained Dave Houghton as the head coach in an attempt to maintain continuity. That leaves Zimbabwe, ranked 11th in T20Is, with two captains across the three formats: Craig Ervine will continue to lead the Test and ODI teams.Under Ervine’s captaincy, Zimbabwe had a 54% win percentage in 38 games, the best among Zimbabwe T20I captains. Raza has led Zimbabwe in four T20Is before – between 2015 to 2021 – all in a stand-in capacity.The three-member men’s selection panel was also changed, with former fast bowler David Mutendera remaining as convener, but with Houghton and former captain Elton Chigumbura now joining him.Zimbabwe did not participate at the 2021 T20 World Cup because ZC was suspended by the ICC because of government interference in its administration. At the 2022 edition, they topped their group in the first round but finished last – sixth – in their Super 12 grouping, and failed to automatically qualify for 2024.To get there, Zimbabwe will be playing the Africa region qualifier final later this month alongside Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and hosts Namibia. Two teams from that competition will complete the 20-team line-up for the main edition in 2024.

Performance of women’s team under scrutiny

The ZC also said that the tenures of Zimbabwe women head coach Gary Brent, the captain Mary-Anne Musonda, and the vice-captain Josephine Nkomo will be reviewed after the T20 World Cup Africa qualifier is completed in December. They have played only six T20Is all year, and have a 1-5 record so far with the only tour being their series in Bangkok against Thailand.With the upcoming men’s Under-19 World Cup set to be held in Sri Lanka early next year, Prosper Utseya was given an extension as coach of the team. Former fast bowler Kyle Jarvis was named as one of the Under-19 selectors, alongside Chigumbura (convener), Jestinos Gwatiringa, Pollock Mubhobho and Leslie Makirimani.

Pakistan had moved into a promising position before things went wrong after tea on an action-packed day at the MCG

Tristan Lavalette27-Dec-2023Captain Pat Cummins clean bowled Babar Azam with a gem of a delivery during a spectacular spell late on day two to trigger a Pakistan collapse as Australia gained control of the Boxing Day Test.With the MCG surface seemingly flattening in sunny conditions, Pakistan had moved confidently to 124 for 1 before Cummins took over with three wickets as Australia look set for a valuable lead on the first innings.It was a disappointment for Pakistan having mustered a resolute performance for much of the day. After dismissing Australia for 318 by lunch, Pakistan responded well with opener Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood building a 90-run partnership as they scored briskly after tea.Having batted watchfully through the second session, Shafique put the foot down with several superb strokes square of the wicket as he raced past his half-century.Masood before the series promised his team would play a proactive brand and he led from the front by charging at offspinner Nathan Lyon and hitting him down the ground to good effect.It was the type of domination rarely seen from Pakistan during more than two decades of misery in Australia, where they have lost 15 straight Test matches.But Cummins took it upon himself to change the game with a magical five-over spell where he accounted firstly for Shafique with a brilliant return catch in his follow through.Then he renewed his battle with Babar, who Pakistan desperately needed to stand up if they were to close in on Australia’s first innings. Cummins in Perth had worked over Babar before having him nicked off in Pakistan’s second innings.He produced an even better delivery with a pearler that had late inward seam movement to befuddle Babar and hit the top of off stump. Having removed Babar for 1, Cummins leapt in the air in celebration and Pakistan could not recover from the dispiriting dismissal of their talisman.Lyon exacted revenge when Masood, shortly after reaching his half-century, holed out attempting another big stroke. It was Lyon’s second wicket having earlier removed opener Imam-ul-Haq in his first match since taking his 500th Test wicket in the series-opener.In his 16th innings of a fledgling Test cricket, Saud Shakeel was dismissed for the first time under 20 when he was knocked over on 9 by a stellar delivery from quick Josh Hazlewood.Cummins returned to the attack shortly before stumps and was met by an extraordinary six from recalled Mohammad Rizwan, who flicked him audaciously over deep backward square in a shot more reminiscent of white-ball cricket. But Cummins was not to be denied and capped what might prove to be a game-changing performance by dismissing allrounder Agha Salman.Shan Masood scored an eventful half-century but could not carry on•Associated Press

Pakistan’s hopes of avoiding a hefty first innings deficit rest with Rizwan, who was in aggressive form in his return having been contentiously overlooked for the first Test with selectors sticking with incumbent wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed.Pakistan’s calamitous finish negated their earlier hard work having clawed back into the game with seven wickets in a prolonged first session after Australia resumed on 187 for 3 following a rain-interrupted opening day.Pakistan’s quicks were backed up by a much better fielding effort. After several shoddy dropped catches so far this series, they hung on to tough chances in the outfield while wicketkeeper Rizwan produced a spectacular one-handed take diving to his right to dismiss counterpart Alex Carey.But having enjoyed favourable bowling conditions, after Masood elected to field, Pakistan rued inconsistencies from their quicks while 52 extras bumped up Australia’s total.Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi’s tough start to the series continued and he finished with 2 for 85 from 27 overs. He has been unable to consistently find the right length and his pace continues to be down in what has been a bane in recent times.Quick Aamer Jamal continued his strong start to Test cricket with three wickets, including Marnus Labuschagne who top-scored for Australia with 63 in the only half-century in the innings. Having entered the match averaging just 35 in Test cricket this year, marked by troubles outside the off stump, Labuschagne looked far more assured as he navigated the tricky surface.Labuschagne combined well with a confident Mitchell Marsh, who hit a quick 41 on the back of his twin half-centuries in Perth as he cements his position at No.6. But Australia lost their last six wickets for 68 as Pakistan’s momentum continued into their batting until Cummins’ unforgettable spell.