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Highlights from the final day of sixth round of matches

Shashank Kishore26-Jan-2025

Vidarbha complete stunning come-from-behind win

Vidarbha overturned a 100-run deficit to clinch a stunning 221-run win over Rajasthan in Jaipur to assure themselves of a knockouts berth from Group B. Their fifth outright win in six games was set up by Akshay Wadkar, the captain, who struck a combative second-innings century after they’d been effectively reduced to 44 for 5.Wadkar was assisted by Yash Rathod, who made 98, and fast bowler Nachiket Bhute who made 87 from No. 10. The eighth-wicket stand between Wadkar and Bhute was worth 172. Rajasthan never got going in their target of 329; they were bowled out for 107.Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey picked up 5 for 51 – his fifth five-for this season. Dubey now sits on top of the wicket charts for the season – he has 42 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 14.55. Jammu & Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi comes next with 38 wickets.Related

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Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram take TN to doorstep of knockouts

His participation in the first half of the Ranji season was hampered due to a thumb injury, but R Sai Kishore, the captain, made an impact in his just third game, his match haul of eight wickets helping Tamil Nadu beat Chandigarh in Salem. Sai Kishore profited from having an equally aggressive bowler wheel away from the other end – fellow left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram too picked up four wickets in the second innings, and a match haul of nine wickets.Before the spin twins left their mark on the final day, Tamil Nadu were set up by Vijay Shankar’s 150 that helped them set Chandigarh a target of 403. The win took TN to the top of Group D; a draw in their next game against Jharkhand should see them through to the knockouts. Chandigarh and Saurashtra are the other two teams in the running for a knockouts berth from the group.File photo: Akshay Wadkar scored a second-innings ton to send Vidarbha on their way to victory against Rajasthan•PTI

Kerala show incredible fight to salvage draw

A miniscule lead of just seven runs proved massive in the end as Kerala defied conditions and MP’s bowling attack to secure a draw that gave them three crucial points. This put them in a three-way race with Karnataka and Haryana for the knockouts from Group C. Kerala are currently second with 21 points, while Karnataka are on 19. Haryana top the pool with 26 points.Kerala were set a 363 target to win, but more importantly, needed to bat out at least 100 overs to secure a draw. Those hopes appeared crushed when they stumbled to 47 for 5 by lunch on the final day. But a stunning lower-order rearguard helped them script a miracle. This effort was led by Mohammad Azharuddeen and Aditya Sarwate, who made 68 and 80 respectively.Kerala’s ninth-wicket pair of B Aparajith and MD Nideesh batted out over an hour and 13.4 overs under fading light to secure a draw from the jaws of defeat. MP threw everything they had at Kerala, with Kuldeep Sen picking up 3 for 64, while left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya wheeled away for 37 overs for his three wickets.

Baroda stumble as Mukesh Choudhary picks up maiden five-for

Baroda’s position at the top of Group A received a jolt as their defeat to Maharashtra left them in slightly troubled waters. This result coincided with Jammu & Kashmir’s upset of Mumbai that took them to the top of the table. Baroda now play J&K in what is effectively a must-win for them to keep their knockouts hopes alive, considering Mumbai, who are in third position, have a relatively easier draw as they play Meghalaya.Baroda’s defeat will rankle as they couldn’t bat out a little more than two sessions to secure a draw. Maharashtra batted big to extend their second innings well into the final day, when they declared on 464 for 7 to set Baroda a target of 617. Baroda lasted just 36 overs and were bowled out for 177 with left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary picking up 5 for 76.

India went to tea with strong hopes of drawing the Boxing Day Test, but Cummins and Co kept pegging away to seal a fantastic win at the MCG

Andrew McGlashan30-Dec-2024
Early in the final hour at the MCG, Australia won an epic Test that had been played in front of a record crowd to take a 2-1 lead in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, having snared seven wickets in the final session when it appeared India were on track to save the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal defied the home side for 208 deliveries before falling to the herculean Pat Cummins while hometown star Scott Boland made three key incisions to secure one of Australia’s most significant victories of recent history.Nathan Lyon claimed the final wicket, when he pinned Mohammed Siraj lbw, sparking wild celebrations for the home side: a margin of 184 runs did not do justice to the tension and drama of the final day and the importance of the result to this Australia team who have turned their fortunes around after the crushing opening defeat in Perth.Related

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After India had slid to 33 for 3, Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant added 88 in 32 overs to take India into the final session with seven wickets in hand, but Travis Head burgled the wicket of Pant and Australia seized their moment as India lost 7 for 34. The quick bowlers were immense, Mitchell Starc bowling in the mid-140kph region despite a back niggle, while Cummins and Boland added further chapters to previous MCG heroics. Cummins earned the Johnny Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match for an outstanding all-round Test in which he also contributed 90 runs alongside his six wickets.There was a dose of controversy, too, when Jaiswal’s rearguard was ended via the DRS after he gloved a pull down the leg side against Cummins. Snicko did not register anything, but third umpire Sharfuddoula ruled he had seen a clear a deflection, which matched what was shown on TV. Jaiswal appeared to know he had hit it but spoke with the umpires on the way off. It meant India’s lower order had 21 overs to survive and it proved too much.The defeat means India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final are now out of their hands, but in terms of this series they can still retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with victory in Sydney. For Australia, a win in the final Test – and a 3-1 margin – would secure their spot in the WTC final alongside South Africa who qualified yesterday with their own gripping victory over Pakistan.The final day dawned with Australia nine down and they opted to continue batting which added just a further six runs but removed four overs from the day’s allocation. Lyon became the fifth wicket for Jasprit Bumrah, retaining his record of having the most Test runs without making a half-century. It all meant that India needed 340 in 92 overs and talk of the Gabba 2021 was never far away.Pat Cummins was awarded the Mullagh Medal after being named Player of the Match•Getty Images

India were very cautious early on against some extremely testing new ball bowling; Rohit Sharma later said they set out wanting to lay a platform for a chase but it always looked a long shot. Australia were made to wait for their opening incisions before, as has so often been the case, it was Cummins who came to the fore. He had the struggling Rohit edging to gully, where Mitchell Marsh took a sharp catch, and five balls later squared up KL Rahul with a superb delivery which ended in the hands of first slip.In the final over before lunch, Starc was rewarded for battling through the pain barrier when he lured Virat Kohli into his latest drive outside off, the edge reaching Usman Khawaja. The wicket ended a controversial time in Melbourne for Kohli, and made it clear that there was no realistic chance of India chasing down the target.Jaiswal and Pant played very solidly through the afternoon to repel everything Australia threw at them. Jaiswal, who dropped three catches yesterday, including a vital chance off Marnus Labuschagne, survived a tight lbw appeal against Starc on 31 and brought up his second fifty of the match off 127 balls.Shortly after tea, India were 121 for 3. Head, who was used partly to improve Australia’s over rate which risked WTC points deductions, dropped a ball short outside off stump and Pant went for the pull, finding Marsh at long-on who took an excellent catch. It gave Australia an opening. And belief.Cummins quickly returned to Boland and he soon made a delivery jump at Ravindra Jadeja to take the shoulder of the bat through to Carey. In the next over from Lyon, India’s first-innings rescuer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, edged a delivery which went straight on and Steven Smith took a superb catch, low to his left at slip. Australia had taken 3 for 9 to crack the innings wide open.Steven Smith gets into position to take the catch that got Nitish Kumar Reddy•Getty Images

Jaiswal’s dismissal will likely be dissected in detail over the coming days and the DRS was called into action again to rule that Akash Deep had got a thin edge into his pad which went to short leg. By then, Australia were firm favourites, especially with a new ball soon to be available, but in the end that wasn’t even needed.Boland found Bumrah’s outside edge, with Smith taking another superb catch, and then Lyon cannoned one into Siraj’s front pad. Inevitably India reviewed but it was going nowhere but the stumps. When the decision was confirmed, Lyon did a jig of delight. Overall, the Test had been watched by 373,691 spectators, a new record for a Test match in Australia. It will go down as one of the more memorable.

New Zealand white-ball captain will play alongside Nathan Smith at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2025Surrey have filled the main gap in their T20 squad with the signing of New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner for the majority of the Vitality Blast season. Santner is available for eight group-stage games and the knockouts in September, if Surrey qualify.Batting allrounders Dan Lawrence, Cameron Steel and Will Jacks were Surrey’s spin options in the Blast last year, but the addition of Santner brings them a frontline option with more than 200 appearances in the format. Surrey have been losing semi-finalists two years in a row, and have not won the trophy since its inaugural season back in 2003.Santner, who recently became New Zealand’s white-ball captain, will arrive in London after the IPL, where he is due to play for Mumbai Indians. He will miss the end of the group stages on international duty but should be available for the knockouts in September. He is also likely to feature in the Hundred again this year, having spent last season with Northern Superchargers.Related

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“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the players and coaching staff at Surrey,” Santner said. “I’ve heard quality things about the environment and have thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Kia Oval previously. I’ve been fortunate to play against many of the squad so it will be great to share the same changing room and play some entertaining cricket.”Alec Stewart, who remains involved with Surrey’s recruitment in his new role as a ‘high performance cricket advisor’, said: “Mitch will bring quality and experience to the Surrey side. He’s a proven international cricketer who plays T20 cricket all over the world and has built an excellent skillset.”Santner will play alongside his international team-mate Nathan Smith at The Oval, with Smith due to play in both the County Championship and the Blast from the start of May until the end of the season, around his New Zealand commitments.

Aggressive cameos with the bat seal Glamorgan points – and NRR boost – inside 12 overs

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Jul-2025Glamorgan competed a comprehensive victory over Kent to keep pressure on the qualification spots in the South Group of the Vitality Blast.On a home return to Sophia Gardens in their T20 campaign, Glamorgan chased 119 with more than eight overs to spare in an explosive innings after a dominant bowling display.Andy Gorvin returned career best figures of 4 for 17 along with Ned Leonard taking 4 for 26 to make it nine wickets in his last two matches. Only Jack Leaning put up some resistance with 45 from 40 balls to help lift Kent from 27 for 3 after six overs.Kiran Carlson top-scored for Glamorgan with a quickfire 34 balls as a series of cameos secured a comfortable six-wicket victory.Glamorgan gave the Spitfires first use of the green-topped surface and instantly reaped the rewards of doing so in terms of economy, initially, before Imad Wasim began a clatter of wickets in the third over.With Daniel Bell-Drummond dismissed early, Kent’s top scorer in the Vitality Blast, Tawanda Muyeye, falling in the next over didn’t help Kent at 9 for 2, mistiming a drive to give Leonard a first-ball wicket, caught at deep-third.The struggles in timing and finding the pace of the pitch continued throughout the Kent innings, finding themselves three down in the powerplay with Harry Finch unable to continue his form from a half-century last time out, missing an attempted ramp.With no intention of dying wondering, the Spitfires continued to up their sluggish run-rate on a two-paced wicket. Two internationals in the form of Joe Denly and captain Sam Billings attempted to rebuild until Gorvin dismissed the pair in the same over.Kent slipped from 37 for 3 to 43 for 5 after nine overs. Gorvin was exceptionally difficult to get away with his varied medium pace. Billings was bowled first, slog-sweeping, before Denly played around a nip-backer.Leaning’s blows towards the back end, particularly off Dan Douthwaite, produced his best knock of the campaign and helped Kent to a respectable total. The 31-year-old found two sixes in the final over from Jamie McIlroy, who had dropped him off his own bowling earlier in the innings on 13. Leaning successfully farmed the strike from his No. 11 partner Matt Parkinson, after the lower-order continued to come and go.Glamorgan came out firing as Carlson so often does, leading from the front alongside Will Smale. Twelve from the first over quickly had the hosts realising that this chase could be a matter of net run rate importance rather than the risk of a win-lose situation.Smale’s ramp for six off overseas Tom Rogers’ first ball helped Glamorgan to take 46 from his three overs with a flurry of shots along the way.With Glamorgan having no issue with finding their timing, the relentless striking continued – though a few mistimed shots found fortunate results. Not all fell safe with Smale first to go, bringing the inexperienced Alex Horton to free himself for a quick 20 which included four consecutive boundaries off Rogers.Carlson’s 34 in no time ended, similarly to Smale, trying one shot too but with the game all but done following a 70 for 1 powerplay.Horton’s cameo ended pulling Nathan Gilchrist to deep square leg which brought Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram together. Ingram punished Parkinson for two sixes in the same over before being dismissed with two to win, the batters enjoying their short stays.Asa Tribe came in to find the winning runs after his return from the Netherlands, where he played for Jersey just 24 hours prior. The potentially important figure in the successful chase being the 11.4 overs it took to complete the task.

Essex stymied in Chelmsford run chase as Cassidy McCarthy also impresses with ball

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jul-2025The Blaze 139 (Graham 33, Gray 4-18) beat Essex 104 for 9 (Grewcock 33, Gordon 4-23, Glenn 3-17) by 35 runsSarah Glenn and Cassidy McCarthy stifled Essex’s batting as The Blaze successfully defended 139 at Chelmsford to seal their place at Women’s Vitality Blast Finals Day.England legspinner Glenn finished with figures of 3 for 17, following seamer McCarthy’s 1 for 8 from three overs up top and skipper Kirstie Gordon weighed in with 4 for 23, including two wickets in as many balls. Those efforts all helped to ensure Essex were restricted to just 104 for 9 in reply – and the home side’s defeat leaves them only a remote mathematical chance of joining The Blaze in the last four.Earlier, Heather Graham top-scored with 33 from 23 as the visitors were bowled out two deliveries short of their full allocation, with Essex seamer Eva Gray recording a season’s best of 4 for 18.Having won the toss and opted to bat, The Blaze were soon in trouble as Georgia Elwiss departed at the start of a tight spell by Maddie Penna (1 for 20), while opening partner Michaela Kirk was bowled trying to cut Jodi Grewcock.The Bryce sisters started to rebuild, but Abtaha Maqsood (2 for 26) dismissed both her fellow Scotland internationals in the space of four balls, tempting Sarah out of her ground for a stumping before Kathryn (27 from 25) was pinned in front.Graham immediately went on the offensive, taking successive boundaries off Maqsood and lifting Kate Coppack over the rope at long-on but, once she was caught at point off Gray, The Blaze struggled to regain momentum.Glenn and Lucy Higham gave their side some hope with a partnership of 30 from 24, but the boundaries dried up and the pair were both picked off in the final over as Gray wrapped up the innings with three wickets in four balls.However, the 140 target looked steeper for Essex after three miserly overs from McCarthy – which included the wicket of Grace Scrivens, top-edging an attempted paddle through to the wicketkeeper. Lauren-Winfield followed, labouring to 8 from 18 before she miscued a slog sweep off Glenn as the visiting spinners began to turn the screw, with only two boundaries registered in the powerplay.Grewcock (33 from 31) and Penna (26 from 24) did their best to inject some zip into the innings and the Australian had just pulled Gordon for four when she tried to hit the next ball over the top and picked out the long-off fielder.Grewcock’s departure two overs later triggered a middle-order collapse and Gordon removed Gray and Sophia Smale from successive deliveries, with Coppack – unbeaten on 14 -the only other batter to reach double figures as Essex’s challenge petered out.

Masterful unbeaten 144 proves to be in vain for Hampshire at Utilita Bowl

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Aug-2025Nottinghamshire 292 for 6 (Haynes 97, Hameed 86) beat Hampshire 290 for 6 (Gubbins 144*) by four wicketsJack Haynes and Haseeb Hameed overcame Nick Gubbins’ latest century as Notts Outlaws beat Hampshire to close up the top of Group A of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition.In form, Gubbins became the first player in this year’s competition to reach 500 runs with a sublime 144 not out, as the hosts posted 290.But Haynes followed up scores of 51, 56 and 124 in his last four innings with a thrilling 97, before skipper Hameed struck 86 to hand Hampshire just their second home 50-over defeat since 2021.The Outlaws jump onto second-placed Hampshire’s necks with their third victory.Gubbins was the constant of Hampshire’s batting, but having been put in, middling partnerships were what compiled their par 290.All but two of the seven stands were between 46 and 57 as batters came in, got a start and then left Gubbins to a new tryst.The free-flowing Ali Orr was first to join Gubbins – laying a number of scintillating drives in the powerplay before he was caught behind having been lured down the legside.Fletcha Middleton and Brandon McMullen had their moments before both slogged the often unscorable off Joe Pocklington to Freddie McCann at long on.McCann bowled Tom Prest before Ben Mayes flirted with a reverse sweep six but was caught on the pull and Felix Organ became Pocklington’s third victim of his three for 28.But all their fleeting visits to the wicket were overshadowed by Gubbins.The left-hander now has more runs in six One-Day Cup innings than in his 18 Rothesay County Championship knocks.His innings was built on intent, even when things squeezed in the middle overs. More jolty hand movements have led to more control in his stroke play.Gubbins hasn’t failed in the competition. A 144 not out in the opener has been followed by 40, 60, 81, and 87 not out. On this occasion, his hundred, his 11th in List A, came in 99 balls.Andrew Neal was his last partner, and with him, Gubbins cut loose – hitting two of his four legside sixes – to inflate Hampshire’s total, despite Neal’s last ball run out.Ben Martindale had already edged past second slip before he nicked Kyle Abbott behind in the third over, but Ben Slater and Haynes set Notts in the right direction.The pair put on 83, but while Slater was castled by Eddie Jack, Haynes effervesced runs.The former Worcestershire batter had already scored two centuries in the competition, including in his last outing against Glamorgan, and looked on course for a third.But three runs shy of the landmark – which would have been his sixth in all formats in 2025 – a rare misstep saw him sky to mid on.McCann followed quickly when a reverse sweep went wrong to give Neal his 10th wicket of the One-Day Cup, but Hameed stood up and started to attack.His four-six combo over midwicket took him to a 55-ball half-century but just as he looked like he was striding to the winning post, Jack deceived him with a slower ball.That left 37 required from 38 balls and despite Dane Schadendorf departing to give Jack his third, Lyndon James and Pocklington saw off Hampshire with eight balls to spare.

Australian slams 25-ball half-century after Linsey Smith, Lucy Higham tie down Phoenix

ECB Media15-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers soared to the top of the women’s Hundred table with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage’s team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix’s flow.Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44 for 1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry’s unfortunate run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end – summing up the Phoenix’s misfortune.From 59-6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of the Hundred’s women’s competition.On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. The Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year’s tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker. Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as Superchargers’ overseas stars wrapped things up with a whopping 26 balls to spare.Litchfield was named the Meerkat Match Hero: “That was good fun out there. Every time we play here at Headingley we know it’ll be a good pitch and you saw that even when Davina and ADR came out, and then especially Bellesey [Sutherland] at the end there.”Litchfield was also full of praise for Superchargers’ spinners, Smith and Higham. “They hit their lengths and kept the stumps in play and forced the Birmingham batters to try something else, and we backed them up in the field. Our two little spinners have done wonders for us for a few years now and they showed it again today.”We’ve had this group together for three years now, it hasn’t changed much, and the vibes are good. We had a pretty average game last time out, but we tried to park that and came out with a positive mindset.”

Sri Lanka were unable to chase down a target of 242

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2025Bangladesh edged out Sri Lanka by the narrowest of margins – one run – in the Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Colombo on Saturday.Sri Lanka stumbled early in a chase of 243, slipping from 56 for 1 to 86 for 4, but Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva steadied the innings, both scoring half-centuries. Dilhari’s 63 came to an unfortunate end when her bat slipped off her hand and hit the stumps after a shot over midwicket. Nilakshika continued the fight, making 75 off 78 before falling in the penultimate over.At 218 for 5 with 46 overs gone, Sri Lanka seemed in control, needing 25 from 24 balls. However, a collapse followed, left-arm spinner Nahida Akter triggering the slide, dismissing Piumi Wathsala and Anushka Sanjeewani in the 47th over before removing Nilakshika in the 49th. In the final over, Marufa Akter defended nine runs as Sri Lanka lost three wickets, including a run out, and fell short.Earlier, Sri Lanka made an early breakthrough with Udeshika Prabodhani dismissing Fargana Haque in the second over. Rubya Haider and Sharmin Akhter rebuilt with a 90-run stand, but Dilhari struck twice to remove both. Dewmi Vihanga, Malki Madara, and Dilhari all took two wickets as Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh to 242 for 8, with Sharmin’s 71 being the highlight.