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Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips pave the way for New Zealand's 31-run win over Ireland in first T20I

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Josh Little’s four-wicket ends up as a footnote in the game as Ireland fail to chase 174

Sreshth Shah18-Jul-2022Lockie Ferguson used his assortment of quick deliveries and change-ups to take a four-wicket haul, and in the process left Ireland 31 runs short of New Zealand’s score of 173, handing the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.In sunny (and warm) Belfast conditions, Ireland dominated for most of the first innings, leaving New Zealand struggling at 100 for 5, but Glenn Phillips’ late flurry with the bat pushed the visitors to 173 for 8 in 20 overs.After Phillips’ unbeaten 52-ball 69, Ferguson took charge of proceedings, dismissing Gareth Delany and Paul Stirling early. He then returned to remove Ireland’s top scorer Curtis Campher for 29 and took the final wicket of the game, Craig Young caught behind.Ireland had some positives, especially left-arm seamer Josh Little’s four-wicket haul that strangled New Zealand for most of the first innings. But they conceded 61 runs in the last five overs and that proved to be the turning point in the end. Phillips was the man who did most of the damage in this period and because of that he was fittingly named Player of the Match.NZ bowlers rally around FergusonEarly wickets were needed for New Zealand’s fairly inexperienced bowling unit to defend 173, and they came starting with a backpedaling catch from captain Mitchell Santner in the third over. Jacob Duffy, playing for the first time since his appearance against Bangladesh in 2021, forced a miscued inside-out shot from Andy Balbirnie to get that opening wicket. After that, Ferguson picked off Stirling and Delany fairly cheaply.The middle-overs squeeze came from Santner, James Neesham and Ish Sodhi, the trio sharing five wickets in their 11 overs, as Ireland stumbled to 96 for 7 by the 13th. The seventh wicket was that of Campher’s, who appeared to be the only Irish batter willing to muster up a challenge, but he was done in by a Ferguson yorker – plumb lbw – and then the tail wagged but not for long enough.As the pitch got older, run-scoring got tougher, and Santner and Neesham in particular made it even more difficult by changing their speeds and not offering deliveries at the arc of the Irish batters. Santner picked up the wickets of Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker with edges to short third man and the wicketkeeper respectively while Neesham’s two strikes in the 17th over sent Ireland from seven down to nine down in the space of four balls.Ferguson then finished the game off, delivering a bouncer to No. 10 Young, who gloved it to the debutant Dane Cleaver.New Zealand struggle with the batWith key senior players missing from the T20I tour for New Zealand, the onus was on Martin Guptill to provide a rollicking start after they were put in to bat. But while he did race to 24 off 11 balls, three of his five boundaries were off the edge, and he eventually fell searching for a big shot to Mark Adair in the third over. His opening partner Finn Allen smacked a cut off Little straight to cover for 1 off 7 balls and the debutant Cleaver fell early too, gloving a short ball from Little through to the keeper.At 38 for 3, New Zealand’s innings needed resuscitation. Phillips tried to do that by pushing his partner Daryl Mitchell for an extra run whenever he could on a Stormont ground where the square boundaries were quite large. But Mitchell struggled with timing, and Campher’s medium-pace had him walking back to the pavillion after he top-edged a short ball for a 10-ball 5. At 54 for 4, Ireland had the upper hand.Phillips’ rescue actWith only New Zealand’s middle and lower-middle order left, Phillips reined in his shot-making to try and last the whole innings. In Neesham, he found someone who could be the risk-taker, and Neesham’s 16-ball 29 in a partnership of 46 helped New Zealand reach triple-digits by the 14th over. However, Neesham fell next ball to left-arm spinner George Dockrell before the slog-overs explosion could really come about.Joined by No. 7 Michael Bracewell – on T20I debut – Phillips was on 28 in 31 balls with six overs to go. But he thumped Little for two fours in the 15th over to get his strike-rate to over 100, and then, off the same bowler, slashed a four behind point in the 19th over to reach his fifty in 45 balls.Phillips saved his best for the final over. After surviving a lucky toe-ended shot that squirted past the keeper for four, Phillips clattered Adair for four and six to take 19 runs off the 20th to not only finish on a tidy 69 but also hand New Zealand the momentum at the break.

Kate Cross poised to unleash frustration of a quiet English summer

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Senior seamer has played just three times for her country this season as youngsters emerge

Valkerie Baynes17-Sep-2022Kate Cross is poised to unleash the frustration of a quiet English summer when her side opens their ODI series with India at Hove on Sunday.The match will be Cross’s first in an England shirt for two months, the seamer who turns 31 next month having played for her country just three times this summer.She took 4 for 63 and 2 for 56 in the drawn Test against South Africa which kicked off the home international season and went wicketless in two ODIs against the same opposition.”You just want to play as much cricket as you can, and I feel like I’ve probably been a bit light on cricket this summer,” Cross said. “I’ve played three games for England, which feels really – compared to last year especially – like not a lot of cricket.”You do all the training so you can go out there and enjoy those moments as a team. I’ve had one of the best seats in the house to watch that T20 series and see the youngsters go out and do their thing, so I just can’t wait to get out there.”Related

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Cross was part of England’s T20I squad for South Africa’s tour, the Commonwealth Games and the recently completed series with India, which the hosts won 2-1, but did not play a game.During that time, she has witnessed close-up the emergence of a new generation, including seam bowlers Issy Wong, Lauren Bell and Freya Kemp, as well as allrounder Alice Capsey.Kemp and Capsey have been particularly impressive with the bat also and are set to make their ODI debuts during the three-match series with India, while Wong and Bell are looking to expand their experience in the format having played two ODIs each against South Africa.”It’s always frustrating when you’re in a squad and not playing,” said Cross, who is the senior seamer in England’s squad with veteran Katherine Brunt resting. “But I think from my point of view, there’s a bit of experience that I can bring to the group even when I’m not playing.”That’s been something that I’ve tried to do with this team as we’ve obviously not got Nat [Sciver] or Katherine around, so as a senior bowler it’s nice to have a bit more responsibility and some youngsters listening to what you’re saying.”They’ve been so impressive. They’ve just had no fear when they’ve come out to play for England, which is everything that we want moving forward. It’s what we’re trying to achieve as a team. It’s a type of cricket that means that you can’t fail and they’ve just come in and done exactly that.”All of which augers well for England’s future, but doesn’t make it easier for Cross to break her playing drought, although she was keen to highlight that as a positive for the home side also.”The only thing I can go off is my past record in ODI cricket and I’d like to think that that would stand me in good stead,” Cross said. “Flipping that, it’s really exciting, that we’ve got competition for places now.”If you looked at this squad a couple of years ago and it didn’t have Nat and Katherine in it, I think a lot of people would have panicked, but it’s just so fantastic that youngsters are coming through and they’re taking their opportunities.”No one can rest easy when you’ve got the likes of an Issy Wong or a Lauren Bell behind you so I think it’s really good and it keeps selection juicy, I guess, because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”Cross was a standout performer in the ODIs last time India toured England, a year ago, her 5 for 34 in Taunton earning her Player-of-the-Match honours and helping the hosts to a five-wicket victory and 2-0 series lead before India won the final game in Worcester for a 2-1 series scoreline.After Hove, this series moves to Canterbury on Wednesday followed by the finale at Lord’s next Saturday. The last time these sides met at the home of cricket was in the 2017 World Cup final, which England won in a nine-run thriller.That match carries bittersweet memories for Cross. Along with Amy Jones – now acting captain in place of Heather Knight (hip injury) and Sciver (mental health break) – and Tash Farrant, she was one of three centrally contracted England players left out of the 15-strong squad for that World Cup.”When the fixture list came out at the start of the summer, it was the first thing that I noticed,” Cross said. “It’s such a huge occasion for us to be able to play at a ground like Lord’s. There’s so much history there and the last time that we played there as a team was in 2017 so there’s some really special memories there against India as well.”It’s funny because a lot of the young girls have been playing at Lord’s in the Hundred and it’s nothing too big for them. Whereas for some of the older girls who have not actually had that much opportunity to play there – I’ve only played one game there and it was for the MCC, so I’ve never played internationally there or in the Hundred – so it just always feels like a special occasion when you get to be at Lord’s.”

Jordan Cox 86* off 29 leads Oval Invincibles to new record total

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Back-to-back champions rack up 226 for 4 to hand Welsh Fire hefty defeat

ECB Media16-Aug-2025Oval Invincibles 226 for 5 (Cox 86*, Henry 2-39) beat Welsh Fire 143 (Bairstow 50, T Curran 4-15) by 83 runsOval Invincibles, led by an inspired Jordan Cox, smashed the highest score in the history of the Hundred, racking up 226 for 4 from their 100 balls as they crushed Welsh Fire by 83 runs at the Kia Oval.Asked to bat first in front of a packed home crowd, the Invincibles’ innings sprung into life inside the first 10 balls, Will Jacks hitting Matt Henry for back-to-back boundaries.Tawanda Muyeye then deposited David Payne for two sixes in a row as the home side started to put their foot down, racing to 54 for 0 after the 25-ball powerplay.Saif Zaib came into the attack and made a fortunate but much-needed breakthrough, Muyeye pulling a half-tracker into the hands of Payne on the square-leg boundary.Henry returned to the attack to remove Jacks, Chris Green taking yet another fine running catch in this year’s tournament. Invincibles reached the halfway mark of the innings on a very healthy 89 for 2.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Cox deposited Ajeet Singh Dale, playing his first game in the Hundred, for three consecutive sixes over the leg-side boundary and then sent him over the rope again from the final ball of the set with an incredible reverse-scoop.Sam Curran joined the party, hitting Green for back-to-back sixes to bring up the Invincibles 150, both he and Cox targeting the shorter boundary to devastating effect.Singh Dale dropped Cox at short-third and the batter took advantage of the life, striking Paul Walter for three sixes in a row, bringing up a 21-ball fifty in the process.Curran went caught in the deep off Green, which brought Donovan Ferreira to the middle, the South African promptly clubbing his first ball down the ground for six.Ferreira launched another six before being caught at long-on by Steve Smith to a chorus of boos. Cox, notably not named in England’s white-ball squads for the upcoming matches against South Africa and Ireland, closed out the innings with 14 runs from the final three balls, finishing 86 not out from 29 deliveries, with 10 sixes.Welsh Fire’s chase started dreadfully, Steve Eskinazi slapping the first ball from Jason Behrendorff to Muyeye who moved well to hang on at backward point.This set the tone for what would be a muted second half, the task just too tough. Jonny Bairstow made an aggressive 50 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore played enterprisingly for 31 from 16, but Fire could only make 143 all out, Tom Curran taking 4 for 15.Cox, named Meerkat Match Hero Cox, said of his power hitting: “Last game I unfortunately lost that front leg and basically had no power then. I did a bit of work in the nets with Donovan, he’s all about base, and it helped.”On the Invincibles, he added: “It’s a proper team and a privilege to be a part of it, to be honest. The depth we’ve got is incredible and it gives you that freedom for sure. We’re playing some pretty good cricket.”

'Hard to tell who is in the driving seat' – SL and Bangladesh slow burn it in Galle

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Bangladesh have nearly 500 on the board, but they lost a little ground when they lost five wickets for 26 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Jun-2025Bangladesh have made 484 for 9 in Galle so far, which is often a winning first-innings score at this venue.But so batting-friendly does this surface appear so far, that even Bangladesh’s assistant coach is willing to claim a definitive advantage. “It’s hard to tell who is in the driving seat – it depends on who is winning each session,” said Mohammad Salahuddin, Bangladesh’s assistant coach. Sri Lanka bowling allrounder Milan Rathnayake had similar things to say. “It’s not easy [to judge which team is ahead]. Both teams did really well today.”Both Rathnayake and Salahuddin also agree that this is an unusually batting-friendly Galle track.”It still looks like a batting-friendly pitch. I hope the wicket can break in the next couple of days,” Salahuddin said.”The pitch is definitely one that favours batters,” Rathnayake said. “Even though it’s the second day, it’s just as good for batting. I don’t think it’s changed since yesterday.”Rathnayake thinks Sri Lanka clawed their way back into the contest in the final session of a rain-interrupted second day. Bangladesh began that final session on 423 for 4, but finished the day on 484 for 9, having lost 5 wickets for 26 runs towards the end of the day.Rathnayake insists that his wickets during that late period, with the old ball, came from conventional swing, rather than reverse swing. And Salahuddin seemed to agree.”I will take the positive from Sri Lanka’s bowling – they maintained the ball very well in that last session, unlike the previous five sessions,” Salahuddin said. “If that’s so, we can use this exact method in our bowling.”Rathnayake, meanwhile, chose to focus on the period of day two in which Sri Lanka made their greatest gains- the last half of the final session. Early in the day, they had missed at least three chances – a catch that went down at short midwicket, plus two run-out opportunities.”We did miss a few chances and it did have an effect,” Rathnayake said. “But at the end of the day our bowlers did make a recovery. Though their batters did well we could have cut down their runs by holding our chances. But I think the bowlers made some ground at the end of the day.”

Kamran Ghulam, Naseem Shah star in big win for Markhors

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Panthers were never really in the contest, with six of the top seven failing to reach double figures

Danyal Rasool12-Sep-2024Naseem Shah’s opening salvo with the ball ensured Markhors came away with victory in the opening game of the Champions One-Day Cup against Shadab Khan’s Panthers.Panthers won the toss and inserted Mohammad Rizwan’s side in, with Kamran Ghulam’s 102-ball 115 setting the platform for the formidable 347 Markhors posted. Panthers were never really in the contest, with six of the top seven failing to reach double figures as Naseem’s 3-27 helped reduce them to 52 for 6. A late rearguard by Amad Butt, who managed a spirited 72, was much too little much too late, and the Markhors secured a 160-run win.The opening game of a tournament the PCB had set so much faith and investment in saw Faisalabad attract a decent crowd, which grew as the afternoon heat gave way to evening. Panthers had Markhors on a leash early on, prising Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Faizan out before they could really get going. Offspinner Mubasir Khan was the pick of the bowlers, getting rid of Zaman and Salman Ali Agha, but against most of the other bowlers, Markhors made hay.Shadab Khan was picked off in the middle overs and never returned to bowl, but fellow legspinner Usama Mir was smashed for 83 wicketless runs in his full quota. Amad Butt bore the brunt of a sizzling cameo from Abdul Samad; his 25-ball 62 helped Markhors add 83 runs in the final five overs, posting a total that appeared well above par.Naseem, aided by Shahnawaz Dahani, killed the game off before the chase ever took flight. A combined 5 wickets for 56 ripped through Panthers’ batting order, with Panthers briefly in danger of the heaviest defeat in Pakistan List A history. Amad combined with Mubasir and Usama for a pair of half-century partnerships, which staved off that prospect, but Panthers’ fate had long since been sealed.

Louis Kimber's 243 from 127 rewrites record books as Leicestershire fall agonisingly short

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Record 43-run over triggers extraordinary run-chase before Sussex cling on for 18-run win

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2024Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber rewrote the record books with an astonishing 243, but it came in a losing cause against Sussex in Hove.The 27-year-old Kimber produced one of the most memorable innings in County Championship history, scoring the fastest double-hundred in terms of balls faced (100), hitting the most sixes (21), and scoring the most runs in an over when he plundered 43 off England seamer Ollie Robinson.Kimber was last out when he dragged a legcutter from Nathan McAndrew on to his stumps, leaving last man Josh Hull at the other end, as Sussex squeezed home by 18 runs to strengthen their position at the top of the second division. Kimber faced just 127 balls and 206 of his runs came in boundaries with 20 fours and 21 sixes, breaking Ben Stokes’ Championship record of 17 sixes set in 2022.Every Sussex player warmly congratulated Kimber, and his team-mates and the backroom staff from the two sides formed a guard of honour as he walked off to a standing ovation.It was also the third time in three years that a Leicestershire batter had scored a double-hundred in this fixture.

What made it even more remarkable was Kimber’s record until today. He made his only previous century against Sussex in 2022 and averages a modest 24.46, but he cut, pulled and drove the Sussex attack to distraction in an uninhibited exhibition of power and timing in the fourth-highest score by a No. 8 in first-class cricket.He offered a difficult chance on 17 to Tom Alsop at slip, which burst through the fielder’s hands and Jack Carson nearly hung on to a ball struck with ferocious power over deep midwicket, which took Kimber to 150. But otherwise there was very little Sussex’s bowlers could do to stop the onslaught.Kimber was circumspect initially and scored 26 off his first 30 balls before a calculated assault on offspinner Carson, whom he hit for 20 in an over, took him to a 37-ball fifty.As he began targeting the short scoreboard-side boundary, Kimber forced Sussex skipper John Simpson to revert to his most experienced seamer. Robinson conceded four runs in his first two overs but then Kimber cut loose in his third as Robinson persisted in bowling short and Kimber took up the challenge.There were nine balls in the over, with Robinson overstepping three times, and Kimber struck two sixes and six fours, the fifth of which he cut low past cover to bring up a 62-ball hundred. Even when Robinson belatedly went fuller in length, Kimber made room to smash him through the covers before quietly taking a single off the last ball to keep the strike after Robinson switched to around the wicket.It broke the previous record for runs scored in a Championship over, of 38 by Lancashire’s Andrew Flintoff off Surrey’s Alex Tudor in 1998 and Surrey’s Dan Lawrence off Worcestershire’s Shoaib Bashir just two days ago.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As the carnage continued, Kimber flayed his next 50 runs from just 19 deliveries. In the penultimate over before lunch, Fynn Hudson-Prentice was taken for 20 and the session produced 216 runs in 29 overs.Robinson returned after lunch at the sea end but Kimber went to his double-hundred by swatting him over long-on for his 17th six. The stand had been worth 239 in just 27 overs – a new Leicestershire eighth-wicket record – when Robinson pinned Ben Cox with an inswinger, Cox having contributed 34.When Ben Mike lobbed a simple catch to mid-off, Leicestershire needed 29 to win and with Hull, who averages 3.25, for company, Kimber had no option but to go for broke. His 21st six off Robinson sailed over long-on but in the next over McAndrew had the final word.

Kimber cracks Robinson for 43 runs in an over

Here’s how ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary recorded a moment of history:58.1 Robinson to Kimber, SIX runs

Bouncer from Robinson, angled in at the body, but Kimber leans back on the ball as it gets big on him, and blats it magnificently over backward square leg!58.2 Robinson to Kimber, (no ball) FOUR runs
Another bouncer, and a similar result! Kimber rocks back and hauls his pull through square leg with less elevation this time, and Robinson has overstepped too! Six more to the total…58.2 Robinson to Kimber, FOUR runs
A change of approach on the short ball this time, as Kimber makes room to leg, anticipates the angle into his body once more, and slaps a slog through deep third! He was aiming more towards midwicket, but that skims away to the rope58.3 Robinson to Kimber, SIX runs
Robinson persists with the short ball, and gets punished again! A solid pull, up into the stroke, flies high over backward square for another six! Robinson winces, but the boundary rider was nowhere near that!58.4 Robinson to Kimber, FOUR runs
Another pre-emptive shuffle to the leg-side, Robinson follows his movements with another short ball into the body, but Kimber’s eye is in and no mistake! Clawed out through midwicket for yet another boundary!58.5 Robinson to Kimber, (no ball) FOUR runs
What a dismissive way to reach a century! Robinson is just serving it up on a plate right now, more predictable lift into the right-hander, but Kimber leans back and rifles a flat cut through the covers, front leg hovering after impact. That was utterly smoked. 62 balls for the hundred!58.5 Robinson to Kimber, FOUR runs
Short again, outside off this time, Kimber claws through another pull and though he doesn’t time this quite so well, there’s no-one around to intercept at mid- or long-on!58.6 Robinson to Kimber, (no ball) FOUR runs
Finally, a fuller length as Robinson fires in an attempted yorker, but Kimber is so wise to this one! Opening his stance to drive elegantly out from under his eyeline through the covers, and it’s another no-ball! This over has gone for more than 40 already!58.6 Robinson to Kimber, 1 run
Round the wicket, desperately seeking an end to this horror-over, and Robinson’s ignominy is done. Another short ball, but Kimber can’t line up the new angle into his ribs, and can only scuff a pull to square leg. But that is still 43 off the over!

Liam Dawson: 'I don't want to be running drinks for England at my age'

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Hampshire allrounder content to pursue trophies in franchise tournaments rather than chase England caps

Alan Gardner28-Mar-20242:10

Liam Dawson: Test cricket ‘completely off my radar’

Liam Dawson has conceded that his ambitions as a Test cricketer are at an end after missing England’s tour of India this winter, saying that he was happy with his decision to prioritise commitments in overseas T20 leagues rather than potentially wind up running the drinks again as an unused squad member.Dawson, who won the last of his three Test caps in 2017, was the leading English spinner in last year’s County Championship, taking 49 wickets at 20.00 – in addition to scoring 840 runs – but was not included in the group to take on India. He had previously indicated that he would have to weigh up whether to accept an England call, having agreed a lucrative contract to play for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, a tournament that clashed directly with the start of the Test tour, and in which he ended up lifting the trophy.England instead selected the uncapped pair of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir alongside Rehan Ahmed, with one Test appearance to his name, and the experienced Jack Leach. Hartley went on to be England’s leading wicket-taker on tour, with 22 at 36.13, while Bashir claimed the first two five-wicket hauls of his first-class career to finish with 17 at 33.35. Even with Leach ruled out due to injury after the first Test, there was no move to call up a replacement, with England eventually slumping to a 4-1 series defeat.Speaking at Hampshire’s media day ahead of the start of the County Championship season, Dawson said that there had been “a few conversations” with the selectors over the winter but that, at the age of 34, he felt his international career was likely behind him.Asked if he was still keen to play Test cricket, he told ESPNcricinfo: “Probably not now, no. Being honest, there’s a few things that have happened over the last year. For me, probably Test cricket now is completely off the radar. But it is what it is, I’m 34 and I want to enjoy my cricket and try to win trophies towards the end of my career.Dawson played a key role in Sunrisers’ success in the SA20•Sportzpics

“Knowing that going to South Africa, knowing I was going to play there – obviously with the [Sunrisers] coach, Adi Birrell, here at Hampshire, I knew I was going to play, which was nice. It’s not something I want to be doing, running drinks at my age anymore. I was really happy with what I chose this winter and it went well.”Dawson has won 20 England caps across three formats going back to 2016, as well as an ODI World Cup winners’ medal in 2019. He was a travelling reserve for both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, but said he did not expect to be in the mix for this year’s tournament in the Caribbean and USA.”I think with my age, 34, realistically that’s probably gone to be honest. There’s been a few things happened over the last few months. Speaking to [England selector] Luke Wright, I know where I stand. I don’t expect to play. I’m looking forward to playing for Hampshire this season, and the Hundred with London Spirit.”That Dawson, a spin-bowling allrounder, had re-entered the frame for Test selection more than seven years on from making his debut in India was in part reflective of the challenge for young English spinners to come through the system – one summed up at Hampshire by the fact the club have allowed Mason Crane (one Test cap in 2018) to join Glamorgan on loan in search of game time.With the rain teeming down at the Utilita Bowl a week before the start of the county season, Dawson said there were no easy answers.Related

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“Without doubt, it’s very, very difficult. I’m lucky enough that I bat as well, so that’s made a huge difference over my career. I’ve always batted in the top seven so that balances teams out. If you’re just an out-and-out spinner it’s not easy to play in these conditions, the time of the year we play. There’s no ideal scenario, what gives, what doesn’t? When do you play Championship cricket? It’s a tough thing to do. If you’re an out-an-out spinner it can be difficult to get game time with the weather, but I’m not sure how you can change that.”I didn’t watch a huge amount [of the Tests in India]. I was in South Africa, so I watched bits and pieces. They [Hartley and Bashir] did very well. They’re good bowlers. I faced Bashir last year here, I thought he was a really good bowler, and the same with Tom Hartley when we played them in Southport, very consistent. Hopefully they can continue to do well.”Having spent several winters fulfilling 12th man duties on tour with England, Dawson on this occasion leapt at the chance to enhance his T20 CV, playing for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League, followed by a full season at the SA20 – where he helped Sunrisers to retain their title – and then two appearances in the knockout stages of the ILT20 with Gulf Giants, although on that occasion he was unable to add to what is an impressive, and growing, collection of silverware.”It was a really nice winter, nice to perform,” he said. “Nice to get the opportunity as well, to play for a few different teams. But it’s always nice to come back to your home county and get ready for a season.”I’m really excited, I love coming back here. It’s the same for everyone at this time of year. We’ve got a huge goal as a team, to try and win trophies here. It’s something we’ve done over the years, we’ve competed in all formats. It’s not different, hopefully we can compete in all formats and maybe win a trophy.””

Lack of cricket partly responsible for Elgar's retirement – Shukri Conrad

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“The conversation and the decision and the outcomes have been exactly how Dean and I discussed it,” SA red-ball coach says

Firdose Moonda23-Dec-2023Dean Elgar’s decision to retire from Test cricket was the result of detailed discussions with red-ball coach Shukri Conrad, who was full of praise for the player who was removed as captain when Conrad took over.While the reasons Elgar has chosen to end his international career after the New Year’s Test against India have not been explicitly stated, it is understood Elgar was not part of Conrad’s longer-term plans in a scant Test schedule. But Conrad said the calendar was only partly responsible for Elgar’s decision.”The fact that we haven’t got much Test cricket is part of the reason we arrived at the decision we arrived at,” Conrad said in Centurion, where South Africa will take on India from Boxing Day. “Ideally, we would like to play more Test cricket because the more Test cricket we play, the more opportunity we’ve got to blood cricketers for the future. If we have fewer Tests, that means I’ve got very little opportunity to blood young cricketers. Sometimes we arrive at decisions like Dean’s now because of a lack of cricket and a lack of opportunity to blood young players.”South Africa have only played two Tests in 2023 but will play 10 (one against India, two in New Zealand, two in West Indies, two in Bangladesh, two against Sri Lanka at home and the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan) in 2024, so Elgar would have had plenty of opportunity to continue, should he have wanted to. In all likelihood, he would have been asked to captain South Africa again in New Zealand as Temba Bavuma (and most of the other first-choice XI) will be occupied with the SA20. Instead, Elgar decided to bow out at home, where Conrad said the team hopes to give him “the perfect send-off,” in recognition of how he has symbolised the South African way.Related

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“Dean epitomises what a South African cricketer and almost what a South African person is about: resilience, dog fight, pride in performance and that ability to never back down,” Conrad said. “Those are all the elements that Dean has brought to his extensive international and first-class career and to all the sides he has played in. Hopefully if some of the young bucks that are going to be stepping up into those big shoes, half of the characteristics and the qualities that Dean had, then we will be in a good space.”Some of the younger players include the likes of Tony de Zorzi, who is expected to open the batting in New Zealand and who was the leading run-scorer in South Africa’s ODI series against India, David Bedingham, who has abandoned ambitions to play for England and returned home, and Tristan Stubbs. This group of players are seen as distinctly different from the Elgar generation, who built their reputations on being intimidating and aggressive, as Conrad described above.Asked if those qualities will be lost with Elgar’s retirement, Conrad had no doubt that will not be the case while also clarifying Elgar’s persona was as not as combatant as it may seem. “Nice guys can be resilient as well. You don’t have to be a knob to be resilient. The characteristics we display when we are on the field, that needs to speak to what being South African looks like,” Conrad said. “And Dean is a great guy. There is a lot of stuff being bandied about about his and my relationship and that’s great for media hype but we are going to keep the core values of what a South African cricket team is about. And Dean epitomises that. The Tony’s and some of the nicest people in the world will always embody that and that’s something we are going to continuously strive towards.”Some of what has been written in the media has come from sources who revealed Elgar and Conrad’s relationship is not as good as Conrad made it sound. But he revealed the pair were in talks about Elgar’s future and reached a conclusion together. “The conversation and the decision and the outcomes have been exactly how Dean and I discussed it,” he said. “It is absolutely no surprise to me that we are at the place where Dean has decided to retire against India. I am very comfortable and thrilled to have Dean available for this series. It’s a massive series for us as a team. It’s a huge series for Dean. And It is going to be quite an emotional one. Hopefully we can give him the perfect send-off as well.”Both Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada are available for selection for the first Test against India•ICC via Getty

Rabada, Ngidi on track for selection

Lungi Ngidi was withdrawn from the T20Is against India with an ankle sprain and Kagiso Rabada missed the domestic four-day game he was due to play because of a bruised heel but both remain in South Africa’s Test squad and are available for the starting XI. Ngidi has not played a red-ball game for a year and Rabada last bowled in a Test in March but Conrad played down their readiness for the two Tests.”I’ve always been a firm believer in best when fresh,” he said. “They’ll be fresh, they’ll be firing. It’s like riding a bicycle for a lot of them. The ideal would have been for them to get some mileage in the legs in the four-day game. But life happens. We’ve got to find a way from there. I am not in the least bit concerned that they will be undercooked in any way. Both KG and Lungi are still in the squad and up for selection.”South Africa will hold a full training session on Sunday and optional nets on Christmas Day before the series starts on Tuesday.

Sohail's four in four, Edwards' hat-trick and another Finch fifty in vain

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New York Warriors still at the top of the points table; Morrisville Unity move to second

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2023Sohail Khan took four wickets in four balls to restrict Atlanta Riders to 103 for 6 but it came down to New York Warriors needing 22 off the final over of the chase. Jonathan Carter and Misbah-ul-Haq then smashed four sixes off Kamrul Islam to seal a last-ball win.After Atlanta were sent in, Lendl Simmons and Robin Uthappa added 81 in 7.5 overs. Simmons was the aggressor, hitting 41 off 23 with the help of two fours and four sixes, while Uthappa played second fiddle with 32 off 25.With both openers departing within three balls of each other, Atlanta were 83 for 2 in 8.1 overs. Hamilton Masakadza hit his first ball for a six to make it 98 for 2 with one over left. That’s when Sohail rattled them. With the first two balls of the tenth over he bowled Masakadza and Hammad Azam before completing his hat-trick by trapping Grant Elliott lbw. That was the second hat-trick of the day – Fidel Edwards had picked one up earlier in the day – but Sohail went on to do one better. With his next ball, he cleaned up Harmeet Singh to pick up four in four.New York didn’t have a great start to their chase and by the second over, they were 15 for 2. It soon became 39 for 3 when Harmeet removed Tillakaratne Dilshan for his second wicket.With 62 required from five overs, Shahid Afridi hit Nasir Hossain for a four and a six. In the next over, Carter picked up two consecutive fours off Elias Sunny.Rayad Emrit removed Afridi in the eighth over, and Mohammad Irfan conceded only eight in the ninth to put Atlanta ahead. That left Kamrul with 21 to defend in the last over but he slipped up. Carter hit his first ball for a six, and a single and a wide later, Misbah too cleared the boundary.With seven required from two balls, Carter hit back-to-back sixes to wrap it up.Fidel Edwards celebrates his hat-trick•US Masters T10 League

Fidel Edwards was the wrecker-in-chief for Texas Chargers, nabbing the tournament’s first hat-trick to set up his side’s first victory in US Masters T10 2023.New Jersey Triton’s looked out of sorts from the word go as Edwards dismissed opener Naman Ojha and Yusuf Pathan off consecutive short deliveries in the first over. Jesse Ryder too struggled to find his rhythm before Ehsan Adil put him out of his misery.The situation worsened for the Triton’s as Adil struck again, hitting the stumps with a full-length delivery to dismiss Chris Barnwell. Triton’s hit their first four of the innings in the fifth over when Danza Hyatt dispatched a low full toss from Sohail Tanvir towards deep midwicket. Skipper Gautam Gambhir walked in at No. 8 but was out second ball, deceived by a slower delivery from Imran Khan.A swing and a miss from Bipul Sharma handed Edwards his hat-trick in the ninth over as the full-length delivery clipped the top of the off stump.Chasing a mere 58, Chargers were off in a flash as Mohammad Hafeez slammed Peter Trego for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries in the first over. He followed it up with two successive sixes off Liam Plunkett in the next over. However, Plunkett responded by taking the pace off and castling Hafeez with his very next delivery.Ben Dunk continued the attack, hitting RP Singh for 14 runs in the first four deliveries of the third over before the former India fast bowler dismissed the Chargers captain. Needing ten runs to win in 43 deliveries, Thisara Perera and Mukhtar Ahmed took the side home in the next over.Aaron Finch now has two unbeaten fifties, and two defeats, in his last two games•Ace Images/US Masters T10

California Knights’ captain Aaron Finch’s unbeaten 63 off 30 went in vain as an all-round show from Obus Pienaar (3 for 13 and 23 not out off 12) guided Mooresville Unity to a seven-wicket victory. The win propelled Unity to second on the table with five points from four matches.Sent in, Knights got off to a slow start as the opening pair of Finch and Jacques Kallis struggled to find boundaries consistently.Finch eventually slammed Najaf Shah for a boundary straight down the ground and followed it up with a splendid six over third man in the third over to change the momentum. However, his opening partner was sent back in the next over as he fell prey to quicker delivery from Pienaar.Finch struggled to get his timing right but kept his composure and was the only Knights batter to reach double figures. Meanwhile, Pienaar continued to weave his magic and dismissed Milind Kumar and Suresh Raina off consecutive deliveries in his second over.Finch continued to hold the fort from the other end and brought up his fifty off 25 balls. But with no other batter finding the boundary in the last five overs, Knights ended with a below-par total.During the chase, Parthiv Patel and Chris Gayle added 30 in 2.5 overs before a quicker delivery from Ashley Nurse dismissed Gayle. Parthiv followed suit in the next over, getting out to Ricardo Powell.Shehan Jayasuriya and Pienaar, though, continued the flow of runs by consistently dispatching the ball to the boundary and over it. Following the dismissal of Jayasuriya, off a straighter delivery from Pawan Suyal, Corey Anderson looked in a hurry to take his side home and improve their net run rate. The former New Zealand all-rounder hit Nurse for 20 runs in the last four deliveries off the ninth over to help his side seal the victory.

'Be a bit of a sponge and soak it all in' – Mitchell Swepson's plan in Test squad

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Bowling to the Indian batsmen “another test for myself, and a challenge I can’t wait to get”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2020Mitchell Swepson’s international career hasn’t quite taken off yet, and it might not get off the blocks this summer against India either, unless the pitches at home have turned more subcontinental than possible, what with Nathan Lyon the immovable object at the top of the spinners’ queue. The 27-year-old is fine with that, though, and is happy to be around the group and “be a bit of a sponge and soak it all in and hopefully learn a few more things”.”Gaz [Lyon] is obviously the premier spinner, has been for a while, and has proven himself time and time again in Test matches, so [I am] not counting my chickens too much to getting a go above him. But the way the ball is coming out at the moment for me, I feel like I am in a really good place,” Swepson told reporters on Saturday. “And if given a chance and opportunity, I feel like I am ready to go.”Obviously that opportunity has to be there, and if conditions suit…you have to be ready to go no matter what. I will be preparing to play all four games. If the chance comes, I will hopefully take it with two hands, and if not, then so be it. I’m sure there will be more chances in the future.”Swepson did get called up to the Test party late last year, when New Zealand went across, but didn’t get his baggy green. Then he was a chance to get a debut on the tour of Bangladesh, where spin-friendly tracks might have necessitated a partner for Lyon, but that tour was scrapped because of the Covid-19 situation.”There was a great vibe around the team last time and I just learnt a lot just by being around them, so to be included from the get-go this time will be great – be a bit of a sponge and soak it all in and hopefully learn a few more things,” he said. “I got to bowl alongside Gaz while I was down there last time, and he’s always been great to offer up his advice; I got to have a little session with Warney [Shane Warne] in Melbourne last year, and again, another learning experience. So it would be silly of me to say I didn’t take anything out of that and that didn’t help my bowling.”Proof of that is the form he has been in for Queensland in the first part of the Sheffield Shield season, with 23 wickets from three games putting him right on top of the wicket-takers’ list, eight clear of second-placed Jackson Bird.”I think that experience definitely helped my bowling. But where I am at now, it’s been a long grind, it’s been a long process, that’s not the sole reason why my bowling has gone to where it is now,” he said. “It’s been a long grind in Shield cricket for me for a while now. Just glad that I am sort of getting the rewards now for that hard work. So yeah, it’s been great.”With all the Shield games taking place in Adelaide this season, because of Covid-19, Swepson has had a greater role to play for Queensland than he would likely have back in Brisbane, where Queensland would normally have played their home games.Nathan Lyon is well ahead of the pack when it comes to Australian Test spinners•Getty Images

Swepson agreed with that, adding that the work he had put in on his fitness in the off-season had worked its magic too. “That physical aspect is always something you always work on as a professional cricketer, it’s something that the pre-season part of the year is when you work on that physical aspect, and for me, I think that it just comes down to bowling lots of balls,” he said. “We’re lucky to have the facilities we have in Queensland, so early in the year, up and running that I was able to come in and bowl so many balls during the pre-season.When it comes to the Indians, the Test touring party will get cracking with two three-day tour games against an Australia A squad, both in Sydney, in early December after the ODIs and T20Is. Swepson is a part of both ‘A’ squads, but might not actually get to play the second of those (from 11 to 13), since the plan is for the squad to travel to Adelaide with time in hand ahead of the first – day-night – Test, starting December 17.If that happens, and if Australia pick only one spinner in their XI for the first Test, and Lyon if good to go, not only might Swepson’s Test debut have to wait, he is unlikely to “test myself” against Virat Kohli either. The Indian captain will be on paternity leave after the first Test, and will miss the first tour game because the T20I series will still be on at the time.”Hundred percent, you want to challenge yourself against the best and no secret he [Kohli] is up there with the best,” Swepson said. “For me, it’s just another challenge and another thing that excites me, to be able to test myself against another great cricketer, and their whole batting is world-class, so the opportunity to bowl at those guys is just another test for myself, and a challenge I can’t wait to get.”

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