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There have been few instances of visiting batters being comfortable against India in India and this was one of them

Sidharth Monga09-Mar-20232:22

Chappell: Khawaja’s calmness this series has been exemplary

Australia managed only the fourth opening stand of 50 or more for a visiting side in India in the last five years. Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith batted through the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series, the most comfortable any batting side has been in a session against India in India in the last 10 years. Khawaja scored a fine, patient hundred, only the sixth against India in India in the last five years.Yet it was India who controlled which way the game headed for the most part after losing the toss on a flat pitch. Only to lose the gamble with the new ball at the end of the day and hand Australia a slight advantage. Khawaja ended unbeaten on 104 having brought up the milestone in the last over of the day, and Cameron Green feasted on the new ball to score 49 in 64 in an 85-run stand that started after the loss of two wickets for 19 runs.The Ahmedabad pitch was a complete contrast to the first three Tests. Bowlers had to work hard to maintain control, defend with the fields and attack the stumps. Sometimes the payoff stretched across spells like when Umesh Yadav bowled a spell full of bouncers, and Mohammed Shami took the wicket with a full ball in the next spell, his second. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja managed one each, and Axar Patel provided control in his 12 overs for just 14 runs.A measure of how difficult it was for the bowlers is that India managed to draw only 34 false responses; there were 40 in the first session of the last Test. Yet through most of the day, India made sure the batters had to take risks to even go past 2.5 an over. Knowing they could trust the pitch, Australia waited for the loose balls, which also showed in an unusually high control percentage. The six false responses in 33 overs in the middle session was the highest control percentage for a visiting side in India in a session of Test cricket in India in the last 10 years.This is where the quality of Ashwin and Shami, and the depth in the attack, shone through. For long periods, Ashwin managed to keep the batters in check even though he didn’t beat the bat. The presence of a fifth bowler meant India could toil away tirelessly. It paid off with a break in concentration for Smith, who played Jadeja on, and a beauty from Shami to send Peter Handscomb back to reduce Australia to 170 for 4.The spinners then all but shut down Khawaja and Green, bowling five overs for three runs when Rohit Sharma asked for the new ball. Now this was a departure from how India usually operate on such days. They don’t risk taking the new ball with bowlers who have had a long day in the field. Usually they bowl around four overs with the new ball in the evening, and then have another shot at it on the next morning.India’s bowlers had to toil hard on a flat pitch•BCCI

Here, India took the new ball with nine overs to go, and Green took to it. A flat pitch, bowlers at the end of the day, and suddenly Australia had 54 runs in nine overs. Green did all the damage as Khawaja kept picking singles to start the final over of the day on 99. Then he got a half-volley to strike his 15th boundary having struck at just 41.43 despite having offered only 13 false responses in a 251-ball stay.This was a little like the start with the first new ball. Shami bowled the first ball straight to second slip, then offered more byes, a catch went down, and Australia raced away to 56 for 0 in the first 14 overs. This is when India would have been reminded of the Chennai Test of 2020-21, one of their only three home defeats in the last 10 overs.Led by Ashwin, India started to turn the screws. The second hour went for just 19. Travis Head tried to break the shackles but found mid-on. There was only a hint of reverse for a while, and Shami took out Marnus Labuschagne with that.With not much expected from their lower order, Australia had to be watchful in the middle session. It was also when all the bowlers gave Rohit excellent control. Just 74 were scored in the second session of 33 overs.Finally Smith defended one loosely, getting out to Jadeja for the seventh time, four of them bowled. Nobody has found his timber that often. With a 70-over old ball, Shami managed to hold the line to go past Handscomb’s edge and send the off stump on a cartwheel.The tension built towards the end of the day. Virat Kohli used to wait for the next morning and fresher bowlers to make the next big move. Rohit chose the evening. Green came out the victor.Amid all this, Khawaja just batted in the purest sense. No premeditation, no attempt to force the pace, just organically responding to what was bowled at him. He was severe off the toes, and also quick to work the ball square every time someone dropped short. Forty-six of his runs came between long leg and midwicket, which should tell you how he waited for the loose balls. As he said at the end of the day, it was a beautiful batting pitch and he just didn’t want to get out.

New Zealand keep semi-final hopes alive but need Bangladesh to beat South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-2023New Zealand thumped Sri Lanka so severely in each team’s last match of the group stage, in Paarl, that they nullified the terrific start Sri Lanka had to the tournament, and gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the next stage, despite their own underperformance in their first two games.By claiming a 102-run victory, set up by terrific half-centuries from Amelia Kerr, who hit 66 off 48, and Suzie Bates, who made 56 off 49, New Zealand easily eclipsed Sri Lanka’s net run rate (NRR). Both teams have four points, but Sri Lanka’s NRR now finishes at a woeful -1.46; New Zealand’s is 0.138, although that won’t be enough if hosts South Africa beat Bangladesh on Tuesday.But Sri Lanka are out of the competition, despite having delivered an upset to South Africa to start their tournament, before also beating Bangladesh. They have never made it out of the group stage in a T20 World Cup.New Zealand’s 162 for 3 was made possible by Sri Lanka’s repeated fielding mistakes – at least two dropped catches, and as many missed run out chances. But it was not an unattainable score, until Sri Lanka’s top order crashed and burned in the space of 4.5 overs – the first five wickets going down for the addition of 13 runs.The collapse rolled on, and Sri Lanka were all out for 60 inside 16 overs. Seamer Achini Kulasuriya, who appeared to badly injure her shoulder while delivering her third over, could not bat.

Kerr and Bates dominate

Bates and Kerr’s 110-run second-wicket partnership, which came off 83 deliveries, was the centrepiece of their victory. Bates had been the quieter of New Zealand’s openers in the powerplay, letting Bernadine Bezuidenhout create the early momentum with her 32 off 20 balls. But in the company of Kerr, she began to settle into a substantial innings. She struck Kavisha Dilhari for consecutive fours – one through deep third, the other through deep midwicket – in the ninth over, and appeared particularly at home at the crease.Kerr, meanwhile, seemed comfortable from the outset. She struck her third ball – from the experienced Inoka Ranaweera – to the boundary, and breezed her way through the middle overs, venturing only the occasional boundary on a pitch not particularly suited for big runs. At the end of the 14th over, she was 31 off 29, and then began to attack more seriously, finding frequent boundaries in front of square, as she muscled the Sri Lanka bowlers through the leg side with particular relish.They were both dismissed in the final over, but despite not having hit a six between them, had inflicted sufficient damage.

Sri Lanka’s woeful fielding

Sri Lanka should have had Bezuidenhout out for 7 when she had been stranded mid-pitch in the third over. But Kulasuriya’s throw from backward square leg was wayward and wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani could not collect.Bezuidenhout should have been out two overs later too, for 19, had Harshitha Samarawickrama held a catch at deep midwicket, off the bowling of Malsha Shehani. But she let the straightforward chance slip through her fingers.Bates was also a benefactor of Sri Lanka’s fielding largesse. She was dropped on 37 by Nilakshi de Silva – a skied chance to mid-on going down. Then in the 16th over, on 41, she could have been out again, had either the fielder at midwicket or the bowler who collected the ball made more accurate throws.But what pressure the Sri Lanka bowlers did create did not translate into wickets on account of their fielding.

Catastrophic collapse costs SL

Although New Zealand had made more runs than they ought to on a difficult surface, a target of 163 was not completely beyond Sri Lanka, particularly if their openers got going. Neither did. Sri Lanka struck only one boundary in the powerplay, as Jess Kerr, Hannah Rowe, and Eden Carson delivered tight early overs.And once the wickets started to fall, they went rapidly. Harshitha was caught in the outfield at deep midwicket, trying to slog her first boundary after a frustrating start. Vishmi Gunaratne was out next over, when Bates completed a spectacular catch running back from mid-on. De Silva had her leg stump rattled by a Jess Kerr yorker.And when captain Athapaththu was out for 19 in the seventh over, lbw on review against a straighter delivery from Amelia Kerr, Sri Lanka were always going to struggle.Had they made in to 123, they could still have finished ahead of New Zealand on NRR and given themselves some chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. But Sri Lanka’s middle order had not produced significant runs even in their wins. And here, they fell rapidly.

A host of Australia white-ball players will be back in first-class action amid the race for the final

Alex Malcolm29-Feb-2024A host of Australia’s white-ball stars are set to play in the next Sheffield Shield round with Matthew Wade, Spencer Johnson, Josh Inglis and Matthew Short all named for their respective states but Glenn Maxwell will not turn out for Victoria.Wade has been named to open the batting for ladder-leading Tasmania against Victoria while Short has been included in Victoria’s side on return from the New Zealand series.Related

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Johnson and Inglis will also play their first Shield matches of the season for South Australia and Western Australia respectively but Aaron Hardie has been ruled out with his ongoing calf trouble.Wade played two games for Tasmania earlier this season including making 105 in a record chase of 432 against Queensland, but has been unavailable since due to T20I commitments for Australia.He hasn’t opened the batting in a first-class since he was asked to do it four times in his last Test series against India in 2020-21. Wade will replace the struggling Tim Ward at the top of the order for Tasmania. Ward has been dropped after three consecutive ducks.Maxwell still has ambitions to play Test cricket again for Australia and remains on the radar for the tour of Sri Lanka next year but he will not play for Victoria this week. Maxwell has appeared in just two first-class matches since 2019 with both coming last year after returning from his broken leg. He hasn’t played a red-ball game since a one-off appearance for Warwickshire in July.Inglis will make his first Shield appearance the season for WA against Queensland at the WACA ground having missed the first seven due to international white-ball commitments. But Hardie has been ruled out with the calf issue he suffered in the last match against Tasmania. There was a hope he might be able to play as a batter only but was not passed fit after also being ruled out of the T20I tour of New Zealand and the Marsh Cup final.Johnson is in line to play his first match of the season and just his fifth first-class match overall after being included in South Australia’s 12-man squad to face New South Wales in Sydney. Johnson has not played a first-class game since Australia A’s tour of New Zealand last April. He took bags of six and seven in his first two Shield matches last summer.New South Wales have included uncapped legspinner Smit Raval, who moved to Australia from India in 2018, in their squad as they aim to push for spot in the final.Under-19 World Cup star Callum Vidler could make his debut debut. The fast bowler took 14 wickets at 11.71 during Australia’s recent success in South AfricaTasmania squad Jordan Silk (capt), Gabe Bell, Iain Carlisle, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Bradley Hope, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Beau WebsterVictoria squad Will Sutherland (capt), Xavier Crone, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Nic Maddinson, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Will Pucovski, Matt Short, Peter SiddleWestern Australia squad Sam Whiteman (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Keaton Critchell, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Liam Haskett, Josh Inglis, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, D’Arcy Short, Charlie Stobo, Teague WyllieNew South Wales squad Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Moises Henriques (capt) Daniel Hughes, Sam Konstas, Blake Nikitaras, Jack Nisbet, Smit Raval, Chris TremainQueensland squad Jimmy Peirson (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Jack Clayton, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Gurinder Sandhu, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson, Callum Vidler, Jack WildermuthSouth Australia squad Wes Agar, Kyle Brazell, Jordan Buckingham, Brendan Doggett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann (capt), Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Nielsen

South Africa will play three ODIs, one Test and three T20Is in Bengaluru and Chennai

Shashank Kishore and Nagraj Gollapudi03-May-2024India is set to host South Africa for a multi-format women’s tour in June-July. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bengaluru will host the white-ball leg, beginning with three ODIs from June 16, while Chennai will host the one-off Test starting June 28.The three T20Is will be played after the Test, with a view to ensure continuity in formats ahead of the T20 World Cup that is set to be held in Bangladesh in September-October. The ODIs will be played on June 16, 19 and 23, the T20Is on July 5, 7 and 9.The six white-ball games were part of the ICC’s women’s FTP. Both series, along with a visit from New Zealand, were supposed to be played between July and September last year but had to be postponed due to the men’s ODI World Cup and logistics.The one-off Test wasn’t part of the FTP. It was a late addition, as part of CSA and the BCCI’s recent push to promote women’s Tests.This will be the third Test India will play in seven months, having played against England and Australia in December. Those two Tests came on the back of a significant development aimed at taking the “first step towards tackling discrimination” with the BCCI announcing equal match fees for centrally contracted male and female cricketers.Meanwhile, South Africa, who broke their eight-year hiatus from the format when they played in England in June 2022, last played a four-day game in February in Perth, where they lost to Australia by an innings and 284 runs.The tour is also a significant step in the BCCI’s aim to take women’s cricket to newer centres. For the past few years, the BCCI has preferred to host teams across multiple venues in Mumbai citing logistical reasons. They broke away from that norm with the WPL earlier this year, with games held in Bengaluru and Delhi.The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will give direct qualifications to the top four teams, apart from the hosts, for the 2025 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India. South Africa are currently second on that table.

Pakistan fought back after poor starts in either innings of the game but fell well short

Danyal Rasool16-Nov-2024It looked like it would be a run fest, but then it evolved into a low-scoring thriller. In a shapeshifting T20I in Sydney, Australia adapted better than Pakistan, holding their nerve to defend a modest total of 147 and edging to a 13-run victory, which gave them the T20I series.Spencer Johnson was the star of the show with 5 for 26, taking wickets at the top and the end and keeping Pakistan penned in, but he had plenty of support from his mates in a disciplined bowling effort. It was matched by a first innings where six batters reached double-figures, the clump of cameos ensuring the batters gave their bowlers enough to work with.Pakistan looked like they were on track for a hammering when Australia reached 50 in 3.1 overs – the fastest they have ever got to the mark in a T20I. But Pakistan, led inevitably by Haris Rauf, hit back through the middle overs. However, their fielding lapses proved costly, and in a game of fine margins, that proved to be one of the points of difference between the sides.They will also rue their lack of intent early on with the bat. Pakistan limped along for the first half of the innings and left themselves too much to do at the back end. Usman Khan – who scored his first T20I half-century – and Irfan Khan made a fist of it to get within 13 runs of victory, but just couldn’t do enough to undo the damage of the first part of the innings.Australia made sure they did just enough things better than Pakistan, and on that count, ended up worthy winners.Matthew Short played his part in giving Australia a rollicking start•Getty Images

The flight, and the uncontrolled descent

Australia began the game as if they had drawn inspiration from India’s batting show against South Africa on Friday. Shaheen Afridi was bowling into the arc as if feeding a slot machine, and Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk were only too happy to oblige. Naseem Shah similarly failed to keep it out of the arc, and 15 balls into the game, Australia had sped along to 47, having hit five fours and three sixes already.As Pakistan have learnt over the white-ball tour, when in doubt, give Rauf the ball, and that worked the charm again. He was the only man who could arrest the slide, and it didn’t take him long. A pacy bouncer that Fraser-McGurk couldn’t get on top off and slogged to the cover fielder punctured Australia, before a leading edge sent Josh Inglis on his way.Abbas Afridi – who bowled beautifully all innings – struck with the slower ball to dispatch Short, and suddenly, it turned into an even contest. After the first 15 balls of the powerplay had leaked 47 wicketless runs, the last 21 balls saw just 14 scored, with Australia’s top three back.Haris Rauf struck twice in an over to check Australia’s rapid start•Getty Images

Pakistan sloppy in the field, again

Pakistan tend to take one of their most famous characteristics each game, and turn the dial up to 11. Sometimes it’s the unpredictability, at other times it’s the fast bowling. Today, they went for the comic ineptitude in the field they have picked up a reputation for.The warning signs were there from the first over, which was when Naseem made a mess of a Fraser-McGurk top edge, and it only got worse from there.Salman Agha put Marcus Stoinis down off Rauf, while Shaheen reprieved Glenn Maxwell off Sufiyan Muqeem in the eighth over. Rauf made a mess of an effort in the field off Naseem that went for four, while Babar Azam put Tim David down before the batter went on to get ten runs off the next three balls. Those were just the highlights and, in a low-scoring game, it all counted.Mohammad Rizwan struggled during his 26-ball 16•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Pakistan’s no-power play

Pakistan looked at the way Australia had been dragged back and perhaps thought “this won’t happen to us”. It didn’t, because they never got going at the front end of the innings in the first place. They did lose Babar (pick-up flick to deep square leg) and Sahibzada Farhan (pull straight to deep midwicket) to careless shots, but for much of the first nine overs, there were scarcely any attempts to hit a boundary.Mohammad Rizwan struggled through an especially curious innings where he was either happy with dot balls or poked the ball away for singles. It wasn’t until the tenth over that a boundary off the bat was finally struck as Rizwan cleared his front leg and slog swept Johnson over cow corner to pick up four.But Rizwan attempted the same shot off the next ball, only to miscue it for David to take a superb catch diving forward. By this time, the asking rate was approaching ten, and Pakistan’s top order had written cheques they unfairly expected their lower order to honour.Usman Khan battled hard to give Pakistan a chance•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Johnson brilliance

When Johnson began the innings with a wide down leg side that went for five, and followed it up with a wide outside off that would have done the same had first slip not done brilliantly, any comparisons with the other Johnson, Mitchell, would have only pertained to the phase in his career that spawned the unfortunate “he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right” chant. But it took the South Australian no time to turn his fortunes around, controlling his high pace and exploiting sideways movement beautifully to rip through Pakistan.Farhan’s soft dismissal was only the beginning, and Pakistan were dented during the middle overs, and that proved telling.Rizwan fell in Johnson’s return spell before Salman fell the very next ball, leaving Pakistan’s ultra-long tail one wicket away from being exposed. When Usman and Irfan put up a 58-run stand, it was once again Johnson who struck, taking two more in an over when his extra pace saw Usman smear a pull into the air before Abbas was dispatched in similar fashion. It allowed Adam Zampa’s double-wicket over effectively seal the game despite Irfan’s presence.