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Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2022Cheteshwar Pujara, who had been recently dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka, has returned to the squad for the rescheduled fifth Test against England, which will be played in Edgbaston from July 1-5.Ravindra Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the 17-man touring party.Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who were all rested for the home T20I series against South Africa next month, will be in Test action in Birmingham.Related

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However, Ajinkya Rahane will be out of action after sustaining a hamstring injury during his spell with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Along with Pujara, Rahane was also previously dropped for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.From the squad that took on Sri Lanka in the Test series, openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal were left out. Agarwal could instead turn out for his state Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy knockouts, which start from June 6 in Bengaluru.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pujara has worked his way back into the side after piling up 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex – including four centuries – at a stunning average of 120. Only Durham’s Sean Dickson and Derbyshire’s Shan Masood have scored more runs than Pujara in the County Championship Division Two, with both batters having played an extra game.Pujara’s 203 at Hove in April came against a Durham attack that included seamer Matthew Potts who was recently called up to England’s Test squad for their home series against New Zealand.Pujara was also among the runs in the Ranji Trophy, scoring two half-centuries in five innings for Saurashtra.Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, who is uncapped in Test cricket, are part of the seam attack that will be led by Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. At 6′ 2″, Krishna was originally picked as a reserve bowler for the England Test series last year. He has since made rapid strides across formats.Krishna was the highest wicket-taker for Karnataka in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, collecting 15 wickets in two games at an excellent average of 11.60, and then impressed with his hit-the-deck bustle for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL.Jadeja aside, R Ashwin was the only frontline spin option in the squad. Andhra’s KS Bharat was picked as the second wicketkeeper behind Rishabh Pant.India’s Test specialists are likely to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test was pushed back following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp last year. India, who currently lead the series 2-1, will look to seal their first Test series win in the country since 2007.Head coach Rahul Dravid is set to join the tour party after the conclusion of India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 19 in Bengaluru. There will be a clash of dates between India’s T20 warm-up games in England – against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire – and the Edgbaston Test, so there is a possibility of VVS Laxman filling in for Dravid during those T20s.

UAE legspinner becomes just the fifth bowler to pick up a hat-trick in a men’s T20 World Cup game

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2022Sri Lanka were going well. They were 117 for 2 in the 15th over, with Pathum Nissanka playing beautifully and Bhanuka Rajapaksa at the other end. Enter Karthik Meiyappan, a 22-year-old legspinner playing just his 13th T20I, in his third over. And, yes, we got a hat-trick, Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka were gone in a flash. Here’s how Andrew Miller recorded it – just the fifth hat-trick in a men’s T20 World Cup game in our ball-by-ball commentary for the match.14.4: Karthik Meiyappan to Rajapaksa, OUT
Hacked out to deep cover! Another breakthrough for UAE, who aren’t done yet. Outside off, opened the angles to hoist it into the off side, but scuffed the stroke straight down Kashif’s throat
Bhanuka Rajapaksa c Kashif Daud b Meiyappan 5 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 62.514.5: Karthik Meiyappan to Asalanka, OUT
Nibbles the edge and Asalanka has a first-baller! Googly with extra bounce, wide of off but the angle across the left-hander lured him in, and Meiyappan is on a hat-trick!
Charith Asalanka c †Aravind b Meiyappan 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 014.6: Karthik Meiyappan to Shanaka, OUT
Hat-trick! Clean through the gate! Oh my! What a stunning way to seal the deal! Sri Lanka’s captain propped forward to the googly, perfectly flighted, biting and bouncing past the inside-edge, clobbering the top of the timbers! What an incredible World Cup moment!
Dasun Shanaka b Meiyappan 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0Here’s the updated list of hat-tricks in men’s T20Is.And here’s where the previous ones were recorded in men’s T20 World Cup games.Brett Lee vs Bangladesh, 2007Curtis Campher vs Netherlands, 2021Wanindu Hasaranga vs South Africa, 2021Kagiso Rabada vs England, 2021

India’s bowlers were also clinical in their defence of 180 against Netherlands

Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Oct-20221:12

Inside the Surya-Kohli bromance

Fifties of vastly different moods and tempos from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav laid the platform for India to brush Netherlands aside and move to the top of the Group 2 table with a healthy net-run-rate boost. Choosing to bat first on an SCG surface that was considerably slower than the one they played their tournament-opener on at the MCG, India put on a classic display of controlled dominance over Associate opposition, posting a par-ish total and defending it ruthlessly.Chasing 180, Netherlands were never in the game, and for a while seemed in danger of being bowled out for under 100. They avoided that fate, and the No. 11 Paul van Meekeren finished the innings with 4, 4, 4 off Arshdeep Singh to narrow their margin of defeat, but it was still a resounding 56 runs.India’s five specialist bowlers shared the wickets, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep, Axar Patel and R Ashwin picking up two apiece, and Mohammed Shami one.A costly non-review

The new ball swung, and occasionally stopped on the batter too. India scored just 11 runs in the first 2.4 overs of their innings, and van Meekeren picked up a well-earned early wicket too, having an lbw shout upheld after KL Rahul missed the flick off a late inswinger. Rahul didn’t review the decision, even though his opening partner Rohit seemed to suggest to him that the ball might have been swinging down the leg side; ball-tracking eventually proved Rohit correct.Three approaches, three fifties

Rohit struggled for fluency on this sluggish surface but he kept trying to hit boundaries. He survived a dropped chance – Tim Pringle putting down a sitter at mid-on when he was on 13 – and finished his innings with a control percentage of just under 59, but his preparedness to look ugly ensured he kept the scoreboard moving in the first 12 overs of India’s innings. He made 53 off 39 balls; during his time at the crease, the two batters at the other end – Rahul and Kohli – combined to score 28 off 31.Kohli finished with a control percentage of 75. During the first 21 balls of his innings, when Rohit was at the other end, Kohli’s control percentage was 81. Unlike Rohit, he didn’t take chances early on and chose to trust in his ability to score quickly once set. He did this, and found the boundary with increased frequency in the last five overs to score 30 off his last 14 balls, having scored 32 off 30 balls before that.Suryakumar Yadav brought up his fifty off the last ball of the innings•Getty Images

Suryakumar, meanwhile, did what only he and a few others in the world can do. He shuffled this way and that, brought his wrists into play to whip and slice the ball into gaps, and found the boundary five times in his first 12 balls at the crease. He hit seven fours and a flicked six off the last ball of the innings to finish unbeaten on 51 off 25 balls, a jaw-dropping effort on a sluggish pitch but one that you might take for granted given how often he does these things.Together, these three innings worked well for India to achieve what they set out to on the day. The chances Rohit took early on came off often enough for Kohli to begin conservatively, and Suryakumar’s blazing start allowed him to keep going in that vein until the last five overs.India’s total of 179 was their lowest in T20I innings where they have lost only two wickets or fewer, and Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik didn’t even come out to bat, but India probably only aimed for par on a sluggish pitch against Associate opposition. Kohli may probably have taken more risks early on against a stronger team.Max O’Dowd was bowled by Axar Patel•AFP

Bhuvneshwar sets the tone for dominant bowling display

‘Max O’Dowd or bust’ has been a fair description of the Netherlands batting at this World Cup so far, and the early overs stayed with that theme. O’Dowd found the boundary with a pair of pleasing square drives off Arshdeep in the second over, but either side of that Bhuvneshwar went 2-2-0-1, bowling with pinpoint accuracy and dismissing Vikramjit Singh, bowled swiping across the line.With the rest of the top order struggling, O’Dowd had to manufacture boundaries and was dismissed trying to do so, exposing all his stumps to Axar and missing a sweep.The Netherlands challenge fell away after that, as Axar and Ashwin throttled them through the middle overs, before the fast bowlers returned to clean up the lower order. Arshdeep, expensive early on, came back to take two wickets in two balls, a nasty bouncer followed by an inch-perfect yorker, and he was on a hat-trick when he began the final over. By the end of that over, though, his figures had taken a bruising, and van Meekeren had given Netherlands’ fans something to cheer about.

“It feels like a great challenge and an opportunity to find out more about myself and our group of players”

Andrew McGlashan09-Dec-2023Having been rubberstamped as Australia’s new permanent captain, Alyssa Healy is excited about leading them into what shapes as the most competitive era of women’s cricket, with next year’s T20 World Cup potentially being the most open ever.Australia will be in the defending champions, and likely favourites, in Bangladesh next September and October, but over the last six months, a host of results have suggested the gap is closing between the leading nations and the emerging teams.Sri Lanka have beaten England, Pakistan have beaten South Africa and New Zealand, Bangladesh have drawn with South Africa and taken a game off India, and Australia were pushed very hard by West Indies at the start of this season, with Hayley Matthews conjuring a famous victory at North Sydney Oval.Related

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“[It’s] hugely exciting. World Cups aren’t easy to win. It may look like it is for us, but they’re not,” Healy said. “If you dive in deeply to those World Cups we struggled throughout the tournament, but we’ve managed to win high-pressure situations and get ourselves over the line.”I’ve got no doubt next year in Bangladesh – in really, really foreign conditions to a lot of people – it’s going to be a real tough ask for our group. And that’s what is so exciting about the next 12 months. We go to India on Wednesday and get to prepare in subcontinental conditions. We go to Bangladesh for a bilateral series next year for the first time. For me, it feels like a great challenge and an opportunity to find out more about myself and our group of players, which I think is hugely exciting.”Healy is also confident she can balance the workloads of being captain, opening batter (in white-ball cricket) and wicketkeeper. After the Ashes in England earlier this year, she admitted it was more of a demand than she had envisaged but believes she has learnt from that experience.”I’ve had a taste of it over the last 12 months and I think I can do it,” she said. “I’ve had three pre-seasons this year, so I’m looking forward to being as fit as I ever had. It’s all about just managing that workload and making sure that I’m switching off away from the game enough. I think I’ve got a really great balance in my life that I feel like I’m capable of doing that.””World Cups aren’t easy to win. It may look like it is for us, but they’re not”•Getty Images

Meg Lanning held the Australia captaincy for close to ten years and it’s very unlikely there will ever be a stint like it given the vastly changing landscape of the women’s game. Healy did not indicate a potential timeline for her spell in charge – Tahlia McGrath, her vice-captain, is viewed as a natural successor – but did talk about an element of futureproofing the game for generations to come.”I think there’s a great group of leaders within our group that probably haven’t had the opportunities to lead a lot, especially in the domestic game, but also at the international level as well,” Healy said. “And I think that’s going to be a real key to how we drive things within our group. It’s about finding the next leaders in Australian cricket.”There are obviously some outstanding ones that are quite senior in our group that are doing it quite consistently in domestic cricket and the WBBL. So it’s about finding that next rung of leaders and giving them the freedom to want to lead within our side as well and encourage them to do so. And I think that’s part of my role.”

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.

Australia’s top four all made fifties to lift the team to 352, and despite half-centuries from Kohli and Rohit, India fell well short in the chase

Ashish Pant27-Sep-20231:00

Have Iyer and Suryakumar settled some nerves for India?

Attacking fifties from the top four, backed up by Glenn Maxwell’s frugal four-for on return helped Australia avoid a clean sweep as they got the better of India by 66 runs in the third and final ODI in Rajkot. India still took the series 2-1 having won the opening two games convincingly.Both sides made a host of changes – Australia five and India six – from the second ODI. Batting first on what looked like a placid Rajkot surface, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and David Warner all scored fifties to propel Australia to 352 for 7.Related

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In reply, Rohit Sharma bashed a 57-ball 81 while Virat Kohli scored a more sedate fifty, but the lower middle order failed to get going as India were bowled out for 286 in 49.4 overs.Australia, playing a near full-strength side, took charged up from the get-go. They raced to 90 for 1, with India conceding 11 fours and five sixes in the first ten overs. And it was Jasprit Bumrah they targeted, who had a game of two halves. He conceded 0 for 51 off his first five overs and 3 for 30 off his last five but seemed off the boil with his lengths overall.Marsh creamed the first ball he received from the fast bowler through covers before pummeling him for two fours and six in his second over. Warner took 16 runs off Mohammed Siraj’s second over before thumping Prasidh Krishna was for 19 off his first as Australia galloped to 50 in 6.1 overs.Warner soon notched up a half-century of his own, his third of the series, off 32 balls but failed to carry on. Trying to be a bit too adventurous, Warner pre-meditated a scoop to a Prasidh length ball on the stumps but could only get a bit of a glove and a top edge through to the wicketkeeper.Smith, coming on the back of a duck, was in his elements right away. He started off with a typical across-the-line wristy clip before dishing out a stunning cover drive against Prasidh.David Warner and Mitchell Marsh show some glove-love after giving Australia a rollicking start•BCCI

Spin was introduced in the tenth over but did not make much of a difference with both Marsh and Smith collecting boundaries at regular intervals. Marsh brought up his fifty off 45 balls before the heat started to take its toll even as Australia breached the 150-mark in the 22nd over.Bumrah’s second spell also proved expensive with Marsh laying into him. He hoicked the quick over deep backward square leg before crashing him for three successive fours. Smith and Marsh added 137 off 119 balls for the second wicket and when Australia screamed past 200 in 26.2 overs, 400 was on the cards.But India managed to pull things back well. Marsh, absolutely knackered by the heat, patted a Kuldeep wrong’un to cover to fall for 96. Soon after, Siraj pinned Smith right in front with a length ball that skidded through and missed his attempted flick. Bumrah returned to deceive Alex Carey with a slower offcutter and then rattled Maxwell’s off pole with a pinpoint yorker. And, when Cameron Green holed out to long-on, Australia had lost four wickets for 57 in 11 overs between the 32nd and 43rd.Labuschagne, however, kept his composure to keep Australia going. He smashed 72 off 58 balls with nine fours as Australia crossed 350 in the final over. Despite the tall score, India did manage to pull things back in the last part, conceding 122 runs in the last 20 overs and just 66 off the last ten.Rohit had a new opening partner in Washington Sundar and India’s chase got off to a flying start largely due to Rohit. The duo added 74 for the opening wicket in 65 balls, with Rohit’s contribution being 55 off 35.The pull worked the magic for the India captain on the day with the shot earning him 35 runs off just ten balls. Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were all dispatched to various locations over the on-side boundaries while the extra cover fence was also peppered more than once.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli added 70 for the second wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Rohit raced to his fifty off 31 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes. Ironically, it was a mistimed pull that got him to the landmark. Green purchased some extra bounce outside off with Rohit managing a top edge on a pull that ballooned straight up. But Starc running back from short third, failed to latch on to a tough catch.Washington was dismissed for a 30-ball 18 with Labuschagne taking a wonderful catch at wide long-off. Kohli then joined forces with Rohit and the duo added 70 off 61 balls to keep the chase on track.A stunning piece of reflex catch, however, sent Rohit back and Australia applied the choke thereafter. Rohit absolutely slapped a quickish length ball by backing away towards the bowler, who tried to take evasive action but also held out his right hand with the ball sticking.Post Rohit’s dismissal in the 21st over, Australia conceded just two fours and a six in the next ten overs. Kohli reached his 65th half-century in the format, but became Maxwell’s third victim when he top-edged a short-of-a-length ball to Smith at midwicket.Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul failed to find the boundaries as the required rate continued to creep up. Rahul was sent back by Starc while Suryakumar Yadav failed to repeat his second ODI heroics. And when Iyer was castled by Maxwell, the end was nigh.Ravindra Jadeja managed to get some batting practice enroute a 36-ball 35 before Green ended proceedings by taking out Siraj off the penultimate ball of the game. For Australia, each of the six bowlers picked up a wicket.

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.

Pakistan dropped more catches than they took, apart from leaking well over 50 extras

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-202169.2 – Williamson dropped on 82

Naseem Shah to Williamson, FOUR, dropped in the slips! Pokes at an away-going delivery, extra bounce, he’s looking to punch on the up but gets a thick outside edge that goes between the two slip fielders. Oh, dear. Masood and Haris the men there.73.6 – Williamson dropped on 107
Faheem Ashraf to Williamson, no run, Shan Masood has put down another one at gully! Width, Williamson cuts but this flies off the edge because of extra bounce, Masood a tad late moving to his left, got his hands to it but couldn’t hold on.Related

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80.5 – Nicholls dropped on 86
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Nicholls, no run, dropped by the keeper! This combination worked when the bowler overstepped. It doesn’t when it’s a legal delivery. And a good one too. Afridi’s ability to get seam movement is really special. So is his accuracy at high pace. He draws Nicholls into a lazy drive. Thick edge. Simple take for the keeper moving to his left. And yet… Nicholls threw his head back, certain he was gone. Umpire Chris Brown had even raised his finger up. And poor Afridi just sank to his knees, wondering why good luck hates him.91.5 – Nicholls on dropped 92

Mohammad Abbas to Nicholls, no run, has that been put down at gully? Yes, Azhar Ali this time. Nicholls looks to flay this behind point but the length is much fuller, gets a thick edge and the regulation chance goes down. Oh dear. Another life for Nicholls.107.6 – Nicholls dropped on 133
Naseem Shah to Nicholls, no run, ooooh, he tried so hard. He really really tried so hard. Poor Naseem Shah. He manages to see a plan through to completion. Bouncing Nicholls over and over and waiting to see if his patience runs out. It does here as he backs away and baseballs it down the ground. Shah leaps up and sticks out his left hand, it doesn’t stick, but pops straight back up in the air. So he looks to pick up the rebound, diving further to his left, but it doesn’t land in his hands once more. So unfortunate.123.1 – Williamson dropped on 177
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Williamson, 1 run, dropped by Azhar at gully. It goes quickly to him. He needs to dive to his right. His hands are stinging from the pain and they’re already wrapped up in tape. All that make it a challenge, but it really should have been taken. Williamson could have been out first ball after the break as he went for that patented dab to third man.154.2 – Jamieson dropped on 10
Naseem Shah to Jamieson, 1 bye, put down by Rizwan down leg. Have to call it straightforward. Went for another hook, got some glove, a big deflection too. Rizwan just a tad late to move to his left.154.6 – Mitchell dropped on 79
Naseem Shah to Mitchell, 2 runs, What is happening? Now Gohar has put down one at deep midwicket. He misjudged the ball, ran in and then had to turn back. Mitchell didn’t get hold of the pull, in the end Gohar put in a goalkeeper-like dive but couldn’t hang on. Naseem is disappointed and why not. He’s had a shocker of a Test, and now nothing to show for in the wickets column.20.4 – Latham dropped and caught on 33
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Latham, OUT, taken on the rebound! Second slip dropped it! First slip takes it! Pakistan have two in two! Only this team can pull off things like this. Afridi who has looked toothless with the new ball comes back and delivers a beauty. The exact kind of ball left-handers hate. Angling into him, and then holding the line to take the edge. Latham pushes hard at it, which is why it goes to Masood at second slip, who is having a horrible match and it could have gotten worse as he shells the ball coming so quickly at him, but Sohail’s freakish reflexes bail him out as he gets down low and grabs the rebound.

Rookie left-arm seamer Abhilash Shetty defended 13 in the final over for Karnataka

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2025Karnataka overcame a scare against Baroda to clinch a thriller by five runs and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Devdutt Padikkal’s 102 off 99 balls not long after he got off a flight from Australia won him the Player-of-the-Match award, but it was Karnataka’s catching that made a massive difference to the resultBaroda were cruising in their chase of 282, with their captain Krunal Pandya and centurion Shashwat Rawat bringing the runs required under 100. But from 185 for 2 in the 34th over, Baroda lost 3 for 16 to give Karnataka an opening.Wicketkeeper Krishnan Shrijith dismissed Krunal by flinging himself full stretch to his left to pull off a one-hand catch off V Koushik. In the next over, Shreyas Gopal had Vishnu Solanki lbw. Mayank Agarawal, the Karnataka captain, then ran back 30 yards from mid-off with the ball swirling away to catch Shivalik Sharma.Even as Baroda lost wickets, they had hope as Rawat approached a century. He eventually got to the mark in the 44th over and Baroda went into the last six needing 59 with four wickets remaining. Bhanu Pania, who had smashed an unbeaten 51-ball 134 when Baroda broke the record for the highest T20 score last month, went after Prasidh Krishna in a 15-run over.The wickets of Pania and Rawat in the space of three balls turned the game again. Having gone for 58 in nine wicketless overs, Prasidh bowled a slower bouncer that got Rawat’s leading edge to wicketkeeper Shrijith.Still, Bhargav Bhatt and Raj Limbani kept hitting the vital boundaries to bring the equation down to 13 off the last six balls. But rookie left-arm seamer Abhilash Shetty was not fazed by the pressure. With Baroda needing 8 off the last two, they attempted to steal a second to get Bhatt on strike with six to get off the last ball, but an accurate throw by R Smaran at deep midwicket to the wicketkeeper had Bhatt run out to end the game.That Karnataka had a sizeable total to defend was down to Padikkal, who helped his team overcome the early loss of Agarawal on a pitch that had plenty of assistance for the quicks early on. Padikkal and KV Aneesh put on 133 for the second wicket to lay the foundation of the innings.Padikkal was severe on Baroda off spinner Mahesh Pithiya, using his feet regularly to score boundaries as Karnataka looked to accelerate. He fell soon after getting to a century off 94 deliveries, top-edging a pull to the wicketkeeper off Limbani. From 172 for 2, Karnataka lost a clutch of wickets, but cameos from Shrijith and Abhinav Manohar took them to a match-winning score of 281.