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The Indian selectors are unlikely to make sweeping changes to the squad that played the final Test against England, for the Australia series

Amol Karhadkar09-Feb-2013India’s selectors could have finally run out of patience with the established Test opening combination. ESPNcricinfo understands* that at least two selectors want Wasim Jaffer in the squad for the Australia Tests, “most probably” replacing Gautam Gambhir.The Sandeep Patil-headed selection panel will meet on Sunday to pick the squad for, most probably, the first two Tests against Australia. The panel is likely to retain most of the other batsmen who featured in the 15 for the Nagpur Test against England but the faltering openers will be under the scanner.With M Vijay hitting a century in the Irani Cup and Jaffer having plundered 915 runs from 12
innings this season, the growing feeling among the selectors is that both Vijay and Jaffer “deserve to be in the squad”. While Vijay was the reserve opener during the Test series against England, Jaffer last played for India almost five years ago.Despite increasing doubts over Virender Sehwag and Gambhir’s place in the side, a couple of selectors also feel the Delhi pair deserves to be given “one final chance”. Though Sehwag, who pulled out of the Irani Cup tie with a stomach upset, scored a century in the opening Test against England in Ahmedabad, he lost his place in the ODI side soon after.Gambhir’s drought of centuries has extended over three years, and he has averaged just over 30 since then. If the pro-Jaffer selectors manage to convince the rest of their colleagues, the casualty will “most probably” be Gambhir.While Ajinkya Rahane set to be retained as the reserve batsmen, Ravindra Jadeja, who made a surprising debut at No. 6 in the Nagpur Test, could make way for either Suresh Raina or Rohit Sharma.In the spin department, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha are assured of leading the attack. It will again be a toss-up between Piyush Chawla, who played the last Test against England, and Harbhajan Singh for the reserve spinner’s slot.Although Harbhajan is on the verge of leading Rest of India to the Irani title, his performance with the ball hasn’t been compelling in the domestic season. His lack of “big-wicket hauls” may go against him though his outstanding record at home against Australia could prove “too difficult to ignore” for the selectors.With Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan recovering from injuries, the selectors will have a tough task of finding their replacements; they may have to rely on the second string of pace bowlers. Though Ishant Sharma’s ankle pain recurred recently, he is expected to be available for the Test series.The contenders for the remaining two fast bowlers’ slots will include Sreesanth, who has recovered from multiple toe surgeries, Madhya Pradesh’s Ishwar Pandey, the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy season, Shami Ahmed and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both of whom have impressed on their limited-overs’ debuts against England and Pakistan. Ashok Dinda and Parvinder Awana, both of whom were in the squad for the Nagpur Test, are “out of reckoning”.The selectors had dropped Zaheer, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan after losing the third Test against England.MS Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher are unlikely to attend the meeting, to be held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, and it is “almost unlikely” that the selectors will discuss replacing Dhoni as captain.Likely squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir/ Wasim
Jaffer, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya
Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja/ Suresh Raina/ Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan
Ojha, Harbhajan Singh/ Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth/ Shami
Ahmed, Ishwar Pandey/ Bhuvneshwar Kumar.February 9, 7.45pm GMT This story has been updated with information about the openers

South Africa U-19 halted Pakistan U-19’s three-match winning streak with a 42-run victory in Cape Town

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2012
ScorecardSouth Africa U-19 halted Pakistan U-19’s three-match winning streak with a 42-run victory in Cape Town.Batting first, South Africa overcame an indifferent start through a 98-run fourth wicket stand between Shaylin Pillay and Theunis de Bruyn. The latter was the mainstay of the innings, contributing 73 off 76 balls. No. 7 batsman Prenelan Subrayen chipped in with 25 at nearly run-a-ball as South Africa surged to 240 for 7. Zia-ul-Haq and Usman Qadir impressed with two wickets each for Pakistan.Opening bowler Corné Fry dismantled the chase early, removing both Pakistan openers before they could settle in. The support cast backed up Fry and left Pakistan in trouble at 107 for 6 in the 28th over. No. 8 Qadir resisted with a fifty, but it was only a matter of time before Pakistan subsided. They were 42 runs short when they were bowled out in the 44th over.

A round-up of action from the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2011Mark Chapman’s half-century powered Hong Kong to a four-wicket win over Papua New Guinea in the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division Three, at the Kowloon Cricket Club. The 16-year-old Chapman’s unbeaten 70 anchored Hong Kong’s chase after their bowlers, led by Najeeb Amar, restricted PNG to 202 for 9.PNG chose to bat and got off to a steady start with their openers Tony Ura and Jack Vare putting on 77 runs in just under 21 overs. Amar picked up the first of his three wickets when he dismissed Ura for 51. Asad Vala was run out in the next over but Vare and Chris Amini batted solidly for a half-century stand to take PNG to 133 for 2. Aizaz Khan picked up Vare for 48 and the dismissal, in the 37th over, triggered a collapse. Nizakat Khan dismissed Kila Pala and Christopher Kent in the 38th over, and the slide continued as PNG lost seven wickets for 69 runs. Amini fell on the penultimate ball of the innings as PNG just managed to nudge past 200.PNG needed a strong reply from their bowlers if they were to have any chances of defending their total. Hitolo Areni provided the first breakthrough when he had Courtney Kruger lbw in the sixth over. Roy Lamsam and Hussain Butt, who made a half-century when Hong Kong beat PNG in their final league game, batted solidly but Rarva Dikana struck to dismiss both of them in quick succession as Hong Kong looked in trouble at 60 for 3. However, Chapman played a determined knock, stringing together useful partnerships with Irfan Ahmed, Nizakat and Waqas Barkat, to wrest the advantage in Hong Kong’s favour. Najeeb hit some big shots as his unbeaten 37-run partnership with Chapman carried Hong Kong home. Chapman was declared the Man of the Match.”Today I feel like I’m flying, like I am sat on the moon,” said a delighted Najeeb Amar. “I am so happy that we’ve won the tournament. I was delighted to score the winning the runs with Mark Chapman in front of our home crowd. Credit must not just go to the team but also our coach, Charlie Burke. He’s unbelievable, he made my job easier, he gave us a simple task: don’t panic and the results will come, which they did this week.”Our team is full of surprises and talented guys, especially Mark Chapman among many others, they can prove themselves against any team and hopefully when we get to Dubai we can do the same. The teams in Division Two will be a tough task, but the way we perform and play and we can make it any level and we’re confident.””It’s an amazing feeling to win in front of my family and home crowd and then take home the man of the match medal too,” Chapman said. “I worked hard today to grind out the runs since I’ve not had a great run this tournament. I don’t know much about Dubai and the sides we’ll face, but I’m sure we’ll be ready.”PNG head coach, Andy Bichel, was obviously disappointed about not taking home the trophy but drew positives from the tournament and the side’s promotion to Division Two. “It’s disappointing to lose in the final, but the plan was to win promotion to Division Two which we have done,” he said. “We’re a young squad and hopefully this experience will inspire them to play better in Dubai.”We haven’t looked forward to Division Two yet, but it’s about being prepared to play at that one level up. Its about having plans for batsmen who will be of a higher standard, being in different conditions with different pitches. The higher standard you go, the better the wickets will get, the better the teams are and it will be a real test for us – we’ve got the players to do well, its now about preparing for the event.”

An unbeaten century by Adnan Ilyas led Oman to third place, as they beat Italy by eight wickets at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Ilyas scored 120 off 105 balls, and put together a 198-run partnership with Vaibhav Wategaonkar, who scored 87 not out, as Oman chased down Italy’s 251 in just 41 overs. Italy had reached their score on the back of a quick 78 by wicketkeeper Hayden Patrizi and a measured 81 by captain Alessandro Bonora. The two put together 99 runs for the fifth wicket. Italy ended their innings on a high after smashing 51 runs off the last four overs, but the score proved to be an easy target for Oman.”It’s fantastic to win Player of the Tournament, but is somewhat bittersweet as we’ve not managed to win promotion this week,” said Peter Petricola. “I wasn’t able to play today as I’ve been suffering some soreness after bowling for the first time in a while for the side, but claiming those 11 wickets and scoring those runs for Italy has been worth it to see us stay in Division Three.”I think this week has shown we have the ability to challenge the sides in Division Three and if things had gone our way we could’ve have made it up a division, but I’m happy we’ve maintained our position.”

USA finished last after Denmark thumped them by 84 runs at the Mission Road Ground. Denmark’s wicketkeeper Freddie Klokker set up the win with an unbeaten century that took his side to 240, seamer Basit Raja then ran through USA’s top order, and some tight fielding from Denmark sealed the win. Three USA batsmen were run out as they crashed to 156 all out in 43 overs. Raja took 3 for 25 and his opening spell helped reduce USA to 48 for 4. They never recovered and were soon 105 for 9. Durale Forrest and Muhammad Ghous added 51 for the last wicket but it was little consolation for USA. They and Denmark will both be relegated to Division 4.USA captain Steve Massiah was reprimanded and warned by the ICC for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct after showing dissent at the umpire’s decision.

In an effort to find a solution to widespread press concerns regarding the coverage of IPL 2010, the News Media Coalition has called upon the authorities “to avoid alienating the international news media community”

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010In an effort to find a solution to widespread press concerns regarding the coverage of IPL 2010, the News Media Coalition (NMC), which reached a compromise agreement with the IPL for last year’s competition in South Africa, called upon the tournament’s organisers “to avoid alienating the international news media community”.”The terms on offer from the IPL raise serious issues of press freedom including the ability to inform the public with topical information and the legitimate distribution of news content for editorial publications,” a statement from the body read. “The current wording will serve to act as a barrier to coverage by some media. This can only result in the loss of opportunities for cricket fans internationally to share in this news spectacle through the opinions and eyes of independent journalists and photographers working for publishers worldwide through the network of agencies and newspaper syndication services.”Indian news broadcasters have decided not to cover the third season in protest against “arbitrary” guidelines and contentious clauses regarding tournament footage. The decision, taken yesterday, followed a meeting between the News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) and officials of the IPL and Set Max, the channel holding the broadcast rights for the tournamment.The NBA, which has 34 member channels, said the IPL and Set Max officials “arbitrarily” refused to abide by the 2008 norms, which had been agreed on by all.The media coverage guidelines for 2010 have reduced the duration of match footage that news channels can carry — 30 seconds per bulletin and seven minutes a day. Repeats will be allowed three times a day, as against four previously, and while match footage could earlier be telecast with a five-minute delay from the end of the live telecast, it has been expanded to a half-hour delay.The first IPL season was boycotted by the international news agencies over certain contentious clauses in the media accreditation guidelines, including a bar on supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites such as Cricinfo.The second season witnessed a repeat after NMC, the umbrella body that includes global news and photograph agencies Reuters, AP, AFP and Getty Images, objected over the same clause. However, the boycott was lifted after the IPL removed the clause from the terms of coverage.The NMC hoped for a similar move from the tournament organisers this time as well and sought the media terms for the IPL 2010 to reflect the agreement for the second edition.” In particular they [news organisations] would wish the IPL to remove those aspects of the terms and conditions which seek to define news platforms that are acceptable to the IPL in terms of their ownership and/or the scope of their business operations,” the statement said. “This would mean reinstating 2009 wording which sought to deal with IPL concerns about what the IPL felt were rogue operators, many of whom the IPL acted against.”We believe the language presents an excessive limitation on the free flow of information such as journalistic photography through legitimate distribution chains and is therefore damaging to press freedom. For many news organisations it is not feasible, nor in accord with their founding principles, to distinguish between legitimate customers.”It may be that alternative wording which mirrors the sentiments of the 2009 agreement could be found and we look forward to hearing a positive response on this. There are other concerns, particularly as regards the imposition of updating quotas, which also need reconsideration.”

Players due to also compete in some fixtures against Indian domestic sides

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2025When India take on Sri Lanka at the Women’s World Cup 2025 opener, the spotlight will not just be on the players on the field but also on some of those off it.A group of Afghanistan’s women’s cricketers, currently living in exile in Australia, will be in attendance at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Guwahati in one of the first attempts to integrate them into the global game. The players do not represent Afghanistan as they are not recognised by the ACB but are playing in league structures in Australia. They will have no formal role at the game, where they will be received as spectators.”[BCCI secretary] Devajit Saikia knows exactly what details about this,” ACA President Taranga Gogoi told ESPNcricinfo. “He will guide us and we are awaiting more details. The Afghanistan players will be here tomorrow and we will make arrangements for that.”Related

• Form vs Spirit: Australia's world champions take on New Zealand's game raisers

• World Cup offers an air of freshness to sombre Guwahati

• Powerplay: More than just a match for Afghanistan Women's XI

• Powerplay: How cricket helped Afghanistan women escape

• BCCI, ECB, CA to help fund ICC's plan to support Afghan women cricketers

Details surrounding the Afghanistan players’ trip to the World Cup have been kept under wraps, with no official announcement from the ICC. However, in April this year, the ICC confirmed it would form a “dedicated task force” to support Afghanistan’s female cricketers which would include coaching and mentorship. Funding for this initiative would be provided by the ICC, and the three most moneyed cricket boards: the BCCI, ECB and CA but exact amounts were never revealed.The idea for Afghanistan’s exiled female cricketers to travel to the World Cup was firmed up at the ICC’s annual conference in July. At the time, a loose plan was put in place for the cricketers to attend a training camp in Bengaluru, which was due to host the opening match of the tournament, play against Indian domestic sides and then attend a handful of World Cup games. As things stand, the players are still due to compete in some fixtures but may not attend any matches other than the tournament opener, although no information has been confirmed.It is also understood that the lack of publicity around the Afghanistan women’s arrival in India is a result of the ICC adopting a cautious approach to any retaliation from the government of Afghanistan. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, women have been increasingly excluded from public life, cannot attend university or secondary school and their voices cannot be heard in public. As such, the ACB is unable to ratify a women’s team, despite contracting 25 players in 2020.The majority of those players live in Australia but some are resident in the United Kingdom and Canada. Not all those living in Australia have made the trip to India as some faced visa challenges but most of them played in an exhibition match between an Afghanistan XI and Cricket without Borders in January.

Maxwell signs with Washington Freedom to play alongside Steven Smith and Travis Head under coach Ricky Ponting

Alex Malcolm18-Apr-20244:18

Was Maxwell right in asking to be dropped?

Glenn Maxwell has joined Travis Head and Steve Smith in signing with Washington Freedom for the upcoming Major League Cricket season while clarifying that his form was the major reason for his self-omission from Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s side in the IPL rather than needing a mental break.Maxwell has become the latest Australian player to sign in MLC and will join his Australia teammates in Head and Smith, along with his former IPL coach Ricky Ponting, at Washington Freedom.He told ESPN’s that he was excited about the opportunity to play in the United States.Related

• Aussies at the IPL: Head's hot streak, Fraser-McGurk fires again, Maxwell drops himself

• Travis Head joins Steven Smith at Washington Freedom for Major League Cricket 2024

• Steven Smith joins Washington Freedom ahead of Major League Cricket's second season

• Maxwell takes a break to refresh after asking to be rested by RCB

“It’s a tournament that I watched from afar last year and was extremely excited about hopefully playing this tournament one day and luckily enough the timings have aligned this year,” Maxwell said. “I’ve been speaking to Ricky Ponting and a few other players a fair bit over the last little period and certainly extremely excited to get stuck in.”Having Travis and Steve there and Ricky, three guys who I’m extremely familiar with, I think that sort of probably tipped me over the edge. You sort of um and ah about that time of the year about where you’re going to be and whether you take the time off, whether you play the Hundred or what you might do and I think just having those couple of Aussies there and I think the opportunity to be a part of something really big in MLC and grow something is really exciting as well.”Maxwell joins Head, Smith, Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders), Tim David (MI New York), Matt Short (San Franciso Unicorns) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (San Franciso Unicorns) as confirmed Australian signings for the second season of MLC, with more expected to join for the tournament which starts immediately after the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies ends on June 29.Meanwhile, Maxwell has moved to clarify his decision to ask to be omitted from RCB’s line-up from the last IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Maxwell explained that it had nothing to do with needing to take an extended break from the tournament. He simply felt like he was not in the best XI and wanted to take any tough conversations away from captain Faf du Plessis and coach Andy Flower by asking to be dropped.”I was pretty low on confidence,” Maxwell said. “I had a good couple of net sessions and just went out to the ground and felt really tentative. I wasn’t able to really commit to my game plans and just felt like if I had kept playing and playing that role, I don’t think the results would change too much.2:51

Glenn Maxwell to join Washington Freedom in MLC

“So I just went to Faf and said, look, I think we need to try someone else in my position and had the same conversation with Andy Flower, the coach, and to me it was a bit of a no-brainer. I think it sort of saves the tough conversation they might have to have about dropping me.”I felt really at peace with it. Obviously, I’m frustrated that I wasn’t able to get the results I would have liked but comfortable in the fact that I know I feel like I’ve made the right decision for the team and it’s certainly not like I’m taking an extended break away from the game.”I just think it’s a better opportunity for someone else to have a crack at my position. I know I’m an important part of this side but at the moment I’m not playing well enough to I suppose warrant a spot.”Maxwell revealed he is unlikely to come back in for the next game, against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, given he is battling a minor hip injury. He said he understands he has to bide his time to get another opportunity.”I’ve actually got a little bit of a hip strain so I’ve got a few more days off and during recovery,” Maxwell said. “So I’ve got a little period here where I’m still training, still trying to get myself right. If there is a spot that becomes available, I’ll obviously put my hand up and take it”It’s not one of those things where I’ve set a date that I’ll be out for three games then I’ll come back whenever I’m ready. That’s that’s not how it works. I haven’t been at a level that’s good enough to warrant a spot on the side this year.”

Jarrod Freeman’s quickfire half-century was part of a match-changing partnership

AAP31-Oct-2022A career-best innings from Jordan Silk sped Tasmania past Victoria’s first-innings total on day three of the Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.At stumps, slow-and-steady Victoria were 1 for 44 after the dangerous Marcus Harris was bowled for 14 five overs before stumps by a sizzling delivery from paceman Riley Meredith.Silk produced the definition of a captain’s knock to guide his team to a mammoth total of 535. In the first session, Silk replaced reigning Bradman Young Cricketer Tim Ward (91), who missed out on his second Shield century by edging Cameron McClure to wicketkeeper Sam Harper for a regulation catch.Related

• Handscomb continues his Sheffield Shield run feast against Tasmania

• Tasmania respond strongly after Chandrasinghe's stunning debut ton

Silk started his innings patiently, but with time of the essence he went into overdrive after lunch. He brought up his half-century with a six over deep midwicket and a four past third man in consecutive balls, but the fun wasn’t over there.Once the Tasmanians passed Victoria’s first innings total around an hour after lunch, Silk and Jarrod Freeman went into party mode to send the run rate skyward.The pair brought up their 100-run partnership 10 minutes before tea but Freeman was caught at long on by Mitchell Perry on the last ball of the session.The wicket was the first of the match for Ashes hero Scott Boland, who had been the only Victorian bowler without a scalp to that point. He wasn’t the only bowler struggling to scupper the Tasmanian juggernaut, though.Rather than contemplate declaring once he reached his ninth first-class century, Silk kept his foot on the accelerator to finish his innings unbeaten, having struck 14 boundaries including five sixes.Former Test captain Tim Paine made a quick-fire 24 runs from 25 balls as Tasmania made their intentions known.Victoria’s first innings was built largely on a century from debutant Ashley Chandrasinghe (119 not out), who announced himself with a mature display at the crease across the first two days.

Warwickshire CEO condemns ‘disgraceful’ scenes after student promotion backfires

George Dobell24-Jun-2021A large-scale pitch invasion marred the end of the T20 Blast game between Birmingham Bears and Derbyshire at Edgbaston.Several hundred spectators – mainly students attending as part of a promotion – ran on to the pitch at the end of the match. While there was no sign of any malicious behaviour, the scale of the incursion may cause repercussions for a sport currently making a case for greater crowd numbers at games.Ironically the student event was named ‘Invades’. The promotion promised ‘free flowing pints’ and ‘exclusive drinks deals’.No players were hurt – or even approached – though several stewards and some of the groundstaff did become involved in altercations as they tried to prevent spectators, many of whom were wearing fancy-dress, running on to the outfield. In the time of Covid, such behaviour is likely to make authorities uneasy. It may be worth noting that Selly Oak, just a mile or two down the road and where the University of Birmingham is situated, has seen a rise in Covid cases of almost 800 percent (actually 791.7) over the last week.Edgbaston is one of the grounds that has just been included as part of a pilot event for the limited-overs series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. At least 50 percent capacity had been expected at those games, though those numbers are due to confirmed in the coming days. There appears to be a genuine concern at Warwickshire, at least, that this incident could have compromised those plans.”The behaviour of a small number of students after the match finished was disgraceful,” Stuart Cain, Warwickshire’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo in a statement.”The organiser behind their attendance was well aware of social distancing requirements and these were communicated to everybody who bought a ticket. They were then enforced as best as possible on the evening by stewards who worked incredibly hard to manage their behaviour. Messages were repeatedly broadcast over the PA system and screens, and pitch invaders ejected. They will receive a life ban if identified.”With society having spent the last 15 months managing the pandemic, to see a small number of people behaving in this way is heart-breaking. We apologise to the majority of spectators who respected social distancing measures. I will not let this company or crowd come to Edgbaston again.”Related

• Edgbaston to host 80 percent capacity for Pakistan ODI

• Boost for venues as government extends crowds pilot scheme for Sri Lanka, Pakistan series

• Fancy dress and football chants as the Birmingham buzz returns

• Matt Critchley: 'Legspin is a niche market in itself but I bat in the top six, too'

• Derbyshire drop captain Billy Godleman after dire T20 run

There had been a succession of streakers throughout the game. While the venue had already shut its bars to the students and attempted to disperse groups who were not observing social distancing, it soon became apparent they were hopelessly outnumbered. In the dying moments of the game, the trickle of students became a stream until, after the last ball was bowled, the dam burst entirely. With venues required to demonstrate they can handle the return of crowds with the requisite Covid protocols, pictures of hundreds of spectators on the pitch may not inspire confidence.Some will say the stewarding was insufficient. But with crowd numbers limited to 25 percent of capacity at present, clubs are struggling to make these games financially viable for spectators. There were around 6,000 in the ground in total, about 2,000 of which belonged to the student party. After the game, reports emerged of at least one spectator having been hurt by a thrown object.”The atmosphere was horrible,” one spectator told ESPNcricinfo. “I have never, in 50 years at the club, been at anything like it. I the club wishes to continue to advertise Edgbaston as a “fortress” and encourage excessive drinking and partying at the expense of appreciation of cricket, I’m out of there.”It was a disaster waiting to happen and a gross error of judgement on the part of the senior management team. Heads should roll.”It probably could have been worse. Not for a moment did any of these pitch invaders look as if they had any malicious motives, and all of them were dispersed within about five minutes. But it will raise questions about both the stewarding of such events and the wisdom of marketing them in connection with alcohol promotions.The other shame of the incident was that it detracted from an impressive victory from Derbyshire and a match-winning innings from Tom Wood, in particular.Wood is a cricketer who has taken the scenic route into the professional game. He is aged 27 and having his second stab as life as a county player after being released by the club at the end of 2017. This was just his fifth game in the format.But he ensured his side held their nerve just as it appeared they may let Birmingham Bears back into a game which Derbyshire had dominated throughout. Having added 90 with Leus du Plooy – Derbyshire’s highest partnership in this format against Birmingham – he saw his side add just 25 runs in a five-over spell in which they also lost three wickets.It was also a significant result for Matt Critchley, in his first game as Derbyshire captain. Coming into this game, Derbyshire had won just one of their six most recent T20 games and lost the last three. Partially as a result, they decided to rest their regular captain, Billy Godleman, for the rest of the T20 campaign to allow him to “recharge his batteries”.While Critchley has never previously captained at professional level, he was the natural choice as a player of increasing stature in the Derbyshire dressing room and here he marshalled his resources nicely as his side pulled off a win against the side that was top of the table little more than a week ago.Matt Critchley has taken the helm at Derbyshire following the resting of Billy Godleman•Getty Images

To put the achievement into perspective, it was only the second time Derbyshire have ever defeated Birmingham (or Warwickshire, as they were once known) at Edgbaston in the 18-year history of the format. The previous occasion was in 2011.While Birmingham’s total may look respectable, on this surface – a hybrid track offering the sort of pace and bounce that’s ideal for these games – they were well short of par. While there were moments when Ed Pollock, whose ability to slog-sweep sixes off seamers is remarkable, looked as if he could carry them to somewhere around 200, they never really recovered from losing three wickets in the first 19 balls of the match.Most pertinently, they never recovered from the rare failure of Sam Hain. Hain came into this match averaging over 70 in the campaign this season but here, coming down the pitch to his second delivery, he was cramped for room as Fynn Hudson-Prentice angled the ball into his body. Hain looked aghast at the decision, but the umpire felt the ball had brushed the glove on its way to the keeper.Perhaps the surface helped Derbyshire. Whatever their results, their attack does not lack for pace and here they seemed to enjoy the bounce and carry in the surface. Conor McKerr, on loan from Surrey, claimed two wickets in his first over, while George Scrimshaw’s figures were the best of his short career in this format.The Bears were not at full strength. Dan Mousley was absent having broken his finger in training, while Rob Yates is unwell and Jake Lintott is in isolation having tested positive for Covid-19. They also left out their overseas player, Pieter Malan, who scored 63 against Northants only a couple of innings ago.It’s a result that does nothing for Birmingham’s hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages. After four victories in succession, they have now failed their last three – albeit one of them fell victim to the weather – though you suspect it is the crowd invasion that will most concern the Warwickshire management in the coming days.

Hosts sitting on 1-0 lead with another poor forecast for pink ODI in Johannesburg

The Preview by Alan Gardner08-Feb-2020

Big picture

After the dampest of squibs in Durban, the three-match series concludes at the Wanderers, a ground known for its fireworks. But with another poor forecast for Sunday’s pink ODI – normally a vibrant affair in support of breast cancer awareness – there is unfortunately every chance of this contest fizzling out to an unsatisfactory end.The Kingsmead washout left South Africa sitting on the 1-0 lead they carved out in Cape Town, and means that Quinton de Kock will start his tenure as ODI captain with either a win or a draw against Eoin Morgan’s world champions. England haven’t been beaten in a multi-match bilateral series since the India tour of 2016-17, so the tourists will be hopeful of getting a game in between the thunder-showers up on the Highveld.That said, Morgan stressed after the abandonment on Friday that this series is “not about immediate results” for England, with priority given to handing experience to the young players in their party. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have sat on the sidelines so far, with Matt Parkinson entrusted as the frontline spinner, while up-and-comers such as Tom Banton, Sam Curran and, ahem, Joe Denly push their cases for middle-order/allrounder spots.The T20 World Cup in Australia later this year looms as the white-ball focal point for 2020, and that places greater emphasis on the three T20Is to come next week. For that reason alone, Morgan said, Moeen and Rashid could come into the XI in order to give them game time (both last played competitively at the Abu Dhabi T10 in November).After defeat in the Test, not to mention the disappointment of last year’s World Cup, holding off England in the ODIs would provide a timely lift for South Africa. They have Dale Steyn back for the T20Is, when de Kock will continue as Faf du Plessis’ stand-in as captain, and will hope for more encouraging signs from the likes of Temba Bavuma, Jon-Jon Smuts and Tabraiz Shamsi in Johannesburg. So long as the weather plays ball.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa WWWLL
England LT*WWW

In the spotlight

He looked good in between the showers in the second ODI, and Reeza Hendricks would doubtless love another chance to impress his credentials as the heir apparent to Hashim Amla at the top of the order. A century on ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2018 was followed by a stop-start run of form and omission from the World Cup squad. With Bavuma and the uncapped Janneman Malan also options at opener, and the potential for du Plessis to return at some point, Hendricks will be hoping to nail down his spot alongside de Kock.With England having moved on from Liam Plunkett after the World Cup, they are in need of a middle-overs partnership-breaker. Could Tom Curran be that man? He has most often been used at first or second change during his 19-ODI career, but the majority of his wickets have come during the death overs, when his variations (and chutzpah) come to the fore. A canny competitor, in good form after his time with Sydney Sixers at the Big Bash, he is a good bet to make his mark at some stage in South Africa.

Team news

Lungi Ngidi sat out the Durban “game” as he continued a staged comeback from recent injury – although his replacement, Bjorn Fortuin, didn’t see much more action himself on debut. Ngidi reclaiming his place at the Wanderers is perhaps the only likely change.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Temba Bavuma, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Jon-Jon Smuts, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Beuran Hendricks, 9 Lutho Sipamla, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Lungi NgidiGiven the stated aims for this series, England must weigh up the benefits of bringing back a couple of senior players ahead of the T20Is. Tom Banton has only had one opportunity with the bat so far, and isn’t part of the T20I squad, so seems likely to keep his place, while in the spirit of fact-finding there could be a debut for Saqib Mahmood. Moeen, Rashid and Dawid Malan all wait in the wings.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Joe Denly/Moeen Ali, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Matt Parkinson/Adil Rashid.

Pitch and conditions

The ball flies at the Bullring, venue for the highest-scoring ODI in history, and this game has been sold out since the Test there a couple of weeks ago. However, the weather looks pretty ordinary, with a high chance of rain throughout the day, as well as the usual Highveld thunderstorms. Expect Duckworth-Lewis-Stern charts to be at the ready.

Stats and trivia

• Five of the last six ODIs at the Wanderers have been won by the chasing team, including South Africa’s one-wicket win over England in 2015-16.
• No South African has scored more than de Kock’s three ODI hundreds against England.
• If Rashid is included, he will win his 100th ODI cap.
• England, who share a kit manufacturer with South Africa, will also sport pink in Johannesburg, with their World Cup jerseys given a fuchsia refit.

Quotes

“It’s a big day for the team. It’s one of the days we look forward to at this time of the year. Obviously, we are representing quite a big thing and we’re excited to get out there and do our bit. Everybody is going to dress up in pink, guys bat stickers are going to be pink and it’s going to be an awesome day.”
“Yes, we want to win, but we also want to know a lot more about other guys come the end of the tour, with a longer-term plan in place.”

Maxwell will turn out in all three formats in the 2019 season, enabling him to acclimatise to English conditions before the World Cup and also further his Test ambitions

George Dobell07-Dec-2018Lancashire have signed Australians Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns as overseas players for the 2019 season.Maxwell, who recently announced he would not be looking for a team in the IPL, is expected to arrive in April to play in the One-Day Cup – his first game will be against Worcestershire on April 17 – before joining up with Australia for the World Cup.He will then return to Lancashire to play in the T20 Vitality Blast (alongside Australian all-rounder James Faulkner who signed a two-year
contract with Lancashire last year) and play the final four or five Championship matches of the season.Burns, meanwhile, will play the first nine or 10 Championship matches.That means Maxwell will be given every chance to acclimatise to the pitches and conditions ahead of the World Cup; a factor he admits played a part in his decision.”Coming over to England early next year will also help me acclimatise to conditions ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup which I am incredibly
excited about,” Maxwell said. “I still have aspirations to play Test cricket for Australia so I felt it was important that I play some first-class cricket whilst I’m over in England.”The County Championship is an extremely competitive competition and I’m looking forward to being part of Lancashire’s red-ball team.””Glenn is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world and we’re really looking forward to him joining Lancashire next year,” Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Paul Allott, said.”As a destructive batsman, an outstanding fielder and an effective off-spin bowler, he is going to play an important role in our side where he’ll be able to contribute in all facets of the game.”He will bring a wealth of experience into the changing room having played in over 150 internationals for Australia and it will be another fantastic opportunity for the young players in our squad to learn from him.”As a player and as a person, Glenn embodies what we’re trying to achieve at Lancashire Cricket. He’s a winner and the way he goes about
the game will be an example to the rest of the squad. He’s an incredibly committed, ambitious and passionate individual and he will fit into our side seamlessly.”Having pulled out of the IPL, Glenn indicated that he was keen to play some first-class cricket with us next season, and with Joe Burns signing for ten games in the Championship, he will have an opportunity to do that. That was a big attraction for us knowing he will be involved in all competitions throughout next summer.”Burns, meanwhile, has experience of county cricket having played for Leicestershire and Middlesex.”He strengthens our batting line-up and brings a wealth of experience into the side,” Allott said. “He will set a fantastic example to some
of our younger batsmen in the way he approaches the game, both on and off the field.”We’ve heard only good things about his personality and character and I know he will have a very positive impact on our side.”With the IPL and ICC Cricket World Cup next year, it is not easy to find quality players who are available for the majority of the season,
so we’re delighted to have signed Joe.”