England have named an unchanged XI from Galle, with Ben Stokes set to move up to No. 3

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Nov-2018

Big picture

The track in Pallekele looks dry so it will probably turn. If there is a touch of rain in the mountain air it could swing as well. But even if the pitch starts spitting fire, and a blizzard rolls through, England might still feel confident. They feel as if they have an attack for all seasons.Cloudy skies and a new ball in hand? Have a bit of James Anderson, who bowls like he has pictures of the clouds in uncompromising positions, and so will exploit them relentlessly. Think you can handle Anderson? Well, try a bit of Sam Curran for the left-arm angle. Or why not Ben Stokes, who bowls vicious bouncers with the new ball, and gets reverse with the older one?And so what if Adil Rashid is having an off day? Moeen Ali and Jack Leach are still around. Not even the England camp will claim these are exceptional spinners, but the way Sri Lanka batted in Galle, they don’t have to be. If a quick over needs bowling, to try and squeeze another one in before lunch, Joe Root can fire down a few non-turning offbreaks as well. England’s is not exactly a superstar attack, but they have the variety to expose an array of opposition weaknesses. If they bat like they did in Galle, “weakness” could even be the collective term for Sri Lanka’s top order.”There go the lot of them. A whole weakness of Sri Lanka batsmen.”Let’s not pretend that the hosts’ outlook isn’t bleak. They’ve won six of their last 13 Tests, losing only three, but in that time they’ve relied heavily on runs from Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, as well as wickets from Rangana Herath. Two of those three players won’t feature in this game. There is also a biomechanics test hanging over Akila Dananjaya, which could affect his performance. The team manager has quit midway through the series over differences with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha as well.Malinda Pushpakumara is expected to come in for the retired Rangana Herath•Getty Images

The one thing going for Sri Lanka, though, is that they are well-practised harnessers of chaos. Sometimes the more upheaval there is around the team, the better they perform. You don’t have to look back that far to find examples. In June, captain Chandimal was banned for three Tests over ball-tampering and spirit-of-cricket-related offences. Hathurusingha was suspended for two of those matches himself. Sri Lanka won all three of those games, coming from behind in Barbados, before crushing South Africa twice at home. In December last year, they drew a tough Test in Delhi despite almost half their team feeling the effects of seriously polluted air.There is no formula to how this Sri Lanka team have got themselves to creditable results over the past 14 months, but they have dug deep and clawed their way into series. They have to believe they can do it again.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWWWD (completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLW

In the spotlight

Fifty Test matches, a bowling average north of 40 – on the surface, there isn’t much about Suranga Lakmal that will really threaten an opposition. But look deeper. On unhelpful decks at home, he often performs an invaluable role, taking wickets with the new ball when he can, then keeping the pressure on the opposition while spinners attack at the other end. As acting captain, he has even been something of a revelation. Sri Lanka have won all three Tests he has led in. Never before has a fast bowler led Sri Lanka, but look at the way he marshals the limited resources at his disposal, and you wonder why it had not happened sooner.News from the England camp is that following Moeen’s twin failures at No. 3 in Galle, Ben Stokes will be asked to come in at first-drop. It is not a job he has ever done before, though that is not to say it is a bad option on a pitch expected to take turn from day one. In English conditions, No. 3 batsmen are tasked with holding the innings together and batting as deep as possible. On the trickier pitches in Sri Lanka, there is merit in sending an aggressive batsman up the order, to prevent the spinners from settling early, and to put some momentum into the innings. This is perhaps the theory England are basing their strategy on.

Team news

News from the England camp is that Jonny Bairstow is fit, but such are their riches at the moment, he is being left out of the side. England have confirmed an unchanged XI from Galle. Ben Stokes will bat at 3.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Jos Buttler, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James AndersonLakmal strongly suggested that Sri Lanka would go in with three spinners, a seamer, and seven batsmen again. Roshen Silva looks likeliest to replace Dinesh Chandimal. Malinda Pushpakumara could slot into the position vacated by Herath, which means Lakshan Sandakan will likely have to remain outside the XI.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne , 3 Roshen Silva, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal (capt), 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Malinda Pushpakumara

Pitch and conditions

Sri Lanka are understood to have been unhappy at the lack of drastic turn at Galle, and have instructed the groundstaff to produce a sharp turner in Pallekele at least. The pitch looks drier than the Galle surface was on the eve of the match. This being Pallekele, there is always the threat of rain interrupting play. And this being the tail-end of the monsoon, the threat is double.

Stats and trivia

• Aside from Karunaratne and Chandimal, no other batsman in the Sri Lanka squad averages more than 40 since the start of 2017.
• Although Jos Buttler has a reputation for playing spin well in the shorter formats, he averages only 26.1 from 12 Test innings in Asia, compared to a career average of 35.97.
• Of the three Pallekele Tests that have produced a result, Sri Lanka have lost two matches, to India and Pakistan. Their one victory here was against Australia in 2016.
• The last 22 Tests in Sri Lanka have now produced a result – a growing world record.

Quotes

“I want us to look to take the positive option if we’re unsure at any stage. I want us to keep taking the game to the opposition.”
“We’ve asked for a pitch that favours the spinners, and I think that’s basically what we have got here.”

A difficult pitch made for a low-scoring match and the Sydney Sixers spinners combined for a matchwinning contribution

Alex Malcolm29-Dec-2018Sydney Sixers have not solved their top-order batting woes, but they might not need to if they can defend totals as well as they did to beat the Melbourne Renegades on a poor surface at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.Defending 7 for 132, the Renegades looked in control after the Powerplay on the back an enterprising innings from debutant Mackenzie Harvey. But the Sixers spin duo of Steve O’Keefe and first-gamer debutant Ben Manenti weaved a web around the Renegades middle order and they failed to reach 100, losing their first game of the season. Manenti was Player of the Match for his 2 for 13 while Tom Curran finished with 3 for 18 in a brilliant all-round display.Offspinner Ben Manenti had a wonderful debut•Getty Images

Earlier, the Sixers overcame their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament to muster a winning score. Jordan Silk played another important innings. His 30 off 33 balls was boundary-less but priceless for the visitors. Josh Philippe and Curran played important cameos against a Renegades attack that bowled well on difficult batting surface.Kane Richardson, Jack Wildermuth and Usman Shinwari took six wickets and bowled 34 dots in 12 overs between them.Not so Marvel-lous pitchThe Docklands (Marvel Stadium) pitch has always been the most inconsistent in the BBL. Very often teams will bat second to get a look at the surface first up. Teams batting first average 155 at the venue compared to 161 across the BBL and teams have won 17 times chasing out of 30 matches. But this season it has been a lot worse. In two games, the first innings scores have been 103 and 7 for 132 and teams have no idea what a winning score is. Traditionally spin has been a big weapon at Docklands but pace has been the most effective this year. In this match, the players made particular mention of how much moisture was under this surface, and how the ball skidded from back of a length but held up when pitched fuller. It made batting incredibly difficult for both sides.Sixers Powerplay strugglesThe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sydney Sixers kept an unchanged top order for the fourth straight game and produced their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament of 3 for 25, to beat the 3 for 39 against the Scorchers, 3 for 33 against the Thunder, and 2 for 42 against the Stars, which later became 6 for 70. Jack Edwards played all around a straight ball from Shinwari then Daniel Hughes and Joe Denly both holed out. The surface was difficult but they have struggled to find a way to manufacture scores throughout the four games. Philippe was only top six player to strike at more than 100. He scored 20 off 13 to help the Sixers accelerate in the second half of the innings. He made three fifties in six games opening the batting in the JLT Cup (50-over competition) for Western Australia, striking at 120, yet he has been sitting at No.6 for four games in this BBL.Smooth as silkSilk was left to salvage something from the innings for the third time in four games. He has had to play patiently and rotate the strike in all three of those rescue missions. He didn’t strike a single boundary in his 30 off 33 but it was an incredibly valuable innings on a difficult surface. He got great support from Philippe and Curran, who cracked two boundaries in his 23 not out from 15 balls to ensure the Renegades needed to chase more than a run-a-ball.Spin squeezeThe Renegades pacemen dominated in their bowling innings and the Sixers loaded up with pace in their bowling Powerplay, instead of using O’Keefe. They looked to have erred. Debutant Harvey struck the ball powerfully with four fours and a six as the Renegades made 2 for 38 in the Powerplay to stay ahead of the required run-rate. But O’Keefe and debutant offspinner Manenti bowled seven of the next eight overs and squeezed the life out of the Renegades chase. They lost 4 for 33 in 48 balls with only one boundary. Manenti took 2 for 13 from his four overs, including the key wicket of Harvey cleaned bowled for 30, while O’Keefe finished with 2 for 19. The Renegades needed 62 from the last six overs and fell well short. The Sixers’ catching was exceptional to back up the miserly bowling.

England’s vice-captain admitted there were “obvious risks” involved and said they would accept it if Ashley Giles decided they should no longer play

George Dobell in Barbados14-Jan-2019Jos Buttler has admitted it “probably doesn’t make too much sense” for England to play football as part of their training routine.Butter, England’s vice-captain, insisted the players were “very careful” and tried to keep things safe while playing. But he conceded there were “obvious risks” involved and confirmed they would accept it if Ashley Giles decided they should no longer play.Giles, the new managing director of England men’s cricket, recently said he was uncomfortable with the idea of football as part of the warm-up regime. While he suggested he would talk to the captains and coaches before reaching a decision, he did hint there may be a change of approach.While Buttler would regret that decision, he said he could understand it. Jonny Bairstow sustained an ankle injury while playing football near the start of the Sri Lanka tour and subsequently lost his place as wicketkeeper to Ben Foakes. Several other players have suffered similarly over the years.But the players argue that it has helped foster a strong team spirit – new players, for example, are made captains of the teams in order to aid integration – and insist that, with sensible precations, such as the ‘no-tackling’ rule that has been in place for a few years, it is no more dangerous than most sporting activities.”I love it,” Buttler said. “It’s been a fun part of our warm-ups for a while and I enjoy playing it. The guys are very careful. We’re not professionals but we enjoy a kick around and we try to stay as safe as possible.”But I understand his point of view because it probably doesn’t make too much sense for us to warm up playing football. There are obvious risks.”So if that’s his final decision then that’s it. There will be discussions between coaches, captains and Ashley Giles and if it’s decided we can’t play anymore I don’t think the guys will be too bothered. We’ll just get on with it.”Stuart Broad has a look at Jos Buttler’s bat at training•Getty Images

England start their first warm-up game – a non-first-class two-day match that will involve at least 12-players per side – at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados on Tuesday. As is the nature of these things now, England are expected to bat the whole of one day and field for the whole of another irrespective of how many wickets fall. Olly Stone has a slightly stiff back so he may therefore sit out the first match. The squad played football as part of their warm-up routine on Monday.The opposition, a CWI President’s XI, contains six men with Test experience – batsmen Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, who scored his only Test century against England on the 2015 tour, and Vishaul Singh; allrounder Raymon Reifer, and fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins – and will be captained by the keeper, Jahmar Hamilton.A second two-day warm-up – on the same ground, against the same opposition and almost certainly with the same liberal attitude to cricketing conventions – starts on Thursday.It is understood groundstaff have been encouraged to prepare pitches with a bit of life, a characteristic that has not always been present in the Caribbean in recent years, throughout the Test series; the use of the Dukes ball should also be to the liking of bowlers.England have won only one Test series here in the last 50 years – Michael Vaughan’s 2004 squad are the honourable expectations – so the size of the challenge in front of them should not be underestimated.CWI squad: Jahmar Hamilton (captain and keeper), Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, John Campbell, Bryan Charles, Miguel Cummins, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Vishaul Singh,
Devon ThomasEngland squad: Keaton Jennings, Rory Burns, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (keeper), Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

With Rangpur requiring 10 off the last over, the left-arm pacer managed three dot balls to tie Rangpur down and deliver a tense win

The Report by Mohammad Isam13-Jan-2019How the game played outMustafizur Rahman’s superb death-overs bowling hauled Rajshahi Kings to an unlikely five-run win over Rangpur Riders, who had seemed to be cruising until the 19th over of their 136-run chase. Mustafizur tied down Farhad Reza for three balls, before Rilee Rossouw scampered through for a bye off the fifth ball.Rossouw, however, couldn’t force the game into a Super Over, as Mustafizur delivered a superb full ball that was squirted into the in-field for a single. Rossouw was unbeaten on 44 off 46 balls with three fours.Earlier, the faltering Kings were boosted by a 54-run fourth-wicket stand between Mohammad Hafeez and Zakir Hasan, who top-scored with an unbeaten 36-ball 42, that kept the Kings on track till the 14th over. But they lost their way thereafter, making only 39 runs in the last five.Turning points

• Mashrafe slowing the Kings down by removing Soumya Sarkar in the sixth over, caught at long-on. Soumya had made an aggressive start, hitting two fours and a six in his 13-ball 18.
• Ravi Bopara’s direct hit that ran out Mohammad Hafeez in the 14th over, after he and Zakir had helped the Kings recover with a 54-run stand following the three early wickets.
• Mustafizur Rahman conceding only three runs in the last over, when Riders needed nine. He bowled three dot balls to Farhad Reza who, despite having a set Rossouw at the other end, kept swinging and missing.

Star of the dayMustafizur kept his reputation as one of the best slog-over bowlers in the world, conceding just seven runs in two overs when the Kings needed to defend 22 runs off the last three overs.The big missRossouw would rue taking a single off the first ball of the last over, as Reza spent the next three swinging and missing.Where the teams standThe defending champions Riders have lost their third game in five outings, while Rajshahi have picked up their second win in four games.

The diagnosis, carried out a couple of days ago at a Dhaka hospital, revealed that the tumour is in its early stages

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2019Bangladesh cricketer Mosharraf Hossain has been diagnosed with brain tumour. Mosharraf is currently trying to complete visa formalities for Singapore where he wants to get the tumorous lump removed. The diagnosis, carried out a couple of days ago at a Dhaka hospital, revealed that the tumour is in its early stages.”It needs an operation,” Mosharraf told the Dhaka-based newspaper . “I want to get the operation done abroad. The visa is under process, and is likely to take a couple of days more. I will leave as soon as I get the visa. What is giving me relief is that the tumour is at an early stage. My family had completely broken down but now I think they are feeling a little better.”Mosharraf is yet to inform the BCB officially although senior cricketers including Shakib Al Hasan and board officials such as Akram Khan have already contacted him.”I haven’t informed the BCB [yet],” Mosharraf said. “I came to know myself only earlier this week. Everyone is telling me not to worry. Mental support is giving me a lot of confidence, and it is also making me quite emotional.”By Mosharraf’s estimation, the initial cost of the first operation is likely to be at least Tk 40 lakh (USD 50,000 approximately) which will increase further if any follow-up is needed.Mosharraf, who has played five ODIs for Bangladesh, made a brief comeback in 2016, eight years after his debut. A domestic stalwart, he has taken 392 first-class wickets and scored over 3,000 runs from 112 games.

Bowler plying his trade on global limited-overs circuit

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2019Harry Gurney has retired from red-ball cricket, signing a white-ball-only contract extension with Nottinghamshire until the end of the 2020 season.Gurney’s left-arm pace has made him something of a global commodity, earning him deals to play for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL following a successful stint with BBL champions Melbourne Renegades.”I am very proud of what I have achieved in red ball cricket, but now feels like the right time to focus solely on one-day competitions,” 32-year-old Gurney said. “I am grateful to the Club for understanding and for showing faith in me by giving me a deal until the end of 2020.”I can’t imagine playing my cricket anywhere else in England and I hope I can taste further white ball success with this exciting group of players.”On English soil, Gurney has taken more wickets than any other bowler in T20 cricket over the past two years, claiming 41 wickets at an average of 21.63 with a miserly economy rate for a new ball and death bowler of 8.32.In 2017, he contributed 21 wickets to Nottinghamshire’s T20 Blast triumph and 13 as the Outlaws lifted the Royal London One-Day Cup.Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said: “While it’s a disappointment that Harry won’t be playing red ball cricket for us anymore, we’re really pleased to have him committed to us for one-day cricket over the next two seasons.”He’s one of the best white ball bowlers around. Once he made his decision, if we didn’t offer him a white ball deal there would be 17 other counties wanting him to bowl for them.”When he returns from the IPL, he’ll have had a concerted period of T20 cricket behind him and will continue to be an asset to us, as he has been for a number of years.”Gurney, who has played 10 ODIs and two T20Is for England, joined Nottinghamshire from Leicestershire before the 2012 season and has taken 275 first-class wickets at an average of 28.81, including career-best figures of 6-25 against Lancashire last year.Young Nottinghamshire bowlers Luke Wood, Zak Chappell and Paul Coughlin are in line to fill the void left by Gurney in the longer format.

Royals are grappling with the form of Rahane and their pace attack; Knight Riders are flying high after their Bengaluru conquest

The Preview by Sreshth Shah06-Apr-20197:24

Tait: Royals have to find room for Turner

Big picture

Rajasthan Royals can once again start to believe, having opened their account this season. The bad news is they will run into a side with the ability to chase down any total.The visiting Kolkata Knight Riders handed Royals three defeats last season. Less than 48 hours after their Bengaluru conquest, they’ll step into the Sawai Mansingh Stadium looking to occupy the top spot in the points table. The presence of Andre Russell, who has scored 207 runs off 77 deliveries this season, adds to an air of intimidation around them.Their seam bowling, however, remains a concern. Their economy (10.00) is the highest among all teams this season and their average of 1.75 wickets per game the lowest. Harry Gurney, the left-arm T20 specialist, could get a look-in instead of Lockie Ferguson, but Knight Riders are known to be frugal with their changes.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: Beat Royal Challengers by 7 wickets, lost to Super Kings by 8 runs, lost to Sunrisers by 5 wickets (recent matches first)
Knight Riders: Beat Royal Challengers by 5 wickets, lost to Capitals via Super Over, beat Kings XI by 28 runs

Royals, though, have their own problems in the pace department. Their highest-paid player, Jaydev Unadkat, was benched for their last game, but his replacement Varun Aaron went for 16 in his only over. Their pace-bowlers’ economy of 9.98 is second only to their opponents and they don’t quite possess the quality of spin Knight Riders have.K Gowtham has been off-colour, and while Shreyas Gopal’s three-wicket haul from the last match does infuse some confidence, they’re up against an Indian middle order who have chipped in adequately for Knight Riders.If Royals win the toss, they’d be better off chasing. The only game Knight Riders have lost is while batting first, where they failed to gauge a good-enough total despite Andre Russell’s half-century. Royals’ win over Royal Challengers Bangalore showed that everyone in their top order – barring captain Ajinkya Rahane – is in solid touch. Samson’s availability could give them a lift.Dhawal Kulkarni and K Gowtham celebrate Kedar Jadhav’s dismissal•Getty Images

Eventually, Royals’ chances depend on whether they can hold their nerves in the big moments. Their three losses so far could’ve all easily been wins on different days, and if they’ve followed Knight Riders’ games against the other teams, they’ll know one missed opportunity could cost them the contest.

In the news

Ashton Turner joined the Royals last week, and could be match-ready after a few days of acclimatisation. There are still question marks over Samson’s availability. For Knight Riders, their first XI remains fit, especially after their five-day break before the Bangalore game.

Previous meeting

They met in the Eliminator last year, where Knight Riders recovered from 51 for 4 on the back of rapid knocks from Russell (49*) and Dinesh Karthik (52) to post 169. After that, Knight Riders cut the boundaries with the ball, with Royals falling 25 short despite losing only four wickets.

Likely XI

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Rahul Tripathi, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shreyas GopalKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Chris Lynn, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Shubman Gill, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk, capt), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Harry Gurney, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Strategy punt

• Rahul Tripathi could be used by Royals as a floater, even batting as high as No. 3. He scores at a strike-rate of 166.67 against Sunil Narine, 242.90 against Kuldeep Yadav and 285.70 against Prasidh Krishna, and been out only once to either of them. The reason he shouldn’t open is his two dismissals in seven deliveries to Knight Riders’ new-ball spinner Piyush Chawla.
• Shreyas Gopal should be conserved for Nitish Rana. The left-handed batsman has scored at a strike-rate of 159.43 this season, but at only 88.50 against right-arm legbreak. He’s been out to legspinners thrice already. Gopal could also be used at the death; he’s conceded only 14 runs in 19 balls between overs 16-20, at an astonishing economy of 4.40.

Stats and trivia

• Among all batsmen since IPL 2018, Ben Stokes has the lowest batting average, has hit the least number of boundaries (27), and at 14.3 deliveries lasts the least number of balls per innings (minimum 200 balls)
• Between overs 7-15 this season, Nitish Rana has scored the most runs (136) by any batsman and has the second-highest strike-rate (170). Only Chris Gayle (209) scores faster in the middle overs.

Kolkata Knight Riders keep their IPL alive thanks to an all-round performance from their biggest match-winner

The Report by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-20192:47

Can just appreciate Russell’s contributions: de Kock

Dominant performances from opener Shubman Gill and No. 3 Andre Russell helped Kolkata Knight Riders halt their six-game losing streak in marvelous fashion against Mumbai Indians as they won their 100th IPL game.The duo combined 12 sixes and 12 fours to help Knight Riders post the season’s highest team score, with assistance from Chris Lynn’s 29-ball 54.Mumbai’s pace-bowling pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga went wicketless for 92 runs in eight overs, and even their most economical bowler, Krunal Pandya, conceded nine runs per over, as Knight Riders accelerated steadily to get 75 in their last five overs.Mumbai were pegged back early in their chase of 233 with the dismissals of Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma inside four overs. After the chase’s ninth over, they had already lost four wickets, and the required run-rate was 15.72.Hardik’s 17-ball fifty was the quickest of IPL 2019, but with no other batsman making a significant contribution, the required rate of 16 an over was too much. Mumbai succumbed to their first defeat to Knight Riders since May 2015. On most other days, Hardik’s 34-ball 91 would go down as a match-winning innings, but on this occasion, it only helped Mumbai avoid what could’ve been a massive defeat.3:53

Murali Kartik: It was a good decision to send Russell at No.3

Sublime Gill maximises chance at the topUntil Sunday’s game, six of Knight Riders’ losses came batting first. So when they were asked to bat first again by Rohit Sharma, history wasn’t on their side.But Gill opened the batting – for the second game in a row – and struck two fours and a six in a 14-run first over. With Chris Lynn playing tentatively for his first seven balls, Gill farmed the strike against Krunal and Malinga in the opening overs. When Krunal came back for his second over, Lynn found his range and struck two fours off him, and another off Bumrah in the fifth. By the end of the Powerplay he had struck 23 in a fifty-run stand with Gill.Gill then took the backseat, and the middle overs began with 39 runs between overs six and nine. In that period, Lynn struck four fours and two sixes to bring up his half-century in just 27 balls. With Lynn falling to Rahul Chahar’s legspin in the tenth over, Gill took over and brought up a half-century of his own – and the team’s hundred – in the 11th over.Russell walked in at No. 3 and Gill gave his partner some breathing space by continuing to find the occasional boundary. A six off Chahar in the 12th over took Gill to 58 off 35 deliveries and another one in the 14th helped them gain momentum after a quiet 13th. When Lasith Malinga came to bowl the 16th, he was welcomed by Gill with a drilled four past his left, and two balls later, a flick off his toes for four as he continued to grow in confidence.When he struck Hardik for a checked-loft, it seemed like the ball would soar over wide long-on for his fifth six of the innings. Instead, it found Evin Lewis running backwards to take a difficult catch. With the score at 158 for 2 and 28 balls to go in the innings, Gill walked back to a standing ovation.Russell walks the talkAfter publicising his desire to bat up the order, Russell came in around the tenth over and rode a bit of luck before switching dramatically to a near-chanceless knock. When still on 1, Russell had pulled towards deep square leg, but Lewis – slow to react – couldn’t wrap his fingers around the ball. After that, Russell provided no such opportunities.He teed off in the 14th over, drilling back-to-back sixes off Chahar to move from six off 12 deliveries to 18 off 14. After that, he combined with Gill to attack Mumbai’s bowlers from both ends. At Gill’s departure, Russell was only on 24.With eight wickets to go, though, Russell let his instincts take over. Mumbai’s pacers attempted to go either wide, or short and wide, and Russell played effortless ramp-cuts over point to win that battle. With No. 4 Dinesh Karthik also hitting two boundaries in his first four balls, Russell collected three sixes off Hardik’s 18th to move on to 49, and two balls later, ran across for his fourth half-century of the season with 10 deliveries to go in the innings.But the back-end is where a set Rusell poses the most danger. He struck a six and a four off Bumrah’s final over to take 15 runs off the 19th, and then dug into Malinga’s 20th over, hitting two sixes and two fours – including a drilled flat six over extra cover – to finish on an unbeaten 40-ball 80. The last-ball six took Knight Riders past the previous-highest season score of 231 by Sunrisers Hyderabad.Hardik gives Knight Riders a scareMumbai lost four wickets inside ten overs but Hardik wasn’t giving up. Walking in at No. 6, Hardik struck six sixes off his first 14 deliveries. He then struck his first four, a cut off Gurney, off his 15th delivery to reach 46, and two balls later reached his fifty with a six over square leg.From the other end, Pollard found the occasional boundary to keep Mumbai’s score ticking, but it was Hardik who was giving a glimmer of hope to the Mumbai fans. The partnership – at a run-rate of more than 13 – ended in the 14th over when Pollard was caught at square leg off Narine.With six overs to go, Mumbai needed a further 100 runs to win. Hardik and Krunal creamed 20 off Chawla’s 16th over to bring the equation to 73 off four overs, which came down to 59 off three when he took on Narine.But Hardik fell trying to flat-bat the last ball of the 18th. His 34-ball 91 – including nine sixes and six fours – was his highest T20 score. Mumbai added only 13 after his dismissal in a game where 29 sixes were hit – the sixth-most in an IPL match.

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates and analysis of Afghanistan v Australia at the World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu01-Jun-2019

Glamorgan stay in line for promotion as Worcestershire resist the chase

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2019Glamorgan 449 and 246 for 5 dec (Labuschagne 100, Selman 58) drew with Worcestershire 370 (D’Oliveira 103) and 143 for 1 (Ferguson 70*, Mitchell 64*)Marnus Labuschagne soon reached the ten runs he needed for his second century of the match and fifth of the Championship season, but Glamorgan’s meeting with Worcestershire crawled to a draw as the visitors made no attempt to chase down their target of 326 in 66 overs at Sophia Gardens.Worcestershire ended on 143 for 1 in glorious sunshine. Ever since the first morning when Joe Leach inserted Glamorgan, his team were on the back foot and, apart from Brett D’Oiveira’s splendid all-round performance, his team lacked confidence and will need to improve if they have any hopes of a return to Division One after this season.At tea, the visitors needed a further 219 from the remaining 34 overs, and with Glamorgan employing attacking fields and the explosive Rikki Wessels next in, there were hopes that Worcestershire might have a go, but the tactics remained unchanged and the supporters – some from over the border – began to drift away disappointed with what they had seen.Glamorgan had added 109 runs during the morning session and were 325 runs ahead at lunch when David Lloyd declared.Labuschagne failed to add to his hundred when he swept D’Oiveira to deep square leg, and after Nick Selman had completed two fifties in the game, and Lloyd went for 12, Dan Douthwaite struck a brisk 40 before departing shortly before lunch.Worcestershire lost Josh Dell for 1 in Lukas CareGlamorgan Head Coach Matthew Maynard said “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come.With five championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion, but after Middlesex it will be all T20, and after that back to red ball cricket”.y’s second over, but Daryl Mitchell and Callum Ferguson soon settled into their productive partnership against a Glamorgan attack that had minimal assistance from a placid pitch.Ferguson reached his fifty from 75 balls, but Mitchell failed to show any attacking intent and faced 24 more balls than his partner to reach a painstaking fifty.Glamorgan gained 13 points from the game to remain unbeaten and stay in contention at the top of Division Two, while Worcestershire took 10 points ahead of next week’s game against Derbyshire at Kidderminster.Glamorgan head coach Matthew Maynard said: “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested, which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come. With five Championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion.”