All posts by n8rngtd.top

Travis Head returns to add more batting power but South Africa are able to call on Kagiso Rabada

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-20252:34

The best of Cameron Green from the West Indies series

Big Picture: International cricket returns to Darwin

There was a little more riding on the outcome when these two teams met a couple of months ago at Lord’s, where South Africa wrote a new chapter in their history by claiming the World Test Championship title. This series is very much a stepping stone to the next global tournament: February’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Both sides are in T20 mode. Australia have recently completed a 5-0 sweep of West Indies where their batting power stood out – and it’s been strengthened further for this series by the return of Travis Head – while South Africa were part of a tri-series in Zimbabwe where they fell short in the final against New Zealand with an experimental side.Related

• Rabada ruled out of Australia ODI series with ankle inflammation

• Rickelton 'won't change' approach as he looks to make T20I opening spot his own

• Should Nathan Ellis be a first-choice Australia T20I bowler?

• Rabada excited by the new generation of South African players

A few key names have returned for this trip, notably captain Aiden Markram and pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, but it also continues to be an exploration of South Africa’s depth and potential options ahead of the World Cup alongside getting further games into the likes of Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka.”Zimbabwe [T20I tri-series] was a valuable exercise and we obviously want to build on the good things in particular the form of our two young batters and someone like Kwena as well to continue to grow his stocks in T20 cricket,” coach Shukri Conrad said.Australia are staggering the return of their all-format quicks with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc continuing to rest ahead of the home summer, while Josh Hazlewood is back, although he is likely to have his workload managed. However, Nathan Ellis’ performances are raising the question as to whether it’s time to permanently split up the big three in this format.The other significant aspect of the opening matches of this series is that it sees a return of international cricket to Darwin in Australia’s Top End for the first time since 2008, when Bangladesh were the visitors. The opening match is a sellout with the second on Tuesday heading that way, too. The city is a likely host of a Test match against Bangladesh next year as Australia’s home season extends into the northern summer.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW
South Africa LLWLW

In the spotlight: Mitchell Marsh and Dewald Brevis

Australia’s batting order came together impressively in the West Indies, but captain Mitchell Marsh was the one player to not make a significant contribution, with 81 runs in five innings. It won’t be a major concern with plenty of T20Is ahead for Marsh to hit his stride – and he’s locked in at the top alongside Head – but it would be an unwanted distraction should Marsh remain short of runs, especially given the plethora of top-order options available.South Africa have clearly earmarked Dewald Brevis as a likely World Cup player in the middle order•SA20

There were some promising signs for Dewald Brevis in the Zimbabwe tri-series as he finished as South Africa’s leading run-scorer with 133 at a strike rate 187.32, although he couldn’t quite see them home in the final. Those were Brevis’ first T20Is since his debut, which came against Australia in 2023, a year after he flayed an astonishing 162 off 57 balls in the domestic one-day competition. South Africa have clearly earmarked him as a likely World Cup player in the middle order.

Team news: Hazlewood likely to return, Pretorius may miss out

Matt Short continues his recovery from the side strain he picked up in the West Indies, and will miss the first two games of the series which partly eases the batting squeeze for now. Marsh confirmed he and Head would open – and are set to be the duo for the World Cup – which will see Glenn Maxwell return to the middle order and Mitchell Owen potentially being as low as No. 7. Hazlewood will strengthen the pace attack, although he may not play every match. Matt Kuhnemann is part of the squad should an extra spinner be needed.Australia (possible): 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Cameron Green, 5 Tim David, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Mitchell Owen, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSouth Africa’s top order is bolstered by the return of Markram and Ryan Rickelton, which may see 19-year Pretorius squeezed out of the XI. Left-arm spinner George Linde took on an allrounder’s role at No. 6 in Zimbabwe and could continue in that capacity.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 George Linde, 7 Prenelan Subrayen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi NgidiMitchell Owen could bat as low at No. 7•AFP via Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Given Darwin is effectively starting again as an international venue after such a long gap, there is some uncertainty over what the conditions will be like, although there shouldn’t be anything untoward in the surface. The forecast, for both matches, is good with mild, dry evenings.

Stats and trivia

• The last time Darwin hosted an international, Australia were captained by Michael Clarke.
• These two teams have not met in T20Is since 2023, when Australia came out 3-0 winners in South Africa.
• Maxwell needs four wickets to reach 50 in T20Is. He will become just the fourth men’s player to score 2500 runs and take 50 wickets in the format.
• Since the start of 2024, Australia have the highest batting strike rate in T20Is.

Quotes

“They’ve some young guys that have, I guess, burst onto the scene over the last couple of years. That’s always exciting for international cricket, and provides us with a different challenge, but certainly looking forward to coming up against them.”
.”You can see these guys are raring to go. It’s great having the experience back – Aiden’s leadership and then obviously the leadership roles that someone like Kagiso plays. So, really excited about this next couple of weeks. We know it’s going to be a great challenge.”
.

The ICC match referee is believed to have said to Pakistan that he was merely the messenger of India’s decision not to shake hands on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2025Andy Pycroft, the ICC match referee at the centre of the controversy that nearly derailed the 2025 Asia Cup, was told only minutes before the toss of the India-Pakistan match on September 14 that the two captains were not to shake hands.At that moment, he believed he was conveying the message rather than issuing instructions. Pycroft was subsequently the subject of a complaint made by the PCB, which accused him of breaching ICC codes as well as the spirit of cricket, and demanded his removal from the tournament.Details have begun to emerge of the frenzied nature of events between the two Pakistan games on September 14 and 17. The controversy was sparked, according to an official, “four minutes before the toss” in Sunday’s game between India and Pakistan. As Pycroft walked on to the field, he was told by the ACC venue manager that the BCCI had communicated – with the Indian government’s approval – that there would be no handshake between the captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha.Related

• BCCI lodges complaint with ICC against Farhan and Rauf

• Pycroft to stand as match referee in India vs Pakistan Super Fours game as well

• ICC says PCB breached protocol, objects to apology video

• The Pakcroft drama: everything, everywhere, all at once

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

PCB officials argued that Pycroft should have alerted the ICC about this unusual request; Pycroft is believed to have said he did not have time to do so. With enough time, he would have consulted the ICC. Instead, moments before the toss, he told Agha of the situation in the belief he was avoiding a potentially embarrassing public moment if Agha went to shake hands with Suryakumar only to be snubbed.Pycroft’s decision has not been seen by the ICC at any point as a breach of any code of conduct but as an action he was authorised to take in his remit as a match official deputed to manage the game.The issue came to a head on Wednesday with uncertainty swirling around Pakistan’s must-win game against UAE and the PCB threatening to pull out of the tournament if Pycroft, who was rostered for the game, wasn’t reassigned. The match eventually went ahead after an hour’s delay following a hastily arranged, clear-the-air meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team hierarchy.The PCB subsequently claimed in a statement that Pycroft had “apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”, though sources familiar with the situation maintain it was not an apology, but an “expression of regret over the misunderstanding and miscommunication” around the incident.

PCB vs ICC

The PCB had sent an official complaint to the ICC’s general manager of cricket Wasim Khan between Sunday night and Monday morning after Pakistan’s defeat to India. In it, the board spelt out the sequence of events before the toss and accused Pycroft of misconduct, saying it was alarmed “to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct which clearly violates the spirit of cricket and MCC laws”.The PCB said Pycroft “failed to discharge his responsibility to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides, and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise”. It called for his immediate withdrawal from the Asia Cup.In its first response on September 15, the ICC told the PCB it had “carefully investigated” the complaint, but “concluded” there was “no case to answer on the part of Mr Pycroft” and he was “not at fault” in any way. In its review, the ICC had spoken to Pycroft, the other match and tournament officials, and the tournament director Andrew Russell.Pakistan captain Salman Agha and team manager Naved Akram Cheema had met with Andy Pycroft before the game against UAE•AFP/Getty Images

The ICC explained that Pycroft’s communication to Agha not to shake hands was “following clear direction” from the ACC venue manager. Having received the message at such “short notice”, Pycroft, the ICC said, had dealt with the situation professionally. “In acting as he did, the match referee was committed to preserving the sanctity of the toss and avoiding any potential embarrassment that might have arisen.”The ICC said the match referee’s role was not to “regulate any team- or tournament-specific protocol that has been agreed outside of the area of play” and that the “real issue” was the handshake not taking place, which was a “matter” to be addressed and resolved by the tournament organiser and “those who took the actual decision”.The ICC’s email to the PCB also stated that changing match officials at the “request or insistence” of a participating country would set an “extremely dangerous and unfortunate precedent”.The PCB then expressed “disappointment” at the ICC’s decision to absolve Pycroft, pointing to “glaring discrepancies”. The board said the ICC had failed to seek out “complete evidence/version of events” from witnesses that had “actually seen” what it described as Pycroft’s “offensive conduct”. The PCB said the ICC had not spoken to Agha or the team management during its probe, which it called a “one-sided process”.The PCB questioned how a match referee could be only a “messenger” and convey directives that violated the spirit of cricket. Pycroft, the PCB said, should have offered an “unequivocal refusal” when he was asked to tell Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar. In a separate email on Wednesday, the ICC said the PCB had every opportunity to “provide any supporting documentation or evidence” to back their case against Pycroft, but none had been received.

The events before the delayed start

During this back and forth with the ICC, the PCB raised the prospect of withdrawing from the Asia Cup, saying the Pakistan government had advised it to do so if Pycroft was not removed.The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is the country’s interior minister, a senior figure in the government.A tense stalemate ensued, with the Pakistan team training on Tuesday evening ahead of their game against UAE but cancelling the pre-match press conference. On Wednesday, after a flurry of emails in the morning, a video call was arranged early afternoon Dubai time between senior ICC officials, their counterparts from the PCB and the Emirates Cricket Board. The ICC offered the PCB an opportunity to talk through its case and arguments but both sides stood their ground: the PCB continued to call for Pycroft’s removal, the ICC insisted he hadn’t breached any rules.PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi gave the Pakistan team clearance to continue their Asia Cup campaign•Associated Press

Around 4pm Dubai time, two hours before the scheduled toss, another video call was arranged between the same people. It again began with both sides unrelenting. Around this time, the Pakistan players were told to remain at the hotel and not go to the ground, having originally been scheduled to leave at 4.30pm. This was the first time the world outside discovered how serious the situation was. With time running out, it was on this call that Wasim Khan and ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta are believed to have suggested a meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team. PCB officials, keen on the idea, took it to Naqvi, who was consulting with former board heads Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja on the matter. He agreed, the ICC was told, and the Pakistan team left for the stadium at 5.40pm Dubai time.

Miscommunication and misunderstanding

The players arrived at Dubai International Stadium half an hour before the rescheduled toss at 7pm local time, and Pycroft immediately met with Agha, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson and team manager Naved Akram Cheema in a room with Wasim Khan also present. Pycroft is believed to have begun the conversation by asking the Pakistan participants about their precise grievances. In response, he explained to them why he acted the way he did, that he was merely the messenger rather than the man responsible for the no-handshake directive.He expressed regret for the “miscommunication and misunderstanding” around the situation and, in particular, for Agha to find himself in such a situation moments before a big game. It was here that Pycroft explained his worry that not telling Agha and letting him go to shake hands with Suryakumar would have been more problematic.Soon after the meeting, the PCB released a statement claiming Pycroft had apologised. The ICC is believed to have been unhappy about it and the idea of a response “clarifying” the situation was discussed, though it isn’t certain whether one will be made. The PCB also released a short video of the meeting despite concerns raised during the meeting about such a video being recorded. It was eventually allowed on the condition that no audio be recorded.The PCB also said the ICC had “expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match”. The prospects of that remain slim, not least because it isn’t clear what the inquiry would focus on, given the ICC has repeatedly asserted to the PCB that there was no misconduct on Pycroft’s part.

“They’ve gained a lot of experience; they’ll only go from strength to strength from here,” Bumrah says of the newcomers to the Test team

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2025Jasprit Bumrah, India’s stand-in captain, expressed disappointment at not being able to have a crack at Australia on what he described as “the spiciest wicket of the series” in Sydney.Bumrah didn’t bowl in India’s defence of 162 following back spasms that flared up during play on Saturday. Bumrah went for precautionary scans and didn’t return to take the field for the remainder of the Test. He finished the series with 32 wickets in nine innings at 13.06, to be named Player of the Series.”It’s a little frustrating, but sometimes you’ve got to respect your body, you can’t fight your body,” Bumrah told Isa Guha on the official broadcast after the game. “It’s a little disappointing in the end because I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series, but that’s the way it is. Sometimes, you have to accept it and move forward.”Related

• SCG pitch for final Australia vs India Test earns 'satisfactory' rating

• India did many good things, but the less-good things outweighed them

• Do Kohli and Rohit have a future in Test cricket? 'It's up to them,' says Gambhir

• Rohit says he 'stood down' for SCG Test: 'It is not a retirement decision'

• Australia regain Border-Gavaskar Trophy, set up WTC final date with SA

Bumrah revealed that he had gone off on the second day after he “felt a little discomfort, [and] wanted to check it out what’s happening in the first innings when I came back from my second spell”.In Bumrah’s absence, Prasidh Krishna, playing his first Test on tour, and Mohammed Siraj helped polish off Australia’s lower order to secure a slender four-run lead. In the second innings, they managed to pick up four wickets but fell short in the end.”The chat was about belief, the other bowlers stepped up in the first innings,” Bumrah said when asked about their plans in their small defence. “With one bowler short, the others had to take extra responsibility. This morning, the chat was about having belief, and that we are good enough and if we create enough pressure, we will be able to do some damage.”Reflecting on the tour on the whole, Bumrah said there were a lot of learnings for the younger group to take back, especially in handling different situations under pressure.As many as 15 of the 17 players in the squad got opportunities in the series. India handed a Test cap to Harshit Rana, while Prasidh returned to play a Test after nearly a year after Akash Deep’s injury. Siraj featured in all five Tests, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, who began the series with a century in Perth, was among the standout batters along with KL Rahul.”So, a lot of ifs and buts, because the whole series was well fought, and today as well we were in game; it was not like it was totally one-sided,” Bumrah said. “This is how Test cricket goes; in the nervy moments, whichever team holds their nerve for the longest and sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series.”I think it was a well-fought series, a lot of learnings for us and experience that our players have gained who’ve come here for the first time. Being in the game for longer, creating pressure, sometimes absorbing pressure when wickets are difficult, sometimes playing to the situation.”Sometimes all these learnings are important. Young players come up and they score runs, have success through a certain way, but in Test cricket you have to sometimes adapt to the situation, make your game work in a different manner as well. These learnings will help us in the future.”They’ve gained a lot of experience; they’ll only go from strength to strength from here. Australia is not the easiest place to play cricket, but we’ve shown we have a lot of talent in our group, it’s all about adapting and learning new things about your game. I’m sure a lot of youngsters are keen, obviously they are disappointed we weren’t able to win the series, but they want to take the learning forward.”Jasprit Bumrah and Gautam Gambhir hatch a plan•Getty Images

Bumrah did ‘everything possible’, says Gambhir

Speaking at the press conference after the series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir summed up Bumrah’s performance both as bowling spearhead and a leader in the group as “absolutely outstanding”.”I think he’s led the attack really well. He’s bowled a lot of overs. And whenever he’s come on to bowl, he’s done a fabulous job,” Gambhir said. “He’s taken wickets. He’s done everything possible he could from his side. But then he’s been helped a lot from the other end as well.”He’s been helped by Mohammed Siraj. He’s been helped by some of the young boys as well, like Harshit Rana in the first two Test matches, Akash Deep… Ultimately, yes, you will always see the wickets and runs. But yeah, there has been a lot of other contributions as well. But from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view, he had a phenomenal series.”

Carse, Atkinson and Bashir star with the ball after England send New Zealand in

Andrew Miller27-Nov-2024 New Zealand 319 for 8 (Williamson 93, Latham 47, Phillips 41*, Bashir 4-69) vs EnglandKane Williamson blended grit and flourish to make 93 from 197 balls on his return to New Zealand’s ranks, but his rare failure to convert such a promising start proved to be a microcosm of his team’s day, as England overcame a misleadingly placid deck to pick off eight prime wickets in their series opener at Christchurch.Thanks to Glenn Phillips, who batted through to the close on 41 not out, including an eighth-wicket stand of 46 from 56 balls with Matt Henry, New Zealand finished the day with their innings, and their hopes, very much intact. But on a surface that is renowned for getting better as the match wears on, England will believe – after their recent exploits on a flat deck in Multan – that they can cash in when their own turn comes.It had looked, from the outset, to be a crucial toss to win, as Ben Stokes called correctly on a green-tinged surface that had been kept fresh by spells of rain in the build-up to the match. But after choosing to bowl first, the anticipated early movement failed to materialise for England’s quicks, and instead it was the spinner Shoaib Bashir, with 4 for 69 in 20 overs, who emerged as their principle source of wickets.England were indebted, too, to another wholehearted showing from Brydon Carse, whose extraction of a fluent Tom Latham was the key moment of the morning session, as well as another no-nonsense display from their find of the year Gus Atkinson, who picked off the dangerous Devon Conway in his very first over, then returned in the evening to dislodge Williamson with some extra lift outside off, as he fell in the 90s for the first time in 14 innings spanning six years.Most of all, though, England owed their promising position to New Zealand’s lack of killer instinct, with each of their eight wickets proving complicit, to a greater or lesser extent, in their own downfalls. England were far from passive observers, however, with Carse’s optimistic aggression, backed up by Stokes’ typically proactive fields, epitomising a display that successfully shook off much of the fatalism that set in during their last two Tests in Pakistan.Shoaib Bashir had Tom Blundell caught at point•Joe Allison/Getty Images

While Williamson was marshalling New Zealand’s day, however, there were plenty of reasons to question England’s decision to bowl first. Having missed their triumphant tour of India with a groin strain, he was his usual phlegmatic self from the moment he arrived at the end of the second over, following Atkinson’s sharp return catch to dislodge Conway for 2, and though he struggled to assert himself at times – particularly against the energetic Carse, who struck him in the grille on 28 in a torrid early spell, and again on the badge as he moved into the 90s – he found the will to endure, and the gumption to step up his tempo whenever the opportunity arose.Williamson took 14 balls to register his first run, and 47 for his first boundary until Stokes – struggling, as with all the seamers, to land his front foot in the greasy morning conditions – banged in a half-tracker to be pulled with aplomb through midwicket. The captain’s mood was not improved in his final over of the session, when Rachin Ravindra, on 20, pressed forward to a good length outside off, and got away with a slender edge that was only revealed after the event on Ultra-Edge. Neither bowler nor keeper even appealed.In the end, that let-off didn’t prove too costly. Bashir was thrown the ball for the 30th over, in the first half-hour after lunch, and duly struck in his second over, as Ravindra looked to give him the charge but could only toe-end a dipping full toss to midwicket. His agonised look to the heavens betrayed the extent to which he’d given his start away, and confirmed the sense that this was a very good track for batting.Williamson wasn’t about to make the same mistake. He took on the threat of Carse with a calculated double-whammy – a short-arm pull for four then a languid drive down the ground off the anticipated fuller length – and having got his innings moving, he rushed through to his half-century with consecutive pulled fours off Bashir, who looked threatening whenever he hit his length outside off but was all too prone to drifting down the leg-side.By tea he was within sight of his 33rd Test hundred, and New Zealand – at 193 for 3 – were one good partnership from taking firm control of the contest. Instead, the errors came in a cluster, with their next four wickets falling for just 59 runs.Daryl Mitchell had been a solid foil in a fourth-wicket stand of 69, but was picked off for 19 just ten balls into the evening session, as Carse returned to the attack with a packed leg-side field and a diet of bumpers, and induced a spliced pull to Harry Brook at deep third.Williamson’s extraction was the killer blow, however. Atkinson had struggled for rhythm ever since his first-over wicket, with seven no-balls in the course of his 17 overs. However, his ability to hassle well-set batters is becoming one of his most notable traits. The ball that did for Williamson was short and reasonably wide, and apparently ripe to be cut for four. But his skiddy trajectory found some priceless extra bounce, and Zak Crawley at backward point swallowed the offering with glee.Tom Blundell, out of form but battling hard for his 17 runs, then produced a similar error of judgement to hand Bashir his second wicket, whereupon the debutant Nathan Smith turned a leg-sided offbreak to Joe Root at leg gully to depart for 3. Phillips then responded by dumping Bashir over the ropes for the day’s solitary six, but when Henry tried something similar with the new ball looming, he could only pick out Ben Duckett at long-on, to put a seal on a hard-fought day.

Watson says the 19-year old’s adaptability to different conditions and India’s plans would be a “good test of his evolution”

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-20252:11

Clarke: ‘Freakish’ debut for Konstas

Sam Konstas’ mentor Shane Watson has admitted the 19-year-old’s audacious start to Test cricket took even him by surprise, both in terms of the strokeplay and the way he carried himself in the field and with the crowd.Konstas scored 60 off 65 balls on the opening morning at the MCG, regularly scooping Jasprit Bumrah, and had a run-in with Virat Kohli who was fined for a shoulder barge. Later in the game he embraced the crowd when fielding on the boundary and was a vocal presence under the helmet, clearly getting under the skin of Yashasvi Jaiswal during the second innings.”I understood what his game plan was, what plan A was anyway,” Watson said as part of the ICC Champions Trophy tour at the SCG. “So when plan B sort of kicked in quite quickly, within a couple of overs, that was a little surprising. But the one thing that we’ve always talked about is trusting his gut.”Related

• Kohli fined 20% of match fees after heated altercation with Konstas at MCG

• Konstas arrives at the Test arena like a supernova

• Akash Deep and Marsh out of Sydney showdown

• SCG axe leaves Mitchell Marsh's Test career at crossroads

While Watson was aware of the range of strokes Konstas had in his locker, even if showing them so early in Test was unexpected, he admitted the character shown in the field was not something he had seen before.”My experience of dealing and working with Sam has been a very quiet, reserved personality,” he said. “[He’s] a very deep thinker and certainly not an extrovert. But obviously what we saw in the Test match is that he absolutely is a showman. And he certainly rose to the occasion, as in he wasn’t overawed.”I know through my experience of debuting…you just put a lot of pressure on yourself because it’s your dream to be able to represent your country, wear the baggy green. But for Sam, it’s superhuman in a way that he sort of just didn’t have any of that at all. You can see it wasn’t put on. That’s just obviously who he is. And again, I hadn’t seen that side of him. It just shows that he’s built for this stage where most people it takes a bit of time to warm up to sort of get into that. Whereas Sam, he obviously just thrives on that.”Konstas has continued to enjoy the trappings of being a Test cricketer since arriving with the squad in Sydney, having photographs with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon during the annual New Year’s Day gathering at Kirribilli House. He also spent time chatting with Kohli, who his brothers took the opportunity to get a photograph with.Albanese joked about his role in Konstas’ rapid rise to the Test side after the century he scored against the Indians in Canberra. “Of course, he got his break in the Prime Minister’s XI [game],” Albanese said. “I’m claiming some of the credit, which is about my only contribution to national cricket.”Shane Watson on Konstas: ‘He’s certainly got all the gears and all the skills to be able to make adjustments’•Getty Images

On Friday, Konstas will become the youngest Australia men’s player to feature in a Test at his home ground of the SCG followed by the prospect of two Tests in vastly different conditions in Sri Lanka. India had already adjusted their tactics by the second innings in Melbourne where Konstas was kept quiet before being bowled by an inducker from Bumrah.”Look it’s going to be a different challenge for him now,” Watson said. “Because he’s shown what his plan B is. And we already saw in that second innings the field positions certainly changed. It’s going to be a good test of his evolution. To be able to continue to work through how he can take the game on against the best bowlers in the world. But he’s certainly got all the gears and all the skills to be able to make those adjustments quickly.”He is technically very correct and waits for loose balls. But he’s also got the other gears to be able to hit the ball down the ground. But when they do have third man fine and fine leg fine, the ramp shot is probably out. But you know what? I thought the ramp shot wasn’t going to come out in the first couple of overs, and it did. Sam will just trust what he feels and go with it. And that’s something very special that he taps into.”Australia captain Pat Cummins said there had been no instructions given to Konstas about how to go about his innings and believed he would be able to adjust to different scenarios.”Think he showed how adaptable he can be,” Cummins said. “That takes a lot of skill first of all, but we always encourage our players just to read the moment, play it how they see fit. For Sam he sensed the moment was to attack and put pressure back on the bowlers and he did that, it might be different this week; it might be ‘I’m going to play a slow game and kind of score runs that way’. Our message is always just to back yourself, have really clear plans and back your decision making.”

Jaiswal had three lives, while Sai Sudharsan, Akash Deep and Nair were all put down

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-20251:44

‘Disappointed, but it is what it is’ – Trescothick on dropped catches

4.5 Atkinson to Jaiswal, FOUR runs
Chance…. bursts through Brook’s hands at second slip. It went high, just above the left shoulder, and at pace. Had to hop across and was beaten by pace. Tipped it over and to the deep-third boundary. 140ks full ball outside off, Jaiswal committed fully to the booming cover drive, got a bona-fide edge13.2 Tongue to Jaiswal, 1 run
Another life for Jaiswal. Dawson doesn’t spot and gets hit in the face! This was hit flat and going right at his throat at deep fine leg. He swayed his head to the right and had his hands right in front. Might’ve come earlier than he thought. Was a shortish ball at waist-height that Jaiswal hooked14.3 Overton to B Sai Sudharsan, 3 runs
That’s another drop! Went quickly to the left of Crawley at third slip, he got on one knee and tried to snap it up with his hands. Reached across, got a big deflection that took it towards the third boundary. Might’ve hit the thumb. Duckett stops it. Was an overpitched ball outside off that Sudharsan looked to drive firmly through cover25.3 Tongue to Akash Deep, no run
edged into the cordon and dropped again! Crawley, diving across from third to second, a comfortable height, and it spans off both palms! Deep was pushing hard to the full length, and that’s two big opportunities gone for England53.4 Overton to Nair, 1 run
another one goes down! England’s fifth drop of the innings! It’s a tough one, but these have got to stick! Right in the gap between Crawley, diving across from third, and Brook, reaching down at second. It’s into Brook’s fingers and out again. The ball looping a touch off the splice as Overton hit his hard length57.4 Overton to Jaiswal, FOUR runs
Chance at leg gully! On a length and angled into Jaiswal, who looks to tuck it leg-side. Comes to Duckett’s left, and he dives to take it low, but it bursts through him. Tough chance, but that’s their 20th drop of the series so far!21.3 Tongue to Jaiswal, FOUR runs
fenced through the cordon! Chancy from Jaiswal! He rode the bounce outside off, but not very effectively, caught in two minds at the point of impact… two slips weren’t enough though, that would have been third’s or gully’s.

Lancashire were dismissed for 284 in their first innings, a deficit of nine

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025Kent lead Lancashire by 105 after reaching 96 without loss at stumps in their second innings of the Rothesay County Championship match at Canterbury.Lancashire were dismissed for 284 in their first innings, a deficit of nine, Matt Quinn taking 4 for 43 and Matt Parkinson 4 for 93.Luke Wells hit 80 and although the visitors slumped to 195 for 8, Tom Hartley bailed them out with a 64, after he’d been dropped twice.Kent’s openers Jaydn Denly and Ben Dawkins responded with an aggressive and unbroken partnership and the hosts will be the happier of the two sides at the end of the second day.Lancashire were 19 without loss overnight and after yesterday’s collision with Ben Compton, Tawanda Muyeye developed delayed concussion symptoms. He was replaced by Joe Denly, in line with ECB protocols, although as a like-for-like replacement he wasn’t allowed to bowl. Compton himself hurt his wrist and was unable to field, or open.Kent were buoyed by two early wickets. Quinn struck in the fifth over of the morning, getting Keaton Jennings caught at first slip by Ben Dawkins for 17 and Josh Bohannon went for a fifth-ball duck, edging Joey Evison to Dawkins, who caught him at the second attempt.Although the ball regularly beat the bat, Wells and Marcus Harris put on 82 for the third wicket, Parkinson breaking the partnership when the latter charged at him and was stumped by Harry Finch for 32, leaving Lancs on 118 for 3 at lunch.The visitors regained the momentum until Matty Hurst played on to Quinn and was bowled for 24. Parkinson then had Wells caught behind.Quinn caught and bowled Michael Jones for 4, then got George Balderson lbw for 11.When Parkinson had Tom Bailey caught by Jaydn Denly at first slip for 3, Lancs were eight down and still 98 behind, but Hartley was dropped twice off Parkinson, by Finch and Mo Rizvi, and alongside Will Williams he steered Lancashire to 254 for 8 at tea.The deficit was down to 33 when Williams was lbw to Jaydn Denly, for 26, but Hartley responded by smearing Parkinson for six over midwicket to bring up his 50 and the visitors were almost level when he hit Parkinson down Ekansh Singh’s throat.With Compton absent, Jaydn Denly and Dawkins immediately went on the attack. The former pulled Hartley for six over midwicket and passed fifty with an elegant reverse-sweep off Wells, shortly before stumps.Dawkins survived a loud appeal in the final over, as Bailey bowled a tricky over of off-spin.

Short, Shepherd, and Rauf starred as Orcas slipped to their fifth straight loss

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025San Francisco Unicorns became the first team to advance to the playoffs of the MLC 2025, beating Seattle Orcas by 32 runs in Dallas on Wednesday night. They remain unbeaten in this competition, having won all six matches so far and also strengthened their position at the top of the points table. Orcas suffered their fifth straight defeat this season and continue to sit at the bottom.Captain Matthew Short and Romario Shepherd’s all-round heroics along with Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul were the highlights for Unicorns on a day when they had to win mini-battles.Asked to bat first, Unicorns lost Finn Allen in the second over. But Jake Fraser-McGurk and Short put on a 68-run second-wicket stand that not only steadied the innings but also provided them momentum. McGurk fell for a well-made 21-ball 34 in the eighth over to left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and this triggered a collapse as Unicorns slipped from 86 for 1 to 103 for 6. Short, who smashed seven fours and two sixes in his 29-ball stay, departed for 52 when Harmeet dismissed him and Hassan Khan in the same over.Shepherd then blasted four sixes and four fours in his 56 off 31 balls, lifting Unicorns to a competitive 176 for 8. Gerald Coetzee also chipped in with 3 for 34, including key middle-order wickets. However, this late onslaught proved more than enough with the Orcas once again denied a maiden win despite a bright start to the chase.Orcas picked up 29 runs in the first two overs, thanks to Shayan Jahangir, who looked impressive throughout his knock. He played a range of eye-catching shots to score 40 off just 22 balls. However, Shepherd provided the breakthrough by dismissing Jahangir in the seventh over.In the following over, Short struck twice, removing both David Warner and Kyle Mayers. Orcas never recovered from these early setbacks and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Shimron Hetmyer and Sujit Nayak attempted to rebuild the innings, but only briefly. Rauf, who had earlier dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, wrapped up the innings by removing Coetzee and Hetmyer in the 16th over and Cameron Gannon in the 18th, finishing with figures of 4 for 32.

Liam Scott’s brisk half-century boosted the home side’s total then the bowling attack was outstanding

AAP01-Mar-2025Nathan McSweeney’s game-changing cameo with the ball helped South Australia defeat Victoria by 64 runs to collect the state’s first one-day cricket title in 13 years.SA, with Harry Nielsen, Jake Lehmann and Liam Scott making half-centuries, posted 268 for 7 in Saturday’s battle for the inaugural Dean Jones Trophy.Victoria were bowled out for 204 in 43.3 overs in reply at Adelaide Oval as SA captured their first 50-over trophy since 2011/12.Victoria’s run chase, with Marcus Harris flying on 41 from 42 balls, was well on track at 74 for 1 in the 14th over. But McSweeney, who hadn’t taken a wicket all tournament with his gentle offspin, then provided an unlikely – and decisive – turn.Harris gave himself room to hit McSweeney through the offside, but smacked the ball straight to Jason Sangha at cover. In his next over, McSweeney dismissed dangerman Peter Handscomb for 1. The SA captain instinctively flung his right hand at a lofted straight drive, parried the ball, and completed a stunning catch on the second grab.Five overs later, Victorian opener Campbell Kellaway top-edged a pull shot from the bowling of Brendan Doggett and was caught by wicketkeeper Nielsen. Soon after, Sam Harper was taken by Nielsen when attempting a leg glance from Nathan McAndrew.Liam Scott struck an unbeaten 54 off 37 balls•Getty Images

Victoria had lost 4 for 30 in a sudden slide to 108 for 5 in the 24th over and were never in the hunt thereafter, despite captain Will Sutherland’s 50 from 52 balls.McSweeney finished with figures of 2 for 14 from four overs, McAndrew took 3 for 47 from eight overs and Henry Thornton claimed 4-27 from 9.3 overs to be named the first winner of the Michael Bevan medal as player of the final.In SA’s innings, Nielsen top-scored with 68 from 93 balls, Lehmann made 67 from 75 and allrounder Scott, the player of the tournament, finished with a flourish with an unbeaten 54 from 37 deliveries.Victorian captain Sutherland took three of the initial four wickets and veteran Peter Siddle claimed 3 for 40.SA made a solid start with openers Nielsen and Mackenzie Harvey putting on 44 runs before Sutherland struck in the eighth over. Harvey, who hit two fours and a six in his 23 from 23 balls, chopped on to his stumps when attempting to force through the off-side.Sutherland claimed Daniel Drew in the 14th over and McSweeney soon followed. When Sangha fell to Sutherland, SA were wobbling 118 for 4 in the 26th over, before Nielsen and Lehmann steadied with a 56-run partnership.Lehmann later combined with Scott for a brisk 67-run stand, with the latter reaching his half-century from 36 balls in a flurry featuring seven fours and a six.

Left-arm spinner was reported by umpires during one-off appearance at Taunton in September

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2024Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, has been asked to undergo analysis of his bowling action by the England and Wales Cricket Board, after being reported by the umpires during his one-off appearance for Surrey in this season’s County Championship.Shakib, 37, claimed nine wickets for Surrey in a thrilling Championship clash with Somerset at Taunton in September, his first appearance in the competition since a brief stint with Worcestershire in 2010-11.As a left-arm spinner, he had agreed to a short-term deal to shore up Surrey’s resources for their title push, at a time when eight players were absent on England duty, including both of their frontline spinners, Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence.Related

• Shakib suspended from bowling in all top-level cricket, domestic and international

• Batty praises 'irreplaceable' Stewart as Surrey seal three titles in a row

• Sibley century restores the gloss to Surrey's title-winning moment

• BCB chief: Shakib unlikely to play ODIs vs Afghanistan

Despite his immediate impact, Shakib was not able to prevent Somerset from sealing a remarkable 111-run victory that briefly held up Surrey’s march towards their third Championship title in a row.He bowled more than 63 overs in the fixture, and though he was not no-balled at any stage for throwing, it has now emerged that the on-field umpires, Steve O’Shaughnessy and David Millns, subsequently deemed his bowling action to be suspect.He is not suspended from playing, but ESPNcricinfo understands that negotiations are ongoing for Shakib to undergo further tests in an approved location, with the expectation that this will occur within the next couple of weeks.It is thought to be the first time that Shakib’s bowling action has come under any scrutiny, in a career that has spanned two decades, and featured a total of 712 wickets across 447 international matches, including 246 in 71 Tests.Shakib’s international career is currently in limbo, following protests that accompanied his withdrawal, on security grounds, from Bangladesh’s Test squad to face South Africa at Mirpur last month. He had previously served as an MP for the longstanding Awami League-led government, which was toppled amid student protests in July.