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From 25 for 3, James Rew and Tom Abell set a new Somerset record for the fourth wicket

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-Jul-2025Somerset 338 for 4 (Rew 162*, Abell 156, Abbas 3-49) vs Nottinghamshire Centuries from James Rew and Tom Abell in a county record partnership enabled Somerset to take an opening-day advantage over Nottinghamshire in the clash between second and third in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship, closing on 338 for four.Rew (162 not out) and Abell, who fell for a career-best 156 moments before the close, added 313 in 81 overs, overtaking the 310 shared by Peter Denning and Ian Botham against Gloucestershire at Taunton in 1980 as Somerset’s biggest fourth-wicket stand.It was all the more impressive for Somerset having been two wickets down in three overs without a run on the board when Rew walked to the crease, and 25 for 3 when he was joined by Abell.Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas – who reached the milestone of 800 first-class victims – took all three wickets in a difficult first hour for the visitors after losing the toss but they were the only successes for the Nottinghamshire attack until the final minutes of the day.Rew earned a call-up to the England squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May after two centuries in the first month of the season. The 21-year-old did not make the cut on that occasion but senior international recognition must surely come in time.Nottinghamshire began this round of matches – the 11th of 14 – a point behind leaders and defending champions Surrey, with Somerset third after their victory over Durham last week.Somerset’s painful beginning to the day saw Abbas remove Lewis Gregory and Tom Lammonby in his first and second overs, the captain leg before offering no shot to a delivery he clearly judged would slide harmlessly past his off stump before Lammonby, with only defensive intent, nicked to second slip.Under heavy cloud cover after a damp early morning, conditions looked ideal for the veteran Abbas. Haseeb Hameed, the Nottinghamshire captain, duly gave him an extended spell while the Kookaburra ball retained its hardness.He was rewarded again, finding the outside edge of Josh Davey’s straight bat. With this dismissal, Abbas totalled 800 first-class wickets, 284 of them in the English county game.Somerset were in some trouble, but Rew had already shown a glimpse of his class when he drove Abbas to the cover boundary and pulled him for four in the same over with two high-quality strokes. More would follow.As batting became easier, Abell began to look as assured as his partner, the two adding 65 in what remained of the opening session, which proved to be a platform from which they dominated the afternoon.Rew, who reached 51 from 75 balls with his first scoring shot of the afternoon, lofting left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White clear of the straight boundary in front of the currently shrouded pavilion, went to a century – his third of the season – from 138, adding two more sixes to the shorter side of the playing area off Calvin Harrison, the leg spinner. Other than an edge off Patterson-White on 92, the ball looping out of even the tall Harrison’s reach at slip, he had looked in complete control.By tea, Abell having completed his first hundred of the year, Somerset had added 137 for no loss to be 227 for 3 and Nottinghamshire, though there had been signs of turn, needed some inspiration.Thereafter, Rew’s touch seemed a little less sure, both batters comparatively quiet as the Nottinghamshire spinners gained some control.They attacked the second new ball with some success, although Rew, cutting vigorously, survived a half-chance to second slip off Brett Hutton on 148 before going to 150 from 239 balls.Abell in turn reached 151 from 245 balls, setting the partnership record with two into the offside off Dillon Pennington, before falling to a top-edged pull off the same bowler, after which only two more deliveries were possible before failing light forced the players off 15 balls before the scheduled close.

An integral part of ECB’s privatisation of the Hundred involves the eight teams being run as a joint venture

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2024Is it wise or profitable to buy the minority (49%) stake being offered by ECB to own one of the eight franchises in the Hundred? That’s the question being asked by owners of almost all of the 10 IPL teams, most of whom are keen to buy teams in the Hundred but not in favour of being a “passive” investor.An integral part of ECB’s privatisation of the Hundred, which launched its fourth season on Tuesday, involves the eight teams being run as a joint venture. The ECB has finalised a model which will leave 51% stake with eight Hundred ‘hosts’ – seven counties and, in the case of London Spirit, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The remaining 49% will be sold to private investors, which will be finalised by ECB in coordination with the hosts, who have also been given the choice to divest some or all of their stakes before the formal bidding process from mid-September.But several IPL franchise owners have expressed reservations, especially on the controlling stake which, along with trust, is one of two key factors that determine the success and longevity of any joint venture. It is no different for the Hundred.Related

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“This is going to be new for anyone who’s coming in, because in all the other franchise investments, we are 100% owners,” said the head of one IPL-winning franchise. “The dynamics of that are very different. Here, it’s going to be a joint venture. There’s valuation subject, then there’s ownership subject, then there’s operational matters – all these issues come to the fore immediately.”The official, who declined to be named, said the very fact that there’s another partner, whether they have a minority or majority stake, raised a “stumbling block” and “a huge difference” to how their franchises operated elsewhere. “If it is 49 %, who’s in charge? Would you want to come in as a pure investor? Probably not. I don’t know the answer to that yet.”But we have been told that control and all those things could be baked in for the investor who’s coming in. I don’t know that there’ll be a great deal of appetite and interest to say, ‘OK, here’s a cheque. I would like to be a passive investor. Let it run as it is and we’ll contribute to the extent we can.’ No.”Vikram Banerjee, head of business operations at ECB, was made aware of investors’ concerns on his trip to India during IPL 2024, where he met with owners and management at various franchises.”For a number of them, it’s around things like brand,” Banerjee said on the subject of control. “For a lot of them it is cricket, and being in control of the cricket side of things and others, pure and simple majority stakes from an equity perspective. So we understand that and we understand where they are at. We have then built that into the process.”If you look across our eight teams, there will be a variety there that will be on market, and that clarity will be provided when we go to market in September. And that clarity will provide a range that I believe, at this point, will have different offerings that will suit all different kinds. And then as the conversations build, the details will build through October, November, December. We’ll get to a really good place by the time the process runs its course.”Among the eight franchises, the MCC and Surrey said they currently have no plans to divest any of their 51% stake in their teams.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, didn’t rule out the possibility of the investors holding a 100% stake subject to their fulfilling various criteria. “There’s certainly the opportunity for people to have, potentially, 100% ownership. It depends on the capabilities that they can bring both in terms of finance and operational delivery. Those opportunities do exist.”The ECB had been clear at the outset that the highest bid will not necessarily be the winning one. Banerjee said while there was no denying money was important, the board also wanted partners who were keen to support the growth of the game at all levels.Venky Mysore, the CEO of defending IPL champions KKR, believes any joint venture “boils down to the chemistry recipe”•BCCI

Venky Mysore, CEO at Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending IPL champions, said the success of a joint venture is determined by the “chemistry” between the investor and the county in the case of the Hundred. Mysore has been at the helm of the Knight Riders group since 2011, and has overseen their buying and establishing teams in the Carribean Premier League, International League T20 and Major League Cricket.”Like in any joint venture there are legacy issues which will be there in the Hundred, too,” Mysore told ESPNcricinfo earlier this month. “The existing shareholder group has existed for 100-plus years, and suddenly, you have a new investor coming in and you are joining hands.”Ultimately in any joint venture, with my experience, it boils down to the chemistry recipe. It’s not the number: it’s not about a closed bid and ‘here’s a cheque’ and the highest bid wins. From our perspective and from the partner’s perspective who have already spoken with us, it’s about that chemistry. Can you work together? Because this is for the long run.”Speaking for ourselves… we think about it for the long haul. So something like [the Hundred], again, you think about it for the long haul and then say, ‘OK, it’s a joint venture’. If it has to work, then the people, the chemistry has to be a big determining factor. And those are the risks of joint ventures in general.”Not everyone is chasing a majority stake, though. A CEO at a third IPL team told ESPNcricinfo that since they are just dipping their feet in the Hundred, and doesn’t fully understand the business model, they would prefer to buy a smaller stake in a franchise and build on it gradually.”49% is good enough to begin with,” the CEO said. “The key question is how much that 49% constitutes of the overall value. If that number is too huge and I am not sure and I see enough returns, then I would rather take a small share to begin with, with a rider that I would be allowed to take more of a stake with every passing year, or every five years.”

Shubman Gill has come in for sharp scrutiny following poor returns at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia

Shashank Kishore14-Jan-2025Shubman Gill has confirmed his availability for Punjab for their sixth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru starting January 23. The squad hasn’t been announced yet.Gill’s possible return to the Punjab fold gives him an opportunity to work with Wasim Jaffer, the highest run-getter in Ranji history who is now the Punjab coach. It comes at a time when his poor returns outside Asia – he averages 17.64 in 18 innings since June 2021 – have come in for sharp scrutiny, especially with India slated to tour England for five Tests in the summer.His return will shore up a squad that will be without senior players Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, who have both been picked in India’s T20I squad for the five-match series against England starting January 22 in Kolkata.Gill’s last Ranji Trophy appearance for Punjab came in 2022, when he played against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-finals in Alur. His return coincides with the Indian team management having laid down strict protocols for national players in the wake of India’s 3-1 Test series loss in Australia.1:47

Pujara: Gill’s hard hands and lack of footwork causing trouble in Australia

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have spoken of the need for top players to make themselves available to play for their respective state teams when free of international commitments.Gill was among those who endured a disappointing run in Australia, where he managed a highest of 31 in five innings following a return from a finger injury that kept him out of the series opener in Perth. He averaged 18.60 for the series. He was also left out of India’s XI for the Boxing Day Test, with the team management slotting in KL Rahul at No. 3 after Rohit Sharma reverted to his opening position having initially started the series, in the second Test, in the middle order.At the time, though, the team management said that Gill hadn’t been dropped and was merely “unfortunate” to miss out owing to team combination, as India went in with two spin-bowling allrounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.Punjab’s hopes of qualifying for the Ranji Trophy playoffs hangs by a thread; they are currently fifth in Group A with a solitary win in five games.

James Anderson became just the third fast bowler and sixth overall to reach the landmark when he removed Kraigg Brathwaite in the sunshine at Lord’s

Alan Gardner08-Sep-2017James Anderson has become the third fast bowler, and sixth overall, to reach 500 Test wickets. He reached the landmark on the second day against West Indies at Lord’s, when he bowled Kraigg Brathwaite.Anderson, who was the first English bowler to pass 400 in Tests, came into the third Investec Test needing three wickets to join an even more exclusive club. Among quicks, only Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh have previously managed to combine threat and longevity to the same level; out ahead, beyond the 600 mark, are the spin trio of Anil Kumble, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.After striking twice on the first morning of the match to move to 499, Anderson was made to wait for the landmark as Ben Stokes ripped through West Indies’ first innings with figures of 6 for 22. But second time around he didn’t have to wait long, spearing a full delivery through Brathwaite with his 12th delivery.After taking a five-for on debut at Lord’s against Zimbabwe in 2003, Anderson’s early years with England were characterised by struggles with injury and changes to his action. His return to the team on the 2008 tour of New Zealand – having reverted to the distinctive delivery style that sees his head facing the ground – marked the start of his ascent to becoming England’s most prolific international wicket-taker.In Antigua in 2015, he passed Ian Botham’s mark of 383, which had stood since 1992, and he then raised 400 against New Zealand, at Headingley, a few weeks later. Anderson is also England’s most successful bowler in ODIs, with 269 wickets, to go alongside a further 18 in T20 internationals. Last month, he was honoured by Lancashire with the naming of the James Anderson End at Old Trafford.Although he has been reluctant to set targets, Anderson has often spoken of wanting to play for England for as long as possible. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last week, he said: “There’s no reason I can’t play until I’m 40. I am now as skilful a bowler as I have ever been and consistent as well. I don’t know whether I’ve peaked but I think I’m bowling as well as I have.”I wouldn’t rule out playing in the Ashes of 2020-21, either. I’m very fortunate to have the body I have. For a fast bowler, not much stress goes through my body. A lot less than a lot of other fast bowlers. It’s just a case of looking after myself. If I can keep fit, keep my speeds up there’s no reason why not.”While Anderson’s injury record in 2015 and 2016 was cause for concern, as he missed Tests against Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and India, he has maintained his fitness this year and been as potent as ever in English conditions.”His record speaks for itself,” Chris Woakes said during the second Test, at Headingley. “If you think of the greats that have gone on to get that sort of landmark it’s pretty amazing. He’s a great guy to have in the dressing room. The thing we take from his as bowlers is he’s still motivated to improve and get more.”Anderson is set to go on his fourth Ashes tour of Australia this winter, where he may be able to contemplate surpassing Walsh, the next man ahead of him, on 519. A little further along, on 563, is McGrath, who said last year that Anderson could “easily” break his record for a fast bowler, if he stayed fit.

Anderson believes his playing days are not behind him and is open to exploring T20 opportunities

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2024James Anderson has floated the possibility of an improbable foray into franchise cricket after his international retirement, a decade after his most recent T20 appearance. Anderson turned 42 two weeks ago, but believes that he still has “something to offer” as a bowler and has said that extending his playing career is “not off the table”.Following his final Test match at Lord’s last month, Anderson has been working with England’s bowlers in a coaching capacity and will continue in that role in their upcoming series against Sri Lanka. But he may step back for their tours to Pakistan and New Zealand this winter, which would leave his schedule open for opportunities overseas.”I feel there is something there, that I still want to play a little bit more – I just don’t know what that is yet” Anderson told the podcast. “I’m pretty open to anything at the minute. Things will become clearer as the rest of the year progresses. There’s two Test tours in the winter and I’m not sure I’ll be on them in this [coaching] role.”There’s plenty of things to think about and I just need to sit down and chat to people about it. I watch the Hundred and see the ball swinging around in the first 20 balls, and I think, ‘I can do that. I can still do that.’ I don’t know if that is a viable option, to maybe see if I could do a job in white-ball cricket? Franchise cricket is something I’ve never done.”Anderson has not played any white-ball cricket since 2019 and his last T20 match was the 2014 NatWest Blast final for Lancashire. But he remains England’s all-time leading ODI wicket-taker and believes that he still possesses the relevant skills, having bowled at England’s batters in the nets ahead of the second and third Tests against West Indies.”I don’t know how seriously I’m actually thinking about this myself right now,” Anderson conceded, “[but] the bowling thing is still a definite option for me, the way my body feels right now, the way my head is. From a skills point of view, the way Test cricket’s gone… I don’t think that’d be an issue. But I don’t know how much people would want a 42-year-old bowler in their team.”Anderson has not played T20 cricket in the last decade•Getty Images

Anderson also intends to “give back” to Lancashire, the county where he developed as a young bowler. “I’ve played more Tests than I have first-class games for Lancs,” he said. “Whenever I’ve gone back, I’ve tried my very best and loved it. But there may be something there where I do feel like I could give something back to the club.”I’m actually quite excited about what’s next because I don’t know what that is, and that excites me. I’ve still got plenty of options, whether it is the coaching side of it, the media side of it, or whether it’s still playing in some capacity for a couple more years. I still feel like that’s not off the table, with the way that my body feels and the way that I’ve been bowling in recent years.”Anderson said that his body “at no stage has started to feel like it’s 42” and that he wants to make use of his ability to bowl fast while he still can. “There will be a time when I can’t turn my arm over at all and I can’t bowl at 50mph, never mind 80, so while I can do that, I want to keep doing it,” he said. “I’ll still dive around in the field if I play for Burnley in five years’ time.”

Seamer impresses amid the gloom with Warwickshire still 76 behind the follow on target

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2024Warwickshire 175 for 5 (Barnard 69, Pennington 3-40, Paterson 2-52) trail Nottinghamshire 400 (Duckett 218, Haynes 74, Slater 65, Hannon-Dalby 5-78) by 225 runsAnother Vitality Championship draw is beckoning at Edgbaston after rain wiped out the first two sessions of the third day of the match between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.In the 35 overs that were possible, Warwickshire took their first innings to 175 for 5 in reply to the visitors’ 400 all out, Ed Barnard building a studious 69 (142 balls) to deny Nottinghamshire the clatter they need to force the game forward.As in the first two games of the season at Edgbaston, a combination of placid pitch and weather interference has shunted the contest inexorably towards a draw. Ben Duckett’s brilliant double-century gave Nottinghamshire a platform from which to press for victory, but the excellent bowling conditions of the stormy second afternoon, when Warwickshire dipped to 26 for 3, were not replicated on the third.The cloud was high and the pitch well-behaved as Warwickshire, having resumed on 71 for 3, advanced towards the follow on figure of 251. If they reach that on the final morning, a draw, always highly likely, will become a certainty.When play belatedly began at 4pm, Barnard and Dan Mousley took their fourth-wicket partnership to 59 in 20 overs before the latter misjudged an attempted flick to leg and fell lbw to Dane Paterson. At 84 for 4, Warwickshire still had plenty of work to do to reach that follow on figure, but Barnard was implacable. The former Worcestershire player reached 50 in 100 balls and was supplied with staunch support by Jake Bethell.Bethell’s natural ability demands a much higher first class batting average than 20.37 and he showed a patience and selectivity of stroke which suggest he is determined to improve it. The 20-year-old (38 not out) helped Barnard to add 84 in 25 overs for the fifth wicket before, late in the day, Barnard edged a superb delivery from Dillon Pennington to wicketkeeper Joe Clarke.That was fully deserved reward for Pennington whose figures (3 for 40 from 18 overs) on a good batting pitch accurately portray his excellence. The late wicket, taken just as the cat was about to be put out, also kept alive Nottinghamshire’s glimmer of hope of turning their domination of this match into victory. If their seamers have a productive first hour tomorrow, they could yet put the home side under serious pressure.

Government funding of £35m over five years can make “massive difference” to game’s accessibility

Matt Roller05-Apr-20240:42

UK Prime Minister Sunak gets bowled by young cricketer

James Anderson believes that the British government’s £35 million investment in grassroots cricket will “make a massive difference” to the sport’s profile and accessibility over the next five years.Rishi Sunak, the UK’s Prime Minister, announced a funding package at The Oval on Friday morning which Richard Thompson, ECB chair, described as a “seminal” step towards his ambition to make cricket “the most inclusive team sport in the country”. The ECB plans to build 16 “all-weather cricket domes” in cities across England by 2030.”Cricket [in England] has never had an investment of this size before from government,” Thompson said. “A million children that would never have had the chance to play cricket will now get that chance… that is frankly outstanding. [We] hope that will really develop into something bigger and make schools even more committed to cricket because we’re going to be providing the coaching, the facilities and the equipment.”Related

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The ECB has already funded a prototype dome in Bradford, which opened last year, and plans to launch two more in Walsall and Luton before the end of this summer. “When the government invests this amount of money, they need to invest in something they know works – and this works,” Thompson said.The funding package also includes investment into the ECB’s partnerships with charities Chance to Shine, the Lord’s Taverners and the ACE Programme, which have an emphasis on engaging children from lower socio-economic groups, those with special educational needs and disabilities, and the black community respectively.”If we can get a bat and ball in people’s hands early enough, and you’ve got the facilities there, then you hope they enter a pathway,” Thompson said. “We’ll work into a hub-spoke model so you’ve got a school, a dome, local clubs – everything will be linked back into local clubs as well – so it’s a bit more joined-up, more coordination.”Things aren’t happening in isolation… my ambition for cricket is to become the most inclusive team sport in the country: you can’t do that if you’ve not been playing at state schools. Take Jimmy, as the best example: if Jimmy’s dad hadn’t played cricket, he probably wouldn’t have played. That shouldn’t be the case.”Anderson, who is part of the ECB’s state-school taskforce, said: “Being in a dressing room of very few state-school players, this could just make a huge difference. I would have loved the chance to play more at school. I know my mates who showed an interest in it would have liked access to the equipment and to have played more – but we just didn’t.”UK prime minister Rishi Sunak plays indoor cricket at The Oval•PA Photos/Getty Images

Only around 6% of schoolchildren in the UK attend fee-paying schools, but more than half of the contracted England men’s players for 2023-24 did so at some stage in their education – some after winning cricket scholarships. Anderson attended his local state school in Burnley, and started playing the sport thanks to his father Mick’s passion for it.”My experience of getting into cricket was basically through my dad,” he said. “Getting into the county set-up was a bit of my mate’s mum telling the coach to have a look at me, and stuff like that. So it was a lot of luck involved to get where I’ve got to. I think anything we can do to make those steps easier is important.”Anderson said that cricket facilities at his school were “non-existent” with “no access” to the sport. “I actually had to ask my dad to ask our cricket club to cut a pitch on the outfield to help us play one or two games a year, because we just didn’t have the facilities at all. We had a shale-type athletics track, then a couple of grass football pitches – but that was literally it.”There’s always been a big number of privately-educated players in the [England] changing room. We talk a lot about trying to make the game inclusive and diverse and if you don’t give kids a chance to play at school, then it’s not making it inclusive or diverse. That is what this is going to help; it’s going to make a massive difference.”But also, I love playing the game – and this isn’t all about getting the next generation of England cricketers. It’s also just about getting people to experience this sport, which teaches you so much as a person: teamwork, communication, and so many other skills that will benefit you in life.”The funding is linked to England’s hosting of the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups in 2026 and 2030 respectively, events which Thompson hopes can help cricket to further grow its profile. “Football suffocates everything,” he said. “We have to double down on the fact that cricket is England’s summer sport and do everything we can to enable that to be the case.

Strikers are now fifth on the points table as the BBL heads into the business end of the regular season

Tristan Lavalette09-Jan-2024Alex Carey produced a calm innings under pressure in his season debut, as Adelaide Strikers continued their BBL finals push with a pivotal five-wicket victory over Hobart Hurricanes.Chasing a modest 166 runs at the Adelaide Oval, Strikers were cruising at 103 for 1 in the 11th over before losing three quick wickets. Between his Test commitments, Carey was a vital inclusion and made 36 off 26 balls as Strikers won with four balls remaining to claim their second straight victory.Opener Ben McDermott had rescued Hurricanes from a dire 36 for 5 with a brilliant 95 not out off 61 as he batted through the innings. But it was not enough on a ground renowned for its flat surface and short square boundaries.Strikers leapfrogged Hurricanes into fifth spot as the BBL heads into the business end of the regular season. The result heightens the stakes ahead of the teams reprising their battle in Hobart on Thursday.Strikers elected to bowl in a template similar to their domination over two-time defending champions Perth Scorchers in their last match.It again went to plan as they tore through Hurricanes’ top order in ideal batting conditions. Strikers bowled with discipline and were also aided by recklessness from Hurricanes, who again lost early wickets in a continual bane for them this season.Hurricanes’ rut started in the second over when opener Caleb Jewell fell to a loosener from left-arm quick David Payne’s first delivery. Macalister Wright followed in the fourth over off seamer Jamie Overton with Carey getting into the game as he clung onto a skier.Overton was gifted another wicket two balls later when Sam Hain got in a horrible tangle attempting a ramp shot.Ben McDermott’s unbeaten 95 off 61 balls took Hobart Hurricanes to 165•Getty Images

Hurricanes were then strangled by legspinner Cameron Boyce, who continued his strong form having stepped up after talisman Rashid Khan was ruled out with injury ahead of the season. Boyce’s success has been through deceiving batters by taking the pace off as he did against a flustered Corey Anderson.The pressure was on Nikhil Chaudhary, who has thrived under adversity in an impressive debut BBL season. He had almost got his team over the line against Brisbane Heat with a maiden BBL half-century only for Hurricanes to fall one run short in their chase.But Chaudhary was stumped down the leg side off a wide from Boyce after having overcommitted on the front foot. Carey’s confidence was justified when replays confirmed Chaudhary’s foot was not behind the line as he departed for the first diamond duck off a stumping in BBL history.It was the latest letdown for Hurricanes in a major frustration for a team boasting an explosive batting order. And it meant Tim David, the team’s designated finisher, had to play himself in but he fell to Lloyd Pope before Hurricanes had taken the power surge.Hurricanes fought back with McDermott holding the innings together. He received support from Chris Jordan, who rediscovered the big strokes he had unfurled in a 20-ball 59 against Scorchers earlier in the season.They made their move in the power surge and smashed 25 runs in the 14th over before McDermott finished the innings in style as he successfully targeted the boundary down the ground.He finished with a last-ball six, but Hurricanes’ total quickly looked inadequate when captain Matt Short tore into speedster Riley Meredith with two sixes in Strikers’ opening over.Playing against his old side, D’Arcy Short continued his batting rejuvenation alongside his namesake as Strikers powered to 46 runs inside three overs. His dismissal on 18 did little to deter Strikers’ momentum with Chris Lynn smashing Meredith for a huge six over midwicket in a trademark muscular blow.Hurricanes needed inspiration and David almost delivered when he flew spectacularly at cover, but he could not hang on to a tough chance when Lynn was on 15.After his blistering hitting in the powerplay, Short was unable to hit boundaries with the same frequency and he spooned a catch back to spinner Patrick Dooley as the match unexpectedly turned.Hurricanes rallied further when Lynn slapped Meredith straight to long-off with Strikers still needing 57 runs. Meredith, however, could not finish the over due to a side strain in what looms as an injury concern for Hurricanes.Captain Nathan Ellis then bowled Adam Hose with a full delivery to set up a tense finish, but Carey stepped up to the challenge with composed strokes through his favoured off side.He fell with six runs needed, but it was only a matter of time before Strikers picked up a vital victory.

After a six-for with the ball, Deepti scored 39* with the bat with India in choppy waters at that stage

Shashank Kishore27-Dec-2024Deepti Sharma turned in a superb all-round performance to help India seal the ODI series 3-0 in Vadodara. She first took 6 for 31 as West Indies folded for 162. Then with India in choppy waters, Deepti provided a calming influence with an unbeaten 39 to the team home by five wickets.While Deepti dug in for the hard grind, aided with luck when she was dropped by Hayley Matthews at slip on 21, Richa Ghosh lent the finishing touches. Having walked in to bat with India 129 for 5, Ghosh allayed fears of a collapse by hitting one four and three sixes in her brisk 11-ball 23. This included back-to-back sixes off legspinner Afy Fletcher to see off India’s chase.Under leaden skies, and on a surface that got progressively tougher to bat on with the odd ball keeping low and turning big, West Indies were left to rue another poor batting performance. Barring Chinelle Henry and Shemaine Campbelle, who put together 91 for the fourth wicket, there was little else of note from the batting unit.The collapse began in the very first over when Renuka Singh removed Qiana Joseph, with a faint tickle down leg, and the in-form Matthews with a superb in-ducker four balls later. When Deandra Dottin was bowled attempting a hack into the leg side to Renuka, the visitors were 9 for 3 in the fifth over. Renuka with finish with a four-for eventually, coming back later to clean up the lower order amid the Deepti show.Under the shadow of a collapse, Henry, playing her first ODI of the series, rebuilt the innings. She struggled to get bat to ball early on, pottering to 3 off 17. Then from nowhere, she brought out a release shot for six off debutant left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar to get going.Renuka Singh picked up four wickets•BCCI

During the course of her third half-century, Henry played some neat little cuts and glides. At the other end, Campbelle showed positivity against spin. She took the attack early to legspinner Priya Mishra, hitting her for three boundaries in her second over. After using her feet to launch into two stunning drives – one down the ground and the other through cover – she rocked back to pull Mishra for a third as she dropped short.This 91-run stand for the fourth wicket appeared to have revived the visitors as much as it frustrated India. This is when Deepti came into the game and made a telling contribution.Campbell was consumed by a rush of blood as she was lulled into the big shot by Deepti, only for Pratika Rawal to take a comfortable catch at long-on. In the following over, Zaida James was caught superbly at slip by Harmanpreet as Deepti had her driving from the rough.It could’ve been a triple-strike for India but for Renuka dropping the simplest of return catches via a leading edge to reprieve Aaliya Alleyne on 0. Alleyne would make only 21, though, falling to a tame chip to short midwicket. Alleyne’s wicket came hot on the heels of Henry’s dismissal for a third ODI half-century when she was out bowled by a straighter one. West Indies went on to lose their last 5 wickets for 21.India’s reply began in nervous fashion as they lost Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol early in the power play against the moving ball. Pratika Rawal too missed out on a great opportunity to build on a solid foundation from her first two ODIs when she holed out to mid-on in an attempt to hit out against Matthews’ offspin.India captain Harmanpreet then picked the pieces up and put together a fantastic exhibition of cover driving. Having begun with two fours off her first five deliveries, she went on to pierce a packed off-side ring to hit Dottin for three fours in the ninth over to quickly take to 23 off 13.Harmanpreet looked in rip-roaring form when she played back to be bowled by a skidder from Afy Fletcher. The wicket briefly galvanised the visitors, but India weren’t to be denied as Deepti, Jemimah Rodrigues and Ghosh all played neat hands to see them home.

Rohit Sharma feels India were 20-30 runs short with the bat and one more early wicket away from making a game of it in Ahmedabad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-20231:37

‘Rohit and Kohli stood up for India in every moment’

While India captain Rohit Sharma is really proud of his team for their spectacular run to the ODI World Cup final, he admitted they were just “not good enough” on the big day to get past serial-winners Australia in Ahmedabad. For starters, about 20-30 more runs while batting, with a bigger partnership between half-centurions KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, he said, would have helped.”Honestly, the result hasn’t gone our way,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “And we know that we were not good enough today. But I’m really proud of the team, how we played from game one. It wasn’t our day, we tried everything we could from our side, but it wasn’t supposed to be.”Honestly, 20-30 [runs] more would’ve been good. We spoke around 25-30 overs when KL and Virat were batting. I thought when they were batting they were stitching a good partnership there and then we just needed to bat as long as possible. We were looking at 270-280 at that point, but then we kept losing wickets. We couldn’t stitch a big partnership there, and that’s exactly what Australia did to win the game. They stitched a big partnership after three [early] wickets.”Related

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Despite scoring quickly in the first powerplay, thanks largely to Rohit himself, and being 81 for 3 in the 11th over, India slowed down considerably in the middle overs, managing just four fours from overs 11 to 50 and not a single six. Rahul and Kohli were rebuilding after the early losses, putting together 67 off 108 before Pat Cummins dismissed Kohli. India would go on to lose their last five wickets for just 37 runs. The total of 240 was India’s second-lowest in this World Cup batting first, and came after they had amassed scores of 397, 410, 326 and 357 batting first in their previous four games.Australia got off to a jittery start in swinging conditions under lights, losing David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith in the first seven overs to be 47 for 3. But once the balls lost some of their shine, they skidded nicely on to the bat and Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne avoided any further hiccup with a 192-run stand dominated by Head.”When you have 240 on the board, you want to take wickets as early as possible, and we did that,” Rohit said. “But then credit to Head and Marnus, they stitched a big partnership and put us completely out of the game. But again, we tried everything we could but I thought the wicket got slightly better to bat on under the lights.”We knew under the lights it would be slightly better [to bat on]. I don’t want to give that as an excuse, we didn’t bat well enough to put enough runs on the board. And then upfront we got those three wickets and we thought another wicket there we can open up the game. But, again, credit to those two guys in the middle for stitching that big partnership.”