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The Kolkata Knight Riders captain also said the side’s spin attack is “one of the best” in the tournament this season

Sruthi Ravindranath31-Mar-20215:17

Eoin Morgan: Middle order versatility Knight Riders’ biggest positive

Eoin Morgan has said that he has progressed well enough to have a chance to play in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ season opener against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11 after sustaining a hand injury that kept him out of the last two ODIs against India in Pune. Morgan, the Knight Riders captain, also called his side’s spin attack “one of the best” in the tournament this season, adding that they could make a huge difference especially on the turning tracks in Chennai, where they will be playing their first three matches.Morgan required stitches after splitting the webbing between his thumb and index finger while attempting to stop the ball during the first ODI last week. While he batted in England’s unsuccessful chase in the match, he declared himself unfit after taking part in a fielding drill at training last Thursday.Related

• Kolkata Knight Riders's fortunes hinge on new-look spin attack, old death-overs batting smarts

• Harbhajan 'will do what is required to succeed' for Knight Riders

“I feel a lot better than I did a week ago,” Morgan said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “The plan moving forward is to remove the stitches tomorrow and continue to progress my batting in the coming days and fielding at the back-end of that. Given the time frame that I have available to me, it’s looking very good.”While the Knight Riders could not out-bid other franchises at the auction for big names this year due to their small purse, they managed to buy Harbhajan Singh and Shakib Al Hasan, for INR 2 crores and 3.2 crores respectively. The experience of Singh, who previously played for the Chennai Super Kings, and Shakib further bolsters their spin contingent, which has the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Pawan Negi (who was also bought at the 2021 auction) and Sunil Narine.”I think adding Harbhajan to our squad has strengthened us in a good way,” Morgan said. “When you look at our spin department as a whole on paper it’s one of the best in the tournament. You look at the options we have and the conditions we might play in, particularly in Chennai which notoriously can turn or at least raise the eyebrows of our spinners. I think it’s an area that I think if we play well our spinners would play well. Our squad is very well-rounded and in certain departments it is very strong.”The IPL is the biggest tournament in the world which has the best players. One of the challenges throughout is battle with injury and illness along the way. Whether you like it or not it happens throughout the season. Planning needs to be put in place to strengthen your squad in all areas. I think we did that in the auction.”The Knight Riders were left hurting last season majorly because of Narine and Andre Russell’s poor outings, and with Dinesh Karthik’s batting never hitting full tilt, they couldn’t settle down on their ideal XI and their batting order remained fluid. Morgan, who took over captaincy from Karthik after seven games, had a breakthrough season as a middle-order batsman, making 418 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.80 and strike rate of 138.41, but there were questions if his batting ability was left underutilised because he was pushed down the order to play as a finisher.”One positive among all those was the versatility in the middle order and the flexibility to either promote Sunil or myself or DK [Dinesh Karthik]. The strength within that middle order. I think a lot of teams will not enjoy playing against us. So as it is one of the strengths of our side, we need to make the right call in when to play the best hand. That’s one thing we learnt from last year.”In the 2020 edition, the Knight Riders finished with 14 points, the same as the teams that finished third and fourth, but an inferior net run rate among the three sides consigned them to fifth place.”It is a supremely competitive tournament,” Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said. “You reflect back and think of every single run that made the difference. Last year after we missed out on qualification on NRR, somebody pointed out to me that the difference was just about eight runs for the entire tournament. That’s how close the entire tournament is. It is a tribute to the quality of the tournament. We have to be on top of our game. The beauty of KKR is that we are always a contender. Hopefully some stars need to align in a long tournament like this. Hopefully we’ll go the full distance this season.”

Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings among group bound for Mumbai, Jonny Bairstow to join James Anderson, Mark Wood in Potchefstroom

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2019A clutch of prospective England batsmen and spin bowlers will embark on a specialist training camp in Mumbai this week in an effort to hone their skills in unfamiliar conditions.On the day England fell to an innings defeat in New Zealand, the ECB announced that batsmen Will Jacks, James Bracey, Dan Lawrence, Keaton Jennings and Sam Hain would travel to India with spinners Dom Bess, Mason Crane and Amar Virdi for a three-week camp starting on Tuesday.Jacks, the 21-year-old Surrey batsman, produced a jaw-dropping 25-ball century during a pre-season T10 clash with Lancashire in Dubai in March and, on the other end of the spectrum, Jennings is hoping to resurrect his international career having played the last of his 17 Tests against West Indies in February.The batsmen will work with Surrey assistant head coach Vikram Solanki, while the spinners will train under the guidance of Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson and former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath.The camp encompasses a series of so-called “Individualised Programmes” of training for players aimed at “delivering better prepared players” to England head coach Chris Silverwood, according to ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat.”The Individualised Programmes are a great opportunity for some of our best young cricketers to focus on specific areas of their game in unfamiliar and challenging conditions around the world,” Bobat said. “Some of the players involved are in England’s immediate plans, while others will be working on areas that will benefit the national team’s medium and long-term needs.”The ECB also confirmed that Jonny Bairstow would attend a training camp in South Africa from December 1-14, working with former England batsman Jonathan Trott in his bid to return to England’s Test squad. Bairstow, who averaged 23.77 during the Ashes, was dropped for the two-Test tour of New Zealand. He was briefly called back into the Test squad during the T20 series against New Zealand as cover for Joe Denly but returned home when Denly recovered from an ankle injury in time for the first Test at Mount Maunganui.Earlier this month, Ashley Giles, the managing director of England’s men’s cricket, revealed that James Anderson would take the next step in his return from injury at the camp in Potchefstroom. Anderson will be joined by fellow quicks Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson.Anderson and Wood have been undergoing intensive rehabilitation with ECB staff with a view to being available for selection for England’s tour of South Africa starting next month.Anderson has been sidelined since he broke down after bowling just four overs in the first Ashes Test in August with a recurrence of a calf injury he suffered while playing for Lancashire in early July. Wood was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a side strain during the World Cup final and he has since had surgery on his right knee. Stone, meanwhile, is recovering from a stress fracture to his back.

He will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind

Liam Brickhill02-Oct-2018Imran Tahir will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind as he focuses on staying at his best for what could be a career-defining event. When he does go, he wants to make sure it’s with his head held high.”I’m trying to go as long as I can,” Tahir said as South Africa prepared for the second ODI of their series against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein. “Make sure I enjoy my game and I give what the team requires of me. I wouldn’t want to overstay in the team for too long. I want to leave with respect.”It’s also clear just how much it would mean to Tahir to leave the international game a World Cup winner, and he said if South Africa did win the tournament, he’d probably “call it”.”It’s a bit early for me to say anything [about retirement],” he said. “I’m loving the game at the moment. One thing I can say, if we win the world cup then I’ll definitely probably call it. It’s early for me, and I’m enjoying every opportunity I get to play for South Africa.”Tahir had been left out of South Africa’s squad for their trip to Sri Lanka so that the coach and selectors could have a look at some of the team’s other spin options – namely Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj. As a result, Tahir hadn’t played an ODI since February before he returned against Zimbabwe on Sunday, but there was no rust on his wrong ‘un as Tahir – ever the journeyman – spent his time ‘off’ playing T20 cricket in the Vitality Blast and the Caribbean Premier League. “I’ve been playing the game, which is very good for me,” he said, “I’d rather be playing than having a rest.”Tahir picked up a Vitality Blast contract with Durham (astonishingly, the seventh county he has represented), and quickly allayed any fears over his sharpness in cricket’s shortest, youngest format with 15 miserly dismissals, reviving his team’s campaign. He then went on to play a crucial role in Guyana Amazon Warriors’ run to the CPL final. He was the third-highest wicket taker at the CPL, with 16 scalps at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of under a run a ball.While his short format bowling rhythm is certainly in working order, maintaining fitness is particularly important for Tahir as he tries to stay in peak bowling condition, and he admitted that South Africa’s training standards set the bar high. “I’ve been working really hard on my fitness,” he said. “We’ve got so many fit guys in our team, so if you want to keep the standards up, a guy like me, I need to be really up from a fitness point of view and make an impact. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m the kind of guy who loves challenges.AFP

“I’m trying to focus my training and take that into the World Cup. I’m developing some bowling and fielding plans and things like that. And preparing for some difficult times when I might need to bowl, and I need to be really up for it whenever the captain needs me to bowl.”In many ways, Tahir’s situation is similar to that of Dale Steyn. Both are in the twilight of their international careers, vital cogs in South Africa’s World Cup plans, and happy to fill a double role of mentoring and guiding the young players around them. Tahir is particularly excited by the prospect of potentially playing in the same starting XI as Shamsi, who he labelled a “mystery bowler”.”It’s a really exciting time that we have another mystery bowler, Shamsi, and I’m really looking forward to playing with him if we play both together in any game. We do talk a lot about the game and make plans well in advance in any series or any game. And from my point of view I’m more than happy to help anyone who wants to talk about spin.”It’s nice to see the spinners coming up. I’m really looking forward to sharing my knowledge with him, and with all the spinners I play with, even at franchise level for Dolphins.”Indeed, Tahir’s value to any team comes not just in the form of his nagging legspin variations, but in his immense, almost unparalleled experience in having represented no less than 37 professional cricket teams. He’s picked up wisdom and dispensed advice virtually the world over.”I always try to help spinners as much as I can wherever I go and play, anywhere in the world. I love to talk about bowling, and whoever comes for help I’m always there. Even in IPL, PSL, I try to help the youngsters as much as I can.”Tahir’s epic cricket pilgrimage has taken him from age group to county, franchise to province, around the world and finally onto the international stage. The journey has made him the quintessential team man.”I want to take as many wickets as I can for South Africa,” he said. “But it’s not always your personal performance. It’s always nice when you do perform, but it’s more important what the team requires from you.”

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight shared the highest stand in the KSL’s brief history

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2017Rachel Priest struck a powerful century•Getty Images

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight led Western Storm to a record-breaking Kia Super League win over Yorkshire Diamonds at York as they chased down 161 to win by 10 wickets with three overs to spare.New Zealander Priest led the way with some fearsome hitting, albeit taking advantage of a bit of luck along the way as the Diamonds spilt a couple of boundary chances.She finished with 106 not out off 65 balls and Knight unbeaten on 48 off 38. The pair shared the highest stand in two seasons of the KSL.A second win from three matches puts Storm level on eight points with the Diamonds in third place with a game in hand in the race to reach Finals Day.Home captain Lauren Winfield, batting in her home city, had earlier posted 58 off 44 balls as England’s World Cup winning hero Anya Shrubsole returned to action following a side injury with 1 for 30 from four overs.Despite the early loss of Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu, run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Stefanie Taylor from mid-on, the Diamonds got off to a healthy as another Kiwi Sophie Devine cut loose with 41.Devine hit offspinner Claire Nicholas for two big sixes over long-on and midwicket as the score reached 55 for 1 after five.Devine played on trying to hoist Shrubsole to leg with 75 on the board in the eighth over before Winfield, happy to take few risks, reached 50 off 38 balls in the 16th over as the score reached 132 for 3.The Diamonds then lost four wickets for 19 in the last three overs, the first of which was Winfield bowled by a Davies slower ball, to slip from 141 for 3.Hollie Armitage then dropped a couple of catches at long-on, with Priest on 25 being the most costly.Her 39-ball fifty included two sixes over long-on, the second off compatriot Devine’s first ball in the tenth over as Storm reached halfway at 81 without loss. Fours and sixes continued to come at ease as Yorkshire’s heads dropped.Priest reached her century off 64 balls, the second in KSL history, with 13 fours and three sixes with the penultimate ball of the match.Storm’s next fixture is against Surrey at the Oval on Wednesday, while Yorkshire’s final game comes against Southern Vipers at Arundel on Saturday.

Graeme van Buuren turned the game as Gloucestershire claimed an unlikely 125-run victory over Glamorgan on a bizarre final day of the Specsavers County Championship match

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2016
ScorecardMark Wallace made a half-century before falling to the debutant Graeme van Buuren•Getty Images

Graeme van Buuren turned the game as Gloucestershire claimed an unlikely 125-run victory over Glamorgan on a bizarre final day of the Specsavers County Championship match at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.Chasing 269 to win in 76 overs, the visitors progressed serenely to 87 without loss, only then to lose all ten wickets for 56 runs from a seemingly winning position.Three of them fell to the left-arm spin of South African van Buuren on debut. He removed the top three Glamorgan batsmen Mark Wallace (50), Jacques Rudolph (36) and Will Bragg in a nine-over spell from the Pavilion End that ended with figures of 3 for 15.Craig Miles (3 for 55) and Jack Taylor (4 for 16) then continued the carnage, Miles removing the middle order and off-spinner Taylor taking two wickets in his first over and two more after tea to end the game.Gloucestershire took 21 points, while Glamorgan claimed six after a meek batting collapse that rendered their competitive efforts of the first three days immaterial.After a delay of 15 minutes at the start of the day because of overnight rain, the home side resumed their second innings on 302 for 8 and soon lost David Payne for 12 to a loose drive off Timm van der Gugten, which saw him caught at point.But Miles and Josh Shaw then frustrated Glamorgan with a last-wicket stand of 29. It ended when Shaw was caught at first slip by Bragg off Harry Podmore, leaving Miles unbeaten on a hugely valuable 39.By lunch Glamorgan had made 18 without loss and required a further 251 in the final two sessions. When Rudolph and Wallace continued where they had left off with the sun shining at the start of the afternoon session the outcome began to look inevitable.But everything changed when Wallace, who had faced 72 balls and hit seven fours, was bowled by van Buuren.
Rudolph edged to slip and it was 97 for 3 when Bragg lofted a comfortable catch to Taylor at mid-off. At that point van Buuren had taken three wickets in the space of 22 balls.Miles got in on the act when Andrew Salter, promoted in the order, top-edged to George Hankins at fine-leg. The batsmen crossed and in the same over Chris Cooke chipped a catch to Cameron Bancroft at midwicket.Suddenly Gloucestershire were in total control. Aneurin Donald miscued an easy catch to mid-on off Miles before the introduction of Taylor in place of van Buuren paid instant dividends.With his first ball of the innings, Taylor bowled Podmore and in the same over van der Gugten was caught at slip as he pushed forward.Tea was taken at 120 for 8, with Graham Wagg not having batted due to an injury to his forearm sustained in the first innings.He bravely appeared after the interval, batting with an arm guard and hit a defiant straight six off Taylor followed by a square-cut four.Rain then brought a short interruption and six overs were lost, leaving 24 to be bowled. With the fourth ball after the resumption, Taylor bowled Wagg with one that kept low and it was all over when the same bowler had David Lloyd caught behind down the leg side, sweeping.

Even at 12 for 3, Brendon McCullum was not thinking about purely trying to save the first Test at Lord’s – something that ultimately proved 9.3 overs out of reach in one of the finest Tests staged on the ground.

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's25-May-2015Even at 12 for 3, Brendon McCullum was not thinking about purely trying to save the first Test at Lord’s – something that ultimately proved 9.3 overs out of reach in one of the finest Tests staged on the ground.When Ross Taylor was lbw to Stuart Broad before lunch it was not McCullum who came down the pavilion steps at No. 5 but BJ Watling. But the plan was not to shut up shop but to try and form a platform for a “second launch”. For a while, as Watling and Corey Anderson added 107 in 27 overs, McCullum dared to dream that another incredible New Zealand story could unfold only for the match to end in a defeat that would have been scarcely believable 48 hours earlier.”It just organically happened that we realised it was probably a little bit beyond us,” he said. “But at least when Corey was batting, he’s such a free-scorer and with the field the way it was, who knows, if he’d been able to manufacture a partnership, how close we may have got. I thought our No. 10 and 11 did well to hang on there as long as they did and BJ Watling for me, it was another example of how important he is at soaking up the pressure which is why we promoted him to try and set up for a second launch.”To England’s credit they were too good for us in the crucial stages but I’m still really proud of our guys and the way we kept going. I thought it was a fantastic Test to be a part of, to play five days in front of full houses at Lord’s and for it come down to the final 10 overs is a testament to how good it was.”New Zealand still only have one Test victory at Lord’s, the win in 1999 that helped them secure the series victory. The best they can hope for this time, in a two-match series that deserves to be longer, is a share of the spoils from Headingley and for all McCullum’s positivity this will always be a match that got away after their dominance on the second and third days.”It hurts a lot, I won’t lie,” he said. “At the same time there’s an element of pride that we continue to play a style of cricket that gives us our greatest chance. There will be times when teams can stand up to you and withstand the pressure and come out on top. You just have to doff the cap, say well played and make sure next time you get the chance you go hard again and ask the same question. Who knows, at Headingley we may see a different result but I’m sure our guys will continue to play the same style.”McCullum said there were some “sore bodies” in the dressing room, among them Watling with his knee and neck and also Anderson with a back niggle. The three frontline quicks all bowled more than 50 overs in the match, with Trent Boult sending down 63, but McCullum insisted the team would be ready to go again”Emotionally our guys are really steady and that’s allowed us to be able to play some good cricket so that will be the message, no knee jerk reaction to a performance like this because we were pretty good for most of it.”

All that is to watch out for in the second round of Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2012

Group A

Punjab v Bengal in Mohali
The Punjab quicks had a good time on the Mohali track in winning by an innings against Hyderabad. There is no reason Sourav Sarkar, Ashok Dinda and Veer Pratap Singh won’t like it. Watch out for Jiwanjot Singh, the Punjab opener who scored a double-hundred on debut. Punjab 7 points, Bengal 3 pointsRajasthan v Mumbai in Jaipur
Mumbai go to Jaipur sans all the Test stars and Ajit Agarkar. Rohit Sharma will captain them against the defending Ranji champions who managed just one point in their first match. Watch out for Pankaj Singh, who took nine wickets in the first match and might even have harboured thoughts of a Test call-up. Rajasthan 1, Mumbai 3Gujarat v Saurasthra in Surat
When Saurashtra had Cheteshwar Pujara available, they weren’t playing. Now that Pujara is gone to India Test camp, they kick off their season with this Gujarat derby. Gujarat are coming off a frustrating finish when they came close to sealing six points against Madhya Pradesh. Watch out for Parhtiv Patel, who scored 162 and 80 in the first match. Gujarat 3, Saurashtra yet to beginHyderabad v Madhya Pradesh in Hyderabad
Despite the presence of VVS Laxman, Hyderabad have got off to yet another disastrous start. Who said it was going to be easy? They could learn from their next opponents, Madhya Pradesh, whose lower order fought and fought to register one point against MP. Watch out for Jalaj Saxena, the India A spinner, who must consider himself the best spinner outside the Test squad. Hyderabad 0, MP 1

Group B

Delhi v Odisha in Delhi
Delhi, who lost their first match outright despite the presence of four Test stars, will miss not only them but also Ashish Nehra, who has been rested in order to fight the tight schedule. And they are still missing Rajat Bhatia, who got injured in the Champions League T20. Odisha hosted a rained-out match last week, and will hope for a drier time in the capital. Watch out for Parvinder Awana, who is one of the quicker bowlers in Indian domestic cricket but didn’t get to play in the presence of Ishant Sharma and Nehra. Delhi 0, Odisha 1Maharashtra v Uttar Pradesh in Pune
This is the impressive Subroto Roy Sahara Stadium’s first-class debut, and Maharashtra’s first game this season. This is also the game to watch out for Suresh Raina, who has been dropped from the Test side. Reports say he was sombre and didn’t even have lunch the day the announcement of his exclusion was made. Maharashtra yet to begin, UP 6. Read more here.Baroda v Vidarbha in Baroda
Vidarbha are coming off an outright win over Haryana, but will be missing Umesh Yadav who is away for Tests. Baroda, too, will be missing Irfan Pathan, who is out with a knee injury. Watch out for Yusuf Pathan, who failed twice in the previous match, scoring 24 and 0. Baroda 3, Vidarbha 6Tamil Nadu v Karnataka in Chennai
A rivalry that once was. Nowadays they play each other in front of 30 people or so. This will be a battle of the Karnataka bowling against the Tamil Nadu batting, although they will be missing the services of M Vijay, who has been called up for Tests. Tamil Nadu 1, Karnataka 1

Group C

Jharkhand v Assam in Jamshedpur
Big match in Group C. Assam and Jharkhand have emerged as early leaders in the group with seven points each. Watch out for Dheeraj Jadhav, who scored the first double-century of this Ranji Trophy.Andhra v Tripura in Anantapur
Two teams with ordinary starts to the season. Tripura lost by an innings in Guwahati, and Andhra conceded a first-innings lead in a rain-interrupted home match to Services at home. The weather is expected to be better this time. Watch out for Amol Muzumdar, who is 81 short of becoming the highest overall run-getter in Ranji Trophy. Andhra 1, Tripura 0Goa v Jammu & Kashmir in Porvorim
This is Goa’s first game of the season, and also their imported keeper Manvinder Bisla’s first since December 2010. Bisla was without a Ranji side in 2011-12, before he became a star through his innings in the IPL final. J&K will look to prove wrong those who have started calling them walking seven points after their innings defeat to Jharkhand. Goa yet to begin, J&K 0Himachal Pradesh v Services in Naduan
Himachal Pradesh came close to beating Kerala outright, but had to do with three points. Services are at three too. Watch out for Rishi Dhawan, who scored a century and took three wickets in Himachal’s first. Himachal 3, Services 3

A blistering opening partnership between Robin Uthappa and S Anirudha set up an impressive win for India Green against India Blue in Nagpur

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Robin Uthappa struck a blistering ton and was involved in a double-century opening stand•Sivaraman Kitta/K Sivaraman

A blistering opening partnership between Robin Uthappa and S Anirudha set up an impressive win for India Green against India Blue in Nagpur, and secured their place in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. India Green were asked to bat first once again, however, this time they made better use of the fine platform laid by their openers and piled up 348 for 9 in their 50 overs to all but shut India Blue out of the match at the halfway stage.Uthappa carried his form from the first match into this game, launching his aggressive knock with a lofted four to long-off and a well-executed pull off Irfan Pathan. Anirudha played the support role in the pair’s century stand in the previous game, but here he matched Uthappa shot for shot. He struck Irfan for two boundaries as well, before depositing a short ball on the leg stump from Pradeep Sangwan beyond long-on.The pair was aided by some wayward bowling from Irfan early on, as he repeatedly strayed on to the pads in an attempt to get the ball to swing in. India Blue captain S Badrinath tried to stem the flow of runs by bringing on Amit Mishra in the fifth over, but Uthappa and Anirudha continued to pick up fours and sixes at will. After the openers pummelled 34 runs off two overs, India Green had raced to 86 after eight. Unlike against India Red though, they did not waste their fine starts and pushed on to centuries, bringing the 200 up as early as the 23rd over.The bowlers finally found some relief after Uthappa retired. Mohammad Kaif struggled to keep the momentum going before rushing down the track and playing down the wrong line to hand Mishra his first wicket. Anirudha gifted his wicket away, lofting a full toss on the leg stump to midwicket off part-timer M Vijay. Uthappa returned after India Green lost Mohnish Mishra and Ishank Jaggi in quick succession, but could not match his early tempo, striking just one more four before P Parameswaran had him bowled. Sangwan claimed wickets late in the innings as the batsmen looked for quick runs, to finish with 4 for 58 form his ten.India Blue, who needed to win to make the final, made a poor start in the chase as Tanmay Srivastava edged behind off left-arm medium pacer Samad Fallah, with CM Gautham completing a spectacular diving catch. Vijay and Saurabh Tiwary did not let the asking-rate get out of reach though, in an 87-run stand for the second wicket at better than a run-a-ball. After Vijay fell, beaten by Iqbal Abdulla’s turn, Dinesh Karthik provided Tiwary with adequate support. The pair added 48 before Tiwary hit straight to Jaggi at long-off, cutting short his promising innings of 74 off 70. India Blue had one last go at the target through Karthik and Manish Pandey, before Karthik was adjudged lbw off Abhimanyu Mithun for 49.From then on, wickets fell at regular intervals and the required rate soared, and India Green closed out the game in the 42nd over courtesy a fine tumbling catch by Kaif to get rid of Sangwan. Badrinath, who had gone off the field during the first drinks break of the India Green innings, did not bat. Uthappa was named Man of the Match.India Green will play India Red in the final on Thursday at the same venue.

New Zealand A bowled themselves into a position of control on the third day of the second unofficial Test, making Zimbabwe A follow-on, and then picking up four second-innings wickets to leave the hosts struggling

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2010
Scorecard
New Zealand A bowled themselves into a position of complete control on the third day of the second unofficial Test, making Zimbabwe A follow-on, and then picking up four second-innings wickets to leave the hosts struggling to save the game.Malcolm Waller and Forster Mutizwa, who had steadied the innings on the second day after Zimbabwe had stumbled to 61 for 4, were going to be crucial if they were to avoid the follow-on. The duo began positively, adding 41 in the first six overs. However, Chris Martin struck a huge blow when he bowled Mutizwa for 47 with the first ball of the day’s seventh over. Zimbabwe slipped further in the next over, when Waller was run out by Martin Guptill for 53, while attempting a third run with the follow-on mark still 229 runs away.Timycen Maruma resisted with an aggressive half-century, slamming six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 62 off 78 balls, but lacked support from the other batsmen. James Franklin ran through the lower order, finishing with his 14th first-class five-wicket haul, as Zimbabwe folded up for 256.They began promisingly in the follow-on innings with a 51-run opening stand. Brent Arnel, who was getting some movement off the seam, got the breakthrough, getting Tino Mawoyo caught by Tim McIntosh in the slips. Mutizwa was promoted three places to No. 3, and had motored along to 36 before Arnel struck again, getting him caught by Jamie How, again in the slips. Arnel then dismissed opener Steve Marillier, who had batted patiently for his 50. Punjab-born Auckland offspinner Bhupinder Singh removed Vusi Sibanda late in the afternoon to compound Zimbabwe’s woes as they slipped to 155 for 4.Zimbabwe’s hopes now rest on Waller, who remained unbeaten on 15, and Charles Coventry, yet to come in, if they are to save this match.

England captain prepares for three months out, with target of Zimbabwe Test in May

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2025Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain, has described himself as “the Bionic Man” after undergoing scheduled surgery on his torn left hamstring.Stokes, 33, suffered a recurrence of the injury while bowling during England’s third Test against New Zealand in December, having first torn his hamstring while batting for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals in the men’s Hundred in August.That initial injury kept him out of action for two months, meaning that he missed England’s home Test series against Sri Lanka. He later admitted that his race to get fit in time for the team’s winter assignments in Pakistan and New Zealand had led him to “physically drain and ruin himself”.However, with England not set to play a Test until the visit of Zimbabwe in May, Stokes has committed to three months on the sidelines, including his omission from next month’s ICC Champions Trophy.At the time of his diagnosis, he vowed that he still has “blood, sweat and tears” left to give to the team, ahead of a defining 12 months that will feature five-Test series against India at home and Australia away.Now, he has posted a picture on Instagram, showing him lying on the back seat of a car in the aftermath of his surgery, wearing a large leg brace and supported by pillows.”Bionic Man for a while”, he added in the caption, alongside a laughing emoji, plus the sign-off: “In a bit…”.