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Opener smashes 102 not out, his highest one-day score for Victoria, to help the visitors to a five-wicket win

Alex Malcolm15-Feb-2022Marcus Harris has made a statement ahead of the Pakistan Test tour, smashing his first Marsh Cup century for Victoria to help the visitors to a comfortable five-wicket win over South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval.Harris made 102 not out from 105 balls and struck back-to-back boundaries off Lloyd Pope in the 46th over, the second of those, a blow wide of long-on, bringing up the winning runs and his century. It was the first time he had reached three figures in Australia’s 50-over domestic competition after 48 games over 11 years. He had made one List A century for Leicestershire in the Royal London Cup in England last winter.The No. 3 batter controlled the chase, cashing in on the good early work of Mackenzie Harvey and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Harvey made his second consecutive half-century in the competition and his highest List A score of 61, while Fraser-McGurk clubbed five fours and a six in a 29-ball 36 that formed part of a 69-run opening stand in the first ten overs. Peter Handscomb continued his fine form with a brisk 45 in the middle-order to support Harris.The chase wobbled briefly when Pope struck three times with less than 63 required, but Harris steered Victoria home.Earlier, offspinner Todd Murphy and medium-pacer Jonathan Merlo strangled South Australia’s middle-order to help restrict them to 259. Both men took two wickets each and conceded just over four an over in their combined 16 overs. Quick Brody Couch also bowled well, claiming the key wicket of Jake Weatherald.Nathan McSweeney made his maiden List A half-century but fell for 53 off 84 balls, while Jake Lehmann made 49 in their century stand for the fourth wicket after Australia Test and 50-over wicketkeeper Alex Carey missed out. Liam Scott (42 not out off 33 balls) and Nathan McAndrew (25 off 19) finished the innings strongly, striking six fours and a six between them to give South Australia something to defend. But Harris was too good in the end.

Bangladesh’s head coach also wants the batters to put together substantial partnerships

Mohammad Isam05-Mar-2022Bangladesh’s trend of dropping catches continued as they missed three straightforward chances in the second T20I against Afghanistan. Both Hazaratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani were reprieved on their way to a 99-run second-wicket partnership in Afghanistan’s chase of 116. Nasum Ahmed dropped Zazai off his own bowling in the first over when the opener was on 0. Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain then dropped Usman Ghani at the leg-side boundary when he was on 39 and 41.Bangladesh’s head coach Russell Domingo noted that Bangladesh have been dropping catches for the last 12 months.”Dropping nine catches in five games is unheard of,” Domingo said. “It is unbelievable when you think about it. If we knew what [the problem] was, we probably wouldn’t be doing it. Whether it is concentration, confidence or dealing with pressure, I am not 100% sure. We just have to make sure we try to improve. We make too many mistakes in the field that have cost us. It cost us in the World Cup, here, Test matches. Just too many dropped catches. You can do all the drills in practice but the players have to catch the balls in the games. That is the bottom line.”Domingo bemoaned another tricky pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium where he said openers from both sides struggled to hit the spinners in the early exchanges.”I don’t think the pitches were easy to bat on today,” he said. “It wasn’t a 115 pitch, but it wasn’t also a 160 pitch. If we got 135 we were in the game. At 99 for 4 with four overs to go, we were looking at 135. There’s obviously some areas of concern in batting, but it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on today. Both their openers could have been out in the first two overs. The ball spins, grips, one bounces and one stays low. We know that it is tough to bat in Mirpur.”Bangladesh also struggled to put partnerships together, which Domingo said was another area where they needed improvement.”Even in the first game, every time we get a partnership going, we just lose a wicket,” Domingo said. Partnerships of 20-30 won’t win you games. You need 70-run partnerships. The boys made some poor decisions at crucial times in the games. Riyad (Mahmudullah) gets out after getting a good partnership with Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim). Those are mistakes you can’t make against big teams.Domingo defended their selection of Mohammad Naim, after they dropped Yasir Ali, who had made his debut in the previous game, to make way for Mushfiqur Rahim who was returning from a finger injury. Naim managed only 13 off 19 balls on Saturday, but Domingo said that they still rate him highly.Five games ago everyone was saying Litton should be dropped,” he said. “Now everyone is saying Litton is the best player in the world. Sometimes players go through slumps in form. Coaches and selectors have to support those players. It is an important part of coaching and building a team. Naim was the right guy to play today. He is our highest-rated T20I batsman, if the media don’t know that. He deserves his spot.”

Sunrisers registered their fourth successive victory to be placed fourth on the table with eight points

Deivarayan Muthu17-Apr-20223:08

Do Punjab Kings have the right personnel for their all-out-big-hitting philosophy?

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s sensational seam attack handcuffed Punjab Kings’ big-hitting line-up, despite Liam Livingstone’s 33-ball 60, to give them their fourth successive victory in IPL 2022. Sunrisers are now fourth on the table with eight points.Livingstone continued to roll out the boundaries, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan impressed with their variations once again, but it was Umran Malik who produced the most thrilling passage of play when he bowled a four-wicket last over, packed with breakneck pace, to dismiss Kings for 151. Kings lost their last five wickets for nothing as Bhuvneshwar and Malik, in particular, proved unhittable at the death.A target of 152 was right up the alley of Sunrisers, despite the loss of Kane Williamson in the powerplay. Rahul Tripathi zoomed to 34 off 22 balls and although Rahul Chahar snagged him and Abhishek Sharma in successive overs, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram iced the game with an unbroken 75-run partnership off 50 balls. Man down…and out
Kings had suffered a major blow even before the toss, with their regular captain Mayank Agarwal sidelined from this game with a toe injury sustained during training on Saturday. Kings were dealt further blows when Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan both struck in the powerplay.Bhuvneshwar bothered Shikhar Dhawan with hard lengths and even hit him on the box, leaving him lying flat on the floor. Dhawan, however, recovered sufficiently to resume his innings, but Bhuvneshwar had him flapping a weak pull to mid-on for 8 off 11 balls.Soon after, Natarajan found inswing and the inside edge of Prabhsimran Singh. Neither Natarajan nor Pooran, who had caught it behind the stumps, was confident about the edge, but Williamson ultimately reviewed it in the nick of time to have the on-field not-out decision reversed. Kings managed 48 for 2 in six overs – their second-lowest powerplay score this season. They slumped further to 61 for 4 in eight overs.Livingstone tees off
The early strikes, however, didn’t stop Livingstone from showcasing his range once again. He unveiled a scooped four off the second ball he faced and three balls later, he scooped Marco Jansen for six more. Livingstone also used the extra pace of Malik to his advantage, shanking him for two sixes and a four, with the pick of them being a 106-metre six over midwicket.When left-arm fingerspinner J Suchith dangled one too full, Livingstone pumped him down the ground for a more launguid six. Soon after, Livingstone raised a half-century, off 26 balls, his third in his last four innings.Shahrukh gets stuck against Suchith
In stark contrast to Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan started slowly – he got off the mark on his eighth ball – and Suchith tightened the screws further by bowling into the pitch. Shahrukh scored only 14 off 13 balls off Suchith. So he tried to find runs elsewhere and swung at his Tamil Nadu team-mate Natarajan, and copped a blow on the helmet.It was Bhuvneshwar who made the incision in the 17th over when he had Shahrukh skewing a catch to short-cover for 26 off 28 balls. The struggles of Shahrukh and then Odean Smith (13 off 15 balls) meant that Livingstone faced only seven balls in overs 16 to 19.Umran Malik ended with figures of 4-1-28-4•BCCI

Malik’s four-wicket last over
After having bounced out Jitesh Sharma after the powerplay, Malik dominated Kings’ lower order by hitting speeds close to 150kph. He similarly bounced out Smith and then castled both Chahar and Vaibhav Arora off successive balls. Arshdeep Singh was run-out off the hat-trick ball in one of the most dramatic final-over sequences in the IPL. It was only the third time the last four wickets (7 to 10) fell in a T20 game without adding a run.Abhishek, Tripathi steady Sunrisers
Kagiso Rabada got the new ball to stick in the DY Patil pitch and had Williamson chipping a drive to mid-off for 3 off nine balls. Tripathi dashed out of the blocks, like he usually does, hitting four fours and a six. He allowed Abhishek, the other opener, to get his eye in on a track where some balls stopped, and others came onto the bat nicely.Tripathi kept nailing the lofted drive against Varun Chakravarthy in Sunrisers’ last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but this time when he tried to repeat it against Chahar, he picked out long-off. Unlike Varun’s, Chahar’s length was fractionally shorter and he got dip to mess with Tripathi’s timing. In his next over, Chahar had an advancing Abhishek holing out to long-on for 31 off 25 balls.Pooran and Markram seal victory
When Pooran and Markram came together, Sunrisers needed 75 off 57 balls. The pair needed only 50 balls to complete another chase and put Sunrisers in the top half of the table.Pooran could have been dismissed on 16 in the 14th over had Rabada capitalised on a mix-up by effecting a direct hit. Pooran and Markram then found a higher gear, something that Kings couldn’t do during their middle and end overs.

Victoria wicketkeeper ends his professional career due to chronic finger injury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2022Victoria wicketkeeper-batter Seb Gotch has been forced to retire due to a chronic finger injury while offspinner Todd Murphy has earned his first Victoria contract after being named in the Australia A squad to tour Sri Lanka.Gotch’s retirement has been a long-time coming. The 28-year-old has not played since the final Sheffield Shield game of the 2020-21 season and was unavailable for Victoria and Melbourne Stars all of last summer due to his finger issue. He finishes with 29 first-class matches for Victoria and played in two Sheffield Shield titles. He made 1187 runs at 33.91 with two centuries and completed 108 dismissals.Meanwhile, Murphy has been rewarded with a full contract for Victoria after making his Shield debut this season. He starred in his second game with match figures of 7 for 146 and 24 not out in a fourth-innings chase against Tasmania and will be heading to Sri Lanka with the Australia A squad in June.Todd Murphy has been upgraded to a senior contract•Getty Images

Victoria have also upgraded young quick Cameron McClure to their senior list after he made his List A and Sheffield Shield debuts in March.Australian Under-19 opener Campbell Kellaway and promising Casey South-Melbourne batter Ashley Chandrasinghe have both been handed rookie contracts.Opener James Seymour has lost his state contract despite making his maiden Sheffield Shield century against New South Wales at the MCG earlier in the summer. Xavier Crone and Tom Jackson have also been delisted.Victoria men’s contract list:Peter Handscomb, Scott Boland (CA), Travis Dean, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch (CA), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Cameron McClure, Glenn Maxwell (CA), Jono Merlo, Todd Murphy, Tom O’Connell, Wil Parker, James Pattinson, Mitchell Perry, Will Pucovski, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Ashley Chandrasinghe (Rookie), Brody Couch (Rookie), Sam Elliott (Rookie), Campbell Kellaway (Rookie), Fergus O’Neill (Rookie) In: Ashley Chandrasinghe, Campbell Kellaway | Out: Xavier Crone, Seb Gotch (retired), James Seymour, Tom Jackson

“Fortunate to play in some of the best competitions against the best players. The more you put yourself under pressure situations, the better”

Alan Gardner15-Jun-20226:35

#PoliteEnquiries: CARNAGE!

Those who have questioned whether England encouraging players to participate in the IPL could ever do anything but harm to the fortunes of the Test team may have to think again. That was the message delivered by Jonny Bairstow in the wake of his stunning assault at Trent Bridge, an incendiary 92-ball 136 that turned what could have been an anxious fifth-day chase against New Zealand into a cake walk.Bairstow only arrived back in the UK a few days before the start of the series, having spent eight weeks cracking the white ball to all parts with Punjab Kings. He had not played a first-class innings since late March, on England’s tour of the Caribbean, but brought all of his skills as a limited-overs juggernaut to bear in the decisive final session in Nottingham, repeatedly and deliberately targeting the stands as a potentially tricky requirement of 160 in 38 overs was wiped off with a full 22 overs to spare.The innings, as well as England’s full-blooded approach during a Test that saw almost 1700 runs scored at breakneck pace, is likely to serve as a manifesto for how England want to play the game under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, with multi-format players given licence to play to their strengths.Bairstow was in no doubt that his innings, the second-fastest hundred by an Englishman in Tests, had been squarely founded on the ability to deal with high-pressure situations that are commonplace when competing in the IPL, the most high-profile T20 league in the world.”There was a lot of people that were saying I should not be at the IPL and I should be playing county cricket,” Bairstow said. “That’s part and parcel of the game. Decisions are decisions and if I could say what I wanted to then… But there’s also elements to it where you are playing against the best in the world at the IPL. So being able to have those gears, to be able to go and switch them up, switch them down is important.”Yes, people say it would be fantastic if you had four games of red-ball cricket under your belt. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in the current scheduling of everything around the world. And we’re very fortunate to be able to play in some of the best competitions against the best players in the world. So when it comes to pressure situations, the more and more you’re able to put yourself under those pressure situations, the better.”Because it’s those situations that you’ve gone through in the past – whether that be in the IPL, whether that be in one-day cricket, whether that be in red-ball cricket previously that you’re able to call upon evenings like that. And they’re the bits that those opportunities and environments, whether they be for good or bad, [mean] you’re able to produce performances like we as a group have done this game, last game and hopefully going forward.”But also I’m incredibly proud of the way in which I went about that innings, because it wasn’t just going from ball one, I was 12 off 28 balls [12 off 24] or whatever it was. It wasn’t just a case of let’s go gung-ho. It was right, pick your times, pick your moments and then try and change the game.”Going out and trying to “change the game” has been the simple instruction from McCullum; at Lord’s, where Bairstow also came out firing with England chasing 277, the message from England’s new Test coach afterwards was, “if you’d batted like that for another 20 minutes, then you break the back of it”. And although the challenge of hauling in a target of 299 in 72 overs was ostensibly daunting on a fifth-day pitch, Bairstow said England were unfazed.”It wasn’t too agonising – we needed four an over and that has been the rate throughout the game so if you actually break it down and go well we need four an over, then it’s very manageable and very chaseable,” he said. “We managed to chase it with 22 [overs] left which is a different commodity but it was great fun.”The sense of enjoyment under England’s new regime has been pervasive, but Bairstow was keen to offer mitigation for the former captain, Joe Root, and coach, Chris Silverwood, saying that a factor in the sudden recent improvement – this was only their third win in 19 Tests – was a return to something like normal life following the pandemic.”I’m excited for the next journey with Ben and Brendon, but also I’ve said numerous times we’ve also got to take into account how tough a job Joe and Chris had to deal with throughout Covid. Not having potentially the best team that they wanted to pick due to bubbles, due to different squads, due to white-ball/red-ball scheduling, everything Covid. So we’ve also got to be mindful of that. I’m extremely excited about what vision Ben and Brendon have, the way in which we’re able to go about our cricket, the enjoyment that everyone’s having on the field. But that also comes with going back to a slightly more normal way of living and way of life.”This latest innings, Bairstow’s ninth Test hundred and his first at home since 2016, extended a career renaissance in the format, following centuries over the winter in Sydney and Antigua. Both of those innings came with the side in trouble – England were 36 for 4 at the SCG but managed to draw the game, and 48 for 4 in the opening Test in the Caribbean – and his match-sealing contribution at Trent Bridge was clearly a source of great personal satisfaction.”The amount of pride that it gives me to play Test cricket for England, first and foremost, is huge,” he said. “And then to make the contributions that have done, especially when you can say backs are against the wall, or it’s tricky periods of play, or however you guys want to write it up. I’m hugely proud of the fact that sometimes when the chips are down, you have to stand up. That might be something that you’re born with, it might be something that you have deep down that springs out of you at those moments. But yeah, me as a cricketer, that’s something I’m very proud of.”

England make perfect start through Potts and Anderson before suffering late batting collapse

Alan Gardner02-Jun-2022If the mantra of this England Test side, coached by Brendon McCullum and captained by Ben Stokes, is about “moving the game forward”, then the first day of the opening Test of the summer could scarcely have gone better. But after a flying start with the ball, England went back to old habits as New Zealand exposed familiar failings with the bat. Seventeen wickets went down on an apparently true Lord’s surface, and come the close it was far from clear which side was on top.The game began in fast-forward, New Zealand sliding to 12 for 4 inside the first hour, but gradually settled on to a more even keel. James Anderson, playing the 170th match of his Test career, and Matthew Potts, in his first, shared eight wickets between them as the tourists were rounded up in two sessions following Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first; they were in dire straits at 45 for 7 only for Colin de Grandhomme to marshal some lower-order resistance.After an encouraging opening stand of 59 between Zak Crawley and Alex Lees, England then shipped seven wickets during the evening session to bring New Zealand roaring back into the contest. Even after Kyle Jamieson produced the initial breakthroughs, they were still well placed on 92 for 2 and with thoughts beginning to turn towards consolidation. But Joe Root, in his first Test since resigning the captaincy, steered de Grandhomme to gully and England promptly lost 5 for 8 to revive memories of the grisly collapses that have disfigured their red-ball cricket over the last year.Related

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Crawley was the first to depart, having produced a number of eye-catching shots in his 56-ball 43. But after stroking Jamieson through the covers for four, he attempted another lavish drive off his next ball only to produce a thin edge through to the keeper.Ollie Pope’s maiden outing in first-class cricket at No. 3 did not last long, feathering behind off a rising Jamieson delivery, but it was the dismissal of Root that really shook England’s resolve. Tim Southee struck twice in the space of consecutive overs, trapping Lees lbw shuffling across his stumps after another dogged-but-insubstantial innings, before Stokes edged behind with just a single to his name. The slide gathered momentum as Trent Boult, straight into the side after his late dash from the IPL, claimed two in three balls, Jonny Bairstow dragging on to his stumps and Potts bounced out to conclude an eventful start to his Test career.In true McCullum style, England charged headlong into their new era – literally, in the case of Jack Leach, who suffered a concussion when throwing himself full length over the boundary rope to prevent four and had to be substituted from the game. Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, was called in as Leach’s replacement for an unexpected Test debut, although New Zealand’s first innings was over long before he had completed his journey from Manchester to Lord’s.England ran rampant during an exhilarating morning session that saw New Zealand totter in at lunch on 39 for 6, as Potts, the Durham debutant, struck with his fifth ball and added two during an impressive first spell in Test cricket, going on to finish with 4 for 13. If England began the series with, in Stokes’ words, a “blank canvas”, they were soon daubing pretty pictures for an expectant crowd – and such a rousing start might help squeeze a few more in through the gates in the days and weeks to come.Only two of New Zealand’s top six made it into double figures, a grim sequence which included Williamson scoring 2 from 22 balls before edging behind off Potts, Ben Foakes swooping to his right for his maiden dismissal behind the stumps on home soil. Daryl Mitchell struck three retaliatory boundaries only to play on in Potts’ fifth over, and the new boy had a third shortly before lunch when bringing one back up the slope to clatter Tom Blundell’s off stump.Ben Stokes walks back after falling early•PA Images via Getty Images

New Zealand’s position worsened when Jamieson was out hooking to fine leg in the first over after lunch, and they were grateful for a counterattacking hand from de Grandhomme, who helped eke out 87 runs for the last three wickets.For all the buzz around England promising a fresh approach to Test cricket, it was the familiar sight of Anderson and Stuart Broad that greeted the New Zealand openers, the new-ball pair back in harness after being dropped for the tour to the Caribbean. Stokes, who wore a one-off shirt in tribute to the hospitalised former England batter Graham Thorpe at the toss, confirmed that he too would have opted to bat, but was able to settle straight into his new role orchestrating proceedings from mid-off.It took Anderson, playing his first Test since helping to secure a draw at the SCG in January, a mere seven balls to find his groove once again. Will Young was lured into pushing outside off but might have got away with a fast, low edge had it not been for a fantastic one-handed catch from Bairstow, throwing himself to his left from third slip. Anderson bagged the wicket of Latham in his next over, with Bairstow again the catcher – this time throwing himself for the rebound after dropping the initial, chest-high chance.Broad did not have to wait long to get amongst it either, luring Devon Conway into a hard-handed prod that again provided catching practice for Bairstow in the slips, leaving New Zealand deep in trouble at 7 for 3 in the eighth over.Their woes were deepened by the impact of Potts, handed his cap before play by Steve Harmison after being backed by Stokes – another Durham and England man – for his debut. Potts had never played a first-class match before at Lord’s, but walked off at lunch with figures of 3 for 8 after living up to his billing as a deck-hitting catalyst of a fast bowler.He was on the money from the outset, and his first victim could scarcely have been more illustrious, as Williamson was drawn into pushing at one in the channel. Mitchell looked more comfortable than most of his colleagues, but was undone by some extra bounce as he looked to defend from the crease, before Blundell also fell cheaply to Potts, whose relentless line left the New Zealand wicketkeeper uncertain of his response, and fatally late on an in-ducker.Jamieson threw the bat at four of his five deliveries after the break, before picking out Potts in the deep, but Southee was more successful in pushing England back, striking four boundaries in 26 off 23 balls. He fell in identical fashion to Anderson, and the removal of Ajaz Patel by Potts with the first ball of his second spell left both seamers contemplating a spot on the honours board. Potts limped off with cramp shortly after, replaced mid-over by Stokes, and the new captain finished the frivolity – at least until England’s madcap final hour.

Captain hopes his team keeps the aggression going in home summer packed with Full-Member assignments

Deivarayan Muthu29-Jun-2022After a record 176-run stand between Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson – the highest for any wicket for India in T20Is – propelled their side to 225, Ireland gave them an almighty scare, dragging the second T20I down to the last ball. Mark Adair, however, didn’t connect well enough and managed just a single, as Ireland fell five short of a famous victory in Malahide.Their captain Andy Balbirnie was proud of the effort from his players but said that the narrow margin of defeat was a “bitter pill to swallow”.”Yeah, we’re all [feeling] pretty good,” Balbirnie said at the post-match presentation. “It’s not every day you get that close against a team like India. We did a lot of good stuff with the bat. We said at the halfway stage there’s just one way we’re going to chase: go out and be expressive.Related

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“I think we did that but we’re bitterly disappointed when you come so close. It was a great game of cricket for everyone here. The crowd has been amazing [in] the last two games, but it’s certainly a bitter pill to swallow now.”In the opening game – a rain-hit 12-over shootout – Ireland fell behind in the powerplay, with both bat and ball. On Tuesday, the message from Balbirnie was to go hard with the bat in the early exchanges. Paul Stirling launched an audacious assault against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first over of the chase, cracking him for 6, 4 ,4, 4.Balbirnie, becalmed until the third over, got into the act himself, when he flicked and swatted Bhuvneshwar for a four and six. Although Stirling was bowled by a signature wrong ‘un by Ravi Bishnoi in the last over of the powerplay, Ireland racked up 73 – their third-highest powerplay score in T20Is. Such a start freed up the middle order even further.”Certainly make use of the powerplay,” Balbirnie said. “That’s a bit of a no-brainer. I thought Paul did that brilliantly. He went after Bhuvi in the first over and set the tone. I obviously took a bit more time to get going and eventually did. The opening partnership set the tone for the rest of the guys to come in and express themselves. I think they did that pretty well all the way down.”Harry Tector followed up his unbeaten 64 off 33 balls in the first T20I with 39 off 28 balls in the second. George Dockrell, who has remodelled himself into a batter, and Adair also played their shots as Ireland shellacked 14 sixes – the most by them in a T20I innings. Balbirnie said that this is the batting template he wants the team to emulate during their home summer, which also includes visits by three other Full Members – New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan – in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, which starts in October.”I think at the moment it [the feeling] is disappointment, but at the same time we’ve gone toe-to-toe with a really good team [India],” Balbirnie said. “We’ve put up a very good score, which on any other day will be a potentially winning score, but we have to take that confidence.”We play New Zealand next week in ODIs and T20s, and we have an exciting summer. We can’t let this be a flash in the pan. We have to make sure we keep improving, going out with the same mindset in T20 cricket.”India seamer Harshal Patel, who was among the bowlers targeted, conceded that Ireland’s attack caught the visitors by surprise.”Yeah, we were comfortable [at halftime], and most of the times when you get 225, you defend it,” Harshal said in a post-match interview. “But they came pretty close, played some really good shots. The wicket was an absolute belter, and the outfield was fast. But that’s what we pride ourselves on; we held our nerve and finished the game.”They played some exceptional shots, and we were sort of surprised by the way they batted today. There’s no doubt about the quality of the Irish batters, and that was on show today.”Ireland will face New Zealand in the first of three ODIs at the same venue on July 10. It will be a reunion of sorts for Ireland coach Heinrich Malan, who was part of New Zealand and Auckland Aces’ support staff before taking up the Ireland job.

“For much of my career I’ve been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up,” says the former batter in his new autobiography

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2022Ross Taylor has opened up about how he and other players have faced racism in New Zealand cricket.In his new autobiography following his retirement from international cricket earlier this year Taylor, who has Samoan heritage on his mother’s side, wrote the game in New Zealand was “a pretty white sport” and that he had experienced racism inside dressing rooms that was likely considered “banter” by those involved.”Cricket in New Zealand is a pretty white sport. For much of my career I’ve been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up,” Taylor wrote in an extract published by the . “That has its challenges, many of which aren’t readily apparent to your team-mates or the cricketing public. Given that the Polynesian community is dramatically under-represented in the game, it’s probably no surprise that people sometimes assume I’m Maori or Indian.”In many ways, dressing-room banter is the barometer. A team-mate used to tell me, ‘You’re half a good guy, Ross, but which half is good? You don’t know what I’m referring to.’ I was pretty sure I did. Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity.”In all probability, a Pakeha [white New Zealander] listening to those sorts of comments would think, ‘Oh, that’s okay, it’s just a bit of banter.’ But he’s hearing it as white person and it’s not directed at people like him. So, there’s no pushback; no one corrects them. Then the onus falls on the targets.”You wonder if you should pull them up but worry that you’ll create a bigger problem or be accused of playing the race card by inflating harmless banter into racism. It’s easier to develop a thick skin and let it slide, but is that the right thing to do?”Elsewhere, Taylor also wrote about experiences from within the New Zealand team environment that had been racially “insensitive”.An NZC spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald: “NZC deplores racism, is a staunch supporter of the NZ Human Rights Commission’s ‘Give Nothing to Racism’ campaign, and is deeply disappointed Ross has been exposed to this type of behaviour. We’ll definitely reach out to Ross to discuss the matter.”

19-year-old has impressed in 50-over cricket after committing to the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2022Tom Prest put his personal development over the glitz and glamour of the Hundred and the decision has already paid dividends for him and Hampshire.Prest didn’t put his name in the hat for the Hundred draft earlier this year despite his stock being sky-high after an impressive breakthrough 2021 and his exploits captaining England to the Under-19 World Cup final during the winter.Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell, two of his team-mates from that tournament, both picked up lucrative Hundred contracts, suggesting Prest would have stood a good chance of a deal.Related

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• Prest's stunning 181 propels Hampshire to club-record List A total

• Prest half-century carries Hampshire to final

Instead of risking a month of carrying drinks and sitting on the periphery, the 19-year-old committed himself to Hampshire’s Royal London Cup campaign. It has seen him score 402 runs, including a blistering 181 against Kent, to lead Hampshire’s run-scoring on their march to the semi-finals.”I felt, being 19, that there is a lot of time,” said Prest when explaining his rationale for leaving himself out the Hundred and the potential for at least a £30,000 contract. “I didn’t want to get caught up in all that stuff coming out of the Under-19 World Cup. I just wanted to play for Hampshire as much as I could this year and gain the experience of playing.”There was no guarantee that I would have been picked up, but hypothetically, if I had, then I probably wouldn’t have started in the team. It would be a great experience playing in the Hundred or even being a part of the squad because you can pick so many great players’ and coaches’ brains.”But I just wanted to be playing at the moment and we have done very well as a side. Personally, it has also gone quite well.”It might have been naïve to have turned down a potential opportunity, but if my career goes the way that I want it to, then there should be more opportunities in the future for franchise cricket when I am more ready for them. Hopefully, I’ll also be a better player for it.”Hampshire are pushing hard for the domestic treble•Getty Images

Prest sprung to attention last year when he struck a triple century for the Second XI on the same day he sat his Geography A-Level exam. That summer saw him make his professional debuts in all three formats, but it was during this season’s Vitality Blast where he scored three fifties on course to a winner’s medal that has turned him into a crucial member of Hampshire’s squad.”Having the experience of last year of playing in the T20s and then the 50-over stuff was a great learning experience,” he said. “Coming back into the county season after my winter with England Under-19s has been good and I’ve been really pleased with how it has gone.”To do what I have done this year and get a few good scores has been very good for my confidence. It has been pleasing to give the club something back after putting confidence in me.”Prest has made himself an automatic pick in both white-ball formats but still harbours strong ambitions to be a part of Hampshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship side. The only problem is finding a position in a team which is currently second in Division One.Prest, who can open or bat in the middle order and adds some useful offspin, said: “We have been competing for the Championship this season and so it is obviously going to be one of the hardest teams to get into.”It is a good challenge to get into that team over the next few years. I would be really proud of that and something I am really looking forward to trying to do soon.”Hampshire – who only lost one group stage game – face Kent at the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday and Prest is hoping to pass on his big-game know-how to his less-experienced team-mates.Prest has been involved in two Vitality Blast Finals Days – one semi-final defeat, one victory – as well as being pivotal to getting Hampshire over the line in close games already during the Royal London Cup.Prest captained England at the Under-19 World Cup•ICC via Getty Images

“The two Finals Days I’ve been at couldn’t have gone any different,” said Prest. “Losing in the semi in 2021 and then to win the competition this year means I’ve seen both sides of it and that can only help.”One of the big things said before those Finals Days and the quarter-finals was not to try to do anything extraordinary, just do ordinary things very well. That resonated a lot with me. “We’ve had a lot of close games this summer and that is only going to hold us in good stead for the semi-final and hopefully the final.”It is a great feeling around the club at the moment. We won 13 games on the bounce before losing to Glamorgan but then bounced back to win the last two to top the group.”That kind of shows the good space we are in as a club and how confident everyone is. Everyone talks about how winning becomes a habit and for us that has gone through to three different formats.”

“It’s a big game, but we want to just keep ourselves quite relaxed,” the India captain says of the tournament opener against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-20221:38

Rohit: ‘We will definitely feel Bumrah’s absence’

Rohit Sharma is clear that India need to get “a lot of things right” if they are to win the 2022 men’s T20 World Cup and it’s too early to start thinking of the knockout stages of the tournament.”It’s been a while since we have won the World Cup,” Rohit, leading India at a world event for the first time, told bcci.tv. “Obviously the motive and the whole thought process is to win the World Cup, but we know that we need to do a lot of things right to get there, so one step at a time for us.”We can’t think too far ahead. You really cannot think about semis and finals from now itself, you just need to focus on each team that you are going to come against and try to do your best and prepare well against each team and make sure we move in the right direction.”Despite being among the pre-tournament favourites for the last many years now, India haven’t won a World Cup since 2011. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, they failed to qualify for the knockouts.Like then, in the UAE, India start their campaign against Pakistan this time, in Melbourne on Sunday. While there is the usual hype and excitement around the game, Rohit said that India needed to stay calm to get the result they want.1:49

Rohit Sharma on how T20 cricket has changed since the 2007 World Cup

“We know that this is going to happen – whenever we play Pakistan, it’s always a blockbuster,” Rohit said. “People want to come out and watch and feel the atmosphere, more than anything else. Obviously, they want to enjoy the cricket as well, but at the same time, the atmosphere in the stadium for the fans, the spectators, even people watching from home – it’s pretty exciting.”And for us as players, of course, it’s a big game – we are starting off our campaign. But, at the same time, we want to just keep ourselves quite relaxed and focused on what we need to do as individuals, because that is going to be the key for us. If individuals can keep themselves calm and composed during the game, we’ll get the result that we’re looking for.He said he was “pretty excited” about being captain at a World Cup, and that the players were gung-ho after acclimatising to the conditions with two games against Western Australia XI and one against the Australian World Cup side.”It’s a great feeling, we have come off two [series] wins [against Australia and South Africa], but that was at home,” he said. “Australia will be a different challenge. It was important for us to get used to the conditions. Some of the guys had never been to Australia before, so we wanted to come here a little early and get used to the conditions.”Conditions will be challenging but that is the reason we came here early and as far as I’m concerned, when I look at the whole group, they are pretty excited.”