He takes over from Lance Klusener, who decided to step away from the role on mutual agreement in September 2021

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2022Stuart Law has been named interim head coach of Afghanistan men’s team for the upcoming limited-overs series against Bangladesh. The former Australia batter takes over from Lance Klusener, who decided to step away from the role on mutual agreement in September 2021.According to an official release, the ACB has launched the recruitment process for hiring a new permanent head coach.Law, who played a solitary Test in 1995, had a more productive ODI career for Australia, featuring in 54 games from 1994 to 1999, making 1237 runs. He was also a prolific batter in Australian domestic cricket and is the third all-time highest run-getter for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.He took to coaching roles at different levels following his retirement, starting with being appointed as Sri Lanka interim coach before the 2011 World Cup. He was appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh in 2011-2012 and he led the side to their first Asia Cup final.After a few stints with various domestic and Under-19 sides, he took charge as West Indies’ head coach on a two-year contract in 2017. He also served as a consultant with the Australian team in 2016. His most recent permanent role was with Middlesex in the UK, and he has recently coached Bangla Tigers and Dambulla Giants in the Abu Dhabi T10 and Lanka Premier League respectively.Law has already linked up with the Afghanistan side, who are currently undergoing a preparation and conditioning camp in Bangladesh ahead of start of the ODI series on February 23. The second and third ODIs are set to be played on February 25 and 28, while the two T20Is are scheduled for March 3 and 5.Afghanistan have made a number of changes to both their squads for the tour. Senior players Mohammad Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan and Hashmatullah Shahidi have been dropped from the T20I squad, while the likes of Sharafuddin Ashraf and Usman Ghani have been removed from the ODI squad.

Second straight loss for defending champions CSK as Super Giants steal it at the close

Hemant Brar31-Mar-20221:57

Jaffer: Super Giants can’t drop Lewis for Stoinis now

KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock set the platform with a 99-run opening stand, Evin Lewis smashed an unbeaten 55 off 23 balls and Ayush Badoni played a cameo towards the end as Lucknow Super Kings chased down 211 with six wickets and three balls to spare. It was the sixth instance in seven games this IPL that the chasing side won the match.Earlier, Super Kings never took their foot off the pedal after being put in. Robin Uthappa struck a 27-ball 50, which included eight fours and a six, and Shivam Dube smashed 49 off 30 to help the side to a formidable 210 for 7.Super Kings, though, were aware it wasn’t necessarily a winning total. The conditions were dewy – the umpires changed the ball in both innings – and Super Kings were without Adam Milne, who missed out because of a side strain.It came down to Super Giants needing 34 from the last two overs. Ravindra Jadeja then handed the ball to Dube, who hadn’t bowled until then. And it showed. Badoni started the over by moving across and sweeping him over square leg for six. The next two deliveries were wides, and the last three were right in the slot for Lewis, who smashed them for 4, 4, 6.With nine needed from the final over, Mukesh Choudhary also bowled two wides before Badoni pulled him over backward square leg to level the scores. Two balls later, he hit the winning run to give Super Giants their first win.Uthappa, Moeen give Super Kings blazing start
Rahul had a big smile on his face after winning the toss but it didn’t last long as Uthappa hit Avesh Khan for two fours on the first two balls of the innings. That set the tone of the innings.Two balls later, Avesh pinged Uthappa on the helmet but when he tried another bouncer, to end the over with, it sailed over for four byes. In the second over, Uthappa flicked Dushmantha Chameera, first for a six and then for a four, and by the end of two overs, Super Kings had 26 on the board.Ravi Bishnoi’s brilliance in the field – a direct hit from backward point to run out Ruturaj Gaikwad – did give Super Giants the breakthrough but not the respite. Uthappa continued in the same vein, striking four fours in Andrew Tye’s one over, and Moeen Ali, who had opened his account with a hooked six off Avesh, smashed 4, 6, 4 off Krunal Pandya’s successive balls. At the end of the powerplay, Super Kings were 73 for 1.Dube keeps the fireworks going
Bishnoi once again provided the breakthrough, this time by trapping Uthappa lbw with the one that skidded off the surface and beat the batter with the pace. But Dube, promoted to No. 4, kept the scoreboard racing. He hit Chameera for three fours in four balls, and Super Kings crossed 100 in just 9.1 overs.Moeen fell to Avesh for 35 but with the dew set in by now, it didn’t get any easier for Super Giants. Dube’s hitting, coupled with some sloppy fielding, meant runs kept flowing.Rahul introduced Deepak Hooda into the attack but Dube didn’t hold back even against the offspinner, hitting him for a four and a six. His innings came to an end when he holed out to long-on off Avesh while attempting another big hit.Dhoni applies the finishing touch
MS Dhoni came to the crease with Super Kings 189 for 4 in 18.2 overs and straightway forehanded Avesh over extra cover for a six. It was the first time in the IPL that he hit a six off the first ball he faced. The next ball he carved over backward point for one-bounce four. Tye dismissed Jadeja and Dwaine Pretorius off successive balls in the final over but Dhoni wrapped up the innings with yet another four, which also brought him 7000 runs in T20 cricket.MS Dhoni scored a six-ball 16•BCCI

Rahul, de Kock start in style
Super Giants needed a quick start, and Rahul and de Kock gave them exactly that. Against the inexperienced new-ball pair of Choudhary and Tushar Deshpande, they hit eight fours and two sixes in the first five overs.Jadeja turned to Bravo for the sixth over and he almost removed de Kock but Moeen dropped a straightforward catch at mid-off. The next three overs featured two sixes, three fours, and Deshpande shelling a tough chance off Moeen to reprieve Rahul. At the halfway stage, de Kock was on 51 off 35 balls, Rahul on 40 off 35 and Super Giants on 98.Lewis steers Super Giants home
Pretorius ended the opening stand by dismissing Rahul, with Ambati Rayudu running sideway from backward square leg and taking the catch over his shoulder. Manish Pandey fell soon after, which left Super Giants needing 97 from the last eight overs.Lewis hit Deshpande for a four and six to keep the asking rate under control, but Pretorius struck again – de Kock top-edged a pull and Dhoni settled under the swirler.Lewis and Hooda kept the chase alive, both muscled a boundary each off Dwayne Bravo in the 16th over. Pretorius gave away only nine in the 17th and Bravo, after getting hit for a six, sent back Hooda in the 18th. Super Kings might have fancied their chances at that stage but a 25-run penultimate over by Dube dashed their hopes.

New Zealand coach pleased with Kyle Jamieson prioritising Tests by not putting his name in IPL auction this year

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2022New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident that Kane Williamson will be able to withstand the rigours of Test cricket when he returns from a long-standing elbow problem against England next month.”Absolutely, yep,” Stead said when asked if Williamson would be ready for the start of the series. “He’s going really well. Been talking to him regularly the last week or so and he has no issues at all, training almost completely unrestricted now.”Still just being careful around the overloading side of it so if that means he has a really big day batting just making sure he’s not doing too much the next day. It will be an ongoing thing probably for the rest of his career that we will need to keep managing.”Related

• Jamieson on sitting out IPL auction: 'About time to work on my game'

• Bracewell earns NZ Test call-up for Eng tour; Williamson nears return

• New England captain Stokes calls for team to revive Test fortunes

Williamson has missed New Zealand’s last five Tests, and sat out the entire home season due to the tendon injury in his left arm. His recovery was very carefully managed by the NZC medical team, which included being limited to 20-minute batting sessions. He has now returned to the action in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad – where he is averaging just 24.37 at a strike-rate of 99.48 – and as soon as his participation there is finished, will be heading to England for the three-match series.One remaining unknown for Williamson – and the other New Zealand Test players at the IPL – is how long they will have to prepare for the first Test once they reach England. They will certainly miss the two warm-up matches In late May, and if any are involved in the final on May 29, they would likely arrive just three days before the Lord’s Test on June 2, although it is a balancing act New Zealand have been through before.”That may cause us some discussions if we have a number of players who are in [the final] but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Stead said.One key player who will benefit from the full warm-up period in England is fast bowlerKyle Jamieson as he opted not to put his name forward for this year’s IPL auction after bagging a US$ 2 million deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021.”Think it’s a very brave move for someone of Kyle’s age to make,” Stead said. “He’s had some experiences there and worked out what he needs as a cricketer. He wants to play all forms for New Zealand if he can, but Test cricket being the pinnacle for him is really important to him.”He identified that, we had some conversations, and I think to not put his name in the hat was something not many cricketers would do. But I congratulate him on looking after what he thinks he needs to play Test cricket.”New Zealand, who beat England 1-0 last year ahead of the winning the World Test Championship final, will be facing a side going through upheaval in the format, and now under new captain Ben Stokes.Stead, who was Canterbury coach when Stokes made a brief appearance for them in 2017 during his ban from international cricket, is hopeful his team can make life tough as soon as the series gets underway.”I imagine there will be an immediate steel to their group,” Stead said. “Think the abrasive way he plays will probably have a rub-off to the group as well. Part of what we will be trying to do is making things very, very hard for Ben Stokes as immediately as we can. And if we can do that then hopefully that might nullify the strength of the English.”But they are still a quality team. You look through the list, there’s world-class players throughout the team so it’s certainly not that we are going over there expecting just to roll them over.”

Lord’s match-winner reflects on how Test captaincy had started to have “unhealthy effect on the rest of my life”

Matt Roller05-Jun-2022Joe Root said he had been spurred on by the opportunity to “pay a bit back” to Ben Stokes after his innings of 115 not out guided England to a five-wicket win against New Zealand at Lord’s in their first Test match since his resignation as captain.Stokes described Root as “Mr Dependent” in the post-match presentation after his first fourth-innings hundred made him the second Englishman to pass 10,000 Test runs and Root said that after Stokes had single-handedly dragged England to several wins during his own tenure as captain, he had been determined to repay the favour.”For us to start like this under Ben’s leadership, with Brendon [McCullum] in charge as well, it’s a really exciting time,” Root told Sky Sports. “The amount of times that he won Test matches for me when I was in charge, it’s a great opportunity for me to pay a bit back to him. I’ll never be Ben Stokes and I’ll never be able to do the things that he’s done, but hopefully I can do it my own way.Related

• Joe Root ascends snow-capped peaks of greatness, carrying his team on his shoulders

• Ben Stokes: 'This is what me and Brendon are trying to work towards'

• Joe Root: I had an 'unhealthy relationship' with England captaincy

• Character becomes destiny as Stokes fires up England's new era

• Joe Root's 115* seals England march to victory

“It was nice to do it for him today and for the rest of the group. It’s a great motivator. I love batting. I want to just keep trying to bat for as long as I can and score as many runs as I can and help us win as many Test matches as I can. It was a great feeling today.”Root has kept a low profile since stepping down from the captaincy in mid-April and was visibly emotional on Sunday, both upon reaching three figures and when walking off to a standing ovation after sealing a five-wicket win with a pull through midwicket. He said that he had struggled to separate the role from his personal life and that while the decision to resign had been difficult, he had “thrown everything at it”.”I’d thrown every bit of myself into it and it was starting to take an unhealthy effect on the rest of my life as well,” he said. “I couldn’t leave it in the car or at the cricket ground; it was coming home. It’s not fair on myself and it wasn’t fair on my family.”It’s obviously been really tough. A lot of people will talk about my personal performances over the last year or so, runs-wise, but it’s never enjoyable when you’re losing Test matches and you’d give all those runs up to win.”I want to enjoy my cricket and I want to enjoy playing. It’s a role that needs someone who is going to give it so much energy and you can see that with Ben. I’m really excited for this team and for him that he’s in that position.”Root’s own innings started slowly as he looked to lead a recovery from 69 for 4 in pursuit of 277 and when Stokes was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson on the third evening, gloving a bouncer behind while attempting an uppercut, Root had made 34 off 89 balls; from that point on, he made 81 off 81 balls.He highlighted the ball change at the start of the 56th over – five overs after Stokes had been dismissed – as a turning point in the game, with the replacement ball hardly deviating off the straight. Ajaz Patel had been hit out of the attack by Stokes, who slog-swept him for three sixes over midwicket, while Colin de Grandhomme’s injury meant that Williamson had no choice but to give his main three seamers a heavy workload.”There was a specific moment in the game when it really turned for us,” Root said. “They obviously changed the ball twice and the second time they changed that ball, it became a little bit harder and it didn’t swing as much as the one they had previously, and that made it so much easier.”It was quite a slow wicket, quite hard to time the ball on. That made life a lot easier for someone like myself who can’t bully the ball like someone like Ben might be able to. They ended up putting a few sweepers out for me which I always quite enjoy, because you can get so many twos and you can rotate the strike and feel like the board is always moving and never feel stuck at one end.”It made a real difference. It got me going and meant that we could be really smart with our running between the wickets and really put pressure on that way and slowly creep up. I thought Ben was very smart in the way that he played it as well: he saw that match-up with the left-arm spinner and you talk about how T20 cricket can come into this [format] – it was a really important over.”With Colin going off injured it meant that they were going to have to keep bringing their seamers back, keep them tired, and it was almost like once I was in and I felt quite comfortable, trying to get ahead of it last night while there were overs in their legs was the smart play. To try and get the score as far down as possible last night was a really important factor in what we were trying to do.”

Here’s how we captured the record over in our ball-by-ball commentary

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-20222:44

Giles: ‘Broad probably got carried away in the emotion’

83.1: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Hooked, into the gap! Massive top edge, and I think Crawley might have just got to it… Bounced through and over the rope83.2: Broad to Bumrah, 5 wides. Dug in short, clears Billings! Way above the batter as he began to swing for it again. Wides signalled83.2: Broad to Bumrah, (no ball) SIX runs. Hoicked into the boundary boards, another fat top edge… and it’s a no-ball as well! Bumrah finagling vital runs here. This one went fine of third, but Leach was never getting to it83.2: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Full toss, bludgeoned through mid-on! Must have been close to another no-ball, on height – but Aleem Dar only signals four. Smoked down the ground by India’s captain83.3: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Thick-edged to fine leg, four more to Bumrah… and that boundary takes India galloping past 400!83.4: Broad to Bumrah, FOUR runs. Swung off his feet through midwicket! Bumrah ends in a crumpled heap, but he’s middled it nevertheless! Four in front of deep square leg83.5: Broad to Bumrah, SIX runs. Splatted for six more! World record for Bumrah! More short stuff and he whirls it up and away over deep backward square leg. Knee in the air, some Calypso flourish to that one83.6: Broad to Bumrah, 1 run. Tip and run, Broad sweeps up and throws himself into the stumps with Siraj diving for his ground. Just makes it home!

Unbroken 137-stand with Swindells threatens Glamorgan promotion hopes after Hill, Kimber fifties

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2022Wiaan Mulder’s second consecutive century helped Leicestershire enjoy the best of the opening day as they seek to dent Glamorgan’s promotion ambitions in Division Two of the LV= Insurance County Championship.The South African allrounder followed his unbeaten 235 in Leicestershire’s club-record 756 for 4 against Sussex at Hove last week with 147 not out as the Foxes – still seeking a first win of the season – closed on 387 for 5.Half-centuries from Louis Kimber, Lewis Hill and Harry Swindells backed up Mulder’s efforts against a Glamorgan attack that were unable to build any sustained pressure and leaked too many easy runs. Crucially, the visitors missed a big chance when Mulder was dropped on 17 by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke, later giving him another life on 128.After Callum Parkinson unsurprisingly chose to bat first on winning the toss, Leicestershire had been 128 for 1 at lunch.There was a enough grass left on the pitch to give it a green tinge but it posed no hazard to the batter and openers Kimber and Rishi Patel were able to progress comfortably at four runs an over from the outset before new-ball bowlers Michael Neser and Michael Hogan took their first breathers of the day.David Lloyd made an almost immediate breakthrough when he replaced Neser at the Bennett End, inducing an edge to second slip by Patel that suggested there was some swing to be exploited in humid conditions, although it was the only time in the morning it would prove an effective weapon.Kimber had been promoted to opener in place of Hassan Azad, who has four fifties and a hundred to his name this season but was left out after a first-ball duck at Hove, where Kimber posted his maiden first-class century.Kimber completed his half-century with six over midwicket off Andrew Salter’s off spin before swing came into play again after lunch as Hogan, also from the Bennett End, employed consecutive balls to remove Kimber and Colin Ackermann, the latter following his career-best 277 not out at Hove with a first-baller. The deliveries that did the damage were almost identical, moving late to find a thin edge, Cooke taking two regulation catches.Mulder survived the hat-trick ball but should have fallen to the Australian on 17 a couple of overs later, Cooke blotting his copybook by putting one down as he threw himself in front of first slip.Hill helped Mulder maintain the momentum, passing fifty from 63 balls, but after the fourth-wicket pair had added 77, Hall was deceived by some extra bounce as he stepped back to cut Salter, caught behind off a thin top edge.A bonus wicket in the last over before tea, when Joey Evison, the on-loan Nottinghamshire player, obligingly hit a first-ball full toss from leg spinner Colin Ingram straight to the fielder at deep mid-wicket, encouraged Glamorgan but again they failed to swing the momentum back their way.Mulder, who had been strong on both sides of the wicket as he mixed skill with power, completed his century from 117 balls when he hit Salter over the fielder at mid-on for his 16th boundary.Hogan, not for the first time the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers in his final season, was unlucky again when Kiran Carlson failed to hold on to a low chance at cover when Mulder was on 128 soon after the second new ball was taken. As it was, Swindells became the fourth Leicestershire batter to pass fifty and his sixth-wicket partnership with Mulder will resume at 137 on day 2.

Hosts have rested Ben Stokes, while visitors will be without injured regular captain Temba Bavuma

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2022

Big picture

Right, we are on to the stuff that matters. After an ODI series that not even the weather wanted to be completed, we are entering the T20I season with all eyes on the World Cup. England have a whopping 13 fixtures before the tournament; South Africa have only eight matches, the bulk of which are in the next ten days, and without regular captain Temba Bavuma.You may think that puts England in a more stable place to prepare from, but they are at the tail-end of 12 white-ball matches in 24 days and will have to be careful to avoid flagging at the end, especially as they have only just entered a new white-ball era. These T20Is are Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler’s final opportunity to win a white-ball series at home after they lost both rubbers against India, and shared the spoils in the ODIs against South Africa.Even if the results don’t matter “Things do get a little bit crazy and frantic out there, but it’s just about having your clear plans and staying as calm as possible.”

First red-ball appearance since early 2019 brings game-changing 85-ball ton

David Hopps14-Sep-2022Northamptonshire 339 and 209 for 5 (Procter 55, Vasconcelos 51*) lead Surrey 421 (Amla 133, Curran 115) by 127 runsTom Curran had begun to feel like a cricketer who might become a limited-overs specialist more by circumstance than design. Injuries have plagued him in recent years and he had not played a Championship game for Surrey since before Covid-19 announced its baleful presence on the world. A hundred before lunch in his first four-day match for 41 months was quite a way to put that right.Since an early-season match against Essex in 2019, he has played 84 T20 and 17 List A matches for seven different teams. An itinerant cricketer, much in demand, but with an England career that has recently lost impetus and a Championship career that felt as if it belonged to different times.Such misgivings were banished, hopefully for many years to come, by a remarkable return: a maiden first-class hundred in 85 balls which became more audacious which each passing over and which energised Surrey’s Championship challenge.With each shot, he appeared to be pouring out his frustration on a period where he has suffered prolonged absences, firstly from a side strain and then from a stress fracture of his back which caused him to leave Sydney Sixers early last December midway through the Big Bash. He has sat in England bubbles, but not played international cricket in over a year.Curran came to the crease at 244 for 6 after four overs of the third morning. Surrey still trailed by 95 and Hashim Amla had just completed a dedicated hundred which appeared to be all that stood between Northamptonshire and a useful first-innings lead. Shortly before lunch, the Wantage Road crowd rose as one to give Curran a heartfelt standing ovation for a century of great gusto that changed the complexion of the game and may have changed the destination of the Championship. Somewhere, a dog barked in excitement; his Championship dog days were over.”I haven’t played a lot of Championship cricket in the past few years and I wanted to come in and be more positive,” Curran said. “The red ball tends to do a little bit more than I’ve been facing in the past few weeks, but there is not much in the wicket for the bowlers and I knew if I put some pressure back on them it would make it tough. It’s no secret that Northampton means a lot to me so it was extra special to get my first hundred here.”Northampton is a special place for the Curran family. Tom’s father, Kevin, was a great servant of the county, and Tom is the only one of the three brothers not to have been born in the town. But his hundred perhaps dispelled some sadness, too, because this week Ben Curran, the brother who never quite managed a Championship hundred, was released by Northants and may have to accept that his county career is over at 26.Surrey would be under considerable pressure from Hampshire if they fail to win here. They are level on points going into the final day, and will stretch that lead to eight points if they draw, 16 if they win, with two matches remaining. With Northamptonshire holding a precarious lead of 127, with five wickets remaining, Surrey probably need wickets before a second new ball that is still 15 overs away.The career of the two most celebrated Curran brothers advanced in harmony once more. In late June, Sam had also made his maiden Championship hundred, against Kent at Kia Oval, a run-strewn match in which four Surrey batters passed 100 in the same innings. Tom joined him by flat-batting the offspinner Rob Keogh through mid-on at a time when he felt he could do no wrong. His last 30 runs had come in a torrent, including a hold-the-pose straight drive against James Sales to bring up the hundred stand, Amla by then a virtual spectator, and a six against Keogh that flew wide of the coffee shack at long-on, purveyor of the best coffee on the ground.There were times during his withering assault when Northants did not bowl well at him, particularly the South African quick, Lizaad Williams, the only player with international experience. Spin made but a brief appearance. He had a couple of fortunate top-edged pulls that flew over the keeper’s head, one of which took him to his half-century. But for a player whose previous first-class best was only 60, he dismissed the ball with abandon.Amla fell eight balls after Curran reached his century, lbw as he tried to work Keogh to leg. Keogh took three of the last four wickets to return 4 for 41, and bowled well enough to deserve some late adornment of his figures. One more bold shot over mid-off from Curran would have beaten his father’s career-best score, but this time Williams had his measure and Luke Procter held an excellent running catch.Intriguingly, the two not out batters who will lead Northants’ resistance on the final morning are Ricardo Vasconcelos and Saif Zaib, two players who have dropped down the order in search of form. Vasconcelos, 51 not out, at the close, passed 50 for only the third time in a season where he was burdened with the captaincy unexpectedly at the start and has never recovered.Surrey’s quicks began aggressively against the new ball, and removed both openers by tea. But Northants will particularly regret losing two wickets in the final session to full tosses – Josh Cobb diverting one from legspinner Cameron Steel to short midwicket and Procter’s half-century ending when he missed a full ball from Gus Atkinson.

The opening T20I went down to the final where a dropped catch proved costly for West Indies

Andrew McGlashan05-Oct-2022Matthew Wade continued his golden run as Australia’s finisher and Aaron Finch, batting at No. 4 for the first time in his international career, scored a welcome half-century to nurse Australia to an untidy three-wicket win with a ball to spare on the Gold Coast.In a rather chaotic finish, it came down to Australia needing 11 off the final over from Sheldon Cottrell. Wade swung the first ball for four but West Indies had a chance when he was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer next delivery. Mitchell Starc, too, was missed two balls later before scampering back for the winning runs off the penultimate delivery and almost having a nasty collision with wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.Quite how much there is to read into Finch’s positional switch which enabled Cameron Green, who isn’t part of the World Cup squad to stay as opener, remains to be seen, but his performance followed the encouraging signs from the India tour. Even amid the horror run that ended his ODI career, Finch’s T20 form had not taken the same hit but having a captain in the runs would remove one issue heading into the World Cup.Given that seven of West Indies’ squad had been in Australia barely 24 hours, some rustiness could be forgiven. There were times when they were on top and to take it to the final over, and be in a position to snatch the game, can give them heart. Some of the six-hitting was breathtaking, Yannic Cariah had a very encouraging debut with 1 for 15 from four overs and Alzarri Joseph was a handful with his slippery pace.Mayers’ wow moment
It’s early in the Australian season, but you’ll do well to see a better shot than the one Kyle Mayers produced in the fourth over against Green. Against a short delivery, he drove it magnificently off the back foot, more than 100 metres into the stand over deep point. It was an astonishing show of power and timing. It quickly went viral. He had shown intent from the start of the innings with early boundaries off Starc and Josh Hazlewood but, as was the case with West Indies’ whole batting display, the momentum was lost after the powerplay.Kyle Mayers played a great shot over the off side•Getty Images

The non-review and the review
Brandon King was the leading run-scorer in the CPL and played one lovely stroke, lofting Adam Zampa over long-off, but was left ruing not taking a review when he was given lbw against Hazlewood. The appeal looked good live, but replays showed the bounce in the pitch had it going over the stumps. When the DRS called for the 11th over, it had what appeared a curious moment when the ball tracking showed that a very full delivery from Starc which speared into Nicholas Pooran’s pad and looked to be sliding down was, in fact, taking out leg stump.Boundaries dry up
Alongside Mayers’ memorable effort, there was no shortage of well-struck sixes from West Indies, not least Odean Smith’s monster effort the 19th over. However, in what is not a new talking point about their batting, the skill of working the ball around in the middle of the innings was lacking. They made 53 in the powerplay and 50 in the last five, which meant just 42 runs came in the other nine overs. The six overs between Zampa and Glenn Maxwell cost just 29 and included one boundary, which was the powerplay six by King off Zampa. There was a 54-ball period after the fielding restrictions without a boundary before Jason Holder cleared the ropes. On the larger grounds in Australia it feels like an area that will have to improve, regardless of how long they hit the ball.Do we need to talk about Maxwell?

Australia were intent on going hard from the start of the chase. Cottrell found the edges of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in the second over but they were cantering along at 10s. Either side of the powerplay the wheels nearly came off. Green gave himself room once too often, Maxwell swiped high into the off side and Tim David picked out deep square leg. Maxwell’s dismissal continued a lean patch: since the start of the Zimbabwe ODI series, albeit a different format, he has a top score of 32 in nine innings. In T20Is his last six innings read: 19, 16, 1, 0, 6, 0. His value as a bowler in the set-up is as high as ever, and he’s the type of player who can flick the switch at any moment, but it is something to keep an eye on.Wade there again
When Wade came in Australia were wobbling at 58 for 5 and he joined Finch as the last pair of frontline batters. Since taking on the middle-order role for the last World Cup he has enjoyed phenomenal success: in 12 innings he has made 310 runs, being dismissed just three times, with a strike-rate of 160.10. This time, back-to-back boundaries off Cottrell in the 12th over, which cost 18 runs, brought the requirement close to a run-a-ball. After Finch fell he struggled to get the strike – facing just six of the last 17 balls – but it didn’t cost Australia.

Renuka Singh took three wickets to help restrict India A to 144 for 5 and set up victory

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2022Yastika Bhatia, Jasia Akhter and Renuka Singh starred for India D as they beat India A by seven wickets in Raipur to lift the Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy.Put into bat, India A didn’t have a great start, with Renuka trapping Shivali Shinde lbw in the first over. Soon after, she dismissed Disha Kasat too, making it 25 for 2 in the fifth over. Wicketkeeper-opener Nuzhat Parween and Harleen Deol stabilised the innings, taking the side to 52 for 2 by the halfway stage of the innings.The next five overs produced 46 runs as both batters opened up. Deol reached her fifty in 40 balls, with Parween following her in 42. The two added 105 for the third wicket, in 13.1 overs, before Renuka broke the stand with Parween’s wicket. Deol fell in the last over of the innings to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who also had Sajeevan Sajana stumped three balls later.Chasing 145, Bhatia and Akhter set the platform with their 70-run opening partnership in 11 overs. Akhter was the aggressor, hitting three fours and as many sixes in her 38-ball 47.Jemimah Rodrigues and D Hemalatha fell for single-digit scores but by then Bhatia had assumed control. At one point, she was on 21 off 27 balls. Off the next 14, she smashed 31 to bring up her half-century in 41 balls.India D needed 38 runs in the last five overs, which Bhatia and Sushma Verma knocked off with an over to spare.