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Virat Kohli’s 889 rating points is the best ever for an India batsman in the ICC ODI rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2017Virat Kohli has reclaimed the top position in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen ten days after losing the spot to AB de Villiers. The India captain’s prolific form in the ODI series against New Zealand, where he scored two hundreds in three matches, helped him reach 889 rating points, the best ever for an India batsman. Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s highest career rating of 887, achieved in 1998.Another India player who climbed up the ICC rankings was Jasprit Bumrah, who climbed up three places to third on the bowling rankings, behind Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali and South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir. Bumrah took six wickets against New Zealand, with his most impactful performance coming in the series decider in Kanpur, where he defended 15 runs in the final over to hand India a six-run win. Considered one of the best death-overs bowlers in the world, Bumrah has become an integral part of India’s limited-overs line-up over the last couple of years. He is the highest wicket-taker for India – and fourth overall – in 2017, with 35 wickets from 20 matches.Rohit Sharma, who scored 174 runs in the series, garnered career-best rating points of 799, but stayed at No. 7 on the batting chart. Like Rohit, Babar Azam (846) and Quinton de Kock (808) too earned career highs in rating points but maintained their positions on the table.South Africa maintained their place at the top of the team rankings, after their 3-0 result against Bangladesh and India’s 2-1 result against New Zealand. A series sweep by India would have put South Africa’s top spot under threat.

South Africa have gone up to the top of the team rankings in ODIs, but to keep their spot will have to secure a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh and hope India do not do the same against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2017South Africa’s AB de Villiers reclaimed the top spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen for the 14th time in his career. And, for the first time in his career, Pakistan’s Hasan Ali has become the No. 1 bowler in the world. There was also movement in the allrounders list with Mohammad Hafeez, a day after he was reported for a suspect action, taking over the lead from Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.Among other major developments, South Africa have gone up to the top of the team rankings in ODIs. To keep their No. 1 ranking, they will have to secure a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh, and hope India do not do the same against New Zealand in the coming weeks.De Villiers had not played for South Africa in four months, but struck a career-best 176 off 104 balls in his comeback innings to leapfrog his rivals. Virat Kohli and David Warner were bumped down a place each to Nos. 2 and 3. And Babar Azam, who struck consecutive hundreds against Sri Lanka, rose to a career-best ranking of No. 4.De Villiers has now spent 2124 days at the top of the batsmen’s rankings since achieving the feat for the first time in May 2010. Only West Indies’ Viv Richards has been No. 1 for longer – 2306 days.Hasan’s rise up the bowling rankings has been a stunning story as well. He is the highest wicket-taker in 2017, he was Player of the Series in the Champions Trophy and he became the fastest Pakistan bowler to 50 ODI wickets – beating the legendary Waqar Younis. The No. 1 spot – he climbed six places – comes as icing on a very large cake.Meanwhile, Hafeez, among the world’s most economical bowlers since 2010, claimed the top spot on the allrounder’s rankings for the ninth time.

Dawid Malan scored his first hundred in an England shirt and though Moeen Ali and Craig Overton missed out on the chance to find form late wickets left victory in sight

George Dobell in Townsville17-Nov-2017
ScorecardMaybe it’s the sea air or maybe they have been lulled into a false sense of security by the modesty of the opposition, but there appears to be a growing sense of optimism within the England squad.The announcement of Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test confirmed a couple of long-held suspicions. Notably that Australia have holes and weaknesses, too. They can be beaten.It’s the Australian bowling attack that has England interested. It’s not that it’s weak – far from it – but it might well be thin. For however good Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are – and they look very good indeed – they can’t bowl forever. And with only one other specialist seamer in their side – Josh Hazlewood – England will know that if they can force them into fourth and fifth spells, if they can force them to pull on their boots for a fourth or fifth session in the field, the cracks will begin to show.That’s easier said than done, of course. On the last Ashes tour in 2013-14, England might have felt similarly about Mitchell Johnson. But they never could push him into those extra spells as he struck almost every time he was unleashed.There’s a key difference this time, though. Australia do not have an allrounder like Shane Watson (or even Mitchell Marsh) on whom they can rely to bowl tight overs with an old ball to maintain the pressure and allow the faster bowlers to recover. Instead they will need Nathan Lyon and Hazlewood to bowl long spells and allow Cummins and Starc, both of whom have suffered significant injury setbacks in recent times, to operate in short bursts. If England can bat long, they might be able to exploit that selection.There’s no lack of respect for the Australian squad. But it does appear they will have a man at No. 7 – Tim Paine – with one first-class century to his name, who has averaged under 20 with the bat in the last four Shield seasons and who wasn’t been guaranteed a place in his state side in recent weeks. England, by contrast, will have a man at No. 8 – Chris Woakes – with nine first-class centuries to his name.So it was encouraging that England should bat for 142.5 overs and score more than 500 here. Yes, conditions were comfortable and the opposition soft. But an England side which has, at times batted fast rather than long took the opportunity to attune to the mentality required to win the Ashes. If they keep Cummins and Starc out in the field for 142 overs…It seems churlish to find fault in a total in excess of 500, but England may be just a little concerned by another batting collapse in mid-innings. They lost five wickets for 38 runs at one stage, subsiding from 419 for 4 to 457 for 9 before a tenth-wicket stand of 58 put things right.While such collapses occur too frequently to be brushed aside, there was an element of freakishness about most of the wickets. Joe Root, for example, was caught – brilliantly caught – down the leg side, Jonny Bairstow hit a full toss to mid-on and Dawid Malan was run-out by a direct hit from midwicket. None betrayed a particular weakness about which England should be overly concerned, though Root was frustrated at himself for failing to convert to a century once again.The two who missed out in a more meaningful way were Moeen Ali and Craig Overton. Moeen, playing his first innings of the tour, simply allowed a straight one from the offspinner Matthew Short who, before this game had taken one first-class wicket at a cost of 91 runs, to pass through the gap between bat and pad, before Overton suffered his third duck of the tour when he turned his first delivery into the hands of short leg.Overton continues to bowl nicely – England experimented with him bowling something approaching leg-theory in the final session – but he could have done with a few runs to shore-up his position in the first Test team. Jake Ball was fit enough to field in the CA XI’s second innings (Alastair Cook was off the field with an upset stomach; it is not thought to be serious) and remains a bit of a threat to Overton’s chances of making a debut in Brisbane.The most pleasing aspect of the day was Malan’s conversion of his overnight half-century into his first century in an England shirt. He has batted – and fielded – faultlessly on this tour to date and looks far more comfortable in this environment than he was during the English summer.He feels that getting to know his team-mates, learning to cope with the media scrutiny and relaxing into his rhythm of batting has left him far better equipped for the challenges ahead. He also feels he had just lost a bit of form when he was first selected for the Test side and was forced to battle for his runs. Now, relaxed in mind and with a slightly more open technique, he is looking elegant and sound at the crease.”When I was picked it coincided with a loss of form,” he said. “It just came at the wrong time in terms of where I was hitting the ball. There were a couple of times against the West Indies where I got to 60 where I felt if I was playing well I probably could have pushed on.”People haven’t seen me at my best yet for England. Apart from in T20. In the Test matches I haven’t played as well as I can. The little habits I got into restricted me in some areas where I’m quite strong. I nicked a few balls I probably wouldn’t nick if I was playing well.”I have opened my stance a bit. I think with the pressures that came last year it closed a little bit. I knew I had gone side on but I didn’t know how much impact that was making on my scoring areas I had. I thought it would make it easier for me and take out a few different modes of dismissal and access the ball in certain areas.”There are scoring areas that feel quite natural to me and I lost those during the summer, whether that be off the hip or a drive, a cut or whatever it was at the time. The shots that come naturally weren’t at the time, which made it quite a battle.”Later Mason Crane again demonstrated his improvement with the bat in helping Woakes extend England’s lead to 265. While the 20-over partnership was not entirely welcome from all the locals – one group, without any irony, sang ‘Boring, Boring’ throughout the day – it gave Woakes an opportunity to spend some time at the crease and provided further evidence of Crane’s improvement in all departments.While the CA XI started their second innings well – they reached 80 without loss – the introduction of spin brought three wickets for seven runs. Moeen found the edge of left-handed Jake Carder’s bat with a sharply turning off-break, before Ryan Gibson let his opportunity for a half-century slip when he missed a sweep. When Crane induced a loose drive from Will Pucovski, it left England eying a half-day on Saturday. For perhaps the first time since the Ben Stokes news broke, you can feel the optimism within the England ranks.

Eleven years after they last hosted India, Ireland have an opportunity to impress as Full Members

The Preview by Sreshth Shah26-Jun-20183:45

Chopra: Rohit should bat at No. 4 in T20Is

Big Picture

The last time India toured Ireland, Rohit Sharma was straight out of the Under-19s, and was handed an ODI debut under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. MS Dhoni had not led India yet. Dinesh Karthik was the only other player from the current group who was around then. Eleven years on, Rohit returns to the venue of his debut as a limited-overs stalwart, Karthik has written yet another chapter in a stop-start career, and Dhoni is the senior-most member of the squad.The occasion won’t be quite as historic as Ireland’s previous international game played here, but Malahide’s Village is still sold out for the two T20Is.This is India’s first T20I assignment since the Nidahas Trophy in March, and the squad doesn’t have any major surprises. Virat Kohli, who was earlier in doubt for the series opener because of a stint with Surrey, returns to lead against a side that wants to “show them what we are about”. If Ireland’s debut Test against Pakistan is any example, those are not hollow words.”Anyone can beat anyone else and that’s the beauty of sport and cricket,” Ireland captain Gary Wilson said. “We have had some great results against England in Bengaluru and against Pakistan in the Caribbean. So we will go in with the belief that we can turn them over.”They are set to unleash fast bowler Joshua Little – who can bowl in excess of 85mph – on India’s batsmen, while their batting quartet of Paul Stirling, Simi Singh, Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O’ Brien will be key in their quest to put up tall scores on a small ground. Can they upset the T20 superstars?

Form guide

Ireland TWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWL

In the spotlight

Since his return to the team in February 2018, Suresh Raina has averaged just 21.33. With the battle for the No. 4 spot in the team heating up, the 31-year-old will need to step his game up if he wishes to remain in India’s plans. He could face competition from KL Rahul, who is coming off a run-glut in the IPL.Simi Singh, the allrounder with roots in India, has developed into a potent weapon for Ireland. Starting off as a bowler, Simi has worked his way up the Irish batting order and he averages 32 with a strike-rate of 150 in T20Is. With the ball, he averages only 17.50 with an economy of 6.63. He could lend balance to the Ireland line-up.0:36

Washington Sundar limps off India’s training session

Teams news

William Porterfield was rested for the two T20s against Scotland but he’s expected to return for this series. That could mean time on the bench for James Shannon. Among the bowlers, Ireland may opt for Andy McBrine in the place of Stuart Thompson, but that decision may hinge on overhead conditions on match day.Ireland (probable) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 William Porterfield, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Simi Singh, 5 Gary Wilson (capt), 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Stuart Thompson, 8 Stuart Poynter (wk), 9 George Dockrell, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Joshua LittleThere are two big questions that India need to address. First, the easier one: play the extra spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal, or opt for a three-man pace attack with Umesh Yadav who hasn’t played T20Is since 2012? Remember, he’s been in cracking form in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The other one is much bigger: who among Rahul, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik should they leave out? There’s also an injury cloud over Washington Sundar, who limped out of training after turning his ankle on a football.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Suresh Raina/KL Rahul/Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal/Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

For a change, the local weather forecast is clear, but you have to be brave to trust it.The ground is small and the surface is likely to be batsman-friendly (it will be brave to prepare a spicy deck for a game that could bring Cricket Ireland more money than any other series they’ll host in the near future). Expect batsmen from both sides to have fun then.

Stats and trivia

• These team’s only T20I meet-up – at the 2009 T20 World Cup – went in India’s favour. Gary Wilson, Kevin O’Brien and William Porterfield were part of that Ireland defeat.
• It will be the first time Malahide will be a hosting a T20I fixture between two Full Members.

Quotes

“They are a very fine T20 side, but they have to bat and we have to bowl. If we bowl our best, they have to still play that – no matter if it is Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.”

Hosts could look to rest some of their bowlers with a packed ODI series coming up shortly

Himanshu Agrawal15-Dec-2021

Big picture

It hasn’t been the best of tours for West Indies: first they were forced to leave out seven first-choice players due to a combination of workload management, injuries and personal reasons; that followed their regular white-ball captain’s withdrawal due to a hamstring issue; after all that, three members of their touring party tested Covid-positive, thus ruling them out of the T20Is. They now find themselves 2-0 down and facing a 3-0 sweep.There have been glimpses of the possible damage even a weakened West Indies can cause on the current tour already, not least when they had Pakistan at 141 for 7 after 18 overs, and then had eight wickets in the shed with 88 to get in just over nine overs during the second T20I on Tuesday. But they ended up conceding 172 as Shadab Khan, an able but not generally threatening No. 8, got into them with the bat; they eventually fell short of the target by nine runs despite a spirited fight by their own No. 7 Romario Shepherd. All that said and done, it is another opportunity for a fresh and untested unit to not only prove they can perform but also eye on a permanent place in West Indies’ starting XI.Pakistan, on the other hand, seem to be the side in form in the shortest format. They have won ten out of their last 11 T20Is – including a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh last month after the T20 World Cup – and six out of their last seven bilateral T20I series, including the ongoing one. Their openers have developed a dominant union, their middle order has been boosted by the likes of Asif Ali and Shadab, youngsters Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jr have rapidly adapted to international cricket, and the skill of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf has repeatedly come to the fore.The fact that they fielded the same XI across the two wins in the series says a thing about how settled this side is, having three members yet unused. And although the third and final match might be labelled as a dead rubber with the series already in Pakistan’s pocket, it provides just the perfect opportunity for the team management to experiment with fresh faces, as they aim to build a solid pool and go two steps better at the next edition of the T20 World Cup, which starts in less than a year’s time.

Form Guide

Pakistan WWWWW (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
West Indies LLLLW

In the spotlight

He didn’t get to play a single game in the T20 World Cup despite being in Pakistan’s final squad, but spin-bowling allrounder Mohammad Nawaz has had an impactful five matches since. His two wickets came at 27 and an economy rate of exactly six an over against Bangladesh, and he has followed that up with three wickets at 20 against West Indies. That aside, a cameo of 18* off just eight balls helped Pakistan inch ahead in a tense finish in the first T20I against Bangladesh, while 30* at a strike rate of 300 in the first T20I versus West Indies pushed his team up to a match-wining total of 200. Should Nawaz continue to blossom with both ball and bat, he could prove tough competition for the more established Imad Wasim.West Indies’ death bowling so far in the series has made it tough for their batters during the chase. The visitors conceded 53 in the final three-and-a-half overs in the first T20I to Haider and Nawaz, and 31 in the last two overs to Shadab on Tuesday. However, they have the best economy rate of 8.57 and the third-most wickets in the final four overs among all T20I sides in the calendar year. The West Indies bowlers would quickly want to get back to that level.

Team news

Pakistan wouldn’t mind giving some of their regulars a break and bring in the three unused members of the squad: right-arm quicks Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani, and legspinner Usman Qadir. With the ODI series starting just two days after the third T20I – the three ODIs will all be done inside five days – resting Afridi, Rauf and Shadab, although the latter is their vice-captain, ahead of matches that count for World Cup Super League points would be prudent.Pakistan XI (possible): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Shadab Khan (vice-capt)/Usman Qadir, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Haris Rauf/ Shahnawaz Dahani, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi/Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Mohammad WasimLeft-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is the only real choice for a change for the third game. With nothing further to lose, he could be drafted in for an international debut although that would imply leaving out one of the quicks, with Akeal Hosein having done appreciably well and Hayden Walsh Jr having played just one game. But dropping a fast bowler may not be all that bad considering the pitches have been slow, and where the spinners’ economy rate has been just 5.86.West Indies XI (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Shai Hope, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Nicholas Pooran (capt, wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Odean Smith, 8 Dominic Drakes/Gudakesh Motie, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Hayden Walsh Jr, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Scores batting first in the series read 200 and 172, and more of the same can be expected given it is a placid pitch at the National Stadium in Karachi. The weather should remain pleasant and clear, with dew often present post 8pm local time.

Stats and Trivia

India will keep a close eye on the bowling workload of Hardik Pandya, who is set to play his first ODI in nearly a year

Ashish Pant11-Jul-20223:14

Giles: ‘Teams need to start thinking about the 50-over World Cup’

Big picture

If the three T20Is were any indication, the ODI series promises to be a thrill-a-minute ride. England have built a reputation of going hard from the get-go in both white-ball formats, and India, who have traditionally been known to build their innings methodically before going big in the death overs, also took the all-out aggressive route in the T20I series. Whether or not they continue with this approach in the ODIs remains to be seen, but conditions should assist quick run-getting, with surfaces at The Oval usually among the flatter ones in England.Both sides head into the series on the back of excellent ODI track records. England have lost just one of their last 10 ODIs and are fresh from amassing the highest ODI total in history against Netherlands. India, meanwhile, have won six of their last 10 games in the format, which includes a 3-0 sweep of West Indies at home earlier this year.The last time India came to The Oval, they took a 2-1 lead in the Test series last year with Rohit Sharma scoring 127 in the second innings. Rohit will hope to create more happy memories here, as will his likely opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, who in five ODIs at this venue has scored 443 runs at an average of 110.75, with three centuries and a fifty. In a squad that is otherwise full of young up-and-comers who have also been in and around the T20 set-up, Dhawan is an established name who remains an important cog in India’s 50-overs plans.Jos Buttler’s T20I captaincy debut did not quite go as planned, but with Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root back, England’s batting line-up will be at full strength in the ODIs. But the bowling looks a little thin, particularly in the spin department. Matt Parkinson wasn’t at his best in the T20I series, nor was Moeen Ali, and Livingstone’s mix of offspin and legspin was carted for 74 runs in his five overs across the three games. If the ongoing heatwave in the UK causes the pitches to dry out, spin could play a significant role in the series – as could cutters and changes of pace from the quicker bowlers.

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India WWWLL

In the spotlight

Hardik Pandya last played an ODI nearly a year ago, and India will keep a close eye on how he manages his workload in the format. Injuries had minimised his bowling output for a significant length of time, but he seems to have turned a corner in the last few months, bowling regularly both in the IPL and in his T20I appearances. Most recently, he played a crucial role in the first T20I against England, taking four wickets and scoring a 33-ball 51. But while he’s shown he can pull of his dual role with aplomb in T20 cricket, can he consistently bowl a full 10-over quota in ODIs?With scores of 0, 4 and 18, Jos Buttler had a T20I series to forget. But the England captain is coming off a superb run in the ODI series against Netherlands, where he made 162* in 70 balls and 86* off 64 balls in his two innings. The moving ball troubled him considerably during the T20I series, but it’s unlikely to be a factor when he resumes his middle-order role in the ODIs.Jos Buttler struggled during the T20Is, but he was in terrific form during England’s most recent ODI series against Netherlands•Getty Images

Team News

Suryakumar Yadav’s sensational century in the third T20I could get him the nod over Shreyas Iyer, if India opt for four frontline bowlers and two allrounders. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are likely to lead the pace unit, with a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj for the third seamer’s role. The former is likely to get the nod after a breakthrough series against the West Indies earlier this year. Yuzvendra Chahal will, in all probability, be the lone specialist spinner, with either Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja taking the spin-bowling allrounder’s mantle.India had an optional net session on the eve of the game, with only Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Dhawan as the specialist batters. Kishan had a long net session. Shardul Thakur, Siraj and Shami were the bowlers in attendance.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel/Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.England’s batting is set to be at full strength with Bairstow, Root and Stokes back in the white-ball mix. The composition of the seam attack will be an interesting question, with three left-arm quicks in contention in Sam Curran, David Willey and Reece Topley, with Brydon Carse’s extra pace also in the mix.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 David Willey, 10 Brydon Carse/Reece Topley, 11 Matt Parkinson.

Pitch and conditions

There was a greenish tinge to the surface at The Oval on the eve of the match, but that might not translate to a lot of help for the seamers given the heatwave that’s going around. The temperature is expected to touch the 30-degree mark on the Celsius scale, but batting – and running between the wickets – might become easier later in the evening, under lights. There could be some assistance for the spinners too.

Stats and Trivia

• David Willey and Sam Curran shared nine wickets in the last ODI played at The Oval, against Sri Lanka last year.
• Joe Root has the most runs at the Oval among active cricketers. He has scored 548 runs in 10 innings here, at an average of 68.50 with five fifties and a ton.
• Rohit Sharma has seven centuries in 24 ODI innings in England, the most by any visiting batter. He has scored 1335 runs at an average of 66.75 in the country.

Kevon Cooper blitzed 29 off 14 balls in a low-scoring thriller to lead Trinbago Knight Riders to a three-wicket win in the CPL final

The Report by Peter Della Penna10-Sep-2017
Javon Searles had Chris Gayle caught with his first ball•Getty Images

Shamsi fined for dissent

Tabraiz Shamsi, the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots spinner, has been fined 50% of his match fee after admitting to a Level 2 breach of the CPL code of conduct during the final against Trinbago Knight Riders.
Shamsi showed what the match officials described as “serious dissent” when umpire Gregory Brathwaite turned down his lbw appeal against Javon Searles during the 13th over of the Knight Riders innings. Following a prolonged appeal, Shamsi remonstrated angrily with Brathwaite.
“My sincere apologies 2 umpire Brathwaite and the spectators for my excessive appealing. I did apologise 2 him numerous times afterwards,” Shamsi tweeted after the final. “I love playin the game with a passion but this is not the type of behaviour dat should be displayed.”

In a low-scoring thriller, the Trinbago Knight Riders’ tail, spurred on by the home crowd at Brian Lara Stadium, wagged furiously to prevail over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in a tense chase.Patriots were in charge with their opponents at 90 for 7 and Knight Riders still needed 28 off 13 balls when Kevon Cooper ambushed Sheldon Cottrell and Ben Hilfenhaus in a dramatic seven-ball sequence to clinch victory with an over to spare. It was the Knight Riders’ second CPL title in three years, and the first since they changed their name from Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.Searles strikes
Patriots, one of the most powerful batting line-ups in the tournament, were kept to a mere 135 thanks in part to an excellent early burst from seamer Javon Searles. He has been one of the unsung heroes for Knight Riders in their run to the final. In multiple matches this year, he has neither batted nor bowled.Given the new ball on Saturday, he struck in his first two overs. He first got the big scalp of Chris Gayle for 1, caught at backward point, and followed it up with the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez, caught at mid-off, for 5. As a result, Patriots slipped to 11 for 2 in four overs.In Lew(is) of runs, Narine gets big wicket
The low scores kept coming early, and often, in a final dominated by bowlers and Sunil Narine was at his remarkable best. The runs off his bat have dried up, but he more than compensated by bowling a masterful spell of 4-1-8-1 on the biggest night of the CPL. The crowning achievement of his 24 balls came when he pinned Evin Lewis lbw for 16. His bowling was so intimidating that he started his last over with a silly point.Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
Cooper built on the early inroads made by Searles and Narine. As has been the trend through this tournament, a wicket fell in the first over after the drinks break. Cooper took advantage of the batting side’s lapse in concentration, striking first ball to dismiss Brandon King. In his next over, he claimed Devon Thomas to leave Patriots at 65 for 5.Ricky-Nabi shake and bake
If the Patriots had won, their championship DVD might have been called “Tarouba Nights”. Knight Riders struggled to fully cement their early advantage courtesy heroics from Carlos Brathwaite and Mohammad Nabi. Both played crucial knocks late in the innings – and not for the first time this year – to ransack 56 runs off the last four overs of the innings.Brathwaite, whose shirt reads “Ricky”, struck two fours and a six between the 17th and 18th overs to take his side past 100. Nabi arrived at the start of the final over, and what an entrance it was, as he smashed Dwayne Bravo for two sixes and a four in a 21-run over to give Patriots a fighting chance.Sheldon Cottrell sends Dwayne Bravo back with a salute•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Military discipline
Sheldon Cottrell took two wickets in three balls and put the hosts under immense pressure. He first claimed Narine with a skied chance for a return catch. When Dwayne Bravo decided to promote himself to No. 3, Cottrell greeted him with an almighty salute, sending him off for a first-ball duck after a full delivery beat the Knight Riders captain for pace.Munro on the money
Brendon McCullum may have left a gaping hole in his absence during the playoffs, but Colin Munro did his best to plug it. Munro moved up to open the batting in the last two games and on this night provided a valuable 29, which wound up as the joint-top score in the chase.Momentum see-sawed back to Knight Riders – after Cottrell’s early wickets – thanks to Munro’s refusal to back down. With the score 29 for 2 after five overs, Munro tucked into Nabi’s offspin, smashing him for two sixes over midwicket and a third straight down the ground – all in the space of five balls as Knight Riders’ title prospects looked much rosier by the end of the Powerplay at 48 for 2. Munro ended the season as the Knight Riders’ top scorer with 366 runs, none more important than what he delivered in the final.How bout that Canadian, eh?
While more heralded colleagues such as the Bravo brothers came and went cheaply – Darren followed Dwayne’s duck by falling for 1 playing back to Mohammad Hafeez – Hamza Tariq provided a crucial 18. Other than Munro’s three sixes off Nabi in the sixth over, the only boundary struck by Knight Riders in the first ten overs came from Tariq. The rest of his knock comprised mainly of back-foot shovels to the leg side. Nothing glamorous, but it did the job.Flying the Coop
Knight Riders lost three more wickets in the first five overs after drinks, culminating in Tabraiz Shamsi’s dismissal of Searles for 2 to make it 90 for 7. Depending on your video-game cartoon of choice, Shamsi looked like he celebrated by doing a sub-zero freeze from Mortal Kombat and Patriots appeared to have thrown ice on the Knight Riders chase.But Cooper provided the initial thaw, before his hot bat totally melted the Patriots bowling away. It began in earnest when he smashed Cottrell for six over extra cover to end the 18th, bringing the equation down to 22 off 12. After a single from Ramdin put him back on strike, Hilfenhaus bowled two wides outside off. Nabi turned a potential four into two with a diving stop at midwicket off the next ball, but there was no saving the following delivery: a full toss smashed over cover that was signaled as a no-ball to boot.A slash over backward point off the free hit brought another four and Cooper made it three boundaries in a row when he smoked Hilfenhaus again over the leg side. Two singles later, Knight Riders sealed a hard-fought victory.

Chris Rogers is returning to Somerset as coach-cum-mentor as he still harbours the ambition of helping them to their first Championship title

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2017Chris Rogers, the former Australia batsman, is refusing to abandon hope of helping Somerset to a first Championship title.Rogers retired at the end of last season in emotional circumstances as Somerset, Championship leaders going into the last day of the season, watched on TV at their Taunton headquarters as Middlesex stole the prize with a last-gasp victory against Yorkshire.That seemed to be it for Rogers, as far as Somerset were concerned, but he will return as a batting coach and player mentor for the first half of the forthcoming season.As yet, there seems no possibility that Rogers, at 39, will strap on the pads again – even if an obvious opportunity will open up mid-season when Dean Elgar, the batsman signed to replace him, heads off for South Africa’s Test series in England.And if Somerset are harbouring even the tiniest hope that Rogers might make a dramatic comeback they certainly aren’t saying.Matt Maynard, Somerset’s director of cricket, is just delighted that Rogers will be returning to the southwest. “Chris made a massive impact both on and off the field last year,” he said. “He was a huge part of what we achieved in the summer and was by far the outstanding candidate for the position. It goes without saying that we are delighted he will be working with us again in 2017.”He knows exactly what we expect from our players and is familiar with the culture that we have created within the dressing room. He will join us on March 1 and will be with us until June 30 and in that time he’ll act as our batting coach. In addition to that he’ll also work with the whole squad in a mentoring capacity.”The young players will learn a tremendous amount from him and he’ll ensure that the more experienced guys maintain the high standards that they set last year.”Regarding his return Rogers said: “Last year Matt Maynard and I floated the idea of coming back in a coaching capacity if I did retire and I’m greatly appreciative that he and the club have given me this opportunity to work with the players and develop my own skills.”Coaching is something I feel passionate about as well as giving back to the game and I couldn’t think of a better place to start than at Somerset and learning from the staff there.”The club made some significant strides last year and hopefully I can help Somerset achieve some silverware in 2017. It’s nothing more than the supporters deserve.”

Quinton de Kock is in doubt for the Hamilton Test and may also miss the IPL due to tendon damage to his right index finger

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton23-Mar-2017South Africa will take a late call on Quinton de Kock’s availability for the Hamilton Test after scans revealed tendon damage to his right index finger. If de Kock is able to bat pain free with extra strapping, he will play in Hamilton, but even if he participates in the match, his availability for the IPL is in doubt. De Kock will need at between four to six weeks to completely recover.ESPNcricinfo understands South African team management have already had discussions with Delhi Daredevils coach Paddy Upton to explain de Kock’s injury. Should de Kock withdraw from the tournament, he will be the second South African player to pull out of the event, after his Daredevils team-mate JP Duminy decided to miss this year’s event due to personal reasons.”There is every likelihood he will miss the IPL because he will need at least four to six weeks recovery. Being a wickerkeeper, every time he catches the ball, the stress goes onto that area,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, who is also a medical doctor, said. “The risk is that if he doesn’t have that four to six weeks rest, and he further aggravates it, it could jeopardise his participation in the Champions Trophy. With that in mind and with the England tour after that, its important we give him the allocated time to recover for the injury.”De Kock’s injury was sustained on the third day in Wellington, last Saturday, when he had X-rays done on the finger. A fracture was ruled out. However, he complained of discomfort and could not participate in nets on either Wednesday or Thursday, prompting South Africa to seek another solution. Physiotherapist Brandon Jackson is exploring ways of creating extra padding and team management will take a call on Friday afternoon about whether they will risk de Kock for the match. Should they decide not to, reserve wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen, on his maiden Test tour, will take over and de Kock’s recovery period can begin with an aim to return to full fitness by mid-May.South Africa’s players, especially those who play in all formats, are in the middle of one of their busiest periods after the season began last August, with home Tests against New Zealand. They hosted Australia for five ODIs, played three Tests in Australia, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away tour to New Zealand. Those who play in the IPL will travel to India immediately after this series and then head straight into a training camp before the ODIs in England, the Champions Trophy, three T20s and a four-Test series. Only then, will they have a few weeks off before a home summer that includes 10 Tests and the inaugural South African T20 competition.De Kock was also injured before the last major ICC tournament, and the lay-off affected his form. He rolled over his ankle during the home Test series against West Indies in December 2014 and made a quicker-than-expected comeback in the ODI series that followed in January. However, his World Cup started poorly, with six scores under 20 before an unbeaten 78 in the quarter-final against Sri Lanka.Since then, de Kock has become one of South Africa’s stalwarts across both Test and limited overs cricket. He finished 2016 as South Africa’s highest ODI run-scorer and second-highest Test batsman and was on run of five scores of over 50 at one stage. He has continued his form into 2017 and was part of a match-winning partnership with Temba Bavuma in Wellington.

Ben Mike stranded on 99 as thrilling counter-attack fails to save visitors

ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2022Ben Mike was left stranded on 99 as his thrilling counter-attacking innings failed to save Leicestershire from defeat in three days at the hands of Middlesex at Lord’s.Nottinghamshire-born Mike followed his 4 for 15 the previous day with a magnificent display of hitting, beating his previous career-best of 74, only to run out of partners one short of a richly deserved century.His efforts took the visitors to 272 second time around and ensured Middlesex, who were a bowler light due to an injury to Tom Helm, had to bat again.However, Toby Roland-Jones’ 3 for 67 meant the hosts needed just 52, a target openers Mark Stoneman and Sam Robson chased down in just over 10 overs to seal a second LV = Insurance County Championship win of the season.Sensing their hosts were understrength, Wiaan Mulder started aggressively, pulling a Roland-Jones loosener for four and driving the next ball to the cover fence. However,Ethan Bamber, so impressive the previous evening, made the early breakthrough at the Nursery End, finding a touch of away movement which caused Sam Evans to edge low to Peter Handscomb at slip.The 23-year-old deserved more from an opening spell where he beat the bat with monotonous regularity, but Mulder and wicketkeeper Harry Swindells survived not only that stint but Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening salvo too. And when spin took over from one end, Mulder took toll of a rare loose ball from leg-spinner Luke Hollman to raise the 50-partnership.Fate then smiled kindly on Middlesex as Roland-Jones returned to have an lbw shout against Swindells upheld when it seemed the ball was going over the top.Mulder pressed on to reach 50 only to toss his wicket away soon after lunch hooking Afridi straight down the throat of Hollman at deep square.His departure was the cue for Mike’s thrilling counter-offensive. Afridi bowled him some short stuff in retaliation for being on the receiving end of the same the night before, but the all-rounder promptly hooked him over the ropes at long leg. What started as by-play became an ongoing contest with only one winner, Mike flailing the Pakistan international over cover for six as the 50-stand with Ed Barnes came up in 39 balls, forcing Afridi out of the attack.A punch through mid-on took him to 50 from 57 balls before a scare on 62 when Bamber got one between bat and pad which somehow missed the stumps.Barnes proved a great foil in a stand which reached 98, ensuring Middlesex would have to bat again, before he played too soon at one from Hollman and lobbed a catch to short mid-wicket.Mike though plundered on, passing his previous best of 74 and pulling a short one from Roland-Jones for six as the visitors inched ahead.At the other end Callum Parkinson, survived being struck by a return from the outfield, but perished, caught at slip off Roland-Jones, and Chris Wright clubbed Hollman straight into the hands of midwicket with Mike two short of his century.His mistake was to take a single, a decision he was to regret when last man Beuran Hendricks shouldered arms to Roland-Jones who sent his off-stump cartwheeling out the ground, cruel luck on Mike after a magnificent innings.