All posts by n8rngtd.top

Thrilling contest goes down to wire as Lewis Gregory hold his nerve at Taunton

Matt Roller25-Jun-2021At the highest-scoring T20 ground in the world defending a total of 172 is near-impossible, not least with an in-form Colin de Grandhomme hitting 66 off 34 balls in a run-chase. But an extraordinary fightback and a dramatic collapse meant Somerset did just that to kick their Vitality Blast season into life and leaving Hampshire, once a proud T20 force, facing a fourth successive group-stage exit.Hampshire needed 53 off 36 balls when Lewis Gregory, Somerset’s captain, returned for his third over of the night, and when he conceded 18 off the first five balls with de Grandhomme cutting him away with disdain, it looked as though the game was up. But Gregory went round the wicket to angle one across de Grandhomme, who holed out to deep cover; Hampshire lost their heads, and five for 27 off the last 31 balls. When Chris Wood skewed a catch to cover off the last ball, Gregory roared in celebration: Somerset had a win in front of a home crowd under the Friday-night lights for the first time in two years.This was the second-lowest 20-over total that Somerset had ever defended at Taunton, two runs more than the 170 they had managed against a Gloucestershire side captained by Kane Williamson a decade ago. They were reliant on Tom Banton and Will Smeed’s half-centuries – they were the only two Somerset batters to reach double figures – but it was Marchant de Lange, recalled after missing the win at The Oval on Wednesday night, who was the real match-winner.This was not the flat track that is usually served up here. “There was a lot more grass and the bounce was a bit tennis-bally,” Banton said. “[de Lange] didn’t play the last game and was pretty upset but he showed his class.” He didn’t concede a boundary in his four overs, defending the short leg-side boundary to the right-handers, and started the squeeze in the middle of the innings to keep the game alive.It had looked for all money like it would be de Grandhomme’s night, only half an hour before he was sat in the makeshift away dressing room listening to a long enquiry into Hampshire’s fourth defeat in five completed games. He had taken the wickets of James Hildreth and his New Zealand team-mate Devon Conway, both chipping to mid-on in the second over – “I know how to bowl to him,” de Grandhomme smiled wryly afterwards – and while Banton had dished out some rough treatment in his last two overs, he was in the mood with the bat.Colin de Grandhomme drags himself off•Getty Images

De Grandhomme had driven straight down the A303 this evening from the Ageas Bowl, having taken a recovery day in the on-site hotel following New Zealand’s World Test Championship final win. “I had a good rest yesterday all day,” he said. “We had a good night, but then had a good day yesterday in the pit.” He hit 18 runs off his first four balls, including one six off Craig Overton that cleared both pavilions at midwicket and must rank among the biggest on this ground, and tucked into Gregory’s first two overs.Wearing a shirt bearing only his initials – perhaps Hampshire’s kit supplier charges by the letter – he put on 78 with D’Arcy Short for the second wicket and 44 with Joe Weatherley for the third, but with Liam Dawson absent on England duty, the rest of the middle order was unable to get Hampshire over the line. The decision to leave Sam Northeast out of the matchday squad for the last two weeks looks ill-advised at best, though at least their seven-match stretch of away games has finally come to an end.Related

• Jake Libby, Brett D'Oliveira put Worcestershire back on track with eight-wicket win

• Daniel Bell-Drummond fifty enough as Essex collapse before the rain

• Matt Critchley benefits from last-ball drop as Nottinghamshire tie again

• Arron Lilley cracks 99 not out as Callum Parkinson stymies Yorkshire run-chase

The win was set up by Banton, whose 77 was the second-highest score of his T20 career and a welcome return to form after a difficult year for him. He was the aggressor in a 58-run stand with Smeed – three years his junior in a boarding house at King’s College Taunton – and played his full range of shots, tucking into de Grandhomme over the leg side and reverse slog-sweeping Mason Crane for six.”In previous games [this season] I’ve just gone too hard, too early,” he said. “I’m quite emotional talking because that means the world to me to win that game. I’ve come back off a weird 12 months. It’s been hard for me – I’m not going to lie and I’m not going to hide behind that. It’s one of the worst games ever when it’s not going for you.”Smeed, meanwhile, found scoring much harder early on, eking out 26 off his first 30 balls before finally kicking on towards the end of his innings, dragging Somerset towards something defendable and marshalling the tail – no mean feat for a 19-year-old. Scott Currie, who took 4 for 31, was the pick of the Hampshire attack, hanging the ball wide outside off stump and taking the pace off; less than two hours later, he was trudging off in defeat after two hopeful swings from No. 9.

Allrounder will miss New Zealand Tests, while Chris Woakes also in doubt for first Test

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2022Surrey head coach Gareth Batty has confirmed that Sam Curran’s return to full bowling fitness is on track despite the England allrounder’s limited workload.Curran has sent down just 10 competitive overs since his Surrey return three weeks ago, following six months out with a stress fracture of the back.Those overs all came on the opening day of Surrey’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Somerset at the Kia Oval on April 21, meaning that Curran did not bowl in the subsequent matches Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire.Curran has already been ruled out for England’s upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand, which begins on June 2, while Chris Woakes is also an injury doubt for that first Test at Lord’s after struggling with injury – particularly to his shoulder and knee – since the end of an arduous winter campaign.Batty has confirmed that Curran is still fully engaged in his recovery programme, which is being managed and monitored by the county in direct consultation with England’s medical and fitness staff.”Sam is centrally-contracted by the ECB so England are ultimately responsible for the detail of his return to bowling fitness work,” Batty said. “But despite not bowling in the last couple of matches he is doing his overs behind closed doors and that continues to go well.”What we all have to remember is that Sam is still a young player, and sometimes it’s hard to think he’s only 23. And the real positive for him at the moment is that he has been able to concentrate more on his batting and, during these early-season Championship matches, to approach them mainly as a top-six batter.”He’s already shown, in his first three games of the season, just what a good player he is by the manner in which he has scored his runs. Sam is also the sort of cricketer who always wants to get better, be that with bat or ball, and I think he’s still improving all the time.”Related

• Forgotten man Sam Curran has 'itchy feet' but is happy to bide his time

• Ben Foakes faces concussion tests after sickening collision with Jamie Overton

• Surrey sign Colin de Grandhomme to replace injured Kemar Roach

• Luke Wright joins New Zealand coaching staff for limited-overs series

Curran has made scores of 80 and 33 against Somerset, 64 against Gloucestershire and 73 against Northants. All of his four Championship innings this season have been skilful and attacking knocks showcasing his shot-making ability and underlining a widely-held opinion in English cricket circles that he will eventually develop into a top-order batter who bowls relatively little.With three half-centuries and a top score of 78 from his 24 Tests, moreover, Curran has already highlighted his run-scoring abilities at the highest level, and it remains one of the curiosities of the modern game that after 118 first-class innings – and another 121 in List A and T20 cricket – Curran has yet to reach three figures. That first hundred cannot be too far away.Surrey, meanwhile, sit proudly atop Division One after the first five rounds of the Championship campaign and Batty – who took over as head coach from Vikram Solanki during the winter – could not be more pleased with a start of three wins and two high-scoring draws.Victories against Hampshire and Somerset were gained too despite the loss to injury in those games of, respectively, Kemar Roach and James Taylor, while Ben Foakes, Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope have all been forced to miss a match through injury or illness.Surrey’s strength in depth, though, has already allowed them to rotate quick bowlers Jamie Overton and Reece Topley from certain fixtures while the latest addition to their seam battery, Dan Worrall, has impressed everyone at The Kia Oval since arriving at the club in mid-April.Worrall, a 30-year-old Australian with three one-day international caps, has previous county experience from 2018 and 2021 with Gloucestershire and, as a British passport holder, is now a home-registered player.After taking five wickets in last week’s crushing innings win against Northamptonshire, Worrall said: “This is a great club to be a part of and everyone has been so welcoming to me and my family. I’ve signed for three years but let’s hope I can be here longer than that!​”I am excited to be here and I know what my role is in what is a terrific bowling attack. My time at Gloucestershire gave me valuable experience of English conditions and what I most learned there was the need to be adaptable on different pitches.”Sometimes it swings more and sometimes it seams more, so you have to adapt your bowling to whatever is in front of you.”

Seamer received no assurances about selection before being named in New Zealand’s provisional World Cup squad

Matt Roller12-Sep-2023Trent Boult is “very happy” to be back playing international cricket ahead of the World Cup in India, but said that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had never given him any guarantees about selection for the tournament when he negotiated a release from his central contract last year.Boult won his 100th ODI cap in New Zealand’s defeat to England at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday, taking 3 for 37 to mark his first international appearance since last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan. Hours later, his name was included in the provisional 15-man squad announced by New Zealand for next month’s 50-over World Cup.”It was great to be back in familiar surroundings,” Boult said ahead of Wednesday’s third ODI at The Oval. “It was a very good feeling, chucking back on the black ODI kit – and on the side, the individual milestone of 100 games added to that feeling as well.”When Boult stepped away from his central contract last year, he did not seek or expect assurances from NZC about selection for the World Cup but made his ambitions to play in the tournament clear, telling ESPNcricinfo earlier this year that he had “a big desire” to return to the ODI fold.Related

• Shubman Gill rises to career-best No. 2 in ODI rankings

• Trent Boult: 'It felt bizarre to have a Test on down the road and not play in it'

• Jason Roy embraces home comforts in final push to secure World Cup berth

• David Willey does the donkeywork as thoroughbred Archer returns to haunt his World Cup dreams

• Livingstone 95*, bowlers help England level series in rain-shortened contest

“Your spot is never guaranteed, and the decision was made over a year ago,” Boult said. “I decided to step aside and fully appreciated that giving my contract back would open the door to other players to come through. Selections were prioritised for the contracted 20 [players] in New Zealand and I fully appreciated that.”The decision was solely made around time away… with a young family, I couldn’t travel as much. It just became too hard. I prioritised my time with them and gave myself a chance to play some cricket around to world, to see what I could learn.”Selection for the World Cup was never guaranteed and I was never expecting it to be. I had to work for it and I’m very happy to be here. I just hope I can add value and take the tournament very deep, like we have in the last couple of attempts. I feel like we can really push this tournament to the final stages and give it a good crack.”New Zealand were runners-up in the last two 50-over World Cups and Boult admitted he still finds it hard to let the tied 2019 final go. “What was probably a little bit hard was coming back, after a year, to play for New Zealand, and it’s a rain delay and it’s the only game playing on the big screens at the ground,” he joked. “That pushed me a little bit.”The ODI World Cup is that big tournament that everyone wants to be a part of. I’ve been part of a couple so far and although there seems to be a world event every year, this ODI World Cup has always got a special feeling around it… once we touch down in India, I’m sure the feelings will be pretty strong with a lot of excitement.”

Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lutho Sipamla ran through the hosts’ line-up, reducing them to 161 for 3 to 178 for 9, picking three wickets each

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-201925 overs a sideShikhar Dhawan showcased his fluency with a 52 off 43, but that was not enough for India A as they lost to South Africa A by four runs after failing to chase a DLS-adjusted target of 193 in the fourth one-dayer in Thiruvananthapuram. South Africa A quicks Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lutho Sipamla ran through the hosts’ line-up, reducing them to 161 for 3 to 178 for 9, picking three wickets each.Resuming from 57 for 1 on the reserve day, needing 136 from 104 balls, India’s second-wicket pair of Dhawan and Prashant Chopra added a 79-run stand before Sipamla struck to remove the latter. Dhawan, who had scored more freely the previous day, played with more caution but fell shortly after bringing up his fifty to Jansen.With the asking rate climbing, Shivam Dube joined captain Shreyas Iyer, and the duo went for some big hits, including scoring 23 runs off a Sipamla over in their 51-run stand. But in the very next over, they both lost their wickets within a space of three balls to Nortje.Shikhar Dhawan steers one into the leg side•Getty Images

A collapse ensued as the next four batsmen fell in the space of 20 balls. Rahul Chahar at No. 9 battled alone, but couldn’t take India over the line as they finished at 188 for 9 at the end of 25 overs.Earlier, the visitors rode on Reeza Hendricks’ unbeaten 60 off 70 to post 137 for 1 in 25 overs.Opener Matthew Breetzke was the only one dismissed, for a 31-ball 25 that included two sixes and a four, legspinner Chahar accounting for him. Heinrich Klaasen blasted a 12-ball 21 that included three sixes to provide a late impetus. Klaasen arrived after captain Temba Bavuma retired hurt on 28.So far all four matches of the series, in which India A already have an unassailable lead, have been rain-affected.

New Zealand will still be well-placed even if they lose, though they would likely need to beat Ireland to ensure progress to semi-final

Matt Roller31-Oct-20224:28

Does Stokes fit into this England XI? Are New Zealand favourites?

Big picture

England and New Zealand’s last meeting in this format was an instant classic, a slow-burning epic which saw England’s World Cup hopes go up in flames.Just short of a year on, England will be staring elimination in the face once again, unless they can overcome one of the tournament’s two unbeaten sides at the Gabba. They would still be alive mathematically with a defeat on Tuesday night, but will be relying on Afghanistan beating Australia on Friday, before having to overcome Sri Lanka in their final fixture in Sydney. In short, this is a must-win.Net run rate shouldn’t be a major concern for England at this stage, thanks in no small part to Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker. Australia were heading for a convincing win on Monday evening when Ireland were 25 for 5, but Tucker’s unbeaten 71 closed the margin of defeat significantly. As a result, two wins be enough for England to reach the semi-final; and they have the advantage of playing the last game in Group 1.Related

• Collingwood backs Stokes to deliver with England looking to stay alive

• The future is uncertain, so savour Boult and Southee while you can

• Buttler frustrated by Eng-Aus washout but insists 'right call' was made

New Zealand have been hugely impressive in brushing Australia and Sri Lanka aside, and victory in Brisbane would seal for them a semi-final berth for the third successive T20 World Cup. Moreover, given their net run rate, they will be close to locking in the top spot. New Zealand will still be well-placed even if they lose, though they would likely need to beat Ireland in Adelaide on Friday to ensure their progress.Enough about the permutations and onto the game itself, which could be won and lost in the two powerplays. Trent Boult and Tim Southee, New Zealand’s opening bowlers across formats for most of the last decade, have been lethal with the new ball since arriving in Australia, while England’s top order is yet to fire. Jos Buttler has been very successful against Boult in T20s: but can he take his Rajasthan Royals team-mate down in Brisbane when it matters most?England’s seamers were excellent with the new ball against Afghanistan but were wayward against Ireland; they conceded 59 runs in the first six overs, with Chris Woakes coming in for particularly brutal treatment. Finn Allen is the key wicket: New Zealand blitzed 65 for 1 against Australia when he raced out of the blocks but stumbled to 25 for 3 against Sri Lanka after he fell early on.Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone could be shuffled up after limited opportunities so far this tournament•ICC via Getty Images

Recent form

England LWWWW
New Zealand WWLLW

In the spotlight

“The one person that you want in your team when the pressure is on is Ben Stokes,” Paul Collingwood, England’s assistant coach, said on Monday. Stokes has managed only 41 runs off 42 balls in his five T20Is since arriving in Australia, and for all his quality as a bowler, fielder and leader, now is the time for him to turn the intangibles into game-defining contributions.England’s batters have targeted Ish Sodhi whenever they have faced him in T20Is: he has nine wickets in as many appearances against them, with an eye-watering economy rate of 10.64 runs per over. Sodhi took the key wicket of Buttler in last year’s semi-final, and will need to be at his best on Tuesday night against a deep batting line-up.

Team news

England’s selection came under scrutiny after their defeat to Ireland but they were due to play an unchanged team against Australia before the game was washed out. As a result, it seems unlikely they will make changes barring a late injury, though Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali could be shuffled up the order after limited opportunities so far in this tournament. Stokes has hardly trained, but has been declared fully fit.England (probable): 1 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Harry Brook, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil RashidNew Zealand might consider bringing Michael Bracewell in to counter England’s left-hand batters•AFP/Getty Images

Mitchell Santner bowled a solitary over in last year’s semi-final, with Kane Williamson reluctant to use him against Dawid Malan and Moeen. England have added an extra left-hander to their middle order this year in Ben Stokes, which could block Santner’s use again; as a result, New Zealand might consider bringing Michael Bracewell, the offspinning allrounder, into their side.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 James Neesham, 7 Michael Bracewell/Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions

David Hussey describes the Gabba as “probably the best batting pitch in Australia for white-ball cricket”, and the numbers back that up: the average scoring rate there in men’s T20Is is 7.94 per over, the second-highest of any Australian ground. The pitch was on the slow side in Australia’s win against Ireland on Monday, and the same strip will be used on Tuesday, which could bring spinners into play.Bad weather has followed England around over the last week, and the forecast for the match is not the best either, with rain due to fall throughout Tuesday morning. However, the weather is expected to clear up later in the day, and the Gabba’s renowned underground drainage system could ensure the teams get on to the pitch.

Stats and trivia

• Buttler will become the second player to reach 100 men’s T20Is for England after Eoin Morgan, and will overtake his predecessor as their all-time leading run-scorer in the format if he can makes at least 64.
• Malan has dominated Sodhi during their previous meetings in T20Is, hitting 105 runs off the 58 balls. It is one of only five head-to-head match-ups in T20I history where a batter has scored more than 100 runs off a single bowler, where ball-by-ball data is available.
• Allen has the highest strike rate in T20 history among batters with at least 1000 runs.
• New Zealand have never played a T20I at the Gabba, and have a poor historic record there across formats. They have not won a game in Brisbane in the last 20 years, their most recent victory coming in an ODI against South Africa in January 2002.

Quotes

“It’s frustrating when you’ve got the rain around in Melbourne: it was almost like English conditions there. It’s nice to come up to Brisbane where it’s a lot warmer, and we’re all looking forward to getting a full 40 overs in.”
“Our brand of cricket might not look as aggressive as them, but we need to stick to what we have done well for a period of time, and make sure we throw our own punches in our own way.”

Derbyshire pair Harvey Hosein and Leus du Plooy post fifties in rain-hit fixture at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network25-Sep-2019Dawid Malan and Billy Godleman joined something of an exclusive club as the game between Middlesex and Derbyshire meandered towards a draw on day three at Lord’s.The respective captains became just the fifth and sixth batsmen in Division Two to reach 1,000 Championship runs for the season on the campaign’s penultimate day. Only Warwickshire’s Dominic Sibley has managed the feat in Division One.Malan’s came in a score 72 out of a Middlesex total of 260, while Godleman achieved four figures when reaching 19, going on to make 27 as Derbyshire replied with 199 for 4.The loss of much of the first two days to rain means without contrivance this game will peter out on the final day of the season on Thursday.Middlesex began a day which started 45 minutes late on 199 for 5 and Malan, left on 999 for the season overnight, raised his landmark by stroking his first ball to the cover boundary, but departed soon afterwards, lbw to Luis Reece, who claimed 4 for 61.Reece claimed his fourth wicket when Toby Roland-Jones was lbw playing no shot before Fynn Hudson-Prentice mopped up the tail, leaving James Harris 25 not out.Godleman and Reece started with a flurry of boundaries, the openers added 49 in fewer than 10 overs before Ethan Bamber removed the latter lbw for 26 with the score on 49. When Wayne Madsen went the same way first ball Bamber was on a hat-trick, but excitement got the better of him as a leg-stump delivery on the hip was tucked away for two runs by new batsman Leus Du Plooy.Nevertheless, Derbyshire were 55 for 3, having lost three wickets for six runs, when Godleman edged Roland-Jones to Malan at slip.Du Plooy and Alex Hughes steadied matters with a stand of 48, but Tim Murtagh returned to have the latter caught by Miguel Cummins at wide mid-off just before tea.The third session saw Derbyshire in charge, du Plooy finding an ally in wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein, the pair prospering against Middlesex’s seamers who persistently banged the ball in too short. Hosein was first to reach 50 from 80 balls with six fours, while Du Plooy took 31 deliveries more, but with eight boundaries.Bad light ended play shortly afterwards meaning another 16 overs were lost in this weather-ruined fixture.

‘I’m confident in that and when the big game comes Finch and Warner will nail it’

Alex Malcolm20-Feb-2022Matthew Wade has no doubt captain Aaron Finch and David Warner will be Australia’s opening combination for their T20 World Cup title defence later this year despite questions surrounding Finch’s form after a lean series against Sri Lanka.Australia lost the final T20I at the MCG but claimed the series 4-1 overall. However, Finch made just 78 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 91.76. In his last 17 T20I innings he has reached fifty just once and has nine single-figure scores with a strike rate of just 111.Related

• Australia takeaways: Inglis steps up, Finch's worrying form, and the Agar conundrum

• The Ashton Agar puzzle for Australia

• Kusal Mendis secures run-chase victory as Sri Lanka avoid whitewash

But Wade recalled the questions surrounding Warner heading into the last T20 World Cup and in the UAE, which he answered emphatically, and believes Finch will do the same.”It feels like these questions have come before potentially before the last World Cup and after the first couple of games about David,” Wade said. “Everyone had their say about Davey and he got player of the tournament in the World Cup. Finchy is a class player and I’ve heard people questioning where he’s at. He averages 40 and strikes at 140 for a reason.”He’s the captain of our team and the questions are always going to come when you get a little bit older and you don’t do well in one series.”They’re class players for a reason and the best we’ve had in T20 cricket ever, and I don’t expect any change at the top of the order to be honest. So those two will be there in the World Cup. I’m confident in that and when the big game comes they will nail it.”Wade made a brilliant 43 not out off 27 balls to lift Australia to a competitive total after they slumped to 5 for 82. It was just his third innings of the series and just his sixth in his last 12 T20I internationals. But his ability to deliver as Australia’s new finisher in that timeframe has been remarkable, having produced match-shaping hands in four of those six innings.Australia are intent on developing more chemistry between Wade and Marcus Stoinis in the lower-middle order and showed that intent by elevating Ashton Agar to open for two games in the series so that the pair could get more repetitions in the death batting roles.”It was nice to get a hit,” Wade said. “I know the role I’m playing now within this team. I know that opportunities aren’t going to come thick and fast. It was the same in the World Cup. It’s going to be the same in the next few series as well.”The position that I’m going to play dictates that I’ll just go there and take the opportunity that I can.”I feel really confident in what we’re doing down there. I feel backed by the coaching staff and the selectors that there’s going to be a real opportunity down there for myself and Marcus to kind of form that partnership that we’re looking for when the big games come around. Opportunities might not swing my way over the next little bit. But when I get an opportunity I feel confident that the whole team behind me.”Wade was also excited to potentially play a variety of roles in the IPL after he was bought by Gujarat Titans at last week’s auction.”I haven’t spoken to them exactly about what my role will be, but I would assume anywhere from opening down to seven I’m pretty comfortable with,” Wade said. “It doesn’t worry me too much. If middle order comes my way, then it’s another opportunity to get some game time in and play that role.”I know what I can do at the top of the order. I’ve done it for a long period of time now as well. I’m just really, really happy that I got the opportunity. It’s been a long time since I have.”I feel blessed in that I’ve been given the chance to go over there and play IPL again.”

“It’s going to be a very difficult Test. The pink ball can potentially suit them so we’ll have to be at our best”

Andrew McGlashan in Perth11-Dec-2019Tim Paine is relishing the prospect of his resurgent team being challenged by the second-best side the world and expects the pink-ball encounter in Perth to play to New Zealand’s strengths.Australia produced impressive cricket in the recently concluded two-Test series against Pakistan, and are set to name an unchanged team for the third match in a row, but the opposition barely competed beyond the opening session in Brisbane. It could be that Australia pull away in similar style in this series – there is a hint of the home aura returning – but they are unlikely to be offered the freebies that came their way at the Gabba and Adelaide Oval.”New Zealand are the second-best team in the world; they have some world-class players throughout their line-up and we know New Zealand teams have always been really tight, well-planned teams and very difficult to beat,” Paine said. “My message to the [Australian] team has been that if we continue to play the way we are we’ll continue to have success, it’s just that against the better teams we are going to have to do it for longer periods.”New Zealand will certainly work us over, there will be times when we are under more pressure, but as I said to the boys – that’s why we play, we want to be part of big series and this is one of those.”We played some bloody good cricket against Pakistan and we want to continue that, but we are just looking forward to a really good team coming to our backyard and testing us. That’s what gets Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins up and about, playing against the best players and best teams. I think it’s going to be a really tough, competitive series and we should all be excited by it.”Kane Williamson and Tim Paine pose with the trophy•Getty Images

New Zealand have acknowledged, in their very calm, understated way, that they have been served the toughest hand possible by starting the series in Perth – in terms of the pitch and weather – but in the pink ball they may have an element that helps balance the scales even though they are coming into the match off two red-ball Tests and without a warm-up match.ALSO READ: New Zealand must find room for Ferguson in Perth – Ian Smith “The change in conditions and adapting is the first step,” Kane Williams on said. “Whether you’ve played with a pink ball or not is outside our control. A lot of the guys have played with one before. So, the preparation over here has been important to make those adjustments as quickly as possible. It’s always hard to know what the perfect preparation is. The guys are excited about the challenge and the spectacle that is pink-ball cricket, which attracts some nice crowds and a very good atmosphere.”The pitch is expected to provide good pace and carry with cracks emerging later in the contest, but head groundsman Brett Sipthorpe does not expect “massive canyons” largely because the drop-in surfaces are within their own trays which prevent cracks from widening too much.”I remember two-inch cracks that used to be at the WACA running up and down. They crack more like a plate here. It’s different,” Sipthorpe said. “And because of the moisture we’ve got underneath – there’ll be plenty of cracks, but I don’t expect them to blow wide open. I mean you might see cracks of an inch or something like that. I can’t imagine them being massive canyons.”Paine hopes to see a similar surface to last year’s Test against India where ball held sway throughout but batsmen who showed application and skill were able to score runs.”I thought that Test was outstanding to watch, very entertaining, difficult to bat on which makes for better Test matches,” he said. “Hopefully it’s similar and we can see some real pace and bounce. There’s going to be some pretty extreme heat in the first three days, so perhaps it will crack up and be difficult at the back end. Hopefully it’s something like last year and I think people enjoy watching that.ALSO READ: ‘Hopefully there’s some pace and bounce’ – Langer makes Perth Test pitch“There’s one difference to last year and that’s the pink ball. New Zealand’s attack are excellent exponents of swing bowling. It’s going to be a very difficult Test. The pink ball can potentially suit them, so we’ll have to be at our best but we enjoy playing on surfaces that have pace and carry. It’s a tough venue for touring team to start, then the pink ball adds another dimension.”Paine is a supporter of pink-ball day-night cricket and followed his comments after the Adelaide Test, where he said people needed to stop comparing the pink and red balls, by lauding the new dimensions the format has brought to Test cricket. However, the impact of the nighttime portion of this match may be lessened by the earlier start.”What makes the pink-ball game so fascinating is that there will be different tactics: New Zealand will be looking at things and may do it slightly differently to us,” he said. “It’s all about trying to make sure you are doing what you want in the right conditions. I think it adds another layer to Test cricket, the tactics of declarations, batting or bowling first is slightly different. Again I think it’s something bowlers in particular enjoy but I think it’s another great layer to game.”

Cricket Victoria are making major changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2020The major job losses at Cricket Victoria caused by the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic have claimed the Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL head coach Tim Coyle who had been in the role three years.Last week Cricket Victoria confirmed a significant restructuring of its organisation in the wake of cost-cutting measures with community cricket especially hard hit.During Coyle’s time the Renegades reached the finals in both the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 seasons.”The challenges delivered by the current climate have forced us to reassess every area of our High Performance program and unfortunately this has led to the end of Tim’s tenure with the Renegades,” Cricket Victoria’s general manager of cricket Shaun Graf said.”This certainly takes nothing away from Tim’s contribution to the Melbourne Renegades in his time as Head Coach. He’s led the club to back-to-back finals campaigns and a number of players have graduated to the national team under his direction.”We’d like to thank Tim for his hard work over the last three seasons and wish him well for the future.”Last year the Melbourne BBL teams, the Renegades and the Stars, were brought under the Cricket Victoria structure. They have both lost major sponsors in recent months.Coyle’s departure also means both teams are now searching for a new head coach after Leah Poulton quit her position with the Stars after less than a month to take up a job as head of female cricket with New South Wales.

Cameron Green’s chances of playing have increased dramatically following a positive nets session

Alex Malcolm15-Feb-20231:24

O’Keefe breaks down difference between Australian & Indian spinners

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has admitted he is behind where he would like to be ahead of the second Test in India while Cameron Green’s chances of playing have increased dramatically following a positive nets session in Delhi two days out from the start of the match.Both players missed the first Test in Nagpur due to the respective finger injuries they suffered during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa late last year.Starc did not travel with the team to Nagpur and instead remained in Sydney to do four bowling sessions at home, some with a splint on his middle finger to protect his tendon injury while two were without.Starc has already had one bowling session in Delhi having arrived before the team did after flying in from Australia on Sunday. But speaking before Australia’s main session on Wednesday he admitted he was not as far advanced as he would like to be just two days out from the Test match.”There’s still a fair bit of restriction there,” Starc said.”Still lacking a bit of strength having been in a splint for six weeks. But it’s progressing – not as fast as I would have liked, but it’s as planned in terms of the medical stuff. There’s a few boxes to tick but it’s on track.”I’d like to be a little further down the road.”Still a good chance. It’ll come down to how it reacts by the end of the day, how the medical staff see it, how the selectors and Pat [Cummins] and Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] feel about it as well. I’ll do everything I can to be fully available for selection. Then it’s a discussion for the rest of the group involved.”Starc bowled two separate spells on Wednesday and batted in the nets for an extended period. He started the four-hour session with some outfield catching and then had a long bowl. It was only his fourth bowl without the splint. He bowled without the splint in Australia twice last week and then again on Monday. Prior to that he had been maintaining his bowling loads while bowling with the splint on and using his left index and ring finger to hold the ball.There was the odd sign of discomfort from Starc in his first spell but he appeared to look in decent rhythm. He batted without any discomfort before returning to have a second bowl to test it again after it had stiffened up. He was able to bowl again for a short period but his spell ended in some discomfort before holding a lengthy discussion with McDonald, Australia physio Nick Jones and selector Tony Dodemaide.How Starc recovers over the next 24 hours will dictate his availability. He is in line to replace Scott Boland as Australia would love to add some extra pace, left-arm variety and a greater exponent of reverse swing to their attack. He was an automatic selection and a key figure in their two-pace two-spin attack on the tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year. He will also create more rough outside the off stump for the right-hand batters which would help Australia offspinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy.”Nath [Lyon] gave me a big hug here,” Starc said. “We haven’t got too many right-handers. That’s always a discussion point being a left-armer. I’m a bit heavier on the crease than some of the other guys, who don’t make too many marks. That’s always going to come into play. If I do suit up for this second Test hopefully I can create a bit of havoc out there for the spinners.”Including Starc would come at the cost of the scoreboard control that Boland offered in Nagpur.Cameron Green at a training session•Getty Images

Green light for Cam?Green’s availability is vital to Australia although having both he and Starc at the selectors’ disposal does provide so many more options.Green had one of his best training sessions on tour so far. He caught hard balls in the outfield for the first time on tour having only caught soft balls in Nagpur. He had another long bowl in the middle and looked in good rhythm. There are no concerns about him being underdone from a bowling perspective.He also faced fast bowling throw downs in the nets for the first time and batted for well over an hour with batting coach Michael Di Venuto throwing to him the entire time with a side arm. The Arun Jaitley Stadium nets were incredibly low and slow and there weren’t any balls flung that reared up off a length to threaten his surgically repaired right index finger.Green did receive some sharp jabs of pain in the finger from balls that were struck off the toe of the bat, with the reverberation through the handle causing him to wince in pain. But he was able to push through and batted comfortably against both the pace throwdowns and spin bowlers. He still hasn’t faced an actual fast bowler since batting with the broken finger in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test where he made an unbeaten half-century while batting with a painkilling injection.But provided there are no adverse effects from his lengthy net session on Wednesday, and there is no concern that the bone still hasn’t healed properly, he is looking increasingly likely to play on Friday. His presence, even if not at 100%, adds so much flexibility to Australia’s line-up.It means Starc could play if they wanted to risk him given they will have a third fast bowling option. Or it could open the door for a third spinner to play with one of either Ashton Agar or Matthew Kuhnemann coming into the mix alongside Lyon and Murphy while Green plays as Cummins’ lone fast bowling partner.