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Former captain passes 10,000 runs as he and Ben Foakes complete fourth-inning chase

Alan Gardner05-Jun-2022England 141 (Crawley 43, Southee 4-55) and 279 for 5 (Root 115*, Stokes 54, Jamieson 4-79) beat New Zealand 132 (de Grandhomme 42*, Potts 4-13, Anderson 4-66) and 285 (Mitchell 108, Blundell 96)After three madcap days to begin England’s new era of Test cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, there was an air of serenity around their march to victory on the fourth morning at Lord’s. Joe Root provided the quality and the clarity to cut through the gloom, bringing up his hundred and 10,000 runs in Test cricket with the same shot, as New Zealand’s challenge – which had seemed sunk the moment they were 45 for 7 on day one – finally fell away.Root’s century, remarkably his first in the fourth innings of a Test, formed the bulwark of a chase of 277 that had been in trouble at 69 for 4 but became increasingly comfortable as the former captain took control following Stokes’ fortune-favoured fifty on the third evening. He was ably supported by Ben Foakes during an unbroken century stand that never gave New Zealand a sniff; Foakes finished on 32 not out, having played his most important innings since a century on debut during a Man of the Series performance in Sri Lanka four years ago.That the result remained in the balance, after England had reached 59 without loss in reply to New Zealand’s first-innings 132, was testament to the fighting qualities shown by Kane Williamson’s side. Having limited England to a nine-run lead, they had the look of favourites after the 195-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell – but Stuart Broad inspired another turnaround and the game continued to ebb and flow until Root’s decisive contribution.He finished the job himself with three fours in an over from Tim Southee, walking off to a standing ovation, as well as handshakes from the opposition. This was his 26th Test hundred, his third of the year already, and his first back in the ranks. Life under the new regime hasn’t changed a jot for Root.Despite a murky morning greeting those arriving at Lord’s, it was soon clear that New Zealand had their work cut out for them. The juice that contributed to 23 wickets falling across the first four sessions of the Test had long since dissipated, and they began the day with a ball that was 65 overs old. Root shuffled down to Southee’s first delivery, pushing hard but settling for one after flicking off his pads, as England looked to start positively.The prospect of the second new ball coming around an hour into the day encouraged the venturesome approach. After Stokes’ frenetic counter shifted the balance on the third afternoon, Root had ticked up almost imperceptibly through the gears – from 34 off 89 at the point when England lost their fifth wicket, he scored at exactly a run a ball to finish on 115 from 170.There was greater intent about Foakes, too. Kyle Jamieson, who threatened to decide the contest single-handedly on Saturday, returned to the attack in the third over, having shifted back around to the Nursery End. His second ball was driven confidently back through mid-on by Foakes, only a diving stop from Southee preventing four, and the wicketkeeper further settled England nerves a couple of overs later by threading the first boundary of the morning through backward point.Jamieson was punched for straight fours by both batters, as Root moved into the 90s. A chop past his stumps off Southee moved him within sight, before a clip through midwicket two overs later brought him a comfortable two and a loud rendition of “Rooooooooooot!” from around the ground. His ninth hundred since the start of 2021 continued a purple run of batting, as he became the 14th man overall to 10,000 in Tests, and the second Englishman after Alastair Cook.By that point, any tension about England’s ability to knock off the runs had eased. Williamson gamely made several attempts to get the ball changed, but the breakthrough that would have given New Zealand a crack at the home side’s lengthy tail was not forthcoming, and the winning runs came inside 14 overs – Root’s beneficence extending to a full refund for the crowd – and before the weather could close in to delay the inevitable, putting England 1-0 up in the three-match series.Defeat for New Zealand was their first against England in Tests since the 2015 result on the same ground – a match that was significant for Stokes as a player in a way that he will hope this one is for his captaincy. It also ended a run of nine Tests without a victory for England, as the Stokes-McCullum axis hit the ground running; even if it was more of a stroll for Root.

Lions left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso has been reported for an illegal action following his team’s win against Warriors in the semi-finals of the Momentum One Day Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016Lions left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso has been reported for an illegal action following his team’s win against Warriors in the semi-finals of the Momentum One Day Cup on February 25.In accordance with the ICC’s regulations and Law 18 clause 2.25, Phangiso’s action will now have to be tested in “as soon as reasonably possible but, in any event, within 21 days of receipt by the Player’s Home Board of the notice.” He will be tested on Friday at the ICC-accredited High Performance Academy at the University of Pretoria. Fourteen days after that test, an ICC appointed specialist will furnish the body with written report which will determine whether Phangiso’s action is legal or not.Phangiso, who has played 16 ODIs and nine T20Is and has taken a combined tally of 29 wickets for South Africa, is part of their squad for the upcoming World T20 in India. The time frame for his testing means that Phangiso’s performance in the World T20 could be affected. Even if he is tested immediately, the 14-day period for the analysis would only conclude on March 10, after the first round of the tournament begins. Changes to squads are allowed until March 8, which may see South Africa’s selectors look for another back-up spinner to Imran Tahir.When contacted on Thursday morning, South Africa’s convener of selectors, Linda Zondi, was in a meeting and unavailable for immediate comment. It is likely him and his panel will consider another option to Phangiso. Eddie Leie, who has played two T20s for South Africa, could come into contention if he recovers from the hamstring injury which kept him out of the one-day cup semi-final in time.This is the third time this year Phangiso has made headlines. In mid-January it emerged that he had been prevented from boarding an international flight following South Africa’s ODI series win in India because he was drunk and disorderly and CSA had subsequently handed him an unknown sanction. This week, Phangiso had to apologise for being caught on camera pretending to sniff an unknown substance off his leg during South Africa’s T20 against England at the Wanderers. Phangiso was in the dug out and his gesture took place when South Africa were batting. He said it was a lighthearted joke but understood that in a country with a drug problem, it was inappropriate.

Dhoni also hails the performance of seamers despite CSK suffering an early exit

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20222:54

Manjrekar: There’s more to Mukesh Choudhary than just swing

Coming into Thursday night’s game against Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, in all their seasons of the IPL, had never been bowled out for below 100 while batting first. All good runs have to come to an end, however, and Super Kings crumbled to 97 all out in conditions at the Wankhede Stadium where the ball swung right through the first 10 overs of their innings.Super Kings lost the match, as expected, with 31 balls remaining, but they still had positives to take out of it, with their new-ball combination of Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh bowling their eight overs in one go and reducing Mumbai to 33 for 4 at one stage.Choudhary picked up 3 for 23, all his wickets the product of the left-armer’s traditional mode of inswing to the right-hander and outswing to the left-hander. Simarjeet finished with 1 for 22, finding Rohit Sharma’s outside edge with a good-length ball that left him late.Related

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MS Dhoni, the Super Kings captain, was full of praise for his new-ball pairing during his post-match interview with .”Irrespective of how the wicket is, anything below 130 is very difficult to defend, but still, what I asked the bowlers was to show a lot of character, put the opposition under pressure, forget about the result, and I feel both the youngsters, both the fast bowlers, they bowled really well,” he said. “So as far as their contribution is concerned, I feel a game like this really helps them. They start believing in themselves by saying, okay, irrespective of the conditions, whenever we start, we need to have the same kind of attitude, and that’s what is needed in the shortest format.”Super Kings’ hopes for IPL 2022 were dealt a major blow even before the season began, with Deepak Chahar – whom they spent INR 14 crore (USD 1.84 million approx) to reacquire at the auction – picking up a back injury that eventually ruled him out of the competition. The prospect of calling on all three of Chahar, Choudhary and Simarjeet next season is one that enthuses Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming.”I thought the new-ball bowling of Simarjeet and Mukesh was outstanding,” he said at his post-match press conference. “They’ve been developing – Mukesh all the way through the season, so for him to now feel confident enough to bowl a spell like that, and Simarjeet’s only three games in, four games in, so they’ve made real gains, so that’s a positive. So with Deepak Chahar to come back into the side, there’s some good options with the new ball.”9:41

Mute Me: Is Umran Malik ready to play for India?

Fleming was heartened that Choudhary and Simarjeet had delivered their new-ball performances in a difficult situation for Super Kings.”Yeah, I thought it was really impressive,” he said. “We could have folded, but they really gave us an opportunity, and both of them bowled well. Mukesh in particular had the ball really swinging well, and Simarjeet’s got some deceptive pace.”So we’re really positive about that pairing going forward. It was just disappointing that we didn’t have more runs to play with, but out of that, out of the ashes, came those two. So it was a good way to look at it.”Choudhary and Simarjeet are among a line of young Indian fast bowlers who have impressed during this IPL season; Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan, Yash Dayal, Kuldeep Sen and Arshdeep Singh are five other uncapped seamers who have caught the eye.”It’s good to have them,” Dhoni said. “We have gone through periods when we never had real extraordinary bench strength of fast bowlers, and also what happens is, with fast bowlers, they take their time to mature. If you are lucky you get somebody who in six months’ time can feature in all the different formats, whether it’s Test cricket, one-day or T20, and I feel that’s what IPL is doing.”It’s an opportunity for them, and a lot of them, they have become slightly more bold, a bit more courageous which I feel is important in a format like this. They want to take the opposition head-on, and that has been the difference. Yet, you see a few who are not those types, who shy away a bit initially, but as they play more games, they get more and more confident and they are able to execute their plans better.”

Alastair Cook believes his England side are ready to create history and shed their unwanted record as they prepare to meet India in the final of the Champions Trophy.

George Dobell22-Jun-2013Alastair Cook believes his England side are ready to create history and shed their unwanted record as they prepare to meet India in the final of the Champions Trophy.England are the only side involved in the tournament never to have won a global ODI competition. They have reached the finals of three World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992) and one previous Champions Trophy (2004) but have always finished runners-up.While Cook accepted that India deserve to go into Sunday’s final as favourites, he expressed confidence in his team’s ability to prevail and admitted victory would rank as highly as any achievement in his England career to date.”I’m fully confident in our guys that we can upset India here,” Cook said. “India are unbeaten and have played some very good cricket. But I’m fully confident in our guys. The lads have delivered two excellent performances under pressure in the last two games and I can see no reason why we can’t do it tomorrow.”We’ve been playing some good cricket and it’s an opportunity we’re desperate not to let go. The lads are ready. I’ve never seen them as relaxed as we have been leading up to a big game. But I’m looking around in the guys’ eyes and I know they’re ready to play.”We haven’t won a global 50 over tournament, as everyone keeps reminding me. So we’re desperately keen to try and change that. It would be a great achievement if we can win and one which we will cherish. There’s certain moments in your career where you remember more than others, and if we can win this then I think that would be right up there.”It will be of little consolation if they fall at the final hurdle, but England can take some satisfaction from their progress to the final.After years of modest ODI form, England have developed a side that has shown they can challenge in global tournaments. While they were well-beaten by Sri Lanka, they have subsequently won what amounted to two knock-out games in succession and can look ahead to the 2015 World Cup knowing that the vast majority of this squad should still be available.

England’s near misses

• 1979 World Cup: Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott gave England a great start before it all went wrong chasing a Viv Richards-inspired West Indies

• 1987 World Cup: England were cruising at 135 for 2 in pursuit of Australia’s 254 but the chase blew up after reverse-sweep from Mike Gatting.

• 1992 World Cup: Again England were asked to chase and again faltered, this time to Pakistan galvanised by Imran Khan.

• 2004 Champions Trophy: England had all but won defending 218 against West Indies but Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw played the innings of their lives.

England have also progressed without two of their best players. Kevin Pietersen has missed the whole event, while Graeme Swann has played just once.It appears Swann may well not play in the final, either. Not only did Cook reiterate the view that Swann will not be risked if there is even “a slight doubt” over his fitness, but James Tredwell’s fine form has alleviated any need to rush Swann back. Indeed, there are many who feel that Tredwell deserves his place on merit, whether or not Swann is available. Swann bowled “a few balls” in the nets on Saturday and was described as “recovering well” by Cook.Tim Bresnan is also available having missed the semi-final to witness the birth of his first child. Bresnan was replaced for that game by Steven Finn, who took the vital wicket of Hashim Amla, but England have huge respect for Bresnan’s skills with bat and ball and he could well return.A new pitch has been allocated for the final but, in common with most modern pitches at Edgbaston, it is still likely to aid spin and, perhaps, reverse swing. Having been under the covers for much of the last couple of days, it may also prove helpful to the seamers for the first hour. As of Saturday afternoon, the groundstaff at Edgbaston were very happy with the state of the outfield and reported no drainage problems. But the weather forecast is not promising.A shared title – the scenario if no result is possible on Sunday – would be an unsatisfactory conclusion to a successful tournament. While it would, in theory, end England’s winless run in global ODI events, would do so in hollow fashion. The ICC insist there is no precedent for having reserve days in the Champions Trophy – there actually was a reserve day in 2002 – but it does seem a shame an extra day could not be found for the final, at least. While England and New Zealand begin a largely meaningless two-match T20I series on Tuesday, the make-up of the sides is vastly different.There are those who suggest that, so often does the weather intervene in England and Wales, that they are not suitable venues for such competitions. It is an understandable reaction, but perhaps the positives of England and Wales hosting events – full houses for games between neutral countries and enthusiastic multicultural crowds – should not be dismissed. It does rain in other countries, too. The 2007 World Cup final, in the Caribbean, was interrupted by rain, while the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka was shared between India and Sri Lanka after poor weather interrupted play on two successive days.Cook suggested that England could take confidence from their recent home record against India, but such analysis could equally work the other way. While it is true that India failed to win a single game on their 2011 tour, England have won only five of the last 20 ODIs between the sides going back to the start of 2008. What is more, India would appear to have the batting firepower to adapt should the game be reduced in overs. For India to come to England – where their record is modest – and win such a tournament with a newly restructured team would represent a fine achievement.In some ways, this match represents a clash of ODI cultures. While the India side is packed with explosive batting talent, England possess several technically correct, patient players who will build innings in quite a different way. Their critics say it is an outdated method but, should they win, they will have strong evidence to vindicate their strategy.

Keith Barker hits back with four wickets as Hampshire find late new-ball breakthroughs

Cameron Ponsonby21-Apr-2022Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 12th first-class century dominated day one, but a late collapse and a four-wicket haul from Keith Barker would see Hampshire finish the day slightly on top with the score at 271 for 7.It is easy to forget that Bell-Drummond is still only 28. His professional debut in cricket came over a decade ago and he was just a teenager when England’s new managing director Rob Key dubbed him as a player with the potential to play 100 Tests. And even ten years on, he is still England U19’s all-time leading run-scorer.Key’s prediction seemed particularly astute when Bell-Drummond, aged 21, scored a 92-ball century against Australia in 2015 and followed it up in 2016 with a first-class season where he averaged 68.07. Glory awaited.But then the runs dried up. Whereas he scored nine first-class centuries in the first five years of his career, the following six would add just three more (including today), as his red-ball runs were replaced with white. His form with the bat mirrored the wider pattern of the domestic game, where England’s short-format batting stocks are growing deeper than ever, while anyone with a pulse and Ed Smith’s phone number got a go at the Test team’s batting order. It is a recognition of Bell-Drummond’s lack of form in 2017 (avg 24.39) and 2018 (19.00) that even from the highs of the previous years the call never came.Nevertheless, given the clear potential Bell-Drummond had shown in the first half of his career, and the subsequent England selection policy of backing the potential of youth, you could be excused for wondering whether Bell-Drummond ever felt hard done by that the punt on potential that others have since received was never an opportunity afforded to him a few years earlier.”No, not at all”, Bell-Drummond said at the close of play. “I think if I was good enough then, I should be good enough now. I probably haven’t been as consistent as I’d have liked since 2016, so not at all. If anything, I see it as the opposite. Obviously, everyone loves a cap but I want to make sure I’m good enough if I get to that level. I think times are changing as well, Alastair Cook was playing then and a few runs were being scored. It’s been in the media about the wickets – obviously, we’ve had some really good ones here this year, but I think it’s a really different time. I don’t have any regrets.”It would be too much to describe this innings as a redemption for Bell-Drummond but it will hopefully be a new beginning for a player who only last year had found himself out of the Kent side. And lessons too can be taken from the success of Bell-Drummond’s team-mate Ben Compton, who today scored 27 in his first innings in a Kent shirt that hasn’t finished with him reaching three figures.Compton, a late entrant to the first-class game, has been celebrated as an example of where determination and commitment to a goal can take you. His reward would appear to be the potential of a long professional career now ahead of him. And yet the newbie Compton and the veteran Bell-Drummond are, of course, the same age.”I definitely do take admiration from Compton and how he’s started,” Bell-Drummond said. “It’s been unbelievable, to be honest. Maybe he expected it, but I don’t think we thought we’d signed this calibre of player. But he’s an awesome player and he’ll go from strength to strength.Related

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“But it just shows his ambitions and how strong he is mentally. I take a lot from that. That’s the main thing I’ve learnt. In terms of my career, I just try to take each day as it comes. I know how good I can be, but I just really want to be more consistent. I’ve done really well in white-ball cricket, so now it’s just about adding the red-ball side to it.”Both sets of skills were on show today as Bell-Drummond played the seam of Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas and Keith Barker with patience while targeting the short leg-side boundary when facing the leg spin of Mason Crane.And for as long as Bell-Drummond was at the crease, the day looked set to be a dominant occasion for Kent, whose only brief wobbles with the bat were right at the start of the day when Zak Crawley edged behind off the bowling of Abbas and then, 100 runs later, when Compton and Tawanda Muyeye fell in quick succession.The double breakthrough had sparked some life into Hampshire, with captain James Vince bellowing “150 for 5!” across the ground in both hope and expectation as the hosts stood at 113 for 3.But Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox, who made 51, would take Kent past 200 and beyond, and it was only in the last hour of the day that Hampshire looked like taking any sheen off their efforts, with Kent sitting pretty at that stage on 239 for 3.But when Bell-Drummond was given lbw off the bowling of Abbott for 149, Kent proceeded to collapse. It is the nature of the four-day game that while good things take a long time to arrive with the bat, bad things can happen very quickly. And in the final hour Kent would lose four wickets for just 26 runs as Barker struck twice with the second new ball to add to his earlier wickets of Muyeye and Compton.”They bowled well with the second new ball so the game’s still in the balance,” Bell-Drummond said. “Obviously we’d have liked to have gone in three-, four- or five-down at the end of the day but we’re still pretty content and for the most part it was a good day.”

Five players, all between 20 and 26 of age, have given the visiting side a rare day to remember in New Zealand

Mohammad Isam02-Jan-2022Bangladesh were desperate to have their batters go about their work in a (calm) way, and find some joy in the process after a tough 2021. Appropriately, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudul Hasan Joy, with a patient 104-run second-wicket stand, did the needful in the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui.New Zealand are the Test world champions, especially formidable at home. Therefore, to bowl them out for 328 and then finish the second day on 175 for 2 – just 153 short – with the runs coming from two young batters means a lot for a struggling Test side like Bangladesh.”The younger guys today played phenomenally,” Neil Wagner, who has picked up both the Bangladesh wickets to fall so far, said after the day’s play. “I thought they played patiently. They didn’t really give too many opportunities. They hung in there. They were prepared to dig in. They left the ball quite a lot. It made us ask more questions, and take wickets. It gave them the opportunity to score.Related

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“I thought that they played really well. Full credit to them. I thought when the ball was there to be scored, they scored. They also left well and defended well.”But, to make it Bangladesh’s day, it needed more than just those runs. Shoriful Islam, the 20-year-old left-arm quick, added Rachin Ravindra’s wicket to the two he had on the first day to get Bangladesh going on the second morning, and offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, very experienced despite being just 24, got rid of most of the tail. This was the first time New Zealand were bowled out for less than 350 by Bangladesh on home turf.That put the onus on the batters. If they failed to build on the bowlers’ work, the pressure would be right back on the top four, who were woeful at home against Pakistan recently.Shadman Islam, older than the others at 26, 23-year-old Shanto and 21-year-old Joy were part of the top four that looked incapable of buying a run against the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, and were expected to be under fire against New Zealand’s quicks. On the day, they were not.Shadman and Joy added 43 for the first wicket to set a platform, but Shanto batted like the ideal No. 3, mixing defence and attack smartly. He was the aggressor of the two during their big stand, driving beautifully – he hit Neil Wagner, Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson for fours straight down the ground.Shoriful Islam picked up three crucial wickets•Getty Images

“Joy and Shadman gave us a nice platform. It was handy for me. When I joined Joy at the crease, we just focused ball-by-ball, over-by-over and then on to the number of hours,” Shanto said. “We didn’t want to force the issue. We didn’t set big goals, like runs or overs. Joy batted well, but I think it would have been a better day had I remained unbeaten at the end too.”Joy did survive a close lbw shout off Wagner – the New Zealanders thought he had inside-edged the ball, but a review would have sent the batter back. But otherwise, it was a chanceless 211-ball stay for Joy, who ended the day on 70. Shanto got out for 64, but he had done the job before that.Mehidy, who has come up through Bangladesh’s Under-19 system like Joy, Shanto, Shadman and Shoriful, said that the batting performance had given the team a lot of confidence.”It was a very good partnership,” he said. “Our top order wasn’t getting these partnerships recently, so this has given us a lot of confidence. We have to bat well in the first session tomorrow. I think we have a long way to go.”Mehidy was particularly effusive in his praise for Joy’s performance. “His innings is definitely a positive sign for our team,” he said. “His batting definitely helped the team. Joy batted well, took his time. He didn’t look like he was a new player. He adjusted well to the conditions and situation.”He is a member of the Under-19 World Cup-winning team [in 2020]. He did well in South Africa last year, and also made runs in domestic cricket before coming into the senior side. I think he has a lot to give to Bangladesh. The whole team has appreciated his batting.”

Preview of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in Ranchi

The Preview by Nikita Bastian14-May-2013

Match facts

May 15, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can Pune Warriors’ season get any worse?•BCCI

Big Picture

It’s hard for the average fan to find much significance in this game, but Kolkata Knight Riders would disagree. Their chances of progressing to the playoffs are mighty slim at the moment, but it’s still mathematically possible. And they have been keeping that flickering hope alive by winning their previous two matches, while others have done their bit for them, too – Mumbai Indians came from behind to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab, who are also trying to fight their way out of a very tight corner, handed Royal Challengers Bangalore their first defeat of the year at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Knight Riders have to win their remaining two matches now, and do it with as big a margin as possible to boost their net run rate, and hope Sunrisers and Royal Challengers keep losing.Knight Riders will be glad that one of their two upcoming must-wins is against Pune Warriors. Bottom-of-the-table Warriors have long since been out of this tournament, and have looked clueless more often than not. For them, this match is all about preventing their losing streak from extending into double digits: they have lost nine in a row since showing so much promise by beating Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. Considering they have lost 33 out of 44 IPL matches (10 wins, 1 no result) overall, and 21 off the previous 23, any victory however insignificant would be most welcome.

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders: WWLWL (most recent first)
Pune Warriors: LLLLL

In the spotlight

How will the pitch at the JSCA International Stadium play? On IPL debut, the Ranchi track proved to be quite hard for Knight Riders and Royal Challengers to handle, with the latter scratching to 115 for 9 before the ‘hosts’ got across the line with only four balls to spare. While Murali Kartik said it was difficult to judge with its slowness and two-paced nature, Jacques Kallis said the surface wasn’t quite fit for T20 cricket. Even Royal Challengers franchise owner Siddharth Mallya was critical of the pitch, tweeting “The JSCA int’ stadium in Ranchi is simply outstanding…Best in India after Chinnaswamy by far…Shame about the wicket tho…” But curator Shyam Bahadur Singh, while defending the pitch, has confirmed that the same strip will be used on Wednesday; the teams, and the fans in Ranchi, will be hoping it plays a bit better this time round.

Stats and trivia

• Pune Warriors’ win/loss ratio in the IPL is a woeful 0.30. That’s far worse than even the two now-defunct franchises, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Deccan Chargers, who had ratios of 0.75 and 0.63 respectively
• After four matches, Warriors are yet to beat Knight Riders
• Fourteen games into their season, none of the Knight Riders batsmen have an average of 30 or more (three matches minimum)

Quotes

“Today we didn’t make enough runs. Last match we went for too many runs in the death. It’s a mixture of a lot of things.”
“Be it any situation, we as a team enter the ground thinking about a victory. We do not play to participate.”

The former captain was expected to bowl in this game, but that now appears unlikely

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Nov-2021Angelo Mathews’ role in the ongoing second Test against West Indies in Galle could be substantially restricted after he picked up a thigh strain on the second morning.He sustained the injury while running a single in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and ended up having to retire hurt, when on 12, presumably to receive further treatment in the dressing room.Mathews did return to bat after a gap of just under eight overs, during which four Sri Lanka wickets fell. Coming in essentially at No. 10, Mathews completed only one hobbled single, choosing instead to remain in his crease and try to clobber boundaries. He hit two straight sixes and a four in the company of the tail, before becoming the last batter to be dismissed, scoring 29 of Sri Lanka’s 204.When West Indies came out to bat, Mathews did not take the field. He had been expected to bowl in this match, but that now looks unlikely. He will be assessed over the next 24 hours, but given his long-standing problems with hamstring, quad, and calf injuries, it is possible that he will not field, and only bat if required.This is Mathews’ first international series since May. In the first Test, he had hit 3 and 69 not out.

Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said more than his innings, India earning a bonus point was more satisfying

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said that earning a bonus point was more satisfying than his innings.India were in a difficult position in the tri-series before the start of the match because they had lost their first two games – the second against Sri Lanka being one of their heaviest defeats – and needed to win this match to keep their chances afloat. India’s much-vaunted batting line-up had struggled for fluency at Sabina Park, but at Queen’s Park Oval the openers responded with a 123-run opening stand to set an ideal platform. Kohli, despite limited support from other middle-order batsmen, ensured it wasn’t wasted.”We got a good start. It’s a bit of a tricky situation if you go in after a good start,” Kohli said. “You don’t know whether to play yourself in or go after the bowlers. To get a hundred in my second game as captain, I am pretty happy. I was getting good starts, but hitting that one shot straight to the fielder, so I was waiting for this big innings. But more than the hundred, I am happy we won with a bonus point.”Darren Sammy credited Kohli for lifting India’s score beyond 300, but said that West Indies’ bowlers could have bowled better. The fast bowlers were expensive and even Sunil Narine wasn’t able to control the flow of runs, giving away 35 in his five overs.”We have to give credit to Kohli and the Indians for the way they played. We did not bowl as well as we know we can,” Sammy said. “That is one area where we went wrong today. India played really well. They knew they had to come hard at us, to get a win and stay in the tournament, and they did just that.”Chasing 312, West Indies lost Chris Gayle early to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who struck again in his next over to dismiss Darren Bravo. A rain disruption added to West Indies’ woes as the target was readjusted to 274 off 39 overs, but none of the West Indian batsmen stayed long enough to put up a challenge.”The way Kohli played just goes to show what can happen when a set batsman stays in to the end of the innings,” Sammy said. “We had two very good innings in Jamaica when Chris [Gayle] got a hundred against Sri Lanka and [Johnson] Charles got 90 against India to win those two matches for us, but we did not get any real big partnerships going today.”West Indies are still placed at the top of the table with nine points and need to win their next match against Sri Lanka to confirm their entry into the final.”We are still very much in the tournament. Today we lost but there is need to panic,” Sammy said. “We are still at the top of the points table and we have all to play for when we face Sri Lanka on Sunday. We still believe we can win this tournament. We will regroup and look to bounce back when we meet Sri Lanka on Sunday and look to move into the final.”

The West Indies quicks had reduced South Africa to 37 for 3 before Elgar and Verreynne added 87 for the fourth wicket

Firdose Moonda18-Jun-2021Dean Elgar, in his second Test as permanent captain, top-scored with 77 as South Africa negotiated a tough batting day against a much-improved West Indian side. Facing a must-win situation to share the spoils in the series, the hosts’ four-pronged pace attack made good use of the movement on offer in seamer-friendly conditions to make inroads into South Africa’s line-up early on and kept their visitors relatively quiet, with a run rate that stayed under three an over throughout the day.Shannon Gabriel, on his return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first Test, was the most successful bowler on the day. Gabriel was used in short bursts, never bowling more than four overs in a spell, and took 2 for 47. Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kyle Mayers took one wicket apiece and Jason Holder, whose 14 overs cost just 25 runs, held an end even though he went wicketless.Between them, the quicks reduced South Africa to 37 for 3 inside 18 overs before Elgar and Kyle Verreynne shared a fourth-wicket stand of 87. Verreynne was dismissed in the last over before tea but Elgar took South Africa to within three overs of the second new ball being due and put on 79 for the fifth-wicket with Quinton de Kock, the centurion from the first Test. de Kock remained unbeaten on 59 off 103, at a strike rate of 57.28, the quickest of the match so far.

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Under cloudy skies and after morning rain, the toss was delayed and play eventually started 15 minutes late and was interrupted after three-and-a-half overs for another ten minutes by a passing shower. By then, South Africa had already lost their first batter. In the second over, Aiden Markram chased a short, wide delivery from Gabriel and was caught at backward point by Roston Chase. This was Markram’s sixth Test duck and he equalled the most number of scoreless dismissals by any opener since his debut in September 2017.Elgar shares that record with Markram and was at risk of going past him and departing for a second duck in the series. He was beaten twice by Roach and squared up by Gabriel before the rain break and went into it scoreless. But he returned to find his first runs with a boundary and battled through most of the rest of the day.At the other end, Roach found Keegan Petersen’s outside edge but the chance fell short of third slip. Petersen did not look comfortable against the moving ball and though he survived a stifled appeal for a catch down the leg side, he did not last long after the introduction of Seales. In his second Test, Seales struck with the first ball of his third over when he tempted Petersen into the drive off a ball that moved away from him. Petersen edged to Holder at second slip.Rassie van der Dussen was bowled after shouldering arms to a Roach inducker•AFP/Getty Images

Elgar started to look more convincing when he drove Seales through mid-off but he was beaten by Holder’s first ball, a beauty that pitched on middle and off and moved away then went back into his shell. He battled on, but Rassie van der Dussen couldn’t. Roach, who had switched ends from when he opened the bowling, got the ball to move into van der Dussen several times in his sixth over to set him up, and then did the same with the third ball of his seventh when van ver Dussen shouldered arms and was bowled.Verreynne stayed with Elgar until lunch and through most of the second session showing glimpses of the aggression he has become known for in domestic cricket. But he also had his nervy moments. He was beaten several times after that and survived an lbw review off Mayers, who surprised Verreynne with a ball that nipped back into him from outside off and hit him on the back pad. West Indies reviewed but ball-tracking showed it was going over the stumps.Elgar had been watchful throughout that period but played a few shots in anger. He brought up South Africa’s hundred with a flick off a Roach full toss and his own fifty when he top-edged a Gabriel short ball, which ended up being a no-ball, off the 146th delivery he faced.Two overs later, Verreynne attempted a pull off Gabriel, who had returned for a pre-tea burst, but did not get hold of the ball as it swung down the leg side. He was given out caught behind and reviewed but UltraEdge confirmed Verreynne’s bat had made contact.de Kock picked up where he left off in the first Test and approached his innings positively. He punched a full Chase delivery between extra cover and mid-off, hit Gabriel through the covers and spurred Elgar on to some more aggressive strokes too. The captain pulled Seales through midwicket and drove Holder down the ground to enjoy some reward after an innings of mostly hard graft.The pair seemed set to take South Africa to the close but in the 78th over, Mayers bowled Elgar with a delivery that came back into him and squeezed through the bat-pad gap. West Indies ended up not taking the second new ball instead opting to wait until the morning to make use of it, when conditions may again be ripe for swing. They’ll look to repeat their first morning’s performance but will also be aware of the number of extras they gave away on the first day – 42 – the third-highest scorer in the innings.