All posts by n8rngtd.top

Four teams will contest the women’s challenge, and concussion substitutes will make an appearance

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jan-2020For the first time, a one-off all-star fixture, comprising players from all the eight franchises, will precede the IPL. The match will be played three days before the tournament’s opening match, which, as reported in December, is will be played on March 29. Both the opening match and the IPL final will be played in Mumbai, the home base of defending champions Mumbai Indians.ESPNcricinfo understands that the two teams for the all-star match are likely to be formed with players from the four franchises in the north and east of India – Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders – and the four teams in the south and west – Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai. No venue has been finalised for the match yet.It appears that the idea of the all-star match came from BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel. Both were present at the governing council meeting on Monday in New Delhi where the decision was made.Timings of evening matches unchangedOne of the key points discussed at the meeting concerned the start timings for the evening matches, an issue both the IPL and host broadcaster Star India have been discussing over the past few years. It is understood that Star wanted an earlier start than 8pm IST, because many matches stretch past midnight. However, several teams pointed out that starting early could hand the advantage to one team because of dew.Consequently, the IPL decided to leave the timing for the evening matches unchanged. Ganguly also said that there would just be four double-headers [days with both an afternoon and an evening match] in the 2020 IPL, continuing with the trend established over the past few years to reduce the number of day matches with the tournament being played in summer.The IPL did not announce the main tournament schedule even though the tournament is starting in two months’ time. BCCI officials did not reveal the reason for the delay, but it is learnt that the schedule is likely to be out later this week. One plausible reason could be to the late arrival of the Australia, England and New Zealand players. As per the availability periods listed pre-IPL auction, players from these three countries will arrive after March 31, as they would be busy with various bilateral series as well as the Sheffield Shield final.Four teams for women’s T20 exhibition matchesTaking another step forward towards a women’s IPL, the BCCI has decided to add another team to the women’s T20 exhibition matches it has been conducting over the last two IPL seasons. In 2018, two teams – Supernovas and Trailblazers – contested a one-off exhibition match, which finished in a last-ball thriller. Last year, a third team – Velocity – was added with four matches hosted in Jaipur, which ran parallel to the main IPL playoffs.For the 2020 season, a fourth team, not named yet, has been added to the mix. It is understood there will be seven matches, including the final, that are likely to be scheduled once again around the IPL playoffs.No-ball umpires get the nodThe IPL has also decided to let an off-field match official to supervise no-balls. The move is bound to be welcomed by the players considering the errors by on-field umpires over the years that have left many captains fuming.Last IPL, Virat Kohli, leading the Royal Challengers in a crucial match against Mumbai, called the umpiring standards “ridiculous” and club standard. Incidentally, the no-ball delivered by Lasith Malinga went undetected by S Ravi, one of the on-field umpires who was removed from the ICC’s Elite Panel last year.Taking cognizance of the players’ complaints, the IPL had discussed the issue last year, with Patel saying that an exclusive match official, separate to the TV and fourth umpire, would be in charge of supervising no-balls. Late last year, the ICC opted to reintroduce the no-ball umpire on a trial basis. The ICC, however, had entrusted the job to the regular TV umpire.Concussion substitutes to be introducedThe IPL governing council also approved the move to allow concussion substitutes from the 2020 edition. The match referee will be the final authority on who could come in as a substitute with the option of disallowing replacements if they are deemed not to be like-for-like.

Another century by Shivnarine Chanderapaul further undermined Yorkshire’s hold
on Division One status and edged Warwickshire closer to the County
Championship crown at Edgbaston

01-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Another century by Shivnarine Chanderapaul further undermined Yorkshire’s hold
on Division One status and edged Warwickshire closer to the County
Championship crown at Edgbaston.Needing to make 350 to have enough bonus points to overhaul Lancashire after
the leaders’ early defeat at Worcester, they were just about on course as
Chanderpaul’s 110 from 182 balls helped level the scores with six wickets down
at the end of the second day.Having dismissed Yorkshire for 281 in the morning, when Rikki Clarke mopped up
the last two wickets after signing a new two-year contract, the title-chasing
Midlanders did not have things all their own way when they batted. Ryan Sidebottom and fellow-seamers Ajmal Shahzad and Moin Ashraf bowled with purpose to capture the first four wickets for 137, but the in-form Tim Ambrose made an unbeaten 68 and shared in a stand of 135.For the second time in nine days Yorkshire’s bowlers were run ragged by
Chanderpaul’s powers of concentration and destruction. Having made 193 in 434 minute at Headingley Carnegie last week, the West Indies left hander adopted his familiar pose, crouched over the crease, almost square on to the bowler, and refused to budge for four-and-a-half hours.It has been Yorkshire’s misfortune to run into an exceptional player who is
targeting a third county championship after previously winning successive titles
with Durham. His arrival for the last five matches could be the key component in
strengthening a batting line-up in which only one of the top-order regulars has
averaged more than 40.This fragility was evident as Varun Chopra and William Porterfield edged
catches off Shahzad and Sidebottom, but Ian Westwood found some form as he
comfortably outpaced Chanderpaul in a stand of 67. Seven fours helped the opener to 55 before he was caught at first slip off Sidebottom, and when Jim Troughton followed suit, flashing at a ball from Ashraf, Yorkshire seemed to be in the box seat.However Chanderpaul continued to be the immoveable object, although not without
a delicate touch in finding gaps in the field. Ambrose, with ten fours in his
half-century, was generally the more forceful until his partner quickened up
with two sixes and six fours after reaching 50.Sidebottom finally gave Yorkshire renewed hope by breaking a stand of 135 when
Chanderpaul nicked a catch behind the wicket and the former England bowler also
trapped nightwatchman Chris Metters lbw in the final over. Somehow the Tykes have to find a way to win this match and then beat Somerset in the final fixture to have a realistic chance of finishing above resurgent rivals Worcestershire and Hampshire.

The rampant opening firm of Virender Sehwag and David Warner set up a comprehensive win for Delhi Daredevils despite an equally remarkable innings by Shaun Marsh

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2011 by 29 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPace and bounce? Yes, please, said Sehwag and Warner•AFP

Delhi finally feels like home for Delhi Daredevils. With players such as Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Morne Morkel in the side, they had been frustrated by lifeless home tracks that made stroke-play and pace bowling difficult. Before this game Sehwag demanded pace, and then in the company of Warner showed just why. They added 146 for the first wicket in 11.4 overs, an ideal platform for a comfortable win despite an equally remarkable innings by Shaun Marsh, and despite the continuing good luck of Kings XI Punjab’s openers who were both dropped on nought.With the ball coming on well on this green pitch, Warner and Sehwag let the bowlers feel their wrath. They were like beasts who had been uncaged after years of confinement, gorging on anything remotely loose. It is a scary thought to imagine what Sehwag would have managed had he not got out for 77 off 35, trying a fourth successive six off the fourth delivery of a David Hussey over. Sehwag even dived into his crease, one of the very few times he has committed that unbecoming act while batting, to bring up his half-century off 28 deliveries, one fewer that Warner took to reach his.Warner got to his landmark with a trademark pull deep into the stands, his second pulled six and third overall. Sehwag was on only 36 then. It takes some special hitting to dominate the strike and still not frustrate Sehwag. Warner managed that nicely. He began in earnest in the first over, pulling and cutting Praveen Kumar for fours. Ryan Harris managed to trouble him for a bit with the extra bounce, but Warner’s comeback was emphatic: a huge pull over midwicket to end Harris’ spell of 2-0-13-0 in a score of 35 for 0 after four overs.The floodgates had just begun to open then. Sehwag tucked into Praveen with three fours in the fifth over, Warner went down on a knee and lofted Shalabh Srivastava’s medium-pace over the sightscreen. The middle overs and spread fields mattered little as both batsmen moved to 59 each by the end of the 11th over. Enter Hussey, Punjab’s expensive signing, playing his first game this IPL. Sehwag showed his famous disdain for spin through sixes over long-on, cow corner and midwicket. A mis-hit off the fourth ball brought some decorum to the proceedings, with only 38 coming in the next 5.2 overs.That phase included Warner’s wicket for 77 off 48 balls. Temporary relief. Lull between storms. Harris came back to have his figures rearranged, ending with 48 off four to join two other colleagues with 40-plus aggregates to their names. Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha took 47 off the last three overs to post the third-highest total in IPL history, and Delhi’s biggest.Morkel made a further show of why a pitch with bounce suits Delhi more. He got lift, he got movement, he got an edge second ball, one that was dropped by Ojha. However, Morkel’s first spell of three overs for 20, four of which came through a misfield and 10 off free hits, left Punjab an asking rate of 13.2. A period of superb hitting followed, but despite 57 coming off the next four overs, they were just about keeping up with the rate. A five-run over from James Hopes turned the pressure back on, forcing Gilchrist to slog debutant Varun Aaron and miss.Marsh batted beautifully for his 46-ball 95, fetched mainly through proper cricketing shots in an innings that deserved to be on the winning side. He, though, was swimming against the current, and the current won.

The experimental format – featuring three teams in one game – will mark the return of cricket to the country in lockdown

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-20203:55

What exactly is the 3TC?

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has rescheduled the experimental 3TeamCricket (3TC) competition, which will flag off the resumption of cricket in the country, to July 18 – also celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day.Three teams – led by Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers – will all compete simultaneously in the same match for the Solidarity Cup at SuperSport Park in Centurion, with the game televised live. The line-ups and playing conditions remain unaltered.The announcement comes a day after the country’s sport ministry approved CSA’s plans of having the country’s national men’s and women’s team back in training.ALSO READ: Experimental 3TC format to kick off South Africa’s return to cricket”It’s very exciting to get live cricket, featuring our top players, back on our TV screens again,” CSA’s acting chief executive Jacques Faul said. “I can’t think of a more appropriate day on which to hold this game than Nelson Mandela Day, when its prime objective is to raise funds for those who have been badly affected by the coronavirus. It is still nearly three weeks away, so it also gives our players more time to prepare properly and to minimise the chance of injuries.”I would like to thank the government and our own medical team once again for everything they have done to make a return to training and playing possible. I would also like to add special thanks to the incredible sponsors involved in this event for their continued commitment towards the match and its beneficiary, the Hardship Fund.”The match was earlier supposed to take place on June 27 but had to be postponed as CSA hadn’t received government clearance for resumption of sporting activities.There has been no cricket in South Africa since the group stage of the domestic one-day cup was completed on March 15. The playoffs and final had to be postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with South Africa going into strict lockdown on March 27.Although South Africa’s lockdown has been eased over the last two months, the country is preparing for the peak of the pandemic, which is expected to hit between July and September, and could see stricter restrictions being applied in hotspot areas.The Gauteng province, in which SuperSport Park is located, is one such area and on Tuesday the country’s health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize warned that the province could return to an increased level of lockdown in the coming weeks. Professional sport is not permitted under those levels.

Marsh finishes 13-year career as most successful spinner in English women’s cricket history

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2019Laura Marsh has retired from international cricket after an England career spanning 13 years and three World Cup victories.Marsh, who turned 33 this month, started out as a medium-pace seamer, making her debut against India in 2006 before injuries forced her to reinvent herself as an off-spinner the following year. She finished as the most successful spinner in English women’s cricket with 217 international wickets across her career and as the country’s third-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs with 129.The leading wicket-taker in England’s 2009 ICC Women’s World Cup success, where she claimed a career-best 5 for 15 against Pakistan, she was one of one five members of that squad who went on to win again at Lord’s in 2017. Marsh was also part of England’s victorious World Twenty20 team in 2009.Clare Connor, the ECB’s Managing Director, Women’s Cricket, described Marsh as “a fantastic servant to English cricket”.”Her record ranks amongst the very best bowlers in the history of our game but the stats are only one part of her impact,” Connor said. “She’ll be remembered by those who have played with her and worked with her for her kindness, her loyalty and her relentless desire to improve. Laura was softly spoken but fiercely determined to play her part for the team.”Not many cricketers in the world have won three World Cups, and these are wonderful memories that Laura takes into retirement with her. She’s been the complete team player and a role model for England women’s cricket and she will be missed.”Marsh last featured for England during the Ashes in July, during which she played all three ODIs, the standalone Test – which was the ninth Test of her career – and two of the three T20Is, missing the final match in which England recorded their only win of the multi-format series.Marsh scored half-centuries in all three forms of the game, including 55 off 304 balls to help England to secure a draw in the 2013 Ashes Test and eventually win the series to regain the urn from Australia.She was left out of the England squad currently in Malaysia for ODI and T20 series against Pakistan amid a raft of personnel changes looking ahead to the T20 World Cup in Australia in February.

Women’s team coach says timing of coronavirus pandemic has minimised Cricket Australia’s financial impact

Daniel Brettig24-Mar-2020A postponement in moving Cricket Australia’s headquarters and a drastic cut down in travel may be among the measures the governing body will make to save cash in the time of coronavirus, while any decisions to reduce staff or salaries will be delayed as CA attempts to “absorb” the global pandemic within the business.CA has been compelled to look into a raft of saving measures to keep what cash the organisation can. This is over and above cash reserves that were around A$26 million entering the summer, augmented by the recent payment of rights fee instalments from Fox and Seven. CA had been planning to move its headquarters into rented office space while renovating its longtime headquarters in Jolimont, Melbourne, one of two large office properties the governing body can name as assets, alongside the A$29 million National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.Matthew Mott, coach of the T20 World Cup winning women’s side, said that while the message to all staff had been that CA would do its best to absorb the global suspension of sport to limit spreading of coronavirus, ways and means of becoming more efficient needed to be found in all departments of the organisation.”I can only go on the messaging we’ve had from our senior management, and this is an awful thing to happen to the whole of society, but in terms of timing we’ve been incredibly lucky,” Mott said. “We can shut down over Easter, we can shut down a few off-season programs. There will be huge financial implications, but timing wise if we were going to suffer something like this, the timing is not too bad.”We’ve been assured we’ve just got to make sure we come up with some really constructive feedback on how we can save some money going forward, but the expectation at the moment is that CA as a business can absorb this.”Obviously the longer it goes on, it’s going to put more pressure on everyone. I haven’t got a crystal ball, I don’t know how long this is going to last, nor does anyone, but in the short to medium term we’ve been assured that we’ve got enough equity and agility within the business to be able to absorb it, and we just need to be smart and pretty clinical about how we prepare and get our players ready.”In addition to having all staff work from home as of last week, CA will be able to find savings from a dramatic reduction in domestic and international travel, while the taking of paid annual leave among staff will be another option available to take cost off the governing body’s books. Mott was certain, however, that the women’s game would not be subject to cost-saving that might serve to stem the momentum that flowed from the World Cup and its technicolour finale, when Australia beat India in front of an 86,000-plus crowd at the MCG.”What we saw at the MCG just showed if you put the work in behind the scenes and you promote the game then the audience is there,” Mott said. “I think if anything the whole business is just going to have to be more efficient, and there’s going to be things that are cut out, it’s just the nature of where we’re at. I’m sure there’ll be input in both male and female programs about how we can get the best bang for our buck, and how we can be a lot more efficient. Everyone needs to work out what’s going to be the best for their programs, and how they’re going to make them run most efficiently.”It is a common lament among retired athletes that they never get the chance to stop, reflect and make balanced life decisions in the hurtling momentum of careers that last far less than half as long as those working regular jobs. Now, all of the world’s athletes will be taking stock, no matter where they sit on the road from rookie to veteran.”We’ve certainly put out messaging to our players, we’re going to have a break during this period here now, but often in those breaks you still think ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that’. Not just cricket but sport and the community, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on what’s important,” Mott said. “I think it’ll wear thin after a while, but I’ve absolutely loved being able to hang out with my family on the weekend, cook meals together and spend time together and just hang out.”There’s no pressure to be catching up with other people or stuff like that. I do think it is a great opportunity for everyone just to take stock, work out what’s really important in their lives, and just plan out what are the next steps. All these things have a funny way of happening for a reason. I think if you take a positive mindset towards them, you can really make them work for you.”I know there’s going to be people out there that are really struggling making ends meet, and it’s going to put a huge amount of financial pressure on a lot of people in our community and that’s incredibly sad, but there’s a lot of people also who can use this as a real positive driver to just work out what’s really important in your lives and make sure that when we get out of this situation, which we will, that we can really crystallise what’s important for us as a community and how we want to take ourselves forward.”Two players who were already looking at time for reflection were Ellyse Perry (torn hamstring) and Tayla Vlaeminck (foot stress fracture) who did not make it to the end of the World Cup campaign. Mott said that both were tracking to be fit to play within the normal timeframes for their respective injuries. Whether there will be any cricket to play yet by the time they are ready is another matter entirely. “It probably eases both their minds a little bit,” Mott said, “that they’re not missing out on as much as they would if we were over in South Africa.”

Persistent rain showers meant Nottinghamshire and Essex had to settle for a point each in Sunday’s abandoned Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Trent Bridge

17-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Persistent rain showers meant Nottinghamshire and Essex had to settle for a point each in Sunday’s abandoned Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Trent Bridge.Notts were invited to bat first in cloudy conditions and saw Alex Hales bowled by Graham Napier in the third over before rain arrived soon after. The innings resumed with the match reduced to 27 overs a side and Notts then collapsed from 70 for 2 to 127 for 7 in the 23rd over as Ravi Bopara (3 for 27) and Tim Phillips (2 for 21) shared five wickets between them.Heavy showers returned and although it was announced that Essex would have to chase 74 to win from 10 overs, the bad weather eventually saw the game called off at 6.50pm.Essex are now equal on 10 points with Group C leaders Somerset Sabres, while Nottinghamshire are back in fourth place having picked up five points from six matches.

Northamptonshire made an impressive return to County Championship action, totally dominating the first day of the match against Leicestershire at Grace Road

19-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Northamptonshire made an impressive return to County Championship action, totally dominating the first day of the match against Leicestershire at Grace Road. The Division Two leaders dismissed bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire for 168 with Lee Daggett and David Lucas claiming four wickets a piece before Stephen Peters hit an unbeaten 76 as Northamptonshire closed 32 runs behind on 136 for 2.Both wickets were taken by Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard, who bowled Ben Howgego for 26 and had Rob White caught behind for 22. Peters, dropped at slip on 54, shared an opening partnership of 83 with Howgego and reached his half-century off 65 balls with eight boundaries as he turned the screws on the hosts.Leicestershire would have been in an even worse plight but for a half-century from Wayne White, who shared a sixth-wicket stand of 80 with Tom New. But they lost their last five wickets for 13 runs in six overs and Peters’ solid innings in reply put his side in complete command.There was little sign of the problems to come when Leicestershire’s openers Will Jefferson and Matt Boyce put on 39 in 13 overs. Then Boyce was undone by a yorker from Daggett that knocked back his middle stump, the dismissal triggering a sudden collapse that saw five wickets tumble for 36 runs.Daggett struck twice more having Jefferson caught at midwicket and Andrew McDonald snapped up behind the stumps while Greg Smith was bowled as he pushed forward to a full-length delivery from Andrew Hall. A moment of misjudgement cost James Taylor dearly when he was given out lbw offering no shot to a ball from Jack Brooks that would certainly have hit the stumps.It left Leicestershire in disarray at 75 for 5 before a bright and positive sixth-wicket stand between White and New put the brakes on Northamptonshire’s progress. The aggressive White was the dominant force hammering 10 boundaries in a 77-ball half-century.But having put on 80 runs in 20 overs New carved a catch to point off Lucas and Leicestershire’s recovery ground to a halt with the last five wickets contributing little. White was out for 54 top-edging a catch as he tried to pull a short ball from Lucas and the tailenders all went cheaply. Lucas finished with 4 for 55 and Daggett 4 for 35.

Jacob Oram took four wickets and a great catch as South Africa collapsed from 108 for 2 to 172 all out in Mirpur, handing New Zealand a place in the semi-finals

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera25-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJacob Oram took four wickets and two catches to trigger a South African collpase in Mirpur•Associated Press

Oh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled ‘Time to ban the ‘C’ word’. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn’t come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.Even when Kallis fell – to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket – there wasn’t much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he made a complete hash of it and lost his stumps. With Duminy’s fall, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 121 for 4, in the 28th over, and the first signs of something special loomed over Mirpur.There was more heartbreak for South Africa fans in the next over. Faf du Plessis hit straight to midwicket and ran like a headless chicken. AB de Villiers should perhaps have refused that call but he responded, only to find himself well short of the crease. It was at this moment that New Zealand really sensed that this could be their night.The moment was so ripe that even Daniel Vettori, not known for sledging, gave some lip to du Plessis and Kyle Mills, who had carried drinks on to the field at the fall of de Villiers, got into the act. A visibly agitated du Plessis shoved Mills, the departing de Villiers returned to support his partner, and eventually the umpires had to get involved. New Zealand’s players swooped in to the crime scene and it was a classic Youtube moment. You could almost feel the pressure-cooker situation out there.New Zealand crowded the bat with close-in men, ready to sledge and eager to pile on the pressure, and Johan Botha cracked in the 33rd over. It was a lovely legcutter from Oram and Botha played down the wrong line to lose his off stump. Oram, who was the man who started it all with that Kallis catch, wasn’t done yet. In the 35th over, he lured Robin Peterson into edging an attempted cut to the keeper and South Africa were swaying away like drunken men at 132 for 7. South Africa’s nerves were frayed further when Dale Steyn square drove Nathan McCullum in the air to backward point, where who else but Oram accepted the offering.If Oram was the man in the forefront of New Zealand’s resurgence, du Plessis was the man seeking redemption for making that wrong call that led to the run out of de Villiers. In his brief international career, he has already shown a tenacity to remain relatively calm under pressure. And he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He was on 14 when Steyn fell, and he took ownership of the chase. He rushed down the track to slam Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 40th over, on drove Vettori to collect another four in the 41st, and even lifted Oram for a thrilling six over long-off in the 43rd over.It was in the same over that the game turned for one last time, and it was also an over that captured the entire madness of the evening. du Plessis had crashed the first delivery of the over back at Oram who couldn’t hold on to a very difficult chance, and once the six was hit, one had to ask the question: was the night turning for Oram? Was it swinging towards du Plessis? But du Plessis sliced the fifth ball straight to extra cover and South Africa had well and truly sunk into oblivion.The end was a far cry from the way South Africa started the day. They attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2; carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized. However, both Ryder and Taylor departed in quick succession but Kane Williamson made a vital 38 to push New Zealand to 221.It shouldn’t have been enough, it didn’t feel like enough, but it proved enough. It was a crazy crazy night in Mirpur. Ironically, Allan Donald, the man who was involved in the other famous South African choke, was in the other camp tonight.

Match Timeline

Top-order candidates for Sri Lanka part of four-day squad for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2019Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley will head to Australia after the conclusion of England’s Test series in South Africa after being selected in the four-day England Lions squad. Keaton Jennings, who has been tipped for a Test recall for Sri Lanka, is also included on the tour, which will encompass five 50-over matches and three four-day games.Saqib Mahmood, who was last week selected for the ODI squad in South Africa, is also in the four-day squad, along with a couple of candidates to strengthen England’s spinning options in Sri Lanka, in Dominic Bess and Amar Virdi. Kent wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson wins his maiden call-up.In the one-day squad, legspinner Mason Crane will get the opportunity to press his white-ball credentials, while there is a first call for Somerset captain Tom Abell, alongside three of his 2019 Royal London Cup-winning team-mates Bess, Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton.”We’ve selected two exciting squads for our Lions’ tour of Australia, where the aim is not only to win matches but to prepare players for international cricket,” ECB national selector, Ed Smith, said.”With this tour we’ve got England’s short-term needs in mind, with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and a busy summer schedule, as well as an opportunity to provide players with relevant experience for future Ashes series. Australia is a tough place to tour as an England player at any level, so it will be a great test for all involved.”Yorkshire’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore returns for the first time since being stood down over involvement in a WhatsApp group discussing sexual conquests. Also in line for Lions debuts are Warwickshire fast bowler Henry Brookes, Durham seamer Brydon Carse, Sussex batsman Laurie Evans, Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper Tom Moores and Kent seamer Matt Milnes, all of whom are in the 50-over squad.ECB performance director Mo Bobat said: “In addition to meeting England’s Test needs, one of our goals is to broaden and strengthen our white-ball talent pool in order to deliver sustained success across both formats. We have some exciting young players travelling in the squad this winter who we believe have what it takes to step up in the future. With several young players selected for the England ODI tour of South Africa, the Lions can provide a developmental opportunity to an extended group of players.”In selecting our squads, we have given careful consideration to players who have been presented with franchise cricket opportunities and, for some, these competitive experiences are exactly what they need at this stage of their development.”Our selections have been underpinned by progressive discussions with the counties about each player’s best interest and I’d like to thank the counties for their collaborative approach to informing our decision-making.”The Lions will depart the UK on January 21, with 50-over matches scheduled against Cricket Australia and New South Wales XIs, followed by four-day fixtures against Australia A, Cricket Australia XI and New South Wales XI.England Lions 50-over squad: Tom Abell (Somerset), Dom Bess (Somerset), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Matt Milnes (Kent), Tom Moores (Nottinghamshire), Craig Overton (Somerset)England Lions four-day squad: Dom Bess (Somerset), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Sam Northeast (Hampshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Kent), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey)