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Stokes takes four wickets but Robson, Holden, Andersson fifties leave Durham on back foot

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2022Toby Roland-Jones tore through Durham’s top order at Lord’s to strengthen Middlesex’s chances of pressing for victory on the final day. Roland-Jones dismissed the visitors’ first three batters in quick succession to leave them reeling at 18 for 3 in their second innings after Middlesex had secured a handy lead of 72.That advantage was secured by Sam Robson – who came close to registering a third consecutive LV= Insurance County Championship hundred with 84 – and Max Holden, whose 71 was his third half-century of the campaign.Martin Andersson built on those solid foundations by hitting a belligerent 62, while Ben Stokes finished with 4 for 72, but the England Test captain’s qualities with the bat may also be required if Durham, who closed 47 behind, are to save the game.Related

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Stokes delivered a fiery initial spell from the Nursery End after Middlesex began the day at 88 for 2, sending down a bouncer that dealt Robson a glancing blow on the chest.Robson recovered to reach his 50, driving Stokes through gully for four, but he lost overnight partner Josh de Caires soon afterwards, caught behind swishing at a Stokes delivery that seamed and left him.Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb also departed during the morning session, bowled around his legs for 14 to provide some reward for a tidy stint by Ben Raine.However, Holden eased himself into the groove, looking productive on both sides of the wicket and nudging Matt Salisbury twice to the third man boundary as he and Robson put together a partnership of 63.Although Raine returned to have Robson caught behind, Holden progressed to his half-century, surviving a close call when he pulled Stokes and Brydon Carse, fielding on the square leg boundary, could only assist the ball over the rope.Ben Stokes took four wickets in Middlesex’s first innings•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

The left-hander’s good fortune ran out when Chris Rushworth (3 for 60) took the new ball, persuading him to nibble at a rising delivery outside off stump and hand Ned Eckersley his third catch of the day.John Simpson’s dismissal immediately after tea, neatly caught on the fence by Raine for 41, slowed Middlesex’s scoring rate, yet Andersson raised it again by clattering Carse for a flurry of boundaries to overtake Durham’s total of 350.Andersson drove Salisbury for successive fours, lifting his partnership with Hollman to exactly 100 and equalling Middlesex’s record eighth-wicket stand against Durham, but the seamer took instant revenge, bowling him through the gate.Stokes removed Hollman and Tim Murtagh to wrap up the innings for 422, before Roland-Jones cemented Middlesex’s advantage by having both openers – Alex Lees and Michael Jones – caught behind in his first over.Keegan Petersen was the third batter to depart, lbw to Roland-Jones for five, but Scott Borthwick and nightwatchman Salisbury battled through to stumps.

Galle CC and Kalutara TC both finish on a remarkable 30 for 9 in Sri Lanka’s Major Clubs T20 tournament

Madushka Balasuriya06-Jun-2022
6 overs a sideTwo Sri Lankan clubs have combined to accomplish a truly unique feat during the ongoing Major Clubs T20 tournament, setting a record for the lowest aggregate in a tied game in representative men’s T20 cricket.The feat was accomplished when Kalutara Town Club (KTC) and Galle Cricket Club (GCC), in a rain-truncated six-overs-a-side game, both incredibly finished on identical totals of 30 for 9.Just two of the 12 overs bowled in the game failed to bring about a wicket, while the match average of 3.33 is also the lowest of any T20 fixture that has lasted beyond 10 overs.Unsurprisingly, a bulk of the wickets – 15 – were picked up by left-arm spinners, in what was a customary spin-friendly Sri Lankan domestic surface, while the four run-outs and two stumpings accurately paint a picture of a frenetic game of cricket.KTC’s Inshaka Siriwardena recorded the game’s, and his, best figures of 5 for 5 in two overs – including one over which brought four wickets. The haul sees him summit the tournament’s wicket-takers list. Galle’s Kawsitha Kodithuwakku, meanwhile, was the only batter from either side to get into double digits, with 12.The result however does little for either side’s prospects of qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament, which sees the group leaders from four groups comprising either six or seven teams qualify; after this result, KTC remain one point off the bottom of the group, while GCC are third, three points off the top with just one game to play.As per the tournament’s playing conditions, a Super Over will be played following a tie only from the knockout rounds.The game between KTC and GCC was one of 32 matches that had been rescheduled after rain had washed out a spate of games last month. While it is unusual for domestic games abandoned due to rain to be rescheduled, the tournament is being used primarily as a means to identify players to be included in the draft for the Lanka Premier League in August. Sri Lanka Cricket therefore felt it would make more sense to reschedule the games.

The board says it will not ‘rush’ into any decision to resume cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi17-May-2020On Sunday, the Indian government relaxed restrictions on sporting events, allowing them to resume behind closed doors in the country, and as far as cricket is concerned, it means the IPL could take place in 2020.The BCCI welcomed the government’s decision, but said it was premature to think about the IPL at this point. The IPL, though, can take place subject to travel restrictions being eased and a window being found for the tournament, which the BCCI postponed indefinitely in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.While extending the countrywide lockdown by a further two weeks until May 31, in a directive listing activities that would continue to be prohibited or allowed, the Indian government said: “Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open; however, spectators will not be allowed.”To further emphasise the point that gatherings of all kind would not be allowed, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said: “All social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/culturual/religious functions/other gatherings and large congreagtions” will continue to remain prohibited.All domestic and international air travel – “except for domestic medical services, domestic air ambulance and for security purposes or purposes as permitted by MHA” – also remains prohibited.Arun Dhumal, the BCCI treasurer, said that for cricket activities to resume, travel restrictions within the country would need to be eased. “Taking into the account the restrictions on air travel and movement of people till May 31, the BCCI will wait further before organising a skill-based training camp for its contracted players,” Dhumal said in a media statement issued by BCCI. “The board reiterates that the safety and well-being of its athletes and support staff is paramount and will not rush into any decision that can hamper or jeopardise India’s efforts in containing the spread of the virus.”The IPL has been postponed due to coronavirus pandemic•Getty Images

Asked whether the BCCI would now start thinking about conducting the IPL later this year, Dhumal told ESPNcricinfo that it was too early to think about the tournament. He said a window would first need to open up in the cricket calendar in addition to governments worldwide allowing international travel so that overseas players’ participation could be guaranteed.The IPL franchises concur with the BCCI’s cautious optimism. One franchise chief executive said the government’s decision today would “have an impact” on the BCCI, which can now, he said, “present a case to have the IPL.”Overall, cricket will take a while to resume locally with various prominent states, including Maharashtra and Karnataka, still under complete lockdown. Although the BCCI has discussed conducting individual training programmes wherever possible once travel restrictions are loosened, some of the stadiums have been handed to local governments to be utilised as quarantine centres for those infected by the coronavirus.”The BCCI will study guidelines at the state level and will work in sync with state cricket associations to chalk out a programme for skill-based training at a local level,” Dhumal said.The India men’s side’s next scheduled assignment is a tour of Sri Lanka in July, which includes three ODIs and as many T20Is. Dhumal confirmed that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had written to the BCCI expressing its keenness to host that series, but without permission from the Indian government to travel, it is far too early to predict whether that series will go ahead or not.

South Australia gave themselves a chance defend a low total but Marnus Labuschagne rallied the chase

Daniel Brettig20-Oct-2019Test batting aspirants on both sides were left without much to show for themselves for the second innings in a row as Queensland’s Sheffield Shield contest with South Australia was left poised for a tight finish after no fewer than 18 wickets fell on day three at the Gabba.Of those batsmen in contention for the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane next month, no-one managed more than Joe Burns’ 22 to go with 39 in the first innings. Travis Head (a duck and 12), Usman Khawaja (2 and a duck) and Alex Carey (14 and 20) were all left shaking their heads, with the Queensland captain least happy of all.Shaping to defend a left-arm delivery from Nick Winter, Khawaja was beaten on the inside edge and the ball appeared to brush his thigh before he was given out caught behind. Khawaja, having been lbw in the first innings, lingered at the crease, knowing his chances for a big score to press for a Test recall are starting to run out.Burns’ exit was more clear cut, at the start of a sequence in which the Bulls lost 5 for 7 having been 0 for 47 in pursuit of 150 for victory. After Burns, Khawaja, Matt Renshaw, Charlie Hemphrey and the debutant Bryce Street all fell in the space of three overs, Marnus Labuschagne and the wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson steadied the chase to leave the hosts requiring another 48 runs on the final morning.They required as many as 150 only through a spirited last wicket stand of 61 between Chadd Sayers and Wes Agar, after the Redbacks had again folded to the Queensland seamers on a pitch that had quickened up over three days though no longer offering much sideways movement.An opening stand of 37 ended when Jake Weatherald cut forcefully but straight to backward point. Jake Lehmann ended a wretched match with a pair, nearly lbw first ball then caught behind when trying to leave his second.Head got to double figures but was dismissed by a ball delivered from around the wicket once again, swishing wildly at Cameron Gannon to slice to gully, before Henry Hunt was unfortunate to be lbw to Michael Neser as the ball looked to be angling down the leg side. Tom Cooper edged an away swinger to Renshaw at slip, and Carey was annoyed at himself to nick an attempted forcing stroke in the same direction.

Michael Atherton describes dramatic Rawalpindi victory as “one of England’s finest-ever Test-match wins”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2022Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton led the plaudits for Ben Stokes after his England side sealed a dramatic final-day victory against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, a result they described as “one of England’s finest-ever Test-match wins”.Immediately after England’s winning moment, Hussain described the result as “one of the greatest Test-match victories you’ll ever see”, and praised Stokes’ performance as captain.”I do not think I’ve seen a better week of captaincy than what we’ve just seen from that man,” he said. “They had to get everything right to go 1-0 up and they did.Related

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“It was fitting it was [Jack] Leach with the last wicket, because Stokes has backed Leach all the way through since he took over as captain. [With] Brendon McCullum as well off the field, he has changed the culture and the mindset of this England side. Since they took over, eight matches, seven wins, one loss: the Stokes and McCullum era is changing the face of Test-match cricket.”Hussain and Atherton, who are working for the host broadcast and for Sky Sports in the UK, were both involved in England’s last Test victory in Pakistan – the famous win in the dark in Karachi – more than two decades ago in December 2000.Speaking later on Sky, Hussain added: “I can’t remember either in my playing days, watching cricket growing up, or commentating, a better performance. A performance where you have to get everything right, burst every sinew and walk the walk after talking the talk. I would say it is one of their greatest-ever victories away from home.”Atherton told Sky’s studio that Stokes would go down as “one of England’s most significant captains” due to the transformative effect he has had on their style of play since taking over from Joe Root earlier this year, and echoed Hussain in describing the result as one of England’s best Test wins.”Only 13 captains have declared in the third innings and lost,” Atherton said, “and that tells you that captains generally err to the side of caution in Test cricket when it comes to declarations, especially in the first Test of a series. Stokes erred the other way here, and he got his rewards. It was a fantastic declaration; it was still a lot of runs to get, but this was the flattest of flat pitches.”All his moves have paid off – tactically and strategically. It has been a masterclass of a performance from Ben Stokes, the captain. You always felt it was going to happen. You just felt that given England had made all the running, the gods were going to look kindly upon them and give them that final wicket. They certainly deserved it.”I struggle to think of another England team that would have won on this surface, and therefore it’s got to go down as one of the finest of England’s Test-match victories: a brilliant declaration by the captain at tea time. As we said yesterday, even if that had gone against England today, whether Pakistan had sneaked home or if the game had been drawn, I don’t think you’d have found anybody criticising that declaration.”

Credits Rahul Dravid, under whom he trained during his ban, for playing a role in mentoring him during this difficult time

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2019Playing his first competitive cricket in six months following a ban for doping, Prithvi Shaw hit a match-winning 39-ball 63 for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He felt down at one point during his time away from the big stage, Shaw said, but “got his act together” as the day of his return drew nearer. He credited Rahul Dravid, under whom he trained at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru during his ban, for playing a role in mentoring him during this difficult time.The 20-year-old, who made his Test debut last year, was suspended in July for a doping violation during the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in February this year. A BCCI release at the time stated that Shaw had “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups”, leading to the ban.Shaw returned to action on Sunday at the Wankhede stadium, helping Mumbai, who were coming into this game at the back of an upset against Meghalaya, to an 83-run win against Assam to put them on top of the Group D points table.”This period [of suspension] has been a big learning experience for me,” Shaw was quoted as saying by . “Obviously, I committed a mistake. I had no idea what I was consuming. In that period, I was alone and was trying to stay away from people and their advice. I kept telling myself that I can get out of this mess and be mentally strong.ALSO READ: Shaw, Bhuvneshwar back in action in contrasting styles“I got a lot of love and support from a lot of people. There obviously was a period where I was not feeling too well. But then, as the day of my return drew closer, I started to get my act together. If I had gone into my shell at that point of time, I would have felt pressure during the game. I committed a small mistake, now all that is in the past.”Speaking of his time at the National Cricket Academy, Shaw said: “A lot of focus was on training under Rahul sir’s guidance. I had to clear the yo-yo test. What also helped was that during the practice nets, good bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron were available and Rahul sir was always there for guidance and sorting out mental issues.”Shaw made his Test debut against West Indies in October last year, hitting an impressive century to become the youngest Indian Test centurion on debut, and followed it up with a half-century in the next Test. He was then picked for the Australia tour, but he injured his ankle in a warm-up match, which ruled him out of the series. He was not picked in the Test squad for the West Indies tour in August because of a hip injury, and following that the news of his ban came out. As a result, he missed out on the home Tests against South Africa in October and the ongoing Bangladesh series.”I never thought something like this would happen. I was obviously upset. For the first 20-25 days after I was banned, I was not able to make any sense of things. After that, I stabilised and kept myself mentally strong. Each day was hard,” Shaw said. “I was desperate to play a game. I was excited about today’s game and what better than a victory. I’ll keep scoring runs; this is my job.”

The same two teams will face off again in the WTC final at The Oval in London in early June

Sidharth Monga13-Mar-20232:44

What could India’s XI look like for the WTC final?

The comatose pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad had the final say as Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne batted Australia to a comfortable draw in front of the humongous but empty stands. Thus, a fourth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series ended in an identical result: 2-1 to India.India needed to win three Tests in the series to secure their participation in the World Test Championship final against other results elsewhere, but they received good news just as the second session was beginning: New Zealand had won a thriller in Christchurch to deny Sri Lanka, the only side that could challenge India’s progress to final. The India huddle was seen shaking hands just as it was confirmed that Kane Williamson had completed the bye that won them the Test off the final ball.Related

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Trailing India by 88 at the start of the day, Australia needed to bat a little over two sessions to practically ensure the draw. Although the ball did a little more than it had earlier, they lost just the two wickets in the day. One of those would not even have been out had it been a proper batter and not the nightwatcher Matthew Kuhnemann, who didn’t review the lbw call off R Ashwin with the ball missing leg.It was a day of some triumph for Head and Labuschagne. Labuschagne began the series as a key batter if Australia were to succeed, didn’t score a fifty in the first three even though he kept making desperate changes to his game to succeed. Head came with a question mark on his game against spin – even within his team, which didn’t play him in the first Test.Head found the opening spot thanks to the injury to David Warner and eased their potentially tricky chase in Indore. Both Head and Labuschagne missed out in the first innings on a pitch made for batters. In the second innings, they put their heads down and both went past 50 for the first time in the series.The conditions did get progressively difficult as the Test progressed, but the pitch was so slow it didn’t result in actual wickets. The control percentage went from 90.3 in the first innings to 90.7 in the second to 86.8 in the third innings. Normally, Tests start with those third-innings numbers and get progressively difficult.2:22

Chappell: Australia didn’t learn a lot about their play in this series

No matter the flatness, funny things can happen when you are trying to save a Test. Also, Usman Khawaja, Australia’s leading run-scorer for the series, had injured himself and was going to bat only if desperately needed. Head and Labuschagne made sure there was nothing of the sort even after Kuhnemann fell early on the day.Head also made sure the runs came quickly, which took Australia to parity and then past India’s lead. Labuschagne was in no rush: he just wanted to enjoy his time in the sun. The closest India came to getting him out was when Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin found his inside edge, but Jadeja didn’t have a short leg at all, and Ashwin didn’t have a backward short-leg.Head was nearing what would have been an immensely satisfying hundred, but Axar Patel did him with a flighted ball that landed in the rough. It got him to 50 wickets in just 12 Tests even though he has got just three in this series.By the time the final session began, the only matter of interest was if Labuschagne would get to a hundred. That interest was killed pretty quickly as he kept patting back half-volleys, and added just seven to his 56 at tea. Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara got a bowl too, and the teams shook hand at the earliest possible moment they could have done so: with 17.5 overs remaining.Australia declared at that point to give India 15 overs to bat, which is when the sides can agree to end a Test in a draw. That was as emphatic a statement as any against the pitch rolled out for the Test.

The Netherlands batter backs the side to move forward and learn from the defeat against Sri Lanka ‘as quickly as possible’

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-20237:49

Maharoof: The new-ball spell of Madushanka and Rajitha set up the win

If this was the Netherlands of 2007, or perhaps even 2011, Sybrand Engelbrecht may have soaked in the satisfaction of notching up an important personal milestone – a maiden ODI half-century – in a World Cup fixture. But the class of 2023 thinks differently.Three nights after stunning South Africa in a sensational defence in Dharamsala, Netherlands appeared to have gone cold early on against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. Feet weren’t moving, wickets kept tumbling, the scoreboard appeared stalled and there was a sense of hopelessness to proceedings at 91 for 6. Teams of the past may have unravelled. This Netherlands team didn’t.Related

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Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek hit sprightly half-centuries in a 130-run stand that brought them back into the game and gave their bowlers a score to defend. It wasn’t to be, though, despite the best efforts of their spinners who had combined figures of 4 for 125 off 28.1 overs in a defence of 263; Aryan Dutt was particularly impressive with his offspin that brought him 3 for 44.”I must admit it’s still a bitter pill to swallow,” Engelbrecht said after Netherlands’ six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in which he made 79. “Getting 260-odd after that start we thought it was a very competitive score. Maybe the pitch got a little bit better, but I thought they controlled the innings really well. And we just didn’t quite pitch up today with the ball, unfortunately. So, yeah, not the ideal result for us, but we’ll move forward and we’ll try and be better and learn from this as quickly as possible.”Engelbrecht was particularly effusive in his praise for van Beek, who struck his maiden half-century (59) on Saturday. His enterprise during their partnership helped take the pressure off Engelbrecht, who was the more industrious of the two.”I think a lot of credit needs to go to Logan, I thought he batted brilliantly, and we just tried take it as deep as possible,” he said. “We just told ourselves, if we can get to the last ten overs with six down, we’re giving ourselves a good chance.”So, for us, it really wasn’t necessarily about trying to accumulate runs. It was just about making sure that we got into positive positions and pick up the runs when we could. But to try and lay a bit of a foundation for us to start scoring a little bit more freely to the back end, which we managed to do. So, happy with the partnership.”Would they have taken 262 after all that?”At the halfway stage we thought we had a decent score,” Engelbrecht said. “I don’t think we would have taken it necessarily. I think, you know, the pitch definitely got better as the day went on, but I mean, I spoke to Max [O’Dowd] about it as well, and there was still consistently something in the pitch if we bowled the right areas. And I just thought we didn’t string enough good balls together for long enough to put the Sri Lanka team under pressure.”In recent times, Sri Lanka have been a bit of a bogey team for the Netherlands. Twice at the World Cup Qualifiers in June, they fell short, including in the final. In both games, Netherlands were more than in with a shout at the halfway mark but collapsed at the first sign of spin. Which is why their revival on Saturday feels like a vindication of the work they’ve put in behind the scenes, including a long pre-World Cup camp in Bengaluru to acclimatise to different surfaces and conditions.Sybrand Engelbrecht brought up his first ODI half-century•AFP/Getty Images

“We were very confident in the growth that we’ve shown as a team over the last 6-12 months,” Engelbrecht said. “We’re a better team now than we were when we played them at the Qualifier and we thought that if we stick to our processes, if we implement our plans and execute well for long enough, we stood a really good chance. And I think there were periods in the game that you could definitely see that. So, credit goes to them. They played well. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t string it together for long enough.”At a personal level, Engelbrecht has had to grapple with challenges, like several others in the team, of working a day job and balancing cricket on the sidelines. In the highest level of club cricket back in Netherlands, Engelbrecht has been a heavy scorer for Voorburg Cricket Club, who he helped steer to three straight finals.Engelbrecht said he hadn’t made too many adjustments to his game coming into the World Cup. It’s understandable too, considering he didn’t think he even stood a chance of playing in the tournament and only came into the system after the Qualifiers in June-July.”I haven’t made a lot of adjustments,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible. I think when you do make the step up from club cricket in the Netherlands, you could maybe sometimes think, ‘oh wow, I need to do so much more, you know, things differently.'”But the reality is, in our changing room we’ve got really good cricketers and we just need to back ourselves and our processes and stick to our plans. So, nothing really changed, it’s just trying to be as clear as possible and to watch the ball as closely as possible. So, I’m happy that it came off for me personally today, but as I said, we’ve got really, really good cricketers in our changing room and it will show as we go along.”

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)

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.