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Gary Ballance and Liam Dawson have both been named in a 12-man squad to face South Africa at Lord’s for what will be Joe Root’s first Test as captain.

Andrew Miller01-Jul-20172:05

Bayliss tips Root and Cook to flourish in new roles

Gary Ballance could bat at No. 3 in the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week, while Liam Dawson, the Hampshire spinner, has a chance to retain his place after making his debut on England’s tour of India in December, after both were named in a 12-man squad for what will be Joe Root’s first Test as captain.Ballance, Root’s county captain at Yorkshire, appeared to have run out of chances at Test level when he was dropped following England’s maiden Test defeat against Bangladesh in October, having managed just 24 runs in the two-Test series.However, he has been in outstanding form this season, averaging more than 100 in eight County Championship matches, including an historic double of 108 and 203 not out against Hampshire in April, and Root’s influence has earned him another crack, potentially at first-drop if Root himself chooses to slip down the order to No.4.

England squad

Joe Root (capt), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Jimmy Anderson.

As anticipated, Haseeb Hameed, the young Lancashire opener who impressed in arduous circumstances in India, has been overlooked following a struggle for runs in the County Championship this season. His absence means that Keaton Jennings, who replaced the injured Hameed on that tour of India and marked his debut with a century in Mumbai, will once open alongside the former captain, Alastair Cook.Dawson’s retention comes as something of a surprise after his inclusion as a horses-for-courses selection in the fifth and final Test against India in Chennai. He claimed two wickets in a comprehensive innings defeat, but proved his mettle with an unbeaten 66 in his maiden Test innings.Gary Ballance could bat at No.3 in Joe Root’s first Test as captain•AFP

His place in the side will be dependant on the conditions at Lord’s, with Moeen Ali still England’s primary spinner, not least on account of his twin hundreds in the India series. Instead, it appears likelier that Toby Roland-Jones, the Middlesex seamer, could be handed a maiden Test cap on his home ground.Roland-Jones, who made his England debut in the ODI series against South Africa earlier in the season, adds to England’s seam options following the loss of Chris Woakes to a side strain during the Champions Trophy and Jake Ball to a recent knee injury.Stuart Broad, who had been sweating on his fitness ahead of today’s Royal London Cup final between Nottinghamshire and Surrey, is expected to be ready to lead the attack alongside his long-term new-ball partner James Anderson, who has recovered from a groin strain.Mark Wood, who hasn’t played Test cricket since leaving the tour of the UAE in 2015 to undergo the first of three ankle operations, is back in the squad after an impressive showing in white-ball cricket in recent months.”There is great excitement around the first Test of the summer and with the start of a new era under the captaincy of Joe Root this is an exciting time for English cricket,” said James Whitaker, the national selector.”Toby Roland-Jones is a player we have been monitoring for quite some time and deserves his chance after a strong couple of seasons with Middlesex in red-ball cricket. He came close last year when he was named in the Test squad against Pakistan in July. Toby has been in good form this campaign and his ability to seam the ball along with the fact that he can score useful runs down the order gives us a number of options.”Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance could play his first Test since October. He has been in fantastic touch with the bat in the Championship averaging over 100. He deserves to be included and we feel that he will add maturity and experience to our middle-order.”On behalf of the selectors, I would like to wish Joe Root, Trevor Bayliss and all the squad the very best for what will be a competitive series against South Africa.”

Quinton de Kock has been taken for a scan on his right index finger, which he hurt during Wellington Test

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton22-Mar-2017South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been taken for a scan on his right index finger, which he hurt during the Wellington Test.De Kock injured himself in the field and South Africa will wait for results of the scan before making any calls on his availability for the Hamilton Test. De Kock was not present at the start of Wednesday’s training session but was set to join the squad later.South Africa have a reserve gloveman in their squad, the Titans wickektkeeper Heinrich Klaasen, who is yet to make his international debut.New Zealand also have an injury concern ahead of the third Test, with fast bowler Trent Boult recovering from an upper leg injury. Boult has bowled lightly for the last two days but New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watlingt said Boult was not yet 100% fit and a call on his availability would be taken later in the week.The third Test begins at Seddon Park on Saturday.

While the result of this match will make no difference to the qualification scenario with both teams already through, there is still plenty to look forward to

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram14-Dec-2016Remote, tranquil and alluring, little about the St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thumba is reminiscent of the archetypal cricket stadium. Away from the hubhub of the city, the gentle breeze that steadily blows across mitigates the lingering humidity due to the geographic location, with the St. Andrew’s beach to the west of the ground.Jharkhand return to the venue not just with fond memories – Ishan Kishan slammed 273, the highest in Jharkhand’s history in their previous match here – but an unwavering confidence that stems from having made the quarter-finals for the second successive season.Jharkhand’s youngsters have been the flavour of their season, and nothing encapsulated that better than that innings from Kishan. The 18-year-old has grabbed eyeballs not just for his attacking brand of batsmanship, but also for the remarkable consistency with which he has been able to do it. Kishan and Ishank Jaggi have scored over 1200 runs and six centuries, making Jharkhand one of only two teams – Tamil Nadu being the other – to have two batsmen with three or more centuries.At the other end, Odisha would be more relieved than confident heading into the match. A frantic week of uncertainties ended with Odisha qualifying for their first knockouts in a decade courtesy Delhi’s defeat to Saurashtra.Odisha have benefitted immensely from their team firing in unison. Six of their batsmen have scored centuries, and their bowlers too have shared the wickets. Odisha have welcomed Biplab Samantray’s return to form after a drab 2015-16. Samantray was sacked as captain and later left out, but has regained his mojo; his 498 runs to go alongside 11 wickets have served Odisha well.Govinda Poddar, the man who took over from Samantray as leader, has thrived in his new role and hasn’t let it affect his batting. Young Subhranshu Senapati and Sandeep Pattnaik have also impressed in their debut seasons. While opener Pattnaik’s performances have fallen off in the latter half, Senapati’s consistency despite floating a bit in the line-up has lent solidity in the middle order.Odisha’s new-ball combination has come good with Suryakant Pradhan topping their charts with 26 wickets and Basant Mohanty claiming 17. Samantray has performed the supporting seamer’s role well, while left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh has also been among the wickets. Jharkhand, on the other hand, have primarily relied on Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, and medium pacer Ashish Kumar, although they do hold a slight advantage having already played a match here.Jharkhand are through to the knockouts for the second time running•KCA/Ranjith Peralam

Run-fest, the norm. Will it be different this time around?
The ground has faced its share of criticism despite its short history. Sunil Joshi, the Assam coach, had expressed disappointment at the run-up areas that were too sandy and the dressing rooms where repair works were underway during their match against Vidarbha. Jharkhand too had some complaints.”I found the dressing room too small. There is no air conditioner, and in this heat, if you field for two and a half hours, what do you do?” Saurabh Tiwary, the captain, said. “In the last match we played, when we used to come back after fielding, we used to get our lunch and sit outside in the tent. This time, too, we will do the same. You will see it.”The dressing room works have been completed now. But with two new grounds coming up around the city, this venue is soon set to be used only for junior cricket, meaning the change room facilities are only temporary arrangements.The presence of sand, which can still be seen abundantly on the peripheries of the stadium, is a result of the ground’s topography. But on the flip side, it makes the outfield quick and soft, minimising the risk of injury.The last time a match was played here, between Delhi and Jharkhand in November, 1307 runs were scored across four days – the third-highest aggregate of the season. That game was played on a red soil surface, while Thursday’s clash happens on a clay surface. Nonetheless, it’s expected to be another high-scoring match, although spinners will find a lot of assistance and the pitch could start crumbling as early as on the second day.”The pitch for the first game (against Delhi), we knew that it was fully flat. But this one is entirely different,” Tiwary said. “For around eight feet on either side, there has been no rolling or watering. I reckon it should start spinning on the second or the third day.”While the result of this match will make no difference to the qualification scenario with both teams already through, there is still plenty to look forward to. Odisha, despite having qualified, have only two outright wins, and another one here will set things up nicely heading into the knockouts of what has been a huge season for them. For Jharkhand, this will be an opportunity to top the group.

Australia are likely to tour Bangladesh in 2017 to play a two-Test series that had been postponed last year due to security concerns.

Mohammad Isam27-Apr-2016Australia are likely to tour Bangladesh in 2017 to play the two-Test series that had been postponed last year due to security concerns.The teams were set to play in Dhaka in October 2015, but Cricket Australia received a government advisory about threats to Australian interest in Bangladesh two days before the players’ departure. The BCB promised VVIP security in an effort to salvage the tour, but were unsuccessful. The Australian Under-19s had also withdrawn from the World Cup that was held in Bangladesh at the start of 2016.On Tuesday, Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, who had made the pull out public last year, said they were keen to resume ties. “We’ve had discussions offline with the Bangladesh Cricket Board. They know and understand that we’re absolutely committed to playing that [postponed] tour, obviously subject to security matters that we need to go through in preparation for that tour. But we’re very much looking forward to getting back to Bangladesh and playing cricket over there.”BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury also told ESPNcricinfo that, “after discussions with Cricket Australia, we are at the final stages of finalising the commitment for their tour to Bangladesh next year, and we will announce the tour dates once everything is confirmed.”It is understood that the two Tests could be held immediately after the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, which runs from June 1 to 18, although cricket in Bangladesh is not usually played in the months between May and October.

Sind’s batsmen came through in the end, but it was a much harder fought victory than it seemed it would be after the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2011
ScorecardSind’s batsmen came through in the end, but it was a harder-fought victory than it seemed it would be after the first innings. Sind had amassed a 214-run lead, but after having knocked of that deficit on the third day, Baluchistan proceeded to build a lead on Friday, and ended up setting Sind a challenging total of 236 to win.That target started to look increasingly large, as Sind lost three early wickets. Khurram Manzoor, centurion from the first innings, was out in the first over of the second, edging one to the wicketkeeper off seamer Abdur Rauf. Rauf had picked up six wickets in the first innings, albeit for 143 runs, and his form continued as he took two more wickets to leave Sind 56 for 3.At the other end, Aqeel Anjum seemed to be in a hurry to finish the match on the fourth day itself, and his belligerence kept the run-rate above six runs an over. Anjum finally found support in Hasan Raza, and the two built a 93-run partnership. That seemed to seal the game for Sind, but Baluchistan were given a sniff when Anjum was bowled by left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar for 72 off 55 deliveries.However, Sarfraz Ahmed made sure Sind kept their foot on the gas. He scored his 48 off 49 balls and took Sind home with four wickets to spare. Rauf finished with ten wickets for the match, but the first-innings lead proved too much for Baluchistan to overhaul in the end.They had put up a real fight, though. After resuming on 301 for 5 on Friday, Rizwan Haider, the man who had rescued them with his 81 in the first innings, went on to get a half-century in the second as well. His 62 and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf’s 48 helped push Baluchistan’s score to 449. It was not enough in the end though.

Greg Chappell has turned down an approach from the Pakistan board to coach the national team

Osman Samiuddin10-Feb-2010Greg Chappell has turned down an approach from the Pakistan board to coach the national team. Chappell’s name had been floating around Pakistan cricket’s corridors of power as a possible alternative to Intikhab Alam, the incumbent, whose position is currently in limbo following Pakistan’s tour to Australia where they failed to win a single match.Chappell, a former Australian captain, coached India for two tumultuous years between 2005 and 2007. He is now working with Cricket Australia, a role which he is reluctant to leave and he confirmed that an approach had been made. “Wasim Bari [chief operating officer, PCB] rang me yesterday,” Chappell told Cricinfo. “I was honoured and flattered by the approach but I have declined the invitation.”I have no ambition to coach at the international level again and I am committed to my role with CA as Head Coach at the Centre of Excellence and Chairman of our National Youth Selection Panel.”The approach does at least confirm that the PCB is actively looking for a replacement for Intikhab, an issue over which there is considerable confusion still. Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, told a TV channel a few days ago that Pakistan would have no problems in looking outside for a coach.It was then announced that Intikhab would not be accompanying Pakistan to Dubai where they take on England in two T20Is on February 19 and 20. Aaqib Javed, the assistant coach, is not travelling with the side either. Instead, Ijaz Ahmed, coach of the Pakistan Under-19 side that finished runners-up at the recent World Cup, will be with the team as a batting and fielding coach; he is already in the UAE with the Pakistan ‘A’ side.Bari played down the move, saying it wasn’t unusual for a coach to not travel with the side, especially on such a short tour. He refused to say definitively whether Intikhab, in his third stint as coach with the senior team, was being removed and also denied that contact had been made with Chappell.Cricinfo understands that the board, perhaps surprisingly, has yet to make any contact with Intikhab over the decision to not send him to Dubai, or over his future beyond that, a lack of communication those close to Intikhab say has disappointed him. Intikhab was appointed by the board in October 2008, as a replacement for Geoff Lawson, on a two-year contract. At the time the board was keen to go for a local option. He was at the helm as Pakistan won the ICC World Twenty20 in June last year, but has also seen Pakistan go through all of last year having failed to win a single ODI or Test series.He is due to appear before a board inquiry committee, headed by Bari, on February 13 to explain the reasons behind Pakistan’s performance in Australia. His tour report has already been handed in. The board insists that any final decision on the future of the coach, a new captain and any other appointments, will only be taken once the committee has presented its findings

Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper strikes his highest professional score in rain-affected match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025Tom Moores smashed a career-best 148 from 93 balls as Notts Outlaws launched their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a comfortable victory over Essex.It is the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter’s highest score in senior cricket, eclipsing his first-class best of 106. He hit five sixes and 18 fours, sharing a 137-run sixth-wicket partnership with Daniel Sams (45 off 42) as the Outlaws recovered to 283 for 9, having been 41 for four inside the first hour thanks to Essex seamer Jamie Porter taking a List A career-best 4 for 29.Robin Das (46) and skipper Tom Westley (43) gave the Essex a solid start as they chased a revised target of 286 after squally showers had limited the home side to 46 overs in their innings, but from 101 for one they collapsed to 156 for 6, former Lincolnshire left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington taking 3 for 53 on his Outlaws debut, and despite an excellent unbeaten 46 from 41 balls (two sixes) from wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, still fell for 234, seamer Rob Lord finishing with 3 for 30.After Westley won the toss and asked the home side to bat first in typical outground conditions at the John Fretwell Sports Complex, just outside Mansfield, Porter bowled his 10-over allocation in one spell to have Notts struggling.Having picked up a gift wicket when Outlaws skipper Haseeb Hameed chipped to mid-off, he found movement with the new ball to bowl Ben Slater and the 18-year-old debutant Sam Seecharan before Jack Haynes was caught behind off a thin edge.The hosts stumbled further to 74 for 5 as Lyndon James cut straight to cover, but with Porter bowled out, an Essex attack lacking Simon Harmer (on paternity leave) looked much less menacing.Moores was dropped at deep backward square on 21 off Noah Thain but responded by launching the same bowler over the same boundary for the first of his sixes in an innings that showcased his strengths square of the wicket. His first fifty came off 35 balls, his hundred from 69. His previous List A best had been 76 against Leicestershire in 2018, although this was only his 30th match in the format.Sams – available for Notts until he begins a Caribbean Premier League stint later this month – cleared the rope three times before top-edging to midwicket. Essex’s 19-year-old seamer Charlie Bennett, on his List A debut, recovered from a wobbly start to pick up the wickets of both Sams and Moores, who was eventually held at long-on.After losing Matt Critchley early, Essex looked well placed at 101 for 1 in the 16th over but after Das, who made a match-winning century for his county at Trent Bridge last summer, had miscued Lord to mid-on, Essex were never able to regain full momentum.Westley was well taken at short midwicket as Lord struck again, before 24-year-old Pocklington – handed a contract only this week after call-ups to The Hundred and Matt Montgomery’s move to Derbyshire left Notts with effectively no spinners – marked a memorable debut by bowling Luc Benkenstein, snaring Charlie Allison with a return catch and having Nick Browne caught behind off a botched reverse sweep.Lyndon James had Noah Thain and Bennett both caught at midwicket and Shane Snater caught behind as Essex – who have won just seven of 25 One-Day Cup fixtures since they reached the semi-finals in 2021 – were bowled out for 234.

His obligations as Derbyshire head coach will keep him away from Guyana, the venue of the tournament

Mohammad Isam29-Jun-2025Mickey Arthur will next month oversee Rangpur Riders’ Global Super League title defence even though he won’t be present in Guyana, the venue of the tournament. Arthur will be 7500km away in Derbyshire, from where he will do the job remotely, according to Rangpur’s team director Shanian Taneem.Arthur had a similar arrangement with Pakistan where he oversaw strategies remotely during his stint as team director while he also fulfilled his responsibilities as head coach of Derbyshire in 2023.Rangpur will return as defending champions in the GSL’s second season, which begins on July 10. The other teams in the tournament are Dubai Capitals, Central Stags, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Hobart Hurricanes.Related

• BCB says the door is still open for Shakib to play for Bangladesh

Arthur was Rangpur’s head coach when they won the GSL’s inaugural edition last year. Since he will be concurrently coaching Derbyshire in Division Two of the County Championship, he will not be physically present at the GSL this time around.”As the English County Championship is ongoing and Mickey is coaching Derbyshire County Cricket Club, he is unavailable at the moment,” Shanian said during a jersey unveiling ceremony in Dhaka. “Therefore, we are appointing Greg Smith as our head coach. He is someone Mickey fully trusts. Mickey will stay connected with the players and continue to offer his input. Greg will lead the team under Mickey’s guidance.”Mickey Arthur was our head coach during the previous Global Super League and the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. We have strong confidence in his abilities. While forming our squad, we remained in constant touch with him and discussed which players would perform well on Guyana’s pitches.”Rangpur will be led by Nurul Hasan, who has been their captain since 2023. They have also retained Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Harmeet Singh from their 2024 squad. Their overseas contingent includes West Indies batter Kyle Mayers, South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, Pakistan allrounder Iftikhar Ahmed and Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran.They have not picked Shakib Al Hasan, however, even though the tournament is taking place in the West Indies. Shakib, a former Awami League MP, has not traveled to Bangladesh since the fall of the Awami League government last year. He now resides in the USA.”Shakib Al Hasan is still one of the most valuable players not only in Bangladesh but in any franchise league of the world,” Shanian said. “It is not that we did not want him in the squad, but we know the situation of the country at this moment. Shakib still can feature in the starting eleven of any franchise team. But keeping the current situation in mind, we were not able to take him in the squad.”Rangpur will start the tournament against the Guayana Amazon Warriors in the evening match on July 10, the opening day.Rangpur Riders squad: Nurul Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mahidul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Mohammad Saif, Abu Hider, Rakilbul Hasan, Yasir Ali, Kyle Mayers, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ibrahim Zadran, Akif Javed, Iftikar Ahmed, Harmeet Singh, Khawaja Nafay.

Travis Head revealed that the visitors are considering a batting order than changes from innings to innings with a match

AAP27-Jan-20251:52

Smith: Konstas can bat conventionally too, he’s got ‘all the tools’

Australia will consider taking the drastic step of changing its batting order mid-Test match to combat its selection dilemma at the top for the Sri Lanka series.Travis Head and Sam Konstas arrived in Galle seemingly locked in a battle to partner veteran opener Usman Khawaja for the first of two matches beginning on January 29.Teenage swashbuckler Konstas is the incumbent and helped seal Australia’s first series win over India in a decade with valuable contributions across his first two Test matches.Related

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Australia’s middle-order aggressor on home soil, Head averaged 55.75 runs as David Warner’s injury replacement during the final two and a half Tests on the last subcontinent to India in 2023.”I don’t know where I’m going to bat at this stage,” Head said ahead of Monday’s main training session for the first Test. “We’ll see how that wicket plays out over the next couple of days.”But Head revealed Australia had been discussing the prospect of shifting its batting order mid-game if pitch conditions called for flexibility.Questions remain as to how much spin will be on offer from day one in the Test matches, with the pitch playing very differently in Galle across Australia’s last two visits in 2022 and 2016.Travis Head has dominated in the middle order at home, but the subcontinent has been a different story•Getty Images

Head is more experienced in Asia than Konstas, who is embarking on his first subcontinent Test tour, but has not always been able to make the best of turning wickets. He said when it came to the opener debate, Australia may be able to have its cake and eat it too.”It’s been a topic of conversation for the last little bit in this team on whether the Australian first innings, second innings, why doesn’t the order change?” Head said. “Why can’t we be flexible? What moves? How can we be brave? That hasn’t played out as such yet. Is this the tour to do it? We’ll wait and see.”The current Australian team has often changed its batting order mid-game to deploy a nightwatchman, usually Nathan Lyon, but a premeditated mid-game switch would be unprecedented. But in the era of Konstas reverse-ramp shots and booming support for Test cricket, Head feels the time is ripe for change.”The game is evolving, so why not continue to see where we can make jumps and leaps and where can we get an advantage?” he said. “If that’s using people in different positions, it’s not traditionally done a hell of a lot … [but] this team’s experienced enough and in a great position where players will be open to that if needed to be.”