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Ashton Agar’s stay in India has been extended to take in Australia’s major warm-up for the Test series as the possibility grows that he may be in line for an extraordinary international debut in Chennai

Daniel Brettig15-Feb-2013Ashton Agar’s stay in India has been extended to take in Australia’s major warm-up for the Test series as the possibility grows that he may be in line for an extraordinary international debut in Chennai.Previously scheduled to depart for India once the full touring squad had assembled, Agar will now be playing the three-day match against India A beginning on Saturday, and may yet have his time on the subcontinent expanded to include the Tests.Agar is one of three spinners Australia will field in the practice game, Xavier Doherty and Nathan Lyon being the other two. Michael Clarke and David Warner will miss the match, following their recovery from injuries, to be ready for the first Test on February 22.Only 19 years old and having played just a pair of Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia following the shoulder injury to Michael Beer that ruled him out of this tour, Agar’s left-arm spin has stuck in the memory of all who have witnessed his bowling in recent weeks.His mature approach and skill in the field and with the bat has notably impressed the national selector John Inverarity, who is en route to India to discuss the composition of the team ahead of the first Test with the captain Michael Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur.”The plan at the moment is that he returns in time to play for Western Australia but there is a possibility that he could stay a bit longer,” Inverarity told . “We needed someone to make up the XI and it was a very good opportunity to invest an opportunity in a promising young player.”Inverarity’s panel named numerous spin bowling options for the tour behind the incumbent Test tweaker Nathan Lyon, including the Tasmanian Xavier Doherty and the allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith. Agar lost little by comparison to his more experienced slow bowlers when he delivered eight overs during a two-day practice match earlier this week, and now has a further opportunity to usurp his seniors.”Ash bowled really well in the two-day game,” Clarke told . “Everyone knows he’s very talented. He’s had success for Western Australia [eight wickets at 30.12 in two matches].”I spent some time with him yesterday in the nets and tried to get him to watch some of the Indian spinners in the nets and see what he was learning from what they were doing. He’s going to be a very good bowler. He wants to learn – he wants to get better.”You never know what could happen. He’s very lucky now. He’s been given the opportunity to play in this three-dayer. We have Xavier Doherty, we have Nathan Lyon, we have Glenn Maxwell and we have Ashton Agar who all bowl spin. We want to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to make the right decision for the first Test.”In this there are parallels with Lyon, who was chosen for Australia’s Test side in Sri Lanka in 2011 after only a handful of Sheffield Shield appearances for South Australia, and to date has played more than half his 35 first-class matches at Test level. In the absence of outstanding spin bowling talent bolstered by experience, the selectors have been inclined to flights of fancy, of which Agar would be another.His spells for the Warriors against New South Wales on his Shield debut at Blacktown Oval were noteworthy against batsmen well versed in tackling spin, the wickets of Scott Henry and Peter Nevill gained through genuine turn and changes of pace.Agar’s Shield batting has also been useful, reaping one half-century and one other handy score in four innings so far. He went to India on the cricket equivalent of an internship, but is now a chance of making a most rapid graduation to full duties.’I wasn’t expecting too much at the start of the summer but it has all happened very quickly and it has turned into a bit of a dream,” Agar said. ”Michael Beer was bowling really well but he got injured. That gave me an opportunity to play for Western Australia, now to tour India for a week. It has been great.”

Hobart Hurricanes’ last gasp victory over Melbourne Renegades at Bellerive Oval secured Xavier Doherty’s side a Big Bash League semi-final at home

The Report by Alex Malcolm18-Jan-2012
ScorecardOwais Shah played a match-winning innings for Hobart Hurricanes•Getty Images

Extraordinary. Thrilling. Bizarre. That summed up Hobart Hurricanes’ last gasp victory over Melbourne Renegades at Bellerive Oval, which secured Xavier Doherty’s side a Big Bash League semi-final at home.Chasing 174, it came down to the last over. Renegades captain Andrew McDonald gambled by entrusting Shahid Afridi with the job. Hurricanes needed 10 to win from Afridi’s six balls.Before that climax, Renegades had been in control. Hurricanes needed 52 off 30 balls with Owais Shah on 26 and Jonathon Wells on 62. Afridi conceded 18 from the 16th over, including one delivery that cost five wides, as he was unable to combat the pre-delivery movement and unusual hitting of Shah.Shah was still there at the start of the final over but he was stuck at the non-striker’s end. Phil Jaques had moved down the order to five to accommodate Mark Cosgrove’s inclusion. With 8 from 4 balls faced, Jaques top-edged a reverse-sweep over short third man for three runs. The equation was seven off five. Shah cut the next to point for one. Six off four. Afidi fired a quicker full toss that struck Jaques on the pad. No run. Jaques squeezed a single from the next, leaving Shah five to win from two balls. Afridi was on the verge of being the hero.Then the twist. Shah backed away, Afridi fired full and wide, Shah managed to edge it fine to third man for four. Hobart needed one off the last ball to avoid a super over. Afridi obliged with a wide. Shah was not required to play a shot to win his side the game. He was named Man of the Match for his unbeaten 49 from 30 balls.Earlier in the game, Renegades looked like they had saved their best performance of the tournament for their last appearance. After winning the toss, Brad Hodge and Aaron Finch rollicked along in the Hobart sun. They thumped an opening stand of 126 from just 13.3 overs. Finch made 67, Hodge 63, as the pair struck four sixes and thirteen boundaries between them. The coup de grace was Finch’s three consecutive sixes against Jason Krejza. The offspinner had the last laugh, though, having Finch caught at long-off. Despite being expensive, Krejza picked up three important wickets.Renegades were unable to capitalise on the incredible foundation that was laid. After Hodge departed in the 14th over, they managed just 43 from the last 36 deliveries of the innings.It made the chase an enticing one for the inform Hobart top-order. Jonathan Wells made his highest score of the tournament – a well-compiled 72 from 61 balls. He was ably supported by the Big Bash League’s leading run-scorer, Travis Birt, who clubbed 25 from 16 balls, including three sixes in the space of six balls.When Afridi trapped Birt lbw, Renegades regained the ascendancy before Shah entered to do what he does best. He controlled the chased with clever placement and superb timing. He did leave it to the last ball to seal victory, but he got the result he required and secured his team a home semi-final in the process.

Peter Ingram, the New Zealand opening batsman, has said his international career is “pretty much gone”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011Peter Ingram, the New Zealand opening batsman, has said his international career is “pretty much gone” after being left out of the 30-man preliminary 2011 World Cup squad that was announced last month.I’ll just play for Central Districts and Taranaki if I get a chance,” he told the yesterday. Ingram, who played eight ODIs in 2010, scoring 193 runs at an average of 27.57, said he didn’t even get a call from the selectors telling him he hadn’t made the cut for the World Cup.”I was third in the one-day averages last year for New Zealand and I didn’t even get a call. It just shows what they [selectors] are like.”Ingram plays domestically for Central Districts, which narrowly failed to defend their HRV cup title, losing to Auckland by four runs last weekend. “We’re pretty gutted, but that’s cricket,” he said. “We’re still pretty pumped, we’ve still got two competitions that we want to win and we’re pretty excited about that. It can still be a pretty good summer.”New Zealand Cricket decided to move the HRV Cup to December from its traditional spot in January so that it wouldn’t clash with the international calendar, which resulted in lower attendances, but Ingram said the change was the right move. “We have to have the Black Caps available. We need the likes of Rossco [Ross Taylor] playing. He brings an extra 1000 people into the ground, I reckon.”Central Districts currently lead New Zealand’s domestic four-day competition, the Plunket Shield, having notched up three consecutive victories.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif and the Karachi city government have come together to launch, from next week, what might be the most lucrative club tournament to have been played in Pakistan

Osman Samiuddin02-Feb-2010Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif and the Karachi city government have come together to launch, from next week, what might be the most lucrative club tournament to have been played in Pakistan.The Karachi Champions League, a Twenty20 league, for the leading clubs of the city will begin next week with Rs 10 million (around USD 117,200) as the top prize for the winners. The tournament, a brainchild of Latif and the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA) will feature a number of Karachi-based international players, as well as a host of domestic cricketers. Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam, Khurram Manzoor and Sarfraz Ahmed, among others, will be playing.”It was an old idea of mine, one that I had been working on,” Latif, who captained Pakistan as well, told Cricinfo. “I am a big follower of English football and I love the history of clubs over there, like Chelsea and Fulham. We have so many old clubs in Karachi and we need to revive that club culture once again here.”The idea was put into practice after Latif ran the idea by the city’s mayor Mustafa Kamal during what was supposed to be a five-minute meeting. “We ran the idea by him and he agreed after a minute,” Latif said. The prize money has been put up by Kamal’s city government; as well as the winning club getting Rs 10 million, the runners-up will receive Rs 5 million (around USD 58,900), the semi-finalists Rs 500,000 (around USD 5900) each and the quarter-finalists Rs 250,000 (around USD 2900). All told there is Rs 17 million (nearly USD 200,000) in prize money at stake, easily the most lucrative local tournament in the country’s history.The tournament is expected to last nearly a month and will be played at various grounds around the city that are supervised and run by the RLCA. Malir Gymkhana, North Nazimabad CC, Korangi Al-Fatah CC and Airport Gymkhana are some of the more renowned 16 clubs in the tournament and each will be allowed only one international player.The tournament will be televised on , a local sports channel and plans are already underway to make it a national league – the Pakistan Champions League. “Karachi is the financial centre of Pakistan and a lot of MNCs are based here,” Latif said. “The plan is to get them to sponsor a club each. Next season we will introduce player trading and hopefully in time, it can be pushed to a national league.”

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.

Broadcaster set to move across from President role in October, following Bruce Carnegie-Brown’s tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2024Mark Nicholas is set to take over as MCC’s chair when his one-year term as President expires in October, after being recommended as Bruce Carnegie-Brown’s successor in the role.Nicholas, 66, will be recommended as the new chair at the club’s AGM in May, working in conjunction with the chief executive, Guy Lavender. He has been a member of MCC since 1981, and has served on the club’s Cricket, Marketing and Main Committees since the 1990s.In his playing days, Nicholas scored over 25,000 runs and took 173 wickets in a professional career spanning over two decades. As captain of Hampshire, he guided the side to four trophies between 1986 and 1992, including three victories in Lord’s finals, and he also captained England A.The position of MCC chair has existed since 2000, and Nicholas is set to become its seventh incumbent, but the first former professional cricketer in the role. In the course of his presidency, he has expressed the opinion that MCC should take over the ownership of the Lord’s-based Hundred team, London Spirit, and this move may be an indication of the club’s ambition on that front.Nicholas is currently chair of the Hampshire-based Southern Brave team; a non-executive director of the media rights agency, River Media Partners, and co-founder/director of Century Cricket which runs IPL-style T20 tournaments for club and junior cricketers in Australia.In 2005, he co-founded Chance to Shine, the cricket charity that has helped to re-introduce the sport to 4,000 state schools in England and Wales, and given 6 million children a chance to play the game. His long and successful media career is synonymous with the Ashes summer of 2005, for which he anchored Channel 5’s coverage. He has worked extensively with Channel 9 in Australia, Supersport in South Africa, and also writes columns for The Telegraph and ESPNcricinfo.”The role of MCC chair is a huge responsibility and I am honoured to have been named as the Committee’s recommendation to the membership,” Nicholas said. “Amongst many aspects of the club’s immediate future, is the need to engage more with Members. In addition, we are embarking on many new projects and opportunities as we look to embrace this ever-changing game. I hope to ensure that we can play our part in cricket’s development over the coming years.”Chris Rogers, MCC Treasurer, said: “The Nominations committee found that Mark was the outstanding candidate for the role, noting that he has a deep and personal knowledge of the game. In making its recommendation, the MCC Committee feels that his experience, as a player, broadcaster, journalist and administrator, would be of huge benefit to MCC.”

Labuschagne and Khawaja hit half-centuries on a truncated day before Nortje helped SA claw back

Tristan Lavalette03-Jan-2023Stumps Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja hit half-centuries for Australia on a truncated day one before Anrich Nortje helped South Africa claw back into the third Test at a gloomy SCG.After captain Pat Cummins won a crucial toss and elected to bat on a dry surface, Australia reached stumps at 147 for 2 with Khawaja unbeaten on 54 and Steven Smith yet to face a delivery.Labuschagne fell for 79 on what turned out to be the final delivery of the day’s play. Only 47 overs were bowled due to bad light and rain much to the disappointment of the 31,000 crowd in another Sydney Test match affected by inclement conditions.Labuschagne and Khawaja had built a strong platform with a 135-run partnership after the early loss of opener David Warner for 10. There was a delay of more than two hours due to bad light before five overs were squeezed in late in the day and Nortje capitalised with a cracking delivery to remove Labuschagne.Exerting plenty of energy, Nortje conjured sharp bounce and pace on the slow surface to produce an unplayable delivery that had Labuschagne caught behind.After a lionhearted effort in Melbourne, Nortje was again the standout with 2 for 26 from 11 overs having earlier taken the wicket of Warner. He has kept a struggling South Africa buoyant after Australia threatened to grab an early stranglehold of the contest.Labuschagne had been irrepressible until on 70 he appeared to be dismissed out of nowhere when he edged seamer Marco Jansen to first slip where Simon Harmer claimed a low catch.It was given out on the soft signal but Labuschagne stood his ground and it seemed difficult to prove from replays whether Harmer had his hands under the ball close to the turf.Third umpire Richard Kettleborough overturned the decision much to the frustration of South Africa. It only furthered Labuschagne’s reputation as a rather charmed batter but he had played imperiously before that contentious incident with five boundaries in 12 balls to go from 40 to 61.After bowling well before lunch, Harmer trapped Khawaja lbw with the second delivery of the second session only for the decision to be reversed when replays showed the ball hit the glove first.Having revived his career a year ago with twin centuries against England on this ground, Khawaja passed 4000 career Test runs en route to a half-century.Usman Khawaja drives through the covers•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Under-pressure South Africa captain Dean Elgar once again made questionable decisions, including under-utilising Harmer who bowled just five overs even though his off-spin particularly threatened left-handed Khawaja.Elgar, however, backed underperforming left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who bowled nine overs for 35 runs with Labuschagne and Khawaja sweeping effectively against him.Maharaj has now bowled 52.5 overs without reward in this series.While Nortje toiled, spearhead Kagiso Rabada continued his underwhelming series to finish with 0 for 45 off 12 overs. He unsuccessfully reverted to bowling short against Labuschagne, who counterattacked with ease.Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood and Matt Renshaw were named in an Australia team attempting a clean sweep of the series and a spot in the World Test Championship final in June.There was drama when Renshaw, playing his first Test since 2018, tested positive for Covid-19 on a rapid antigen test after feeling unwell before the day’s play, but he will continue to play in the match.With the SCG surface set to play more traditionally, Australia named two frontline spinners at home for the first time in six years with left-arm spinner Agar making his return having not played Tests since 2017.Regular quick Hazlewood returned from a side strain having edged out Scott Boland and uncapped tearaway Lance Morris.Along with Harmer, who replaced Lungi Ngidi, South Africa named batter Heinrich Klaasen in place of Theunis de Bruyn who returned home for the birth of his first child.South Africa still have a slim chance at qualifying for the WTC final with a consolation victory as their spirit lifted after Njorte’s late heroics.

Coach says Pope, Hameed, Moeen all in contention ahead of second Test against India

George Dobell09-Aug-2021Chris Silverwood has called on England’s top-order to “step up” and support Joe Root ahead of the second LV= Insurance Test at Lord’s.Root’s 21st Test century – and the rain – helped England escape from Trent Bridge with a draw. But while Root looked in supreme touch, nobody else in the England side could score more than 32.That left Silverwood admitting the team required more from its top-order batters, and contemplating several changes to the side with Ollie Pope, Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali all under consideration ahead of the Test that starts on Thursday.Related

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“Yes, I think we do need to step up,” Silverwood said. “Joe’s been phenomenal for the last six months, really. But what we need to do is make sure that the guys that are batting with him are coming to the party as well. We need the guys around Joe scoring some more runs to take the pressure off him.”It’s one thing which we’re talking about in the dressing room constantly. I’m encouraging conversations between the players and the coaches to try and find a solution for this to try and help them get better.”We have to address and accept we are not getting those runs so we have to look at why. It’s not through lack of effort. It’s not a lack of hard work. It’s just a case that we have to try and find a formula that works. That’s a work in progress at the moment.”We need to do something. Ideally, we get the guys scoring runs again and get the confidence back in them. But if that doesn’t happen obviously I have to have a look.”Does that mean there will be changes? It’s something we’ve got to consider constantly. We have to make sure we’ve got the right people on the park.”Ultimately, if it isn’t working I have to take a view on why and how do I change that. I have invested in these guys. I would rather be accused of giving somebody one too many chances than not enough. But at some point I will have to make a decision.”Pope would have played in the first Test had he been deemed fit. As things stand, he is considered highly likely to be fit for Lord’s and could well replace Dan Lawrence or Jonny Bairstow, though Silverwood’s praise of Bairstow’s first Test performance would suggest the former is more likely.”Jonny lined up very well,” Silverwood said. “It’s the happiest I’ve seen Jonny in a while. He was very content going about his business in training. He’s in a really good place at the moment and I was pleased with how he performed. Behind Joe, he looked [the most] reassured at the crease.”Ollie is making all the right noises with his fitness. He wasn’t quite ready for the first Test which is why I made that decision not to push him too hard. The next couple of days we’ll find out more. I want him to be 100 percent right when we chuck him into the arena again.”Zak Crawley would appear to be the batter in the top-three under most pressure. Since his double-century against Pakistan last year, Crawley has averaged just 11.14 in 14 Test innings and reached 30 only once. While Silverwood remains convinced Crawley is a “real talent,” he is also full of praise for Hameed, who scored a century against the tourists in a warm-up game in Durham a couple of weeks ago. Dom Sibley, meanwhile, was praised as he “helped out Joe massively” in a second-innings partnership that helped erase the first-innings deficit.Joe Root was England’s standout batter, but had little support•PA Images via Getty Images

“I think it’s clear we have got a real talent in Zak,” he said. “You don’t do what he did without having the talent. I think it’s a case of finding a way for him to get going. How does get himself in; how does he manage the ball around off stump? I think it’s an ongoing process but there’s no doubt in my mind there’s a heap of talent there capable of performing at this level.”Dom helped Joe get us out of a hole. He did his job, yes. He helped out Joe massively.”I’m confident Haseeb is as ready as he could be. He’s doing everything he possibly can to make sure he’s ready. He did put his best foot forward in Durham when he scored that hundred. What he did early season in the championship shows there’s a lot of class there as well, so I think he’s done everything he possibly can to be ready.”The one man from outside the current squad who is under consideration is Moeen. With England missing key allrounders in Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, Moeen’s presence would allow them to play a spinner without weakening the batting.”Moeen is certainly under consideration,” Silverwood said. “He’s always been part of our consideration. So that’s something that Joe and I are going to chat about at Lord’s. We know he is a fine cricketer and we know he is showing fine form in the Hundred at the moment, though I appreciate it’s a different format.”Allrounders such Ben Stokes or Chris Woakes usually give you options all-round. Unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves squeezed through circumstance recently and we haven’t been able to do that.”Could Mo play at Lord’s? All I’ll say is my mind’s not closed to anything. If it fits and works for the team then it’s something we have to consider.”

Roy, Morgan hit fifties before England lose four wickets for five runs needing seven off seven balls

The Report by Matt Roller12-Feb-2020A dramatic late collapse saw England throw away a winning position to lose the first T20I of the three-match series in South Africa by one run.Needing seven off seven balls after Eoin Morgan’s late acceleration looked like it had secured a win, building on the platform set by Jason Roy’s powerful, 38-ball 70, England managed to score only five while losing four wickets, as Lungi Ngidi dismissed Tom Curran and Moeen Ali before Adil Rashid was run out coming back for a second to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.South Africa’s total of 177 after being inserted was the highest T20I score at East London, but owed as much to England’s profligacy with the ball as to their efforts with the bat. Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock led a bright start as the hosts reached 105 for 1 at the halfway mark, but Dale Steyn (five off two balls) was the only other man to score at a strike rate above 120 as Rashid and Chris Jordan dragged things back.England were ahead for the majority of the run chase, with Roy imperious and Morgan gradually moving through the gears, but their muddled middle-order strategy saw Joe Denly, Ben Stokes and Moeen used in suboptimal roles, and South Africa’s seamers took the pace off to good effect to seal an improbable come-from-behind win.Moeen in the PowerplayMorgan made a surprise call to open the bowling with Moeen’s offspin, given that only 13 percent of his overs since the start of 2018 had come in the Powerplay in all T20 cricket. But the move could be explained by de Kock’s relative weakness against spinners in the first six overs: while South Africa’s skipper has been imperious against seamers with the field up (149.0 strike rate since Jan 2017), he has struggled against spin (119.2 SR) and against offspin in particular (112.2 SR).As all hell broke loose at the other end, with Curran and Mark Wood – who started his spell with consecutive high full tosses – both profligate, Moeen successfully tied de Kock down, conceding five runs from the five balls he had bowled at him before he holed out to long-on running in at the start of the fifth over.Ultimately, Moeen and Rashid’s eight overs of spin cost only 45 runs, prompting the question as to why Denly’s legbreaks went unused.England seamers struggleAs much as South Africa’s batsmen impressed, the main reason they were able to put such a competitive total on the board was the fact that England were so slow to adapt to the slowness of the pitch. It became apparent quickly that anything quick would fly onto the bat, while spin and pace-off deliveries were both effective. But England persisted in bowling pace-on, with Curran especially culpable despite his wide repertoire of slower balls.They did themselves few favours in the field, too: Denly had a torrid time, allowing one clip off the pads straight through his legs for four and dropping Bavuma, while Jason Roy shelled a high catch offered up by Jon-Jon Smuts. South Africa’s lack of batting depth and an impressive finish from Wood and Chris Jordan meant they could only post 72 for 7 in the final ten overs of their innings, but their total of 177 was higher than it should have been.Spin to RoySouth Africa looked to expose Jason Roy’s relative weakness against spin in the opening game of last year’s World Cup by opening the bowling with Imran Tahir, and it was no surprise when de Kock turned to Smuts’ left-arm spin in the fourth over of the run chase: Roy had averaged just 20.83 against spin in T20 over the last three years going into this game, while also scoring at a slower rate than against pace.But Smuts gave the ball enough air for Roy to target a short straight boundary – his favoured method against slow bowlers – and after David Miller palmed the second ball of the over for six, Roy dumped him for four, six, four to take 22 runs off the over and get England motoring.De Kock’s shufflingSteyn made an early impression in his first international appearance for 11 months: he was struck for two exquisite boundaries by Jos Buttler, who continued as England’s opener, but then dismissed him with the second ball of his second over as Buttler looked to chip one over the covers.Steyn’s bright start meant he was given three overs in the Powerplay, in which he showcased some dipping slower balls, but Roy’s onslaught meant that de Kock decided to bring him back for his last in the 13th over. Tabraiz Shamsi, who largely succeeded in subduing Roy and Eoin Morgan, was also bowled out by the end of the 14th as the skipper chased a breakthrough, by which point Beuran Hendricks and Dwaine Pretorius remained unused.Pace-off causes England crumbleWhen Hendricks did belatedly arrive, Roy belted his first ball – an 85mph length ball – for four through midwicket, and instantly responded by taking the pace off. His second, a very wide slower-ball bouncer, accounted for Roy and Andile Phehlukwayo removed Denly with a similar move, banging a cutter in halfway down which was heaved out to deep midwicket.Ngidi copied the set template, his back-of-a-length offcutter being skied up to deep midwicket by Stokes, but either side of that Morgan tucked into Hendricks, smiting two boundaries in the 17th over and hitting four, four, six as Hendricks tried to hit the blockhole in the 19th to take the equation down to seven off seven.From there it should have been a cakewalk, but Ngidi held his nerve to concede only five runs from the final over, with Curran holing out to deep midwicket, Moeen bowled by a pinpoint yorker, and Rashid unable to manipulate the ball past Steyn at short midwicket off the final ball.

After their bowlers limited Thunder to 135, Stars’ top-order polished the chase off in 17.2 overs

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan05-Jan-2019Melbourne Stars’ bowlers settled into the ideal pace on a slow Carrara Oval surface to stifle Sydney Thunder and rise to second on the BBL table.Having struck twice inside the Powerplay, the Stars continued to chip away at the Thunder order. Only during a 25-ball 42 from their No. 6 Daniel Sams did the Thunder innings gain a measure of steam. It was enough to lift them to 135 after they had ambled along at around a run a ball for much of the innings.Getty Images

It wasn’t enough to challenge the Stars top order, however. They hardly broke a sweat, knocking down the requisite runs in 17.2 overs to win by eight wickets. Marcus Stoinis blazed away to launch the chase with a 22-ball 34. The foundation was so strong that even the usually belligerent Glenn Maxwell played a muted knock, striking just a four and two sixes in his unbeaten 41, and putting on an unbroken 80 for the third wicket with Nick Larkin to see the Stars home.The defeat has displaced Thunder from the top half of the table. They are now fourth, with six points from as many matches.Choking ’em outAs he did in their previous game, Shane Watson, the Thunder captain, opted against chasing, with the possibility of the surface slowing down as the game wore on. As he did in the previous game, Watson fell early, well inside the Powerplay. But unlike in the previous game, nobody from Thunder’s top order rode the early storm.Jos Buttler, the season’s highest run-getter, was the first to fall, his start cut short when Boland found his leading edge, which was held at point. Calum Ferguson followed next ball, when he threw his hands at an expansive punch and sliced a catch to backward point.The common element in the two balls was that both had been delivered slower. That became the primary ingredient for success on this surface. Joe Root fended softly at the hat-trick ball, which cut away off the seam and found the edge of his bat, but didn’t carry to the keeper. With Thunder 28 for 2, the pressure was on.The pushbackWhile the slower ball was effective, it came with an obvious rider. As a bowler, there was always the risk of overdoing it. Having picked up 2 for 8 in his first two overs, Boland was welcomed into his third with a cut past third man, who misfielded, for four from Root. Very quickly, it prompted Boland to drag the pace back. But Root had already sussed out a template.After negotiating a slower ball and a regular length ball, Root was waiting right back in his crease when Boland dropped his pace, and length, off the fifth ball of the over. He pulled it over midwicket. When Boland repeated the drill next ball, Root played even later, pulling him behind square to give Thunder 12 runs to close out the Powerplay.On a pitch where balls routinely stopped on the batsmen and finding the right timing was difficult, Root had managed a control percentage of 85 when he jabbed a length ball from Stoinis off the inside of his bat to midwicket. However, the best of the fightback was yet to come.Liam Plunkett hadn’t played a T20 since October last year. In fact, barring two T10 matches in the UAE in late November, he hadn’t played any cricket at all. Considering that, he had done well to give away just eight runs from his first two overs. Sams, however, would go on to ruin his figures.Sams pulled a slower short ball from Plunkett for six over backward square off the second ball of the 15th over, and sliced the next for as many over backward point. He then picked a slower ball from Stoinis and sent a towering hit soaring over deep square leg. In between all the big hits, he turned the strike over regularly. It meant that between overs 15 and 17, Thunder collected 35 runs.It was the only spell of substantial acceleration, as after another six off Stoinis, the bowler had the last laugh by having Sams caught at deep point, and Thunder slipped back into their shell. In the end, that made a telling difference.No slow, no goUnlike the Stars bowlers, Thunder’s didn’t bring out their variations and slow it up. Instead, they opted to fire it in at pace. On this surface, with its lack of bite and carry, they were setting themselves up for failure.A rush of boundaries – four of them in the first 14 balls of the innings – warned Thunder that a change in strategy might be called for. And then Ben Dunk drove a full ball from Sams into the hands of Root diving forward at short cover.Thunder’s bowlers continued to go full tilt. Even Jonathan Cook, the legspinner, hit speeds upwards of 90kph. He was taken apart for a hat-trick of fours in the sixth over, which went for 15 runs, and the Stars had raced to 53 for 1 at nearly nine an over.Stars didn’t look back. When Stoinis was taken out by Fawad Ahmed, slicing a catch to backward point, Stars needed 79 from 78 balls. Maxwell and Larkin collected 67.5 percent of those runs in ones and twos. In all, their partnership contained just two fours and three sixes, the last of which, from Maxwell, gave Stars the winning runs.