Cricket South Africa took the decision anticipating protests targeting Teeger for his pro-Israel comments last year

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2024David Teeger has been relieved of the South Africa Under-19 captaincy a week before the World Cup over concerns for his safety following his comments in support of Israeli soldiers in the ongoing conflict with Palestine.Cricket South Africa are bracing for protests at the tournament, which begins on January 19, and said there was a risk that they could “result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors”.The decision to remove Teeger as captain, CSA said, was taken “in the best interests of all the players, the SA U-19 team and David himself.” He will continue to remain with the squad as a player and a new captain will be named “in due course”.South Africa’s campaign begins next Friday in Potchefstroom, where they will play West Indies, followed by matches against England and Scotland. The tournament, which was moved from Sri Lanka last November, will also be played in Benoni, which will host the semi-finals and final, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and East London and CSA expects protests at all of them.”As is the case with all such events, CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup. We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament,” CSA said in a statement. “We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.”CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators.”In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.”Spectators showed their support for Palestine during the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India at Newlands•AFP/Getty Images

There has already been at least one incident in relation to Teeger’s appointment as South Africa’s U-19 captain at a cricket match in the country. A group of pro-Palestinian supporters picketed outside the main gate at Newlands during the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India. They were then escorted by police to a specifically designated spot from where they continued to question Teeger’s selection. Another group of fans sat in the North Stand with Palestinian flags during the game. CSA expects the numbers of protestors to escalate in light of Teeger’s dedicating an award to the soldiers of Israel last year.On October 22, 2023, Teeger was named the Rising Star at the ABSA Jewish Achiever Awards ceremony and in his acceptance speech, said the following: “But more importantly, yes, I’ve been awarded this award, and yes, I am now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel… So I’d like to dedicate this award to the South African family that married off one son whilst the other is still missing. And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”Teeger’s comments were reported in the South African Jewish Report on October 26 and have since been widely published across South African media. In response, the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA) lodged an official complaint with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. Subsequently, CSA, Lions (the domestic union where Teeger plays), four Johannesburg-based cricket clubs, one concerned cricket supporter, the Abu Asvat Institute of National Building (a civil society group), and a director of a company that sponsors Lions all issued statements of grievance. CSA referred the complaints to advocate Wim Trengrove, who conducted an independent adjudication. Trengrove found that Teeger had acted in accordance with his constitutional right to freedom of expression and did not engage in any unbecoming or detrimental conduct. CSA has accepted the report.However, the PSA said Teeger’s comments caused a “significant rift within the cricket community,” and they continue to question whether he is “fit to represent a diverse South African team and more so, whether he has the necessary capacity to lead any such team.” The PSA called for Teeger’s suspension from the U-19 World Cup squad and vowed to protest during the tournament. Pro-Palestinian sentiment is surging through South Africa after the country took Israel to the International Court of Justice this week.

As Stokes himself acknowledged, “3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1”, so another high-octane contest ought to be in prospect

Andrew Miller06-Mar-20242:39

Manjrekar: India should play two seamers, three spinners if it’s a typical pitch

Big picture: Bowing out on a high

One way or another, England will be ending their tour of India on a high, as they head to the foothills of the Himalayas for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala – the first of the Bazball era in which Ben Stokes’ men are not in the running for at least a share of the series.It’s been a curiously fallow few days ahead of what, after two days in Ranchi, had looked like being the sharp end of this campaign. With their squad split between two bases in Bengaluru and Chandigarh, England have licked their wounds after their untimely unravelling in the fourth Test, where their tightest grip on any of the contests to date – including astonishing win in Hyderabad – was unpicked finger by finger in India’s most stirring display of supremacy yet.From Akash Deep’s first-day fireworks to Dhruv Jurel’s twin displays of big-match cojones, via the inevitable onset of India’s spin supremacy in the decisive third innings, England’s fabled self-belief endured its most relentless examination of the tour. In his post-match remarks, Stokes even conceded that competing on equal terms had been nigh on “impossible” – perhaps the most defeatist sentiment to have passed his lips in his captaincy tenure.Related

• England's hands-off ethos braces for challenge of dead-rubber syndrome

• 'I don't know much' – Rohit unsure if Dharamsala pitch will require three seamers or two

• Robinson makes way for Wood as England retain two spinners

• Just sit back and get ready to marvel at R Ashwin, for the 100th time

• Bairstow at 100 caps: A century of spirit and resilience

And so, it’s back to Base Camp for the Bazball philosophy, whatever that may entail. In some ways, the circumstances of the fifth Test should suit England’s no-consequences approach – a shot to nothing in a match that truly does count for little more than pride, against an India team that might conceivably lack some of its intensity now that their stupendous home record has been preserved for another series.That said, between the occasion of R Ashwin’s 100th Test, and the return to their ranks of the lethal Jasprit Bumrah, whose absence in Ranchi was arguably a major factor in England’s first-innings recovery, India will have all the weapons and incentive necessary to gun for a 4-1 series scoreline, the sort of margin witnessed on numerous past England tours, and which the visitors’ new approach had been designed to do away with.As Stokes himself acknowledged, “3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1″, so another high-octane contest ought to be in prospect – notwithstanding the stirrings of a stomach bug within the England camp that caused both Shoaib Bashir and Ollie Robinson to be quarantined in their hotel rather than risk them mingling with the rest of the team during their final practice session.No such concerns for India, who have grown into this series with poise and purpose, making light of the loss of Virat Kohli and latterly KL Rahul to forge an enviable spirit, studded with stars who look ready to carry the side into the coming years. The occasion of Ashwin’s 100th Test serves as a reminder of the enduring class that has underpinned their challenge, while Rohit Sharma’s authority as captain has arguably grown in the absence of his senior colleagues, not least in his gentle handling of the one anomaly in India’s otherwise settled line-up, Rajat Patidar.”I like to call him a talent player,” Rohit said of Patidar on the eve of the match. “He’s lost some opportunities here, but that happens when you’re in the early stage of your career, you’re nervous, you’re trying to think about so many things. That is where the team has to back the individual and make sure there’s no pressure internally on him.” Had they not already been warned off from taking credit for India’s success, England might even suggest there’s an element of their own continuity of selection at play there too.The series’ most thrilling subplot, however, has been the emergence of Yashasvi Jaiswal as India’s newest batting star. For all the confidence they carried into this series, England have not yet found an adequate response to the challenge he has thrown towards their emboldened style of play. His runs, and the manner in which he has made them, has truly been the difference between the teams. Another score of note for Jaiswal this week, and it will truly take something special to mitigate the gulf between the sides.2:03

Harmison: ‘Jonny has always had England’s best interests at heart’

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five Tests, most recent first)
England LLLWW

In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Jonny Bairstow

Is this the last-chance saloon for the most precarious selection in India’s ranks? Previous regimes might have seen enough of Rajat Patidar already, after six innings of increasingly diminishing returns – 32 runs in a passable maiden knock in Visakhapatnam, then 31 all told in the remainder, including a brace of second-innings ducks in Rajkot and Ranchi. His arrival at the crease has consistently offered England hope of exerting a hold on India’s innings. And yet, it wasn’t so long ago that Patidar was looking a class apart for India A against a strong England Lions XI, including with an astonishing 151 out of 227 in their unofficial Test in Ahmedabad, having rescued his team from a scoreline of 50 for 6. On that evidence, it’s a case of big-match nerves rather than any lack of Test class that has held him back so far, but he’ll need to reward the management’s faith soon.For the second time this winter, Jonny Bairstow is due to bring up a century in Dharamsala, though not of the strictly batting variety. As with his 100th ODI cap during the World Cup, Bairstow’s Test caps milestone will be a source of immense pride for one of the more emotionally-driven players of recent vintage, but it comes also with the nagging sense that he’s nearing the end of his England journey. For all the unfathomable determination he has shown to get back to fitness after his horrific leg injury in September 2022, Bairstow’s returns on this trip have been awkwardly unfulfilled – five scores between 25 and 38, and an overall average of 21.25 in eight innings, speak of a player whose fires still burn bright but whose physicality is letting him down. And while it’s reductive to suggest that he always saves his best for when the doubters are lined up against him, it’s a seductive notion too. With Harry Brook waiting in the wings for the English summer, can Bairstow find one last burst of furious brilliance to ensure his 100th Test won’t be his last? The beauty of his career is that you wouldn’t ever bet against it.3:07

Harmison: No surprise that Robinson is out

Team news: England make solitary change

Jasprit Bumrah will be welcomed back to lead India’s attack alongside Mohammad Siraj, and with Rohit Sharma dropping a sizeable hint that India would field three seamers for this contest, the big decision comes down to a call between Akash Deep and the extra spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Deep proved himself worthy of further honours with his three-wicket burst on the first morning of his debut in Ranchi, but Kuldeep’s wristspin was instrumental in unpicking England’s resistance when the surface was at its flattest in the back-end of the contest.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav / Akash Deep, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Despite speculation that England would opt for three quicks on a more seam-friendly surface in Dharamsala, both Bashir and Tom Hartley have been retained for the fifth Test, in Bashir’s case despite nursing a Moeen Ali-style cut on his spinning finger, which is hardly surprising given his 70-over workload across the two innings in Ranchi comprised more than a fifth of his previous first-class career. Robinson endured a bleak time with the ball in the same Test, apparently after tweaking his back during his spirited half-century, and makes way for the return of England’s point-of-difference paceman Mark Wood. James Anderson, two wickets shy of 700 in Tests, will play his fourth match in a row at the age of 41.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Tom Hartley, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Shoaib Bashir, 11 James Anderson

Pitch and conditions: Home far from home for England?

There’s a distinct chill in the air at 5000ft altitude, which would count as handy preparation for the opening rounds of the County Championship, if any of England’s incumbents were likely to be made available. Either way, Dharamsala is a long way removed from the heat and dust of Ranchi or Rajkot – in the last fixture at this venue, some three weeks ago, all 36 wickets fell to seam as Delhi beat Himachal Pradesh by 76 runs in the Ranji Trophy. Nevertheless, Stokes expects the surface to be full of runs, but some barer patches on a full length have persuaded England to retain their frontline spin options.2:58

Manjrekar: ‘Other than cricket, Ashwin knows far beyond what’s outside his own sport’

Stats and trivia: Milestones galore in prospect

• Both R Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow are in line for their 100th Test appearances. Ashwin, who passed 500 Test wickets earlier in the series, is set to be the 14th Indian caps centurion, and Bairstow the 17th for England.
• Bairstow needs 26 runs to reach 6,000 in Tests, a mark also reached by 16 previous England players.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal is on course to set a new record for most runs by an Indian batter in a series against England. He begins the match on 655, level with Virat Kohli’s tally from the 2016-17 campaign.
• James Anderson is two wickets away from 700 Test wickets. Only Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708) have taken more.
• Stokes remains three short of 200 Test wickets, and on the cusp of being only the third allrounder after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis to complete the double of 6000 runs and 200 wickets. Though he has not bowled in any of his previous seven Test appearances, he is close to a return after knee surgery.
• Ravindra Jadeja is eight wickets away from becoming the seventh Indian to reach 300 Test wickets.

Quotes

“I just don’t know what Bazball means. I haven’t seen wild swinging from anyone. England have played better cricket than they were here last time. But I still don’t know what Bazball means.”

Rohit Sharma takes one last dig at England’s perceived style of play“I’ll be going out there, chewing my gum, puffing my chest out and trying to have a good time with the other ten blokes out there. Whatever the situation is, we’ll be going out there with smiles on our faces, like we have done in the whole series.”

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.”

Root and Brook make half-centuries to help set up final-day victory push

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2024An Adam Lyth hundred and fluent half-centuries from England’s Joe Root and Harry Brook strengthened Yorkshire’s grip on the third day of the Vitality County Championship match with Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Starting the day on 57 without loss in their second innings, with a lead of 120, the visitors ran up 434 for six before declaring in the final session, setting their opponents a highly unlikely 498 to win. Lyth top-scored with 113, while Root contributed 51, Brook 68 and George Hill 58.By the close, Gloucestershire had slumped to 97 for four, Ollie Price unbeaten on 44. Heavy rain is forecast overnight, but may not be enough to save a team without a Championship win for 19 months.Lyth was unbeaten on 39 when play began and soon moved to a flawless fifty off 61 balls, with nine fours. Finlay Bean hooked Marchant de Lange for six over fine leg, demonstrating his team’s desire for quick runs.Bean went to a half-century off 78 balls before Lyth upped the tempo further by striking three fours through the off-side off consecutive deliveries from de Lange.Lyth had just one anxious moment, surviving a confident appeal for a catch behind off de Lange when on 93, before reaching a 120-ball hundred, compiled in seemingly effortless style with 18 fours.The opening partnership had reached 180 in the 38th over when Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren struck with only his fourth ball of the day. The left-arm spinner pinned Bean leg-before as he attempted a forcing shot off the back foot.It was 194 for one at lunch, with Yorkshire leading by 257, and the only question was how long they would choose to bat. It proved to be all through the afternoon session and beyond in bright sunshine.Lyth fell to a catch at short third-man off van Buuren, attempting a reverse-sweep and the Gloucestershire skipper claimed a third wicket when first-innings centurion Shan Masood, who had moved smoothly to 40 off 52 balls, was brilliantly stumped by James Bracey off a delivery that went between his legs, momentarily unsighting the wicketkeeper.By then Yorkshire were 272 for three, with Root well set. His only blemish was an attempted reverse-scoop off Josh Shaw that only made sufficient contact to score a single over Bracey’s head as he progressed serenely to fifty off 56 balls, with four fours and a six.With a single added to his score, Root fell to more Bracey brilliance as the keeper dived full-length to his left to hold a one-handed leg-side catch off Zaman Akhter. Brook went to a chanceless half-century and was unbeaten on 51 when tea was taken at 365 for four.He had faced 57 balls, striking nine fours and a six when caught at deep mid-wicket off de Lange. Still Yorkshire batted on, with their lead 456, and Hill joined in the array of attacking shots, hitting five fours and a six in his 54-ball fifty before being caught at wide long-on off Price.Gloucestershire were left with 26 overs to bat in the day when Masood made the declaration. Their second innings got off to a poor start when Chris Dent, on five, went to clip a ball from Ben Coad off his pads and directed it straight to Bean at leg-slip.Cameron Bancroft and Price added 41 without alarm until Bancroft, on eight, was caught behind aiming to drive Matt Milnes. Miles Hammond came in and immediately went on the attack.The left-hander smacked five fours and a six in racing to 35, but his approach was inappropriate for a side looking to save the game and he perished attempting another big hit, caught at mid-wicket by Brook off the left-arm spin of Dan Moriarty with less than three overs left in the day.Nightwatchman Josh Shaw lasted just six balls before falling lbw to Matt Fisher and Gloucestershire had thrown away a position which might have given them hope on the final day.

Cricket PNG said in a press release that he had been recruited because of his extensive experience of local conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2024Phil Simmons, who coached West Indies to the 2016 T20 World Cup title, has joined Papua New Guinea as a ‘specialist coach’ ahead of the 2024 edition of the tournament in June.Simmons’ second stint as West Indies coach ended soon after their group-stage elimination at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and he has worked extensively in franchise cricket since, coaching Trinbago Knight Riders, LA Knight Riders and Karachi Kings. He will support head coach Tatenda Taibu, the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper, and Cricket PNG said in a press release that he had been recruited because of his extensive experience of local conditions.”My role here is as a consultant coach and [will be about] how I put across my experience, not just playing in World Cups but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at.Related

• Assad Vala to lead PNG in T20 World Cup, Charles Amini to be vice-captain

“As a player internationally, for fourteen years and then as an international coach for eighteen years, it’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies. You know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, which is Trinidad.”PNG arrived in St Kitts at the end of last week after a four-day journey from Port Moresby. They are due to train and play various unofficial warm-up matches over the coming days before facing Oman and Namibia in official warm-up fixtures in Trinidad and Tobago next week.They have been drawn in Group C of the World Cup itself. They will face co-hosts West Indies in their opening match in Guyana on June 2, then play Uganda four days later at the same venue. They will then travel back to Trinidad to face Afghanistan on June 14 and New Zealand on June 17.Simmons said: “Their energy is unbelievable: their warm-up alone yesterday got me tired. The guys look like they have settled in really well… I’ve known the head coach for a long time and he’s always energetic. There is always a lot of energy, but the players seem to be pushing him where that is not so, and I like that atmosphere in the team.”Batter Assad Vala will lead PNG, who will be playing their second T20 World Cup, after a winless campaign in 2021.

“If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, more than us as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation”

Vishal Dikshit11-Jun-2024The number of upsets – Associate teams beating Full Members – and close finishes in the T20 World Cup 2024 have made Nepal captain Rohit Paudel confident that they can beat an under-pressure Sri Lanka in Lauderhill, Florida, on June 11. It will be the second game for Nepal but a more crucial fixture for Sri Lanka, who are on the brink of elimination after losing their first two matches.”Yeah, absolutely,” Paudel replied when asked about his hopes of beating Sri Lanka. “If you see in this World Cup, you’ll see that the Associate team is beating Test-playing countries. So, it is a motivation for all of us, especially moving forward to tomorrow’s game. So as a team, we believe that we are going to win tomorrow and the way we have been preparing for the last couple of months and the way we have been playing cricket for the last one and a half years, I think the belief is always there in the team and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”We want to go tomorrow and showcase our talent in front of the world.”Related

• 'Assess the situation and conditions' – SL bowling coach Aqib Javed's advice before Nepal encounter

• Wounded Sri Lanka take on confident Nepal to stay alive

• Nepal's Dallas diaspora and the sound of passionate silence

• Lamichhane lands in West Indies, will play Nepal's last two World Cup league games

The two results that will boost Nepal’s confidence will be USA beating Pakistan and Canada prevailing over Ireland, both results from Group A. Even apart from those, Papua New Guinea gave West Indies a scare early in the tournament and Netherlands nearly pulled off another victory against South Africa in a World Cup. Afghanistan beating New Zealand may not count as an “upset” anymore, but the margin of 84 runs against a much higher-ranked team would have defied many expectations.Paudel said his team would also draw confidence from the fact that it hasn’t been a high-scoring tournament so far and barring the opening game between USA and Canada, venues in the USA have been fairly low scoring. While New York has seen the lowest scores among the three USA grounds, Dallas has also produced scores of 106, 159 and 124 for the teams batting first, after Canada scored 194 in the tournament opener.Rohit Paudel hopes Nepal continue the trend of upsets against Sri Lanka, who have lost two out of two in this T20 World Cup•Getty Images

“Scoring runs is becoming harder due to drop-in pitches and conditions,” he said. “The conditions in New York and Dallas are different from that in Florida. Florida has hosted the India-West Indies game previously. So, I think the conditions then and now are different and in the two-three days we practiced, the wickets looked good. If we respect the conditions and present our skills, we can beat any team. The team believes that. We are very confident for tomorrow.”If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, the team believes, and more than us, as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation. We will utilise the pressure, create the pressure and we want to win the game tomorrow. So, if we do the basic things right, I think we are ahead.”Sri Lanka might have had a tough start to the World Cup with their first two clashes against Full Member sides – South Africa and Bangladesh – and even winning their last two league games may not be enough to make the Super Eight.”I think team Sri Lanka is under more pressure than us,” Paudel said. “And if you look at the conditions in the USA, there are lots of dot balls being played. Yesterday, India scored only 119 [against Pakistan]. I think overall, if you look at the conditions, whoever scores 140 is successful, and I think that’s the winning score if you look at the games. So, there are dot balls in these conditions. Whoever gets a start, they have to utilise it. Plus, like yesterday’s game, batsmen were scoring 30-40, but they were still not able to utilise the start. So, it’s a little difficult for new batsmen to play. I think as a batsman, whoever starts, we have to capitalise and get the team to win. And as a team, I think we still have that belief. The first game didn’t go as we thought, but still, as a team, we believe that we will win the next game. We are looking forward to it. We are very excited.”Lauderhill has played host to 15 completed T20Is in the past, the last of which was in August 2023, when the teams batting first – India and West Indies – had scored 178 and 165 but the teams chasing had won on both occasions. Sri Lanka had played two T20Is on this ground back in 2010 but also featured in the two warm-up games there before this World Cup, in which they first lost to Netherlands and then defended 163 against Ireland.When asked what could be a big threat from Sri Lanka, Paudel said they will have to “tackle” their spinners carefully, who have the exposure of playing “all over the world”.Nepal will get a spin boost themselves with the addition of their star legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has arrived in the West Indies and is set to play their last two league games against South Africa and Bangladesh in St Vincent. He will miss the game against Sri Lanka, for which Nepal will have 14 players available, because he was denied a US visa twice last month and was a late addition to the Nepal squad for only two games, unless they make it to the Super Eight.

Neesham instrumental in recovery from top-order implosion

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2024All-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy hit a career-best 67 as Leicestershire Foxes maintained their push to win a place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast with a five-wicket victory over East Midlands rivals Notts Outlaws at the Uptonsteel County Ground.New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham backed up Goldsworthy’s performance with 44 from 22 balls as the Foxes won with an over to spare – despite having been six for three at the start of their chase – condemning the Outlaws to an eighth defeat in what has been comfortably their worst season in the current Blast format.With seven of the nine North Group counties chasing four qualifying places in a tight finish to the group season, the Foxes have 14 points but may still have to defeat group leaders Birmingham Bears in their final fixture at Edgbaston next Friday if they are to go through.Ben Martindale, the 21-year-old left-hander, made 44 from 42 balls – his best in a fledgling T20 career – and skipper Joe Clarke 39 from 23 as the Outlaws made 160 for six, a mid-innings collapse rescued to a degree at the death by Liam Patterson-White (28 from 16) and Lyndon James (22 from 11), Scott Currie taking two for 35 for the Foxes.But it was a score that proved not enough despite Olly Stone taking two for 22 from his four overs, Rehan Ahmed chipping in with 34 from 38.Having opted to bat first, the Outlaws would have been pleased to be 49 without loss from six given their recent form. After taking only 10 runs from the first 16 deliveries, Clarke and Martindale plundered seven boundaries from the next 20.Clarke lifted a Rehan full toss over the short boundary on The Meet side of the ground for his second six, quickly adding two more fours, but the partnership was broken on 68 as he fell to a catch on the cover boundary.After a tentative start, Martindale grew in confidence, reverse pulling six off Goldsworthy but Notts were checked again in the 11th when Jack Haynes was caught at deep midwicket in a wicket-maiden by Josh Hull.Martindale briefly broke free from a Foxes squeeze as he slogged Currie over the midwicket rope but an attempted repeat was brilliantly caught by Louis Kimber, keeping the ball in the air as he crossed the boundary and stepping back to take it inside.Matt Montgomery and Tom Moores fell cheaply as the Outlaws slipped to 115 for five in the 17th but Liam Patterson-White, who hit back-to-back sixes off Hull before being caught off Currie off the penultimate ball, joined Lyndon James (22 not out off 11) in adding 45 from 20 balls to give the innings substance.Indeed, 160 looked a decent total as the Foxes made a calamitous start, losing Sol Budinger, pulling to deep backward square, and Peter Handscomb, miscueing to extra cover, and Rishi Patel, bowled off an inside edge, to be six for three from 14 balls.It could have been much worse for the home side, with two difficult slip chances and one comparatively comfortable return catch put down, Patterson-White giving Rehan a life on 21 in the third instance. As it was, by the halfway point, with no further losses, the Foxes needed 100 runs to win.Rehan was caught at mid-off off James after the fourth wicket pair had added 76 but Goldsworthy, on loan from Somerset, chose the right moment to make his biggest contribution so far, hitting two sixes and six fours in a fine innings before holing out to deep midwicket off Patterson-White.He added 54 with Neesham for the seventh wicket, leaving 25 more to get with his departure, the New Zealand all-rounder going most of the way to finishing the job with three sixes and two fours before Louis Kimber drove Fazalhaq Farooqi for the winning boundary.

Stand-in Superchargers captain Matthew Short expects “a lot of energy” from new head coach

Matt Roller25-Jul-2024Andrew Flintoff is “raring to go” for his first head coach role and will be “at his happiest” when his Northern Superchargers play Trent Rockets on Friday night. That is according to Kyle Hogg, Flintoff’s assistant at the Superchargers and his right-hand man ever since they met as teenagers making their way at Lancashire.”I was around Lancs as a 16-year-old playing in the second team, and he’d have been 19 or 20,” Hogg told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t want to say he took me under his wing – but he probably did, really. He looked after me in the dressing room and we’ve been close friends for about 25 years, which is scary. He’s never changed one bit from the first day I met him to today.”Related

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Hogg, who has worked as a pathway coach at Lancashire and is an assistant coach at the Thunder women’s team, was asked late last year if he would be interested in working with Flintoff in the Hundred. They have recently worked together on the BBC series and Hogg did not need much convincing: “Any time he comes calling, you’ve never turning him down.”Flintoff has been working in England’s white-ball set-up as an assistant coach and has been mentioned as a potential successor to Matthew Mott. But Hogg played those links down, saying: “He’s been in TV for the last 15 years. This is his first time in cricket, so I guess it’s, see how he finds it. What happens in the future, who knows?”But at the moment, he loves being part of cricket again… He went from being a cricketer to, every time you switch a TV on, he was doing something different. But he’s never changed once. He’s got his core group of friends who have always been there, forever. He’s had a tough few years, and it’s great to see him back in a cricket environment.”Matthew Short will deputise as Superchargers captain•PA Images via Getty Images

The Superchargers are light on players, so much so that their strength and conditioning coach took part in Wednesday’s practice match against the South Asian Cricket Academy. Harry Brook and Ben Stokes are with England’s Test squad, Mitchell Santner is at Major League Cricket and Reece Topley will miss at least a week with a finger injury. Matthew Potts will, at least, be made available by England.*Brook is due to captain but Matthew Short, the Australian opener, will deputise for two games after leaving MLC early. “The Superchargers showed some faith in me, retaining me for this year, and I thought, ‘al lright, I’ll commit to these guys 100 percent,” Short told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday, barely 24 hours after flying into the UK from Dallas. “It’s a bloody fun tournament.”Short had sorted his retention for 2024 before Flintoff’s appointment but said he is excited to work with him. “He’s been great: he’s probably even more excited than the players at the moment. He loves to be on this side of the fence here at Headingley. I’m sure everyone is going to get around Freddie and help him out. We love having him around.”At the T20 World Cup, where he was a travelling reserve, Short asked England’s players about Flintoff’s characteristics. “From what I’ve heard, he’s a bit of the modern-day coach now, especially in white-ball cricket. It feels like he’s got a lot of fun and a lot of energy to bring. He’s going to be nice and relaxed, and I’m sure it’s going to be a really nice environment.”Their main discussions so far have been “around the whereabouts of all the players,” Short said, laughing. “How we want to play as a team is pretty hard to work out in a couple of days, so we’re going to have to learn on the go in that regard. The guys have played enough cricket to know what to do and know what they’re doing personally.”Flintoff and Hogg were long-time Lancashire team-mates•Getty Images

Hogg spent 14 seasons playing for Lancashire’s first team and admitted it felt strange to be in the home dressing at Headingley, the home ground of their fierce rivals Yorkshire. “It is probably hard to get your head around it,” he said. “But we’ve come in and felt like this is our home, which is really good. We want this to be our fortress.”[Flintoff] would have played here a lot more than I have over the years. He said even playing for England, sometimes you’d get a bit of grief being a Lancastrian which is part and parcel of it. But as everybody knows with Fred, anything he does, he does it 110%. He’s more excited than probably anybody: he is raring to go.”Cricket is what he loves, that’s the bottom line. He loves the preparation and everything that goes with it, and tomorrow night, when we get going, he’ll be at his happiest… he’ll be the same as he is in all walks of life. He’ll want the lads to give it everything, [just like] how he played his cricket. He’ll be there for all the players, and he’ll want them to enjoy it.”July 26, 1600 GMT – This story was updated to reflect Nicholas Pooran’s arrival in Leeds

Division One leaders need less than two session to take the nine wickets they needed

ECB Reporters Network25-Aug-2024Title favourites Surrey took less than two sessions on day four to bowl out Lancashire for 177 at the Kia Oval to complete an impressive innings-and-63-run victory.Conor McKerr polished off Lancashire’s tail to finish with 4 for 27 while Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark picked up three wickets apiece as long-time Division One leaders Surrey, champions in 2022 and 2023, made it seven wins from ten Vitality County Championship matches this season. It is another big step for Surrey towards a third title in a row.Matty Hurst, Lancashire’s highly rated 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, tried hard to hold up Surrey by adding a fine 64 to a first-innings 46 in what is only his 12th first-class appearance but there was never any real doubt about the eventual result as wickets fell regularlyLancashire resumed still 214 runs adrift on 26 for 1 from 11.1 overs, after a rain-hit third day had seemingly given them a chance of escaping with a draw, but lost their last nine wickets for 151 runs as Surrey’s five-man pace attack proved too hot for them to handle for the second time in the game.Worrall, the Championship’s leading wicket-taker with 40 at an average of only 15.55 runs apiece, made the initial breakthroughs by dismissing Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings for 13 and 16-year-old debutant Rocky Flintoff in successive balls in the fifth full over of the morning.First, coming from around the wicket to left-hander Jennings, he swung one back into the former England Test opener who offered no shot and saw the ball thud into the top of his off stump. And another fine piece of bowling by Worrall immediately inflicted a first ball duck on young Flintoff, the son of former England captain Andrew who had batted so promisingly for 32 on day one as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer.Pushing forward to an outswinger that also bounced perhaps more than he expected, Flintoff edged to keeper Ben Foakes who took an excellent diving catch in front of first slip.That left Lancashire 33 for 3 and they soon declined further to 82 for 5 as Josh Bohannon chopped a short, rising ball from Clark into his stumps to go for 29 and George Balderson edged a returning Worrall to second slip on four.Hurst, however, was then joined by Venkatesh Iyer in a sixth-wicket stand of 36 that at least took Lancashire through to lunch, with Iyer even having the temerity to flip Worrall over the short leg-side boundary for six. Yet it took only two balls after the interval for Surrey to break the stand, with Iyer nibbling at Clark outside off stump and thin-edging through to Foakes.Tom Hartley also offered some lower resistance, battling through a testing spell from Sam Curran in which he was beaten several times before hitting Will Jacks’ off spin over long-on for six.Hurst, though, was disgusted with himself for clipping the first ball of McKerr’s second spell – an innocuous loosener – straight into Ryan Patel’s hands at midwicket after a defiant 116-ball stay featuring seven fours. And the end was nigh when McKerr took two more wickets in his eighth over, Tom Aspinwall lofting a full toss straight to mid off and Josh Boyden losing his off stump to depart for a second-ball duck.Hartley was last man out, for 22, fending McKerr to Patel at short leg just after 3pm. Worrall finished with 3 for 34 while Clark took his own season’s Championship wicket tally to 32 with his 3 for 43.

Mair finished with four and Tahuhu with three as New Zealand ended their losing streak in T20Is

Srinidhi Ramanujam04-Oct-2024 • Updated on 05-Oct-20244:54

Takeaways: Does India’s batting need better balance?

New Zealand opened their women’s T20 World Cup with a resounding 58-run win over pre-tournament favourites India and ended their ten-match losing streak in T20Is in the process.Sophie Devine’s unbeaten 57 off 36 after a flying start from openers Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates helped New Zealand post 160 for 4, which proved way too much for India.India’s batters couldn’t handle the New Zealand pace attack, as Rosemary Mair starred with four wickets and Lea Tahuhu picked up three. But it was all set up by legspinner Eden Carson, who struck a double-blow early, removing openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. With Harmanpreet Kaur – at No. 3 for the first time in 18 months – falling for a 14-ball 15 inside the powerplay, the chase got tricky for India, who were a batter short, and lost six wickets for 60 runs to be bowled out for 102 in 19 overs.

The Devine show

After conceding 55 runs in the powerplay, India fought their way back into the game in the middle overs but they couldn’t keep Devine quiet. Between the last World Cup and this one, she had batted mostly at No. 4 barring two games – this was after playing at the top of the order from 2017 to early 2023 – to bring more power to the middle order. But Devine had not found a lot of success this year, averaging 21.25 in nine innings with just two half-centuries. The New Zealand captain had also come into the tournament with scores of 5, 12, 4, 5. But it didn’t matter on Friday as Devine once again proved her credentials as a big-match player to lift New Zealand.After seven boundary-less overs, she punished S Asha for back-to-back fours, dancing down the track to smash one through mid-off and pulling one away to deep square-leg off the back foot. She kept the scorecard ticking and didn’t spare the pace of Renuka Singh either, hitting consecutive fours in the 15th over. She found the extra-cover boundary to bring up her 21st T20I fifty. Along the way, Devine shared a 46-run stand off 26 balls with Brooke Halliday for the fourth wicket and gave New Zealand a strong finish.

Plimmer and Bates give New Zealand flying start

New Zealand showed their intent from the word go with Suzie Bates pulling the first ball of the innings to deep square-leg for four, and she stepped down the track as early as third ball for a drive past mid-off for her second four, all off Pooja Vastrakar. Plimmer – who is fresh off her first maiden T20I fifty, against Australia – also unsettled Deepti Sharma in the third over. This included a six when she came down the track and lofted one over long-on. They also benefited from India’s sloppy fielding – Richa Ghosh dropped Bates, who got a top edge to the keeper, in the final over of the powerplay. The duo brought up the team 50 in 34 balls, hitting five fours and a six, to end the powerplay strongly at 55 without losing a wicket and set the platform for a competitive total.Lea Tahuhu celebrates with her team-mates•Getty Images

Asha and Reddy apply the brakes

Both Arundhati Reddy and Asha have been in and out of India’s XI this year but when they got an opportunity on a big stage on Friday, they delivered. Bowling the final over of the powerplay, Reddy had leaked 12 runs. Asha was then introduced into the attack and she started with a six-run boundary-less over. Coming back for her second, Reddy removed Bates with a slower one for 27 and provided India the breakthrough they craved. In the following over, Asha tossed one up and forced the well-set Plimmer to step out and heave one into the hands of Smriti Mandhana at long-on, bringing out footballer Leandro Trossard’s goggles celebration to mark the moment. Bowling in tandem after the powerplay, the pair conceded just 20 runs off 30 balls from the seventh to the 11th to slow down New Zealand.

The drama around the run-out-that-wasn’t

The game wasn’t without its share of drama.India thought they had run out Amelia Kerr in the 14th over and the batter also thought she was gone, and headed for the dugout before being stopped by the fourth umpire. The umpires had decided the ball was dead when the dismissal was effected.Kerr and Devine were trying to sneak a second off the last ball of the over when the ball was in Harmanpreet’s hands, and it seemed the ball was dead. They ran, Harmanpreet threw, Ghosh broke the stumps, and Kerr was well short of getting back to the striker’s end.Meanwhile, after the first run, Deepti, the bowler, had asked the umpire to hand her cap back and had also collected it.Play was paused for a few minutes with India coach Amol Muzumdar having a conversation with the fourth umpire. But it was decided the ball was dead, and the run-out dismissal would not be counted as the ball was not “in play”.

India change approach but falter

India had three fast bowlers in the XI for the first time in a T20I this year, with Vastrakar, Renuka and Reddy all included. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, India’s second-best bowler this year in terms of wickets taken, was left out to accommodate an extra seamer. The six-bowler strategy meant Harmanpreet was promoted to No. 3 with Jemimah Rodrigues and Ghosh at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. But playing with one batter fewer did not help India on a day their batting unit underperformed.Chasing a competitive 161, India lost their top three inside the powerplay and the middle order faltered against the hard lengths of Tahuhu before Mair’s swing troubled the lower order. Ghosh consumed 19 balls to make 12 and Deepti made 13 off 18. Harmanpreet’s 15 remained the top score.