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Hong Kong registered a 109-run victory over Scotland in the historic first ODI played in East Asia on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Nizakat Khan boosted the Hong Kong innings with a well-paced 94 off 93 balls•Martin Hunter/IDI/Getty

Rain may have spoiled the maiden first-class match from being played on Hong Kong soil last week, but the weather behaved long enough for a historic maiden home ODI victory by Hong Kong, who defeated Scotland by 109 runs at Mission Road on Tuesday. A total of 259 after being sent in, achieved thanks to a 170-run fourth-wicket stand between Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath, turned out to be plenty for the hosts.The win for Hong Kong breaks a four-way tie to move them to the top of the WCL Championship points table. They are now two points clear of Scotland, Netherlands and Kenya, who each have six points.Hong Kong found themselves in trouble at 16 for 2 in three overs as Alasdair Evans removed Kinchit Shah for a second-ball duck before Babar Hayat fended a short ball to wicketkeeper Matthew Cross for 8. Former captain Jamie Atkinson fell shortly after the initial powerplay, slapping Safyaan Sharif to Calum MacLeod at cover for 21 to make it 55 for 3.Nizakat joined the opener Rath and the pair engaged in a dogged resistance of the Scotland attack’s pressure. It took Nizakat 12 balls to get off the mark before the shackles came undone with a lofted cover drive. The right-hander looked increasingly comfortable by the 28th over when he flayed debutant Bradley Wheal behind point for a pair of crisp cuts to the boundary.Rath was on 20 when Nizakat came to the crease but Nizakat overtook his partner in the 31st over with a straight drive over Richie Berrington’s head before flicking the part-time medium pacer through fine leg for his ninth four to bring up a half-century off 59 balls. Rath, whose momentum slowed down in the 30s after being struck on the box, grafted his way to his own fifty off 91 balls four overs later.Scotland’s frustration at being unable to break the stand grew after Rath was dropped on 75 in the 40th over off Josh Davey, when a skied chance produced by a checked drive to a slower ball was spilled by a backpedaling Preston Mommsen at midwicket. Nizakat powered a six over cover off the next ball, then smashed another over midwicket off Sharif in the 44th to break into the 90s. However, Sharif’s commitment to the slower-ball bouncer paid off by the end of the over as Nizakat gloved an attempted pull to Cross behind the stumps to finally end the partnership.At 225 for 4 and with Rath on 86, Hong Kong set out to finish the innings with a flourish but their aggressiveness backfired and they wound up being bowled out with five balls left in the innings. The slide was sparked by Evans in the 47th, who had Tanwir Afzal and Waqas Barkat out caught behind and teamed up with Cross for a third wicket when he chased down a delivery off his own bowling at midwicket before firing to the keeper’s end to run out Rath for 97.Rob Taylor had Aizaz Khan and Haseeb Amjad both caught by Mommsen at long-on in the 49th before Wheal closed out the innings by getting Nadeem Ahmed to slice a drive to Evans at third man. Evans led the way with 4 for 41 but consistent support came from Sharif and Taylor with 2 for 44 and 2 for 38 respectively.A light rain was present throughout the early part of the Scotland chase but the outlook became gloomier for the visitors when captain Afzal struck off back-to-back balls in the fifth to clean bowl Kyle Coetzer for 6 and tease Matt Machan into chasing a rising delivery for an edge behind. The rain increased enough for the players to leave the field at 9 for 2 after seven overs.Any hope Scotland might have had of being saved by rain faded when the umpires brought both sides back on 20 minutes later and before long wickets continued to tumble. Mommsen fell for 5 in the 10th to a superb sliding catch by Aizaz at mid-on after a mistimed pull off Amjad.Afzal, who bowled a near-unbroken 10 overs, changing ends midway through his spell, took one more in his final over to finish with 3 for 20 as Berrington flicked loosely to midwicket. Aizaz struck in back-to-back overs beginning in the 26th when Cross was well caught just inside the rope at long on by Barkat before MacLeod’s resistance ended for 58 in the 28th when he sliced a drive to third man.Nadeem then came on to wipe out the tail and finished with career-best List A figures of 4 for 26. Taylor was claimed at deep midwicket before Sharif was stumped overbalancing on a whiffed drive. The left-arm tweaker induced a leading edge to cover by Evans for his third wicket before a thick edge from an errant drive was sent by Davey to Afzal at point on the first ball of the 40th over to wrap up victory.The two sides are scheduled to play the second ODI at Mission Road on Thursday.

Ian Bishop “not surprised” by KKR’s call, given the situation they find themselves in in the tournament, but believes the spinner can still turn it around

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-20226:12

What has gone wrong for Varun Chakravarthy?

Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, believes Varun Chakravarthy “needs a Plan B very soon”. His lack of a counter against top-quality batters who have figured out the methods that previously brought him much success could be one of the reasons for his massive dip in form this IPL season, Vettori said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out.On Thursday, Knight Riders left Chakravarthy out of their XI, replacing him with the uncapped seamer Harshit Rana for the match against Delhi Capitals. The change came even as Knight Riders were desperately trying to find form and get a move on on the points table; as on Wednesday, they were eighth on the table.”The numbers aren’t there. It looks like he hasn’t been deceptive like he has been in the past,” Vettori said. “He isn’t a big turner; it doesn’t look like he’s turning the ball as much. It looks like batsmen feel comfortable taking him on. Those factors may have pushed KKR towards taking this decision [to drop him].”Maybe they’re trying to provide a catalyst for him around improvement, around finding his game plans. It just seems like he isn’t the bowler he was last year. It just felt like he wasn’t the bowler who was destructive like in the past.”Chakravarthy’s numbers are telling: four wickets in eight matches at an economy of 8.82. Chakravarthy has been wicketless in each of the three previous matches, while also not completing his quota of overs. He has an economy of over 12 in this period.This is in sharp contrast to his form at IPL 2021, where he picked up 18 wickets in 17 matches, and was a key to their stunning turnaround in the second half of the season that culminated in Knight Riders making the final.”I’m being brutally honest. I’m not totally surprised,” former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop, who was also part of T20 Time Out’s panel of experts, said. “He’s been going for 12 an over for the last three games or so. Four wickets in eight games, and it has come down to a point where KKR have less wriggle room.”Six points [so far] this season. They have to put out the best team at Wankhede to try and get two points. These two points are critical. It’s not quite now or never yet, but it’s kind of getting very close. So, I’m not totally surprised with Varun, in the conditions they’re going to play today.”Bishop feels surfaces haven’t slowed down as much as expected so far, which could be one of the reasons for Chakravarthy’s effectiveness. As such he isn’t a big turner of the ball but depends on minute variations and grip off the decks.”I don’t ever give up on a player. I always feel that at some point, even if it is at an advanced stage of your career, you can learn something. So, while we’ve seen (Yuzvendra) Chahal and Kuldeep (Yadav) do some good things, I still don’t think some of the pitches have offered [much to] Chakravarthy, who doesn’t spin the ball a lot anyway,” Bishop observed. “The ball deviates just that much, so he perhaps needs a little more grip than some of the surfaces [are offering] to be at his very best.”Maybe he’ll come back in at some point later in this tournament itself if the conditions and his confidence and form are right, provided he’s not injured. I won’t give up on him. Maybe they’re giving him a break to say ‘mate, take some time to refresh yourself’, there’s a possibility to come back now or next season.”Vettori also believes the axe could just be temporary and may be a way to revive him, provided it is communicated as much by the team management. Having coached Royal Challengers in the IPL and Brisbane Heat at the BBL, Vettori has had to take similar decisions in the past, like dropping Harshal Patel in 2017 before he returned to win the Player of the Match award.”I subscribe to the theory that when you’re in poor form, there’s a time where you’re waiting to be dropped,” he said. “When you keep playing and playing and playing, you don’t get a chance to work out what’s going wrong. Therefore, if you do actually leave a player out and give them strong communication, they can almost reset themselves.”Like Bish said, you don’t ever want to give up on a player, particularly a retained player, particularly a player with that skillset, how effective he can be at his best. This just may be a reset, he can go away a little bit, work with the bowling coach, work with coaches outside of the KKR setup and just see where it gets him to. He’s also a fresher, so when he goes back into the team, it won’t be about how bad he’s been. He’s had a break, fresh start, let’s see what he’s got.”

Durham gave Geoff Cook nothing to worry about as they took over from visitors Hampshire at the top of Group B in the Yorkshire
Bank 40 League with a six-wicket victory at Chester-le-Street.

22-Jun-2013
ScorecardPhil Mustard made 92 in the chase•Getty Images

Durham gave Geoff Cook nothing to worry about as they took over from visitors Hampshire at the top of Group B in the Yorkshire
Bank 40 League with a six-wicket victory at Chester-le-Street. With coach Cook still in a critical condition following his heart attack on Thursday, his team romped to their fourth successive win in the competition with 2.4 overs to spare.Despite conceding 93 off the last 10 overs, Durham restricted the holders to
224 for 9 and lost acting captain Mark Stoneman in the first over of their
reply.A brief shower with the score on 55 for 1 in the 13th over reduced the target
to 218 in 38 overs and, by the time Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick had put on
164 for the second wicket, victory was a formality.Mustard was dropped on 11 at slip by Sean Ervine off Pakistani left-arm paceman
Sohail Tanvir and Borthwick survived a return chance to James Vince on 12. Mustard went on to make 92 off 90 balls and Borthwick registered his maiden
one-day fifty into 80 off 82 deliveries before holing out with 17 needed.Borthwick hit sixes off both left-arm spinners, Danny Briggs and Liam Dawson,
who had combined figures of 0 for 85 in 11 overs.Tanvir took all four wickets to fall, producing excellent deliveries to clean
bowl Stoneman and Ben Stokes. But only three were needed when he nipped one back
off the pitch to breach Stokes’ defence and Paul Collingwood saw Durham home
with an unbeaten 32.Hampshire were not helped by Dimitri Mascarenhas being unable to bowl following
a back spasm, while Michael Carberry went for an X-ray after damaging a thumb.For Durham, Chris Rushworth bowled with great control to take 5 for 42 after
Hampshire were put in and the target looked like being much lower until Dawson
thrashed 69 off 46 balls.The openers put on 23 before Vince drove to mid-off and Carberry was caught at
leg gully, deliberately placed for the miscued pull. Jimmy Adams and Neil McKenzie carefully added 34 in 11 overs before the South
African tried to flip a straight ball from Collingwood to fine leg and was lbw
for 18.There was a second wicket for Collingwood when Adams holed out to Stokes at
deep midwicket after making 32 off 50 balls. That brought in Dawson at 112 for 4 in the 27th over and four overs later he
began the late onslaught by sweeping a six as Collingwood’s final over cost 12
and left him with 2 for 44.The last four overs yielded 46 with Dawson driving two successive balls from
Stokes for six. The first took him to 50 off 37 balls. Stokes’ first four overs were tight but he finished with 1 for 56 on what was
not a good day for either him or Briggs ahead of teaming up with the England
Twenty20 squad this week.

Amrit Mathur, Delhi Daredevils’ consultant and former India team manager, said that it was impractical for franchises to form a formal body to educate and monitor players in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2013Amrit Mathur, Delhi Daredevils’ consultant and former India team manager, said that it was impractical for franchises to form a formal body to educate and monitor players in the IPL. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Mathur said that the concept of a formal body to control activities like spot-fixing would not be feasible as the franchises had control over players only during the tournament. Moreover, he said that incidents like these could not be completely eradicated but, with appropriate systems, could be controlled and reduced.”There’s no provision at the moment for a formal body. At the same time, there is a practical body in the sense that the teams have the players contracted with them for only 45 days,” Mathur said. “Beyond those 45 days, there is no relationship between the franchise and player. So if it’s the 46th day, and a team has to go to its captain, it’s on request mode. If we’re with a player only for 45 days, there’s nothing we can do beyond that. The players are busy, they have no relationship with you, so what kind of programmes or education or anything can you do? It doesn’t work.”Mathur also said there was very little administrators could do in the spot-fixing situation, but advised that systems governing cricket could always be strengthened. “I don’t think the IPL or the BCCI could have done anything more once it was revealed such a thing happened. The IPL or the BCCI doesn’t have the tools or the ability to monitor or police this beyond a point. So, they have to go by what the investigations throw up in terms of evidence or offence of the individual is concerned.”The systems can be strengthened, there could be better monitoring and provisions to ensure such things don’t happen. It’s not that the IPL is not aware of the importance of keeping the league and tournament corruption-free of informing and warning the players of an act of this nature. Before the season, the anti-corruption unit meets each team separately, it’s a pretty serious exercise.”Mathur also stated that there was now a greater understanding of the problem of match-fixing because such incidents had occurred in India, on the county circuit in England and in Test cricket. “I think there is an understanding across the boards, across the countries, across the ICC, across the member nations that this is a serious issue. It will throw up wrong things from time to time and you have to be vigilant, you have to educate, you have to monitor. And at the same time, after all this, if somebody is caught doing it, there has to be some punishment.”Mathur stressed on the importance of a law in India that could enforce stricter punishments for spot-fixing and other related crimes.”That punishment, in England came through the court of law, not through the ECB. Similarly there has to be some procedure through which it comes to court of law in India,” Mathur said. “Apparently, earlier, there was some uncertainty about which provisions of the law does such an act attract. Ultimately, we were informed yesterday that it is under conspiracy and cheating, which do not attract very serious punishments.  So maybe down the line there could be a special legislation which enforces stricter punishments for spot-fixing or any crime of this nature.”In response to a question on how franchises perceived the threat of spot-fixing, Mathur admitted that while vigilance wasn’t as stringent in the first year, franchises began understanding that controversies like these would affect their business.”I think in year one it was just a mad scramble to get things rolling,” Mathur said. “But very soon the understanding reached everybody that: a) it is sport, you can’t have sport sallied by something like this and b) it’s a commercial venture, you invest huge amounts of money into the team, into the franchise and you’re building a business. And the last thing a business wants is a controversy of this kind. It holds the foundation of a business of any kind, let alone a cricket team or a sporting tournament. So even before the ICC’s anti-corruption unit became a part of the IPL, I know many teams were telling their players the need to be clean, the need to be fair, the need to not do anything that would tarnish the brand.”

Ishant Sharma has said his role as a seamer in Tests in India has been to contain the flow of runs so that the spinners can attack from the other end

Sharda Ugra21-Mar-2013The fringe men in India’s romper-stomper of a performance in the series against Australia are medium-pacers Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar who, between them, have picked up only 10 of the 59 Australian wickets to fall, at an average of 40.4 and a headache-generating strike rate of 80.4. These are numbers that would give palpitations to captains and coaches in many countries, but in India the seamers understand why they have, quite literally, been shown their place.The day before the fourth and final Test in Delhi, Ishant turned up to speak to reporters and explained his role, if it required him chugging along in the sidelines and playing support to the new man Bhuvneshwar. “Your role in India is to contain the flow of runs so that the spinners can attack from the other end. You’ve got to hunt in a pack and bowl in partnerships like how you bat in partnerships. When you bowl in partnerships, you may not get wickets but the bowler at the other end gets wickets.”Ishant said he had switched new-ball duties with Bhuvneshwar, who made his Test debut in Chennai and has taken six wickets at 31.16 in the series so far. “I feel Bhuvi’s bowling is different to mine. Bhuvi is more effective with the new ball because he can swing it both ways. I don’t get much swing in Indian conditions and I have to wait for the ball to get a bit old so that it reverse-swings… only after that I can attack, but till then my role is to contain. Everyone knows their role and this is the best part of our team.”Pitches in the series so far have been bare and dry, Chennai and Hyderabad putting batsmen’s abilities to play the turning ball under strict examination. The Mohali track was undeniably the best for batting and offered more help to the seamers. Ishant said, “As you saw in the last three Test matches there was a lot of help for the spinners, so I have got very less bowling. It was only in the last match in Mohali that I got nearly 30 overs but before that I didn’t get much bowling.”For the seamers, Ishant said maintaining the balance between attack and defence and using the best bowler in the most suitable conditions was important. “If you are bowling first then the ball does not swing that much because conditions are not that favourable. So you have to wait for the ball to swing more, then you can attack but until then you have to be defensive.”The moment to attack came when the ball got a little old and reverse-swing of the kind that Ishant can put into use came into play. “You also have to wait for the ball to reverse-swing so you can have fielders in attacking positions… These factors are very important when considering when to attack and when to defend.”Ishant, who plays for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, was speaking at his home ground the Ferozshah Kotla, where he would miss playing for India, together his team-mate, Shikhar Dhawan, who scored the fastest Test century on debut in Mohali but fractured his left hand.The contrasts between India’s performances in the away Tests in England and Australia in 2011 and early 2012 and Australia’s woeful performances on their 2013 tour of India had, Ishant said, reiterated the advatages of home conditions, “When we went to Australia we struggled a lot and everybody said we can’t play away from home and now you can see that even Australia can’t play here. So the advantage of home conditions is quite big. Our home conditions suit spinners and Australia is weak against the spinners so that has been a big advantage for us.”

Having been behind for large parts of the match, the home chased over 300 for victory

AAP24-Nov-2021Skipper Jordan Silk guided Tasmania to a Sheffield Shield victory over Western Australia in the shadows of stumps on the final day in Hobart.Silk was unbeaten on 83 as the home side reached their target of 315 with four wickets to spare on Wednesday after WA held the upper hand for the majority of the game.The 29-year-old, who also scored a crucial 73 in Tasmania’s first innings batting with the tail, hit consecutive boundaries to secure his side’s second win of the season.WA captain Sam Whiteman declared at 7 for 226 halfway through the morning session to set up the match.Caleb Jewell (60) and Tim Ward (42) got Tasmania off to a swift start with a century stand but the chase hit a hurdle when in-form Ashes hopeful Jhye Richardson struck two blows. Richardson, who took 4-53 in the first innings to further push his Test aspirations, removed Charlie Wakim and Jake Doran in quick succession.WA dropped several catches throughout the match, including when wicketkeeper Josh Philippe grassed Ward off Test allrounder Cameron Green before lunch.Silk, who channelled his short-form expertise and was lightning between the wickets, combined with No.8 Lawrence Neil-Smith to get the Tigers home.WA were a bowler down on the final day after quick Lance Morris suffered a side strain on day two. Resuming the day at 4-170, WA went after quick runs with Green adding just two to his overnight score before being bowled by second-gamer Brad Hope.Green got nine overs under his belt and trapped Hope lbw, as he eyes the first Ashes Test against England on December 8.WA remain top of the Shield ladder with two wins from five matches, while Tasmania jumped to second.

Arish Ali’s four-for on debut in vain for Quetta Gladiators, who finish season with only four points

Varun Shetty19-Jun-2021Karachi Kings completed the win they needed to make it to the qualifiers, edging Lahore Qalandars on net run-rate after they swept Quetta Gladiators aside by 14 runs on the last day of the group stage. After putting up 176, the Kings needed to defend 32 off the last over with Jack Wildermuth on strike; a delicious bit of symmetry after Danish Aziz had smoked 32 off the bowler during their batting innings – in a 33-run over – to completely change the course of the game. That blitz, a 13-ball 45, propelled the Kings to a total that was too much for the Gladiators, who finished the season with only two wins in ten games.Naseem goes off, Danish goes boom
After taking the ball to start the 19th over, the Gladiators’ Naseem Shah began hobbling immediately. He could barely get a few steps into his run-up, possibly because of cramp on a hot day, and the ball eventually went to Wildermuth, who had struggled early on and struggled once again.Danish, who got an inside edge for four first ball, took complete control – hitting the next four balls for six. The last of them came off a slower-ball-turned-beamer as Danish managed to hoick it over the long leg boundary. It was 29 off four balls at the point, and suddenly there was a very real possibility of six sixes in a row, not to mention an over going for 41 runs. Wildermuth might have been pleased those deliveries ended up going for only four. But the match had swung – 136 for 5 in 18 overs became 176 for 6 in 20.A chase that never took offThe Kings began their defence with captain Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, who went for a combined seven runs. That seemed to set the tone right at the start, as the Gladiators never looked like challenging the bowling till the very end. Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 51 off 33 was a good knock, but neither he nor anyone else in the middle order looked capable of breaking the shackles through the middle overs. The Kings’ spinners didn’t extract as much turn or gain as much control as the Gladiators’ spinners had done. Instead, the win was rooted mostly in the performances of their frontline pacers – Amir, with his economy and a second consecutive slog-overs performance of high quality; Mohammad Ilyas, who picked wickets almost every time he came on; and Arshad Iqbal, whose skiddy, back-of-a-length plan that looked unplayable in the early stages of the innings.The wickets always seemed to be around the corner, despite a rather safe approach to the chase. The one instance of a batter being fearless came late, with Hassan Khan swinging his bat around for a 15-ball 24; but even after that injection of momentum, the score was 123 for 5 in 16.5 overs when he fell. That was indicative of the Gladiators pretty much always being behind the rate in chase.All spin and a dream debut for Arish AliA lot of the Kings’ early runs and momentum came with sixes from Sharjeel Khan, even though both he and Babae Azam struggled for fluency during their 71-run stand. The pitch wasn’t one for free-flowing shots, and Sarfraz brought offspinner Abdul Nasir on in the sixth over. Until the 17th over it was only spin, with left-arm spinners Hassan and Arish Ali filling bowling out their overs. Only 83 came in those 12 overs.The Gladiators came into this game with nothing to play for, which allowed them to play a second emerging player in the XI alongside Khurram Shahzad. Arish hadn’t played at senior level before, but went away with an impressive haul and a statement before the next season.Arish came on in the 11th over, after Abdul Nasir had strangled the Kings and dismissed Azam the previous over. Martin Guptill gave him a wicket off his very first ball, lofting a full one straight to long-off. Sharjeel was already in at this point, and was looking to push on against the left-arm spinner. But he only managed a chopped four past short third before playing on attempting the same shot again, the result of a simple plan from Arish – spin it in from outside off against the left-handers on a pitch that was offering grip and turn.With the Kings trying to rebuild, Arish was in his element. In the end, Najibullah Zadran chopped him on trying the late cut as well. With the way he was going, Sarfraz even asked him to come on in the 17th for his last over – and that resulted in the wicket of Imad, caught at long-on. That made it three left-handers dismissed on his first day in senior cricket.

It’s a battle of two top bowling attacks, but both teams are still mulling their top-order combinations

Varun Shetty03-Aug-202113:42

Laxman, Bell mark India as favourites for the Test series

Big picture

It’s funny to think that a series of this magnitude – with these teams and these players – has flown under the radar over the last month. Relatively speaking.Trent Bridge was doused in the Hundred’s branding a couple of days ahead of the first Test, and even when it’s not on, the IPL has influenced cricket scheduling across the world, including pushing an England tour of Bangladesh 18 months into the future. That the ECB’s and the BCCI’s premium products will hold sway in this day and age is understandable, perhaps, but it is hard to imagine this series won’t be front and centre when it kicks off on Wednesday.Related

• Kohli: Challenge is 'wanting to win in conditions which are not ours'

• Joe Root on Ben Stokes: 'I just want my friend to be okay'

• Concussion rules Mayank Agarwal out of first Test

• Ben Stokes to miss India series, takes an 'indefinite break'

For one, it will be played to a full house. For another, it’s rare that a team can lose a series 3-1 and have a chance at a comeback in the same year – over five Tests, no less. England’s defeat in India this year meant the end of their WTC ambitions. Now, it’s a chance to set the tone early against the runners-up, who have managed two wins in their last three tours of England.India’s leadership has argued that the 4-1 scoreline on their 2018 tour was not an accurate reflection of how closely fought the series was, and upon that will rest their approach this time around. In the time since, this is a squad that has grown in depth and shown it can find ways to win overseas; they haven’t yet done it in swing-friendly conditions, however, and it’s a challenge that Virat Kohli said his team is craving.1:47

Anderson vs Kohli? Pant vs Buttler? And who will win the series?

They won’t be the only ones. England are without Ben Stokes, which could potentially pave the way for Sam Curran to be a designated gamechanger, as opposed to the surprise package he proved to be in 2018. Both sides also have team compositions to figure out, and top-order batters who are either new, or returning, or searching for form. Throw that together with two of the best fast-bowling line-ups over a month-and-some of cricket, and we could have a series for the ages.

Form guide

England LDLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India LWWWL

In the spotlight

Sam Curran told ESPNcricinfo that Stokes is someone he looks to emulate, and this series will bring him both the opportunities and some of the heft that comes with being Stokes. There is perhaps no better replacement in the England roster as they attempt to fill such a role – Curran is only 23 but has already built a reputation for making things happen, across formats, and in multiple roles. There will be eyes on him, and not just from English supporters; the wounds he inflicted on the Indian team in 2018, no doubt, continue to linger.0:50

Ian Bell: Curran would do Stokes’ role for me

KL Rahul‘s last big moment as a Test opener came in the last Test of the 2018 series. Following that 149 at The Oval, it has been a wobbly, uncertain career in red-ball cricket even as he has established himself as a limited-overs giant in Indian cricket. He was thought to be on this tour primarily as a middle-order option, but injuries to the main openers and good form in the warm-up games in Durham could mean Rahul comes back in as an opener in what will be his first game of competitive first-class cricket since the Ranji Trophy semi-final in March 2020 [he played the three-day tour game against County Select XI too].

Team news

England are almost certain to play four fast bowlers, and the batting talents of both Curran and Ollie Robinson mean they could be tempted to fit Jack Leach in there for a five-pronged attack. Ollie Pope could be a doubt after his injured quadriceps suffered a reaction to training, putting Jonny Bairstow potentially in line for a return to Test cricket.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ollie Pope/Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James AndersonMore than anything else, India would be thinking about who slots in at No. 7. Ravindra Jadeja’s rise as a reliable batter in the format, alongside his runs during the warm-up games, would make him frontrunner for No. 7. It’s also difficult to imagine that India would drop R Ashwin in the sort of form he has been in, and so it’s the same quandary for India as they had during the WTC final; two spinners or one spinner and Shardul Thakur? The former beefs up a thin lower order, the latter keeps India’s frontline seamers fresher.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul/Abhimanyu Easwaran, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah2:00

Laxman: Would pick KL Rahul to open alongside Rohit Sharma

Pitch and conditions

It has been cloudy, but warm, in the lead up to the first Test. Temperatures are expected to hover in the high teens. The pitches in the square have been green but have shown signs of getting drier and changing colour.

Stats and trivia

• James Anderson is three wickets away from overtaking Anil Kumble’s 619.
• India’s last three five-match series have all been against England.

Quotes

“I think it’s a tricky one because there is a bit of grass on it but it’s definitely changed colour in the last few days, it’s starting to turn a bit brown as well. So I’m sure there will be a spinner in our 12 for tomorrow.”
“I don’t really believe that some series matter more than the others, because then you’re really picking and choosing what you want to do. And that’s not being honest to the game in my opinion. So any match that you play for your country, and any series, is as important as any other series that you play around the world. And for us it’s wanting difficult cricket, wanting tough cricket. And wanting to win in conditions which are not ours.”

Captain Will’s T20 career-best leads thumping victory over winless Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2021Will Rhodes, Birmingham Bears’ captain, posted a T20 career-best 79 as the North Group leaders notched a fourth consecutive win and consigned Leicestershire to a fifth straight defeat in the Vitality Blast.Sam Hain overtook Ian Bell as the Bears’ all-time top scorer in the format in making 45 as they racked up 191 for 7. Ben Mike took a career-best 4 for 22 bowling two death overs but Naveen-ul-Haq was the pick of the Foxes’ bowlers with 2 for 20 from his four.Scott Steel made 46 and Rishi Patel 30 but after losing three key batters in the powerplay, Leicestershire were always off the pace and fell 35 runs short, Tim Bresnan taking 3 for 29 and Danny Briggs 3 for 35.Asked to bat first, the Bears lost both openers to Naveen’s slower balls, Ed Pollock miscuing his to short fine leg and Pieter Malan spooning one to mid-on, which left Bears 42 for 2 from the powerplay.But Rhodes, dropped off Colin Ackermann on 27 when Naveen misjudged a chance at long-on, hit clearly to clear the ropes five times as he and Hain added 113 from 62 balls before Rhodes mistimed one to caught at square leg.”I think I’ve owed the lads a performance like that,” Rhodes said afterwards. “I’ve had a fairly bleak three or four months with the bat and to hit a few over the ropes is really pleasing.”Related

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Hain looked set for a fourth half-century in five innings but going after Ben Mike he holed out to long-on, where Lewis Hill took a fine catch above his head, with Carlos Brathwaite caught at wide long-off in the same over.Mike claimed two more in the final over, tracking a skier from Michael Burgess out to midwicket for a return catch, before Dan Mousley hit the next ball straight to deep point, although Bresnan pulled the hat-trick ball for six and overthrows made for an untidy end.Josh Inglis hit two of his first three balls to the boundary as Briggs opened the bowling for the Bears, but he was bowled trying to cut, setting the tone for a costly powerplay for the Foxes, who also lost Lilley to a stumping off Briggs, and Ackermann to a slower ball from Bresnan that he hit straight to mid-on to leave them 48 for 3.Rishi Patel raised Leicestershire’s hopes with 30 from 25 balls and as he and Steel added 51 off 39 the Foxes needed 92 from eight overs. But after Patel’s flick off his legs found the fielder at square leg, Steel was beaten by Briggs and stumped, with Louis Kimber run out in the same over.Hill was left unbeaten on 26 but wickets fell quickly at the other end, Bresnan dismissing Mike and claiming his third wicket off the last ball as Ed Barnes holed out to deep midwicket.”It’s a very disappointing night for us,” Paul Nixon, Leicestershire’s head coach, said. “We had a really good bowling powerplay but there was a bit of a breeze down the ground and the Bears used it as they targeted the Pavilion end, scoring about 100 in eight overs. They looked a side full of confidence.”We didn’t field well again – the catch dropped off Hain should have been taken. There were too many expensive overs and when we batted there were too many soft dismissals. The first three dismissals essentially gave their wickets away.”

Ramesh Powar, the former India offspinner, has shifted from his home team of Mumbai to Rajasthan, signing a two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2013Ramesh Powar, the former India offspinner, has shifted from his home team of Mumbai to Rajasthan, signing a two-year contract. Powar played five of the 11 matches in Mumbai’s run to the Ranji title last season, but had little success himself, only managing six wickets at 82.16.Powar said that current Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar had convinced him to make the switch to a team that has won the Ranji Trophy twice in the last three seasons.”The presence of Hrishi would add to [my] confidence,” Powar told . “He understands the game well and is composed and focused. He has become a better cricketer after his stint with Rajasthan. I hope I too will benefit from my decision of playing for Rajasthan.”The stocky Powar said he had worked hard on his fitness so that he could deliver for Rajasthan. “It was a challenge for me to lose weight. I have worked hard because I feel playing for Rajasthan ushers in a new innings for me. I want to contribute in all departments and that is why I wanted to be in best shape.”Having made his first-class debut back in the 1999-2000 season, Powar has plenty of experience. “I want to give back to the game. I would be happy if I am able to nurture a few youngsters in Rajasthan during my two-year stint. I always love to impart tips to upcoming spinners.” Among the spinners Powar will get to work with in Rajasthan are offspinner Madhur Khatri and left-arm spinner Gajendra Singh.It has been nearly six years since Powar last represented India, but even at 35, he dreams of returning to the national team. “I still hope to play for the country. A couple of good performances can turn the things your way. You never know. More over there is dearth of quality spinners in country.”