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The leading wicket-taker of the Test series has also bowled the most overs among seamers across both teams

Alagappan Muthu30-Dec-2024India have had Jasprit Bumrah bowling like few ever have in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. The rest have 36 wickets at 41.33. Soon after India lost the Melbourne Test, where the 31-year-old fast bowler picked up a five-for, and went 1-2 down with one Test to play, Rohit Sharma, the captain, was asked if there is a risk of over-bowling Bumrah.”Yeah, there is,” Rohit said. “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind. You know, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximise that form how much ever you can. And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah.”But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So, yeah. Those things should be managed carefully. And I’m trying to do that on the field.”Related

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Bumrah’s 53.2 overs at the MCG are the most he’s ever bowled in a Test match. That’s taken his tally for the series to 141.2 which puts his workloads ahead of Pat Cummins (136.4) and Mitchell Starc (131.2) and Mohammed Siraj (129.1).India gave up one big, match-turning century in Adelaide, two in Brisbane and another one in Melbourne, not to mention a whirlwind fifty to a 19-year-old debutant on Boxing Day. Would India have posed more of a threat if they’d gone in with another frontline bowling option instead of packing the back-end of the XI with allrounders?”Look, Akash Deep (five wickets at 54) and Mohammed Siraj (16 wickets at 31) are the frontline seamers,” Rohit said. “It’s just that they’ve been very unfortunate not to be seen on the wicket column.”Siraj, especially, is bowling his heart out. I don’t think there’s anything else that he can do. Obviously, there are technical aspects of his game that he’s looking into. But other than that, in terms of his effort, his attitude, bowling those long spells, he’s always up there. It’s just that the wicket column doesn’t show how well he’s bowled.”So is Akash. In Brisbane and here, in both the games, he’s bowled really well. It’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t get the wickets under his name. It’s just everyone’s job to make sure that whoever plays needs to get the job done for the team. It’s not about one or two individuals.”India’s other seamer is Nitish Kumar Reddy and he admitted on Sunday that as well as his batting is going – he scored a maiden Test century which helped India recover from 191 for 6 in the first innings – he wanted to do more with the ball. Reddy has contributed only 35 of India’s 542.2 overs in their last four Tests.”When we saw him [Reddy] for the first time, we saw there’s a lot of potential, which is why he came here in the first place,” Rohit said. “And he’s come and shown here what he’s capable of. You know, with the bat, he was brilliant.”He understood the situation pretty well, read the situation pretty well. And he’s got solid technique as well. And superb mind, not to forget.””Right now it’s very hard to say the growth part because it’s only been four test matches for him but I hope that he plays for long enough for India in all forms.”

Brian Bennett and JJ Smit were the heroes for Zimbabwe and Namibia, respectively, in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025Zimbabwe joined Namibia in the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup after they eased past Kenya in the second semi-final of the ICC’s Africa qualifiers in Harare. South Africa are the third African team in the World Cup, having qualified directly. Earlier in the day, Namibia had qualified after beating Tanzania in their semi-final contest without much fuss at the same venue.After the bowlers restricted Kenya to 122 for 6, Zimbabwe aced the chase in 15 overs with seven wickets to spare. Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani smashed 70 together in the first six overs – only three times have Zimbabwe hit more runs in the powerplay in T20Is where ESPNcricinfo has data. Vraj Patel ended the partnership in the next over when he removed Bennett for 51 off 25 balls. Bennett’s innings featured eight fours and a six, including a sequence of 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 in the fourth over, bowled by Lucas Oluoch. He is currently the highest scorer in the tournament, with 299 runs in four innings at an average of 74.75 and a strike rate of 184.56.Vraj also got rid of Marumani for 39 off 27 balls in the 11th over, but by then Zimbabwe had reached 100. Captain Sikandar Raza fell for 10 off 18 balls, but Ryan Burl and Tony Munyonga got the job done for Zimbabwe without any further setbacks. Brendan Taylor, who had cracked 123 off 54 balls against Botswana in Zimbabwe’s 170-run win last week, was not needed with the bat.Zimbabwe’s bowlers had set up the win, with Blessing Muzarabani leading the line with figures of 4-0-19-2. Rakep Patel was the only Kenya batter to cross 20. He scored 65 off 47 balls before falling to Richard Ngarava, who finished with 1 for 31.File photo – JJ Smit was the best batter and best bowler on show for Namibia•AFP/Getty Images

As for Namibia, this will be their fourth appearance at the men’s T20 World Cup. They had also taken part in the editions in 2021 (Super 12s), 2022 (group stage) and 2024 (group stage).On Thursday, Namibia were asked to bat by Tanzania captain Kassim Nassoro, and put up a strong 174 for 6, familiar hands Gerhard Erasmus, the captain, and JJ Smit hitting fifties to help their cause.It hadn’t started so well for Namibia, with four wickets – Jan Frylinck, Malan Kruger, Louren Steenkamp and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton – falling within the powerplay. But Erasmus and Smit got together at that point and scored quickly to snatch the momentum away from Tanzania. Erasmus scored 55 in 41 balls with six fours, while Smit hit 61 not out in 43 balls with one four and four sixes.That gave Namibia the runs they needed, and Smit was back in action, this time with the ball, to hurt the Tanzania top order. He picked up the first two wickets to fall, those of Arun Yadav and Dhrumit Mehta, off consecutive balls in the sixth over, and later removed Mukesh Suthar to finish with 3 for 16. Ben Shikongo was the other main wicket-taker for Namibia, returning 3 for 21.There were pockets of resistance from Tanzania, but nothing effective enough to change the course of the match as they finished 63 runs short despite batting out their overs.

Rohit Sharma slotted in at No. 4, while, from the other side, Sam Konstas impressed with a century at the top for PM’s XI

Alagappan Muthu01-Dec-2024
India got what they wanted out of their only pink-ball tour game ahead of the day-night Test in Adelaide and maybe something they didn’t. Yashasvi Jaiswal spent the time leading up to his wicket worried by his lower back, repeatedly stretching it and receiving some attention to it from the physio. He did bat through for 10 more balls after requiring help from the dugout, and looked comfortable enough, until he fell attempting a big shot. At that point, the focus that was on him shifted back to two team-mates who seem likely to take back their place in the XI.Rohit Sharma, back from paternity leave, began the day getting used to the rhythms of cricket again in Canberra. At the fall of the first Prime Minister’s XI’s wicket, he leapt up in delight. In between balls, he was catching up with a bit of chit chat. Occasionally he had to swat a fly, and Sarfaraz Khan, who took over wicketkeeping duties and fumbled his first take. At the change of the innings, Rohit had a pretty big thing to get used to. Sitting around. India stuck with the opening combination that worked for them in the first Test, and Rohit slotted in at No. 4.Related

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For the Prime Minister’s XI, the brightest performer was Sam Konstas. The 19-year-old scored a century that several will take note of, given, for a little while, he seemed to be the frontrunner to open the batting for Australia in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Several would have also been taking notes on Rohit. There was a time when he was at peace with the possibility of his red-ball career never really taking off. Then, after nearly a year out of the team, he was called up for a home series against South Africa in 2019, opened the batting, scored two centuries and a double as well in his first four innings back and a corner had been turned. His excellence against England, particularly on tour in 2021, highlighted how well he had strengthened his defensive game and over the 11 balls that he played at Manuka Oval, he was searching for something resembling that form.Rohit began his innings with a leave. He protected his stumps well. He was even watchful when the PM’s XI banged the ball in short. But then, after resisting the urge to drive one sucker ball outside off stump, he went driving at another and got caught at first slip for 3. Rohit has opened the batting ever since his comeback five years ago (so long as he was available). In the home season before India flew to Australia, he seemed preoccupied with trying to get all the runs he could before the ball with his name on it came on series that were largely played on bowler-friendly pitches. The season yielded him only one score over 25 in ten innings. Here, in Canberra, he was slightly more circumspect.Shubman Gill, who looked ready to play this game when he trained for it two days ago, got a good hit out in the middle and he remains an absolute menace whenever he is able to go on the back foot. That trademark short-arm pull in front of midwicket, against Mahli Beardman in the 18th over, got his innings going. But there were other moments, when he was driving on the up and away from the body, that he looked a little vulnerable. In the 23rd over, against Charlie Anderson – who picked up two wickets – he got an edge that went for four. Gill made a 62-ball fifty and retired.India chose to bowl in a game curtailed to 46 overs each by rain, presumably because they wanted to bat during twilight, and both KL Rahul and Jaiswal enjoyed a first-hand account of a period that is often lethal for batters, even in the hands of Jack Nisbet, a 21-year-old who is at present the joint-48th highest-wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield this season. Jaiswal got 12 of his first 14 runs with his outside edge. Each time – even if the pink ball went to the boundary – he was unprepared for the amount of movement it was capable of.KL Rahul has his eyes on the ball – from the opening slot•AFP/Getty Images

Rahul did not attempt any of the extravagant shots that his partner was trying, but he too had moments where he came off second best, particularly in the third over against Scott Boland, whose habit of never giving up the stumps along with getting just enough nip off the seam makes him the ideal candidate for these conditions. He got one to leap past the closed face of Rahul’s bat as he attempted to play the angle into him and was beaten on the leading edge.This was the kind of prep India were looking for; the situation that they were hoping to be in at the start of the day, and they tightened up. Jaiswal left four successive deliveries in the eighth over, and got behind the other two. Rahul continues to be impressive at reading the line of the ball, which informs his decision to play the ball or not, and that technique where he brings the bat down but takes great pains never to follow the ball worked for him once again. He played some crisp shots, always waiting for the ball until it was right under his eyes, the best of them a perfectly balanced, back-foot punch through cover. This was reward for him getting through that initial tough period with the pink ball around sunset. Soon after, the movement died down. He’d cleared the danger and with others needing game time retired out.Washington Sundar remained not out on 42•AFP/Getty Images

India’s win in Perth – which was built partly on Rahul and Jaiswal at Nos. 1 and 2 exceeding all expectations – and the anticipation that the new pink ball will present a serious challenge must be part of the discussions as they prepare for the Adelaide Test on Friday. Is the preservation of their partnership a sign? This was only a practice match, with absolutely no stakes, and the head coach Gautam Gambhir isn’t with the team just yet, so the decisions taken here may not be what will be taken in a week’s time. India land in Adelaide on Monday and begin their prep work again on Tuesday.On the other side, Konstas offered a reminder that he has a lot of shot-making ability, a reverse-ramp off Akash Deep in the 14th over making that perfectly clear. And the experience of facing an international bowling attack will only help his growth as he looks to back up his achievements at the Under-19 level.Konstas made 107 off just 97 balls and, though some of those runs did come with slogs, there was plenty of evidence that there is a player in there. He was able to step out to Mohammed Siraj and slap him down the ground. He tried the same to Harshit Rana and was sent ducking for cover, but later, when Rana dug it in short again, Konstas shifted his weight back beautifully and hooked him for six, the ball almost threatening the pristineness of the Jack Fingleton scoreboard. He didn’t back down.Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin played no part in the game, which played a part in some of the 5234 people at Manuka Oval leaving a little early.

Test captain says the players need to play more red-ball cricket to improve in Tests

Danyal Rasool03-Sep-20244:02

The anatomy of Pakistan’s fall in Tests

Pakistan’s performances in the Test series against Bangladesh have been difficult to justify, and their captain Shan Masood made little attempt to do so. Following the shock 2-0 defeat at home, he called for long-term solutions beyond superficial changes, emphasised the need for Pakistan to play more red-ball and Test cricket, and admitted his side tended to “keep making the same mistakes”.”In the batting department, and not just in this series, we need to improve in the second innings,” Masood said. “We tend to collapse quite frequently. We did well in each first innings, losing both tosses when there was weather around. We scored 448 and declared, and then 274, and when we reduced them to 26 for 6, that was a reflection of the pitch. That was the pitch we batted on and scored 274. We started well with ball and bat, but over four or five days, you need to be mentally tough throughout to make it count.”Pakistan’s tendency to fall apart as games go deep isn’t just a problem for Masood’s tenure, but it has been amplified over the last five Tests. In Melbourne and Sydney, Pakistan got themselves into promising positions before letting the game get out of hand, and let slip situations from where Bangladesh needed to break records to recover.The first Test in Rawalpindi was just the third time in history that a side declaring their first innings with six or fewer wickets down went on to lose, and Bangladesh’s 262 in the second Test is the highest total for a team that lost its first six wickets under 50 runs. Those Bangladesh recoveries, aided by Pakistan sustaining injuries to key bowlers and misfiring with the bat, led to the 2-0 result scarcely anyone predicted.Related

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Masood praised Bangladesh’s “discipline”, and said their Test experience demonstrated the value of regular red-ball cricket.”Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. It’s obvious we need more Test and red-ball cricket. Whatever format you play is the format for which you’ll produce players. You can’t play more T20 cricket and get Test players. You can’t prepare for science and then sit a maths exam. If you’re being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket.”We have to respect the opposition and Bangladesh’s discipline was superior to ours in both Tests. We have to look at ourselves and the kinds of mistakes we made this series, and we made plenty. Test cricket, in terms of fitness, whether mental or physical, lasts for four or five days. What we’ve shown this series is that’s something we need to work on.”With more Test cricket coming up, Pakistan’s players have virtually no avenue to prepare by playing red-ball cricket. Most of this squad will play the 50-over version of the newly created Champions Cup from September 12 to 29, before launching almost immediately into a three-Test series at home against England. With the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, coinciding with that series, the problems of limited red-ball cricket are unlikely to be alleviated soon.The issue of player fitness has constantly weighed on Masood and the team management, with Pakistan attributing to it some of their more contentious selection decisions. Masood said last week that the extra seamer at the cost of a spinner for the first Test was to distribute the workload more lightly among four pace bowlers. For the second Test, both leading fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were rested, and Pakistan’s three-pronged pace attack was notably bereft of pace in comparison to Bangladesh’s.Both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were rested for the second Test•AFP/Getty Images

Masood admitted Pakistan might have been better served not resting the duo collectively. “We kept Naseem in the 12, because we might have had to play four fast bowlers, which we could have done considering the load this weather might put on the bowlers. But we chose to go with Mir Hamza for the left-arm angle we were missing with Shaheen so a lot of thought went into it. Never easy resting your two premier bowlers.”If I could do it again, maybe we would have split Naseem and Shaheen between the two Tests. You have to be fair to them. Shaheen has played a lot of cricket in the last two years. Naseem has just come back from injury; his last Test was against New Zealand in Karachi. You have to look at the overall health of players; we have lots of cricket coming up and you have to look at the whole picture.”Masood has been in Pakistan cricket long enough to know its administrators and selectors aren’t known for patience; his staccato career – 35 Tests in 11 years – exemplifies this. Appointed just five Tests ago, he may still be a new captain, but he knows he wasn’t the obvious choice at the time, and is playing to prove his place in the side as much as his leadership credentials. Having become the first Pakistan captain to lose his first five Tests, and averaging 28.60 in ten innings, he understands how quickly the walls can close in.”I am not worried for my job security,” he said. “I took this job to make the changes we believe will help this team. If I believe this team can go in a certain direction, even if my personal failure takes Pakistan to that direction, I will be content. However much time I get I’ll be grateful for and do my best.”At the moment, Pakistan have the worst of both worlds, with neither Masood nor his team able to find results that offer breathing space. After the next home series against England, Pakistan travel to South Africa, and they are currently eighth out of nine in the World Test Championship table.Masood drew hope from the positions Pakistan got themselves into, pointing to four of the five Tests played under his captaincy. “If you do something good once, it’s an encouraging sign, and then you try and repeat it. We took time to adjust in Perth, but after that, in Melbourne, Sydney, both Pindi Tests, the game was in our hands and then we let go of it. This is something we have to work on.”From encouraging signs, it’s turning into something we’re not good at and need to improve. When you back an opposition into a corner, you need to be clinical in putting that side away. Whether it’s Australia or Bangladesh, the answer as to what mistakes we’re making is the same.”

England duo star on county return after Luke Wood mops up resistance with three wickets

ECB Reporters Network17-Jul-2024Lancashire 136 for 2 (Salt 70, Livingstone 54*) beat Nottinghamshire 131 for 7 (James 51, Wood 3-23) by eight wicketsLancashire became the second North Group side to qualify for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, brushing struggling Nottinghamshire aside by eight wickets chasing 132 at Emirates Old Trafford as England duo Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone starred on their return to county action.Second-placed Lightning joined leaders Birmingham in progressing courtesy of their seventh win in 13 games, set up by a polished bowling display led by left-arm quick Luke Wood’s season’s best three for 23 in limiting his former county to 131 for seven.All-rounder Lyndon James top-scored with a career best 51 off 38 balls before Salt underpinned a successful chase with a more destructive 70 off 42, including five sixes, in his first innings after T20 World Cup duty.Livingstone, another returning international, also contributed a wicket, three catches and 54 not out off 37 with three sixes. He shared a second-wicket 112 with Salt as victory was sealed with 5.3 overs remaining.Lancashire became the first county to achieve 150 wins in Blast history.From the moment Outlaws captain Joe Clarke got a thick edge behind off Saqib Mahmood’s pace, leaving the visitors two for one after eight balls, Lightning controlled things.The Outlaws, inserted, slipped to 28 for four inside six overs, Wood claiming his first – Jack Haynes caught at deep square-leg – added to other scalps for spinners Chris Green and Tom Hartley.The latter, England’s left-arm spinner, had Matt Montgomery caught at deep square-leg for his first wicket in any format since May 12, owing much to him being a squad member only at the recent T20 World Cup.In terms of games won, Nottinghamshire (144) are the second-most successful side in Blast history. But they will want to forget this campaign having only won twice so far.James and Tom Moores shared a fifth-wicket 53 inside eight overs and hit a six apiece to stem the tide and at least get the Outlaws into an innings which saw home captain Keaton Jennings employ four spinners to share 12 overs.Irish overseas debutant George Dockrell wasn’t one, but Livingstone was.And he broke the partnership when Moores miscued a wider delivery to long-off for 26 – 81 for five in the 13th over.After Wood struck again to get Liam Patterson-White caught at deep cover, James reached his fifty off 37 balls – by which time Nottinghamshire were 122 for six early in the 19th over.But, having mixed power with invention, James fell next ball to a brilliant diving catch from Livingstone at deep mid-wicket to hand Wood his third wicket.The visitors did well to get the total they did, though it just didn’t feel like one to threaten Lancashire’s progression through to a 17th quarter-final in 22 seasons.Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi had Luke Wells caught at point in the second over of the chase – 14 for one – to raise Outlaws’ hopes.Livingstone, in at three, was dropped in the deep on five and 20 en-route to a fifty later achieved with the winning hit – a pulled six off Farooqi.Salt pulled Olly Stone for an early six and hit Luke Fletcher for two more in succession over the off-side shortly afterwards.By the time Salt reached his fifty off 31 balls, Lancashire – now on course for a home tie in the quarters – were motoring at 84 for one in the 10th over.Salt hit two more sixes off Fletcher’s seam to bring up the century partnership with Livingstone before falling to Patterson-White’s spin.

Leicestershire display their own flaws in heavy loss in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Aug-2025Glamorgan 278 for 3 (Tribe 131*, Smale 83*) beat Leicestershire 274 (Hill 81, Norton 3-41, Franco 3-59) by seven wicketsYoungsters prevailed for Glamorgan against Leicestershire, to secure a consolation victory at the end of a sour, bottom-placed title defence of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.Asa Tribe’s second century in as many games backed up figures of 3 for 41 and 3 for 59 from 18-year-old pair Tom Norton, on debut, and Romano Franco respectively. Norton’s career got off to an impressive start as he dismissed Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood for a first professional wicket.Lewis Hill showed resistance for 81 in Leicestershire’s 274 before 21-year-old Tribe’s coming-of-age season was capped by his 131 not out, accompanied by Will Smale’s unbeaten 83 in a match-winning partnership against a much-changed Foxes side.It had been a poor campaign for the two teams who had shared the last two editions of the One-Day Cup. But Leicestershire came out the blocks firing despite being inserted, taking full advantage of a makeshift opening bowling pair lacking an out-and-out pace threat. Sol Budinger planted Andy Gorvin for two straight sixes inside five overs before being untimely dismissed, caught at deep third to a good low catch from Norton, in the first act of a strong fielding display.Zain Ul Hassan’s conceded five wides from his first ball, and four overthrows an over later was a reminder to snap back into concentation after Sol Budinger had threatened to take the game away early.At 44 for 1 from just five overs, Hill throttled back to ease to his half-century and looked less of a player in dire need of the runs, more one in full control.With Shan Masood and Peter Handscomb at four and five, Leicestershire threatened to take the game away from a side fielding two 18-year-old bowlers. However, Norton trapped Masood before another youngster Henry Hurle threw down Handscomb’s stumps to break an 84-run stand.At 176 for 4, Sam Wood arrived at number six, and with Leicestershire negotiating a few injuries and Hundred replacements, Glamorgan applied the pressure for a period of controlled ease, with no boundary for nearly eight overs after the 38th.A couple of Alex Green blows towards the back end helped the tail wag but Glamorgan finished in the driving seat after bowling a team out for the first time in their seven consecutive matches.Eddie Byrom started the chase with typical composure, milking singles before throwing away an off-side slash after getting himself in.Top wicket-taker in the tournament, Green, took just two balls to find himself a wicket – Hurle chopping the 18-year-old on.Kiran Carlson had three trademark sixes inside 13 balls before his cameo was ended prematurely, a partnership of 57 inside six overs while Tribe broke no sweat.Tribe went about his work quietly, remaining in Carlson’s shadow while still scoring at a-run-a-ball. He scored back-to-back boundaries to reach a 48-ball half-century, but that was just half the job done.The match-changing unbeaten partnership of 172 might have ended before it got going, when Smale drove a Green no-ball to backward-point on 3 for an early reprieve; another simple dropped catch followed when the damage had mostly been done.

KL Rahul headed to stumps unbeaten on 53 with India 242 runs behind England’s first innings 387

Alagappan Muthu11-Jul-20251:41

Manjrekar: ‘Bumrah did the hard work, played the waiting game’

Stumps Jasprit Bumrah was saved, or he had saved himself, for Lord’s. The temptation of the most famous honours board in the world might have had something to do with it, and if so, the plan worked. Bumrah claimed a five-for that helped bowl England out for 387 but he was far from the only fast bowler that set the pulse racing.Jofra Archer would have spent three years thinking about this moment, being told of the light at the end of the tunnel as he willed himself through the rehab his body needed to shoulder the burden that comes with Test cricket. Three balls into his first over back, the light wasn’t hypothetical anymore. His day in the sun had finally come and he was bathed in its glow as he celebrated a wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent back, wondering what he could have done against an 89mph rocket that had squared him up. Karun Nair was greeted by a 93mph missile.Related

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Bumrah was carving out legacy. Archer was clearing away the cobwebs. Lord’s was spoiled rotten. KL Rahul went to stumps unbeaten on 53 and holds in his hands much of India’s hopes of getting close to England’s total. They are 242 behind.The fans stood up as one to salute Joe Root when he got the chance the vent the nerves of spending the night on 99, the first ball offering him width. An outside edge squirted away to the deep-third boundary to signal his 37th Test century – which puts him in the top five in all of Test cricket. He went past Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith. Late in the day, he stooped to conquer the world, a beautiful diving catch to his left securing an unprecedented 211th catch.It was a special occasion at Lord’s – Red for Ruth Day, where everyone is encouraged to wear their support for the charity run by former captain Andrew Strauss on their sleeves. It seemed to have moved inanimate objects as well because the pitch became a lot more generous to those willing to bend their backs. The quicker pace it offered made the sideways movement all the more deadly.3:04

Root: ‘Great to see Archer smiling, enjoying his cricket’

Set batters found themselves undone when they least expected it. Ben Stokes’ off stump was off to the races immediately after he hit a boundary. Root, on 104, turned lead-footed all of a sudden, which created a gap between bat and pad for Bumrah to hurtle through. Shubman Gill, who came into this game with 585 runs in four innings, was snapped up for just 16. Jamie Smith went to lunch having rescued England from 271 for 7 to 355 for 7 but as soon as he came back, Mohammed Siraj found his outside edge. He celebrated the wicket by signalling the number 20, like many footballers have done this week to pay tribute to Diogo Jota, the 28-year-old Liverpool forward who died in a car crash recently.There was one who proved adept, so much that the very concept of dismissal started to look remote. Rahul made 53 off 113 balls and went to stumps unbeaten. This innings was built on his discipline and his judgment outside the off stump and his alertness for scoring opportunities when England shifted their lines straighter. Equally, his focus stood out.Archer tested him with a 142kph bouncer. Rahul was surprised by it – his feet off the floor, his balance shot to hell and yet, even in that vulnerable state, he was able to get his hands over the ball and cushion its journey back into the ground. There was another example of his defensive skills in the next over, when Stokes went wide of the wicket to maximise the away movement that he gets. Rahul was aware of what the bowler was trying to do and he was very careful to present a straight bat instead of being sucked in by the angle and offering a closed one.2:19

Manjrekar: Day two a learning curve for Gill

Rishabh Pant batted through injury. Nair almost got his redemption but fell 10 short of a half-century. England overloaded Gill. Targeting him with a bouncer barrage armed with five men on the leg side. Coaxing him across his stumps to bring lbw into play. Filling up the front of the wicket with catchers and also blockers that prevented easy singles. The India captain lost his patience this time, attempted to find loopholes, like backing away to cut a short ball way down leg, and didn’t see his wicket coming. Chris Woakes, with the keeper up to the stumps, switched up the play and went for his outside edge. He got it. England went to stumps with a lead that looks stronger for this bit of enterprise.A great many things happened on Friday, even though only 72.3 of the scheduled 90 overs were possible, and the most memorable were the work of a fast bowler who has turned modern-day cricket into his own playground. Nobody really came up to Bumrah’s level – he was getting the ball to swing one way and seam the other and four different batters could do nothing more than just give up their stumps to him.1:41

Manjrekar: ‘Bumrah did the hard work, played the waiting game’

Bumrah rested at Edgbaston so that he could play at Lord’s. He wanted to play here to get a five-wicket haul and a place on the honours board. When he did, he was merely relieved. Siraj had to act as puppet master, grabbing his new-ball partner’s hand and raising it aloft while the Indians in the crowd cheered. Kapil Dev was calmly brushed aside. He is no longer the Indian with the most five-fors away from home.In the middle of all this, there was a small victory for the visitors when Gill secured his first successful review on tour to get rid of Woakes.India continued to challenge the umpires, their irritation sparked by a second new ball that needed to be changed – a mere 10.3 overs into its use – and the replacement looking much the worse for wear. Gill spent the entire morning drinks break with umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula voicing his dissatisfaction, which had to have played a role in the officials eventually switching out even the replacement ball, after eight overs.Away in the background, Smith, who was dropped by Rahul on 5, just kept his head down and did his thing. Once more, he led an England lower-order recovery mission, his skillset perfectly suited to the task. A 52-ball half-century was the result of a man concentrating on the job at hand while the opposition was too busy fretting about what could have been. India tried to forget about Smith and blow away the other end, but that didn’t work either. Brydon Carse was batting well enough to hit Akash Deep on the up through the covers and getting down on bent knee to slash Bumrah past point. He completed an entertaining maiden half-century in Tests as England’s last three wickets added 116 runs.

But he could be considered for the ODIs in the West Indies and later the Champions Trophy

Mohammad Isam31-Oct-2024The BCB president Faruque Ahmed has said that Shakib Al Hasan is unlikely to play in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Faruque stated it was Shakib’s decision to opt out of the Afghanistan ODIs, while also hinting of an emotional element about his failure to play what was supposed to be his farewell Test in Dhaka against South Africa from October 21.Shakib has not played any cricket in nearly a month since the second Test in India and it is expected he will feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 League for Bangla Tigers to get some game time before the Caribbean tour.After the three ODIs against Afghanistan, Bangladesh will leave for the West Indies for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. Shakib has retired from Tests and T20Is so he will be available for the ODIs in the Caribbean and later the Champions Trophy in February 2025. Shakib hasn’t played ODIs since the World Cup in India last year.Related

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“After Shakib couldn’t come to play his (farewell) Test, he wasn’t doing much practice,” Faruque said at a press conference on Thursday. “I think he needs some time to regroup. We haven’t taken a final decision but he looks unlikely to play the next series (against Afghanistan). He is likely to miss the series. He could be playing a T10 tournament soon. I feel he can still play for Bangladesh in the 50-over format. There are three ODIs against West Indies before the Champions Trophy.”Faruque, however, said that the board will consider Shakib for the rest of the ODIs this season, if the selectors feel that his training and franchise tournament is sufficient preparation. “Shakib has played for 17 years and he is part of the generation that plays a lot of franchise cricket. They know the drill. They play, sleep maybe a few hours and turn up for training. So he is geared for such situations.”It is the definitely the best possible thing to train with the team but we will consider him if the selection committee thinks that he can still deliver by training or playing tournaments abroad.”The national selectors haven’t yet announced the Bangladesh squad for the ODIs against Afghanistan starting November 6, as the board president is also going to hold a meeting with Najmul Hossain Shanto who recently expressed his reluctance to lead the side.Meawhile, Faruque said that the decision for Shakib to skip the Dhaka Test last week came from the government, with the BCB not part of the decision-making process.”The BCB wasn’t a part of the decision of Shakib not coming to Bangladesh,” he said. “Our sports adviser informed the media at the time that there’s a problem if he comes. I didn’t have to make a statement. I heard that there was security till 3 or 4pm, and then there were clashes between the two sides.”

Veteran batter replaces David Lloyd having previously led county between 2012 and 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2025Wayne Madsen has been reappointed as Derbyshire’s club captain and will lead the team in County Championship cricket this summer.Madsen, 41, agreed to take on the role less than a month before the start of the season, following the decision of David Lloyd to stand down. Madsen was previously Derbyshire’s captain between 2012 and 2016, overseeing promotion from Division Two of the Championship in his first season.”Wayne has always shown great leadership qualities and he’s a popular member of our dressing room, so I’m delighted he will be leading our team in 2025,” Derbyshire’s head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, said.Related

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“His experience is invaluable; he has won promotion once as a captain already and I’m looking forward to seeing how his ideas play out on the field.”Wayne is a player who always leads by example, he is the one that sets the standards in training and with his professionalism, and I know he will approach the role with real pride and enthusiasm.”In a disappointing 2024 campaign, which saw Derbyshire claim the wooden spoon after finishing bottom of Division Two, Madsen was the club’s leading Championship run-scorer, with 1005 at 50.25 – the seventh time in 12 seasons that he has crossed the 1000-run mark.Overall, he has scored 14,601 first-class runs for Derbyshire, putting him ninth on the list for the club.Madsen said: “It’s a real privilege to captain Derbyshire again. I know what it means to represent this great county and its members, and I take immense pride in leading the team on the field.”David [Lloyd] has done a fantastic job in laying the foundations for me to build on. While results didn’t always go our way last season, he and Mickey, with his vast experience and knowledge, have fostered a real sense of togetherness and resilience within the squad – qualities I want to carry forward this year.”I’m proud to lead this team and excited about what we can achieve under Mickey’s guidance. With the talent and character in this squad, we’re determined to win games and bring success to our supporters.”

Warwickshire happier with draw after only 19 overs possible on final day

ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2024Warwickshire and Worcestershire launched their Vitality County Championship season with a draw after bad weather shunted a hitherto intriguing game up a cul-de-sac at Edgbaston.Worcestershire were frustratingly denied a chance to press for victory on their return to Division One after a wet outfield prevented play before lunch on the final day. After the loss of the last session the previous day, that took too much time out of the match for Brett D’Oliveira’s side to capitalise on the strong position they had built, largely through Kashif Ali’s two superb centuries.In the sliver of play that was possible on the final day, they took their overnight score from 237 for 2 – and lead of 264 – to 295 for 3. Jake Libby advanced to 101 not out, his 17th first class century, before another downpour proved terminal.Warwickshire’s bowling attack, which will expect to be “better for the outing”, in the words of head coach Mark Robinson, secured just one more wicket when Olly Hannon-Dalby clutched an instinctive return catch from a straight drive by Rob Jones. There was little joy for the other bowlers and least of all for left-arm spinner Danny Briggs who was adjudged to have delivered seven leg-side wides.With the match consigned to stalemate, Libby continued implacably to his ton while Adam Hose enjoyed some time in the middle of his former home ground, restraining his usual attacking game to collect an unbeaten 17 in over an hour.If there was some frustration for Worcestershire at being denied an opportunity to record their first Championship win at Edgbaston since 1993, there was also plenty of room for satisfaction. They acquitted themselves extremely well on their return to Division One.They were the better side with bat and ball. Kashif’s first two first-class centuries – 110 and 133 – lit up a match largely conducted under an unbroken canopy of grey while overseas debutants Nathan Smith and Jason Holder offered promise in the seam attack.”We played some really good cricket during the game,” D’Oliveira said. “Kashif had a really special game and is a really special cricketer. I am excited by the journey ahead of him. Our overseas guys have fitted in really well. First and foremost, they are excellent characters who have slotted straight into the dressing room. Jason is brilliant for me as a captain to have to bounce ideas off. Nathan is a highly talented bowlers who has already showed what he can do in this match.”Every we time we come up we are favourites to go down and we have been relegated a few times, so that’s reasonable, but this year we aiming to us that as a strength and surprise a few people.”Worcestershire will travel to Trent Bridge to face Nottinghamshire on Friday with confidence high. Warwickshire, meanwhile, will aim to be much improved against Durham at Edgbaston after missing Sam Hain (personal reasons) and Liam Norwell (injury) at the heart of their bowling and batting during this match.Robinson admitted that he did not know when either player would return. “We will be better for the outing, as they say. Gary [Barwell] and his groundstaff team did a great job to get a game on but conditions were difficult for the bowlers. I think all the bowlers struggled in the wind and with soft take-off points but Worcestershire’s probably coped a little bit better than ours.”We haven’t been where we want to be during this match. Our prep was affected because we lost one player the day before the game and another one on the morning of the game, but we haven’t bowled particularly well and it was a disappointing session with the bat where we lost five quick wickets to hand Worcestershire the initiative.”Liam Norwell will not be available for a while. He has an injury which we are looking into to get a bit of clarity. The good news, if you can have good news about an injury, is that it is not the disc in his back that has been the problem in the past. With regard to Sam Hain, I don’t know if he will be available for the next game. We will give him all the time and space he needs.”