Knight Riders now await the winner of the Eliminator between Patriots and Tallawahs; they will face the winner of that match in the second qualifier for a spot in the CPL final

The Report by Peter Della Penna12-Sep-2018Sohail Tanvir slams one away•CPL via Getty Images

In a tense low-scorer, hometown boys Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford reprised their heroics from Sunday, against the same opponent, before Sohail Tanvir struck the game-clinching blow, with a ball to spare, as Guyana Amazon Warriors made their fourth CPL final, with a two-wicket win over Trinbago Knight Riders at the Providence Stadium.Amazon Warriors made the most of home-field advantage in the early phase of the playoffs as the home team’s spinners held Trinbago Knight Riders to 122, before surviving their own testing times against the opposition spinners to scrape home in the final over.The list of dubious calls continueThe CPL organizers made the decision last week to have DRS in place for the second Qualifier and the final, in response to more than a dozen howlers this season. Unfortunately for the Knight Riders, the organisers decided to not extend DRS for all the playoffs, and it resulted in the visiting side receiving two decisions that more than likely would have been overturned on review.The first came at the end of the opening over, bowled by Tanvir. Brendon McCullum played well outside the line of a hooping inswinger that struck him in line with middle stump. However, he was also hit extremely high on the thigh guard. Umpire Leslie Reifer felt the line was a more compelling piece of evidence than the height and gave him out, much to the batsman’s dismay. Replays showed his frustration was justified as the ball would have likely carried over the stumps.Reifer then made another questionable call, in the fifth over, that accounted for Denesh Ramdin. The batsman swept at a very full ball from Imran Tahir and was struck on the front heel, which replays indicated was fully positioned outside the line of off stump. Instead of being able to review both decisions, Knight Riders lost both batsmen.Sticker shockKnight Riders lost not so much due to bad umpiring as due to their own inability to adjust quickly to a wicket that offered tremendous assistance to the slower bowlers. Finger spinners, in particular, found great success, starting with the Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green. The Australian struck in the second over, when a short of a length ball to Colin Munro stuck in the pitch, and the CPL’s leading scorer couldn’t keep his hands back on an intended cut and spooned a catch to extra cover.Green struck in near identical fashion in the sixth. Sunil Narine, promoted back to opener after scoring just 57 runs in the league stage, tried to swat a short ball through cover, but, due to the slowness of the surface, instead dragged to mid-off, offering a simple catch. By the end of the Powerplay, Knight Riders were 26 for 4. Colin Ingram and Darren Bravo’s partnership that followed lasted nearly half the innings, but only accounted for 48 runs. A late boost from Kevon Cooper and Dwayne Bravo helped the visitors claw past 100 and gave them a fighting chance.Dueling banjosNarine practically matched Green note-for-note with his spell, ending with 1 for 9 in four overs as he produced grip and rip on virtually every ball, starting in the second over. TKR had the advantage of playing one more specialist spinner than Guyana, and it almost won them the match in the end. Following Ali Khan’s opening over, Narine, Fawad Ahmed and Khary Pierre bowled 12 straight overs of spin to strangle the hosts.Fawad struck first in the third, getting Cameron Delport to hole out to deep midwicket. Luke Ronchi then top-edged a pull off Pierre to Narine at square leg to make it 23 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay, and by the halfway mark the hosts had added just 14 more to their score. Pierre swung the chase TKR’s way with a spectacular diving stop, scoop and run out off his own bowling to dismiss Chadwick Walton, and then found Green’s edge two balls later with the final delivery of his spell to leave Guyana 55 for 5 after 13.Keeping up the paceKnight Riders’ 12 overs of spin were complete, and despite an imposing required run rate of close to 10 on a tricky pitch, Hetmyer and Rutherford capitalized with pace back on the ball. Rutherford pierced Khan for two boundaries in the 15th, before driving Bravo for six early in the 16th. Another six over long-on by Hetmyer off Cooper in the 17th took the equation down to 21 off 20 balls.TKR sprung back to life, though, courtesy a mix-up between the batsmen that resulted in Hetmyer’s run out through a direct hit from point by Ingram. Rutherford drove Cooper to Bravo at long-off off the very next ball, leaving the tail to get Amazon Warriors across the line. Bravo had Rayad Emrit edging behind in the following over to put Knight Riders two wickets away from victory with 18 still to get.But Romario Shepherd clubbed his first ball for six to bring the equation down to a run a ball heading into the final two overs. Shepherd struck another crucial boundary through backward point off Cooper in the 19th, and took a single off the first ball of the 20th to make it three off five to win. Tanvir failed to put away three consecutive slower balls from Bravo, before a length ball was heaved back over Bravo’s head and over the rope to seal the match.

With the return of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, India could finally field a near full-strength side in the third ODI, with only Hardik Pandya missing

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan26-Oct-20183:22

Can Kohli beat Tendulkar’s 18K runs?

Big Picture

Is it better to have come close and not crossed the finish line; or to have not come close at all? West Indies must have briefly brooded over similar thoughts after they came within a run of toppling India. Much like the wire artist from the film , who considered the final few paces of his stunt the hardest, West Indies were at their most vulnerable when they were on the brink of doing what they have done only twice before: chase down a total over 300.West Indies had most things in their favour. A wet ball that nullified the spin threat. Two pacers who are not regulars in the ODI side. And a centurion in Shai Hope batting through the innings. What they perhaps lacked was a certain amount of know-how in finishing the job, something their opposition could be a case study for, as they showed in the first ODI.A source of solace could be that they have succeeded in their main aim of putting up scores of over 300. They had managed to do so only four times since the 2015 World Cup, the least among the top nine nations.But with opportunity slipping out of their grasp and India recalling their frontline pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for the last three ODIs, even that task may only get tougher. Both of them have considerably better records against left-handers than Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. That fact could serve India well against an intrepid Shimron Hetmyer, who has so far plundered 200 runs in the series, besides denting the confidence of the Indian spinners by consistently clobbering them into the stands. Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar will return to a venue where he was Man of The Match against New Zealand almost exactly a year ago. India could finally field a near full-strength side in the third ODI, with only Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav missing.3:33

Simmons: Bishoo needs to step up for West Indies

Form guide

India TWWTW
West Indies TLLWL

In the spotlight

After inexplicably benching Kuldeep Yadav in the first ODI, India corrected the error by including him in Vizag. While the combination of dew, Hope and Hetmyer rendered most of India’s attack powerless, Kuldeep managed to have an impact through the middle stages in customary fashion. The fact that all three of his victims failed to pick the googly should excite him.With over 900 runs in the country, West Indies’ most experienced batsman Marlon Samuels was expected to do more. In both matches, Samuels came in dressed as the protagonist and the stage set, only to be overshadowed by two youngsters. While lack of runs is surely a problem, the larger issue might be whether he is picking India’s wristspinners who are bound to bowl the bulk of the middle overs. In Guwahati, Yuzvendra Chahal pinned him lbw with the slider as he prodded forward in a pre-DRS manner, with his bat next to his pad, rather than in front of it. And in Vizag, after hitting three fours off overpitched balls, Samuels made the mistake of playing back to Kuldeep, hoping to read the turn off the pitch, and was bowled by the googly.

Team news

With Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah back, India will be tempted to draft both of them in the side straightaway, given how ineffective other pacers have been thus far. That could mean Umesh Yadav missing out.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahThe visitors may again be slightly torn between picking the extra pace of Oshane Thomas or the variations of Obed McCoy, who had replaced him in the last ODI.West Indies (possible): 1 Chandrapaul Hemraj, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmeyer, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse 9 Oshane Thomas/Obed McCoy, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Kemar Roach

Pitch and conditions

The last time Pune hosted an international, curator Pandurang Salgaoncar was dismissed by the BCCI before the first ball was bowled after being caught on camera giving information to two undercover reporters who were posing as bookies. What he had predicted to be 337-338 run pitch, turned out to be a sluggish surface where New Zealand, who batted first struggled, but India found it easier under lights.

Stats and trivia

• Through the crucial middle stages, between overs 11 and 40, West Indies have only picked up two wickets in the series.
• Shikhar Dhawan is 144 runs away from becoming the fastest Indian to 5000 ODI runs
• Dhawan and Rohit Sharma require only 14 more runs go past Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and become India’s second-most successful opening pair in ODIs

Quotes

“I have missed being part of the dressing room. Not sure if the boys have missed me. And looking back, now in Pune [with all the sights], maybe I should have held back and got banned here,”

England have not won a Test away from home for two years but, two days into the Galle Test, they have an excellent opportunity to put an end to that run

The Report by George Dobell in Galle07-Nov-2018England have never won a Test in Galle – they haven’t won a Test away from home anywhere for two years – but, two days into this game, they have an excellent opportunity to put both those issues right.It would be simplistic to suggest that Ben Foakes has earned them their dominant position over Sri Lanka. Simplistic but not untrue. For at the heart of almost everything good about this England performance to date has been the 25-year-old debutant who has taken to Test cricket as smoothly as he has taken every ball into his gloves.He resumed on the second day 87 not out. Personal landmarks probably shouldn’t have gained the status they have in a team game – Foakes had, after all, already ensured England had a competitive total having come to the crease with them teetering on 103 for 5 – but the fact is no England keeper had ever made a century in Asia and only one had made a century on Test debut. Even in a team game, these things matter. Especially when you’re standing in for an injured player who is expected to be fit in a few days.Despite easing the first delivery of the day through the covers for four – a typically sublime shot – it looked as if Foakes may be left just short of his century when Jack Leach was drawn into a back-foot push and edged to slip to give Dilruwan Perera his fifth wicket. Leach had taken a single from the fifth ball of the previous Suranga Lakmal over, putting him on strike against Dilruwan.Foakes was still five short of the landmark when he was joined by England’s No. 11, James Anderson. After watching Anderson survive a nerve-racking over from Perera – one ball was played agonisingly short of the packed slip cordon – Foakes decided to seize the moment and took the attack to Lakmal. He pulled the second ball of the over through backward square for four, then punched the fourth back past the bowler off the back foot – a high-class stroke by any standards – for another boundary to reach his hundred. To put his contribution in perspective, the next-highest score in the innings was 48 and only two men in the top five reached double-figures. Matt Prior is the only other England wicketkeeper to score a century on debut.Moeen Ali celebrates after another strike•Getty Images

But that was only part of Foakes’ job done. His primary role was still as a keeper. And, over the next few hours, he showed why Alec Stewart, his director of cricket at Surrey, rates him as the best in the world.If his first dismissal – an outside edge offered by Dimuth Karunaratne as he poked at one that left him from James Anderson – was relatively straightforward, it was still significant. It came from just the second ball of the Sri Lanka innings and therefore equalled a record set by Australia’s Peter Nevill for the earliest dismissal (in terms of deliveries) for a keeper on debut.Better was to come. A defiant stand of 75 for the fifth wicket between Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal appeared to have put Sri Lanka on course after they had slumped to 40 for 4. But then Adil Rashid saw Chandimal advancing down the pitch, held the ball back just a little and saw it turn past the outside edge. Foakes whipped off the bails both quickly and neatly to become the first England keeper to complete a stumping in the first innings of their Test debut since Bob Taylor in 1971.If it looked straightforward, it is worth remembering that England went three years between November 2012 and December 2015 without completing a stumping in Test cricket. Later he took an outstanding catch to see off Akila Dananjaya, poking at one that left him. Sometimes the very talented make the difficult appear deceptively easy.In the end, Sri Lanka conceded a first-innings lead of 139. Almost every plan that England had came off: from Sam Curran taking the new ball for the first time – in his second over he swung one back to trap Kaushal Silva leg before – to the trio of spinners combining to claim eight wickets.If Moeen Ali, who finished with 4 for 66 and passed John Emburey’s tally of 147 Test victims (in 11 fewer Tests and almost 6000 fewer deliveries), was the most successful, Jack Leach lost nothing in comparison. The wicket of Kusal Mendis, drawn forward from round the wicket before the ball turned to kiss the edge of the bat, would have pleased Rangana Herath or any other left-arm spinner in Test history.The key wicket of Mathews fell the ball after tea. Unfortunate to received one that bounced and turned, he gloved to short leg, having recording an assured half-century, before Niroshan Dickwella was lured into a loose drive and the tail fell to a succession of aggressive heaves. Herath, who had been given a guard of honour by the England team, was left unbeaten though you suspect he may have one more innings to play. By stumps, England had extended their lead to 177 with all 10 second-innings wickets intact.England’s most uncomfortable moment of the day came when Rory Burns, at short leg, was hit by a fierce sweep from Dickwella. Leaning forward, Burns ensured the ball did not hit his head but still took a painful blow on the upper back – just below the neck – and received several minutes of on-field treatment. An early tea was called and Burns spent an hour or so recovering in the dressing room, but had returned to the field before the end of the Sri Lanka innings.

M Vijay showed sparkling form, hitting a brisk century, while KL Rahul broke a lean run with a half-century on the final day of the India’s tour match

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-20181:18

‘Australian conditions suit my game’ – Vijay

A solid top-order show from Murali Vijay and KL Rahul headlined the final day of the drawn encounter between India and Cricket Australia XI. Vijay demolished an inexperienced host bowling attack as he made a 132-ball 129 laden with 16 fours and five sixes, while Rahul hit form with a 98-ball 62, following a string of low scores.Australia batsmen made the Indian bowlers toil at the start of the day, as they amassed 544 from 151.1 overs, after beginning the day 6 for 356. Harry Nielsen, who added 44 runs to his overnight score to bring up 100, was dismissed by Virat Kohli in the 21st over of the day. Aaron Hardie’s 86, and three 30-plus contributions from the tail, helped the hosts take a 186-run lead.In reply, Rahul reached his half-century shortly after tea in the 25th over, while Vijay was batting on 33. There was a short break in play in the 30th over, when a grimacing Vijay sought medical attention to his right thumb, and he resumed playing with a bandage on the finger. In the very next over, D’Arcy Short got the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Rahul for 62.Overcoming the pain in his thumb, Vijay set off to entertain the sizeable crowd at the SCG once he crossed 50. He destroyed the young Western Australian offspinner Jake Carder for 26 runs in an over, including three fours and two sixes, to move from 74 to 100. He smashed three more fours and two sixes before falling to Daniel Fallins in the 44th over, following which the teams shook hands with 15 minutes left to play.Vijay had been recalled for the Australia tour after losing his place due to poor form in the last two away Tests against England earlier this year. He impressed in a county stint with Essex and his first-class form was enough to get him picked for the Tests. Speaking about his comeback after the match, Vijay said his focus, even when he was out of the team, was on making sure he was always ready for the top level.”You’ve got to find ways to be in that positive frame of mind, where even if you’re not part of the team, you’ve still got to make sure you keep your work ethics to the top level, and once you get a chance, you should be ready to go,” he said. “That’s my basic funda. Once you play international (cricket), you’ve got to handle responsibility well. Whether it is four years or your first year, it’s about taking the responsibility and doing it for your team. Age doesn’t matter here.”

The Pakistan bowling coach said that the pitch had flattened out and his was a young attack which, admittedly, could have bowled better

Danyal Rasool at the Wanderers13-Jan-2019Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood admitted that his side could have bowled a lot better in the morning, as South Africa set the visitors a colossal 382 to avoid a whitewash in Johannesburg. He also added, however, that the pitch appeared to have flattened out, allowing South Africa a degree of comfort with the bat they had not enjoyed on Saturday.”We could have bowled a lot better today, and there were patches we didn’t bowl well in Centurion and Cape Town as well,” he said. “But as you see, our bowling line-up is very inexperienced, and this is a learning curve for them. Apart from Amir, no one came here before. These are different pitches, different atmosphere, so it’s a learning curve for them.”I think the pitch flattened out a bit. For the last three days, all sides opted for the heavy roller and the pitch flattened out. I think our plan was to get them out for less than 50 or 60 runs today, so we’d have to chase 270 or 280. But credit goes to de Kock and Amla. They played really well. They left the ball well, and when they got opportunities, they hit boundaries. On this ground, there are a lot of boundary options. You don’t get lot of runs by singles, because boundaries can be had on both sides.”South Africa had begun the day still slightly precariously perched at 135 for 5, but 129 from Quinton de Kock, a half-century from Hashim Amla, and contributions from the lower order took South Africa to 304. It was de Kock’s innings however – his first century in two years – that most impressed Azhar.”De Kock is a class act. He’s one of the best players in the world. We know when he’s at the crease he will get runs, because he likes ball on bat. He has the ability to hit good balls for four, and the innings he played was very good.”Pakistan still need 232 runs to win, with seven wickets in hand. The chase, if it were to be completed, would break all sorts of records, but will require the Pakistan batsmen to show a command over South Africa’s all-pace attack that they have not come close to achieving. Mahmood, however, still felt his side were in with a shot, pointing to the sturdy little 48-run partnership brewing between Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq.”We’ve done this before [in Pallekelle in 2015, where Pakistan also chased 382]. Babar and Asad are batting really well. If they bat for a long period of time, we’ve got a really good chance. Like I said in the morning, when you get 50, you have to turn it into 70, and then on to 100. If one of these guys can get a hundred like de Kock did, then I think we’ve got a chance.”Another slight peculiarity of the day was legspinner Shadab Khan, who had enjoyed turn since day one, not being called upon until the 34th over of the day. He sent down just under five overs, but caused the batsmen the greatest discomfort during that time, taking two wickets, including de Kock’s. Azhar admitted he may well have come on earlier, but said that the early swing made Pakistan stick with pace.”That’s the decision we had to take. The ball was doing a bit and there were a lot of plays and misses. We were hoping the fast bowler did the job for us and the captain thought that was the way to go. But when he came back, he bowled really well. I’m satisfied with the bowlers’ performance overall this series. As you can see, not only did the Pakistan batting line-up struggle, but the South Africans did too.”The issue about the performance of the bowlers has become a major talking point over the past week, with Sarfraz making his frustrations with their reduced pace obvious after Pakistan succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat in Cape Town. On the first day here, Amir, too, had made it clear that he would not take questions on the subject, abruptly ending a press conference when asked. But Azhar, who has been in charge of the bowlers, used the example of Shaheen Afridi, sitting this game out with an injury, to illustrate their workload of late.”Look at Shaheen: he’s a young guy. He only played six first-class games, out of which three were Test matches. He’s bowled a lot, and we’ve been playing Test-match cricket for the last three months. The boys played eight Test matches in a few weeks. It’s tough on a young guy, because he’s not used to the workload. We miss him, but we have to manage his workload for the ODIs as well, because he’ll be crucial in the ODIs for us.”

He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks before returning to training which will rule him out of the PSL and makes it highly doubtful he would be fit for the Pakistan one-day series

Andrew McGlashan12-Jan-2019Steven Smith requires surgery on the elbow injury that forced him home from the BPL and appears unlikely to be fit to resume his international career when his ban expires at the end of March potentially leaving him short of time to prepare for the World Cup.He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks after the operation before returning to training, which will rule him out of the Pakistan Super League, and makes it highly doubtful he would be fit to play any part in the one-day series against Pakistan that had been suggested as his international comeback if the fixtures lined up with the end of his year-long ban. The timescale for his recovery will also put him in doubt for the IPL which starts on March 23.However, the main concern for the Australia selectors will be if the injury means he is not able to play any international cricket before the World Cup squad has to be named on April 23.Smith arrived back in Sydney on Sunday and was assessed by Cricket Australia medical staff.”Steve Smith will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a ligament in his right elbow. He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks before commencing rehabilitation. Return to play time frames will be clearer once the brace has been removed,” a CA spokesman said.Depending on Smith’s recovery he may be available to take up part of his IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals, but those Australian players selected in the World Cup squad have to leave by early May for a preparation camp in Brisbane where they are set to play two matches against a New Zealand XI.During his ban, Smith has played T20 in Canada and the Caribbean before his aborted spell in Bangladesh. He has also played regular grade cricket for Sutherland and has trained with the New South Wales and Sydney Sixers squads but now faces an even bigger challenge to be ready for the demands of a World Cup campaign.

Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2 while her team-mate Smriti Mandhana moved from tenth to sixth spot

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2019West Indies’ Deandra Dottin has leapfrogged her captain Stafanie Taylor to become the top ranked allrounder among women in T20Is. Dottin was central to West Indies’ 2-1 series win over Pakistan in the UAE, where she was the leading run-getter with 158 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 139.82 in addition to taking three wickets at an economy rate of 6.36. She now has a 37-point lead over Taylor, who has 387 points.ICC T20 rankings for batsmen•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While New Zealand’s Suzie Bates retained her top spot among batsmen, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2. The 18-year old made 132 runs in three innings in New Zealand. Her team-mate Smriti Mandhana, who was the top scorer in that series, with 180 runs in three innings, including two half-centuries, moved from tenth to sixth.Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker in New Zealand, with four scalps, broke into the top 10 among bowlers, as did South Africa seamer Shabnim Ismail.

Ireland are on a seven-match losing streak against Afghanistan in T20Is going into the three-match series in Dehradun

Peter Della Penna20-Feb-2019Coming into last week’s Oman T20I Quadrangular series, Ireland were winless in their previous five T20Is and had also lost five straight T20Is to the Netherlands. It took a last-ball six by Stuart Poynter in a thrilling one-wicket win to break the latter streak and batsman Andy Balbirnie is hoping Ireland can use that as a turning point to break another lengthy losing streak against Afghanistan.”We would have liked it a bit easier than it was but when you’re a team that haven’t won a lot of games recently in T20 cricket, just to get over the line anyway is a big relief, particularly going into a big series against Afghanistan who are one of the top T20 teams,” Balbirnie told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the T20I series opener.The two sides play the first of three matches in Dehradun on Thursday before subsequent games on Saturday and Sunday. Balbirnie says Ireland showed great resilience against the Dutch, who were 116 for 0 in the 10th over before being held to 182. The win helped Ireland move up one spot in the ICC’s T20I rankings to 17th and for Balbirnie, who top-scored with a career-best 83 off 50 balls, the fight they showed is evidence that they have turned a corner in T20s after recent struggles.”If we play good cricket and compete like we did [against Netherlands] in the field when we were staring down the barrel, we should come out with some good results,” Balbirnie said. “As long as we’re playing good and we’re fighting in the field, we should be okay.”Balbirnie is well aware of the recent history between the two sides though, with Ireland having lost seven straight T20Is to Afghanistan. The last time Ireland beat Afghanistan was in the final of the 2013 T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi when the side posted an Ireland record total of 225 for 7 in a 68-run win.Only three Ireland players remain from the last starting XI that beat Afghanistan: Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and George Dockrell. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s reversal of fortunes has coincided with the emergence of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, a dual threat that Balbirnie is keenly aware of.”We know what threat Rashid and Mujeeb have and people like [Mohammad] Shahzad in their squad,” Balbirnie said. “So there’s a lot of threats all over the park.”We’ve not been playing great T20 cricket so to go into a series like Afghanistan who have world class players in their side that are playing franchise cricket at every franchise opportunity, playing in their backyard is gonna be a huge ask. In T20 cricket there’s no denying that we’re massive underdogs against them but I think we’ve got a bit of freedom in our squad at the moment. We’ve got some players that can come in and out and do a job. I think we’re gonna enjoy it.”

Hampshire allrounder focussed on county form as shoot-out for squad place looms with Joe Denly

Matt Roller28-Mar-20190:41

Dawson: No competition with Denly for World Cup spot

After a winter of match-winning performances with both bat and ball for his various T20 franchises, Liam Dawson could be forgiven for being confident about his World Cup chances.A series of characteristically solid displays with his left-arm spin for Comilla Victorians preceded a handful of eye-catching knocks in the Pakistan Super League, including a match-winning fifty that must have reminded England’s selectors of his ability as a batsman.But despite admitting he’d love to play in the tournament, England’s Mr. Dependable insists that his focus is on Hampshire for the time being.Teams must submit their provisional 15-man World Cup squads by April 30, and while the narrative around the battle for positions has focused on their various seam options, Dawson looks set for a straight shoot-out with Joe Denly for the backup spot as a spin-bowling allrounder.”I haven’t really thought about [World Cup selection]” he insists. “It isn’t something that’s on my mind. I’ve got to concentrate on what I do for Hampshire.”If a call does come then that’s brilliant, but if not, then life goes on. We’ve got a lot of 50-over cricket here for Hampshire in a big season, which I’m really excited about – I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”After he was named in the squad to tour Sri Lanka at the start of the winter, Dawson must have been tempted to clear his diary for the seven weeks from the end of May. He was picked alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid for the first two ODIs of the series, but a side strain ruled him out for the rest of the tour, with Denly named as his replacement.Come December, when the touring party was announced for the West Indies series, Dawson was fit but omitted, so that England could give Denly a closer look. Denly went unused in the ODI series, but pressed his case with a steady 30 and two wickets in the T20 series.”It was frustrating to get injured in Sri Lanka,” Dawson admits. “But it’s part of the game. You’ve got to come back from it, and thankfully I had a decent winter after that.”Liam Dawson continued his impressive form•Getty Images

Indeed, Dawson was not sat at home resting on his laurels. Instead, he was helping both franchises he represented to the finals of the Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League, and proved his worth with the bat in the latter in particular.”I bowled pretty well [in Bangladesh],” he says. “I didn’t get many runs, but there were some tough pitches in Dhaka. And I was very realistic – with the overseas players we had, I knew I wasn’t going to play every game, but I was happy to play six [seven] games, and I’d like to think that I contributed in those.”Pakistan was electric. The atmosphere was brilliant, and exciting to play in front of. I had a pretty solid tournament, a couple of match-winning performances, which is always what you want for the team, so I was happy with that.”Dawson’s ability to change games with the bat has not had much airtime at international level to date. He hit a dogged 66 not out on Test debut in Chennai back in 2016, but has faced just 25 balls in limited-overs internationals.But if England were unaware of his ability as a late-innings hitter, they surely know about it now. He was Hampshire’s leading scorer in the Blast last year, albeit in a poor season, and showed an adaptability for Peshawar that helped his side out of some tight spots. That came after enlisting the services of a specialist T20 batting coach, Julian Wood, for a couple of sessions to improve his power-hitting: clearly, Dawson cares about self-improvement.”With the opportunities I’ve had for England,” he says, “I’ve played as a bowler, but that’s fine – it’s obviously good that you can get into the team with a certain string to your bow. It doesn’t bother me. I know that I’m an allrounder – I’ve played a lot of one-day cricket in my career and I’ve done fairly well. It doesn’t matter what other people might think.”Another factor that plays into Dawson’s favour is that he will be playing cricket. Denly will miss the first two months of the English season to fulfil his IPL contract, but Kolkata Knight Riders’ overseas players have powered them to two wins in their first two games, and there are no guarantees that Denly will get on the pitch.Meanwhile, Dawson will be trying to help Hampshire retain their Royal London Cup title. He only played three games on their way to the trophy last summer, with Lions commitments breaking up the summer, but can expect to play a key role in their campaign this time around.”We’ve got the same team [as last year]. A lot of young lads have come through here. A lot of people are excited about the competition, and hopefully the youngsters can help get us through to the knockout stages.”Of course, that head-to-head may not come to pass: England may throw a surprise and pick three back-up seamers, or another reserve batsman alongside Alex Hales.But if Dawson did get the nod, he would let few people down. England have a habit of picking solid, unremarkable types as their left-arm spinner – think Stephen Parry, Michael Yardy, and Danny Briggs – but Dawson is a boundary-hitter too, and exceptional in the field.
If Moeen Ali goes down injured, then put the cold sweats on hold: England have a ready-made replacement primed to go.

Oman make the grade too after a four-wicket win over hosts Namibia

Peter Della Penna in Windhoek24-Apr-2019Xavier Marshall’s first official international century for USA set the platform for his team to secure ODI status for the first time in their history as they cruised past Hong Kong at United Cricket Club.USA were sent in – they lost their fourth consecutive toss in Namibia – and former West Indies Test player Marshall anchored the innings after losing opening partner Monank Patel at the end of the second over. Monank, who was Man of the Match for his unbeaten 70 a day earlier against Papua New Guinea, chipped a leading edge back to offspinning allrounder Kinchit Shah.Marshall got off to a sluggish start, scoring 18 off his first 55 balls, before he was dropped twice in the space of three overs off Ehsan Khan. The first chance was a scorching drive that Ehsan did well to protect his face from, but the second, when he was on 23, was a straightforward chance to midwicket that captain Anshuman Rath couldn’t hold on to.Rath’s drop cost Hong Kong dearly as not only did Marshall go on to make a century off 153 balls, but also compiled an 184-run partnership with Steven Taylor, who hit 88 in 95 balls. It’s the highest second-wicket stand in USA’s one-day cricket history and their fourth highest partnership for any wicket. One ball after Marshall brought up his century with a boundary over midwicket, though, he fell to spark a flurry of wickets. But Timil Patel’s cameo of 34 not out off 12 balls concluded the innings with two sixes over long-on to take USA to 280.The chase proved to be anticlimactic after Ali Khan struck the decisive blow in the sixth over. Khan trapped the tournament’s leading scorer Rath with an inswinging yorker for his tournament-high 13th wicket. From there, victory was assured as Hong Kong played to limit the damage to their net run-rate for the majority of their innings as they still hold a chance of securing fourth place.Fast bowler Kaleemullah and Oman Cricket director Pankaj Khimji celebrate Oman gaining ODI status•Peter Della Penna

Oman became the second team on the day to clinch ODI status, about 45 minutes after USA, as Sandeep Goud struck an unbeaten 57, including the winning six, with five balls to spare to keep Oman unbeaten with a win over Namibia.Four years earlier at Malahide, Oman had secured T20I status with a dramatic win over the same opponents at the World T20I Qualifier and Goud’s knock provided a bit of déjà vu at Affies Park for Oman.Jan Frylinck dismissed Khurram Nawaz at the start of the 44th over for the sixth wicket and his third of the day, leaving Oman needing 57 off the last 35 balls. But Namibia could not break into the tail as allrounder Goud marshalled Oman across the line with a career-best knock. With 39 required off 24, Goud struck Frylinck for four and six to start the 47th and by the end of the over Oman needed 24 off 18 before strolling across the line.Namibia had fought back brilliantly after being pinned down in the first innings at 98 for 7. JJ Smit and Zane Green compiled a 103-run eighth-wicket stand as Smit counter-attacked with a run-a-ball 60 from No. 9. Namibia had momentum going their way into the break before Fayyaz Butt wrested it back for Oman, dismissing the set pair on back-to-back balls in the penultimate over.The silver lining for Namibia is that they still control their own destiny heading into the final day of round-robin play. A win over Hong Kong will seal ODI status but they can even obtain it in spite of a loss as they currently hold a massive +1.452 net run-rate advantage over Hong Kong (fourth place) and a +1.663 advantage over Canada (fifth).Captain Davy Jacobs kept Canada’s hopes of claiming the fourth and final ODI status slot alive after his unbeaten half-century clinched a nervy chase at Wanderers over Papua New Guinea.Canada had PNG on the ropes for the majority of the match but struggled to land a knockout blow. PNG were 70 for 7 after electing to bat first, almost a carbon copy of their struggles from a day earlier against USA, but Assad Vala fought valiantly with the tail to extend the innings until the 45th over.Promoted to open from his usual No. 3, the PNG captain and tailenders Jason Kila, Nosaina Pokana and Damien Ravu added 84 for the final three wickets with Vala doing most of the heavy lifting. It took the return of Dillon Heyliger, who had earlier hit the top order with three wickets, to finally dislodge Vala to end the innings with 34 balls unused.Yet, Canada’s top order failed again in the chase. It took Jacobs to steady things upon entering at 56 for 4. Heyliger played a key role with Jacobs at the end as well as the pair knocked off the final 21 runs together in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand.Canada can clinch ODI status for the first time since 2014 if they beat USA on Friday paired with a Hong Kong loss to Namibia and a PNG loss to Oman. If Canada, Hong Kong and PNG all lose, they will all remain on 1-4 with the fourth ODI status slot decided by net run-rate.