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After being ahead for most of the contest, the Delhi Capitals seemed to have lost their way in a chase of 137, but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 28 helped them beat the Chennai Super Kings and inch one step closer to a top-two finish.Shikhar Dhawan had anchored the chase for much of the innings, but when he fell for 39 in a double-wicket over from Shardul Thakur, the Capitals were 99 for 6 with two new batters in the middle.Hetmyer then took charge as he struck Dwayne Bravo for two fours in his first over. He then smacked Josh Hazlewood for a crucial six, and finally watched from the non-striker’s end as Kagiso Rabada flicked one fine for four to seal a three-wicket win in the final over.

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Hetmyer also had a massive slice of luck when he was put down by substitute fielder K Gowtham at long-on with Capitals needing 22 off 16. It proved to be one of the key moments in the game. The result meant the Capitals had completed the double over the Super Kings for a second season running.Despite losing just five wickets in their innings, the Super Kings struggled with the bat after the Capitals opted to field. The opening partnership of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis did not fire, Moeen Ali fell early, and MS Dhoni struggled to a 27-ball 18. If it wasn’t for Ambati Rayudu’s unbeaten 55, the Super Kings could have finished with a score much less than 136.CSK’s top order struggles
Anrich Nortje leaked 16 runs off his first over as he erred against Gaikwad. Faf du Plessis then thumped Avesh Khan for two fours in the second over, and another dangerous opening stand loomed. The quick start may have forced Rishabh Pant to bring spin on early, and it worked as Axar Patel struck off his fourth ball as du Plessis pulled one to a diving Shreyas Iyer at deep midwicket. Nortje then returned to bowl a rising, short delivery that had Gaikwad slicing a pull to midwicket. With both openers gone, it was a useful chance – with not a lot of pressure – for the Super Kings middle order to get some batting time before the playoffs.Robin Uthappa came in at No. 3 on his Super Kings debut after replacing the injured Suresh Raina, but couldn’t make much of a mark. After hitting one four early in his innings of 19, he succumbed to an R Ashwin carrom ball. Moeen Ali struggled against spin in the powerplay and was out early too when he flicked Rabada to deep midwicket. After nine overs, the Super Kings were 65 for 4.Rayudu’s rescue act
With a match-winning 32 and an unbeaten 17 in the UAE leg of the IPL so far, Rayudu’s impact with the bat has been limited given how solid the Super Kings’ top three have been. But this time, he had the opportunity to show he still has the skills and temperament to pull off a rescue act.He struck Avesh for two fours in the 12th over, then hit a six and four off the same bowler in the 18th, but in between the boundaries were hard to come by. Axar and Ashwin bowled their eight overs for 38 runs, and Dhoni, batting at No. 6, ahead of the in-form Ravindra Jadeja, struggled with his timing. A big 19th over off Nortje allowed Rayudu to raise his half-century and lift the Super Kings to 136 on what Dhoni called a “two-paced surface” after the game.Dhawan anchors…
After Prithvi Shaw was dismissed for the sixth time in the IPL by Deepak Chahar – among the more one-sided match-ups in IPL history – Dhawan chose to attack. The fifth over from Chahar had the umpires bringing out the sanitisers twice as Dhawan smacked big sixes either side of two fours. The 21 runs conceded that early in the chase left the Capitals needing to score at a rate of less than six for the rest of the chase.However, Dhawan was forced to rein his shots in when Shreyas Iyer was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood and Rishabh Pant was picked off by Ravindra Jadeja as the Capitals stuttered to 75 for 3 after ten overs.Soon after, the No. 5 Ripan Patel was out for an 18-ball 20, but not before he had hit Jadeja for two fours in one over. That brought some relief to the required rate, but when Thakur’s double-wicket over got rid of Ashwin (bowled) and Dhawan (chipped to cover), the game looked to be getting out of the Capitals’ grasp.… and Hetmyer finishes
With Ashwin coming in early, the positive was that Hetmyer had been held back. Axar and Hetmyer knocked singles around early on to take the Capitals closer to their target. At that stage Dhoni could either go to Moeen for an over or Bravo, and he chose the latter for the 18th despite him not bowling all evening.At the start of the over, the Capitals needed 28 off 18 balls, and Hetmyer clubbed his fellow West Indian for two fours in a 12-run over that included a dropped chance at long-on. That brought the equation down to 16 off 12, but the pressure would be released when Hetmyer thumped Hazlewood for a six in the 19th over.Needing to defend six off the final over, Bravo started poorly by conceding four runs off one legal ball. Then came the dismissal of Axar. But Bravo then went full at Rabada’s toes, and he flicked fine to end the game with two balls to spare.

Batter Robin Uthappa said Chennai Super Kings’ culture of “making sure all players within the group felt secure” helped him retain his belief after not playing for the majority of the 2021 IPL season. Uthappa contributed with 63 off 44 balls in the first qualifier against Delhi Capitals on Sunday to set a strong foundation for Super Kings’ chase of 173.”The culture in the group is that everyone will get an opportunity,” Uthappa told Star Sports Tamil after the game. “I started the first game well, but didn’t kick on from there. After that I got out playing shots that I’d have backed myself to play positively. I knew I had to be positive and express myself.”I was sitting out for 10 matches and was wondering how to help. It was eating away at me and I had self-doubts. I was trying to help by doing whatever I can, like bringing them water, but to get an opportunity to actually go out to the middle and add value, it’s something I’m grateful for.”

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Apart from Super Kings, Uthappa said he had previously felt more secure in an IPL team only under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership at Kolkata Knight Riders.”At KKR I had a similar experience under Gautam,” he said. “He’d make sure all players within the group felt secure. So the players always felt like giving back to the franchise. After that, this is the first time I’m experiencing that kind of security. You’re thinking of helping and giving back to the team.”After losing Faf du Plessis in the first over, Uthappa and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who passed 600 runs this season on Sunday, put on a 110-run partnership for the second wicket in just 77 balls. Uthappa also celebrated his fifty with a unique sign, a gesture that indicated “the love within the group”.Robin Uthappa on his celebration: “The three finger sign is the love within the group”•BCCI

“We just wanted to rotate the strike and build the partnership,” Uthappa said. “First six overs, we didn’t want to lose a wicket. Seventh onwards we decided it didn’t matter even if we were getting only 6-7 an over, let’s take the game deep.”I’ve always had the energy, despite my size. I run well between the wickets. We’d always decided that one side in this ground is bigger than the other, so we targeted the boundaries against the spinners accordingly. When we’re batting to the bigger side, we targeted the boundaries straight. We just didn’t want to lose wickets.”Uthappa also said that though “many had written Dhoni off”, he is the best at what he does. “It’s very heartening to see from the outside,” he said. “Many had written him off, but when the situation arises, he met the challenge. He’s the best at this. All of us in the dressing room wanted him to go out and do it.”Mahi had said we have the best fans, and I agree. When I joined, I said I don’t know how to whistle, but will make you all whistle. Hopefully we can do that after winning the final.”

From being the first team to be eliminated last season, Chennai Super Kings have turned around their fortunes in IPL 2021 by becoming the first to qualify for the playoffs. But according to head coach Stephen Fleming, the seeds of their success were sown last year itself.”I think I mentioned at the time, we were really proud of the way we finished [in 2020],” Fleming said after Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday. “We won the last four [three] games in a row and started to get a little bit of rhythm together. In the first half of the tournament, a number of things went wrong, and our form and confidence were really low. But the way we finished was really encouraging, and that actually gave us the first look at what we could be.”When we were sitting down analysing it, we thought we were probably a couple of spots away from being quite competitive. In fact, even if that was a bad year, we were only possibly one good win away from making the semi-finals [playoffs]. So we took more confidence out of it than maybe what others did.”We knew it was just a couple of positions that would make us a balanced side. And then it was just about creating a style of play that was going to suit us and then just absorbing it and playing it. Once we got the players – Moeen Ali was one in particular – and had our boys fit and ready to go, and Suresh [Raina] back, it was just creating an environment that was positive and making sure there was no doubt.”Super Kings picked Moeen for INR 7 crore (USD 959,000) at the auction in February. The main reason behind signing him was they wanted someone to inject impetus during the middle overs. Moeen has done that job with aplomb, scoring 217 runs at a strike rate of 149.65 in that phase. In fact, only Faf du Plessis (435) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (407) have scored more runs for Super Kings this season than Moeen’s overall aggregate of 278.Another thing that has fallen into place for Super Kings is Dwayne Bravo’s death-bowling form. Last year, Bravo had gone for 9.12 runs an over at the death; this time he has given away only 7.22. Fleming said the competition with Sam Curran for the allrounder’s spot in the playing XI helped Bravo rediscover his mojo.”Sam was excellent for us in the first part,” Fleming said. “And Dwayne Bravo has come back now, the champion that he is, so there’s some really good competition around that allrounder’s spot. That’s ideally what you want, two very good players competing for a spot and getting the best out of each other. Maybe [there could be] even an opportunity where they both play together.Suresh Raina has crossed 20 once in his last nine innings•BCCI/IPL

“We’re really impressed with the way Bravo has responded to the challenge. He’s back to his best; his bowling at the death has been outstanding, and it just means that the role definition of the bowling group is very clear.”If there’s one concern for Super Kings, it’s Raina’s form. He had started the season with a 36-ball 54 against Delhi Capitals in Mumbai but since then has crossed 20 only once in nine innings. Fleming, though, backed him to come good in the upcoming games.”We’ve got a pretty clear role for him,” he said of Raina. “He has got an optimal time that we want him to bat, and we’re afforded the luxury of having a player that can come in and be aggressive. So it’s just getting the timing right with that and managing the batters around him.”We value his experience and we think he’s got a part to play through the middle, which is an area that we’ve identified we can make a strength. Suresh is an experienced player, who has earned a bit of leeway. I expect as the tournament goes on, his performances will improve.”So far, Super Kings have won their all four games in the UAE but are still not assured of a top-two finish, which will give them two shots at the final. Fleming hinted that while they may look to manage the workloads of certain players in the next couple of games, there won’t be too many changes in the side.”I’m not big on momentum, momentum can go just as quick as you have it,” he said. “So we’re not really talking about that. But what we probably have been afforded is the opportunity to just manage workloads a bit better. We’ve got a day and then we travel to Abu Dhabi, and then another day, another game.”So we’ll certainly talk about how we can manage our players, making sure that we manage the team that played today and also the opportunities for guys who are on the fringe. So we’ve afforded that luxury now, but we won’t be too experimental.”

Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Lungi Ngidi will miss South Africa’s ODI series in Sri Lanka next month, but are expected to return for the T20Is that follow. Dwaine Pretorius returns to both squads after missing South Africa’s winter tours as he recovered from Covid-19.de Kock has been rested from the 50-over matches, Miller is nursing a hamstring injury, and Ngidi, who also recently withdrew from the Hundred, has been given time off for personal reasons. That means Temba Bavuma leads a slightly weakened ODI side as South Africa seek to make up for dropping points in Ireland in July. They shared the series 1-1 after a washout and a first-ever defeat against the opponents, and lie tenth on the World Cup Super League table with 24 points from six matches. The only new addition to the squad from the Ireland series is seamer Junior Dala, who last played an ODI for South in Sri Lanka, in August 2018.Related

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While Dala is not part of the T20I group, de Kock, Miller and Ngidi are set to return for those matches, which will be South Africa’s last in the format before the T20 World Cup. Despite beating West Indies 3-2 and Ireland 3-0 in recent matches, South Africa remain unsure about their best XI, with questions over the length of the batting line-up, whether to include a seam- or spin-bowling allrounder, or both, and who to task with their death bowling.The series may be an opportunity for Sisanda Magala, who left South Africa’s trip to the Caribbean and Ireland early with an ankle injury but has a reputation for being effective at the end of innings, to stake a claim for the T20 World Cup. Left-armer Beuran Hendricks, who replaced Magala in the white-ball squad for the Ireland matches, has kept his place in both squads, but Andile Phehlukwayo has dropped out of the T20I squad, suggesting his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup are slim. Instead, Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder will compete for the seam-bowling allrounder’s spot while the squad includes four spinners: Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi.South Africa have also stuck with their handful of opening batters across both white-ball formats. Bavuma, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks are all in the T20I squad, while Malan drops out for the T20Is and de Kock returns, giving them plenty of options at the top of the order.South Africa play three ODIs and three T20Is in Colombo between September 2 and 14.ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Junior Dala, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Janneman Malan, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad WilliamsT20I squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

The emergence of Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne and Ben McDermott as players of national interest has been confirmed by their inclusion in Cricket Australia’s national performance squad for 2017.Carey enjoyed a strong season as wicketkeeper for a South Australian side that made the Sheffield Shield final for a second consecutive season, while Labuschagne enjoyed a strong season for Queensland and McDermott produced one of the innings of the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes against the Melbourne Renegades.At a time when the national selectors are looking ardently towards youth, the trio will be aware of their standing when reminded of the fact that three members of last year’s squad – Matt Renshaw, Hilton Cartwright and Sam Heazlett – all went on to play for Australia during the 2016-17 season.”It’s been really pleasing see three players from the 2016 National Performance Squad go on to play international cricket in the past 12 months,” the national talent manager and selector Greg Chappell said. “In Matthew Renshaw and Hilton Cartwright at Test level, and Sam Heazlett at ODI level, the NPS program is having a real impact in developing Australia’s emerging talent into cricketers capable of playing at the game’s highest level.”There is a wealth of talent in this squad, and a nice balance between players with domestic experience pushing to play for Australia in the near future, and players who we believe can make the step up from underage championships, to domestic level and hopefully international cricket over the next couple of years.”Pace bowlers will be the first to arrive at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on May 8, before the full intake begins on May 29. The players will be sent to the Snowy Mountains for a boot camp before other keynote events including a five-day spin camp in June, a visit to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai in July and a fielding and wicketkeeping camp in August.”Our spin camp has been running now for a number of years, and each year I see it getting better. We have international conditions, international spinners and international coaches coming through as part of that particular program as well,” the NPS head coach Troy Cooley said. “With the facilities we have, we can replicate Indian conditions and Australian conditions, and it really is a good opportunity for both batsmen and bowlers to develop their game outdoors in the sun.””We’ve done some excellent work with the State Talent Managers and the National Selection Panel to select this squad, and we have another talented group of young players. Our role in this important pathway program is to value-add to the hard work the States are doing with these players.”Our facilities are world renowned, and provide plenty of opportunities for cricketers to learn and develop their craft in a multitude of different conditions to not only improve on their current skills, but replicate the touring life of an international cricketer.”There are several specialist camps as part of this year’s program, including a boot camp in the Snowy Mountains to test our players’ adaptability and resilience away from the game, and a trip to the MRF Academy which adds a real international flavour to the program, and further sub-continent experience.”National Performance Squad 2017: Alex Carey, Jackson Coleman, Michael Cormack, Brendan Doggett, Jake Doran, Daniel Fallins, Jordan Gauci, Ryan Gibson, Ryan Hadley, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lewin Maladay, Ben McDermott, Tom O’Donnell, Ben Pengelley, Henry Thornton, Param Uppal, Mac Wright

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, says that the launch of All Stars Cricket, a major grassroots initiative for children aged between five and eight, is about creating a new generation of fans in order to sustain the sport into the future.From midday on Monday, parents have been able to sign up their children online to become All Stars in an ECB scheme that aims to introduce the game to 50,000 boys and girls across the country.”I think we’re in a world of competition from many sports,” Vaughan told ESPNcricinfo. “I do think cricket has sat back for many years and expected people to come and play the game. This is a project that takes the game to parents and kids.”The need to engage young children with cricket has never been more pressing as cricket has lost out to a range of individual pursuits that have been galvanised by Olympic coverage and social media interest, and by the effects of a social environment less naturally attuned to team sports.”You only have to look to the left and see the Olympic Stadium,” Vaughan said during the launch event at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford. “Who’d have thought many years ago that kids would have seen BMX racing on TV, or taekwondo? These kids have been inspired by the Olympics because they’ve seen the game. And that’s really important, that cricket gets seen more.”If one or two England players are made in the next ten years then great, but this is more about creating the cricket fan. I would hope that any youngster who comes through the programme, whether they play or not, they are going to like the game. And that’s what I call spreading the wings of the game. The more we can grab kids of a younger age, the more their wings are going to be spread later in life, and that can only be good for the game.”A clue to the ECB’s priorities comes in the fact that the media release prior to the launch came with enthusiastic quotes not from the MCC or any traditional cricketing body, but from the CEO of Mumsnet, Justine Roberts, who spoke on behalf of parents in celebrating: “Fun sporty activities that their children will love.”

ECB close to Olympic Stadium World Cup deal

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, believes a deal is close to being secured to host World Cup matches at the Olympic Stadium in East London during the 2019 event.
Negotiations have been ongoing for some time, and are believed to revolve around two group-stage fixtures, one of which will feature England, and could be played in front of a capacity audience of 66,000 – double the size of Lord’s.
“It would be an amazing statement,” said Harrison. “60,000 people in a ground in the UK watching World Cup cricket. It’s making a statement about what cricket means in this country.”

“We’re trying to make a very early connection with girls and boys around the country, which if you get that right, the return on that time and investment is over a lifetime,” ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a fantastic way for us to demonstrate how we are trying to broaden the appeal of cricket around the country, through our club network, county boards and ultimately also through communities that we don’t reach through cricket clubs.”The initiative has been almost two years in the making since the ECB appointed Matt Dwyer, who had successfully promoted the game at age-group level in Australia, as its director of participation and growth.Upon sign-up, participants will receive a cricketing backpack including a bat, ball and everything they need to try the game for the first time. They will then start an eight-week programme at their local centre in May where they will be introduced to the game in “a fun and safe environment”.As a gesture towards educational advantages, children will also learn the social development skills that team sport brings.Each session of the eight-week programme – developed with input from Andrew Strauss and the England performance team – aim to give children the basic skills they need to develop a lifelong love of cricket.Participating centres will receive free All Stars kits, volunteer training and support via a central marketing campaign, celebrating ‘Big Moments’ as children take their first steps in the game. The programme reflects ECB’s strategic framework for growing the game at every level.The project is part of the ECB’s wider ‘Cricket Unleashed’ programme, which aims to re-establish the sport’s relevance to all sections of society. ESPNcricinfo gave more details on the scheme last monthThe ECB has promoted All Stars at a series of meetings in county clubs around the country. Some of those already running successful youth cricket have reservations, bemoaning the fact that they will have no choice but to join a more expensive and glitzy marketing-led scheme.With cricket participation levels down, however, after a decade without free-to-air coverage, and with all team sports feeling a fall in numbers, and pressure on facilities, All Stars comes at a crucial moment for English cricket.Dwyer said: “We have big ambitions to significantly grow the game and this programme is all about putting a bat and ball in the hands of more children at an earlier age. First and foremost, we want to make playing cricket a fun and enjoyable experience for children and give them a passion for the game to last a lifetime.”Drawing kids to the game at an early age will develop more players, create more fans and show the power of cricket in developing physical and social skills.”We also want to make sure that parents have a great first experience at the club and give them the chance to have an hour back with their kids every week. We will be encouraging parents to get involved with sessions, whatever their prior knowledge of the game.”Within weeks of unveiling the programme to clubs we had 2,000 of them sign up to deliver All Stars Cricket and this summer we hope to have 50,000 kids trying the sport all over the country through this exciting nationwide programme.”England men’s and women’s stars Jonny Bairstow and Lauren Winfield joined Vaughan at the event’s launch on Monday evening.Additional reporting by Andrew Miller

Pierre de Bruyn has warned his Leicestershire players that complacency will not be tolerated under his leadership.De Bruyn has ruffled a few feathers at Grace Road since his appointment as the county’s new head coach following the departure of Andrew McDonald at the end of 2016 season. But he is unapologetic about challenging attitudes at a club he feels has been coasting for too long and said he is prepared to deal with some unhappy senior pros as a consequence of producing more opportunities for younger players.”The club has underperformed massively,” de Bruyn said. “The fact is, we’ve been at the bottom of the Championship for a few years and, though we showed some signs of improvement in red-ball cricket, we’ve been very poor in white-ball cricket. We can’t accept that. It’s time to take a look at ourselves. We owe the supporters better.”If we are serious about taking the club forward, we are going to have to have some tough conversations. If any of the senior players are complacent, I don’t mind challenging them and I don’t mind putting myself under pressure.”If you have a squad of 25 players, more than half will not be playing and that means that some of them will be unhappy. But I want to focus on this club producing England players again and, in the likes of Zak Chappell and Ned Eckersley, we have guys with the talent to do that. We can’t be accepting batsmen averaging in the mid-20s any more.”That would appear to be a reference to Angus Robson. He was the club’s highest Championship run-scorer in 2014 and second highest in 2015, but endured a tougher 2016, averaging 27.11 with a top score of 84. As a consequence, it seems he can no longer be assured of his place.”I don’t blame him if he feels his position is under threat,” de Bruyn said. “We have a big squad and competition is fierce. He has played more than 50 games and only made two centuries. He has had more than fair opportunity and there’s no doubt he had a poor season. Averaging 27 in Division Two is not getting us promoted. I told him to go away and focus on making hundreds. I hope it drives him to work harder. I hope he comes back motivated and ruthless.”But it’s not just him. Our top order – the likes of Paul Horton and Mark Pettini – failed to score the runs we needed in limited-overs cricket and we need to do better.”I am keen to create opportunities for younger players. Lewis Hill made a century at The Oval a couple of years ago [in his second first-class game], Harry Dearden is young and promising and we’ve signed Callum Parkinson, who is another who could go a long way in the game.”Senior players will be treated fairly and respectfully, but places are up for grabs and that’s exciting.”Leicestershire’s first-class performances actually improved in 2016. After three successive seasons in which they had finished bottom in Division Two, they rose to seventh (and, but for a late season slide, it could have been better), though they continued to struggled in the shorter formats. They were bottom of the North Group on the NatWest T20 Blast and second from bottom of the North Group in the Royal London Cup.

Julie Hunter, the Australia women’s fast bowler, announced her retirement from cricket at the conclusion of Hobart Hurricanes’ Women’s Big Bash League campaign on Wednesday.The 32-year-old, who was part of two World T20 winning squads – in 2012 and 2014 – and the victorious World Cup winning team of 2013, had retired from one-day internationals in October last year.”It has been amazing playing with this group of girls for the past couple of years and I’ll walk away with a purple heart,” she was quoted as saying by the Hobart Hurricanes website. “This team is headed in a great direction and I’m proud to have been part of that.”I love the game and still get that nagging thought of ‘just one more?’ But I’ve reached the point where I can’t give it everything, so for me I can no longer give enough to keep going. A team-mate just reminded me what a huge career it has been and I’m certainly proud of what I have achieved and had the privilege to be a part of – I’ll take those moments and the friendships with me.”Hunter, who made her debut in 2010, played 24 ODIs and 32 T20Is in which she picked up 24 and 33 wickets respectively. She was also a key member of Hurricanes, helping them qualify for two semi-finals back-to-back.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDifferent crowd, different context, similar result. Australia returned to the scene of their 2015 World Cup final hiding of New Zealand and duly inflicted another enormous defeat on the visitors, completing the first clean sweep of a Chappell-Hadlee series in a decade, in front of a far smaller gathering than last time.Only 20,591 spectators were on hand to see the heavy lifting done by the vice-captain David Warner, who soared to his second ODI hundred in as many innings and seventh of the year, in conditions far more challenging than those prepared for either of the first two matches of the series.Warner’s innings was all the more laudable for the fact that most batsmen found scoring difficult on a slow and capricious pitch. After his 156, the next best score on either side was a doughty supporting hand of 37 by Travis Head, part of the only century stand of the match.On a chilly December day in Melbourne, the visitors had bowled with accuracy to some nifty plans devised by the captain Kane Williamson, notably catching out Aaron Finch and Steven Smith with a fielder placed at a shortish square leg. However Warner endured through the difficult passages and accelerated during a rearguard stand with Head, reaching his century, then going on to guide the Australians to a total that proved well beyond New Zealand.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both proved fiendishly difficult to counter in the evening, while Head made a further contribution to the match with the wickets of Martin Guptill and BJ Watling. James Faulkner chimed in with the vital dismissal of Williamson. The failure of New Zealand’s batsmen to make any impression on the scoreboard undermined some decent work earlier in the day by their bowlers, Warner’s excellence excepted.Trent Boult performed nicely for New Zealand, while the recalled Lockie Ferguson again demonstrated the high pace he is able to generate from a fast-arm action. It was Ferguson who came closest to dismissing Warner early on, but Henry Nicholls was unable to cling onto a difficult, diving outfield chance when the opener was on 18.The hosts had gone in with an unchanged team for the third match, retaining their fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins while also continuing to ignore the all-round skills of Glenn Maxwell. New Zealand had to leave out Jimmy Neesham due to continued pain in the arm that was struck by Starc in Canberra, while also recalling Ferguson at the expense of Matt Henry.Mitchell Starc blasted out Henry Nicholls and Colin Munro with lethal reverse-swinging yorkers•AFP

While the new ball did not swing a great deal, Boult bowled the ideal lines to coax Finch and Smith into false strokes towards the leg side that were snapped up by Nicholls. Smith’s wicket was a particular source of satisfaction after his tall scores in the first two matches of the series.George Bailey, again showcasing his backside-to-the-bowler stance, hung around to add 62 with Warner, but when his dismissal by Colin de Grandhomme was swiftly followed by Mitchell Marsh being bowled off bat and body, the Australians were in difficult straits.Warner was able to find a useful ally in Head, who struggled with timing but was at least able to rotate the strike and form a partnership, ultimately worth 105. That stand gave the hosts something to work with, and Warner was able to push on further once he passed three figures, surging beyond 150 and only being dismissed via a run out on the final ball of the innings.Matthew Wade and James Faulkner had provided some support at the back end of the innings, ensuring Australia were able to set New Zealand a total of good value on a sluggish pitch and expansive outfield. Guptill and Tom Latham made a fair start to the chase, reaching 44 in good time before Pat Cummins coaxed Latham into granting another catch to square leg, this time patrolled by Faulkner.Williamson was pinned in front of the stumps by Faulkner from around the wicket, and two overs later Guptill cracked Head’s very first ball into the outstretched hands of Bailey at cover. Nicholls was comprehensively yorked by Starc, and when Watling was found to be lbw to Head on a DRS review the game was all but up.Smith ended the match with another ripping catch, this time diving to his right at slip. While a vast match and series victory over a New Zealand side lacking both confidence and sharpness, this was no World Cup final. By their restrained celebrations it was clear that both Australian players and spectators alike were well aware of this fact.

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has praised his side for bouncing back after two losses at the end of the group stage to claim the WCL Division Four title last Saturday in Los Angeles and believes that USA will be one of the teams promoted from the Division Three tournament, due to be held in Uganda next year.”I took this job to take in that challenge that I want to win tournaments,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “I wouldn’t have settled for runner-up in the final. The first five games in the league round, I was not that happy the way we fielded and some of the things that happened on the field. We had long, long chats in team meetings.”In the final, when I saw everybody putting that extra effort on the field doing the small things right to win the game, that was the number one moment for me. As a coach, when you set up a plan and the whole team is buying into it and doing that thing on the field, that’s a fantastic feeling. So a lot of credit to the boys and I’m very happy how things went in the final.”USA beat Oman by 13 runs in the tournament final, their second win of the tournament against a side that had made a splash at the World T20 earlier this year. In the league stage, USA beat Oman by eight wickets with more than 20 overs to spare but Dassanayake felt the win in the final was more impressive.Having opted to bat first, USA were 5 for 3 before fighting their way to 208. They went on to defend their total in the absence of two injured frontline bowlers, Ali Khan and Danial Ahmed. Khan’s replacement, Jessy Singh, was named Man of the Match for his 3 for 29 and 37 not out at No. 10, while Ahmed’s spin fill-in Prashanth Nair contributed a key spell of 1 for 37.”I’m very happy how especially Prashanth and Jessy performed because they were a few of the guys who really put a lot of hard work in training,” Dassanayake said. “They stayed behind after the Auty Cup and worked hard, not only batting and bowling but fitness. I was kind of uncomfortable leaving those guys out when the big names came back into the team but it’s fantastic that they got the opportunity and proved they belonged in the final XI. As a coach, you can’t ask for better when you see people work hard and then come in and perform.”I keep saying that USA has one of the best fast-bowling units. Even some of the guys who didn’t make the 14, they are good enough coming into any of these Associate teams. So we are lucky to have that but it’s good to have the competition. That’s how you lift up the level of the game. Everyone understands if you work hard and do things right, you can find a place in the team. That’s how I want to see this team growing. There’s a lot of examples and a lot of competition within the team and that’s a good sign for us moving into Division Three.”Dassanayake was also pleased with how USA’s captain Steven Taylor’s leadership progressed over the course of the tournament. Taylor turned 23 on Wednesday and was the youngest player in USA’s squad though he has played for the side since 2010. Dassanayake said there are still some growing pains to work through but he was happy with how Taylor learned from mistakes.Dassanayake on Steven Taylor: ” I think he’s going to be a top captain in the coming days”.•Peter Della Penna

“Overall I’m very happy how Steven performed from the bat, ball and as a captain,” Dassanayake said. “This is his first tour as a captain and there were downs as well during this tournament but for a leader it’s all about taking gambles and you stand for your decisions. He’s a character like that and I think he’s going to be a top captain in the coming days.”Lots of credit for him also winning the final defending 209, getting the bowlers and field settings right, keeping the team together. Some of those things didn’t happen in the beginning of the tournament but I think he’s gaining knowledge in how to lead the team. I’m looking forward to the future with Steven as a captain.”When asked if Taylor overbowled himself compared to the specialist bowling options – his 44 overs in the league stage were the most by a USA bowler and he finished with 49 overs, second only to Timil Patel for the side, and took six wickets – Dassanayake highlighted the USA captain’s all-round skills and labelled him the team’s top offspinner. Dassanayake said, however, that a better effort can be made to ensure specialist bowlers complete their full quota.”I think the main idea is that whoever plays as a bowler, we need to get their maximum [overs] for sure, but at the same time there are situations where the left-hander comes in and he’s [Taylor] our main offspinner,” Dassanayake said. “Even though Steven is our sixth bowler, he’s come into our top bowling unit. I don’t mind him sharing some overs with the main bowlers because of the quality he has as an offspinner.”USA will now have approximately five to six months to prepare for WCL Division Three, which according to sources is likely to be held in April or May of 2017. Along with Oman and Uganda, USA will take on Canada, Singapore and Malaysia in the hopes of securing another top-two finish and a promotion to Division Two.The side had three prior cracks at advancing from Division Three – in 2011, 2013 and 2014 – and failed on each occasion with the first and last attempts resulting in relegation back to Division Four. Dassanayake is aware of the challenge that lies ahead of the USA squad is confident that he can lead a change in fortunes.”Those four teams, and including Oman and USA, they all have played lots of cricket in Division Three and even some teams in Division Two and One,” Dassanayake said. “So I don’t think we can relax for any of these games.”But the confidence that I have, especially seeing the team in the final and the quality of cricket we played, fixing a few issues in the batting order and maybe in the bowling department also, I think we’ll be one of the teams going into Division Two from Division Three. I have that confidence but at the same time we have a good six months to sort out things that need to be corrected. I think this team will go into Division Three with lots of confidence to move into Division Two.”