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Hosts were reduced to 95 for 5 at one stage, after Odean Smith’s cameo helped visitors push past 300

Abhimanyu Bose06-Jun-2023Half-centuries from Brandon King and Johnson Charles, a spirited cameo from Odean Smith, and then a ruthless bowling display helped West Indies seal a series win against UAE in Sharjah on Tuesday.The UAE bowlers did well to rein things in after a 129-run opening stand between King and Charles, even as Smith’s 24-ball 37 helped take West Indies past 300. However, another insipid performance with the bat by UAE meant West Indies cantered to victory in the second ODI.After the visitors opted to bat, King, on the back of a fine century in the first ODI, played anchor as Charles took on the role of aggressor against the hosts’ opening bowlers Sanchit Sharma and Ali Naseer.Charles, playing just his second ODI since 2016, hit Sanchit for two boundaries in his first over before smashing 18 of the 20 runs that came off the seventh over, bowled by Naseer. King, meanwhile, hit some gorgeous drives through the off side, as he picked up from where he left off.The two took some time to settle against left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan, but in his third over, they both skipped out of the crease to hit him for sixes down the ground.Charles went on to bring up his half-century – his fifth in ODI cricket – off just 33 deliveries before he went on to hit a six and a four off the next two deliveries he faced. But playing in the afternoon heat, he seemed to tire as he added just two more runs off the next ten deliveries and holed out to long-on for a 47-ball 63 off Naseer.That started West Indies’ slowdown, and they lost wickets in regular intervals after that.King, who brought up a fifty of his own off 52 balls, struggled to put debutant legspinner Adhitya Shetty away, and was soon out to him thanks to a brilliant catch at long-on by Basil Hameed. Shetty nearly had another wicket in that over, but shelled the chance off his own bowling to give Keacy Carty a life.Aayan then had Shamarh Brooks chopping on before getting Roston Chase to hit a half-hearted effort to long-on. Zahoor Khan, who was disciplined in his first spell, returned to the attack to get rid of Carty, who hit a drive straight to cover.Shai Hope, batting at No. 6 – the lowest he has batted in ODIs – rebuilt for West Indies with a 43-run stand with Kavem Hodge, but when the two fell in consecutive overs to Naseer and Sanchit, West Indies were in a spot of bother at 249 for 7.Odean Smith’s quick 37 took West Indies past 300•AFP/Getty Images

However, Smith’s swashbuckling knock, which comprised one six and three fours, helped take them past the 300-mark. Zahoor finished with three wickets, while Aayan, Naseer and Sanchit took two each.Thereafter, it didn’t take the West Indies quicks long to make inroads as debutant right-arm seamer Akeem Jordan, playing in place of Keemo Paul, got UAE captain Muhammad Waseem nicking off in the fourth over.Waseem’s opening partner Aryansh Sharma was next to go, flicking Smith straight to square leg.West Indies’ spin trio of Chase, Hodge and Yannic Cariah then dried out the runs and took away any hopes UAE may have had of trying to upset the visitors: Lovepreet Singh, in his first game for UAE, struggled to get in before Hodge bowled him through the gate. Asif Khan made 4 off 22 balls before a fine catch from Dominic Drakes off Chase saw him return to the hut. Vriitya Aravind, who trudged to 36 off 52 deliveries, was next to go as he sliced a full delivery from Cariah to point.Basil Hameed and Naseer then put on an 80-run stand after UAE were 95 for 5, but having already lost half the side, they couldn’t keep up with the asking rate.Naseer was the only real bright spot with the bat for UAE, smashing three sixes and six fours en route to his 53-ball 57. Having made his ODI debut in the first match of the series, he now has two half-centuries in two games, with both coming at a strike rate of more than 100.Hameed made 49 before holing out to deep midwicket off Chase, and Hodge got Naseer to top edge a slog to short third. Aayan also made a handy 23-ball 25, but in the end, West Indies’ total proved too much for the hosts.UAE were able to bat out fifty overs, but were restricted to 228 after being bowled out for 202 in the first ODI. As for West Indies, the win will be a big confidence booster for them before they – alongside UAE – head to Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers.

Charlotte Edwards, Rory Burns focus on defending titles

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2019Surrey’s 2018 County Championship triumph was 16 years in the making, but the club have capped their celebrations by lifting the Lord’s Taverners ECB Trophy, while Hampshire’s women have marked their remarkable rise from Division Three to one-day champions in just three years by accepting the Lady Taverners ECB Trophy.Both teams received their trophies at a presentation at the House of Lords on Tuesday.Surrey captain Rory Burns, whose team won the County Championship for the first time since 2002 on the back of a year which saw them enjoy a spell of nine consecutive victories, said the club were under no illusions about how difficult it would be to claim back-to-back honours.”It’s been an unbelievable year and I can’t speak highly enough of the hard work and dedication from the players, backroom staff and everyone connected with the club that was needed to win the trophy – it was a real team effort,” Burns said.Surrey, 2018 County champions, with the Lord’s Taverners ECB Trophy•Lord’s Taverners

“The club has waited a long time to lift this trophy again and it was a very proud moment for all of us. We needed to win games from different positions which showed a lot of character and we are fully aware of the hard work ahead as we look to defend the title.”Hampshire claimed their first women’s one-day championship after a campaign in which they won six of their seven games, having been in Division Three as recently as 2015. Charlotte Edwards, the 2018 captain and now Director of Cricket, was similarly focused on the task ahead.”It’s been a fantastic day for the players and staff and caps a great year,” Edwards said. “Winning the trophy was a great achievement and it was the culmination of many years of hard work by a lot of people. It’s a fantastic feeling looking back on 2018, but we’re also relishing the opportunity to defend the trophy in the year ahead.”Women’s one-day champions Hampshire with the Lady Taverners ECB Trophy•Lord’s Taverners

Dan Lawrence resists with 76 but Essex lead by just 45 going into day three

Andrew Miller16-Apr-2021After 12 matches and almost three years, the Fortress is on the brink of being conquered. Two half-formed comebacks in consecutive days, this time with their newest golden boy Dan Lawrence to the fore, cannot distract from the sort of frailties that have not been seen in Essex’s cricket for several seasons – ones that have left Durham on the brink of a seismic victory in the champions’ backyard.By the close of the second day, Essex had eked out a lead of 45 with four wickets still to come – and they will be able to look to Durham’s own close-of-play position on day one to know that, on this misleadingly placid deck, there could and should be plenty of resistance still to come. But with Scott Borthwick capping a superb captain’s performance with two late wickets, and the extra pace of Brydon Carse prising out the two vital wickets of Lawrence and Tom Westley, Durham showed the same hunger in the field that their lower-order had displayed with the bat. It’ll take something truly remarkable for this position to now slip from their fingers.The early signs that Durham were not for buckling came as play resumed in the brightest, most summery conditions of the match. After picking up four wickets for as many runs in the previous evening’s gloom to reduce their visitors to 148 for 8, Essex no doubt fancied their prospects of making hay in their second innings as soon as their opportunity came – whatever the deficit, they surely couldn’t make as many errors as they produced on the first morning of the contest.But they were never given a sniff of an early re-insertion, as Stuart Poynter and Matt Salisbury knuckled down for a ninth-wicket stand of 94 that grew in stature as the morning progressed. Essex opened with their likeliest partnership of Sam Cook and Simon Harmer, but they were each defied with ease, with Cook leaking a pair of soft-handed boundaries through third man that confirmed the pitch’s lack of menace now that the clouds had rolled away.And Essex’s frustration grew as steadily as the confidence of the two batsmen, and the size of the lead. Salisbury defied a previous first-class best of 37 by climbing onto the front foot to club Harmer down the ground for four – a shot that was wildly acclaimed on the Durham balcony – before Poynter rocked back to greet Jamie Porter’s first ball with a hard-handed crack through point. And even when Harmer exacted his revenge against Salisbury, inducing a lob to short leg for 42, Chris Rushworth strode out at No. 11 with every bit as much intent to loiter.Lawrence by this stage was on to partner Harmer in a twin-spin attack, but Rushworth responded with a volley of three sublime boundaries – including an inside-out drive through the covers to take the lead past 150. Sam Cook had to be recalled to restore order, inducing a third-ball nick to slip that brought an early lunch, but with a lead of 163 secured, and Poynter unbeaten on 52, the session had delivered riches far beyond anything that Durham could have wished for.The stage was set, therefore, for the champions to show their mettle, but sadly for Nick Browne, he never looked like being the man to deliver. He escaped his pair by the skin of his teeth, with an uncomfortable leading edge through the covers after edging short of slip, but two balls later, he climbed into a dreadful drive to an inducker from Rushworth, and lost his middle stump as he knelt through his stroke in resignation.Related

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At the other end, there was Alastair Cook – and whoever dares to write off English cricket’s most decorated nugget? But for the fourth innings in a row, he produced a curious blend of mindsets – with a brace of pinged cover-drives hinting at a fluency that he never quite showed in any other facet of his game. He’d ground along to 12 in the best part of an hour, before flicking uppishly to a leg-stump half-volley from Salisbury, and Jack Burnham at midwicket swallowed the offering with glee.From 19 for 2, Essex needed their two in-form batsmen to show their mettle, and for the next 34 overs they did just that. Westley, a double-centurion in the season opener against Worcestershire, was joined by Lawrence – whose first-innings 32 had been bettered only by the rampant Borthwick on that manic first day. And between them they chipped away at Durham’s lead in a stand of 103 that ought to have given their side the platform for a genuine fightback.Arguably, Essex’s first-innings agenda had been set by Westley’s flighty drive, and he had to overcame a few more anxious moments early on, as Salisbury in particular challenged his outside edge. But Lawrence, at the start of a summer in which most of his fellow Test batsmen are either injured, or at the IPL, or out of form, or all three, slipped effortlessly into the higher gear that showed he’s not about to shy away from the hard yakka now that he’s broken into the England set-up.After getting off the mark with a deflection through third man, he found the extra pace of Carse particularly to his liking as he rifled a pair of cuts through backward square, before showing off his wristy timing with a sublime pick-up off the toes from Ben Raine. And as he crashed Salisbury through the covers to bring up his first half-century of the season, the confidence being projected by Lawrence was palpable. So long as was on hand to set the terms for Durham’s fourth-innings target, there was no reason for Essex to believe that the game was out of reach.But then came the fatal lapses that have undermined Essex’s performances all match long. On 38, Westley lost his shape as Carse induced a gruesome back-foot waft to first slip, and though Lawrence kept cracking on in the same forthright manner, Carse would have his number too four overs later. Another back-of-a-length delivery lured a flat, hard pull through midwicket – but Lawrence connected almost too well with the stroke. It fizzed to Will Young at deep midwicket, who made a crucial chance look simple.Now Essex were truly rudderless, as Paul Walter and Ryan ten Doeschate clawed their way towards a lead with a series of imposing, but rattled boundaries. On 16, ten Doeschate attempted to biff a half-volley from Borthwick back down the ground, but managed only to scuff it in the air for the bowler to cling onto a blinder, diving across the crease. And the captain put his personal seal on the day two overs later, as Adam Wheater was done in by a ripping legbreak outside off, edging through to Poynter for 6.At least Walter was still there at the close, one away from a gutsy half-century, and Harmer’s presence for day three will be a very visceral reminder of what could yet happen if Essex are allowed to build a defendable lead. You can be sure that he’ll defend every run with personal gusto. But the drawbridge has been lowered and hordes from the North are closing in. You can’t imagine many prisoners will be taken in the final reckoning.

After five straight defeats, Stars posted five straight wins to book a knockout final against Sydney Thunder

Tristan Lavalette19-Jan-2025Glenn Maxwell may not be touring Sri Lanka, but in a silver lining he’ll be part of the BBL finals after Melbourne Stars’ remarkable regular season turnaround was complete with a comprehensive victory over Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG.Stars needed a win to leapfrog Perth Scorchers into fourth place and qualify for the finals. They took care of business against a Hurricanes team with little to play for.Maxwell continued his purple patch with 76 not out off 32 balls before quick Mark Steketee claimed three early wickets as Stars reached the finals for the first time since BBL 09.Related

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After a woeful start to the season with five straight defeats, Stars have gained significant momentum with five straight wins to book a knockout final against Sydney Thunder at the Showgrounds.The match was essentially a tune-up for Hurricanes, who had already locked up top spot and a home final in the Qualifier against Sydney Sixers.

Maxwell ignites again after Webster’s half-century

All eyes were on Maxwell. But the big crowd at the MCG had to wait for their hero as openers Sam Harper and Thomas Rogers laid a solid platform.Stars have badly struggled at the top of the order with Harper particularly out of form. But they peeled off 19 runs in the first two overs in the best opening stand of the season for Stars.Harper whacked four early boundaries, but Stars couldn’t get through the powerplay unblemished with Rogers succumbing to a clever change of pace from quick Nathan Ellis.Having ended a run of five straight single digit scores, Harper could not go on with it after he was trapped lbw by the spin of Nikhil Chaudhary.With Beau Webster struggling with his timing, Marcus Stoinis tried to regain Stars’ momentum with numerous powerful blows to race to 32 off 19 balls. But like countless times this season, Stoinis could not launch off the platform and his dismissal brought Maxwell to the crease.Maxwell, fresh off his extraordinary 90 against Renegades, started fast and smashed Chaudhary down the ground for six on his fourth delivery. His presence had a profound effect on Webster, who shook from his slumber to put the foot down.Webster hogged the strike, but didn’t cop the wrath of Maxwell’s legion of fans as he powered to his half-century with a six down the ground.Maxwell took over after Webster’s dismissal and had the crowd in the palm of his hands when he got under a slower short delivery from left-arm quick Marcus Bean and with a flick of the wrists whacked it over fine leg.He was unstoppable at the death, clubbing a six off quick Cameron Gannon to reach his half-century and then smashing two more into the crowd as Stars powered past 200.It brought some cheer for Maxwell, whose Test career looks over after he missed out on Australia’s squad to Sri Lanka.Mark Steketee took three wickets in his first two overs•Getty Images

Hurricanes experiment with their attack

With little to play for, Hurricanes decided to play it safe. Spearhead Riley Meredith did not play while Nathan Ellis only bowled one over with Ben McDermott on the broadcast saying he was managing a sore groin.Ellis used the match to experiment and seven bowlers were used. Tim David’s handy offspin opened the bowling, while Chris Jordan bowled in the backend in his return from a back injury but struggled amid Maxwell’s onslaught.With injured quick Billy Stanlake to miss the finals, his position is up for grabs and seemingly a race between Bean and Gannon, freshly signed as Stanlake’s replacement.Bean, plucked out of Tasmanian club cricket, impressed in his professional debut against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba. Sporting a change of hair colour, from gold to silver, Bean enjoyed the wicket of Stoinis with an awkward delivery that climbed and hurried the batter.But he suffered in the backend and so too did Gannon, who was playing in the BBL for the first time in three years. He’s been in outstanding Sheffield Shield form, but Gannon struggled with his lengths to finish with 0 for 48 off 4 overs. Bean took 1 for 45 off his 4.Hurricanes were also extremely sloppy in the field to cap a forgettable performance.

Steketee continues strong form

Veteran quick Steketee has been a key part of Stars’ revival with 15 wickets in five matches. He’s been impactful with the new ball and so was the case again. In the second over he dismissed opener Caleb Jewell after Stoinis took a blinder with a full-stretch dive running backwards at mid on.Steketee struck again two balls alter when Charlie Wakim drove straight to backward point. He trapped McDermott lbw in his next over before claiming Ellis at the end to finish with 4 for 24 off 3.3 overs.

Owen unleashes early but in vain

Mitchell Owen has been the breakout player this season with his move up the order being a considerable success for Hurricanes. Their hopes in the chase largely rested on Owen getting off to a flier and he tried his best by bludgeoning left-arm quick Joel Paris for a couple of big sixes in the opening over.He also took a liking to veteran quick Peter Siddle with several mighty blows, unleashing his considerable power, to motor to 34 off 10 balls. But he slowed down slightly before holing out on 38 as Hurricanes’ slim chances effectively ended.Ellis top-scored with a rapid 40 at the end until he holed out to – quite fittingly – Maxwell, who pumped his fist to the jubilant fans knowing Stars’ season will continue.

Ireland broke their sixteen-game rut in limited-overs cricket, spanning nearly two years, with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their last match ahead of the Women’s World T20 Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2018Ireland captain Isobel Joyce talks to the media•AFP/Getty Images

Sixteen straight losses across limited-overs cricket over the past two years. Heavy defeats against New Zealand in ODIs and T20Is. An unassailable 2-0 lead to Bangladesh in the T20 series. All of this gloom headlined Ireland’s home summer.If the tenth-ranked hosts needed a performance to break their long-drawn-out rut ahead of the Women’s World T20 Qualifier next week in the Netherlands, it couldn’t have come in more thrilling a form than their final-ball, six-wicket victory over ninth-ranked Bangladesh in the third and final T20 in Dublin. The match was also to be the last appearance on home soil for Ireland’s 37-year-old batsman Clare Shillington and 38-year-old legspinner Ciara Metcalfe.With 11 required off the last over and seven wickets in hand, Ireland would have fancied themselves to avoid a clean sweep. But in their path to the 152-run target lay a final over from Jahanara Alam, who memorably sealed Bangladesh’s maiden Asia Cup title with the bat, and then dominated Bangladesh’s last two T20I wins with her all-round exploits.Ireland captain Laura Delany (46 off 38) and veteran allrounder Isobel Joyce (22 not out off 14), however, ensured four singles, one four, and a two were enough – despite Delany’s run-out off a wide three balls into the over – to seal Ireland’s 11th win in their 48 games in the format and third over Bangladesh in seven overall T20I encounters. While Joyce struck the winning single after leveling the scores with a boundary on the penultimate ball, Alam took away the Player-of-the-Tournament award.The major swell of impetus to Ireland’s victory came much earlier through 17-year-old Gaby Lewis’s 31-ball 50. Her seven fours and a six complemented the seven combined fours from Delany and Joyce. A 93-run third-wicket stand between Delany and Lewis took Ireland to 123 for 2 in 16.2 overs before both were run out three overs apart.Earlier, Bangladesh collected 151 for 4, after being sent in. No. 3 batsman Fargana Hoque’s unbeaten 66 and an opening partnership of 47 between Shamima Sultana (30 off 27) and Ayasha Rahman (27 off 26) set the tone of Bangladesh’s innings. Fargana then partnered Sanjida Islam to smash 38 off three overs at the death before Delany removed Islam at the start of the final over. Hoque’s highest T20I score took Bangladesh past 150 on the back of six fours and two sixes.

Rohit Sharma, Josh Hazlewood also move up the charts following recent exploits

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2023Virat Kohli has moved up two spots to go sixth in the ICC men’s ODI batters’ rankings after scoring his 45th century in the format in the first game against Sri Lanka. Kohli’s 113 saw him overtake Jonny Bairstow and Steven Smith in the rankings.India captain Rohit Sharma, who scored 83 off 67 in the same match, also moved up a spot to eighth rank.Babar Azam, who scored back-to-back half-centuries in the ongoing series against New Zealand, continues to top the batting charts in ODIs, with 891 ranking points.

Test rankings: Khawaja moves up, Hazlewood back in top 10

Usman Khawaja jumped four spots to break back into the top 10. His unbeaten 195 in the drawn Sydney Test against South Africa saw him jump to eighth place in the rankings.Khawaja is currently one of four Australians in the top 10 in the Test batting charts, along with Marnus Labuschagne at the top, Smith at No. 2 and Travis Head ranked fourth.Josh Hazlewood returned to the Australia XI in the third Test, after a side strain kept him out of action, and grabbed five wickets to move up six spots to No. 10 among the bowlers.All of Australia’s premier pace trio of Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are now in the top 10 in the Test rankings.

Rashid Khan returns as No. 1 T20I bowler

Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan replaced Wanindu Hasaranga on top of the T20I bowlers’ rankings after the Sri Lanka star failed to fire in the three-match series in India. Hasaranga took three wickets while conceding 99 runs in the series at an economy rate of 9.00 an over. Rashid, meanwhile, hasn’t played a T20I in over two months since the World Cup in Australia in November.

Rohit and Kohli did not bat although they fielded during WA XI’s innings

Tristan Lavalette13-Oct-2022
KL Rahul made a patient 74, but India struggled on a fast WACA pitch against a strong WA XI attack in a 36-run defeat ahead of the T20 World Cup.After a tight 13-run win in their first warm-up on Monday, India’s batters other than stand-in captain Rahul were thwarted in their chase. Hardik Pandya was India’s second-highest scorer with 17. Regular captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not bat although they fielded during WA XI’s innings.Chasing 169, India’s openers Rahul and RIshabh Pant started slowly against effectively BBL champions Perth Scorchers’ pace attack. Pant struggled for fluency once again as he swung and missed at several attempted slogs against the accurate left-arm pace of Jason Behrendorff.Pant finally made contact but miscued to the deep, as India’s top order looked uncomfortable on the bouncy pitch. After being held back, in-form speedster Lance Morris came into the attack in the seventh over and showed why he might be the quickest bowler in Australia.Coming off a Player-of-the-Match performance for WA against New South Wales last week, Morris bowled sharply from the get-go and it proved too much for Deepak Hooda who holed out.After a brief counterattack, Pandya fell to the left-arm spin of youngster Hamish McKenzie to leave India at 58 for 3 with Rahul particularly sluggish. India’s required run rate grew out of hand with Rahul lacking support as his team-mates threw away their wickets.Rahul was the exception as he batted cautiously before opening up with a couple of sixes in the 18th over off Behrendorff to give India a sniff of an unlikely victory. But his dismissal in the next over effectively snuffed out the contest as India split their warm-up games in Perth.WA XI controlled the game throughout after electing to bat in sunny conditions. Their batting was strengthened by the inclusion of BBL star Josh Philippe, but the opener holed out to Arshdeep Singh in the third over.Much like in the first game, quicks Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar Kumar conjured sharp bounce on a quick deck but wickets were harder to come by after that.Veteran spinner R Ashwin, who didn’t play on Monday, came into the attack in the sixth over and was promptly smashed by D’Arcy Short who combined with Nick Hobson in a blistering 110-run partnership.Hobson, who plays for Perth Scorchers and is an accountant in his day job, was particularly belligerent against the spinners and hit four sixes in his 41-ball knock.But his dismissal triggered a WA collapse with Ashwin getting into good rhythm after a tough start with wickets in consecutive balls to remove captain Ashton Turner and Sam Fanning, who starred in game one with a half-century but the 21-year-old unwisely tried to reverse sweep on his first ball.India were sharp in the field, marked by two direct-hit run outs, and well marshalled by Rahul although captain Rohit was still giving instructions.Kohli did not play in the two warm-up matches in Perth, much to the disappointment of locals, but did field and spent time at first slip and the deep. He also jogged laps before play.A strong crowd of 2500 fans attended with the AUD 5 entry fee going towards the WA Cricket Foundation.

Reports suggest prosecutors in South Africa will re-examine the circumstances of Peter Roebuck’s supposed suicide in 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2018South African prosecutors are reportedly set to reopen the inquest into the death of Peter Roebuck, the former Somerset captain turned journalist who died in 2011. Roebuck fell to his death from a hotel room in Cape Town, with local police saying he had committed suicide.Roebuck’s family have previously expressed concern that they were not invited to be present at a closed hearing in 2013. Roebuck, who was in South Africa covering Australia’s Test tour, had been confronted by police while staying at the Southern Sun Hotel over allegations of sexual assault.South Africa’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Western Province, has been reviewing the case for a number of years. In 2016, the original inquest “docket” on the incident, which was believed to have been lost, was discovered and passed on to the DPP.Now, the has reported that the case will be re-examined “in the interests of justice”, although no date has been set for the inquest.David Hood, an English barrister representing the Roebuck family, said in a statement to the newspaper: “From the outset, the family and supporters of the late Peter Roebuck have put their faith in the legal system of South Africa. It is important to all internationally recognised systems of justice that justice is not only done, but is seen to be done.”That could never have been with the death of Peter Roebuck, unless and until the circumstances of his death were examined at a legally convened hearing held in public with witnesses called and questioned under oath.”The inquest is expected to examine a number of questions around Roebuck’s death, including the nature of the injuries he sustained after falling from the sixth floor and how he was able to jump through a window while a police office was supposedly present in the room.

Sam Billings drafted into XI as like-for-like Covid replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2022England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid-19 and will play no further part in the third Test at Headingley. Sam Billings has been drafted in as a Covid replacement, subject to ICC approval.Foakes was unable to keep wicket on Saturday due to back stiffness, with Jonny Bairstow taking the gloves. Foakes subsequently tested positive after taking a lateral flow test in the evening.Related

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Billings has been in action for Kent in the Vitality Blast but will go straight into the playing XI and keep wicket, with England seeking five more New Zealand wickets before beginning their second innings.England said in a statement that there had been no further cases and “the rest of the England party follows health protocols of symptom reporting and subsequent testing if required”. Marcus Trescothick, the team’s batting coach, tested positive on Tuesday and has been self-isolating throughout the third Test.The news casts doubt on Foakes’ participation in the India Test starting on Friday, although England said that they hoped he would be fit to play. India have also been affected by Covid, with Rohit Sharma, the Test captain, currently isolating after a positive test. The rearranged Test will provide a conclusion to last year’s series, with India leading 2-1.Billings was in London on Saturday evening ahead of Kent’s County Championship match against Surrey at the Kia Oval and made a last-minute, late-night journey up to Leeds, arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning.He will win his second Test cap in similarly hectic circumstances to the first, when he drove nine hours along Australia’s east coast to Sydney and played in the final Ashes Test after injuries to Bairstow and Jos Buttler.

Nida Dar’s half-century in vain as defeat now sets up crucial clash against India

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2022
Half-centuries from Hayley Matthews and Kycia Knight helped Barbados open their Commonwealth Games campaign against Pakistan with a 15-run win in Birmingham on Friday.Having been asked to bat, Barbados scored 144 for 4, riding on the duo’s 107-run partnership for the second wicket after they had lost explosive opener Deandra Dottin for 8 off 5 balls. Kycia, Barbados’ wicketkeeper-batter, top-scored with an unbeaten on 62 off 56 balls, hitting nine fours in her second T20I half-century. Matthews played cautiously, scoring 51 off 50 balls, which included four fours and a six. It was her fifth T20I fifty.Related

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Pakistan medium pacer Fatima Sana broke the century stand by having Matthews caught behind in the 18th over. Sana also removed Kyshona Knight in the final over of the innings to end with the figures of 2 for 41.Chasing a target of 145, Pakistan lost a first wicket off the first ball of the chase, when Iram Javed was caught behind off Shamilia Connell. Pakistan went on to lose opener Muneeba Ali and Omaima Sohail inside the nine overs, and captain Bismah Maroof’s laboured innings of 12 off 28 balls came to an end when she was run out in the 11th over.Coming in at 40 for 3 in the ninth over with Pakistan desperately needing momentum, experienced allrounder Nida Dar raised the tempo with an unbeaten 50 off 31 deliveries, her fifth T20I half-century. However, with Aliya Riaz struggling at the other end – she made 14 off 24 – Pakistan couldn’t keep up with the required run rate and eventually fell short by 15 runs. Connell, Aaliyah Alleyne, Matthews and Dottin took a wicket each for Barbados.Pakistan play India next on Friday, while Barbados will face Australia on Sunday.