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Phil Simmons has urged the Bangladesh players to refrain from posting on their social media handles. This in the wake of Mohammad Naim posting a reaction after he and a few other team members were abused by some fans at the Dhaka airport on Wednesday upon their return from the UAE following the series against Afghanistan, where they won the T20Is 3-0 but lost the ODIs by the same margin.”I don’t agree with players having anything to do with social media,” Simmons said at a press conference a day out from the ODI series against West Indies. “It is your right as a person to be on social media, to say what you want on social media. But as an international player, as a national player for Bangladesh, my players should not be on there.”Naim was part of a group of players that came face to face with some individuals at the airport. Separate footage also showed Taskin Ahmed and his family facing similar abuse from fans.Related

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Bangladesh’s cricketers quite regularly post on Facebook, which has been a topic of discussion in the BCB and among the team management for many years. It is, however, not clear if the board has spoken to the players on the matter or imposed any restrictions on their online presence.Simmons was also critical of fans racially abusing Jaker Ali, as has been reported at some cricket grounds and is regularly seen on social media.”I would say one thing, it is not nice to bring racial tones into anything to do with players,” Simmons said. “I don’t care where you’re from, the racial part of it against Jaker Ali I am disgusted with. That’s not nice. But I don’t want my players answering anything on social media.”Mohammad Salahuddin, the Comilla Victorians head coach, had in fact referred to the matter at a BPL press conference last year, pointing to that as the reason for Victorians player Jaker’s non-selection to the Bangladesh team.”The boy is black, which is why the board doesn’t see him,” Salahuddin had said in February 2024. “He is playing well in the last few years. His strike rate has helped us as he scores important runs. He is a sensible cricketer. I think he should get a chance.”Jaker had made his international debut in October 2023, but has become a regular in the team more recently.Although Salahuddin’s statement in support of Jaker, he faced backlash for his choice of words. When told about this after Friday’s press conference, Simmons admitted that he was aware of Salahuddin’s 2024 statement.

Sri Lanka allrounder Dunith Wellalage rejoined* the squad at the Asia Cup on Saturday morning after having returned home following the death of his father Suranga Wellalage on Thursday. Sri Lanka Cricket said he will be available for selection for Sri Lanka’s first match in the Super Four round on Saturday evening, against Bangladesh in Dubai.He was accompanied on his journey from the UAE to Sri Lanka and back by team manager Mahinda Halangode.Suranga Wellalage died on September 18, the same day that his son Dunith played in the Group B match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Wellalage, 22, only learned of his father’s death after the match, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets and eight balls remaining to qualify for the Super Four round. Soon after the match ended, he left for home.The match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan was only Wellalage’s fifth T20I and his first in this tournament. He took figures of 1 for 49 and did not bat. Wellalage has played 31 ODIs, with his career best of 5 for 27 coming in the third ODI against India in Colombo in August 2024. He also took 5 for 40 against India in a 2023 Asia Cup match, when the tournament was played in the ODI format. He was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in that tournament, claiming 10 dismissals at an average of 17.90.After Saturday’s fixture against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka’s next two Super Four games are against Pakistan on September 23 and India on September 26.

Essex 417 for 6 (Campher 123*, Benkenstein 83, Harmer 68, Critchley 58) beat Surrey 173 (Steel 49, Bennett 5-36) by 244 runsEssex’s short-term signing Curtis Campher made an instant impression with a whirlwind century amid a multi-record victory over Surrey in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.The 26-year-old Ireland allrounder, who has won more than 100 caps, hit his third List A ton and his highest score in the format, smashing an unbeaten 123 from 68 balls less than 48 hours after flying in for a medical ahead of a three-game stint for an Essex squad down to the bare bones.He thumped six sixes and 12 fours – and his clean hitting meant each one broached no reply – to help Essex to their highest List A total of 417 for 6, and a share in a county record of 175 for the sixth wicket with Simon Harmer. Matt Critchley’s 58 from 50 balls, Luc Benkenstein’s personal-best 83 from 72 and Harmer’s equal-best 68 from 47 were overshadowed by the Irishman’s 109 minutes of mischief and mayhem.To compound the visitors’ misery, seamer Nathan Barnwell, with 2 for 112 in 10 overs, posted the most expensive bowling figures for Surrey in the format. By contrast, rookie Essex bowler Charlie Bennett returned his best figures of 5 for 36 as Surrey were dismissed for 173 to lose by a crushing 244 runs with more than 12 overs unused. It was their heaviest defeat. Only Cameron Steel, with 49, offered resistance, but of a stubborn nature rather than threatening.Critchley had hit the blue touchpaper for Essex’s first win of the campaign, when he finally hit his stride. He scored just one run from his first dozen deliveries before going on the attack against James Taylor, hammering four successive boundaries to all parts off the Surrey pace bowler.By that time he had already lost opening partner Robin Das, playing on to Taylor, and captain Tom Westley, pulling Alex French tamely to square leg.The Essex allrounder reached his own half-century from 40 balls – fifty of them coming in just 28 balls – but a 10th boundary, cut square off Barnwell, was followed by his downfall next ball when he top-edged an attempted pull.Charlie Allison had brought up the fifty stand with Critchley by coming down the wicket and lofting Yousef Majid over long leg for six. His 46 from 47 balls ended with a thin edge for French’s second scalp.For a spell Benkenstein and Campher traded maximums. Benkenstein lofting two over long leg off Steel and another off Thomas, while Campher punished some wayward bowling by Steel with a succession of big hits into and over the well-populated stands. Indeed, he took 19 from one Steel over, including two sixes over midwicket.Benkenstein’s innings came to an end when he was lbw having misjudged a delivery from Thomas that didn’t get up. That brought in Harmer, who kept step with Campher for 16 overs that questioned Surrey’s decision to put Essex in on a worn pitch.The sixth-wicket carnage ended three balls from the end of the innings when Harmer drove Barnwell uppishly to extra cover. That only brought in Simon Fernandes to hammer 12 from those remaining deliveries, including a six second ball over long leg.Surrey’s chase faltered from the start. Thomas was bowled all ends up in Bennett’s second over, Nikhil Gorantla caught at third man in the bowler’s fourth, and Rory Burns snaffled behind in his fifth. Jamie Porter had Ollie Sykes caught on the midwicket boundary before Campher re-entered the arena. With only his third ball, he had Ben Foakes caught behind to underline his all-round ability.Campher should have had a second wicket but Harmer dropped a relatively simple slip chance when Steel had reached 6. The South African offspinner paid the price as Steel launched him over the ropes in the following over.Josh Blake became Harmer’s first wicket on his return from paternity leave when he lofted into the cover before Bennett claimed his fourth by bowling Taylor and a fifth to dismiss Steel. By then the result was long beyond dispute.

England’s spinners assured their side of a manageable target before Amy Jones took them across the line in a rain-hit second ODI at Lord’s to level the series with India at 1-1.After a four-hour rain delay reduced the match to 29 overs per side, England’s three-pronged spin attack restricted India to 143 for 8, sharing six wickets between them as Sophie Ecclestone led the way with 3 for 27. Linsey Smith took two and Charlie Dean one.Another heavy downpour in the evening sent players running for cover with England 102 for 1 after 18.4 overs chasing 144 and, after a delay of about 20 minutes, their target was reduced to 115 in 24 overs, giving them 5.2 overs in which to score 13 runs.Kranti Goud bowled Nat Sciver-Brunt with the second ball after play resumed but Jones, unbeaten on 46, and Sophia Dunkley, with 9 not out, saw England home by eight wickets with 18 balls to spare.Smriti Mandhana top-scored for India with a 51-ball 42 and Deepti Sharma was their next-best with an unbeaten 30 off 34 balls but no other batter passed 16, although it could have been worse had the hosts capitalised on five further chances which went begging in the field.Tammy Beaumont started England’s run-chase brightly, easing to 18 off eight balls after the first three overs.If there was an air of tension surrounding the match as these sides returned to the scene of Deepti’s run out of Dean backing up in 2022, the band was pulled tighter during an umpire review for obstructing the field against Beaumont in the fifth over.Beaumont clipped a Deepti delivery towards midwicket then turned back as Jemimah Rodrigues fired the ball back to the striker’s end. Beaumont’s left foot was grounded inside her crease as she moved her right leg forward and the ball ricocheted off her pad as wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh threw her arms up in appeal but Beaumont was adjudged not out.Beaumont couldn’t relax, however, Deepti pulling out of her delivery stride in her next over. Beaumont, the non-striker, recovered her ground with relative ease.England had been 37 without loss after a truncated six-over powerplay, compared to India’s 25 for 1 at the corresponding point in their innings, but India got their first wicket in the 11th when Sneh Rana got one to keep low as it slid under Beaumont’s attempted reverse and hit her in line. Beaumont reviewed but ball-tracking predicted it to hit leg stump.Amy Jones tonks one over Deepti Sharma’s head•ECB/Getty Images

Jones and Sciver-Brunt had put on an unbroken stand of 48 off 50 balls for the second wicket when the rain returned, eight balls shy of the 20 overs required to constitute a match.Earlier, the sun was blazing as seamer Em Arlott celebrated removing Pratika Rawal with just her fourth delivery, a gem of a yorker on the base of off stump.The hosts introduced spin in the ninth over with Dean conceding nine before Ecclestone struck with a return catch off the second ball of the 10th to remove Harleen Deol.After seeing a couple of half-chances missed off her bowling, Ecclestone took matters into her own hands again in her second over, pushing a faster ball through Harmanpreet Kaur’s attempt to cut and hitting the top of off stump.Harmanpreet’s dismissal for just 7 continued a lean tour for her, in which she has scored 89 runs all up from six innings across formats with a highest score of 26.India’s woes deepened through Dean’s caught-and-bowled dismissal of Rodrigues to make it 69 for 4 for the tourists in the 15th over. It should have been five down two balls later but Dean spilled a more straightforward chance off Ghosh.Ecclestone ensured the mistake wasn’t too costly however when she trapped Ghosh lbw in the next over.That brought Deepti to the crease and as she faced Dean, there was a murmur of reminiscence from the crowd. Dean beat the bat with her first two deliveries before Deepti got off strike with a cut through point.Smith almost did herself a mischief when she dived after a firm drive through the covers off Mandhana and face-planted the turf at the edge of the square, but she bounced back to combine with Dean in Mandhana’s downfall.After watching Mandhana’s perfectly placed sweep pierce deep backward square and deep midwicket to reach the boundary, Smith drew a top edge that sailed towards cover, where Dean took a tumbling catch, drop-kicking the ball away in celebration.Smith claimed her second when pinned had Arundhati Reddy lbw and Arlott finished as she began, knocking back Rana’s off stump.The teams meet again in the final match of India’s tour at Durham on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy title defence got off to an inauspicious start, as Fakhar Zaman was forced off the field after two deliveries of their opening game against New Zealand in Karachi.New Zealand opener Will Young drove Shaheen Afridi through the covers to beat the infield, with Zaman setting off in pursuit. He cut it off before palming the ball to Babar Azam to throw it back to the keeper, but immediately appeared to feel discomfort in his lower back or side. He signalled that he needed to be replaced, and went off the field with the physio, though he walked unaided back to the dressing room.”Fakhar Zaman is being assessed and examined for a muscular sprain and further updates will be provided in due course,” the PCB said in a statement shortly after.Fakhar came back on the field after spending a little more than two hours off it, which prevented him from opening Pakistan’s chase of 321. Saud Shakeel opened with Babar Azar and Fakhar only came in at the fall of Mohammed Rizwan in the tenth over. He had been deprived of any batting time with the fielding restrictions in place, when his reputation for power hitting could have come in handy for Pakistan.Almost from the outset, though, it was apparent he would be unable to make that sort of contribution. He was unsteady on his feet and visibly struggling with running between the wickets. On more than one occasion, he slumped to his knees between overs, with the team doctor and physio coming on with painkillers. While he attempted to play the attacking strokes the match situation required with the asking rate ever-rising, it was something of a tortured knock. He managed 24 off 41 before he tried to sweep Michael Bracewell – a shot he a deployed throughout the innings – only to miss completely and see his stumps shattered.Pakistan had been hampered by an injury to Saim Ayub in similar circumstances, one that ultimately kept him out of the Champions Trophy. In a Test against South Africa, he set off in pursuit of a ball to the boundary and ended up twisting his ankle. It resulted in a fracture that will keep him out until at least the middle of March. Fakhar, who until then wasn’t part of Pakistan’s ODI plans, came back into the side as Ayub’s replacement, and made an impressive return, scoring 84 off 69 and 41 off 28 in his first two matches back in the side.Pakistan did, however, get a fitness-related boost before the game with Haris Rauf fit enough to start. He had pulled up with a side strain in the opening game of the triangular series these two sides took part in over the last fortnight along with South Africa. That day had also seen a New Zealand player struck down with injury, when Rachin Ravindra lost the trajectory of a hit while fielding at the boundary, which ended up hitting him flush on the forehead. He needed stitches, and though he trained yesterday and New Zealand have said that he showed no signs of delayed concussion, he did not play against Pakistan. He was seen running drinks to New Zealand’s batters, though.The game marked the return of ICC tournament cricket to Pakistan after 1996, with huge crowds building up outside the National Stadium in Karachi in the hours before the start. The opening ceremony was attended by Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari and had an air force fly-past parade after the toss, which Pakistan won and asked New Zealand to bat.

On Thursday, that saw the final round of group fixtures at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), as many as 17 teams were in contention for the eight remaining knockouts spots. At the end of an engaging day’s play, this much was certain: Punjab won’t be defending their title this season despite Abhishek Sharma’s heroics, Mohammed Shami will have an opportunity to garner more match time with Bengal and Ajinkya Rahane’s scintillating form for Mumbai may yet keep him in conversations around captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders. Here are the highlights from Thursday:

Bhuvneshwar the hat-trick hero as UP enter knockouts

Signed for INR 10.75 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved he is not a spent force just yet. His hat-trick against Jharkhand in a match-winning effort helped Uttar Pradesh seal a pre-quarterfinals berth, where they will take on Andhra on Monday.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy knockouts:

• 1st Pre-quarterfinal: Bengal vs Chandigarh (December 9)

• 2nd Pre-quarterfinal: Andhra v UP(December 9)

• 1st Quarter-final: Baroda vs winner of 1st PQF (Dec 11)

• 2nd Quarter-final: Delhi vs winner of 2nd PQF (Dec 11)

• 3rd Quarter-final: MP vs Saurashtra (Dec 11)

• 4th Quarter-final: Mumbai vs Vidarbha (Dec 11)

Bhuvneshwar, captaining UP, recorded figures of 4-1-6-3 – all his wickets coming in his final over – as Jharkhand fell short by 10 runs chasing 161. Among the wickets for Bhuvneshwar was the big-hitting Robin Minz. That Jharkhand got that close was because of allrounder Anukul Roy, who smashed a 44-ball 91 at No. 5.Earlier in the tournament, Bhuvneshwar upstaged Jasprit Bumrah to become the first Indian seamer to get 300 T20 wickets. Among Indians, only Yuzvendra Chahal (364), Piyush Chawla (319) and R Ashwin (310) have more T20 wickets than Bhuvneshwar (308).

Shami continues pain-free return

Shami picked up three wickets in another sure shot sign of him slowly returning to full match fitness, as Bengal stormed into the pre-quarterfinals where they will take on Chandigarh.Playing his seventh straight game of the competition, Shami picked up 3 for 26 as Bengal restricted Rajasthan to153 for 9, before half-centuries from Abishek Porel and Sudip Gharami helped seal a seven-wicket win.Related

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Shami has so far bowled his full quota of overs (27.3 out of a possible 28) in the seven games, while picking up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.67. Prior to SMAT, Shami had returned a match haul of seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy last month, his first competitive outing since last year’s World Cup final.Bengal will take on Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinal on Monday.

Rahane 95 helps Mumbai record highest SMAT chase

In a must-win, Mumbai eclipsed their previous highest chase of 227 to beat Andhra and set up a quarter-final on Wednesday against Vidarbha, the team they beat in last season’s Ranji final. Rahane’s 95 off just 54 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, kept Mumbai in the chase right until the end, before Suryansh Shedge finished it off in a blaze.Set an imposing 230, thanks to KS Bharat’s unbeaten 53-ball 93, Mumbai were fuelled by a rollicking opening stand of 51 in just four overs between Rahane and Prithvi Shaw, who made a 15-ball 34. Then they hit choppy waters with Shreyas Iyer (25) and Suryakumar Yadav (4) falling in quick succession.Rahane then found support from Shivam Dube, with whom he put on 54 in just 31 balls; Dube’s contribution to the partnership an 18-ball 34. At one stage, Mumbai needed 26 off 10, and Shedge, on 2 off 2 at that point, hit two fours and three sixes to finish on an unbeaten eight-ball 30 as Mumbai won with three balls to spare.File photo: Ajinkya Rahane continued his fine form in T20s•AFP/Getty Images

A win would have helped Andhra qualify directly for the quarter-finals as they would have topped the table. They will now have to play the pre-quarters because Mumbai and Andhra finished on the same points and Mumbai were the table-toppers because of their head-to-head against Andhra earlier in the league stage. Mumbai’s win also knocked Kerala out of the competition.

Gujarat knocked out despite six wins in seven

Net run rate cruelly led to Gujarat’s group-stage exit as they lost out to Saurashtra and Baroda, who set the record for the highest T20 score, against Sikkim.When Gujarat blasted 251 for 5 batting first against Karnataka, thanks to opener Aarya Desai’s 73 off 40 and Axar Patel’s unbeaten 20-ball 56, there was no inkling of the heartbreak that was to follow. They managed to restrict Karnataka to 203, with Axar picking 2 for 22 off four overs in their 48-run win.However, Saurashtra managed to edge out Gujarat by chasing down their 137 target against Tripura in just 13.3 overs. In the end, Baroda, Saurashtra and Gujarat all finished on 24 points and Gujarat lost out on a knockout berth because their NRR was lower than Saurashtra’s by 0.335.

Cricket Victoria and the St Kilda Cricket Club have renamed one of the heritage listed grandstands at the Junction Oval in Melbourne after the late Shane Warne in honour of his contribution to Victoria and his club team St Kilda.The process of renaming the stand, which has stood since 1925, had begun well before Warne’s passing in March, 2022. The stand was formerly named after Australian rules footballer Kevin Murray who has supported the change. Murray’s name now adorns a stand at Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.The MCG named its southern stand after Warne at his state funeral in 2022 but the process to get the heritage listed stand renamed on the western side of Junction Oval in St Kilda, a suburb just south of Melbourne’s CBD, took far longer.Warne’s father Keith and his two daughters Summer and Brooke attended the unveiling, which took place before Victoria took on New South Wales in a One-Day Cup match at the Junction Oval. Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, and a host of Australian players including Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell, attended the ceremony before playing in the game. Some of Warne’s former Australia, Victoria and St Kilda teammates were also in attendance at the unveiling.Cricket Victoria have also unveiled a Shane Warne exhibition in the foyer of their administration and high performance centre at the northern end of the ground. The exhibition features memorabilia from Warne’s career, with a lot of it supplied by his father, and is free to visit.”Today marks a very special and proud day for the Warne family to have a stand named the Shane Warne stand here at the Junction Oval is a wonderful tribute to Shane, who we know would be honored to be chosen for such an accolade,” Keith Warne said at the unveiling.”In February 1991 he made his first-class debut playing for Victoria against Western Australia here at the Junction Oval. Some of Shane’s most enjoyable early cricketing years were whilst playing with his beloved St Kilda, especially when the matches were played here at the Junction Oval. As proud as Shane would be to know a stand at the Junction Oval bares his name, he would also be thrilled to know that he will now be forever linked with St Kilda Cricket Club and the Junction Oval. On behalf of her family, I’d like to thank Cricket Victoria and St Kilda Cricket Club for their support in honouring Shane with such a wonderful tribute, further enhancing Shane’s incredible legacy.”

India are in the middle of a fundamental change and it is partly because of Jasprit Bumrah. Ahead of his first Test series in charge, Gautam Gambhir touched on how he’s started to have an effect far beyond just his cricket.”It has not happened many times in India where we started talking about the bowler,” Gambhir said. “I think it has always been about batters, batters and batters. India at one stage was a batting-obsessed nation. And you’ve got to give credit to Bumrah, [Mohammed] Shami, [Mohammed] Siraj, [R] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja that now they are turning this intention into a bowling obsessed… not bowling obsessed nation that we started talking about the bowler.”Bumrah might only have played 36 Tests but his numbers are startling. He’s taking a five-wicket haul (ten so far) roughly once in three Tests and he’s been the driving force behind some of India’s most famous wins – Oval 2021, Melbourne 2018, Visakhapatnam 2024.Related

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“Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world in all the three formats. And it’s not just his performance, it’s just his hunger as well. The best part is that he wants to play as much Test cricket as he can.”I think what he has done in T20 format in West Indies to what he can do in red-ball cricket, what he did against England. So I feel that yes, it is actually not even a luxury. I think it’s really an honour that we’ve got someone like Bumrah playing for us and sitting in that dressing room. We can make a change, we can make a difference at any stage of the game. So yes, hopefully, we can do the same in this series and going forward as well.”

Gambhir: ‘Want India to adapt and learn quickly’

Gambhir is taking the reins of a very successful Test team and even though he hasn’t really been a coach at any level he believes the relationships that he’s built with the India players from his 12 years as an all-format opening batter will ease him into the job. He has set himself no mandate other than to win games for India.”I’ve always been a believer that the best style is the style that wins and we want to be a team that adapts and learns quickly, rather than adopting one style. Because if you start adopting one style, then there is no growth. We want guys to be playing the situation, the conditions, and then keep growing every day. And that is all that matters. You know, all this, giving a name to a certain style and playing only one way, see, ultimately sport is all about results. And the best, as I just mentioned, the best style is the style that wins.”2:37

Gambhir: It’s good we’re talking about bowlers in India

Given this is the home season for India and the Test match against Bangladesh on Thursday will be played in Chennai, a fair bit of focus will be on the spinners. Gambhir explained how he would pick them.”Obviously, first is the impact they can create on day one and on day five,” he said. “India has been very fortunate that we’ve got people like Ashwin and Jadeja. They’ve bowled really well in tandem as well, and we know how they can contribute on day one. Because for Test cricket, the most important thing is that you should have the ability to bowl defensive, and you should have the ability to bowl attacking stuff as well. So I feel that we’re going to have an attack which can take 20 wickets, and those two guys are definitely going to create a lot of impact in Indian conditions.”India have never lost a Test to Bangladesh but Gambhir has been careful not to let that affect the way they prepare for the game in Chennai on Thursday. “You don’t change your intensity by looking at the opposition,” he said. “International cricket means that, do you have that hunger for every session, every hour, every ball? Because, ultimately, when you are playing for your country, and when the other 15 players are playing for their country, they will be good and anyone can defeat anyone. So, if you think that, changing your intensity by looking at Australia or England, I think, no high-quality side does that. And, it shouldn’t be done. A champion side is the one who sets their own standards.”Bangladesh has got some really quality cricketers. Shakib [Al Hasan] has got the experience. Mushfiqur [Rahim] has got the experience. You’ve got a very good bowling attack as well. Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] is there as well. So we know that there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to be switched on from ball one. And that is what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”Gambhir is very happy with the talent pool that he has to work with. “The best thing is that, from the last seven-eight days, my first Sri Lanka tour, I have seen one thing, that all the players sitting in that dressing room, how much they like to play for India. We always say that players like to play IPL. But, there’s not much truth in this. Ultimately, when you represent your country, there’s nothing greater than that.”But switching between formats does create a challenge for them, especially in Test cricket. India, despite 17 successive series victories at home, haven’t been immune to this. Their batters are going through a little bit of a lull when it comes to making big scores.”This batting line-up has so much quality that we can play any opposition, any bowling line-up, any spin attack in any conditions,” Gambhir said. “What happens is we often judge [ability to play spin] a lot looking at T20 and one-day cricket; there’s a heaven and earth difference. In one-day cricket, you don’t get much time to defend. In Test cricket, you have time to defend and make the bowler bowl into your strengths. But, for that, the most important thing is if you want to play well in Test cricket, how tight is your defence?”We have played in T20 format on so many good wickets that sometimes, it feels like you have to develop so many shots. But the foundation is your defence. When we started, any youngster was taught to defend. If your defence is strong, you can develop everything on that defence. But, if you think that you have all kinds of shots and if you want to be a good Test cricketer, there is no guarantee for that.”

As India’s new bowling coach, Morne Morkel’s foremost goal is to protect an already well-oiled set-up, and make sure the players “feel at home” despite the weight of expectations.Morkel, who replaced Paras Mhambrey in the role last month, joined the team in Chennai, where it is preparing for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh.”Coming here, this is a set-up that operates by itself,” Morkel said on bcci.tv. “To protect that and make it better in small ways is going to be the goal.”When I was sitting in the plane, I reflected that we are so lucky to have quality senior players and they will lead the charge. Our responsibility is to support them and give them the best sort of advice that we can give.Related

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• Morne Morkel appointed India's bowling coach

Morkel’s name was recommended by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The two had worked together for Lucknow Super Giants during IPL 2022 and 2023. Morkel said it was important for him to connect with the players and make them feel secure to get the best out of them.”I have played a lot against some of the players, I have seen and connected a little bit with some of the guys during the IPL,” he said. “To be now in the camp and form friendships and relationships is very important.”Today’s goal was to get an understanding of the guys, their strengths and weaknesses, and help them with planting those seeds for goals for the upcoming series. That’s the sort of conversation we had today. And the guys did really well. I was blown away by how they went about things, how professional they were. So that’s a good sign and, hopefully, we can build on that.”It’s one thing to have talent and skill but how can you make those guys feel welcome in an intimidating environment… India playing in the blue shirt is a lot of expectations, so for me, having the experience, going through that, and passing that sort of knowledge and helping them settle in and feel at home [is important].””As soon as a player has that comfort and feel that they belong, that’s when the performance comes. So it’s about looking after that and … from there obviously upskill them and get them up to the standard.Talking about his appointment, Morkel said his dad was the first person he shared the news with.”It [the appointment] was quite a special moment for me. I enjoyed it for about five to seven minutes with myself and then obviously shared it with the family. The first thing did was to phone my dad first. I spoke to him about it. I didn’t go to my wife. Normally, they say go to your wife first. But I spoke to my dad.”I feel ready to take up this challenge. I understand and know that there will always be expectations of winning. Luckily, I have experienced that in my playing days and I can share that knowledge.”

Eleanor Threlkeld staged a superbly-judged knock of 69 not out as Thunder beat Western Storm by two runs on the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern Method in a rain-shortened Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy contest at Taunton’s Cooper Associates Ground.Thunder’s captain won the toss, elected to bat first and then led by example as the visitors raised 216 for 9 from 50 overs, Alice Clarke weighing in with 41 and Grace Johnson contributing a useful 23, their efforts representing atonement for three self-inflicted run outs in a rollercoaster innings.Making her final appearance of what has been a successful campaign in Storm colours, Australian international Amanda-Jade Wellington signed off with 2 for 28 from 10 overs, her leg breaks doing much to undermine northern progress during the middle overs. Restored to the attack, Mollie Robbins impressed with the new ball and again at the death to finish with 3 for 28, keeping things tight while her fellow seamers proved expensive.Required to score at four an over as the rain clouds gathered away to the south west, Storm appeared to be in control of their own destiny. Openers Emma Corney and Sophia Smale departed early on, but the experienced pair of Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson restored calm and were in a position to dictate terms.But the third wicket pair inexplicably failed to move their team ahead of the DLS requirement of 71 as the rain began to fall and, when umpires Mark Newell and Fiona Richards finally led the players off the field after 20 overs, Storm were 69 for 2 with Luff and Wilson unbeaten on 16 and 13 respectively.Needing to resume their innings if they were to register a second win in three days and move off the foot of the table, Storm were ultimately frustrated by the weather, the umpires deciding they had no option but to abandon the game at 4.42pm.When Storm last encountered Eve Jones, playing for Central Sparks on this ground two weeks earlier, they found themselves on the receiving end of a match-winning 130. No wonder Ellie Anderson celebrated when having the experienced opener caught at the wicket for 16 with the score on 26 after Thunder had won the toss. But the home side had to be patient thereafter as Clarke and Seren Smale staged a steadying partnership of 40 in 10 overs for the second wicket.Wellington entered the fray with the scoreboard on 66 for 1 and immediately made her presence felt, having Smale comprehensively stumped by Katie Jones for 18 and then accepting a straightforward return catch to send back Fi Morris for six. When she was not taking wickets herself, the Australian was spreading panic among the opposition, her reputation inducing muddled thinking and contributing to a trio of run outs that saw the visitors lose their way.Danielle Collins was run out by Fran Wilson’s throw from the deep, while Clarke was nine runs short of a maiden half century when she was run out in the act of backing up her captain as Thunder slipped to 102 for 5. Threlkeld pushed a ball from Wellington into the leg side and set off on a single, only for stop-start confusion to set in, allowing Emma Corney time to throw in to Jones, who completed a slapstick dismissal. It was a disappointing end to a workmanlike innings that had seen Blackburn-born left-hander Clarke graft her way to 41 from 78 balls.Panic reared it’s head once more when Wellington returned to bowl the 37th over. Having gone along nicely in accruing 23 in a stand of 43 with Threlkeld, Grace Johnson clipped a ball from Wellington behind square and was called through for a risky single by her captain.Corney’s pick-up and throw was precise and Johnson was still out of her ground when Wellington whipped the bails off. Darcey Carter then played on to the returning Robbins as the visitors further subsided to 149 for 7.Having been involved in two of the three run outs, Threlkeld no doubt felt it incumbent upon herself to make amends, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter taking charge of affairs to claim a spirited unbeaten half century and ensure the tail wagged. Tara Norris played her part, contributing 11 runs in a partnership of 34 for the eighth wicket, before being caught at the wicket by Jones, standing up to Robbins, who then had Hannah Jones held by Luff at mid-on later in the same over on her way to season’s best figures.Thereafter, Sophie Morris faced 13 balls without scoring, surviving long enough for Threlkeld to reach her 50, Thunder’s skipper going to that landmark from 77 balls with a reverse sweep off Sophia Smale for her fourth boundary. Storm succumbed to pressure at the death, Anderson being removed from the attack after sending down two beamers and being replaced by Alex Griffiths in a final over that cost 17 runs as the last wicket pair raised an unbeaten alliance of 33.