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“Everything was in our favour,” said the allrounder, lamenting their collapse to 106 all out on the first day in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam24-Oct-2024Bangladesh’s batters were under the scanner after South Africa completed a seven-wicket win on the fourth morning of the Dhaka Test. The top four contributed 105 runs in the match, their worst showing this year. Bangladesh’s collapse on the first day of the match haunted them for the rest of it, with only the lower order, led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, ensuring that there wasn’t an innings defeat.Mehidy, whose 97 in the second innings forced South Africa to bat again, said that the pitch and the conditions were to their liking and even the toss went their way but the top-order’s failure on the first day took them out of the contest too early and there was no coming back.”Everything was in our favour as we won the toss and decided to bat first,” Mehidy said. “It is hard to bat on the fourth day on this wicket so we prepared ourselves in that way. We couldn’t score runs, unfortunately. If we could have scored our second innings runs in the first… We were in the back foot in the first innings. We were bowled out before the second session on the first day. 106 all out. First innings runs are very important in Test cricket.”Related

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Mehidy said that Bangladesh’s batters must improve their decision-making out in the middle. Mahmudul Hasan Joy was the only member from the top four to make any kind of contribution (30 and 40). Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto failed in both innings. However, each of those three players still have at least one recent innings of note under their belt. Shadman scored a crucial 93 in the first Test against Pakistan, while Mominul scored a century in Bangladesh’s previous Test in Kanpur. Shanto made 82 in the Chennai Test.”I think decision-making is an important aspect [of batting],” Mehidy said. “We would do better as a team if the top order starts contributing again. We did it in Pakistan where the top four were contributing to the total. When the openers start well, it makes life easier for the rest of the batters. When the No. 5 and 6 batters are playing against the new ball, life becomes hard. We are working on how to improve the top order. I am hopeful that we will figure out where to improve in the coming matches.”Batters have to take more responsibility. Lack of runs on the board makes life difficult for the bowlers. We bowled well despite all the pressure. Taijul [Islam] bowled really well. We discussed that not all the batters will score every day. But at least three or four batters should turn their starts into big ones.”Mehidy is leading Bangladesh’s batting charts in this World Test Championship cycle.”I always try to enjoy pressure situations,” he said while trying to explain his success. “I see it as an opportunity to become a hero. I am happy to be making use of opportunities. I bat in a difficult position. I know that if I bat well from my position, the team may do well. If I don’t do well, the team won’t get a result. I am mentally trying to prepare myself to score runs. I am always trying to get better. I started with a 1.5 batting average. I have improved quite a bit now.”I have worked at batting against the new ball because sometimes I have to bat against the second new ball. I have worked on surviving as a batter, how to score runs and then how to dominate the bowlers. I have shared my thoughts with those who are less experienced in the dressing room, just like my seniors shared ideas with me.”Mehidy, however, isn’t keen on the comparison with Shakib Al Hasan, who was supposed to play his farewell Test in Dhaka. He said that he is trying to get a few years of consistency going before accepting such lofty accolades.”Everyone says I will take Shakib ‘s place. He is a legend who has achieved a lot over 17 years. He batted higher up the order. He has been scoring runs since early in his career. I have started scoring runs consistently in the last one or two years. I bat at No. 7 or 8. Shakib is in his place, I am in my place. I think it’s best not to compare us,” Mehidy said.Bangladesh have four days’ time to do some soul searching ahead of the Chattogram Test. The batters haven’t contributed much this year, but they have one last opportunity to get a score in familiar conditions before they hit the road for assignments in the UAE and the West Indies in the next couple of months.

Netherlands also start the tournament having seen minimal action, with only 37.2 overs possible in their game against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2023India will head into the World Cup without having played a single ball of warm-ups, with their practice match against Netherlands washed out in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Their first warm-up match, against England in Guwahati on September 30, was also called off without a ball bowled, though the weather did allow the toss to take place.Netherlands will also begin the World Cup proper having seen minimal warm-up action. Their game against Australia in Thiruvananthapuram was heavily rain-affected, with no result possible after Netherlands had bowled 23 overs and batted for 14.2 overs.Related

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India travelled the length and breadth of the country for their warm-ups. After finishing their three-match ODI series against Australia in Rajkot in Gujarat, India’s westermost state, they travelled to Guwahati in the northeast and then to Thiruvananthapuram near the southern tip of the peninsula. Having covered over 6000km over those two journeys, India will now undertake the short journey to Chennai where they face Australia in their tournament-opener on October 8.Netherlands will start their campaign in Hyderabad, where they meet Pakistan on October 6.Hosts India start the World Cup as favourites, going into the tournament with a squad that covers most bases – though a right-hander-heavy top order and the No. 8 position remain concerns. They made one late change to their original squad, replacing the injured Axar Patel with R Ashwin, giving themselves an offspin option in the process.Netherlands made the 10-team World Cup on the basis of a spectacular display at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, where they finished in the top two after stunning West Indies via the Super Over in a high-scoring thriller, and then chasing down 278 inside 44 overs to pip Scotland on net run rate.

Australia allrounder requested to be left out against Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to get a “mental and physical break” after a tough start to the IPL

Hemant Brar16-Apr-20242:43

Maxwell: ‘Good time to get a mental and physical break’

Glenn Maxwell has elected to take a break from the IPL to refresh himself physically and mentally after requesting Royal Challengers Bengaluru management pick someone else in his place for the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Maxwell has been struggling for runs in IPL 2024. Before Monday’s game, he had scored only 32 runs in six innings at an average of 5.33. There were speculations that he might have sat out because of a thumb injury but that was not the case.”For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said after RCB’s sixth defeat in seven matches. “I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact.Related

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“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own.”Coming into IPL 2024, Maxwell was in red-hot form. In 17 T20s since the start of November, he had 552 runs at an average of 42.46 and a strike rate of 185.85. During this period, he scored two hundreds as well.But he started the IPL with a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings. Since then, he has had two more ducks and has lasted more than five balls only once – against Kolkata Knight Riders, when he made a 19-ball 28 with the help of two dropped catches.”T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he said. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.”I probably just haven’t got away – it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game.”The SRH game, though, turned out to be a high-scoring one. Batting first, SRH posted 287 for 3, the second-highest total in T20 cricket. RCB replied with 262 for 7, making it 549 for the match, the most for a T20.Maxwell was asked if, in hindsight, he wished he had played one more game. “I did notice during the powerplay that the pitch was not as slow and two-paced as it has been in the first few games,” he said with a smile. “And I realised it was probably a bad game to miss; it would have been nice to be out there batting.”But as I said, I wanted to give myself not just the physical break but also the mental break to give myself the right to play professional cricket. I take a lot of pride in my performance, and I put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get my body right for every game. And it has been a pretty tough struggle, given my body is on the wrong side of 30. I think that physical and mental toll probably just wore me down a little bit.”Maxwell had a similar IPL season in 2020 as well. Playing for Kings XI Punjab then, he managed only 108 runs in 11 innings, at an average of 15.42 and a strike rate of 101.88. He did not hit a single six that year.”That was probably a different scenario,” Maxwell said. “Back then the thing that was hurting me was I was bowling really well. So I was actually playing more as a spinner who was used at the back end [with the bat]. We had KL [Rahul] and Mayank [Agarwal] who were the two leading run-scorers in the competition at that time, so there wasn’t a lot of balls left in the game. So I wasn’t able to get any match rhythm. And when I was, it was only for a few balls here and there.”So I said the same thing to the Kings XI management back at the time, that we can have an overseas bowler in my place. But we didn’t have an offspinner as well. So I sort of played as an overseas offspinner who could bat a little bit.”The management here has been outstanding. We’ve been working together on taking a fair bit of ownership and the off-field leadership staff is trying to help out as much as they can. Unfortunately, runs just haven’t come the way they should have when you are in really good form. I don’t think I’ve had a better six months in cricket leading into this tournament. So it’s frustrating when it ends up like this. But if I can get my body and my mind right, there’s no reason I can’t finish the tournament well if I do get another opportunity.”

Worcestershire recover from 10 for 4 before capping day with last-ball wicket of Elgar

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024Jamie Porter blitzed a hole in the Worcestershire upper-order to return his second Vitality County Championship five-wicket haul of the season before Essex let slip their early advantage on day one.Essex had Worcestershire 10 for 4 inside five overs – Porter and Sam Cook sharing the four wickets in a 13-ball spree – then 46 for 5 in 12 overs, before the tail wagged and the visitors reached a more respectable 266 all out shortly after a late tea.Porter, the joint leading wicket-taker in Division One, finished with 5 for 52 from 17 overs of controlled aggression on a flat Chelmsford pitch that later played to the strengths of Simon Harmer. The South Africa off-spinner marked his 100th red-ball appearance for Essex with a trio of lower-order victims for figures of 3 for 103.Captain Brett D’Oliveira sparked the Worcestershire recovery after electing to bat with a patient 136-ball 68, supported in important stands by Ethan Brooks (46) and Tom Taylor (62 not out), the later aided by Amar Virdi in keeping Essex in the field with a last-wicket stand of 64. Essex had knocked off 50 of the deficit for the loss of Dean Elgar in 19 evening overs.Porter struck with his ninth ball when he got one to jag in and take Jack Libby’s off stump. After opening-ball partner Cook removed Gareth Roderick in the next over, lbw to one that thudded into his back foot, Porter claimed two wickets in three deliveries.Both wickets fell to catches behind, Rob Jones playing down the wrong line and taken low down by Michael Pepper, and Adam Hose followed to a tentative push against one that swung away.Two partnerships involving D’Oliveira went some way to repairing the damage as the Kookaburra ball lost its initial hardness. He enjoyed a seven-over interlude between wickets while adding 36 with Kashif Ali. Ali had watched three colleagues depart, but then hit his stride with five boundaries in a run-a-ball 24 before he dragged on when Porter returned after a brief rest.D’Oliveira next found support in a 72-run sixth-wicket stand with Brookes. But the captain was fortunate to survive a sharp chance to Elgar at slip in the over before lunch when Matt Critchley got a second successive ball to jump almost vertically off the pitch.Brookes, meanwhile, was no respecter of reputation and went after Harmer, twice reverse-sweeping the off-spinner to the boundary. He accelerated after lunch, adding three more to his collection of nine fours in a 73-ball 46, before dangling his bat and becoming Porter’s 39th scalp of the season.Harmer finally joined the party in his 14th over when he induced Logan van Beek to drive lazily straight back to him. He followed up four overs later by ending D’Oliveira’s 59-run eighth-wicket stand with Taylor, trapping him lbw, and then accounting for Joe Leach by the same method shortly afterwards.However, from 202-9, the last-wicket pair collected a hitherto unlikely batting point. Virdi played particularly straight, hitting the majority of his 42 runs in the arc between long-on and long-off, including two towering sixes off Harmer. The innings came to an end five overs before the new-ball was due when the Surrey loanee clipped Shane Snater to square leg.Essex lost Elgar lbw to Taylor to the last ball before the close after he and Robin Das had been largely untroubled. They will have Jordan Cox available to bat later after he was released by England once the team had been confirmed following the toss at Lord’s, though Noah Thain had been named in the initial Essex XI in case Cox was retained.

The allrounder previously represented Australia in football and scored in the 2011 quarter-final against Sweden

AAP10-Aug-2023Australia cricket superstar Ellyse Perry could easily have found herself playing alongside Sam Kerr and the other Matildas at the Women’s World Cup.An equally gifted footballer, Perry made her international debut at 16 – playing her first match for Australia against Hong Kong in 2007.The brilliant cricket allrounder made her first World Cup appearance during the 2011 tournament in Germany, scoring the Matildas’ only goal in the 3-1 quarter-final loss to Sweden.The 32-year-old earned 18 caps and scored three goals for Australia between 2007 and 2012.Related

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Primarily a defender, Perry also enjoyed a glittering career in domestic soccer playing for Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United and Sydney FC with teammates Kerr and Caitlin Foord.She competed at the International Women’s Club Championship with Sydney FC in 2013, when the squad defeated Japan’s WE League club NTV Beleza 1-0 but lost 3-2 to Chelsea.But as her sporting paths crossed, she sacrificed her soccer trajectory for the bat-and-ball game with her cricketing career exploding into superstardom from 2014.Perry went on to win eight world titles with Australia, 11 Women’s National Cricket League championships with NSW, and two Women’s Big Bash League titles with the Sydney Sixers.She is now delighted to see her former Matildas team-mates take the football world – and the Australian sporting public – by storm.”I don’t think we’ve ever really seen anything like this,” Perry said on Thursday. “The level that they’re playing at, the style that they’re playing, the amazing entertainment that they are.”Just to see what those girls have done for not only their team but for this sport and for women’s sport – it’s just been a phenomenal tournament.”Perry did not want to forget the achievements made by female athletes before the Matildas’ World Cup fever swept the nation.”There’s lots of precedent for this,” she said. “Traditionally, the Women’s Big Bash League has been the fourth most-watched sporting competition in the country – it seems a long time ago but back in 2020 we had 86,000 at the MCG.”It’s been a really steady evolution for women’s sport for a long period of time. “[General society] is shifting in line with a real push towards equality but also how much we value the incredible skill and endeavour of all of our female athletes and what they’re able to achieve.”Perry hopes the momentum around the World Cup can help the growth of domestic competitions.”We’ve got an amazing platform to be more successful and have more of a mark on the sporting landscape in Australia,” she said. “The product is there. Now it’s just about providing a platform for fans to be able to come along and have a really enjoyable time.”The next frontier for us is to make sure that we’re able to fill those stadiums.”Perry is currently recovering from a knee injury sustained last month in Ireland and meant she was withdrawn from the Hundred but is hopeful of being ready for the start of the domestic season in late September.

Adi Birrell to take over in 2025 as Hampshire strengthen ties with local Hundred team

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025Stephen Fleming has stepped down as Southern Brave’s head coach in the men’s Hundred, citing family reasons. Fleming replaced Mahela Jayawardene in the role ahead of the 2023 season and twice led the Brave to the knockout stages, losing the eliminator in his first year in charge and the final last season.He will be replaced by Adi Birrell, the Hampshire head coach, for the 2025 season, with Hundred franchises growing stronger ties with their host clubs as part of the ongoing privatisation process. Birrell has enjoyed recent success in franchise cricket, leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 titles.Birrell will become the first county head coach also taking charge of a men’s Hundred team, though several have served as assistant coaches. He will be replaced as Hampshire coach during the Metro Bank Cup, the 50-over competition which runs parallel to the Hundred, but remains in charge for the County Championship and the T20 Blast.Fleming’s resignation avoids a situation in which he would coach a team part-owned by a rival IPL franchise, given his long-running association with Chennai Super Kings. Hampshire were sold to the GMR Group – co-owners of Delhi Capitals – last year and are set to become majority shareholders in the Brave this year.Related

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He has coached Chennai since 2009, and has also taken charge of their affiliated franchises in Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings) and the SA20 (Joburg Super Kings), where he is currently. Fleming said in a statement that stepping down from his role with the Brave would allow him to spend more time at home.”I absolutely loved my time at Southern Brave, working in the Hundred and working with a great group of people at Utilita Bowl,” Fleming said. “We got close to winning a couple of times so it’s difficult to step down but for family reasons I need to be able to dedicate more time to being at home this season. I wish everyone at Southern Brave the best for 2025.”Giles White, who is director of cricket at the Brave and Hampshire, said: “Stephen created an excellent environment for the players and it has been an enjoyable and successful stint with us… In his place we are delighted to welcome Adi Birrell and look forward to seeing him build on the team’s success in 2025.”White and Birrell have until February 24 to work out the core of their squad for 2025, with each team permitted to retain up to 11 players (including one designated central contract player). These can include one direct overseas signing for 2025, with the ECB hopeful that a new top men’s salary of £200,000 will attract some of the world’s best players to the Hundred.The Brave are the fifth Hundred team to recruit a new coach this winter. Justin Langer has replaced Trevor Bayliss at London Spirit’s men, while Ali Maiden (Birmingham Phoenix), Michael Klinger (Manchester Originals) and Lisa Keightley (Northern Superchargers) have taken over from Ben Sawyer, Stephen Parry and Dani Hazell respectively in the women’s competition.

“Three years ago, I couldn’t get out of bed and now I am doing what I love, and that’s representing Zimbabwe,” he said on the first day of the second Test

Firdose Moonda07-Aug-2025Brendan Taylor has described making his comeback to international cricket as “a debut-like feeling,” ahead of Zimbabwe’s second Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo.Taylor, who spoke to ESPNcricinfo in May about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, his sanction and his plans for the future, returned to Zimbabwe’s XI after serving a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code with a new lease on life.”How good is it that three years ago, I couldn’t get out of bed and now I am here doing what I love, and that’s representing Zimbabwe?” Taylor told the broadcaster in an emotional interview before the first day’s play. “Dealing with the sanction, dealing with my own internal chaos – there was not a specific day, there were multiple days of trauma.Related

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“I was in the dark depths in the abyss and trying to just get through this total and incomprehensible demoralisation of life. It was incredibly difficult.”In 2021, Taylor abruptly retired from international cricket in Belfast and seven months later revealed that he had been approached by fixers, who threatened him with exposing his use of cocaine unless he acted on their instruction. He refused to do that, retired, and then checked himself into rehab when his ban was announced in early 2022. Taylor, who could not be involved in any official cricketing structures due to the conditions of his sanction, then set up a coaching facility in his home, as he hoped to move into coaching on his return. However, Zimbabwe’s Cricket MD Givemore Makoni convinced Taylor to return to playing with the 2027 World Cup in mind and he is ready to give it his all after years of introspection.”There’s always that shame and guilt of letting down your family. That’s a tough thing to deal with. But the way my family rallied and supported me was overwhelming. It’s almost a regret why I didn’t lean on them earlier.”Taylor’s wife, Kelly-Anne, found out about his drug problem with the rest of the world and initially did not believe him when he left their home for rehab. “I felt it was something I got myself into and I needed to fix it myself. I thought the dream had gone and I was content with it,” Taylor said.His time at the centre in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe changed his perspective on life and also thanked his family, friends, team-mates and those in ZC for supporting him.”Then came the joys and promises of recovery, something that is very dear to me,” he said. “Getting my life back on track is the reason why I am able to be here. If I had not made that life changing decision, none of this would have been possible.”There have been some very important people in my corner, showing me a new way to live and I am eternally grateful for that. There are a few people in Zimbabwe Cricket that I have to thank, especially the chairman and the MD, who have been absolutely pivotal in their support to having me back.”Taylor opened alongside Brian Bennett in the second Test•Zimbabwe Cricket

The moment of being handed his 36th Test cap, “meant the world to me. It was a moment of pure gratitude and real emotion to be welcomed back with open arms,” Taylor said. “It was not the reaction I was expecting. But it’s certainly a moment of reflection and real gratitude. It’s so rewarding to see the amount of cricket Zimbabwe Cricket is putting out there. I have trained harder than I have ever trained in my life to get back there. If performances happen, that’s great but there’s a much bigger picture here for me to play. It’s an honour to play again. It’s a debut-like feeling.”With Zimbabwe on a six-match losing streak and batting a particular problem for them, Taylor was installed at the top of the order instead of his usual No.4 role. Early on, he left well and scored his first runs as he tried to duck against a Jacob Duffy short ball which he edged over the wicket-keeper for four.Taylor will not keep wicket in this Test but said he believes he is in better shape than ever before, almost 20 kilograms lighter than he was through most of his international career and “living good, clean and healthy.”

Returns of Stokes, Boult dominate build-up as World Cup finalists get their ODI heads back on

Andrew Miller07-Sep-20232:46

Miller: Hard to argue with Stokes above Brook

Big picture: Lord’s finalists reunited

Change of week, change of format, change of headspace, same opponents … sort of.Forget the exploratory joustings that played out in a deeply peculiar T20I series, one in which England were a class apart until they were not, and in which New Zealand went from distracted cannon-fodder to destructive bomb-squaddies in the space of 48 hours. This time, things will be deadly serious from the get-go. Got it?Though not, let’s be clear, quite as serious as they’ll be getting in Ahmedabad in little under a month’s time, at the 2023 World Cup curtain-raiser. And certainly not a patch on the timeless drama that brought down the house at Lord’s four years ago, on the last occasion that these two teams crossed swords in the 50-over arena.Instead, we’re braced for … well, who rightly knows, if truth be told. After four years in mothballs, the ODI format is moving centre stage once again, braced for a comeback of Sinatra-esque proportions if the full hype of a World Cup in India is anything to go by. And yet, the journey that these two teams have taken in the interim rather epitomises the neglect that 50-over cricket has endured since that game of games. Can England and New Zealand reach an ODI cruising altitude from a standing start over the course of four games in eight days? That’s what we’re all itching to find out.For England, the most notable talking point is, inevitably, the return of Ben Stokes after his short-lived ODI retirement. And yet, he’s barely more of a stranger to the format than a host of his fellow World Cup heroes. Joe Root, for instance, last batted in a 50-over match on July 22 last year, three days after Stokes had said his farewells at Chester-le-Street, and has featured in just 15 such matches in four years.Jonny Bairstow is also coming back from a 14-month hiatus, albeit much of that relates to his horrific broken leg. But even Jos Buttler, the captain, has played in barely half of England’s contests since the World Cup final (23 out of 39), while Brydon Carse, the reserve seamer, has played more times than their designated spearhead Mark Wood (9 to 8).Joe Root is one of several England players returning to ODI action•PA Photos/Getty Images

The ECB’s dereliction of the format post-2019 has been uncompromising – not least with the birth of the Hundred relegating domestic 50-over cricket to a feeder competition. And yet, the lack of ODI game-time is far from a uniquely English issue.Between their twin World Cup final appearances in 2015 and 2019, New Zealand racked up a healthy 76 matches (and 43 wins); that number has plummeted to 36 (and 21) in the four years since. And aside from the near-permanent fixture, the captain Tom Latham (35 caps), no player has featured in more than 70% of those – least of all the most in-demand man in their ranks, Trent Boult, the last of whose ten caps came almost exactly a year ago in Cairns.What does any of this actually prove in this day and age, however? New Zealand’s slow start to the T20I series could in part be attributed to their crazy, atomised build-up, with half the squad flying in from a low-key series in the UAE and the rest floating along via stints of varying lengths in the Hundred. But, equally, their flying finish showed how quickly professional outfits can find sufficient cohesion amid the madcap treadmill lifestyle.Besides, as England’s Test team have spent the past year and a bit proving with their Bazball revolution, who the hell cares about preparation these days anyway? Stokes, Root, Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Wood and Chris Woakes are among the senior players to have peaced out on Brendon McCullum’s good vibes in recent months – be it sacking off warm-up matches for an extra round of golf, or breaking the pre-Test tension with a six-hitting competition on the practice strip.And yet, none of that carefree attitude could ever have been allowed to take root had it not been trialled and approved in the course of the white-ball renaissance that preceded it. And so for England in particular, this series is about coming full circle – about forgetting all circumstance and just doubling down on the instinctual cricket that turned them into world-beaters in the first place.As for New Zealand, they are the team from whom England took those initial cues back in 2015, and for all the over-riding sense that their own golden generation is now deep into transition, there’s still a sufficient well of experience within that dressing-room for them to go deep once again.And that depth of knowhow, incidentally, includes the as-yet unready Kane Williamson, who is inching his way back from long-term knee injury but is clearly a World Cup shoo-in given half a bill of health. His progress on the sidelines will be a subplot of the coming days, and a reminder too that so much about this World Cup build-up is about being all right on the night.Tom Latham speaks to the media ahead of the first ODI•Getty Images

Form guide

England LWWWL
New Zealand WLLLL

In the spotlight: Ben Stokes and Trent Boult

“Lol” was Ben Stokes‘ succinct response on Twitter / X when news of his England ODI recall was confirmed by the ECB – an echo of Moeen’s famous response to Stokes’ own “Ashes?” WhatsApp message, asking if he would consider a Test comeback as Jack Leach’s replacement. It is unclear whether Jos Buttler phrased his petitions quite so succinctly, but the logic in both cases was unimpeachable. When there’s a job to be done, this particular England set-up values experience and camaraderie over almost all other traits. And when it comes to 50-over cricket, nobody does it better than Stokes. Will it matter that he officially retired from the format 14 months ago? Almost certainly not. He made way last July because he felt he could not give “100% to the shirt”, and wanted someone else to make an unarguable case in his absence. And yet, England have played just 11 ODIs in that time, nine of them overseas, at least six of which were grossly overshadowed by the T20 zeitgeist – England’s World Cup-winning hangover in Australia last November, and the competing attractions of the franchise circuit in Bangladesh the following March. As a consequence, Stokes has missed nothing of note. Assuming his body holds up, his mind – as we know from proven experience across all formats – will be keenly attuned to his task.He was hardly the first in-demand cricketer to go freelance, but Trent Boult‘s decision to turn down a New Zealand central contract last year was a notable moment nonetheless. At the age of 34, he remains one of the pre-eminent left-arm seamers in the world, but this will be his first international outing in any format since the T20 World Cup in Australia last November. Since then, the selectors have been resolute in their desire to give chances to those who are willing to commit to the national side – leading to the slightly absurd scenario earlier this year, when a Test match against England took place in his home town of Mount Maunganui, with Boult kicking his heels a few miles down the road. But with the big show approaching, there’s no thought of protocol holding sway any longer. His record across 99 career ODIs is outstanding, 187 wickets at 23.97, but in reaching the final in each of his two previous World Cup campaigns, Boult has racked up 39 wickets in 19 matches at 21.79. And in his infrequent 50-over appearances in the past four years, that average plummets to 16.21. He remains an essential weapon and a key reason to believe another deep World Cup run is within the team’s grasp.

Team news: England bring out the big guns

England’s ODI ambitions feel as though they’ve been frozen in time since July 14, 2019, and so their first-choice XI has a fittingly retro feel, with up to nine World Cup medallists set to take the field together for this opening fixture. That number should include five of the 2019 top six, with only the retired Eoin Morgan guaranteed to make way … for Liam Livingstone in the first instance, although as we all know, Harry Brook is making a phenomenal case for his inclusion (although he has yet to link up with the squad after being added at the last minute). Perhaps the most crucial micro-reunion is due to come at the top of the order where Jason Roy and Bairstow will, niggles permitting, once again be charged with setting the tone in the trailblazing manner that set England apart in the previous World Cup cycle.Roy, perhaps surprisingly, has been England’s ODI mainstay since that epic final at Lord’s, featuring in 32 of their 39 subsequent fixtures, but his form has at times fallen through the floor. Dawid Malan, potentially absent on paternity leave at some stage this week, and feeling the Brook pinch like few others, is itching to make his case as the reserve opener – and given Bairstow felt a shoulder twinge in the final T20I, that chance could yet come sooner rather than later. On the bowling front, Sam Curran is the only guaranteed starter from the post-2019 generation, although Mark Wood may be rested in the short to medium term, meaning Gus Atkinson – in that provisional World Cup squad but yet to be tested across 50 overs – might be in line to begin his fast-tracking as England’s new 90mph option. Moeen might conceivably give way to an extra seamer, given Cardiff’s unfriendly dimensions for offspin.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow / Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali / Brydon Carse, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood / Gus Atkinson, 11 Adil RashidTrent Boult is back in the New Zealand set-up for first time this year•Getty Images

After a T20 partnership that extended from Southern Brave’s Hundred campaign into the T20I series, Devon Conway and Finn Allen have been separated for the 50-over format, with Allen’s place in the World Cup squad seemingly out of the picture too. Instead Conway will front up alongside Will Young, who has averaged an imposing 49.33 with a strike-rate in excess of 90 in his 15 ODIs since 2019. Williamson is still recovering from a cruciate ligament tear in April, and may not be fit to play in any of the four games. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips will provide the power in the middle order. On the bowling front, it’s a familiar cast of proven performers, with Boult’s return the stand-out selection. “It’s along the same lines as Stokes [for England],” Latham said. “Having someone of world-class calibre come back into your side is always confidence-boosting.”New Zealand: 1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Daryl Mitchell, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Cardiff, with its short straight boundaries and deep pockets square of the wicket, offers the usual challenges for bowlers, with back-of-a-length bombs and wide lines for the spinners likely to be the order of the day. The pitch itself is pretty close to the centre of the square and has a bit of live grass on it. The surfaces served up much higher scores in the Blast than in previous years, although those used for the Hundred proved to be fairly turgid. The weather is set to be sweltering.

Stats and trivia

• Cardiff has hosted 29 ODIs in total, and 15 involving England – most recently in July 2021, when Stokes’ Covid-affected scratch side pulled off a remarkable nine-wicket win over Pakistan.
• Overall, England have won nine and lost three of their completed matches at Sophia Gardens. Their most recent loss was in the Champions Trophy semi-final, also against Pakistan in 2017.
• New Zealand have had a mixed time of it at the venue, winning four and losing three of their seven games, all of them in ICC events. Their most recent visit was for a ten-wicket hammering of Sri Lanka at the 2019 World Cup.
• Stokes’ ODI record seemed to be a done deal until last month. Now, he’s back, and needs 76 more runs to reach 3000 in the format, to go along with his 74 wickets at 42.39.
• Boult is set to play his 100th ODI, and his first in almost exactly 12 months.

Quotes

“That’s the reality of being in a very strong team. We are a very strong team, and we know that. Competition for places is the best possible thing for us… I’m sure that a lot of the final decisions will, potentially, be made around some of the form that the lads show in this series.”
Ben Stokes acknowledges that England’s “provisional” World Cup 15 is far from finalised“There are a lot of passionate All Blacks supporters in our dressing room so I’m sure that, if the time works, we’ll have it on the TVs at some point.”
Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, expects the other World Cup in France to be a focal point for his team

Visitors name three-seamer line-up in anticipation of showery weather in Manchester

Matt Roller20-Aug-2024Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka’s captain, has revealed that his team wanted to play more than one warm-up match before their Test series against England but were denied the chance to do so.Sri Lanka lost by seven wickets in their four-day, first-class match against an inexperienced England Lions team at New Road last week. They were bowled out for 139 on the opening day but grew into the match, with Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya all scoring second-innings half-centuries.Eight of the side that will face England at Emirates Old Trafford in Wednesday’s first Test were involved, with Kamindu Mendis, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando due to come into the side. Milan Rathnayake, the 28-year-old seamer, will make his Test debut at the age of 28 after taking a wicket in each innings against the Lions.”The conditions are quite different to Asian countries,” Dhananjaya said. “We wanted to play a few matches, but that’s what we get. We didn’t go with the full-strength [team]. We have tried out a few players as well. The result didn’t go our way, but we had the preparation, I think. It’ll work in this match.”Dhananjaya said he had “no idea” why Sri Lanka’s desire for a second warm-up match had been overlooked, but suggested that the schedule was tight ahead of their first Test series of more than two games since 2018. “I have no idea about it,” he said. “Maybe because we are playing a three-match series after a long time; maybe that’s the reason.”Related

• Mathews fights after Smith's maiden hundred, but England close in on victory

• Jamie Smith digs deep in the gloom as Asitha Fernando keeps Sri Lanka in the contest

• Chris Woakes 'wouldn't shy away' from attack-leading role in overseas Tests

• Sri Lanka dig deep through de Silva, Rathnayake after top-order collapse hands England control

• Pope at ease with caretaker captaincy brief

Sri Lanka have not played a Test since April but come into this series after beating India 2-0 in an ODI series, and have a 100% record in Dhananjaya’s three matches as captain. “Our mental state is good,” he said. “Yes, we lost the practice match, but that match is there for our training. Within that, we got the preparation we wanted.”He is expecting the weather to play a significant role in the Test match, and hopes that Prabath Jayasuriya – whom he described as a “world-class spinner” – will play a role later in the match. “From the looks of it, it’ll be a rain-affected match,” Dhananjaya said. “I thought because of that, it’s best to go with three quicks, because we will go in and out of the game.”Dhananjaya made his Test debut immediately after Sri Lanka’s most recent Test tour to England in 2016, but will lean on the experience of Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne throughout the series. “It’s been long since we played here the last time,” he said, “but there are a few experienced players… They are sharing the experience with me.”

Capitals have mostly had the better of Kings in the last two seasons, but the two teams start the new season on even terms

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2024

Match details

Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
Mullanpur, 3.30pm IST (1030 GMT)

Big picture – Rishabh Pant is back

The first afternoon match of IPL 2024 will be dominated by just one storyline in the lead up: the return of Rishabh Pant, who survived a car crash in December 2022. He had three ligament reconstructions in his right knee, told his surgeon he would recover six months sooner than expected, walked on crutches, accelerating his rehab, and is now hours away from walking out as Delhi Capitals’ captain on Saturday.Related

• Rishabh Pant is back – celebrating life, loving cricket

• 'Jittery, nervous, excited' – Pant ahead of his comeback

• Inside the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Punjab's new open-air venue in Mullanpur

• Punjab Kings lack a strong Indian batting core

• Pant's return is huge, but so are Capitals' concerns

The question is whether he can find his match fitness quickly. While Pant played several practice matches at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before getting the clearance to play the IPL, coming back from what he has is never easy. Can he play with the fearlessness that has defined his career? Saturday will not provide all the answers, but it could set the tone for a remarkable comeback.As for Punjab Kings, it is their first match at their new home base in Mullanpur. Kings’ previous home ground was the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, where they won just one of their five games in IPL 2023. Overall, Capitals have won 15 of the 32 matches they have played against Kings, but in the last two years, they have won five of six.

Team news – Will Pant keep wickets?

While Jonny Bairstow, who missed IPL 2023 because of an injury, has returned to strengthen Kings’ top order, the absence of a power-hitter in the lower order – apart from Jitesh Sharma – was a weak point for them last year. They can plug the hole by playing either Shashank Singh or Ashutosh Sharma, who are both aggressive batters with a penchant for hitting sixes.Based on the training session on match eve, Pant will play as wicketkeeper. There is a toss-up likely between Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs, who showed his prowess as a finisher in the SA20. Jhye Richardson is with the squad but recovering from a side strain, which Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal had said might rule him out of the initial few games. Capitals will also be without Anrich Nortje, who is still in South Africa.9:21

Which teams make it to the playoffs?

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings: Kings are likely to utilise the same Impact Player combination as last year by benching Prabhsimran Singh when they bowl and having one of their bowlers sit out while batting.Probable XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow, , 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Ashutosh Sharma/Shashank Singh, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Harshal Patel, Delhi Capitals: Khaleel Ahmed will start if Capitals bowl first, while Ricky Bhui, who could bolster the lower order, could come in when they batProbable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Jake Fraser-McGurk/Tristan Stubbs, 6 Abishek Porel, , 8 Axar Patel, 9 Lalit Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Ishant Sharma,

Stats that matter

• Arshdeep Singh’s economy of 8.48 at the death in the last two IPL seasons is third-best for any bowler who bowled at least 100 balls in that phase
• Since the start of 2020, Axar Patel (6.90) is the third-most economical bowler after Rashid Khan (6.74) and Sunil Narine (6.85), in the IPL
• Across all T20s, Ishant Sharma has dismissed Shikhar Dhawan three times in 31 balls while giving away only 36 runs. Dhawan has a strike rate of 88.5 against Khaleel Ahmed (23 runs in 26 balls, one dismissal)
• David Warner has taken Harshal Patel for 86 runs in 45 balls without being dismissed even once. Warner has a great record against Rahul Chahar as well: 65 runs in 40 balls, no dismissal

Pitch and conditions

In the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Mullanpur ranked fourth on the list of venues with highest overall scoring rates at 8.51 (with a cut-off of five matches). It will be the 36th venue in the IPL and the straight boundaries are roughly 81 yards long, but it is the long square boundaries – around 74 yards – which could play a key factor, given the two-bouncer rule that will be in play in this IPL. The central pitch is likely to have good bounce, though it could be two-paced. The afternoon temperatures will hover in the early 30 degrees (Celsius).

Quotes

“The bowlers have complained a lot over the years that everything is in the batters’ favour, so they’ve got something in their favour now. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.”
“Jittery, nervous, excited – all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I’m just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow.”