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Supporting fifties from Middleton, Weatherley and Organ defy Notts push to enforce follow-on

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Hampshire 367 for 6 (Varma 112, Organ 71*, Weatherley 52, Middleton 52) trail Nottinghamshire 578 for 8 dec (James 203*, Haynes 103, McCann 79, Hutton 71) by 211 runsTilak Varma once again proved his enormous talent with his second century in three matches as Hampshire fought hard to keep title-challenging Nottinghamshire at bay at Utilita Bowl.India prodigy Varma added 112 to take his average in his Hampshire stint to just under 79. He put on 42 with Nick Gubbins, 58 with Ben Brown, and most substantially 126 with Felix Organ to bite into Nottinghamshire’s large 578 first-innings score.Organ ended the day unbeaten on 71 with 61 runs still needed to avoid the follow-on – in doing so Hampshire should be safe from defeat on the final day.Fletcha Middleton and Joe Weatherley had hunkered down for 32 overs of hard graft the previous evening. They got their rewards by collecting half-centuries in the morning. Neither showed any flashiness, just survival-style opening batting – putting on 94 together.That was unsurprising for Weatherley who was playing his first red ball match for two years, having lost favour in the Championship and fallen behind Middleton, Toby Albert, Felix Organ, Mark Stoneman, Ali Orr, Ian Holland in recent years.He reached 52 but was bounced out by Mo Abbas – caught on the hook. Middleton also scored 52 and fell on Nelson when he edged Abbas behind.It suddenly felt like an inevitable Abbas day. The Pakistan international had spearheaded the Hampshire attack for four seasons, taking 180 wickets at an average below 20. The Weatherley scalp was his 100th at Utilita Bowl.He was back in his familiar surroundings, not least because the keys to ‘his’ Hilton Hotel suite on the ground had been handed back to him for this week – famously having blocked Manchester City Pep Guardiola from taking the room a few years ago.But despite his mid-morning burst, the Kookaburra ball softened and fast bowling was a game of patience, while the pitch didn’t offer regular turn for the spinners. Not that it stopped Liam Patterson-White ripping one to pin Nick Gubbins lbw playing not shot, before Tom Prest loosely hoicked to mid-on.Brown looked like the man to stick with Varma, but after a 58-run alliance, the Hampshire captain was leg-before to Lyndon James.Josh Tongue had been released by England for the last two days of the match. He replaced Brett Hutton at the beginning of the day but went wicketless in his 18 overs. Notts’ bowlers otherwise toiled for little reward – and will have taken pleasure at the rate never reaching three runs an over.In a low red-ball period for Hampshire, Varma has been a giant. His arrival, which came thanks to Indian owners GMR Group’s influence, has brought a calmness to the middle-order, with plenty of runs to match.He opened with a century against Essex, before 56 and 47 versus Worcestershire and then this century – during those innings he has barely looked like being dislodged. Varma’s judgement of line and length is a superpower, with the ability to boundaries when the right parameters are met for risk.He already has 29 international caps, they will surely only surge in a short amount of time. The left-hander’s century came in 203 deliveries, although he was outdone for patience by Organ, who took zero risks, with large spells of no scoring.Organ’s second fifty of the season came in 138 balls, and even with Varma strangled down the leg side, Hampshire will feel almost safe.

New Zealand batter fell for 92 just eight balls into the final morning, before Jayasuriya bagged five in the second innings

Madushka Balasuriya23-Sep-2024Sri Lanka didn’t need long on the final morning in Galle to wrap things up, taking just 15 minutes to grab the final two New Zealand wickets and secure a 63-run win in the first Test. The result means Sri Lanka go 1-0 up in the two-match series, while also leapfrogging New Zealand up to third place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.Prabath Jayasuriya was at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s charge, finishing with figures of 5 for 68 – his eighth five-wicket haul, and his seventh in Galle. He ended with match figures of 9 for 204, taking home the Player-of-the-Match award.After having fought so hard the previous day, Rachin Ravindra lasted just eight deliveries into the first session of the final morning as Jayasuriya trapped him in front with an arm ball for 92 off 168 balls. Coming around the wicket, Jayasuriya tossed one up on leg as Ravindra was caught in the crease playing down the wrong line. He reviewed, but once it was confirmed to be pitching in line, there would be no saving him.And any lingering hopes of a famous rearguard were then swiftly quashed, as Will O’Rourke kept out just five deliveries before the sixth slipped past his forward defence and on to off stump to hand Jayasuriya his fifth wicket of the innings.O’Rourke wouldn’t quite be satisfied with how the game ended after an impressive showing in the game as he finished with eight wickets to his name – the second-most across the Test, and the same as Ajaz Patel.In terms of how this result impacts the WTC, it keeps Sri Lanka’s outside hopes of a berth in the final alive. But for New Zealand, it makes their task considerably tougher, with an away series against India and a home series England coming up in the next few months.There will be no time to dwell on this result for either team, with just a two-day break before the second Test gets underway on Thursday – also in Galle.

Australia’s captain completed running, fielding and batting just days after being in a moon boot

Alex Malcolm28-Jan-2025Australia captain Alyssa Healy is making a bold bid to play in the historic day-night Ashes Test at the MCG starting on Thursday after completing a full training session two days out despite battling a stress injury in her foot that saw her miss the entire T20I series while wearing a moon boot.Healy participated fully in Australia’s first main session at the MCG and looked impressive with no signs of pain or limitations with her right foot.She began with a running session with six other team-mates, including Ashleigh Gardner who is coming off a calf injury. The pair moved well with other team-mates doing multiple laps of the MCG in intervals at a very solid intensity.Related

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Healy also did short sprints thereafter without issue and then took part in Australia’s fielding session. Healy will be in the outfield if she does play and had no trouble during the session which was completed at a good intensity. She then had a solid hit in the nets cycling through pace, spin and throw downs and had no trouble at any stage on her feet.Speaking prior to the training session, coach Shelley Nitschke said no decision had been made on whether Healy would play and that the team management would wait to see how Healy pulled up after testing her foot.”She’s going as well as can be expected,” Nitschke said. “I think you’ve all seen her out in a boot and taking some weight off of that foot.”She will have a test today, and we’ll just sort of see where that lands and have some discussions about that, whether or not we think she’s going to be okay for a four day test.”Nitschke said they would try and leave the decision as late as possible but they were wary of creating problems around role clarity given Healy’s significance as the captain and a senior batter.”We don’t have to actually lock it in until the toss,” Nitschke said. “But obviously there’s repercussions around that with who’s the captain and what our line-up looks like. So I think people sort of want to know their role coming in, so as soon as we can we will, but it certainly doesn’t have to be today.”The coach did admit there was some emotion involved in the decision. It is the first time women will play a Test match at the MCG since 1949 and the occasion will be historic as the two teams celebrate the 90-year anniversary of women’s Test cricket.Australia’s women have not played at the MCG since the 2020 T20 World Cup final where Healy was player of the match. There have been multiple WBBL games at the venue since but Healy has not played in any of those. She has played at the MCG just 12 times in her career.Australia do not play another Test until February-March of 2026 by which time Healy will be nearly 36. There is a possibility, given her recent injury struggles, that this could be the final opportunity she has to play Test cricket and to appear at the MCG although she has not given any hint as to when she may finish her international career.Alyssa Healy is pushing to play in the historic day-night Test at the MCG•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“I think it’s just about keeping in mind what’s best for the team and making sure we’re putting the best team we can out there to perform,” Nitschke said. “So that’s always been front and foremost. But we don’t play a lot of Tests, so there’s sort of some emotion involved there, but we want to do what’s best for the team and see what happens.”Nitschke confirmed Gardner was fit and would play after overcoming her calf injury. She completed her running, batting and bowling without issue and looms as a key player after her player of the match performance in the third ODI and her player of the match performance in the last Ashes Test in England in 2023.Nitschke added the selectors were unsure of how they would structure the XI for the day-night Test. Spin has been a huge part of Australia’s six victories in the white-ball matches so far but the MCG has been one of the most seam-friendly pitches in long-form men’s cricket since the drop-ins were redone in 2019. The pitch was under cover throughout the evening on Tuesday and neither side were able to look at it.”We certainly look at what the pitch has played like in whether it’s Shield and the Test match, and then considering the pink ball as well and what that brings to the game,” Nitschke said. “So we certainly do look at the results and how the wicket has played in the men’s game, because there’s been no female longer format played here. And then obviously use, what’s happened in the white-ball series as well as some intel to how we’re matching up.”England were equally unsure how the surface would play but seamer Kate Cross looms as an option after completing two full bowling spells on Tuesday without appearing in too much discomfort having missed the ODI series with a back problem. Cross wasn’t part of the T20I squad so has been based in Melbourne preparing for the Test.It has been a forgettable tour for England but there is a chance to end on a high•Getty Images

Nat Sciver-Brunt was unsure whether Cross would be available for selection but she was positive about what she faced from her.”I don’t know,” she said. “You’ll have to ask the physios who will review with her as to whether she got through the net sessions, alright. And I’m sure tomorrow will have a good bearing on that as well. She’s tracking good. It’s nice to see her rocking out a few overs in the nets as well. I think she got through two spells today. It’s great to see her back to being herself.”Sciver-Brunt did not shy away from the fact that the tour had been extremely difficult for the team, stating that it might have been worse than their last trip down under in 2021-22 when they lost the Ashes 12-4 under Covid restrictions, only claiming points from the drawn Test and two washed out T20Is.But she said the incentive of performing well in a historic Test had the team excited to finish the tour on a bright note.”It is difficult,” Sciver-Brunt said. “But I think being a Test match at the end of that at this iconic venue, we love putting on the whites. We love the fact that we get to create new memories with our team-mates, with our close friends, and hopefully put a good showing of ourselves.”Grateful that we’ve got opportunity to do that after six games. But the last few days have been tough. But, we’ve regrouped, and we’ll do our best to stay up.”

England captain targets 3-0 win in New Zealand to cap year of evolution for Test squad

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Dec-2024England men’s last overseas Test before the 2025-26 Ashes takes place in Hamilton this week – but Ben Stokes has urged his team not to get distracted by next winter’s assignment in Australia.The warning comes as England prepare for their final Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park this week – their 17th of the year – as they look to cap off 2024 with a 3-0 clean sweep. Their next assignment will come in May, a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, before a huge five-match series with India. Though the Ashes glow brightly on the horizon, the captain has reiterated head coach Brendon McCullum’s mantra, to “be where your feet are”.Stokes has overseen a transitional year with the red-ball set-up. There have been seven debuts, with Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir becoming mainstays. Winter debutants Brydon Carse and Jacob Bethell have made strong cases to remain part of the XI, particularly against the Black Caps – Carse as the series’ leading wicket taker (16) and Bethell as the team’s second-highest runscorer (172 at 57.33). While Carse is 29, the rest are mid-twenties and younger: Atkinson 26, Smith 24, while Bashir and Bethell are both 21.The collateral has been an experienced core of players moved on, including Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker James Anderson at the start of the home summer. Indeed, it was while addressing Anderson’s enforced retirement after his 188th and final Test cap, against West Indies at Lord’s, that Stokes explained the move to refresh the team was done with a view to competing in the next Ashes. “We had to make some decisions around what we think is best for the team going into that Ashes series,” Stokes said at the time. “We want to go out there and we want to get that urn back.”While there was plenty of blowback from pensioning off Anderson, the motivation was sound. Hard though they pushed Australia in 2023’s home series – in which Anderson took five wickets at 85.40 – the 2-2 draw saw England fall short of a first Ashes win since 2015. That disappointment, wrapped up with the 4-1 series defeat to India at the start of 2024 put the onus on finding players who could perform in all conditions – particularly those they will face next winter.Stokes says he now regrets those comments made at Lord’s. While he insists those words have not impacted the team, there is a suggestion the management are wary of players looking too far ahead and possibly overlooking the challenges in front of them.Related

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“I know whenever we spoke about Australia there is a lot looking towards that, but there are still massive series before that,” Stokes said. “We have India. And I think through my own fault, I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and putting too much emphasis on that series, considering how much cricket we had to play before that.”I quite like staying in the present, in the moment. But it is quite tough when you’ve got an Ashes coming around the corner.”I’ve been involved in quite a few of those now and you do always look at the calendar and think ‘oh it’s nearly here’. It’s just hard to avoid. But I think just making sure I keep my focus on being in the here-and-now and what we’ve got coming up. And then, when the Ashes is our next series, then we will focus on it.”On the field, it has broadly been a positive year for England. They will finish with a winning record regardless of the result in Saturday’s Test in Hamilton, having won 9 out of 16 thus far, with three series victories. But the 4-1 and 2-1 losses away to India and Pakistan, respectively, still smart, particularly having been 1-0 up on both occasions.”Seventeen (Tests) in a year is a lot when you add the other cricket,” Stokes added. “A long tough slog but a really good year. Played some good cricket, found some extraordinarily talented players who have shown they’re capable of delivering big performances on the biggest stage, which is playing for your country. So overall, really happy.”The year has also been one of discovery for Stokes, both of the limits of his body, and of areas to improve as a captain – two facets which have been intrinsically linked.A return to bowling as an allrounder following knee surgery at the end of 2023 was interrupted by a hamstring injury, which resulted in him missing four Tests. That had knock-on effects in Pakistan when Stokes’ mood had his team-mates “walking on eggshells”.He had reason to be on edge, after working flat out to regain full fitness, then having his house burgled during the second Test. But in the time between tours, both he and McCullum felt he had veered from being the leader he set out to be when taking charge in 2022.Stokes began this New Zealand tour apologising for his conduct in Pakistan. He now ends it in similar fashion, sensitive to the fact that talk of the Ashes might have a distracting effect on the team.”At the start of the tour where there was a learning curve for me as a captain, from my experience of Pakistan. And then looking back to then (his comments at Lord’s), even speaking and saying stuff like that – we’re so far away from what my leadership had been about. Staying present, staying where we are, and then worrying about stuff when we have to worry about.”In leadership roles, you can maybe differ from where you first started, and think that’s the right thing to be saying or be thinking about. Which then takes you away from a successful mindset, a successful way of speaking within the group. So, yeah, learning curves as a leader I guess.”

Century stand between seasoned internationals sets up Middlesex to do the double in London derby

Richard Hobson at Lord's08-Aug-2019The Middlesex website had it down as the hottest ticket in town. There was a bit of competition: Rachmaninov at the Albert Hall, the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House and Harry Potter on Shaftesbury Avenue. But nothing, really, to quite match AB de Villiers and Eoin Morgan at Lord’s.From the first Twenty20 fixture at Lord’s in 2004, which just happened to pit Middlesex against Surrey, this particular game has been viewed as a barometer for the success of the format. And it is clearly thriving. The 27,773 crowd, in beating the 27,509 of 15 years ago, is believed to be a record for a limited-overs game in England apart from finals. No wonder touts were lining up outside.Problems on the Jubilee Line meant it was well underway before the attendance passed 25,000, but few seats remained unoccupied by the time Morgan and de Villiers came together in the seventh over. And even fewer were vacated during the 10.2 overs that followed, a period bringing 115 runs with the World Cup-winning captain out-hitting the great South African.They posted the highest fourth-wicket stand for Middlesex in Twenty20 and, with a couple of late sixes by John Simpson thrown in, established a target that meant Surrey could not afford even a short fallow period across the reply. Aaron Finch started with typical fire and Sam Curran maintained something close to that tempo, but they needed more and for longer.The collapse when it came was alarming – eight wickets for 29 runs – but not entirely unpredictable. It also represented a personal triumph for Steven Finn, who would have completed a six-wicket haul had he held on to a tough return push from Gareth Batty in his final over. As it was, figures of 5 for 16 represent the best of his career and the second best of the competition this season.De Villiers, therefore, leaves Middlesex with the victory that makes his return next month the more likely. He is heading home to honour commitments made before he signed, but is available again if they reach the quarter-finals. As things stand, they sit third in the southern group with five wins from seven games. Surrey, next to bottom, are almost doomed.Thames-side bragging rights are also assured because this was the first time since 2008 that Middlesex have beaten their neighbours home and away in Twenty20. Victory at the Oval last month owed most to a crunching 117 by Dawid Malan, and when Malan succumbed third ball for 117 fewer this time, Surrey might have imagined a reversal of the earlier result.Unfortunately, they missed the one chance offered by de Villiers before his eventual dismissal, a throw by Ben Foakes that could have pulled off a run out with the batsman in single figures. There felt something symbolic in the way the ball sped for overthrows, and de Villiers quickly forced Imran Tahir for three successive fours where speed of hand matched ingenuity of footwork.Morgan did not make batting look as easy or smooth, but he consistently clouted the bowling, driving and smearing Tahir for a quartet of sixes and raising his fifty from 27 balls. A first six from de Villiers raised his own half-century from seven balls more and he continued on to 64 before mistiming a full toss from Tom Curran into the leg side. Morgan fell in the next over, the 19th, trying to repeat a six over long-on against Jade Dernbach. By this stage, Dernbach might have rued his decision to insert.A short boundary towards the Mound Stand created hitting opportunities, and Finch began aggressively with four fours in a row when Helm allowed too much width towards that side of the field. Middlesex were fortunate to remove him on 47, Simpson fumbling a ball from Nathan Sowter with Finch beaten in the flight only to see it drop from the keeper’s gloves on to the stumps. Sam Curran became Finn’s first victim with a top-edged pull, Ollie Pope screwed into the off side and Middlesex finished the innings ruthlessly.For star quality as well as crowd and a sheer sense of occasion it is hard to think The Hundred next year will bring any greater allure. Between them the teams fielded 16 internationals; it would have been 17 had England allowed Jason Roy to play. Strange times, indeed, when Roy is rested from the white-ball game to prepare for a Test, though it was nice to imagine him blocking out a maiden here and then explaining to baffled team-mates: “That’s the way I play.”A fine catch by Helm ended the evening eight balls ahead of schedule, prompting a final chorus of “Sweet Caroline” which might well have echoed as far as the Opera House. Crowds approaching 28,000 are not always tuneful, but they do make a heck of a noise even at the home of the MCC.

The PCB has also hired Simon Helmot and David Reid as fielding coach and mental performance coach respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2024Gary Kirsten will start his two-year stint as the head coach of the Pakistan men’s national side on May 19 in Leeds, the PCB announced in Lahore on Tuesday.This will give him three days with the players and other members of the coaching staff before the first game of the four-match T20I series against England, at Headingley on May 22. The series will be Pakistan’s last before the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, where they begin their campaign with a game against USA in Dallas on June 6.”These are indeed thrilling times for Pakistan cricket, with a new administration and players who are driven to deliver solid results,” Kirsten said in a statement. “The upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 presents a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our skills and uphold Pakistan’s legacy as a formidable force in cricket.”However, success will require collective effort, meticulous planning and unwavering support for one another. With 19 other teams vying for the title, we must consistently outperform our rivals to realise our aspirations.”On a personal level, I’ve missed the experience of coaching at the international level and nurturing talented players to reach their full potential. I’m committed to working closely with the team to elevate their game and bring joy to fans around the world.”Kirsten’s most famous coaching achievement came with India, with whom he was head coach from 2008 to 2011 and won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He was head coach of South Africa for the two years that followed, and is currently batting coach of Gujarat Titans in the IPL.The PCB has also brought in Simon Helmot and David Reid as fielding coach and mental performance coach respectively. The board said Reid would join the side on May 20 and continue until the end of the World Cup, while Helmot will link up with the side on May 31. Aftab Khan, currently the fielding coach of the side, will “assume responsibilities of high-performance coach” for the World Cup once Helmot takes charge.Related

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“Ensuring the mental health and well-being of our elite cricketers is not just a priority, but a fundamental commitment,” Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, said. “Recognising that their performance on the field is intricately linked to their mental state, we have taken decisive action to provide them with the best support possible.”That’s why we’ve brought on board David Reid, a seasoned expert with nearly two decades of experience as a qualified mental health clinician. His track record speaks volumes, having successfully worked with world-record holders, Olympians and top-tier sports franchises like Chennai Super Kings, the Melbourne Stars and the Essendon Football Club in the AFL.”With his expertise in enhancing both functioning and performance, we are confident that our players will receive the comprehensive care they need to thrive both on and off the field.”Kirsten and Jason Gillespie were announced as Pakistan’s next white-ball and red-ball head coaches respectively last month. Gillespie will arrive in Pakistan in July, the PCB said, in time for the World Test Championship series at home against Bangladesh.

Just one wicket falls to newly promoted side in one-sided onslaught at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network12-Apr-2024Durham endured a day of torment on their return to Vitality County Championship Division One as Warwickshire piled up 490 for one on the opening day at Edgbaston.The visitors chose to bowl but were pummelled by openers Rob Yates (191, 205 balls) and Alex Davies (226 not out, 274 balls) who added 343, the second-highest championship opening stand for Warwickshire.Their season-opener at home to Hampshire having been washed out last week, Durham must have wished the rain had stayed around as they toiled on a flat pitch with the Kookaburra ball.Yates took advantage with a stylish innings which included 25 fours and five sixes, while captain Davies posted an iron-willed maiden double-century with 25 fours and three sixes. In first class cricket, Durham have conceded only five partnerships of 300-plus – three of them by Warwickshire.This latest instalment of woe arrived despite the presence in the bowling attack of three debutants – Scott Boland, Callum Parkinson and Colin Ackermann. They ended the day with a combined one for 220.Durham’s decision to bowl appeared strange, bearing in mind the Kookaburra and the good batting pitch for the first game of the season at Edgbaston last week, and Yates and Davies duly rattled up 50 in 57 balls. Boland ended the Australian season in good form with 16 wickets in his last two games for Victoria but endured a joyless entry to county cricket. His first ball went for four and so did four others in his first three overs. Thirteen fours arrived in the first 12 overs as Davies raced to his 50 in 57 balls and Yates to his in 58.During the lunch interval, Warwickshire legend Dennis Amiss, speaking to club members, recalled his debut in 1960 when, as a 17-year-old, he did not get a bat as openers Norman Horner and Billy Ibadulla put on 377. That remains Warwickshire’s highest opening stand in first class cricket, but Yates and Davies had a real good go at it.They alternated in taking the initiative. Davies was first to his century (102 balls) but after Yates passed his ton (118), he accelerated. Successive sixes off Brydon Carse over the very short boundary took him in front of his partner and he struck Ackermann gloriously for 16 in three balls just before tea before perishing in pursuit of another six when Alex Lees held a swirling catch at long off.Yates left the field to a standing ovation and the spectators were soon back on their feet in acclaim for Davies’ maiden double century (249 balls). Never mind the propitious conditions, it was an innings of immense discipline and concentration from the captain and he has power to add tomorrow. In company with Will Rhodes (60 not out, 100 balls) he milked the melancholy Durham attack for 147 in the last 34 overs of the day.Warwickshire’s team includes Craig Miles, recalled from his loan spell at Glamorgan in light of injuries to Liam Nowell (torn pec muscle) and Michael Booth (side strain) and the delayed arrival of Hasan Ali who arrived in Birmingham today ready to make his debut away to Hampshire next week.

He will go in at the top for the first time in his career against West Indies in Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2024Steven Smith has laid out his rationale behind pushing for a move to open in Test cricket, and it’s pretty simple: he doesn’t want to wait.Smith had been the only incumbent player to publicly state he wanted to shift up the order to replace David Warner and the selectors ended up taking the option, which has also allowed them to bring Cameron Green back in at No. 4.The new-look batting order will have its first outing in the opening Test against West Indies, in Adelaide, which starts on January 17.Related

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Smith has never opened in Test or first-class before in a career spanning 16 years, but is no stranger to facing an almost new ball, particularly when he was batting at No. 3. However, he cited the 2019 Ashes, where he was No. 4, as an example of when he was frequently been tested early in an innings – in those four Tests (he missed one with concussion) the highest total, and longest wait, he entered at was 60 for 2 in the 23rd over at Lord’s.”Since I guess Marnus [Labuschagne] has been playing at No. 3, I’ve been waiting to bat for quite a long period of time and I don’t really like waiting to bat,” he told while playing for Sydney Sixers on Friday night. “So I thought, why don’t I put my hand up and have a crack up top and that way you can get Cameron Green in and you’re playing your six best batters so hopefully it works out.”I am [excited]. I like facing the newer ball. I think if you look back to the 2019 Ashes I was in pretty early most of the time there where I was facing the new ball. I batted No. 3 for a number of years as well and was in early and did pretty well against the new ball so it’s nothing new or foreign to me. You know I enjoy getting in there and getting amongst it and yeah, I’m looking forward to that challenge.”Steven Smith has faced a lot of short bowling in recent times•Getty Images

Warner, who retired from Test cricket after facing Pakistan in Sydney, believes one of the advantages for Smith is that he will likely face more conventional bowling and tactics early in his innings which may allow him to score more freely.In recent years, oppositions have come up with a variety of plans to Smith – including bouncers from round the wicket and stacked leg-side fields – which, while not often dismissing him quickly, have stemmed his scoring rate.”He likes to walk cross and get onto the legside and get it away there,” Warner said. “People have been bowling short to him when he first gets in. But he finds a way. Early on, they’re going to try and swing the ball and pitch the ball up. And he’s going to be allowed to get into his game and his game plan. Get into the rhythm of how he wants to bat and he can dictate. So I’m actually looking forward to seeing how he goes.”Warner added that he thought Smith and Usman Khawaja both had “another year or two” in them in Test cricket, which could take them up to the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia after next season’s series against India. Matt Renshaw has now been earmarked as the next batter in line, but Warner backed the move to get Green back in the side.”It’s a good taste for Greeny…24 years of age,” he said. “They’re going to have to look for two new guys up the top [of] the order. But to get that No. 4 replacement as well, that’s your foundation at three and four. So if they can knuckle that down, they’ve got a base in the middle. Then they just have a look for some more openers.”

Trent Boult makes himself unavailable while Matt Henry returns from injury

Deivarayan Muthu06-Nov-2023New Zealand have packed their side with as many as five spin-bowling options, including Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips, for their upcoming two-match Test series in Bangladesh.Ravindra, who was dropped from the Test team after a shock defeat to Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui in January 2022, has been recalled on the back of breakout ODI World Cup. He has rattled off 523 runs in eight innings in the tournament so far, and became the first player to score three hundreds for New Zealand in men’s ODI World Cups.Mitchell Santner also returned to the Test side after having last played the format in June 2021. Santner had a productive 2022-23 Plunket Shield season for Northern Districts, taking 15 wickets and making 312 runs in three games. At his home ground in Hamilton in March, Santner wheeled away for almost 43 overs and picked up four of those wickets in the final innings, including two in two balls to seal a two-run win for Northern Districts.Ajaz Patel, though, will continue to lead the spin attack and brings with him strong long-format form. He recently chalked up his 250th first-class wicket for Central Districts and earlier in May, he had bagged ten wickets in a county game for Durham against Gloucestershire.During the off-season in New Zealand, Ajaz also remodelled his run-up, which he feels has added more fizz to his bowling.”I think the game’s moving forward, and as a spinner you’re always looking for ways to continue to challenge batsmen,” Ajaz told NZC’s in-house media team. “I think the [new] run-up allows things to happen a little bit quicker, from the action as well as off the surface. It’s about creating less time for batters in terms of [their] decision-making. It’s also still a work in progress. It’s something that’s still relatively new for me, so it’s just finding that rhythm, and that balance of getting the pace right.”Phillips and legspinner Ish Sodhi round off the spin attack. The spinners will work with Saqlain Mushtaq, who has been hired as New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach for this tour.”We’ve selected a squad we think can compete and succeed in Bangladesh,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said. “With Ajaz, Ish, Mitch, Glenn and Rachin, we have a strong spin group that will offer good variety and options during the series.”Mitch had a strong back half of the Plunket Shield campaign last summer and has made good strides in his red-ball bowling. Rachin brings a left-arm orthodox option and has improved considerably over the past 18 months with the ball – and his performances with the bat at the World Cup speak for themselves.”Trent Boult, however, was not considered for selection after he made himself unavailable for the tour. The left-arm seamer, who had stepped away from his central contract last year, will instead be in action for Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 league post the ODI World Cup.Matt Henry, who hurt his right hamstring during the World Cup fixture against South Africa and returned home from India, was picked in the squad for the two Tests in Bangladesh. Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee are the only frontline seamers in the 15-man squad. Left-arm quick Neil Wagner was not named in the side.Kyle Jamieson is currently with New Zealand’s World Cup squad in India•ICC via Getty Images

Jamieson is set for his first Test since undergoing back surgery in February. He is currently with Black Caps’ ODI World Cup squad in India as Henry’s replacement. Before flying out to India, Jamieson had turned out for Canterbury in the Plunket Shield, scoring an unbeaten 44 and collective five wickets against Otago in Christchurch.Batter Henry Nicholls, who had suffered a mild side strain during Canterbury’s Plunket Shield warm-up has recovered sufficiently to make New Zealand’s Test squad. However, allrounder Michael Bracewell hasn’t recovered fully from an Achilles injury.The two-match Test series in Bangladesh marks the beginning of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for New Zealand. Luke Ronchi will be in charge of the squad in Bangladesh, taking over from Gary Stead, who will get a break following the ODI World Cup.Saqlain, Daniel Flynn (batting coach) and Jacob Oram (fast-bowling coach) will assist Ronchi. Oram will fill in for Shane Jurgensen, who will end his ten-year association with New Zealand after the World Cup. NZC will look to appoint a full-time bowling coach after the T20 World Cup in June 2024.While this will be Flynn’s first coaching stint with New Zealand, Oram and Saqlain had previous worked with the team.This will be New Zealand’s first Test tour of Bangladesh in ten years. They were supposed to visit the country in 2020, but that was cancelled because of Covid-19.Squad: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan took two wickets apiece to knock reduce Sri Lanka from 161 for 3 to 167 for 7 in less than four overs

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-201731.2 Mohammad Amir to Mathews, OUT, first wicket of the tournament for Amir and what a big scalp this is. Skiddy length ball angling across Mathews, who looks to hop back and whip this to midwicket. Was late on the shot as the ball deflected off a thin inside edge onto the stumps.32.3 Junaid Khan to de Silva, OUT, this is a ripper of a delivery! Dhananjaya’s vigil didn’t even last as long as it did for him to hop onto the plane after boarding was announced. Angles a length delivery that nips away off the seam. Dhananjaya, who should have been pushing forward, makes the cardinal sin of defending from the crease as the ball kisses the shoulder of the bat and through to Sarfraz. Big moment in the game .33.1 Mohammad Amir to Dickwella, OUT, sensational catch from Sarfraz! He was moving to his left and had to suddenly change direction as Dickwella got a thick inside edge. It flew low to Sarfraz who put his left glove low to his left to pull off a stunner. Hadn’t taken a wicket in the tournament coming into today’s game, now he has two in two and two big wickets. That of the two set batsmen. Sri Lanka are on a freefall here.33.5 Mohammad Amir to Gunaratne, no run, Dropped! Looks to cut a full ball but gets a thick edge that flies low to Sarfraz’s right. He moves instinctively to collect the catch. All good until then. But as he turned to complete the catch, he lost control and the ball bobbled out of the glove. Things happening. What a spell. He knew it wasn’t a clean catch, perhaps and went up immediately. Superb reflexes nevertheless. Had it in his grasp till he lost control once the elbows hit the ground.34.6 Junaid Khan to Perera, OUT, they’re swinging Sri Lanka out of the competition or what? This is some stunning bowling. Floats this ahead of length on off, the ball deviates ever-so-slightly as Thisara looks to flay this away from the body, gets a thick edge that is taken superbly in front of his face by Babar at a wide first slip.