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The offspinner takes the place of George Linde, who is unavailable due to his impending wedding

Firdose Moonda26-Jan-2022Simon Harmer has been recalled to South Africa’s Test squad for their two-Test tour of New Zealand next month. Harmer last played for the country on a tour of India in 2015 and signed a Kolpak deal with Essex in 2017. The offspinner has been included in the traveling group as back-up to Keshav Maharaj and in place of George Linde, who was unavailable for selection due to his impending wedding. Prenalen Subrayen, the other spinner who has recently been around the squad, was not considered because of a groin injury.There is also a recall for seam bowler Lutho Sipamla, who missed out on tours to West Indies and the series against India at home. Sipamla joins a seven-strong seam contingent that will be headlined by Kagiso Rabada, who was rested from the ODI squad against India and also include Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, another Kolpak-returnee Duanne Olivier and allrounder Wiaan Mulder. Sisanda Magala, who was in the Test squad for the India series, has been left out.Anrich Nortje, who missed the India Test with a hip injury, remains out of action. Selection convener Victor Mpitsang told ESPNcricinfo that Nortje is aiming to be ready to play in the ODIs against Bangladesh at home in March.The batters who did duty during the 2-1 series win against India all keep their places. Opener Aiden Markram remains part of the squad despite averaging under 25 in his last 19 Tests, with Sarel Erwee and Ryan Rickleton the other contenders for that berth. “We know Aiden has made some errors but the team has been doing well and we are opting to stick with him,” Mpitsang said. With Quinton de Kock retired from Test cricket, Kyle Verreynne is the designated wicketkeeper.But all eyes will be on Harmer, who returned to South Africa’s domestic set-up on the back of stellar county form. Since his last Test, across the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy, Harmer has taken 303 wickets in 61 matches, more than any other bowler in that six-year period. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the the County Championship in 2019 and in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020. This season, Harmer is the second-leading bowler in the domestic four-day competition, after Olivier, and has taken 27 wickets at 21.40.Lutho Sipamla is part of a seven-member pace contingent•Cricket South Africa

He is the third former Kolpak player to be recalled since the system ended post-Brexit on January 31, 2020. Wayne Parnell has been selected for ODIs and played against Netherlands in a washout in November last year while Olivier made his comeback during the Test series against India, suggesting CSA will now fully re-integrate Kolpak players into the fold. It’s a complete turnaround from the mood in April 2020, when Harmer said: “There’s a lot of bad blood towards the Kolpaks, and it would take, I think, South Africans and perhaps Cricket South Africa to swallow their pride and seek for those players to return to the South African set-up. There’s been a lot said in the press about the return of Kolpak players, but obviously the public perception still is not great.”Now, Harmer faces fresh public scrutiny as he returns to the country where transformation targets, which he has been critical of in the past, are a reality and have a direct impact on selection. In 2019, Harmer said the quota system worked against players of colour, whom he believed were not always ready to make the step up, and white players, who were denied an income-earning opportunity. “It’s affecting players of colour because they’re forced into a role and they’re not allowed to develop their skill. They get thrust in and then thrust out, and then they find the next person to come in,” he said at the time. “If I were to lose my place for a player of colour then I don’t have an issue with that. But as a sportsman, I need to maximise my earning potential, and to commit in South Africa where the transformation targets are constantly evolving … your opportunities do get less and less. It’s the nature of South African sport. It’s always going to be there, it’s never going to go away. It’s such a sore topic and taboo to speak about, but it is what it is.”Harmer sought to make a career in England and hoped to qualify for their international side, but with the Kolpak system ending his qualification hopes and with other visa options unavailable to him, he closed the door on that last August. He remains contracted as an overseas player to Essex until the end of the 2026 season, though his availability for the county could become dependent on his international career.Whether Harmer will make an immediate comeback into the playing XI is likely to depend on conditions. Both Tests will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, which over recent years has boasted the quickest pitch in New Zealand that is usually green and bouncy. This is a change from the original schedule that had the first Test in Christchurch and the second in Wellington but, with New Zealand under strict Covid-19 restrictions, travel has been minimised by staying in one venue.South Africa depart for New Zealand on February 2 and will undergo 10 days of mandatory quarantine before being allowed to train.South Africa squad for New Zealand tour: Dean Elgar (capt), Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne

Club reports strong financial position in run-in to Covid-19 outbreak

George Dobell19-May-2020Lancashire have reported record financial returns in the history of a first-class county for 2019.Buoyed by a raft of popular international fixtures including an Ashes Test and a World Cup match between India and Pakistan, Lancashire reported earnings before interest, taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of £7.6 million; a record figure for a county. That represents a tenfold increase since 2015. They club also reported turnover of £34 million and a net profit of £5 million. Both are club records.While those returns do not, perhaps, tell the entire story – Surrey, for example, do not report EBITDA – they do tell a tale of a club that were, before the Covid-19 crisis, enjoying a remarkable boom off the pitch at least.Following the £60 million redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford, the club made more than £17.5 million from its international fixtures and a further £8.4 million from its conference and events activity. The Hilton Hotel, situated inside the ground, operated by the club and including 95 pitch-facing rooms, saw its average occupancy grow to 78 percent in only its second year of trading.Lancashire also oversaw an increase in Vitality Blast attendances – ticket sales were up 34 percent compared to 2018 – which included a sold-out Roses match for the sixth year in succession. They also broke their own record attendance for non-Roses matches three times in the campaign.”To generate in excess of £30 million of non-broadcast revenues is truly remarkable and, to put it in perspective, better than some Premier League Clubs,” Lancashire Chief Executive, Daniel Gidney, said. “These results are a record for published accounts, excluding minority interests and legacies, for any first-class county and make this a proud day for the Red Rose. 2019 was a landmark year for the club when years of investment in talent and the infrastructure of Emirates Old Trafford was rewarded and truly reflected in our financial results.”During the year, Lancashire also arranged new long-term banking facilities with Metro Bank. In doing so, they consolidated all their existing debt, significantly extending the repayment profile and reducing the annual interest burden.For the first time since 2010 – before the stadium re-development – Lancashire returned to a positive reserves balance of £1.7 million. The club also reduced its net current liabilities position in the year from £8.7 million to £489,008.While such figures are sure to take a huge dent in 2020, the strong returns in 2019 leave Lancashire better placed than many to weather the storm.”Clearly, these are now tough times as the Club navigates its way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, but these results at least help relieve that financial burden,” Gidney continued. “Our priority now is to work with our stakeholders to find a way for cricket to return as quickly as it is safe to do so. This will help us protect future revenues as much as possible and allow us to continue to invest in our infrastructure for the benefit of our members and supporters.”

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

An inspired, backs-to-the-wall performance from Pakistan, led by Haris Sohail, knocked South Africa out of the 2019 World Cup

The Report by Liam Brickhill23-Jun-2019
As it happenedAn inspired, backs-to-the-wall performance from Pakistan knocked South Africa out of the 2019 World Cup.Pakistan let sense prevail in their selections for this game, and a re-jigged XI collected a vital, 49-run victory. Haris Sohail, drafted in place of Shoaib Malik, showed just what Pakistan had been missing by blasting 89 of the most sublimely-timed runs so far witnessed in this tournament. His innings added further impetus after an 81-run opening stand between Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, gluing Pakistan’s middle together alongside Babar Azam, who contributed 69. Haris then added 71 with Imad Wasim (with Imad, contributing just 23, mostly at the other end), and thanks to his nine fours and three sixes, Pakistan were able to take 91 from the last 10 and soar to 308 for 7.South Africa have never successfully chased 300-plus in a World Cup: the highest total they’ve ever overhauled is India’s 296 in Nagpur in 2011. And they haven’t chased a 300-plus target in any ODI in nearly three years, the last time being against Australia in Durban in October 2016.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Full match highlightsMohammad Amir and Shadab Khan struck repeatedly to overcome their top order and ensure this would not be a historic occasion for South Africa, and a reverse-swinging, low-armed Wahab Riaz then did as he does best, skittling the lower order at the death with the required rate skyrocketing.Amir finished with 2 for 49, taking his World Cup tally to 15 dismissals, which is the combined haul of Jofra Archer and Mitchell Starc, who have both played one more game than him. He has almost as many as his team-mates have taken in total, and more than anyone else.While it was Amir who made the first decision, troubling Hashim Amla’s front pad with a first-over indipper, it was Shadab who pressed the issue with two vital strikes in the space of four overs: first he had a slogging Quinton de Kock caught at midwicket, just shy of a third World Cup fifty, and then he bowled a clueless Aiden Markram, whose struggles against quality spin continued.When Markram fell, South Africa were 103 for 3, needing well over seven an over, and Shadab had 2 for 17, including a wicket maiden. He ended with 3 for 50, having also had an increasingly desperate Rassie van der Dussen caught by Hafeez off a slogged top edge – his best figures of the tournament, and numbers which marked a timely turnaround. Before today, Shadab was averaging a whopping 53.9 in ODIs this year, and Pakistan’s spinners were leaking 75.3 runs per wicket in the middle overs of this World Cup, comfortably the worst for any spin unit. But on a tufty, dry Lord’s surface, both he and Imad found encouragement, and combined for 3 for 98 from 20.South Africa found no respite at the other end. The spirit went out of their chase when Faf du Plessis’ last stand was cut short on 63 by Amir. He had scrapped his way to fifty, but the required rate was nearing 8.5 thanks to the good work of the spinners, and something had to give. Sarfaraz brought Amir back, and with his third ball he ensured South Africa’s captain would not go down with his ship, inducing a steepling top edge that just about touched the gloomy clouds that had settled in over St John’s Wood before plummeting back down to be easily pouched by Sarfaraz.David Miller, having tweaked his hamstring in the field earlier, hobbled to the crease in a cacophany of sound as Pakistan’s fans, who packed the stands, sensed victory. He and van der Dussen swung gamely to add another 53 for the fifth wicket, but with every over the asking rate climbed.With 15 overs to go and South Africa needing almost ten an over, all Pakistan had to do was stick to the basics, keep it tight, and let scoreboard pressure do the rest. But Pakistan aren’t a team who like to make things simple for themselves, and several lapses in the field repeatedly let South Africa off the hook and back into the game. In total, no less than six chances were grassed as South Africa went down swinging – yet more evidence that Pakistan’s standards in the field have dipped since Steve Rixon’s departure.But today, there was enough brilliance with the ball to make up for it. Shadab saw the back of van der Dussen, Miller missed a swipe at Shaheen Afridi and was bowled, and Wahab did the business to scythe through the lower order, Andile Phehlukwayo playing a lone hand with 46 not out. South Africa’s campaign whimpered to a close, and Pakistan’s was kept alive with a vital win.There was also, for a change, plenty of brilliant batting to go around. Pakistan’s batting has lacked a century-maker in this World Cup – unlike the teams that currently occupy the top four points on the table – and no one made a hundred today either, but a far more fluent performance from the top order ultimately gave the bowlers the sort of total they need to put the squeeze on in the second innings.Imam kicked things off at a good lick, showing that his cover driving is in excellent working order and outscoring Fakhar Zaman in the early exchanges. Though neither reached fifty, Imran Tahir rolling back the years to dismiss both of them for 44 (including a remarkable one-handed stunner off his own bowling), Babar Azam was soon ticking, and helped to weather the loss of Mohammad Hafeez for 20.But the innings really belonged to Haris, who walked to the crease with intent and batted with the same vim, bursting out of the blocks with two fours and a six in his first 10 balls. While Babar raised a mid-tempo, 61-ball fifty at the other end, Haris showed he had all the shots. Crisp through the off side, and particularly behind point, he was increasingly brutal to leg. A ramped uppercut brought him a 38-ball fifty – his first in World Cup cricket – and he just kept accelerating. A second six was chipped over Duminy’s head at long off, while a third was slugged over midwicket.Ngidi pulled things back a little with an exemplary final over, dismissing Wahab with his first ball and Haris with his fifth, but by then the damage had been done. Pakistan had a total which inspired them to believe, while South Africa’s chase lacked belief almost throughout.

Queensland build a dominant lead as Tasmania only managed three wickets all day

AAP07-Oct-2022Marnus Labuschagne appears to have lost little of his batting appetite over the winter after the Test run-machine opened his Sheffield Shield season with a century for Queensland against Tasmania on Friday.Labuschagne scored 127 in a controlled innings that lifted Queensland to 4 for 357, a hefty 210 runs clear of the visitors’ 147 at the midway point of the match at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.There were runs also for fellow Test batter Usman Khawaja and former Australian opener Joe Burns.Only one wicket fell in the opening two sessions as Tasmania’s bowlers found life much harder than it seemed to be on day one for the Queensland attack.Burns and Labuschagne put on 148 for the second wicket after Queensland resumed at their overnight 1 for 24.
As always, Labuschagne looked capable of batting all day only to be trapped lbw by former Test stalwart Peter Siddle. After shouldering arms at a Siddle inswinger, Labuschagne bizarrely seemed to be walking off before the umpire had raised his finger to confirm the dismissal. Labuschagne’s 24th first-class century included 19 boundaries and a six.It was a hard day’s toil for Tasmania’s attack who, though limiting the home side to just 2.5 runs an over during the opening session, created few wicket-taking opportunities.Former Australian Test skipper Tim Paine collected three catches at the wicket in his return to the game. The third was Queensland’s only failure of the day as Jack Clayton fell for a third-ball duck off the bowling of Riley Meredith.

Playing three spinners “a theme that we would like to follow”, says R Ashwin

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2019The obvious question after the toss in Mohali on Monday was why Kings XI Punjab had picked three spinners when Delhi Capitals had three seamers in their bowling line-up? One of them must have got it wrong.The answer was a combination of the pitch, the form of the three main spinners – R Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – and, importantly, the importance of taking the pace off the ball while defending a target, which, incidentally, captain Ashwin didn’t want to do – he said he wanted to bat first.In the last two matches in Mohali prior to Monday’s game, teams batting second had chased down big scores: Aaron Finch’s Australia chased down 359 with 13 balls to spare in an ODI against India in March, while Kings XI chased down 177 with eight balls to spare in their first home game of IPL 2019, against Mumbai Indians.According to Ryan Harris, the Kings XI bowling coach, the idea was to take the pace off the ball and make scoring as difficult as possible.”It’s really hard to defend, we’ve seen that over the last couple of weeks,” Harris told the host broadcaster after the victory. “You have to get a big score on the board to try and defend and even that’s too hard, we saw in a one-day here a few weeks ago as well.”I think (we took) a bit of pace off the ball. Chris Gayle didn’t play today so we thought bringing Sam [Curran] in as well helped, but with Mujeeb coming back in as well it took a little bit of pace off the ball.”According to Ashwin, once Gayle had been ruled out, the decision to promote allrounder Curran as an opener was taken quickly. Ashwin said placing Curran in the top order also allowed him room to play three spinners, who he was confident would play a dominant role defending the target of 166, which he said was well short of the desired total.”We were probably about 25 short and we backed ourselves to defend it against this batting line-up against our spinners and that’s why we played three spinners and we also got Sam to open the batting,” Ashwin said to the host broadcaster after the dramatic win, where Delhi lost a record seven wickets for just eight runs.”We wanted to bat first and we wanted to back our spinners, because M Ashwin bowled really well in the last game and that’s a theme that we would like to follow but hopefully it depends on the wicket. We thought there was a bit of grip on this one.”All said, the three spinners were the most expensive of the Kings XI bowlers – Ashwin went at 7.75 per over, but the other Ashwin, Murugan, had an economy rate of 9.50, and Mujeeb at 9. Ashwin got two wickets, but the others did not, and Curran (4 for 11) and Mohammed Shami (2 for 27) made the difference in the end, Kings XI picking up seven wickets for eight runs as Delhi sank from 144 for 3 to 152 all out.”We probably haven’t nailed our starts with the ball,” Harris agreed. “We spoke about that a lot as well. (But) we came back well at the death, as we did again tonight. So if we nail our starts, we should be a hard side to beat.”

Hard-fought half-centuries from Ollie Pope and Steven Mullaney ended up in vain during a match that also witnessed an attack by bees

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2019
Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur were instrumental in India A securing a fourth successive victory over England Lions in their five-match unofficial ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram.Thakur picked up 4 for 49, his new-ball spell helping topple the visitors’ top order and leave them 55 for 4 in the 15th over. Half-centuries from Ollie Pope (65 off 103) and Steven Mullaney (58 off 54) helped resurrect the innings, but they still could only muster 221 for 8 at the end of 50 overs.Very few batsmen were able to show any kind of fluency in the game. Among those who faced at least 20 deliveries, only four men from either side were able to maintain a strike-rate above 65. One of them was Pant, who walloped 73 off 76 balls with six fours and three sixes. His unbeaten 120-run partnership with Deepak Hooda, who made a run-a-ball 47, took India to the target with 21 balls to spare.Pant and Hooda’s cool finish was much needed considering England Lions had removed opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck and then posed enough menace through the middle overs that India A were 102 for 4 in the 28th over with KL Rahul falling for 42 off 77 balls. While the visitors may be pleased with their ability to fight back after losing early ground – Pope and Mullaney compensated for a top five that couldn’t get past 25 and later Mullaney and Will Jacks combined to pick up 3 for 61 runs in 20 overs – they struggled to deliver the finishing blow.And so the home crowd were able to enjoy another telling glimpse India’s next generation, their afternoon disrupted only when a swarm of bees decided to attack them.

The best of the action from Sunday’s play in the WBBL with a familiar pair taking the headlines

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2019Alyssa Healy, who scored a 52-ball century, and Ellyse Perry rewrote the record books at the WACA with an unbroken opening stand of 199 in what became a 45-run victory for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Stars. It was the highest stand for any wicket in the WBBL comfortably surpassing the previous best of 156. Healy began the final over on 89 and regained the strike with three balls left, sending them all to the boundary to finish on 106 – her third century in a month after T20I and ODI tons against Sri Lanka. Perry, meanwhile, marked her 29th birthday with 87 off 68 balls and she is now averaging 139.50 this season. Lizelle Lee, who made a century the previous day, gave the chase a rapid start with 25 off 17 balls but after she fell to Ash Gardner the Stars didn’t threaten. Captain Elyse Villani top-scored with 59.The Sydney Thunder returned to the top of the table with a well-crafted six-wicket victory the Hobart Hurricanes in Burnie. Rachel Priest gave the chase of 149 momentum with 50 off 34 balls and though the Thunder were 3 for 81 when she fell the required rate was in hand. Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield again joined forces with Litchfield unbeaten on 26 when the win came with 11 balls to spare. The chase was aided by 21 wides from the Hurricanes attack. Their innings had come to life in the final 10 overs which brought 108 runs after they reached halfway on just 2 for 40. Heather Knight hit an unbeaten 77 off 49 balls while Chloe Tryon again showed her hitting power with 21 off 12. Pakistan allrounder Nida Dar took 2 for 16 off four overs.Beth Mooney’s prolific WBBL continued as her unbeaten 77 off 51 eased the Brisbane Heat to a commanding nine-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers following their batting collapse the previous day. Mooney, who is comfortably the leading run-scorer so far this season, added 65 for the first wicket with Grace Harris then completed the job alongside Jess Jonassen with the Heat having 17 balls to spare. Georgia Prestwidge had played a key role with the ball to finish with 3 for 29, two of those wickets – removing Bridget Patterson and Lauren Winfield – helping reduce the Strikers to 5 for 75 in the 13th over. Sophie Devine (65) held the innings together but the total proved well short of challenging the Heat.

A proud occasion for the visitors will inevitably be overshadowed by what has gone before, and what is still to come

The Preview by Andrew Miller23-Jul-2019

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Well, how do you follow that? The Greatest Game at the Greatest Venue. The Greatest Day for English cricket in, at the very least, a generation. And if Liam Plunkett’s telling comments in the aftermath are anything to go by, the Greatest Comedown imaginable for a band of England cricketers who, last Sunday afternoon, reached the highest high of them all – an unforgettable World Cup triumph at Lord’s.Well, in keeping with the sport’s ever-grinding treadmill, the only fit and proper follow-up is to march onwards, ever onwards, to a very different slice of cricketing history. Three strips north of the patch of grass laid out for that epic encounter with New Zealand, England and Ireland will do battle for the very first time in Test history, in a contest that offers a very abrupt change of pace from everything that we’ve so far witnessed this summer.First things first, let’s pay tribute to the visitors, for – with respect to their first overseas Test against Afghanistan in Dehradun in March – this is unquestionably the biggest occasion for Irish cricket since their inaugural Test against Pakistan last May. And in so many ways it is bigger still than that emotional home unveiling in Malahide.Will Porterfield takes a drink during training•Getty Images

Just try to imagine the huge pride that Ireland’s players will feel as they walk through the Long Room for that very first time tomorrow, to compete in a Test match at Lord’s, no less. There is no more fitting ceremony to mark the completion of their journey from Associate obscurity to Full Member acceptance, and coming so soon after a World Cup from which they were forced to look on enviously from the sidelines (and watch a former team-mate raise the trophy on England’s behalf), the occasion is sure to be all the sweeter.But let’s be frank, the timing is not exactly ideal. In fact, it utterly sucks. Schedules are no-one’s friend, and the ECB are entitled to say, if not now, then when could they possibly have issued that maiden invitation? But there are only two contests on English cricket’s minds this summer – the World Cup that has already been, and the Ashes that are looming large in barely a week’s time. Everything that occurs in the next four days (and that in itself is a telling detail) will be viewed through a light blue filter, a green-and-gold filter, or both.Of course, that in itself will throw up some intriguing subplots. England have confirmed two debutants in their ranks for Wednesday morning – the familiar face of Jason Roy at the top of the order, and the lesser-exposed Olly Stone in the pace attack – and while both men will be justifiably proud when they receive their maiden caps before the toss, they will also know that this is just the pre-amble, an audition for a far more prestigious role in August and September.And Roy aside, what of the other World Cup survivors – the captain Joe Root, the keeper Jonny Bairstow, and the seamer Chris Woakes, whose chronic knee problems have been managed so efficiently that he is now back to being a front-line Test option after not featuring in the side for almost a year? How do they manage the emotions of returning to the scene of that triumph? Should they hold anything in reserve, pacing themselves for stiffer tests to come, or should they throw themselves wholeheartedly into the fray, and honour the occasion as an equal, even when pragmatism says that it is not?Of course they’ll give it their all. Root is the Test captain, and rightly proud of the honour; Bairstow doesn’t get out of bed with anything less than 100 percent commitment. Woakes was a centurion in his last Test at Lord’s and has missed enough matches in his six-year career to know never to take anything for granted. But it doesn’t make it right to expect them to be able to dredge up another performance so soon after playing their hearts out on the biggest stage of all. As shown in the new film, The Edge, which charts the rise and fall of England’s 2009-14 team, the dangers of burn-out are all too real and all too easily ignored.But, the show must and will go on, and it’s fair to say that Ireland won’t care too greatly if their opponents’ minds are caught in no-man’s land. Even eight years on, there are enough survivors in Ireland’s ranks from that mighty victory in the 2011 World Cup to know how sweet it can be to fell a giant when they are least expecting it. They’ve spent enough of their careers punching upwards to give it one last heave for glory.That said, there is a certain poignancy about Ireland’s international fortunes at present. They are not so much a team in transition as a team basking in the last sunbeams of a golden generation. Kevin O’Brien, Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin are closer to their 40th birthdays than their 30th; Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien have already retired since that inaugural Test. Will Porterfield has been captain for a remarkable 11 years and counting.That said, England are missing a raft of key performers – not least the ever-green James Anderson – and if their new-look top-order suffers a familiar wobble on another grass-tinged deck, the circumstances are ripe for an almighty World Cup comedown. But for that to happen, Ireland may require a new generation of heroes to make their presence known. That faithful old guard can’t be expected to do the job every time.

Form guide

England WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LL—

In the spotlight

Jason Roy is the anointed one. The manner in which he tore into Australia’s bowlers in that crushing World Cup semi-final was all the evidence required. Like David Warner before him, he is all set to complete the transition from white-ball to red-ball opening, and given the purity of the technique that lurks behind his extraordinary power, he is surely as well placed to make a success of the promotion as any player who has gone before him. That said, he didn’t have much fun against the swinging ball in the World Cup final (though he was hardly alone in that). If he can get set, however…If Ireland are to compete on an equal footing, then local know-how is sure to be a factor. Enter Tim Murtagh, 38 next week and still making the ball talk on the Lord’s slope for Middlesex week in, week out. He’s picked up 291 wickets at 23.98 in his Lord’s career to date, including two of his four ten-wicket hauls. The degree to which he can set the agenda could define his team’s prospects.

Team news

Despite some optimistic noises about James Anderson’s calf injury, England’s senior seamer was never going to be risked with the Ashes just around the corner. Which means that Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes are the likely new-ball pairing, with the young gun Olly Stone lurking at first change to unleash his 90mph offerings, in only his third first-class outing since suffering a stress fracture of the back. Lewis Gregory will have to wait his turn after England opted for a twin-spin attack, with Jack Leach’s left-armers set to partner Moeen Ali, who will form part of a familiarly interchangeable raft of allrounders in the middle order, albeit with Jonny Bairstow pushed up to 5. Roy and Rory Burns will form an all-Surrey opening partnership.England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Rory Burns, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Olly StoneThere’s the realistic prospect of as many as three Test debutants in Ireland’s ranks, with the young allrounder Mark Adair and the more seasoned seamer Craig Young in the frame, alongside the spinner Simi Singh, who could yet feature if Ireland ape England’s strategy and opt for two slow bowlers. Will Porterfield was giving little away on the eve of the game, saying only that all 14 squad members were fit, although it emerged later on Tuesday that James McCollum had suffered a back spasm.Ireland (possible): 1 Will Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 James McCollum, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 Mark Adair, 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Craig Young / Simi Singh, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Tim Murtagh

Pitch and conditions

Another lush green offering has been served up at Lord’s, which may give Root a restless night given how strokeless he was rendered on a similar deck in the World Cup final – that one was two-paced and sticky, and favoured the slower seamers. The weather is set fair for at least the first three days, with a threat of rain at this stage for Saturday.

Stats that matter

• This will be the first home England Test match since the 2005 Ashes – 89 Tests ago – in which Alastair Cook has not featured, and the first since August 2006 in which he has not opened the batting.
• This will also be the first Test match to feature numbers on the back of England’s shirts – the captain, Joe Root, will be wearing 66.
• Joe Denly will be making his first appearance in a home Test match, almost a decade after he made his ODI debut in Stormont against an Ireland that still features three of the same names.

Quotes

“It’s right up there – if not the pinnacle for everything that’s been achieved for the last while for Irish cricket. We have got quite a few World Cups under our belt, little things like that. They have been pretty big occasions, but getting to Test cricket and then having the
opportunity to play here at the home of cricket is a pretty special thing.”
Will Porterfield on a special occasion for Irish cricket“They are a side that have always performed well, probably over-performed at times, I hope that doesn’t sound that I am underestimating them or not giving them a fair shout – they have upset sides like England in previous World Cups and they ran us close in the one-day format at the start of the year … it is great for the game that sides like Ireland are getting a chance in this format and I think they have earned the right to get this
fixture. “

According to laws, West Indies were in the right with their appeal even though it left Virat Kohli fuming

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Dec-2019On Sunday, Indian captain Virat Kohli said he was miffed at the Ravindra Jadeja run-out being referred to the third umpire. He felt the on-field umpire Shaun George changed his original not out decision only after West Indies players, prompted by “people outside” appealed to him to review the incident. It now turns out that George was also prompted by the third umpire Rod Tucker to refer the decision “upstairs”.ESPNcricinfo understands that immediately after George had turned down the initial run-out appeal by the fielder Roston Chase, Tucker asked his colleague, via the radio that wires all the match officials, to refer it “upstairs” as the decision was “tight”. All this happened at the same time as replays of the incident were broadcast on TV. As soon as he had seen the replays, Tucker decided to intervene.George, who is from South Africa, then signaled he was referring the run-out to the third umpire, Tucker, who then relayed to George that Jadeja was indeed short of his crease.The incident took place on the fourth delivery of the 48th over of the Indian innings. Having dug out a yorker-length delivery from Keemo Paul, Jadeja set out for a single. Chase, rushing in from cover, broke the stumps in a brilliant piece of pick-and-throw fielding.George, who had witnessed the throw from the side-on angle, felt Jadeja had made his ground and ruled not out when Chase inquired if it was out. But the decision was soon overturned, something that Kohli disputed instantly by walking up to the fourth umpire who was standing outside the ropes.During the post-match presentation, Kohli told commentator Harsha Bhogle that “dismissal ends there” once George had told Chase it was not out. Kohli suspected George only referred the decision after the West Indies players, prompted by “people sitting outside”, who had seen the replays. “People sitting outside can’t dictate what happens on the field and I think that’s exactly what happened then,” Kohli said.The ball was not deadAnother key question asked on air immediately, but one that went unanswered, was whether it was valid for West Indies to raise an appeal after replays were already shown around the ground. The simple answer is yes. The MCC’s Laws of Cricket says a team has time until the next ball to make an appeal.Law 31.3, which deals with ‘Timing of the Appeals’ says “for an appeal to be valid, it must be made before the bowler begins his/her run-up or, if there is no run-up, his/her bowling action to deliver the next ball, and before Time has been called.”