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.

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

Big picture

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. “

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 players from the three host countries were all due to earn between USD 10,000 and USD 35,000 in three salary tiers for Associates

Peter Della Penna in Aberdeen16-Aug-2019Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has called for Euro T20 Slam organisers to show “a gesture” of good faith in order to restore confidence that the tournament will indeed go-ahead for 2020. Just two weeks before the start of the tournament, the organisers had cancelled the Euro T20 Slam.Coetzer stated that the news, which was delivered to the Scotland squad in a team meeting on Wednesday before organisers sent out an official release to the general public, may leave Scotland players in a bind and many will now have to seek other ways to recoup the expected earnings from the tournament.”Let’s be honest, pretty much every one of the players was going to earn more in that space of time, to what they would earn in a full year playing cricket,” Coetzer told ESPNcricinfo. “You have to look at the impact it may have on some guys and certainly there’s a couple of boys that were potentially looking to go away at some time during the winter and now they probably need to get a job. It would have created giving guys an opportunity to feel an element of security in what we try and do.”The players from the three host countries were all due to earn between USD 10,000 and USD 35,000 in three salary tiers for Associate players in the three-week competition. Coetzer was due to receive USD 40,000 as all three T20 captains from the host countries – Ireland’s Gary Wilson and the Netherlands’ Pieter Seelaar – were stipulated to receive a USD 5000 bonus payment. In addition to the exposure of playing against world-class players, the financial lift to help professionalise players has now disappeared – which is significant.”It’s always hard enough,”Coetzer said. “You’re just getting by and no one complains because we all love playing for Scotland and we’re all heading towards the same goal but it’s gonna make things harder. It would have just given guys, even if it was a year of breathing space, just to let them ease their minds a little bit, just go and play cricket, show the passion, which we always show anyway. But it would have taken a bit of a weight off some of the guys’ shoulders financially. That’s gonna be tough for guys to take.”Coetzer had returned just days earlier from the Global T20 Canada, where his Montreal Tigers squad was involved in a player protest along with Toronto Nationals as players refused to take the field until overdue salary disbursements were paid out. The Scotland captain said that organizers, who are in charge of both events, need to consider a make-good financial gesture to restore the confidence and credibility in the eyes of players and fans.”It’s reasonably well documented that something happened in Canada,” Coetzer said. “I think all the players felt as if they would be getting paid. Part of it was there was a structure within the contract that says certain amounts should be paid within certain dates and that’s where the issue was. I feel if they hold onto those agreements when they agree to them, then there would be no issue.””What they may need to do to convince people for the Slam would be possibly a kind gesture towards some of the players to say, ‘Look, we apologize for this but it will go ahead next year.’ They probably need to show some kind of sign that they’re willing to do that because we need the people to believe that it will still go ahead next year. The international players, the marquee players, they still need to have confidence that they won’t miss out on something else if they come to the Slam. A number of our guys didn’t put their names in other competitions.”Scotland coach Shane Burger also felt that the news influenced his players mentally prior to taking the field in their first Cricket World Cup League Two ODI against Oman, a match in which they were bowled out for 168. But he hopes they’ll be able to bounce back over the next three matches in Aberdeen against Oman and Papua New Guinea.”I have no doubt that there was an impact,” Burger said. “I think if there wasn’t an impact because of that, then I’d be surprised. There was a massive disappointment when the news was heard. However, in saying all of that, this is a professional cricket team that needs to make sure that they can switch on and off when they need to. It’s not gonna be the first time they get given bad news.”This team has had to deal with a lot this season, people passing away, Euro Slam news, all of it. I believe the team has come a long way in terms of maturity and they should have been able to deal with the news, as tough as it is to handle. I don’t think that played a role in us losing the game today. I just think they outplayed us.”

England pick Craig Overton to replace Chris Woakes knowing that they cannot afford to lose another Test in the series

The Preview by Matt Roller03-Sep-2019

Big Picture

More than a week has passed since The Greatest Test Ever veered and lurched its way to a conclusion that had to be seen to be believed, and the events of Headingley 2019 still feel just as surreal.But this Ashes series, with five Tests in six-and-a-half weeks, waits for no man – as James Anderson has discovered to his cost. The spectacle of a great mid-series comeback, of England’s best bowler returning alongside Australia’s best batsman, has been quashed by Anderson’s troublesome calf, and Stuart Broad’s dream “that he would be back and open the bowling at the James Anderson End, and bowl us to victory” is destined never to become a reality.Instead, it is Australia that go to Manchester with their key man returning. If Steven Smith’s absence due to concussion was not as keenly felt as Justin Langer might have initially feared at Headingley, the pace at which England managed to expose Australia’s weak underbelly of a lower-middle order was slowed only by a pair of battling fifties by Marnus Labuschagne, who proved as apt a like-for-like replacement as could have been hoped for.Labuschagne’s reward will be a move back up the order to No. 3, where he batted at the SCG against India at the start of the year, while Usman Khawaja has paid the price for extending his poor record in England, as Smith slots back into the middle order. He is sure to be met with some hostility from Rajasthan Royals team-mate Jofra Archer, who said last week that there would be “more than ample time to get him out” in the series after Smith’s jibe that he was yet to do so.With the best batsman in the world returning – and it’s now official again – Australia can remind themselves that they are still only one win away from retaining the urn, and remember that but for one of the great individual efforts in Test history, they would have done so already. The wounds opened up in England’s first-innings effort of 67 all out have been patched up with little more than a sticking plaster, and after plenty of time off to get “cherry ripe”, the seam attack will be raring to go.The exact make-up of the bowling attack is yet to be confirmed, with Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc going head-to-head for the final spot, while Nathan Lyon has recovered from a niggling ankle injury and will be thrust back into the spotlight, no doubt with the added pressure of the Manchester crowd on his back after fumbled run-out attempt in Leeds.England, meanwhile, have stuck to their theory that their current batting line-up comprises “the best seven batters available to us at the moment” but have decided that Joe Denly – who is surely the only man to become a Test opener by improving his part-time legspin – should switch roles with Jason Roy. If there appears to be some logic to the move, with Roy less likely to be exposed against the moving ball, it should be remembered that Denly has not opened regularly in first-class cricket since 2015; that captain Joe Root has a substantially better record at four than at three; and that Roy’s most recent red-ball hundred came at number three.With the ball, England have opted for a change, naming Craig Overton in their XI, with Chris Woakes paying the price for an expensive display in the first innings at Headingley. While Sam Curran had game-changing lower-order runs and a left-arm angle in his favour, Overton’s impressive County Championship form and Ashes experience made him a reasonably compelling alternative.In truth, though, neither has been afforded an opportunity to stake much of a claim in recent months; that Australia’s back-up seamer Michael Neser has played more first-class games than both Curran and Overton in the past five weeks is a damning indictment on the county schedule’s suitability.

Form guide

England WDLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LDWWW

In the spotlight

If Ben Stokes‘ World Cup feats meant that England were more than used to pinning their hopes on him, the burden will only have increased after his heroics at Headingley. Stokes’ record at Old Trafford is mediocre – he has one 50 in six first-class innings with an average of 29.33, and two Test wickets at 60 apiece there – but if we have learned anything from Stokes it is that his ability is reflected poorly by conventional statistics. With 258 runs for one dismissal in his last three innings, Stokes is bound to revert to more human numbers soon; England will be desperate for him to keep riding the wave for a few weeks more.Only one Test into his Ashes career, Marcus Harris finds himself under pressure having kept his spot for Manchester despite an expectation that Khawaja would move up to open. In an alternative timeline, Harris would have been the hero after clinging on to a brilliant catch diving forward at third man to dismiss Stokes at Headingley, but instead needs to combat a perceived weakness against right-arm seamers from around the wicket. He was dismissed twice by Jasprit Bumrah and once by Mohammed Shami from that angle in his debut series, and fell to Archer from that angle in the third Test; expect England to keep on using that as Plan A against him.

Team news

Joe Root confirmed England’s XI on the eve of the Test, with Overton likely to slot in at No. 8 above Archer after replacing Woakes. Jos Buttler is set to continue at No. 7, below Stokes and Jonny Bairstow in England’s engine room.England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Joe Denly, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Jason Roy, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Craig Overton, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Jack Leach.Australia’s decision to leave Khawaja out of their side for Old Trafford raised a few eyebrows, not least with Matthew Wade keeping his place in the middle order. Tim Paine suggested a late decision would be made as to whether Starc or Siddle plays as the third seamer, but Starc is the favourite after spending the first three Tests on the periphery.Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Matthew Wade, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Peter Siddle/Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The Old Trafford pitch looked a bit cracked and largely free of grass, suggesting it should be a good batting pitch, and certainly one that the winning captain would be expected to bat first on. It is sufficiently dry that the sides might have considered a second spinner in different circumstances, but with Australia only naming one spin bowler in their touring party, Moeen Ali out of form, and Adil Rashid injured, the Test will largely be dominated by seam.The forecast is mixed for the five days, with conditions overcast at best for the most part. Friday in particular looks set to be threatened by rain.

Stats that matter

• England last won an Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1981, when Ian Botham hit a 102-ball 118 in a 103-run victory.
• Seamers have outperformed spinners at Old Trafford in the past ten years, averaging 27.62 compared to 39.21.
• No English ground has a higher scoring rate in Tests than Old Trafford in the last decade (3.46 runs per over).
• David Warner averages 39.51 against right-arm seamers from around the wicket in Tests, compared to 58.63 over the wicket.
• Craig Overton and Jack Leach have played together 48 times in first-class cricket for Somerset, winning 18 and losing only nine of those games.

Quotes

“We’ve thought long and hard about our top order. I feel like we have the right players, but reshuffling it is going to be what really works for us and gets off to a strong start. Look at someone like Jason coming in lower down and the ability to play in his manner – more freely when it’s not doing as much – might give him a better chance.”
Joe Root, England’s captain, thinks changing the batting order will be the final piece in the jigsaw“I thought the way our group engaged in that and were really honest with each other, and the way that guys who had to look at some pretty ordinary stuff copped it on the chin and realised that it’s coming from a good place and a place where we want everyone to really improve – I thought the group handled that really well, and we have learned some valuable lessons from the last Test match.”

The left-arm quick faces an extended period on the sidelines as all options are considered as to the best way to tackle his ongoing back problems

Alex Malcolm21-Sep-2019Australia fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of action indefinitely due to ongoing back issues as he considers all options including the same lower spine surgery that James Pattinson underwent to prolong his career.Behrendorff, the 29-year-old left-armer from Western Australia, was forced home from a short stint with Sussex in the T20 Blast in England in late August after experiencing some back soreness and scans confirmed it was connected to the repeated stress fractures he has suffered in the past. He had been managing his back problems over the past couple of years, which included stepping away from first-class cricket completely to play limited-overs only.He will miss the Marsh One-Day Cup and the Western Australia and Cricket Australia medical staff are considering all options, which includes exploring surgery as well as just an extended rest before the BBL. ESPNcricinfo understands Behrendorff is set to speak to both Pattinson and former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond about the spine surgery both men had to fix similar issues.If surgery is a more viable option Behrendorff could head to New Zealand soon to consult with Christchurch-based surgeon Grahame Inglis, who performed the surgery on both Bond and Pattinson, to see whether he can undergo the procedure that could help prolong his career and potentially get him back playing all three formats. The recovery time for such surgery would be between nine and 12 months and next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October 2020 would be factored into the equation as to whether surgery is the correct route.Bond, who was Behrendorff’s bowling coach at the Mumbai Indians during this year’s IPL, first had the surgery in New Zealand in 2004 and it extended his career by six years. The surgery involves fusing screws and a titanium cable into the lower spine to stabilise the stress fracture which would not heal conventionally.Pattinson had the same surgery in New Zealand in 2017, having also consulted with Bond, as a last resort after fears his career might end prematurely aged 27. He has made a remarkable recovery to play Test cricket again for Australia, featuring in the recent Ashes series having last played Test cricket in 2016.New Zealand paceman Matt Henry, who was a key contributor to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign, also had the same surgery in 2012.Behrendorff, who is the same age as Pattinson, has not played a first-class game since November 2017. After a lengthy recovery he made the decision to step away from long-form cricket to manage his workloads. After a successful time in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams last summer he was selected in the World Cup squad and took 5 for 44 against England at Lord’s.Behrendorff does have an excellent first-class record for Western Australia having taken 126 wickets at an average of 23.85. He took 40 wickets in the 2013-14 Sheffield Shield season and was named Australia’s domestic player of the year in January 2015. He claimed a career-best 14 for 89 against Victoria in 2017 including 9 for 37 in the first innings.

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.

Bacher mediated talks between CEO Moroe and Graeme Smith, which could have led to Smith becoming director of cricket

Firdose Moonda05-Dec-2019Ali Bacher, the former South African Test captain and managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (now CSA), has called on CSA’s current administration to take responsibility for recent events which has seen the game teetering on the brink of crisis.Bacher called on the board to be held accountable and CEO Thabang Moroe to consider stepping down after initially mediating talks between Moroe and former captain Graeme Smith, which could have led to Smith taking on the director of cricket role on October 1.Smith and Moroe met at Bacher’s Johannesburg home on August 28, where Smith’s deal was all but finalised, but 11 weeks later Smith withdrew interest in the role citing lack of confidence in the administration. Now, with CSA putting out fires with the players’ association, sponsors, the media and facing collapse in their own board, Bacher has decided to speak out.”I have been involved in cricket administration at varying levels from 1981 to 2003. In 2003, after the Cricket World Cup, I decided to call it a day. It was my call. I decided I would not interfere in the future running of South African cricket and I kept my word. However recent developments have made it obligatory for me to go public and express my most serious concern about the current administration in South African cricket,” Bacher told ESPNcricinfo.While Bacher was not involved in the Gerald Majola or Haroon Lorgat era, he has been sought after for counsel under Moroe’s administration in recent months. Bacher oversaw the meeting between Smith and Moroe, and was thrilled with Smith’s interest. “Graeme is a legend not only in South Africa but around the world and I was excited to see him consider going into administration in South Africa full-time,” Bacher said.Bacher was optimistic Smith would be able to start rebuilding of the national side that had just been whitewashed in a Test series in India, under a revamped management. The tour was the first since CSA announced a structure that did away with a head coach and installed a team director in his place. The job was given to Enoch Nkwe, who had a successful run with the Lions and Jozi Stars in the 2018-19 summer, winning three of the four trophies available in his first season as a franchise coach. Vincent Barnes travelled as the bowling coach and Amol Muzumdar from India was hired on a short-term deal as a batting consultant.Though CSA put the poor results down to a transition period following the retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, there were deeper problems than personnel. “It is a well-known fact that the current highly respected captain of South Africa, Faf du Plessis, was not consulted over the appointment of the coach or three assistants for the tour to India. South Africa got a 3-nil drubbing. Are you surprised?” Bacher asked.Few were, including Smith, who used much of his on-air commentary time to explain where South Africa were tactically erring. While CSA continues to attempt to draw Smith into the tent – and discussions between him and president Chris Nenzani are ongoing – Smith has admitted to having “real concerns,” with the way cricket is being run. Smith did not go into detail but an obvious issue is lack of communication. More than two months after Smith and Moroe met at Bacher’s home Smith “had still not received a contract for consideration”, Bacher said.Similarly, now, with little more than three weeks to go before South Africa host England for four Tests, three ODIs and three T20s, the director of cricket appointment has been delayed, there is no selection panel in place and no coaching staff have been confirmed. CSA’s board will hold a special sitting on Saturday in an attempt to resolve these issues but Bacher believes it is too late for them to seek redemption: “The current CEO is out of his depth and I strongly suggest that he resigns imminently in the best interests of South Africa cricket.”

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.”

The incident took place on an off-day at a nature reserve in Kimberley

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2020Jake Fraser-McGurk will not take any further part at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and return home instead as a precautionary measure after being scratched on the face by a monkey at a nature reserve while on a team outing in Kimberley.Australia’s dreams of winning the title for a fourth time ended on Tuesday after they went down to India, and Fraser-McGurk had a particularly forgettable time of it, run-out first ball – without facing a ball – in Australia’s unsuccessful chase of 234.The incident at the nature park took place when the team took a break following their last-ball win over England on January 23, and after consultation with medical staff and family members, “it was deemed necessary for Fraser-McGurk to return to Australia for precautionary treatment within seven days of the accident”, a Cricket Australia statement said, adding that “Australia will consider calling in a replacement for Fraser-McGurk for the final two matches of the tournament”.Alex Kountouris, the CA sports science and sports medicine manager, was confident Fraser-McGurk would not suffer any ongoing issues after treatment. “We want to make sure that Jake doesn’t have any ongoing medical concerns as a result of the incident, so we have taken the best course of action,” he said. “This involves the player returning to Australia for the treatment required within the recommended seven days of the incident taking place.”We expect Jake will be available for selection shortly after he has completed the treatment.”Seventeen-year-old Fraser-McGurk, who made his first-class debut for Victoria in November last year, said “You never like to be leaving the boys with the tournament still in progress. But I’m confident we have the team to get the job done in the final two matches.”I guess it serves me right for getting too close to the animal enclosure. That’s a lesson learned. I look forward to completing the treatment and getting back on the field as soon as possible.”