The hosts have spent 167.2 overs on the field but their batsmen still have to dig deep and show character if they are to survive in Sydney

Alagappan Muthu03-Jan-2019
4:44

Martyn: Pujara’s centuries take the pressure off Kohli

Sydney offered runs to India and misery to Australia as Cheteshwar Pujara amassed 193, Rishabh Pant cruised to 159*, Nathan Lyon complained about his team’s tactics and the three 140 kph quicks were bowled into the ground.So complete was India’s hold over the final Test match – and by extension the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – that they had Usman Khawaja – a man who’d only ever bowled one over in his life as an Australian cricketer – lobbing his harmless offspin soon after the tea break.Mitchell Starc was stuck on 199 Test wickets. Pat Cummins was down on pace. Josh Hazlewood was left waiting for the third new ball. And Australia suffered an 11th instance of being out on the field for 100 overs or more since January 2018. That is not a nice stat. The key stats on the day, anyway, seemed reserved for India, from Pujara facing 1258 deliveries – the fourth-highest by any batsman in a series not longer than four Tests – to Pant becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century down under.Rishabh Pant congratulates Cheteshwar Pujara after the latter’s 193•Getty Images

Even the man who didn’t trouble the number crunchers did well. Hanuma Vihari looks a safe bet at No. 6 for India, scoring 42 off 96 balls, and was only dislodged from the crease after a slightly contentious catch at short leg. He was judged out on the field. His review was immediate. He indicated the ball had gone off the forearm. The bowler Lyon too appeared to agree as he joined his team-mates to wait on DRS but snicko suggested a spike as the ball passed the top edge of the sweeping bat.Those kinds of shots were more the norm on the second day of the New Year’s Test. Even the phlegmatic Pujara began with an expansive cover drive and later went past 150 with a down-the-track lash through the same region. India’s No. 3 made 51 runs in 82 deliveries this morning and looked set to make his third double-century against Australia but Lyon managed to hoodwink him as he came out of his crease to secure a return catch.That left the stage open to the antics of a 21-year old in his first year of Test cricket. Pant has found stardom with his stump mic cameos. He may also be the most famous babysitter in the world – without actually doing any babysitting. And the day job’s going pretty well too. India already had 329 runs on the board when he came to the crease. He could easily have started throwing his bat around for some quick runs. No one would have blamed him; they might even have celebrated it as the perfect kind of innings from a No. 7.But that only applies to wicketkeepers for whom batting is their second string. Pant doesn’t belong in that box. He has all the shots. Too many shots. There have been times in the past when he indulges once too often and gets out. Remember the two 92s against West Indies last year? So – as if his resolution for 2019 was to show more responsibility – he played like Pujara with Pujara at the other end. Sure, the runs came at rapid pace, but there weren’t too many risks. In fact, through the first 100 deliveries that he faced, there were only five shots hit in the air.That restraint has served Pant well. He now has 350 runs in this series – which is more than Virat Kohli’s tally. It is more than MS Dhoni’s tally combining all three of his tours to Australia.There was plenty of merry-making in the last session of the day with Ravindra Jadeja participating in a seventh-wicket stand that produced 204 runs in only 224 balls, the peak of which was an over when the left-hander crashed Cummins – bowling at 130 kph – to the boundary four times in a single over. His dismissal for 81 off 114 deliveries triggered India’s declaration. With 622 on the board, their bowlers had 10 overs to further torture Australia before the safety of stumps. They would have struck in the third over, with Mohammed Shami drawing Khawaja’s outside edge, but Pant dropped a straightforward catch.Australia managed to keep all their wickets but very little is well with them. Simon Katich said the system was setting players up to fail, pointing to the case of Aaron Finch having to open the batting at Test level when he doesn’t do so for his state. Shane Warne rubbished the team they had picked to play the one-day series against India. Discontent appears to be brewing even within the team with Lyon questioning why the team had to bowl bouncers soon after drinks on the first day when the pitch – at least back then – had enough moisture to keep pitching it up.There are still three days left in the Sydney Test. Conditions are glorious for batting. Australia’s batsmen have to stand up and show their character and earn a draw. Only a draw won’t be enough for them. It would still mean they’d lose their first Test series at home to India.

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.

They put on an unbroken 163-run stand to ensure Sri Lanka became the first Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu23-Feb-2019
Sri Lanka arrived in South Africa in a state of utter turmoil – both on and off the field. After less than seven days of cricket, they have become only the third visiting side – after England and Australia – and the first Asian team to clinch a Test series in South Africa.It was Kusal Mendis, who spearheaded the famous win with a regal, unbeaten 84 off 110 balls in a chase of 197. He found an adventurous partner in Oshada Fernando, who struck 75 not out in 106 balls, and they peeled off 163 off 213 balls – the first century stand of the series to usher Sri Lanka to the target.When the day began, it was still anybody’s game: Sri Lanka needed 137 runs and South Africa eight wickets. But Sri Lanka eventually stormed to victory without losing even a single wicket.Mendis, in particular, rolled out one rollicking drive after another and collared South Africa’s seam attack. Once left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj was recalled, Oshada twinkled down the track and launched him towards the sight screen. Mendis was the first to raise his half-century, off 52 balls, with a straight drive off Dale Steyn in the 29th over. Three overs later, Oshada moved to his maiden fifty in his fourth Test innings with a full-blooded back-foot whip between midwicket and mid-on off Maharaj.Rabada had cranked his pace up to speeds in the higher 140kph range, but Mendis and Oshada diffused his threat without much trouble. And when anything was remotely wide of off, they went after it like they owned it. Duanne Olivier hit the deck hard, like he has been doing through the summer, but Oshada took him on with daring hooks. What about Steyn? Mendis took him for a triptych of drives in his first over of the day, the pick of them a straight hit that nearly put Oshada in danger. And just like that, the hundred stand came off 126 balls.The closest South Africa came close to picking up a wicket was when Mendis flashed an outside edge, but Hashim Amla could not latch on to an overhead catch at first slip. Mendis was on 70 and Sri Lanka needed just 32 at that point. Mendis and Oshada knocked them off in fuss-free fashion to cap another monumental victory for Sri Lanka.

Freya Davies takes wickets on debut as Anya Shrubsole, Tammy Beaumont pass milestones

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2019Another strong performance by England’s bowlers carried their side to a resounding victory in the first women’s T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo.Just as they had in Katunayake to set themselves up for a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series on Thursday, England’s bowling attack, this time led by Linsey Smith’s 3 for 18, restricted Sri Lanka to a total of 94. Tammy Beaumont’s unbeaten half-century meant the visitors made light work of the chase, reaching 95 for 2 to win by eight wickets with 34 balls to spare.There were landmarks aplenty as debutant Freya Davies and Anya Shrubsole claimed two wickets apiece with only three of Sri Lanka’s batsmen reaching double figures and none of them passing 20. Shrubsole’s 2 for 20 allowed her to overtake good friend Danielle Hazell as England’s leading T20 wicket-taker with 86 wickets at an average of 13.96.It was Beaumont’s second fifty in as matches for England after her 63 in the last ODI against Sri Lanka. Her latest score took her past 1000 T20I runs, making her the fifth English woman to achieve the milestone.”It’s not something you really think about,” Beaumont said of passing the 1000-run mark. “My dad told me the other night how many I needed to get and I forgot when I was out there. For me it’s all about trying to perform for the team and it’s nice to get an accolade like that but more important to go one-nil up early on and put in a good team performance.”The win was England’s eighth in a row since losing their first to ODIs on the tour of India last month and a streak Beaumont was keen to see continue.”Winning is a habit and that’s what were trying to do here,” she said. “Two more games to go here and then a very busy summer of cricket and we’ll try to take that into the Ashes and then the West Indies.”Fast bowler Davies described standing at the top of her mark before bowling in her first match in an England shirt with her parents looking on as “a mixture of fear and excitement”.”It was really exciting to get out there with the girls today and get that win,” Davies said. “It’s a day you look forward to for so long, so reality was strange but really exciting.”It’s nice to have mum and dad here. They’d have been devastated if they’d missed it and it’s always good to get a couple of wickets and get some of the nerves under control a little bit, but just happy that we came out and got a win to go one-nil up in the series.”England lead the three-match series 1-0, with the remaining two matches to be played in Colombo on Tuesday and Thursday.

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.”

‘We played Rajasthan Royals recently and got defeated by a weak batting line-up … Against a strong team like Mumbai we’re going to need miracles’

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20199:44

We are a good team but making bad decisions – Andre Russell

After winning four of their first five matches of this IPL season, Kolkata Knight Riders have lost their last six matches on the bounce. Their batting has come under plenty of criticism for the situation they find themselves in, but Andre Russell believes the blame lies elsewhere.”We have a good team,” Russell said on the eve of Knight Riders’ match against Mumbai Indians. “But having a good team and making bad decisions, I think you will always lose games. And that’s what we’ve been doing.”I could pinpoint a few games where if we’d just looked to bowl tighter, and bowl bowlers who would restrict the game – the right bowlers at the right time [the results would’ve been different]. They say our batting has been struggling, but our batting hasn’t been struggling really. We get the totals that we should defend, and we should restrict teams to lesser totals and go in and get those runs. And we don’t really take our catches, we’ve been the worst fielding team so far. It’s plain on TV, everyone’s seeing it.”As an example of Knight Riders’ inability to defend totals, he picked their most recent game, against Rajasthan Royals – a “weak batting line-up” – who chased down 176 after slipping to 123 for 6.”I’m disappointed that we played Rajasthan Royals recently and got defeated by a weak batting line-up,” Russell said. “If you can’t restrict a team for under 170-plus with our bowling attack, then against a strong team like Mumbai we’re going to need miracles. We just have to count on our belief. If we win the next three games, chances are that things might go our way. But we have to win our games.”Russell has been Knight Riders’ standout performer this season – with 406 runs at a strike rate of nearly 210, and eight wickets – but he says his team’s performances have left him deflated.”To be in this position is not the most healthiest,” Russell said. “I find myself just being in my room for the last couple of days. Losing game after game… I’m not the type of guy to go walking around like I’m doing something good. Even if I score a half-century or get five wickets and we come out on the losing end, it doesn’t make me want to leave my room.”We as cricketers, we have to hold our passion inside and not show it on the television. I’m passionate inside. Sometimes it may show on the field. I may get upset at a team-mate for dropping a catch or not taking a half-chance. Because when mess up, [opposition] guys take our half-chances. It’s hard to go walking around, losing six games in a row. It’s not healthy. I’m feeling down at the moment, but tomorrow when I cross that rope, my level will be 150.”As for his highly-debated batting position – he has himself advocated going higher up the order – Russell hinted at more flexibility in the matches to come.”Yes, there have been conversations with the coach, and he’s backing me to go in whenever the team needs me,” Russell said. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll see me a bit earlier, maybe I’ll be coming in at the same lower-order spot. It all depends on what happens tomorrow. You can’t predict the future.”If we should get a good start, then maybe I’ll just stay where I normally bat. I can go in at four-five overs to go, I’m happy doing that. If the team needs me to bat 12 overs tomorrow, I’m happy to bat 12. If they need me to bat three or four, that’s my job.”Andre Russell goes big•BCCI

Asked about the prospect of facing one of the best attacks in the IPL in Mumbai Indians, Russell said the pressure would be on the bowlers and not on him.”I never fear any bowler. Never. Bowlers fear me! (laughter) I’m not bragging or anything,” Russell said. “I can get out in one ball tomorrow, or the first ball they bowl can go for six. I’m not afraid to get out. It’s not a life and death situation. You’re giving yourself a chance to score runs, and they’re trying to get you out.”[Jasprit] Bumrah is a top bowler, [Lasith] Malinga – top bowler. But they’re human beings. Tomorrow they can bowl a few balls that slip out of the fingers and don’t come out like they normally come out – and I’m in business. I never back down.”The Eden Gardens crowd has witnessed four straight Knight Riders defeats. Russell was amazed that spectators were still packing the stands.”It’s been unbelievable to be honest. We keep losing game after game, but the stadium is always full,” Russell said. “And I know Sunday we’ll get another full crowd. It’s just amazing.”In the Caribbean, if I was playing for West Indies or Jamaica, and we lose six games in a row, you’ll not see no fans to be honest. You’re going to see a few die-hard fans, but you won’t see the stadium full like this. People are going to say, ‘you’re not playing good cricket’. It’s not like the English Premier League where guys look to fight. It’s just amazing. I would appreciate if the stadium gets full tomorrow. That would really get me pumped, after hitting a boundary and taking a wicket to hear a big cheer. That would really keep us going.”

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.”