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Mohali and Indore are among venues to get two games after missing out on World Cup hosting rights

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2023Mohali, Indore, Rajkot and Visakhapatnam will host two games each during India’s 2023-24 home season, which will feature series against Australia (three ODIs and five T20Is), Afghanistan (three T20Is) and England (five Tests). The BCCI may have awarded extra games to these four venues since they are missing out on the ODI World Cup in October-November.Among other venues that missed out on the World Cup, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Nagpur and Ranchi will also host matches during the 2023-24 bilateral season. Of the cities that are set to host World Cup games, only Hyderabad – where Australia will play one T20I and England one Test – Bengaluru and Dharamsala have been awarded bilateral games.With the bilateral calendar skewed away from the traditional venues, England will play none of their five Tests at India’s five biggest cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru). Instead, their tour will take them to Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala. All five of these grounds have hosted five Tests or fewer.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India’s first assignment in this home season is the ODI series against Australia, scheduled to run from September 22 to 27 in the immediate lead-up to the World Cup. The T20I series begins on November 23, four days after the World Cup final, and runs until December 3.After this, India are scheduled to tour South Africa for three T20Is (December 10 to 14), three ODIs (December 17 to 21) and two Tests (December 26-30 and January 3-7). They will get only a three-day break before the home T20I series against Afghanistan from January 11 to 17. This will be Afghanistan’s first-ever white-ball bilateral series against India. Their only previous match against India in India was their inaugural Test match in June 2018. India has, however, served as Afghanistan’s “home” venue in bilateral series against Ireland, Bangladesh and West Indies.It’s likely that a number of India’s Test players will get a break from the Afghanistan T20Is, allowing them to recuperate ahead of the first Test against England, which begins on January 25. That series is scheduled to run until March 11, with eight-day gaps between the second and third Tests and the fourth and fifth Tests.

Handscomb will still lead Victoria’s one-day team; Todd Murphy has been withdrawn from the Australia A squad

Alex Malcolm08-Sep-2023Will Sutherland has been named Victoria’s new Sheffield Shield captain and is also set to lead Australia A in three 50-over matches against New Zealand A in Queensland starting on Sunday.But his Australia A side won’t feature Test and Victoria offspinner Todd Murphy, who has been withdrawn from the series because of a niggle, which is understood to be minor.Sutherland, 23, led Victoria in four Shield matches late last season in the absence of long-time captain Peter Handscomb, who was touring with Australia’s Test side in India.His elevation as captain of both Victoria and Australia A is a sign of how highly he is regarded within the game. He has been named Australia A’s 50-over skipper ahead of Ashton Turner, who is also in the squad, despite Turner captaining Western Australia to the last two Marsh Cup titles and Perth Scorchers to the last two BBL titles.Victoria have made the last two Shield finals under Handscomb but have fallen short twice against WA. Handscomb, who will continue to lead Victoria’s 50-over Marsh Cup team, believes it is the right time to hand over the Shield role.”Will is a tremendous leader and has all the right attributes to succeed as a captain,” he said. “I have absolutely loved leading Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, but it’s now Will’s time to take our side forward.”I’m still excited to be captaining our one-day side and will be doing everything I can to support Will and the rest of the squad, both on and off the field.”Sutherland was full of praise for Handscomb and thrilled to get the opportunity to lead his state.”Pete has been a fantastic captain for us and has been incredibly supportive of me taking on this responsibility,” Sutherland said. “It’s an honour to captain Victoria. I loved the chance I had to captain the side last season while Pete was in India and am looking forward to taking on the challenge this season.”Knowing I have the support of Pete, Chris Rogers and the rest of the coaching and playing group fills me with a lot of confidence and I can’t wait to get started.”Meanwhile, Caleb Jewell has been added to the Australia A 50-over squad to face New Zealand A following his stunning 131 in a losing cause in the second four-day game against New Zealand A in Mackay.Melbourne Renegades fast bowler Tom Rogers has also been added to the squad. Wes Agar (back), Ben Dwarshuis (back) and Murphy (general soreness) have all been ruled out.Agar was due to play in the four-day matches but was ruled out with a back complaint and has not recovered in time. Dwarshuis injured his back during the second four-day game in Mackay.Murphy had been training with Victoria, having not played since the final Ashes Test in July, but suffered a slight niggle in the lead-up to travelling to Queensland and is understood to have been withdrawn as a precaution.Australia A 50-over squad: Will Sutherland (capt), Ollie Davies, Liam Hatcher, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Short, Mark Steketee, Ashton Turner

Also says India need to play fearless cricket to overcome pressure of home World Cup

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2023AB de Villiers feels that India batter Suryakumar Yadav, the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, needs a slight tweak in his mindset in order to replicate his success in the 50-over format.Suryakumar, who has managed to hold onto his spot in India’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, averages only 24.33 in ODIs, with only two half-centuries in 24 innings with a strike-rate of 101.38. Suryakumar himself has referred to these numbers as “really bad”.Related

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“You guys know I’m a big fan (of Surya). He plays in a similar manner to how I used to play, but in ODIs, he hasn’t cracked it yet,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. “It is a tiny little mind switch that he’s got to make, and he’s got all the ability and capabilities that he needs to do that.”I am very relieved to see SKY in the World Cup squad, I’m very happy about it. I hope he gets this opportunity in this World Cup. Looking at the balance of the Indian squad, he might not start, but a World Cup is a long tournament. So let’s see what happens then.”

‘Home pressure will be India’s big obstacle’

De Villiers also said that the best way for Rohit Sharma’s team to approach the World Cup is to “go fearless” in their bid to replicate their 2011 home ODI World Cup win.”I think India’s squad is incredible, really, really strong,” he said. “The only worry I have for India is playing at home. They played in India, they won. There will be huge pressure. That’s the only big obstacle in my opinion.”But if they can get rid of that and just free themselves up, I see no problem for India. Control what you can control. But go fearless. Fearless is the word I’m looking for the Indian squad. If they can do that, they’ll go a long way and most probably lift that trophy.”Asked about Sanju Samson’s exclusion from the World Cup squad, De Villiers said: “I don’t have to say much about him. We know what he’s capable of.”I’ve been on the receiving end for Royal Challengers Bangalore, watching him score 92 not out at the Chinnaswamy. The ball was flying all over the place. He’s also got the conventional cricket game and technique where he plays with a straight bat, plays the ball nicely. He’s got a good pull and hook shot.”He’s got everything in his bag. It’s all in the mind and it’s a matter of adapting to ODI and game plans and the World Cup and the pressure thereof. So yes, two great players.”

Where previously Pakistan have collapsed upon the dismissal of the top order, today Pakistan’s middle order took charge from the depths of 38 for 3 to set up the win

Danyal Rasool06-Oct-20231:05

Steyn: De Leede rewarded for consistent line and length

It wasn’t the perfect performance but, at the moment, good enough will do for Pakistan, and good enough is exactly what they achieved. In a staccato showing where bursts of inspiration were interspersed with spells of shaky mediocrity, Babar Azam’s side eventually eased to an 81-run win over the Netherlands despite Bas de Leede’s all-round heroics. The 23-year-old allrounder was at times a one-man bulwark against Pakistan, but thanks to fifties from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan managed 286. Pakistan had enough bowling firepower to overwhelm Netherlands, with Haris Rauf blowing the game open through the middle overs and always leaving the game just out of Dutch hands.Netherlands looked dangerous in the first powerplay, opening with spin that troubled both Pakistan’s left-hand openers. There was nothing to suggest a return to form for Fakhar Zaman, who tamely lobbed one back to Logan van Beek. But the Dutch got an even bigger boost with two wickets in five balls towards the end of the powerplay. Babar Azam failed to get underneath a long hop from Colin Ackermann and spooned one up to short midwicket, before a bouncer from Paul van Meekeren grew big on Imam-ul-Haq, who hooked it down fine leg’s throat.But where previously Pakistan have collapsed upon the dismissal of the top order, today Pakistan’s middle order took charge from those depths of 38 for 3. Saud Shakeel, who was drafted into the World Cup squad late, put on something of a clinic, a delightful innings that stabilised the innings alongside the predictably reliable Mohammad Rizwan. It slowly took the momentum back from Netherlands, and fairly soon, the runs and boundaries began to flow.Saud, who until two months earlier was viewed as someone too stodgy for the shorter formats, took charge, and raced along to a 32-ball half-century without seemingly taking a risk. Anything full from the fast bowlers went back down the ground, while the footwork to the spinners was immaculate. The innings was a thing of technical brilliance, and remarkably effective. Before long they brought up a 100-partnership, and Pakistan were back in control.He found himself punished by the first false shot he played, a toe-edge off Aryan Dutt flying into the air, and suddenly Netherlands clawed momentum back again. Soon after Rizwan, who had played his part in that stand, found himself undone by a sensational indipper from de Leede, who also removed Iftikhar Ahmed later in the same over.It was only a punchy 64-run stand between Pakistan’s spin-bowling allrounders Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan that guided them back to smoother waters, bringing up the 250 and ensuring they’d have something to bowl at. But Netherlands, and de Leede in particular, kept hitting back with wickets, and prevented Pakistan from batting out their full quota, bowling them out for 286 in 49 overs.Netherlands started brightly despite the early loss of Max O’Dowd. It was Hasan Ali who felled him with a shorter ball that flew to deep fine leg, but Vikramjit Singh took the attack to Pakistan and ensured his side were making the most of the powerplay. Ackermann joined him before a rash shot off Iftikhar brought about a relatively early departure.Poor shot selection was something of a running theme through the Dutch innings, but the third wicket partnership that was about to arrive gave Pakistan a true scare. It was the irrepressible de Leede, perhaps predictably, at the heart of it, taking over from Singh as the aggressor-in-chief, a remarkable six off Nawaz over long-on making his intentions plain. Singh, who had a brief lull in the middle and struggled with footwork and timing, rediscovered his form alongside de Leede, smacking Shadab for a six soon after as Netherlands began to pile on the pressure.But as soon as he brought up his half-century, he fell to a long hop from Shadab. The shot was on, but the execution failed as a bottom edge found the cow-corner fielder, and from thereon, the game began to slip from Dutch control. De Leede continued to motor along with ease and elegance, but Rauf, returning for a short middle overs spell, took two in three balls to blow through the Dutch innings. A short ball was pulled to midwicket by Teja Nidamanuru before captain Scott Edwards was trapped in front second ball. Haris might easily have had a third the next delivery if Iftikhar hadn’t dropped a dolly at first slip, but either way, the game was in Pakistan’s hands now.De Leede remained true to the belligerence that makes him such a compelling watch, tonking Rauf for a six one ball after a nasty bouncer, and bringing up his own half-century. But there was little support from the other end, and Logan van Beek was severely hampered by a hamstring issue. Shaheen struck to remove the struggling Saqib Zulfiqar before Nawaz took the prize scalp of de Leede, a little extra turn knocking back his off stump.Van Beek could only stand and deliver, and he tried that for a while, particularly during a last wicket stand with van Meekeren. It ensured Netherlands moved past 200 and the defeat was cut down to a two-digit margin. Perhaps inevitably, the final wicket went to Rauf as he cleaned up van Meekeren with a bail-trimmer, securing Pakistan an imperfect, if decisive, win. There is much room for improvement, and with two points and a healthy net run rate on the board, they have three days to achieve it before they take on Sri Lanka also in Hyderabad.

“A lot of stuff I want to do with that Test team,” says England’s red-ball captain, hopeful of touring India

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2023Ben Stokes says he will decide whether to re-enter ODI retirement after undergoing knee surgery, in a post-script to England’s disappointing World Cup campaign.Stokes’ 84 from 76 balls helped England to a 93-run victory against Pakistan, which came too late for the 2019 champions to salvage much from their campaign, other than qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which had been in jeopardy amid six defeats from their nine games. This victory at Eden Gardens followed just two other wins, against Bangladesh and Netherlands.Asked after the match whether he would like to add his experience to England’s rebuild in the 50-over format, Stokes told Sky Sports: “It goes back to my initial reason for stepping away from this format, [it] was just through workload.”I’m Test captain, got a lot of stuff coming up, there’s a lot of stuff that I want to do with that Test team and that’ll be a decision that probably I’ll have to think about quite hard. But who knows where everything is? I’ve a bit of a clean-out coming up so you never know, the body might be in a lot better position than it was in the last 18 months.”Stokes, who reversed his one-day retirement to take part in the World Cup, will undergo surgery on his left knee once he returns home. He was hopeful of being fit to tour India with England’s Test side in January.”I should do,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of hard work in away from cricket to give myself the best chance of a quicker recovery and, with Christmas and everything coming up, the main thing for me is getting this knee right and being ready and raring to go for that Test series in India.”Related

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Half centuries to Stokes, Joe Root – who finally rediscovered some form with the bat, and Jonny Bairstow set the platform for England’s total of 337 for 9. Player of the Match David Willey, in his final match before international retirement then removed both Pakistan openers and ended with figures of 3 for 56, including his 100th ODI wicket, to spearhead England’s bowling attack. Gus Atkinson, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid each took a brace to help bowl out their opponents for 244.Agha Salman defied the run of play in some part with a fighting 51 and, despite an entertaining tenth-wicket stand worth 53 from just 35 deliveries between Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim, it wasn’t enough as Pakistan exited the tournament with four wins and five defeats.Stokes said that while leaving India with a win allowed England to end the tournament on a positive note, it wouldn’t paper over the cracks that had emerged in their 50-over game.”It’s a lot nicer getting on the plane, going home with a victory in your last game than getting on there with a loss,” Stokes said. “But I don’t think the last two games will overshadow, whatever’s the right word, for how this tournament has been for us as a group and as individuals. It’s obviously been very disappointing. We’re very aware of that, very honest in that.”Stokes also remained at a loss to explain where England’s title defence had come undone.”I’ve said it quite a few times when I’ve constantly been asked what’s gone wrong, can you put your finger on it? No. We’ve just been, I’ll rephrase it, we’ve been a bit rubbish,” he said.”Ourselves in the dressing-room, people outside, will obviously be frustrated. We’re flabbergasted as to why things have gone the way that they have gone. But look, if anyone could have the answer to situations that a team like us found ourselves in from eight weeks ago they’d be an absolute genius.”It’s obviously just going to be very frustrating to look back on and just going to be one of those things that, as professional athletes and professional sportsmen, we’re going to have to get over because there’s always something else around the corner, there’s always something else to play for. There’s always another big tournament to play in and something that I’ve lived my career by is you’re only as good as the next game, which manages to keep you very, very level through success or failure.”Success is brilliant, but failure as well can also be an unbelievable thing to give people experience, especially young people who are trying to make their way in international cricket. Our senior players are very frustrated and the younger guys trying to make their way will be very frustrated with how things have gone. But through failures and through frustration, that can also take you to the next level just as much as success can.”

On following the auction: “We were trying to keep ourselves busy, and when [your name] popped up, you end up being glued to the screen”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-20234:53

Making sense of CSK’s INR 14 crore bid for Mitchell

Mitchell Santner – “he’s a Chennai stalwart now” – was the first to get in touch. And then “your phone goes off pretty quickly,” Daryl Mitchell said with a laugh, talking about the calls from his new team at the IPL, Chennai Super Kings, not long after he was sold for INR 14 crore (US$1,687,000 approx.) at Tuesday’s auction in Dubai.”Yeah, your heart starts to pump a little bit as you see the paddles going up. And yeah, having been through an auction before and going unsold, it was a special night last night to experience that, and now to obviously be part of the Chennai Super Kings is an exciting time,” Mitchell said in a chat with reporters back in New Zealand the morning after.”[Elder daughter] Addie’s birthday today, so there was a bit of wrapping up presents and stuff like that while the auction was going on. At the auction, you don’t quite know exactly when you’re going to come up in the list. So yeah, I guess we were just trying to keep ourselves busy and watching it, and then, when it popped up, I guess you end up being glued to the screen to see what happens.Related

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“As soon as it’s all done, your phone goes off pretty quickly, and Chennai get in touch with you, speak with the manager and Flem [head coach Stephen Fleming], in contact with them to get a few things sorted and becoming part of the Chennai Super Kings team. It all happens pretty quickly. At the moment, I guess I am still pinching myself [because of] how lucky and grateful I am for this opportunity and looking forward to getting stuck into it in a few months’ time.”Mitchell, an established member of the New Zealand national team across formats after 20 Tests, 39 ODIs and 56 T20Is, was a part of Rajasthan Royals, in 2022, but go into the first XI only twice. This opportunity, he is hoping, helps him in a bigger way, and not just in terms of his cricket.”It’s my oldest daughter’s fifth birthday today, so I got her a pretty good present waking up,” he said. “Not that she understands what’s going on, but yeah, look, I guess that’s the whole thing about these sorts of situations, it will help us set up the family in many ways, [the two daughters can] grow up and enjoy the things they love, and for me, that’s the really cool thing about it, and they are the reason why you do all this.2:50

Mitchell excited to work with ‘great of the game’ Fleming at CSK

“I understand that the game doesn’t owe you anything, but you also have to be grateful for the opportunities that are provided. I still showed up this morning when we woke up, my daughter ran in and she [doesn’t] really even think about the IPL. So, I guess, in many ways, it’s about keeping things in perspective. And be grateful for what’s happened over the last 12 hours and being excited about it, but at the same time knowing that the hard work doesn’t stop, and you keep showing up with a smile on your face and getting stuck into the competition.”At Super Kings, Mitchell will have a lot of familiar faces around. Santner, of course. And Fleming. Rachin Ravindra has been acquired at the auction too, and Devon Conway was already there. Not to forget the physio, Tommy Simsek.”Really excited to play under Flem, he is obviously a great of the game in our country as a player and now as a coach as well. To learn off him, he’s obviously had a lot of success, and I am looking forward to that experience,” Mitchell said. “I grew up with Mitch since we were about 12 years old. And now, with Dev and Rachin in the team as well, it’s going to be good fun. And again, a lot of the Indian players – the cool thing about the IPL is that you get to rub shoulders with some world-class players, so really looking forward to that.”You obviously spend a lot of time in hotels throughout the IPL and to have some good mates there helps the time go a bit faster. Throughout the World Cup, I know Rachin was in charge of the PlayStation group every night, so those sort of things will be happening again. Yeah, look, it’s nice to have some familiar faces, but at the same time, it’s also awesome to be part of what is such a cool franchise and successful franchise, to learn off some guys and those things are going to be seriously exciting.”

Ravi Shastri, meanwhile, has been conferred the lifetime achievement award

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2024Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma have won the BCCI awards for best men’s and women’s international cricketers of 2022-23. Gill won the men’s award, named after the former India captain Polly Umrigar, for the first time in his career, while Deepti won the women’s award for the second time – she also won it for the 2019-20 season.The BCCI had not announced their awards since naming Jasprit Bumrah and Poonam Yadav the international cricketers of 2018-19. They have now cleared their backlog, announcing winners for the past four seasons in one go. Mohammed Shami and Deepti have taken the honours for 2019-20, R Ashwin and Smriti Mandhana for 2020-21, and Bumrah and Mandhana for 2021-22.Gill made the step up from exciting prospect to international superstar in 2022-23 (the award timeframe runs from October 1 to September 30), enjoying incredible returns with the bat particularly in ODIs, in which he scored a world-leading tally of 1418 runs at an average of 64.45, with five hundreds including a double-century against New Zealand in Hyderabad. In the same period, Gill also scored 387 runs at 35.18 in seven Tests, and 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85 in 11 T20Is.Related

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Deepti, meanwhile, was a key member of an India side that won the Women’s Asia Cup and the Asian Games gold medal in a year packed with T20I action. The offspinner picked up 38 wickets – the fifth-most in the world in the award period, and the most by a bowler from a Full Member nation – in T20Is at an average of 14.81 and an economy rate of 5.71, while also contributing 313 runs with the bat, including two half-centuries, at an average of 28.45. Deepti only played three ODIs and no Tests in the award period, but carried her form into a triumphant 2023-24 home season, taking 11 wickets at 10.81 and scoring 165 runs at 55.00 as India beat England and Australia in one-off Tests in Mumbai.Ravi Shastri excelled in various roles up and down the batting order•PA Photos

Shastri wins lifetime achievement award

Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri, meanwhile, has been bestowed the BCCI’s lifetime achievement award. A versatile batter who played multiple roles through his career – he had a particularly impressive record as opener outside Asia – and an accurate left-arm fingerspinner, he finished with 3830 Test runs at an average of 35.79 and 151 wickets at 40.96.After knee injuries ended his playing career when he was still only in his early 30s, Shastri moved effortlessly into TV commentary, where he established himself as an incisive voice with a distinctively punchy manner of calling big moments. While he only got to captain India in one of his 80 Tests, he got a wider canvas to express his skills as a tactician and man-manager as coach: his stints at the helm of India’s men’s team from 2014 to 2016 and 2017 to 2021 coincided with their rise as an all-formats, all-conditions force. Under him India became a near-invincible Test team at home and achieved unprecedented levels of competitiveness away from home, most memorably winning two successive series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Spinner channels white-ball experience after chastening welcome in first innings

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Jan-20244:10

Carl Crowe: Hartley is used to bowling the tough overs

Few players can have experienced as many of Test cricket’s highs and lows as Tom Hartley did on debut across the four days of the first Test at Hyderabad.Hartley’s first delivery in Test cricket was carted by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal over long-on for six. His 308th and most recent spun past an on-rushing Mohammed Siraj for a ninth wicket in the match. That rounded off his epic second-innings figures of 7 for 62, the first seven-for by an England debutant spinner since Jim Laker in 1948, and sealed a famous England win by 28 runs.”He’s not the first, and he won’t be the last!” Hartley joked, as he recalled the manner in which Jaiswal had dispatched his maiden delivery.”As a spinner, people are going to come after you,” he added. “I’m fine with it if people want to come after me. I sort of have to go into a different mind-set. You look back at the ball and you think it wasn’t a bad ball. If that’s the way they want to play, you’ve just got to play with it.”It is a refreshingly phlegmatic take, no doubt helped by the fact that that chastening first ball, first day and first innings of 2 for 131 are now academic. But it is also a hardwired perspective the 24-year-old has forged from white-ball cricket.Still a relative newbie in the first-class game – this was his 21st appearance – Hartley has 82 T20 matches under his belt. All have come for either Lancashire or Manchester Originals.1:45

Harmison: Hartley showed character and resilience

His job, like most slow bowlers in the shorter formats, is to be defensive, which does not lend itself to an effective attacking role with the red ball. But it also does involve bowling up top, where the best, most destructive batters reside, and often when the odds are stacked against you.Of the overs (and sets) he’s sent down, 25.8 percent – or one in each allocation of four – have come in the Powerplay. Though opening in this Test was a red-ball novelty, he had done it many times before in limited-overs formats, most notably sending down the first ball of the inaugural men’s Hundred back in 2021. He is the competition’s third-highest wicket taker.”He bowls the tough overs for us all the time,” Carl Crowe, spin coach at Lancashire and Originals, told ESPNcricinfo. “Often to a short leg-side boundary (at Emirates Old Trafford), at the best batters – and never once questions it.”That mentality has aligned with an appetite for progression with his red-ball skills.Crowe, who came across Hartley before he had made a first-team appearance, worked on tightening up his seam position which is now as clean as it has ever been. Though he only took 19 County Championship wickets at 44.84 during the 2023 season, he impressed ECB coaches on England Lions tours either side of the summer enough to take a punt on him here.It did not take long for Hartley’s new England team-mates to see why he had been selected. He gave batters a torrid time on raked, saw-dusted practice pitches in Abu Dhabi during their pre-tour training camp. Balls were spinning, gripping or burrowing on broadly similar lengths, not too dissimilar to the surface he had before him on Sunday.Related

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Even during the Test, Hartley took on board and actioned advice. Following that nervous start, assistant coach Jeetan Patel recommended he adjust the speed of his run-up.”When you’re playing for the first time you just run up that bit quick,” Hartley said. “And you think, well, just slow things down, let your action do the work. When I run in quick, I just tend to lose my action a bit. I just slowed it down and kept it simple, and it seemed to work.”The result was a more fluid, more controlled and more incisive spell in what was only the seventh time he had bowled in the fourth innings of a match. Unsurprisingly for someone with only one previous five-wicket haul, he had never felt in such a groove before. Certainly not in a match.”Only in the nets,” he said. “It’s the only time that it really rags like that, in the nets. But it was fantastic, it’s such a nice feeling that every ball you’re going to put down is going to turn quite a lot.”You can just keep it so simple, pitch every ball on the stumps and if it skids on, perfect, and if it doesn’t, if it rags one-foot, even better. It’s just unbelievable.”The novelty of Ben Stokes’ captaincy was also something to get used to. Like many, Hartley has been transfixed by England since Stokes and Brendon McCullum got together at the start of the 2022 summer. Now he is living the dream himself, and will eventually get the hang of the constant shifts in the field.”I’ve watched a bit, and they’ve done some rogue things,” he said. “That’s just the way they are, and after being in this Test match, I’m all aboard. Even before, I was happy with it, I was all in anyway. They’re just such a great combo and they bring so much confidence and life to this team.”When you’re bowling, you look round and think ‘there was a fielder there last ball and now he’s gone somewhere else’. But you just put that out of your mind. You just concentrate on the bowling and he’ll do the fielding for you.”With different surfaces and a different India set-up to come, starting in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Hartley will have more learning and more adapting to do. But having negotiated the first bump, he is bullish about what lies ahead.”Coming out here, I was just looking to get a game or a couple of games. I might have a big role, but I’m more than ready for that. I want more of it.”

Sri Lanka head coach feels “putting on the jersey and representing the country” is motivation enough for his team

Madushka Balasuriya12-Mar-2024There’s no Super League, they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, and the next ODI World Cup is still three years away, but that doesn’t mean Sri Lanka are going to ease off. Sure, the overall focus is largely on June’s T20 World Cup, but according to head coach Chris Silverwood, an ODI series representing your country, particularly against a Bangladesh side with which they now have a fairly substantial rivalry, doesn’t require much by the way of external motivation.”I think the motivation is that you’re playing for your country. I think you’ve seen on the field that there’s two passionate teams playing for their countries,” Silverwood said on the eve of the first ODI. “I think putting on that jersey and representing your country is motivation enough. And that’s exactly what we feel in our dressing room. So, the motivation is there.”The embers of the rivalry between the two sides were once more stoked during the T20I series when Shoriful Islam celebrated a wicket in the first game with the now infamous time-out gesture pointing at his wrist. While the second game went off without incident, in the final T20I there were some strong words shared by Towhid Hridoy in response to a comment by a Sri Lankan player following the former’s dismissal, and then Sri Lanka fanned the flames further by posing for the series trophy with the entire team performing the timed-out gesture.Related

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While both sides have, at least outwardly, spoken towards putting an end to the back and forth, Silverwood acknowledged that the rivalry has brought about a good competitive edge to both sides.”The rivalry is obviously great. I think we need good competition. And as I said about the T20, it was two good sides and we’re going to play some competitive cricket. I expect exactly the same again in this tournament, in this series. So that’s what I’ll be looking for, some strong cricket being played. And obviously both teams will be looking for the same, I should imagine.”In terms of ODI preparation, this is a Sri Lanka side still at the start of its cycle, one which they have begun extremely well with series wins against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan – as well a string of high scores courtesy refreshing positive intent from their batters. And Silverwood is keen to keep building on this momentum.”We’re in a new cycle now, so we’re again building towards a style of brand of cricket that we want to play in the next World Cup. And that’s something that we’re trying to invent within the team, and this again is part of that process of doing that.”We’re trying to continue the momentum that we’ve had from the series at home as well in Sri Lanka, where we played some fantastic cricket. And I’ll be encouraging the guys to go out and do the same thing. So, the batsmen to go score big runs individually and as a team to put those big scores on the scoreboard. And we’re asking the bowlers to keep producing their skills and keep getting better and better.”Key to their batting hopes will be the returning Pathum Nissanka. The opener has been in he midst of the most purple of purple patches recently, starting with his string of half centuries in last year’s World Cup and peaking last month as he became the first Sri Lankan to score an ODI double century. He was a big miss in the T20s having been ruled out with a hamstring injury, but he’s back in the squad for the ODIs, and Silverwood has labelled his return as “massive”.”I spoke earlier about fantastic individual contributions. You speak about Pathum in particular. I think what he achieved in Kandy was nothing short of exceptional. And obviously, we’re all very, very pleased with him in the dressing room. What he has done, he’s gone from strength to strength in the recent past and he’s become probably one of the most consistent performers within that batting lineup. So, he’s a key member of that batting lineup. It’s great to have him here.”Silverwood has termed Pathum Nissanka’s return to the ODI squad as “massive”•AFP/Getty Images

Another player Sri Lanka will be banking on is Kamindu Mendis. The ambidextrous former Under-19 captain found his way back to the national side following a three-year absence earlier this year, and he has since grabbed his latest opportunity with both hands. Given just one game each against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, he impressed greatly in the latter – nearly stealing victory for Sri Lanka in a steep chase. He then came into into the playing XI more permanently as a replacement for Kusal Perera, who was sidelined with a respiratory infection, and proceeded to impress further against Bangladesh with his ambitious stroke play. Having circled the fringes for so long, he now finally seems to be making a concerted stake for a consistent berth.”I think he thoroughly deserves it. I think what we’ve seen in the T20 series has been very, very good. But to be fair to him, ever since, every time he’s got an opportunity, he’s taken it. So, you know, again, he’s done that. So, we have to give him all of a credit. He works incredibly hard. He’s very diligent with his preparation, and I think he’s got the results he deserves.”

Tom Blundell has also been drafted in for the five-match series for which New Zealand were already missing a dozen players

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2024Finn Allen and Adam Milne have been ruled out of New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan raising concerns as to whether they will be fit for the T20 World Cup.Allen suffered a back injury and Milne picked up an ankle problem during training ahead of the team’s departure for the five-match T20I series.Related

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Tom Blundell and uncapped allrounder Zak Foulkes have been called in as their replacements. Tom Bruce was considered but made himself unavailable due to family reasons and to continue his county deal with Lancashire.Allen, the powerful opening batter who has a T20I strike-rate of 163.60, would be certain of his place in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad. Milne, who has had an injury-hit career, is less assured of a spot in the final 15 for the USA and Caribbean depending on how many quick bowlers are taken.”We feel for both Finn and Adam, suffering injuries so close to the start of the tour. They have been strong performers for us in the T20 format since the last World Cup,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said.”Our support staff and medical networks will be working closely with both players over the next few weeks to complete plans for their treatment and subsequent return to cricket.”The 21-year-old Foulkes took 14 wickets at 16.28 for Canterbury in the 2023-24 Super Smash and had a batting strike-rate of 150. Blundell, New Zealand’s Test wicketkeeper, has previously played seven T20Is.”Zak has had an impressive season for Canterbury including being their leading wicket taker in all three competitions,” Stead said. “He has displayed impressive skills with the ball, particularly in T20 cricket for the Kings. We also know he has skills with the bat and it will be an excellent opportunity for him to be part of the group.”New Zealand were already without nine players for the Pakistan tour due to IPL commitments while Will Young (county cricket), Tom Latham (paternity) and Tim Southee (strength and conditioning) were also not available.Allrounder Michael Bracewell will captain the side with the squad also including uncapped batter Tim Robinson.The initial T20 World Cup squad needs to be named by May 1 but can be freely amended until May 25.