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ECB/PA29-Jul-2015
ScorecardJames Faulkner followed his figures of 2 for 27 with a vital 35•Getty Images

Lancashire secured their first Royal London Cup win at the third attempt, withstanding a fine spell from Junaid Khan, their former team-mate, to win a fascinating affair by two wickets at Blackpool.After a washout at Sussex on Sunday and Monday’s heavy defeat to Essex at Chelmsford, Lancashire kick-started their Group B campaign but it was far from easy as they crept across the line with two overs to spare despite bowling Middlesex out for 161.After winning an important toss, James Harris top-scored for Lancashire with 32 on an uneven surface. But Junaid, the Pakistan left-armer on debut for Middlesex, helped the visitors recover with two early wickets, and the chase stumbled to 93 for 6 in the 24th over.James Faulkner, however, backed up his earlier figures of 2 for 27 by making a crucial 35 in a stand of 47 with Jordan Clark, whose 29 from 63 balls was instrumental in seeing Lancashire home.Tom Bailey struck three times in an impressive six-over spell with the new ball having come into the Lancashire side for Kyle Jarvis, with the visitors slipping to 36 for 3 in the ninth.Dawid Malan was caught behind off a Bailey delivery with extra bounce; Sam Robson chopped on from one that kept low and Nick Compton was caught at midwicket after a top-edged pull.Bailey, with 3 for 31 from eight overs, was ably backed by new-ball partner Gavin Griffiths, whose only wicket was that of Ollie Rayner, who was caught behind to leave Middlesex reeling at 83 for 7 in the 28th over.In between, Faulkner had Eoin Morgan caught behind and James Franklin caught at short cover by Bailey off a leading edge, while Clark had Nick Gubbins caught at first slip.Steven Croft struck with his third ball of off-spin in the 37th over when John Simpson was lbw, leaving Middlesex at 111 for 8.But Harris and Toby Roland-Jones, who made 29, shared 50 in 61 balls for the ninth wicket to give themselves something to bowl at.Roland-Jones hit Stephen Parry’s left-arm spin for successive boundaries in the 47th over before holing out to deep midwicket. Harris then miscued a sweep to square leg next ball.Khan had Ashwell Prince caught at point in the third over of Lancashire’s innings and Karl Brown caught at second slip for a fluent 36, while Harris had Alviro Petersen caught at mid-off.Wickets continued to fall. Franklin had Croft, on his home ground, caught behind and snared Paul Horton caught at second slip.When Alex Davies edged Roland-Jones behind, Lancashire still needed 69 with Faulkner and Clark at the crease.The pair united for just short of 18 overs and Lancashire needed 22 to win when Faulkner gloved a lifter to slip as Junaid finished with 3 for 32. Clark then fell the same way to Harris, leaving Lancashire 15 short with two wickets left.But Parry settled their nerves before hitting the winning runs off Rayner’s off-spin, leaving Middlesex with only one point from two matches.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the fourth ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale19-Jan-2013

Match facts

Michael Clarke will be aiming to lead from the front after Friday’s debacle•Getty Images

January 20, SCG
Start time 1420 (0320 GMT)

Big Picture

Just as the Test series between these two teams was decided with one match still to play, the one-day battle could be done and dusted before the teams fly to Hobart for the fifth and final game. Through outstanding swing bowling over the past two matches in Adelaide and Brisbane, Sri Lanka have positioned themselves so that in Sydney on Sunday they can become the first team ever to secure bilateral one-day series triumphs against Australia in Australia. South Africa have done it once, in 2008-09. So have Pakistan, in the winter of 2002. Sri Lanka did it with a 2-1 success in early 2010-11. But no team has done it twice – yet.Sri Lanka were disappointing in the Tests, no question, but a one-day series win would at least allow them to fly home with some pride restored. At the very least they have shown that their pace attack, pilloried during the Tests, is a much more dangerous proposition in the one-day format. The presence of Lasith Malinga helps, of course, but in Brisbane on Friday it was Nuwan Kulasekara, who was here for the Test series, who destroyed Australia with the kind of prodigious swing most bowlers could only achieve with a half-taped tennis ball. It was brilliant stuff, and Australia’s batsmen will need to show more of a willingness to fight through such swing if it is again present in Sydney, although the conditions are unlikely to be as helpfully humid as in Brisbane.For Australia, this match is as much about regaining pride as it is about keeping the series alive. If their 170 in Adelaide looked bad, their 74 all out at the Gabba was as embarrassing as it gets in one-day cricket. Only the final batting pair, Mitchell Starc and Xavier Doherty, reached double figures. It was only due to their 34-run stand that Australia avoided their all-time lowest ODI total. The match was nearly over by 5pm, the time that should have been the change of innings. Those numbers cannot be avoided. Nor can they be repeated.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Australia LLWWL
Sri Lanka WWLWW

In the spotlight

For most of Australia’s brief innings on Friday, it looked like Michael Clarke was going to be the top scorer with 9. He was one of several men beaten by hooping inswing and as the captain, it is up to him to ensure Australia find a way to combat Sri Lanka’s bowlers on Sunday. Such has been his consistency lately that not since the opening two Tests of the 2010-11 Ashes has Clarke made two consecutive single-figure scores for Australia. Now is not the time to change that.Nuwan Kulasekara‘s 5 for 22 was the best analysis ever achieved by a Sri Lankan in an ODI in Australia and it was a performance built on controlling and directing his inswing, and in many cases swinging it late. The conditions in Sydney won’t be quite as helpful, but after Friday’s performance Australia’s batsmen will be wary of him all the same.

Team news

Jackson Bird has been added to Australia’s squad for this match as cover, just as Ben Cutting was for the Brisbane game. But it’s not Australia’s bowling that has been the problem, and Bird may find himself running the drinks if all the other fast men are fit. Glenn Maxwell will come into contention again after being left out due to the conditions at the Gabba, and might be jostling with Moises Henriques for the No.7 position.Australia (possible) 1 Phillip Hughes, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 David Hussey, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Moises Henriques / Glenn Maxwell, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.Ajantha Mendis should be reinstated at the SCG after Sri Lanka’s selectors shrewdly judged the Gabba as a venue much friendlier to swing and seam. Shaminda Eranga would be the most likely man to miss out, having replaced Mendis for the Brisbane game. The fitness of Dinesh Chandimal remains a query but with Kushal Perera performing impressively over the past two games, there is no need for Sri Lanka to rush Chandimal back if he is not quite ready.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Kushal Perera (wk), 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

Pitch and conditions

Both teams would be pleased the Sydney match was scheduled for Sunday instead of Friday, because while they were competing in Brisbane, the temperature in Sydney reached an all-time record of 45.8C. The forecast for Sunday is a much more pleasant 25C, with a shower or two possible.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have not only won their past two ODIs against Australia at the SCG, they have also won four of the six the teams have played there this century
• Ajantha Mendis needs two victims to reach 100 ODI wickets and if he reaches the milestone during this series he will be the quickest Sri Lankan to the mark
• In the four games (Tests and ODIs) Australia have played in 2013, they have used 23 players; Phillip Hughes is the only man to have taken part in all four matches

Quotes

“Our batting performance was very poor. We have no excuse for that … If we bat like that in any conditions, we’re not going to make many runs.”

“What happened in the last two games is fantastic but we need to start all over again in Sydney, have that intensity, have that energy.”

Mushtaq Ahmed, England’s spin bowling coach, has played down the home advantage Pakistan will enjoy during the series against England in the UAE

Umar Farooq16-Dec-2011Mushtaq Ahmed, England’s spin bowling coach, has played down the home advantage Pakistan will enjoy during the series against England in the UAE, saying his team has grown used to playing on pitches that are slower than the ones at home. England and Pakistan will play three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in January and February 2012.Pakistan have been hosting their home games in the UAE after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009 forced the suspension of international tours to the country. They have played two Test series there since then, drawing against South Africa and beating Sri Lanka. Mushtaq, however, said England would not struggle against Pakistan’s spinners on the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”England batsmen have learned to play spin bowling. They can manage spin with good control,” Mushtaq told ESPNcricinfo. “We won a World Twenty20 in the West Indies where conditions are similar. At the end, it all depends on individual players, they have to understand and learn the things to survive. And they are very hard workers.”Pakistan no doubt has improved a lot and rankings sometime don’t reflect your standing. And England has been in top form over the last two to three years. So I expect it would be a good quality series.”Spinners have played a significant role in Pakistan’s performances in 2011 and they are likely to hit England with a strong attack: Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez in the Tests, as well as Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik in the limited-overs matches. England may play just one spinner, Graeme Swann, in the Tests, but Mushtaq didn’t think the mismatch in slow-bowling resources was a problem.”I understand the pitches in the UAE are slow and Pakistan will obviously use their home advantage. We have Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett – all of them can bowl 90 mph. I don’t think wickets do matter these days when you have quick bowlers who can bowl with muscle.”Swann’s back-up on the UAE tour is left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, whose last Test was the Ashes opener in Cardiff in 2009. It remains to be seen whether England will alter the combination – three fast bowlers, one spinner – that helped them beat India 4-0 at home to accommodate a second slow bowler in the UAE.”He [Panesar] has been a match-winning bowler and is still a good prospect,” Mushtaq said. “His performance for Sussex brought him back to contention as he took 60 to 70 wickets in the domestic season, which is a lot for a spinner. He is the sort of left-arm spinner who bowls his orthodox delivery with force.”England open their tour with two warm-up games, the first of which begins on January 7, ahead of the Tests.

Mitchell Johnson will aim to straighten out the kinks in both his head and action after being dropped from the Test team for the first time – but he will do it without leaving the squad

Peter English in Adelaide02-Dec-2010Mitchell Johnson will aim to straighten out the kinks in both his head and action after being dropped from the Test team for the first time – but he will do it without leaving the squad. Johnson, 29, is staying in the Australian camp despite being the only man cut from the 13-man outfit for Friday’s second Ashes Test.At a sombre press conference that felt more like Johnson had suffered a career-ending injury than a dip in form, he vowed to fight his way back. “It’s not the end of the world,” he said, sitting below an honour board on which his 5 for 103 against West Indies last year was the latest bowling entry. “I’ve come back from stress fractures when I was younger, with Queensland.”Johnson, who went wicketless in Brisbane, said he was looking forward to getting away from the hype of the Ashes to start the rebuilding, but he will remain on the fringes as he is counselled by Nielsen and Troy Cooley, the bowling coach. After being the attack leader for the past two years, Johnson will watch as Peter Siddle and two of Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris start in Adelaide.”In the last game I was trying to do all that work [on my action] during a game, which is obviously very hard to do,” he said. “In the end, I need to work things out, go to net sessions, get back in the gym, get my head straight, and get back into the team.”It has taken 39 Tests for Johnson to miss his first game due to form or injury, but Ricky Ponting expects him to rediscover his often magical tough. “Mitch came into the side as a youngish guy as far as cricket is concerned,” Ponting said. “He’s had his ups and downs on and off the field. I’ve seen him get the better of a lot of things he has had to face the past few years. His record speaks for itself so I am sure we will see him back with the baggy green cap on pretty soon.”Johnson has 166 Test wickets at 30.08 and while he has starred against high-quality teams such as South Africa, he has flopped in his two campaigns against England. The troubles leading to this point began at Lord’s last year, but he has been unable to sustain any improvements to his slingy action.The coach Tim Nielsen said it was important for Johnson to fix his problems away from the middle, and hoped the revamped version would be shining in time for the third Test on December 16. “We’re going to take the opportunity now to give him a spell and relax so he can hit the ground running and be as ready as he can be for Perth,” Nielsen said. “We’ll use every resource we can to ensure that he’s ready to go for that game.”Johnson, who felt he was handling the demotion well, knew that he didn’t perform when it mattered in Brisbane. “I’m a strike bowler for Australia and I need to get wickets,” he said. “In the back of your head, you’re sort of thinking [you might be dropped], but I think I’ve handled it pretty well.”In helping Johnson, Ponting talked out the times he was dropped. “There aren’t many guys in the 11 who haven’t experienced similar feelings that Mitch is feeling at the moment,” Ponting said. “He’s obviously disappointed, but we’ll let him get over his disappointment and work with him to get him back to his best.”Johnson believes the episode will make him stronger. He has spoken about his axing with Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, Nielsen, Ponting and the coaching staff. What he does next is up to him.

The Umpire Decision Review System proved less contentious at the Gabba than in Dunedin on Friday, but it nonetheless made for several head-scratching moments

Alex Brown at the Gabba27-Nov-2009The Umpire Decision Review System proved less contentious at the Gabba than in Dunedin on Friday, but it nonetheless made for several head-scratching moments. The first came when Mitchell Johnson challenged Ian Gould’s decision to rule him caught behind to a Sulieman Benn delivery he claimed not to have nicked.Because the edge of Johnson’s bat was turned away from Hot-Spot, no firm evidence was uncovered to dispute Gould’s original ruling. It was eventually upheld, even though Johnson seemed adamant he had not come into contact with the ball.”Originally I thought I wasn’t out and that’s why I went to the referral,” Johnson said. “It came back that I was out so I guess you just accept those decisions. I still think the system works pretty well.”The UDRS was in the spotlight again later in the day, this time for West Indies’ injudicious use of it. Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul both challenged lbw verdicts that never appeared likely to be overturned, opening themselves to accusations of ego influencing their decision-making.”We thought they were pretty much out but if that’s how they want to use it that’s their choice,” Johnson said. “There’s talk about how to use the referral and when to use it, but obviously they didn’t think they were out at the time and that’s what it’s there for.”Denesh Ramdin, West Indies’ not out batsman who will not have the luxury of a review for the remainder of the innings, admitted the tourists had yet to settle upon a UDRS strategy. “Generally if it’s an important batsman or a batter who is set we will try to use it,” Ramdin said.”Unfortunately it didn’t come off for us today. I’m still trying to get used to it. Some series we use it, some we don’t. It has it’s bad side and it has it’s good side.”

Pant had shown dissent by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires on the third day after they had refused to change the ball

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2025India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been handed an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the Headingley Test. In addition, one demerit point has been added to Pant’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in 24 months.The ICC found that Pant had breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.” The incident had occurred in the 61st over of England’s first innings when Pant was having a discussion with the umpires regarding the condition of the ball, while Ben Stokes and Harry Brook were at the crease.”When the umpires refused to change the ball after checking it with the ball gauge, the wicket-keeper showed his dissent by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires,” the ICC release said. Pant admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by match referee Richie Richardson, after the charges were brought in by on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel.The first Test of the series is poised nicely for the last day, with England set a target of 371. They were 21 for 0 after the fourth day, with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley at the crease.

The hosts were struggling at 121 for 6 before the game was washed out in Harare

Hemant Brar13-Dec-2023No result Rain came to Zimbabwe’s rescue in Harare, forcing a washout after Ireland had reduced them to 121 for 6 in the first ODI.Zimbabwe had started aggressively after being sent in to bat, with Tinashe Kamunhukamwe smashing 28 off just 15 balls. But once he got out, the innings fell apart. The continuous rain, though, meant the match had to be called off after only 25.3 overs.Earlier, Mark Adair got the ball to nip off the seam in both directions and even bowled a maiden to Joylord Gumbie. But from the other end, Kamunhukamwe took apart Josh Little. He hit three fours in the left-arm seamer’s first over, and a four and a six off successive deliveries in the next to move to 25 off just ten balls.That forced Paul Stirling to bring on Graham Hume. Kamunhukamwe tried to attack him as well but miscued a pull and was caught at mid-on for 28. The wicket put the brakes on the scoring rate, with Zimbabwe managing only 16 from over sixth to tenth.Craig Young then bounced out Innocent Kaia to make it 48 for 2 in the 11th over. Sikandar Raza and Gumbie tried to stabilise the innings. Raza was lucky to be dropped on 10 by wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker when he chased a full and wide delivery from Little.But Little got his man soon after with the same ploy. The only difference being this time he was bowling from around the wicket.Gumbie had occupied one end but he was struggling to keep the scoreboard moving. In the 20th over, he was run out after having a mix-up with Ryan Burl when both batters found themselves at the keeper’s end. Gumbie contributed 28 but consumed 59 balls for it.On the very next delivery, Burl also departed, under-edging Young to the keeper as Zimbabwe slipped from 79 for 2 to 81 for 5. Clive Madande and Brandon Mavuta added 40 off just 37 balls to take the side past 100 before Hume returned to castle Madande.Immediately after that, lightning forced players off the field. Soon, rain also made an appearance and brought a premature end to the contest.The second and third ODIs, to be played on Friday and Sunday, are also expected to be affected by rain.

Trent Boult holds spot; Kyle Jamieson (back) and Adam Milne (achilles) weren’t considered due to injury

Alagappan Muthu24-Aug-2022New Zealand have packed their squad with plenty of pace as they attempt to wrest the Chappell-Hadlee trophy out of Australia’s hands next month. In addition to the more established Lockie Ferguson, they have also brought in the 23-year old Ben Sears, who may well make his ODI debut in the three-match series starting on September 6.Trent Boult has kept his place in the squad, the first time the New Zealand selectors have had to make a decision on whether to include him since he withdrew from his central contract earlier this month. NZC said that his future selection would be made on a case-by-case basis, with preference given to contracted players, although he will be part of the T20 World Cup in October.

Chappell-Hadlee Trophy schedule

1st ODI, Cairns: September 6
2nd ODI, Cairns: September 8
3rd ODI, Cairns: September 11

The conditions on offer across the Tasman have prompted New Zealand to further bolster their pace reserves with Matt Henry, who missed their most recent assignment in the West Indies with a rib injury. Sears had been his replacement in the squad and he now keeps his place, building on a career that began in 2018 with Wellington. He made his New Zealand debut in September 2021 and has plenty of admirers within the national set-up, including one of the OG Kiwi speedsters Shane Bond.”The inclusion of Ben Sears is a nod to the future, and we also think his pace and bounce could be a good option in Australian conditions,” head coach Gary Stead said. “It’s great to welcome back Matt as well. He’s been one of our front line one-day bowlers for the past few years and his ICC ODI bowling ranking of six is testament to that.”Kane Williamson captains the squad of 15 as he too makes a comeback after missing the last two matches on a successful tour of the Caribbean. He has only played three ODIs since the end of the 2019 World Cup due to a combination of injury and rotation, but, two weeks out from rekindling their biggest rivalry, he seemed upbeat and ready for action.”It’s always a huge occasion for the fans, and the team really look forward to it,” Williamson said. “You grow up watching the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series and remembering the great battles, so to be part of another chapter is pretty special. We know how tough Australia are to beat in their own conditions and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”Kyle Jamieson (back) and Adam Milne (achilles) weren’t considered due to injury. Ish Sodhi, Henry Nicholls and Will Young were left out. Glenn Phillips, who has made three fifty-plus scores in 12 innings, across formats keeps his place. With a 360-degree game and a batting style very similar to Steven Smith, he has become something of an enforcer in New Zealand’s middle order.”The fact we’re having to leave out players of the calibre of Ish, Henry, and Will shows the increased depth we currently have at our disposal,” Stead said. “Glenn’s a versatile player who can cover most places in the batting order for us – as well as providing a bowling option if needed.”Australia have a 6-4 win-loss record in 12 Chappell-Hadlee series so far and hold a considerable edge over New Zealand when playing at home. In fact, the Black Caps have go back seven completed matches, and 13 full years, to mark their last ODI victory over Australia in Australia.New Zealand ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Southee

With both sides languishing in the bottom half of the points table, they can’t afford another batting meltdown

Deivarayan Muthu23-Apr-2021

Big picture

Both the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals have plenty of cream in the middle, but their top orders are squishy at best. After their designated opener Ben Stokes was sidelined from the tournament, the Royals bumped Jos Buttler up to the top, but he has been dismissed twice in three innings inside the powerplay. His opening partner Manan Vohra hasn’t lasted beyond the fourth over in four innings. In IPL 2021, no team has lost more wickets in the first six overs than the Royals (ten) and their powerplay run rate of 6.75 is also the worst among all teams in the league.With Liam Livingstone, a potential top-order replacement, also returning home after citing bubble fatigue, the Royals are scrambling for reinforcements. Yashasvi Jaiswal or Anuj Rawat, who is uncapped in the IPL, could displace Vohra from the top.Related

• Jofra Archer ruled out of entire IPL 2021

• Rassie van der Dussen lined up as Rajasthan Royals replacement

• Liam Livingstone leaves IPL 2021 citing 'bubble fatigue'

The Knight Riders haven’t been too flashy in their powerplay either, losing three wickets fewer than the Royals during this phase. While Nitish Rana bounced back from Covid-19 to start the tournament strongly, Shubman Gill continues to lack enough punch in the powerplay. In their last game, even an Andre Russell-led comeback couldn’t save them against the Chennai Super Kings.With both sides languishing in the bottom half of the points table, they can’t afford another meltdown at the top, especially on one of the better batting pitches in the IPL.

Team news

England quick Jofra Archer has been ruled out of IPL 2021 after being advised by the ECB to focus on his rehab after having undergone a finger surgery.The Royals have lined up South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen as cover. The 32-year-old has never been part of the IPL before but has had stints at the CPL and Global T20 Canada.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Nitish Rana, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Sunil Narine, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Prasidh KrishnaRajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal/Anuj Rawat, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Shivam Dube, 5 David Miller, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Chetan Sakariya, 11 Mustafizur Rahman/Andrew Tye

Strategy punt

• The Knight Riders have opened their attack with spin in all their four games this season, but against the Royals, who have lost all their ten wickets in the powerplay to pace, there is a case for them to give the new ball to Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna.
• The Royals could consider replacing Mustafizur Rahman with Andrew Tye, the slower-ball specialist who can now bowl out-and-out pace as well. If the Knight Riders throw Sunil Narine into the opening mix, Tye could counter him with his excess pace and bounce. Even otherwise, Tye could be matched up with Rana, who like Narine, isn’t comfortable against short balls at speeds north of 140kph. So, Jaydev Unadkat slotting in for Shreyas Gopal and Tye for Rahman could potentially give their seam attack a new dimension and prepare them for life in the absence of Archer.

Stats that matter

• The Knight Riders have won just one out of their nine IPL games at the Wankhede Stadium.
• Chris Morris has a fine head-to-head record against Russell in T20 cricket. He has got Russell three times in 23 balls while giving away 34 runs.
• Eoin Morgan has scored 243 runs in five innings against the Royals at an average of 81 and strike rate of 157.79 – his best record against an IPL side. Morgan is also 43 runs away from 7000 in T20 cricket.

The Pakistan legspinner on his fabulous Test century – which helped him go one up against his idol Warne, no less

Deivarayan Muthu01-Dec-2019Yasir Shah might not have Shane Warne’s numbers when it comes to legspin, but the Pakistani has now achieved something that his childhood hero couldn’t during his 15-year Test career. When Yasir dragged seamer Josh Hazlewood over mid-on in the 86th over of Pakistan’s first innings, he became a Test centurion – and that too against the pink ball. Incidentally, this was also Yasir’s maiden first-class hundred.”I haven’t spoken to him [Warne] about it [the Test hundred],” Yasir said after the third day’s play in Adelaide. “I’m always in touch with Shane Warne. We communicate over phone messages too. And he only talks to me about bowling.”Yasir’s landmark now probably gives him good authority to speak to Warne about batting. His innings provided the Pakistan fans something to cheer about after the other batsmen had collapsed around captain Babar Azam’s 97 in response to Australia’s 589 for 3 declared. So, did Yasir believe that he would score a Test ton?”When we were on our way to the ground in the morning, I had this thought in my mind that I will bat throughout the day,” he said. “And if I bat throughout the day, I will make a century. That was exactly what I was talking to my friends Naseem Shah and Muhammad Musa about this morning. Then, I went to the nets and batted, and kept thinking about batting throughout the day.”Yasir was reprieved at least three times – on 35 (a stumping), 43 (a dolly of a caught-and-bowled to Marnus Labuschagne) and 106 (another simple chance to Labuschagne at short leg) – and he capitalised on it, reaching 113 off 213 balls before he was the last Pakistan batsman to be dismissed in their first innings.”I tried my best to make sure I spend a lot of time at the crease,” he said. “When you do that, you get set and you find batting becomes easier. It’s tough against this world-class Australian bowling attack, and to score a century against them was good.”ALSO READ: Yasir Shah – Pakistan’s first centurion at No. 8 since 2006Yasir celebrated the landmark by leaping in the air and waving his bat towards the crowd, with all his team-mates warmly applauding him from Pakistan’s corner.”I was so excited and happy,” he said of his celebration. “It’s a dream to score a century in Adelaide and on an Australian tour. At that point, I wasn’t aware of what I was doing really but I know I jumped in the air and swung my bat around. And I enjoyed it a lot. It was great fun.”While the century might not make up for his poor returns with the ball in Australia – he averages nearly 90 in the country – Yasir said that he had learnt lessons from the previous trip although he couldn’t quite implement those against a rampaging David Warner who made history with 335 not out.”I was trying to perform at my best even the last time I came here,” Yasir said. “It’s every spinner’s wish to do well in Australia because that raises your image and profile. I’ve put in a lot of hard work.”The last time I bowled too fast. And I was bowling at a faster pace than what I wanted to here, too, and I didn’t use my variations well.”David Warner played really well to score a triple-ton. He didn’t let me settle and get my lines and lengths. And, at times, he even scored runs of our good balls. And he’s too good a batsman to miss out on our bad balls.”