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A round-up of the third day of Group C matches in the eighth round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2016Four wickets from Goa medium-pacer Rituraj Singh trumped Ricky Bhui’s 71 to seal an exciting 34-run win against Andhra early on the third day in Dhanbad. Chasing 233, Bhui took Andhra till he was eighth out at 179. They were eventually bowled out for 198.Resuming on 99 for 3, Andhra’s overnight pair saw out the first 10.1 overs of the day before Shadab Jakati struck in consecutive overs to bowl Dwaraka Ravi Teja for 49 and have AG Pradeep caught behind for 1. From 127 for 5, Andhra pushed towards their target via a stand of 39 between Bhui and Bhargav Bhatt.But Rituraj wiped out the lower order, striking off consecutive deliveries to remove Bhatt and KV Sasikanth. At 168 for 7, Bhui was Andhra’s only hope. Once he was caught behind off Amulaya Pandrekar, Rituraj took the last two wickets to finish with 4 for 24. Bhui’s third half-century in as many matches could not get Andhra any points, while Goa took six. Jakati finished with 11 wickets in the match, having taken a career-best 8 for 53 in the first innings.Nakul Verma’s second successive century helped Services set Chhattisgarh a target of 281 in Mumbai. Services, who were stuttering at 19 for 3, drove ahead courtesy Verma’s stands of 106 with Shamsher Yadav and 175 with Rahul Singh (99), which helped them declare on 340 for 7, with Verma unbeaten on 156. Chhattisgarh batted out the last three overs of the day to finish on 6 without loss, with Sahil Gupta and Abhimanyu Chauhan at the crease.Hyderabad were six wickets from their third successive win as Jammu & Kashmir stumbled to 42 for 4 chasing 396 in Vadodara. J&K, resuming on 156 for 7, were bowled out for 169, with seamer Ravi Kiran taking 4 for 32. Tanmay Agarwal then struck his second century of the match, scoring 103, his 128-run stand with Akshath Reddy laying the foundation for he innings.S Badrinath, the captain, then added 116 with Agarwal to set up Hyderabad’s declaration on 244 for 1. Ravi Kiran struck early again to dismiss Ahmed Bandy with J&K on 20. Off the next over, CV Milind sent back Shubham Khajuria. Pranav Gupta and Ian Dev Singh fell soon after to leave them reeling by the end of the day. Ram Dayal and Aditya Singh will resume batting on Friday.Kerala, who conceded a first-innings lead, were 66 short of victory against Tripura in Cuttack, ending the third day 117 without loss. Mohammed Azharuddeen made a 98-ball 80, and had solid company from Bhavin Thakkar (37 not out).Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, picked up three wickets to rip through Tripura’s middle order as they stumbled to 111 for 5 in their second innings. Akshay Chandran then completed the demolition as Tripura were bowled out for 162, with Smit Patel top-scoring with 54. Their second innings lasted just 70.1 overs. Four other batsmen got into double figures, with the highest score among them being 25 by Bishal Ghose.Himachal Pradesh were asked to follow on by Haryana in Valsad after they were all out for 233 in their first innings. They ended the day 142 for 1 in their second innings, trailing Haryana by 27 runs.Sanjay Pahal took his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as HP managed to add only 132 runs for their last seven wickets. Overnight batsman Sumeet Verma top-scored with 66 and stitched a 69-run partnership with Amit Kumar (37) for the seventh wicket – the team’s only significant one. The last four wickets fell for 19 runs.Still trailing by 169 runs, HP’s openers RI Thakur and Prashant Chopra added 140 for the first wicket. Debutant Thakur was dismissed for 45 by Pahal in the day’s last over as Chopra finished not out on 89 with new batsman Robin Bist (2) for company.

Manchester City's exhilarating 6-2 triumph over Luton in the fifth round of the FA Cup was marred by the recurrence of Jack Grealish's groin injury.

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• City beat Luton 6-2
• Grealish returned to action after recovering from a groin injury
• Guardiola revealed that earlier problem might have hit again

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite Erling Haaland's historic five-goal spree that secured City's quarter-final berth, Grealish's setback forced Pep Guardiola to leave Kenilworth Road with a bitter taste in his mouth.

  Grealish, 28, had initially suffered a groin problem during City's Champions League victory against Copenhagen earlier in February. After missing two games, he returned to the squad as a surprising inclusion on the bench for the Bournemouth clash in the Premier League.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, Grealish's comeback to the starting lineup against Luton ended in despair as he managed only 38 minutes on the field before being replaced by Jeremy Doku. The England international covered his face with a training top to hide the disappointment as he entered the away side's dugout.

• WHAT GUUADIOLA SAID

  Addressing Grealish's injury, Guardiola revealed: "I didn't speak to the doctor but I think it is the groin, maybe quite similar. He felt really really good but unfortunately, he got injured. It's been a tough season for him, he has to recover well."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  With City set to face arch-rivals Manchester United next in a crucial Premier League fixture, Grealish's potential availability remains uncertain, as he will have to fight a race against time to get fit before Sunday. If he indeed fails to make a cut, his absence will be felt keenly, especially considering his standout performance in City's previous 3-0 triumph over United at Old Trafford with Haaland scoring a brace and Phil Foden getting a late goal.

While his colleagues were drawn into edges as the ball darted around on a grassy surface and under overcast skies, Jennings left well, played straight and put away anything on his legs or hips

George Dobell at Richardson Park09-Dec-2017
ScorecardTom Curran showcased some attacking strokes in his unbeaten 77•Getty Images

It’s not just the shots you play. It’s the shots you don’t play. And, it would appear, the shots you don’t drink.If you were to walk past the nets while this England squad – enlarged as it is with members of the England Lions squad – were training, Ben Duckett is one of those who would stick out. His range of stroke and the crispness with which he hits the ball mark him out as an extravagant talent.Keaton Jennings, by contrast, might easily escape your intention. While Duckett thumps the ball, Jennings nudges it. While Duckett punishes bowlers, Jennings tries to see them off.But while Duckett is in the news for the wrong reasons, Jennings seems intent on making himself into the best player he can be.Because of that, it is Jennings who is giving himself the best chance to play more Test cricket. And while Duckett appears to be struggling to come to terms with the sacrifices inherent in the life of an international sportsperson, Jennings continues to buckle down and grind out the runs.Certainly that was the way it appeared on the first day of this warm-up match in Perth, anyway. While Duckett didn’t even make the ground – he was dropped while the team management consider what, if any, action to take against him following an incident on a night out – Jennings was the one man in England’s top five to reach 30 and eventually top-scored with a polished innings of 80.It was an innings that kept England’s heads above water on another troubled day. What might have been a gentle warm-up game against relatively modest opposition instead became another opportunity for self-inflicted damage as news of the incident involving Duckett broke. A squad supposedly doing everything it could to avoid the growing – though inaccurate – perception that they have a drinking culture was once again fuelling the image of them as a group of lads on a stag night who stagger out of bars every now and then and play a bit of cricket.At least Jennings provides a suitably sober contrast. While England may have the image of champagne Charlies, he is much more Kool-aid Keaton. And, as his colleagues were drawn into edges as the ball darted around on a grassy surface and under overcast skies, Jennings left well, played straight and put away anything on his legs or hips. While many of his runs came from nudges down to fine leg, there was one pull for six and several firm cuts. He also played the spin well, demonstrating sweeps both reverse and conventional, until missing one on 80 and being adjudged lbw.In reality, the Duckett incident amounts to very little. But coming in the context of the Stokes and Bairstow incidents, coming when the Ashes are slipping away and when they know the scrutiny of the media is upon then, coming on the very first night when a curfew had been relaxed and in the same bar in which Bairstow “greeted” Bancroft, it does seem extraordinarily dim.And, of course, it provided an opportunity to a rival. With one batsman with aspirations to keep wicket out of contention, another – Joe Clarke – came into the side. Very well he played, too, until horribly mis-hitting a long-hop to mid-wicket. But make no mistake: the next time an England squad is announced, Clarke will be in it ahead of Duckett.There was a nice innings from Liam Livingstone, too. Both he and Clarke have the class to play the game at the highest level and showed it in innings that contained some sparkling strokes. But both also fell after good starts. And, as Trevor Bayliss said with some regret at the end of the day, “20, 30 and 40s at this level are not good enough”.For nobody was that more true than Moeen Ali. Playing in this game in order to spend a significant amount of time at the crease, he made a typically lovely 24 before edging a fine delivery that demanded a stroke and left him just a fraction.”I’m sure he’s very disappointed,” a not especially cheerful Bayliss said. “That’s why he wanted to play in this game. He was looking forward to spending time in the middle.”Meanwhile, Dan Lawrence failed to take advantage of a let-off in the slips – he top-edged a footless slash – by pretty much repeating the short two balls later, before Gary Ballance edged into the gully and Ben Foakes was caught down the leg side.Tom Curran, counter-attacking the spinners and driving nicely, ensured England were not to be embarrassed, though the bowling had long lost any sting it once had by the time he made most of his runs.Curran was, however, rated by Bayliss as the best of England’s bowlers in the final hour of the day. While Wood gained decent life from a surface offering some bounce but little pace – his away swinger also looked in fine order – he didn’t overly impress the England coach. “He got the ball through okay, but he didn’t really threaten to take a wicket,” was Bayliss’ assessment. In short, he didn’t look like the quick-fix solution to England’s one-paced attack.It wasn’t really a day for answers. And, as Mitchell Johnson prepared for his upcoming BBL stint by bowling in the nets adjacent to the pitch, it was a reminder of how quickly these series can come off the rails. Whichever way you look at it, things aren’t going well for England, are they?

Australia’s search for a consolation victory moves to Edgbaston, and a return to a format in which they have plenty of form

The Preview by Andrew Miller26-Jun-20181:23

T20 a chance for Australia to ‘strut our stuff’ – Finch

Big Picture

As one-sided series go, England’s bagelling of Australia in the fifth and final ODI at Old Trafford on Sunday was about as fraught as they come – a low-scoring epic, sealed by a high-achieving white-ball wizard at the absolute peak of his powers. Jos Buttler’s refusal to be beaten while his team-mates were being skittled around him was inspiring to behold, as he sealed a one-wicket win that felt as far removed from a dead-rubber contest as is humanly possible.Australia desperately wanted to get themselves off the mark in a dismal tour; England desperately wanted to hone their killer instinct, and capitalise on a rare opportunity to leave their most consistent cricketing tormentors with no place to hide. It meant that there was a cup final vibe in evidence throughout the day, and the fact that England held their nerve in extreme adversity – regardless of the strength of their opponents – has to augur well for next year’s defining challenge.So how should we read the runes going into Australia’s final, final opportunity to make an impression on this tour? Clearly, a one-off T20 at Edgbaston lacks the context of what has gone before it, but as Alex Carey warned in the build-up to the match, Australia are ready to give it a “red-hot” go in a format that they have found infinitely more favourable in recent months.They are, after all, the reigning T20 tri-series champions – having put England emphatically in their place in the round-robin stage of February’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.Unlike in the 50-over format, in which Australia’s batsmen have seemed reluctant to give full rein to their instincts for fear of making a mistake, there’s less reason to be reserved across 20 overs. And with a team that’s been honed in the competitive environs of the Big Bash, there’s plenty to suggest that this one could also go down to the wire.Nevertheless, Australia’s T20 squad cannot have been immune to the general sense of chaos that has enveloped their set-up since the events in Cape Town in March – not least because their captain during their recent run of short-form success was none other than David Warner. In a parallel universe, he might currently be sharpening his credentials as the obvious hard-nosed choice to lead his country into next year’s World Cup. How quickly things can change.Aaron Finch plays into the leg side•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLLLL
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

For a man who has now scored more one-day hundreds (six) against England than any other batsman, Aaron Finch endured a curious ODI campaign. He was a victim of his team’s shortcomings elsewhere in their line-up, as he was shunted down the card in mid-series to provide ballast to the lower-order, before returning to his rightful opening berth for the latter stages. And now he is captain – and that in itself offers an intriguing subplot, given that Tim Paine, the ODI captain, more or less conceded that his position was untenable after the whitewash. If Finch can be the man to deliver Australia the victory that a nation craves, who knows where that may lead?England’s man of the moment, Jos Buttler, displayed the finishing skills of a master carpenter as he repaired his team’s run-chase in the fifth ODI on Sunday. But he’s tasked with a different challenge at Edgbaston after it was confirmed by Paul Farbrace, the interim coach, that he will be opening the innings. It’s a no-brainer really – Buttler was a revelation at the IPL in May after being pushed up to open for Rajasthan Royals, and it’s not as if England are short of men who can tonk it at the death.

Teams news

With Buttler opening alongside Jason Roy, Alex Hales is expected to come in at No. 3, which could mean Jonny Bairstow dropping to the middle order. Chris Jordan looks set to pip Sam Curran for the final berth in a five-man England attack, though Joe Root has been getting plenty of offspin practice of late.England (probable) 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 David WilleyPaine makes way as wicketkeeper as well as captain, with Carey taking over the gloves, and assuming Glenn Maxwell recovers from his shoulder injury, he will slot back into the middle order, from where he gave England quite the schooling in Hobart in February. Andrew Tye’s variations are likely to have more mileage in the shorter format than they found in a chastening ODI campaign. And given the heat, and the prospect of a dry surface, the leggie Mitchell Swepson might well find a way into the starting XI.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 D’Arcy Short, 3 Travis Head, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Nic Maddinson, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Marcus Stoinis/Mitchell Swepson 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Andrew Tye, 11 Billy Stanlake

Pitch and conditions

Perfect weather, belting pitch, full house. It’ll be loud. The ground is expected to open early to encourage people to watch the World Cup (Mexico v Sweden and Germany v South Korea, kick-off 3pm) on the big screen.

Stats and trivia

• Australia won all five of their fixtures in the aforementioned tri-series, making it six out of seven victories (plus one abandonment) since February 2017.
• England, by contrast, have rather lost their mojo since reaching the final of the World T20 in April 2016. They have won five and lost eight of their last 13 games.
• They did, however, hold their nerve in their most recent outing, defending a total of 194 to win by two runs against New Zealand in Hamilton.

Quotes

“He will open tomorrow. In 120 balls in an innings, you want to get your best strikers facing as many balls as possible. The form he’s in, the way he’s playing, it makes sense to get him at the top of the order.”
“In the one-day format the confidence was definitely affected, England put us on the back foot from the word go and we weren’t able to catch up. But we’ve had success in this format … The confidence took a hit in the one-dayers but I don’t think there will be anything to worry about in this format.”

Nick Gubbins, touted as an opener for England’s first Test of the summer against Pakistan, gave a wonderful audition for the role with an innings of 99

ECB Reporters Network11-May-20181:50

Nick Gubbins again advertised his England credentials

ScorecardMiddlesex’s England stars of present and possibly near future dominated day one of their Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.Nick Gubbins, touted as an opener for England’s first Test of the summer against Pakistan later this month, gave a wonderful audition for the role, before falling one short of a deserved century. Skipper Dawid Malan, a current red-ball incumbent for the national side, and England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan weighed in with 76 apiece – the latter in his first County Championship appearance in almost three years.The persevering Daniel Worrall was Gloucester’s standout bowler with 3 for 59, as Middlesex passed 300 in the first innings for the first time in 13 matches.Gubbins wasted no time making Gloucestershire regret their decision to forego the toss and bowl. He survived a couple of early scares, the first when wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick dropped him down the leg side off the bowling of Worrall when on just 17. The second shortly after saw him almost run out by a direct hit from Graham van Buuren, the ball ricocheting to the boundary for a rare 5.Gubbins’ cover-drives were a joy to behold and the opener was also quick to savagely cut anything short and wide. Sam Robson, perhaps fortunate to retain his place at the expense of Max Holden, by contrast looked edgy early on but found some batting rhythm particularly with some punchy drives through midwicket.The pair added 77 before the excellent Worrall squared up Robson who edged a low catch to Roderick. Gubbins though carried on unperturbed, hitting 10 boundaries in reaching 50 off 73 balls.Nick Gubbins works the ball away•Getty Images

Stevie Eskinazi proved a good foil either side of lunch before playing a poor shot to a wide one from Worrall, which Kieran Noema-Barnett palmed upwards before claiming at the second attempt.It was the beginning of an excellent spell from Australian quick Worrall who ended Gubbins’ hopes of back-to-back Championship centuries when the left-hander gloved a rising delivery to give Roderick a second catch behind the stumps.Sadly, for the visitors, none of Worrall’s team-mates found the same life or bowled with the same control, meaning Malan and Morgan wrestled back the initiative with a century stand. Malan, buoyed by last week’s century against Sussex, was the early aggressor with some stylish off drives, but Morgan caught the mood, hoisting van Buuren for a straight six.Such was the duo’s dominance it was a shock when Malan fell to the second new ball, trapped lbw by Matthew Taylor to a delivery which pitched and rolled along the floor – surely ominous for Gloucestershire whose earlier decision to bowl means they must bat last.Taylor soon struck again when new batsman Hilton Cartwright wafted a catch to slip and departed without scoring, and Morgan fell lbw just before the close to another ball which kept low from former Middlesex allrounder Ryan Higgins.

No sooner had Todd Astle been grasping a rare opportunity in Test cricket than he has been hit by injury

Andrew McGlashan28-Mar-2018No sooner had Todd Astle been grasping a rare opportunity in Test cricket than he has been hit by injury, a side strain ruling him out of his hometown match in Christchurch as New Zealand target just a fourth series win over England.Astle took 3 for 39 in the second innings at Eden Park, but scans the following day showed he had picked up the injury. He had a previous side strain earlier in the season and this one means he still has yet to play consecutive Tests after single outings in 2012 and 2016.”Through some incredibly hard work, Todd’s already overcome some injuries this summer, so for this to happen now is a cruel blow,” coach Mike Hesson said. “Todd played a major role in helping us win the game at Eden Park, so it’s disappointing for Todd and the team that he’s forced to the sideline ahead of Friday.”With Mitchell Santner sidelined by a long-term knee injury, it has opened up the chance for fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi to resume his Test career having not played the format since September 2016 against India in Kanpur. If New Zealand maintain the same balance of attack, rather than going all-seam with Matt Henry, Sodhi will come into the match and high on confidence at that. He took career-best match figures of 12 for 62 against Wellington in the Plunket Shield last week, which included a 7 for 30 in the first innings, and 7 for 98 against Otago in the outing before that.”It was good to get the chance to bowl some overs in the middle so you go into the Test, if I play, with a bit of momentum. It was the ideal scenario,” Sodhi said. “As a young spinner learning your art, the best way to do it is to bowl as much as you can and bowling in the nets is so different to bowling in the middle in games. You have to take the chance with both hands.”It’s awesome to get the opportunity to be part of a winning team. The last game was fantastic and boys got up a great spectacle with the pink-ball Test so to be part of it is fantastic but I feel sorry for Toddy. He’s work very hard in the last game, performed well so it’s heartbreaking.”Astle’s absence will lengthen New Zealand’s tail unless they take a cautious approach and opt to play an extra batsman. Martin Guptill is in the squad but, on Tuesday, Hesson said the team would not go into the match looking for a draw despite the carrot of the series win.On the other hand, spin has only taken 14 wickets in four Tests at Hagley Oval. New Zealand didn’t play a spinner against Australia in 2016, and in Tests against Pakistan and Bangladesh, they used a grand total of four overs with Santner not bowling a ball in the Bangladesh contest.Sodhi hasn’t played a first-class match at the ground since 2015 – and in three matches has a return of 3 for 256 – but believes the surface could offer him something. “It’s normally hard and bouncy and if you gave me the option, and the turn was slow, I’d rather have the bounce so hopefully can extract something out the wicket.”The prize for a win or drawn Test is significant for New Zealand: to join the team of 1983-84 as the only series winners against England on home soil, and the 1986 and 1999 sides who achieved the feat in England. They will be favourites going into the match after dismantling England for 58 in Auckland and overcoming the rain to win in effectively little more than three days, but getting carried away is not the New Zealand style.”I think we saw in the second innings what they are capable of and we expect them to be a lot tougher in this match,” BJ Watling said. “They are a quality outfit and we’ll have to on our game.”

History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have made
so many alterations to the accepted version that the past is now
irrelevant

Brydon Coverdale in Perth21-Dec-2008

History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have made
so many alterations to the accepted version that the past is now
irrelevant. Their brilliant chase of 414, orchestrated by their two
youngest batsmen, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, proved again that no
target is out of reach these days and that despite what Australia
wanted to believe, South Africa hold no demons from past failures.They are two matches from potentially climbing the biggest mountain in
world cricket. Apparently, 2008 is the international year of the frog
and it could well finish with South Africa poised to leap over
Australia and into the top position on the world Test rankings. Wins in
the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney will get them there
and on the evidence displayed at the WACA, and with Australia to visit
South Africa in February, it will be only a matter of time.The key difference in this South African side compared to the older
versions is their self-belief. Australia have daunted South Africa so
much over the years that had Mitchell Johnson’s eight-wicket haul come
in a previous series the team’s confidence would have been shattered.
But the calmness of the captain Graeme Smith and the coach Mickey
Arthur has rubbed off on this unit and the way they fought back to
restrict Australia to 319 in the second innings was the key.”There’s only really one statement that stands out in the game,” Smith
said. “If we didn’t rock up on the day after Mitchell’s spell and bowl
as well as we did, put that statement in place that we’re here and
we’re not going away, then we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”Smith was the hero when his team chased down 281 to win at Edgbaston this year, which gave them their first series victory in England for 43 years. He again made a century in this triumph, the second-highest
chase of all time, which he was still struggling to comprehend after
the match.”We’ve had such an incredible last year and a half,” Smith said.
“Victories in the subcontinent, in England, a really big victory at
Edgbaston, which was very emotional. But I think the emotions that we
felt through this game, where we were and the way we came back,
everyone has contributed so from that perspective it’s got to be a
great Test win for South Africa. It’s got to go up there with my best
wins ever.”Smith was underplaying the significance of the victory slightly. A
visiting South African journalist said the win would rank alongside
any of the nation’s sporting achievements and it’s hard to disagree.
The enormity of the chase was one thing but defying the trend between
the two sides made it all the more exhilarating. South Africa’s most
recent two wins against Australia had come in dead rubbers in Durban in 2001-02 and Centurion in 1996-97. Only once since readmission had
they prevailed in Australia.

It was the perfect chase, every bit as impressive as India’s 387 in
Chennai last week, not the least because it was away from home against
the world’s top-ranked team. It began with Smith and Hashim Amla
building a platform, continued with de Villiers and Jacques Kallis reeling the
target to within sight and culminated in de Villiers and Duminy
completing the order. It was so well calculated that it even allowed
de Villiers to reach his century in the dying stages and Duminy to
finish with an invaluable unbeaten 50 on debut.Both men thoroughly deserved the milestones and it completed their
remarkable journey from the Under-11 tournaments they used to play
against each other. They have taken different paths to the top, de
Villiers being rushed into the side at 20 and being tried in just
about every position over 47 Tests; and Duminy waiting on the fringes and
watching enviously until a thumb injury to Ashwell Prince opened up a
spot in this match.When de Villiers was last seen in Australia in 2005-06 he was being
tested as an opener and made a couple of promising half-centuries but
was still learning on the job. He has matured immensely since then
and, much like the string of brilliant catches he took during the
match, he wasn’t about to let this game slip through his hands. There
was no streakiness and apart from a drive that just cleared mid-on,
barely any half-chances.He had come to the crease with 235 runs still required and but the
target wasn’t weighing on his mind. Small goals were set and
partnerships were built, first with Kallis and then with Duminy. The
century took care of itself and he celebrated enthusiastically when it
came, not so much because of his score but because he had helped his
team set up what by then was a certain victory.”It was never really an issue if I get a hundred or not against the
Aussies,” de Villiers said. “It was just important to get through
today. It’s more important to win a Test match over here than get my
own hundred. But it’s done and it’s great to have gotten a hundred and
win the Test match in one game. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s a
dream come true for me.”At 24, the men are younger than all of Australia’s players bar Peter
Siddle, who was born in the same year. That it has taken South Africa
several years to build this side should not be lost on Australia, who
are battling to balance struggling stars with new men still finding
their feet. Australia have written the script between these sides for
so long that it is hard to imagine a new author. Within the next
fortnight, South Africa could write their own names into the history
books.

USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie could return to the Premier League with negotiations on a new deal at Juventus reaching a stalemate.

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• Midfielder exploring potential return to England
• Contract expires at the end of next year, no extension immediate
• Has tallied nine assists this season in all competitions

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  McKennie's contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and there has been little movement on a new deal for the 25-year-old. The Italian club might be looking to cash in as a result, as they are willing to accept a €20 million (£17m/$22m) bid for their star midfielder, according to . The reports would seem to counter talk that the Bianconeri are prepared to offer McKennie an extension.

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• WHAT MCKENNIE SAID

  In January, the midfielder asserted that his second spell at Juventus is an opportunity to return to his best: "When I left Leeds, I knew I had a bad showing. I knew I didn’t have the time that I thought I was going to have or that maybe I should have had. It put me in a mindset that when I came back here to Juventus, I was starting brand new. I’m going back to Juventus like it’s my first time. I have to prove myself all over again.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  McKennie has seized a role in central midfield for the Bianconeri, starting 24 Serie A games this season and tallying seven league assists. Juventus are third in the Italian top flight, and seem well positioned to return to the Champions League ahead of the 2024-25 season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MCKENNIE

  The USMNT midfielder seems poised to be a part of the Juventus midfield going forward. He is set to feature on March 17, when his side take on Genoa.

England have a habit of raising, then dashing, everybody’s hopes that they have finally cracked the formula for one-day cricket

Will Luke at Lord's28-Jun-2008

England have a habit of raising, then dashing, everybody’s hopes that they have finally cracked the formula for one-day cricket. In falling to New Zealand by 51 runs, they lost the series 3-1 – a generous result, some might say, had fortune not been on England’s side at Edgbaston. Today, chasing a gettable 267, they were rolled over for 215 in 47.5 overs – a batting performance that Kevin Pietersen, in his, first match as England captain, was at a loss to explain.”I really don’t know. I can’t answer that question, I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a very difficult question for me to answer for how the batting has gone. When you get to 20s, 30s and 40s…the key to it is to go on. I don’t mind if a guy gets nought or whatever, but when you get in, it’s definitely the key to take the responsibility. The onus on the individuals is there for the taking – to become a hero at the end of the day. That’s what we’re after.”There were no heroes today, and apart from Pietersen himself – whose scorching 110 led to their Chester-le-Street win – there have been precious few in the series. Owais Shah again proved his aptitude for a fight with a courageous 69, combing the deft with the explosive in pleasing measure, but his was very much the dying embers of an innings that never truly caught alight. And how often have we had cause to say that in this series?The situation was far more promising earlier, however. Alastair Cook returned from injury, replacing the banned Paul Collingwood, and together with Ian Bell staged a solid opening stand of 53 in 11 overs. That this was England’s highest opening stand of the series tells a sorry tale, though not one that should necessarily cut short the career of Luke Wright, Ian Bell’s partner at No.2 for the first four matches. Wright is impetuously youthful and needs a run in the side, but it is Bell, a man of such obvious gifts, who most frustrates. Scores of 46, 0, 20, 46 and 27 may indicate a batsman who has struggled to time the ball, or at the very least found conditions at the top of the order difficult. Yet with the exception of his duck at Edgbaston, in each of his stylish innings he has batted with the poise of a demi-god.Today, he was off the mark with the creamiest of fours through midwicket. Another gift on his legs was happily accepted before he played the day’s most orthodox stroke off the back foot through extra cover. He, and England, were cruising very nicely until he walked across his stumps. However, Bell is not alone: England’s woes with the bat was a collective failure all series, and one Pietersen insists needs addressing.”It’s very easy to say you need to get hundreds because the wickets are flat. In England, it nibbles,” he said. “New Zealand didn’t get a hundred. I’d like to see the stats from the New Zealand top six and compare [to England’s]. It’s hard because in England you don’t see many hundreds, so it’s hard to say you’ve got to get hundreds to win a series.”But I have said you need to get 70s, 80s, 90s…those are big scores in the UK. It’s an area we can improve but I don’t think it’s a catastrophe by any stretch of the imagination.”It wasn’t just with the bat that England struggled. Without their captain and allrounder, Collingwood, England also lacked a fifth bowler. And Pietersen’s decision to opt for Owais Shah’s part-time off-breaks ahead of Ravi Bopara’s neat seamers cost them dearly. Jacob Oram – who gives such balance to New Zealand’s side – had eased himself to a breezy 36, and welcomed the introduction of Shah like a cold beer on a roasting hot day. Oram heaved him into the Mound Stand over midwicket and over long-on before depositing a third into the Edrich Stand. Shah’s three overs had cost 30 and England had again let New Zealand escape.”I think Owais’ job today was good,” Pietersen said, forthrightly. “He had a dart in New Zealand. I’ve bowled in Tests but not much in one-dayers, so I thought the option of Shah bowling was good. You realise your options and, unfortunately, Colly was banned and we don’t have Andrew Flintoff. So you’ve got to look at your options and say ‘right. This is the England team I’m captaining. And this is what I have to do to make a good go of it.’ And that’s what I tried to do.”England’s defeat casts a shadow over their preparations for South Africa, who they face at Lord’s on July 10. Pietersen, however, remained confident that their feeble one-day effort will have no impact on the outcome of the forthcoming tough Test series.”It’s not a case of drawing a line under what’s happened. In the Tests we played fantastic, fantastic, amazing cricket against New Zealand,” he said. “We really cleaned them up, and that [a Test match] is what we have got against South Africa in two weeks. When we come to play in that week, we can have our heads held up really high. The captaincy of our big man, Michael, and everything will be great.”

India’s tour begins on June 27 with T20Is against Ireland, and the Tests against England start on August 1. That’s enough time to acclimatise, say Kohli and Shastri

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018India are ready to play “difficult” Test cricket. That is the message their captain Virat Kohli has sent out on the eve of their departure for the 81-day long tour of the UK. Kohli has made it clear that what happened on the last tour in 2014, when India lost the Test series 3-1, will have no bearing on the five-match Test series this summer. By the time the Test series starts in the peak of the English summer on August 1, India, according to Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, would be feeling at home, having been in the country for more than the month.India’s tour will begin with two T20Is against Ireland from June 27, before heading to England for more T20Is, an ODI series, and then the Tests. Shastri said playing the shorter formats first will be “ideal” preparation for them, giving them a month to acclimatise to the conditions, and Kohli added that by the time they play the Tests, they will be “so comfortable that we won’t even feel like we’ll be playing an away series”.

India tour of Ireland and England

1st T20I v Ireland: June 27, Dublin
2nd T20I v Ireland: June 29, Dublin
1st T20I v England: July 3, Manchester
2nd T20I v England: July 6, Cardiff
3rd T20I v England: July 8, Bristol
1st ODI v England: July 12, Nottingham
2nd ODI v England: July 14, London
3rd ODI v England: July 17 Leeds
1st Test v England: August 1, Birmingham
2nd Test v England: August 9, Lord’s
3rd Test v England: August 18, Nottingham
4th Test v England: August 30, Southampton
5th Test v England: September 7, The Oval

“The last time we played [in England], we felt that collectively as a team we didn’t perform consistently in all three skills,” Kohli said in Delhi before departing for the tour. “Because of that, the batsmen feel the extra pressure, or the bowlers feel the pressure because they feel batsmen aren’t doing enough. But when both click together and whether it’s swinging or seaming, bounce or turn, if you have momentum, any conditions feel favourable and if you don’t have the momentum, flat pitches may also feel tough.”But yes, the conditions are going to be different, we will have to respect that. By the time the Tests come, we’ll be so comfortable that we won’t even feel like we’ll be playing an away series. So once you spend time there, you get comfortable and that’s the biggest factor. If you are at ease mentally, it will show in your performances.”Shastri, on the other hand, said India were focusing more on the pitches and the conditions instead of the opposition. He went to the extent of saying they were not even looking at it as an away series.”From the preparation point of view, it is ideal [to start with T20s and ODIs,” Shastri said. “They will get to play T20s first, then ODIs, the Tests will come a month later. The first game against Ireland is on the 27th (June) and the first Test starts on the 1st (August). So there’s a lot of time to acclimatise.”For us there is no away, every game is home game because we don’t play the opponent, we play the pitch. Our job is to conquer the pitch. Wherever we go – it could be Bombay, it could be Delhi, it could be London, it could be Johannesburg. It is 22 yards that we have to try and conquer, and that is the endeavour. The boys know that they will be rated if they adapt to different conditions. So, if the other team has to adapt to those conditions, so do we. It’s not a question of where you’re playing, for us every game has to be a home game. You see those 22 yards, you say, ‘how am I going to take 20 wickets on those 22 yards, and how am I going to score 350-400.’ Keep it simple.”India’s schedule in England is in stark contrast to their most recent tour to South Africa, when they arrived only five days before the first Test. The players even chose to train on their own instead of playing warm-up matches. At the time, Kohli had said they were “very well prepared” but later Shastri admitted that 10 more days of preparation in South Africa would have made a difference. India lost the first two Tests, but won the third and then went on to dominate the ODI (5-1) and T20I (2-1) series.”When we were playing the Test series in South Africa, after a couple of Tests, people really thought we were outplayed. And then we won the third [Test] and won the series that followed,” Kohli said on Friday. “Then people really understood how well we played in that series. We as a team knew internally we had played well and that led to the success in the ODIs and the T20s as well because we took the confidence into it. People on the outside might not be able to see the small things that happened when you’re playing a particular Test match of a series, but the point about teams not travelling well… I think we’re one of the teams who are looking forward to other countries and playing.”I think that makes a massive difference and that showed with the mindset of someone like Jasprit Bumrah bowling 144kph in his last spell of the third Test. And that’s where fitness comes in. When you have people that are hungry, fit and ready, you’re not only competing but you’re winning. That’s the difference between getting emotional and letting go of a policy and holding on to it and actually taking the hard calls and moving ahead with the system. I think all those things have come together really nice and as I said, we’re looking forward to playing difficult cricket. It can be anywhere, even in India, because that is the only way we feel we’ll be able to test ourselves as a team and judge ourselves as players and as a team. It’s a very exciting time for all of us.”Kohli said he is back to peak fitness having spent time off the field post IPL. A neck injury, which he picked up at the back end of the IPL campaign with Royal Challengers Bangalore, had denied Kohli a much anticipated county stint with Surrey, a deal which was done at the last minute.Kohli admitted that playing for Surrey, even for just about a month, would have been ideal preparation for him to not just adapt to English conditions but also keep him mentally charged going into the Test series. The last time India played a Test series in England was in 2014, a tour Kohli will not spend too much time thinking about. In 10 innings in that series, Kohli scored 134 runs at an average of 13.40.Kohli said the key thing for him was to enter the Test series fresh and not exhausted, and that not playing county cricket may have helped him in that regard. “In hindsight what has happened was the best thing for me because although, yes, I wanted to go and experience the conditions, that is a place we haven’t played so much. There’s a big gap of four years and you sort of forget how the conditions were when you played the last time.”So I wanted the more difficult phase of those conditions. Now we are going to enter the heatwave. I wanted the damp and the wet conditions, which Puji [Cheteshwar Pujara] played in, Ishant [Sharma] played in and I saw Varun [Aaron] play in as well.”But in hindsight when I look at it now if I was 90% fit in my body and used to the conditions compared to feeling 110 (%) now and going in fresh I would much rather be in this position. Because in hindsight when I thought of it, I thought I need to be fresh for the tour. I need to be looking forward to it rather than thinking ‘oh, I have been in that place for four months now’. And you don’t want that feeling because the Test series is in the latter half [of the English summer].”Since last year Kohli has stressed on managing his workload in order to be match-fit for a longer career. He played in the IPL having skipped the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka and then missed out on the Afghanistan Test recuperating from the neck injury, which he said he has completely recovered from.”I am absolutely ready to go, went through the fitness test as well so body is feeling fine. I am actually very excited to get back on to the field which is a very rare thing when you play so much cricket. But these sort of breaks really help as mentally they make you fresh and make you excited to go back on to the pitch again.”Having fought their way back in the closely fought Test series in South Africa, Kohli said his team was now hungry and keen to play the Test series in England. “This is another series as far as I am concerned individually. But for us as a team this is a very exciting time because we are actually looking forward to playing more difficult Test cricket after what happened in South Africa. That I feel is the best thing that can happen to any side. You don’t want to go to England and say ‘oh, the Test series is one month [away]’. We want it to be actually be sooner. It is just a great phase for Indian cricket.”