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Match facts

November 9-13, Rajkot
Start time 9.30am (0400GMT)0:30

Ganguly picks his India XI for Rajkot

Big Picture

As per popular perception, India the country appears to hold a special spite for England the cricket team. What else could the host broadcaster’s sales pitch always be trying to play on? In 2011 the advertising mocked an effeminate white man. India lost 4-0. In 2012-13, the ad campaign centred on playing the Englishmen like musical instruments. India lost 2-1. Thankfully this time the promotion is merely announcing that Virat Kohli and his team will play the England team (and not – Englishmen, the nationality – like last time) like a band.There is good reason to believe India will have it easy. They have looked near invincible at home since the start of the last season with the guile of R Ashwin and the accuracy of Ravindra Jadeja not giving visiting batsmen any breathing space. This side has fewer weak links and unfit bodies than the one that lost to England four years ago. Since that series England have lost two match-winning spinners and a genius batsman who could turn Tests single-handedly.In Bangladesh, Alastair Cook had to hide his spinners in his side’s 1-1 draw, a series in which the home spinners took 38 of the 40 England wickets. They are also without James Anderson, one of the finest exponents of reverse swing, for one Test at least.While England struggled against Bangladesh, India had a response for everything New Zealand threw at them in a 3-0 series win. The lower order scored runs when the batsmen failed, the spinners kept finding ways to get batsmen out, the quicks chipped in when the spinners tired or when the ball reversed, and there was no let-up in the intensity in the field. They will just want to keep repeating what they have been doing over the last two home series as they take Test cricket to a new outpost: Rajkot; the Saurashtra region has a rich history of providing Test cricketers and patronage to the sport.If England are to win a Test, they will need to take all of New Zealand’s discipline and add to it. They will have to reverse the ball, which New Zealand couldn’t but England did in equally humid conditions in Bangladesh. Their lower order scored crucial runs in Bangladesh, but they will have to keep doing so against a much more accomplished attack. They have been given a small opening through injuries to KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan; they will have to capitalise on that.Along the way they will have to repeat what they did in Bangladesh: win a toss; India have not been put under scoreboard pressure since the pitch revolution in the country. England are the only travelling team to win a toss in the last 15 Tests in Asia. They won the Test. Only on one other occasion over this period has a team won a Test in Asia despite losing the toss.

Form guide

India WWWDW (last five matches, most recent first)
England LWLWW

Watch out for…

Local boys Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja have honed their skills, playing hours and hours of tireless cricket, in this arid land. Jadeja learnt his fielding here, diving on the bare grounds. Pujara got his patience and wrists scoring tons of runs on the slow pitches of Saurashtra. Jadeja learnt his bowling by operating against the insatiable batsmen of the Pujara variety. The Test venue is a new ground where they haven’t played much of their cricket, but in front of their home crowd they might feel a little more responsibility is on them – especially Pujara, because India’s batting line-up looks a little susceptible now.Ben Stokes must have horrible memories of playing India. On a dead Trent Bridge track where tailenders scored runs for fun, he scored a duck, followed by an utterly forgettable pair as England collapsed twice at Lord’s. The Stokes that comes to India is a different player altogether. He is the man England will go to when they need lower-order runs. He is the man England will go to when they need reverse in Anderson’s absence. He is the man England will go to when they need inspiration. When they need magic. If India manage to keep him subdued, you will know England are done for.The Big Three might be on its way out as a concept, but whenever these three teams play each other, things get ugly. India and England are two of the worst-behaved teams in the world, but only in each other’s, or Australia’s, presence. India have just played out a series against New Zealand in good spirit and England won hearts in Bangladesh, but expect shenanigans and skirmishes in this series. Forget who has sinned or not, it is usually a matter of who casts the first stone, after which all hell breaks loose.

Team news

With injuries to three key batsmen, India have to rejig their trusted winning combination. While Gautam Gambhir should continue to be the replacement opener after he looked in decent touch when he played against New Zealand in Indore, there are two spots that are not yet decided. One of them will go to a debutant. A like-for-like replacement for Rohit Sharma at No. 6 would be Karnataka’s Karun Nair, but the presence of Hardik Pandya in the squad depends on the pitch. If India consider the pitch to not be helpful enough, or if they see England as a bigger batting threat than New Zealand, they could play Pandya as the fifth bowler who bats at No. 8. Pandya could even be the second quick if India decide to play three spinners. However, given the pitch looks like the one in Kanpur, expect India to play two spinners and two quicks with Ishant Sharma edging out Umesh Yadav.India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Karun Nair/Hardik Pandya, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Ishant Sharma/Amit Mishra/Umesh YadavEngland have already announced that the 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed with become the youngest debutant England opener of all time. Ben Duckett, who scored a half-century in his last innings in Bangladesh, will get another opportunity, but this time at No. 4. That means Jos Buttler, who promises aggression and unorthodoxy that can test India, must wait for his chance on this trip. With the presence of allrounders in the side, England are likely to play six bowlers: three quick and three slow.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Haseeb Hameed, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Gareth Batty

Pitch and conditions

This is Rajkot’s Test debut, but first-class numbers at this relatively new ground hold enough hints of what to expect: 20 five-wicket hauls for spinners in 16 matches. In Jadeja’s last match here, all 39 wickets falling to bowlers went to spinners. Jadeja took 13. There are cracks running across the length of this pitch although there patches of green too. Having said that, it is nothing England won’t expect given the recent trend of pitches in Asia – barring the UAE. If it is any consolation for them, this pitch is not expected to turn as much or as early as the ones in Bangladesh did.The outfield and the square are lush green to discourage reverse swing, but it is likely reverse will be down to humidity. England did extract reverse swing in Bangladesh, and the air in Gujarat is way drier than in Bangladesh.

Stats and trivia

• India have taken part in 33 series of five Tests or more. They have never won more than two Tests in any of them
• Stuart Broad will become the 14th England player to play 100 Tests. He averages 145.5 against India in away Tests against 17.79 at home
• R Ashwin averaged 52.64 in the last home series against England, but since then Ashwin has taken 99 wickets in four home series at an average of 16.56
• England have the best record for teams visiting India since 2000, winning three and losing four Tests
• Virat Kohli averages 20.12 against England. He has done better against every other opponent.

Quotes

“The mindset is to not compete anymore, it is to win every Test and series. For that you have to be at your A game all the time, and keep improving your A game.”
Virat Kohli has high ambitions, and hopes to match them with the hard work and skill
“We are coming as massive underdogs, there’s no doubt about that. Obviously India have got to No.1 in the world and played some brilliant cricket here, so we’re very aware this is a huge challenge. We’ll have to learn very quickly. But also we’ve got nothing to fear, because not many of our side have actually played cricket over here.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder has said he is a fan of the concept of day-night Test cricket, urging players to give the format a chance on the eve of his team’s maiden pink-ball Test against Pakistan in Dubai. Holder said he felt the day-night format would give Test cricket the push it needs to sustain itself in the modern cricket market.”I like the concept and I think it is one that should be there to stay,” he said. “We have to give a chance to something new. Obviously, teams might first take time to adjust to it. Test cricket needs that bit of impetus, needs a bit of a push, and I think, possibly, day and night cricket could be it.”The day-night concept has had its share of support from various corners, including Holder’s counterpart, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who recently stated that the “future belongs to night Tests.” Various concerns remain, nonetheless, on the durability and visibility of the ball. “It is a new thing with the pink ball, everybody is just trying to get accustomed to it,” Holder said. “I personally did not have big problems with the sighting.”Few of the players from the slip cordon said it was bit difficult to pick up, and also fielding square of the wicket, probably looking into the sun, it was difficult to sight. Having said that, it is what it is. Tomorrow starts the pink-ball Test, so we have got to adjust to it, we have got to just go there and just try to be as professional as we probably can.”Holder did have his doubts about the ball’s durability, though. “Personally, it does do a bit with the new ball. Five-six overs and after that it just stops a bit, and what I am basically concerned is just the condition of the ball, whether it will hold up,” he said. “Obviously, we had the experience of playing the warm-up game, and I reckon that around 30 to 40 overs, the ball starts to deteriorate and got really soft as well. It is interesting to see how it goes in this Test match, different conditions here in Dubai, and, hopefully, I just think the most important thing to do is keep it as simple as possible, just assess what the ball is doing, try your possible best and make it swing and move.”West Indies have struggled in the longer formats of late. Their previous Test assignment, against India at home, ended in a 2-0 defeat, with one match being affected by rain.”Obviously, it is a young team and we obviously went down in our last series. But it is a fresh series here and we had a pretty good lead-up to this Test series. We have been here quite a while, and most of the guys had a good camp in the Caribbean for the Test players alone, and they came here early and had a two-day game prior to the three-day game. I feel preparation, we have covered. It is just a matter of executing now. From the talks in the dressing room, everybody seems pretty confident, everybody is in good spirit, and so we can transfer on to the field of play.”West Indies did have some positives in that India series, however, most notably in the second Test where they salvaged what had seemed an improbable draw. Reduced to 48 for 4 and still trailing India by 256 runs in the second innings, Roston Chase led a stoic resistance as West Indies batted out 88.1 overs on the final day, scoring 340 runs while losing just two wickets.Holder said the talent was there in the team, it was just a matter of execution. “We have got some quality players. If you look down our line-up, Kraigg Brathwaite has been around for a little while and he has got a few centuries, Shane Dowrich came back into the squad in the last series and did well for himself. We have got the talent there, it is a matter of execution. We need to play some aggressive cricket.”

After a crushing 111-run loss in the opening match of the ODI series against Pakistan, Jason Holder has reiterated that West Indies take all three formats equally seriously, even if their results in Tests and ODIs have been well below the standard they have achieved in the shortest format. While West Indies place fourth in the T20I rankings and are the reigning World Champions in the format, they languish in eighth place in the Test and ODI rankings.”I think we focus equally on Test match cricket, T20 cricket and one-day cricket,” the West Indies Test and ODI captain said. “Results have shown that we have done better at T20 cricket over the recent past, but we don’t disregard any of the other two formats.”On this tour of the UAE, though, West Indies have failed to click in the T20s too, losing them 0-3 before Friday’s ODI mauling. Holder identified the batting as the main area in need of improvement. West Indies’ top order crumbled in all three T20s, and the batting failed once again in the first ODI with the side sliding to 175 all out in pursuit of 287.”In this situation, we need to turn things around and we really need to look at ways we can improve,” he said. “Obviously one big area is the batting. We did see off the new ball [in the ODI]. It’s just a matter of rotating the strike a bit better than we did today. I think once we do that we should go into the next match in better stead.”The next ODI in the three-match series will be played on Sunday in Sharjah.

ScorecardMitch Claydon cut through Worcestershire’s batting•Getty Images

Sam Billings became only the second Kent wicketkeeper to take seven catches in an innings while paceman Mitch Claydon bagged his best championship figures for the county as the hosts dominated the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Worcestershire.Having bundled the second-placed visitors out for 211 inside 74 overs, Kent went in at the close on 55 without loss to trail by 156 runs going into the second day of this 165th Canterbury Week match.In the 80 minutes through to stumps Kent’s openers Daniel Bell-Drummond (30*) and Sean Dickson (19*) suffered few alarms and will go into the second day with power to add.After a mid-day start, permitted under ECB regulations following Kent’s final Royal London Cup qualifying game at Hove on Tuesday evening, the hosts elected to bowl first after winning the toss at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.Visiting openers Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes were given a stern examination by Kent’s new ball pair of Matt Coles and Darren Stevens who conceded only one run off the bat in the opening seven overs.Emergency opener Rhodes finally got underway after 43 minutes and 27 balls faced when he nudged a single off Stevens through backward point off a thick outside edge.Mitchell became the only casualty of the morning session when he followed a Coles leg-cutter to edge behind as a combative first session ended with the visitors on 63 for 1.Kent bossed the mid-session claiming six wickets – four of them during Claydon’s 20-ball purple patch of four for nine. Having added six to his lunchtime score, Fell was squared up on the back-foot by Coles to be caught behind for 34, then Rhodes’s 160-minute stay as emergency opener ended when he pushed at one from Claydon to also edge behind.Billings claimed his fourth catch of the day when Kohler-Cadmore gloved an attempted hook shot against a Claydon bouncer. Ten runs on, left-handed Whiteley drove hard at Claydon only to be caught in the gulley by on-loan Nottinghamshire all-rounder Will Gidman, two-handed and diving away to his left. Claydon then enticed Cox into a rash shot outside off that resulted in a fifth catch for Billings.Billings made it six when Joe Leach (16) nicked a push-drive against Gidman, but Joe Clarke lightened Worcestershire’s gloom by raising his 81-ball 50 with seven fours just before tea.After the interval Ed Barnard (25) gave off-spinner James Tredwell the charge to lose middle stump, then Kyle Abbott drove hard at Claydon to be caught behind and spark further Kentish celebration. Claydon’s 5 for 42 were his best since joining from Durham in 2013 while Billings joined Steve Marsh as the only Kent gloveman to have taken seven or more catches in an innings.Tredwell wrapped the innings up, having Clarke caught at slip for a top-scoring 69 from 124 balls faced.

ScorecardAdam Lyth scored nearly half Yorkshire’s total•Getty Images

Adam Lyth’s double hundred was the main feature of the final day at The Oval as, after the loss of 142 overs to inclement weather in the opening two days, the players of Surrey and Yorkshire bowed to the inevitable at 5pm and shook hands on a rain-ruined draw.What started as a keenly anticipated Specsavers County Championship clash petered out tamely with part-time spinners enjoying a twirl in the hallowed surrounds of the The Oval where Surrey reached 106 for 1, 38 overs into their second innings – to still trail by 34 runs when stumps were drawn.The relegation threatened hosts banked 10 points for their fourth draw of the campaign, while Yorkshire, who move up to fourth on the table, took home 13 points after dominating much of the play that was possible over four bleak days in SE11.Having batted on well into the mid-session, the visitors left themselves a minimum of 52 overs to pull off an unlikely win but, despite ringing the bat with close fielders, they could only pick up the wicket of Rory Burns.Off balance and working to leg against the first delivery from spinner Azeem Rafiq, Burns chipped back a return catch to go for 14. It proved Yorkshire’s only success of a dull afternoon that had started in confusion when a new umpire appeared out in the middle. It emerged that Neil Bainton had been taken ill during the interval break and had been replaced at the start of Surrey’s second innings by Tony Pigott, the ECB’s appointed cricket liaison officer for the fixture.The day began with all eyes on Lyth, who seemingly had his sights set on improving his career-best 251scored in the 2014 Roses match at Old Trafford. He lost his first partner of the day after 75 minutes’ play when Zafar Ansari bowled Steven Patterson to end a fourth wicket-stand with Lyth that added 91 inside 26 overs.Lyth carried on where he had left off on day three, posting his 150 off 233 balls and with 15 fours and a brace of sixes but Patterson, who had just reached an 87-ball 50 with seven fours, had his timbers rearranged by Ansari with Yorkshire 20 ahead on first innings.Adil Rashid might have departed with his score on 2 when he skied to long-on only to see Jason Roy down a steepling catch off Ansari. The blunder hardly mattered, however, as Ansari got his man caught at slip to make it 324 for 5, which brought Tim Bresnan to the crease. He lasted 11 deliveries before missing an attempted slog-sweep against Gareth Batty to depart lbw for 3.Liam Plunkett joined forces with Lyth to up the run-rate either side of lunch with Plunkett plundering three fours and two sixes in his cameo 37 that ended with a run out. Having clattered the ball to deep cover, Plunkett called for a chancy second run only to be beaten home by the throw to the striker’s end.Lyth marched on to his double hundred, reaching the landmark with an uppercut for six that cleared the ropes at third man off a Stuart Meaker bouncer. It was Lyth’s fifth six, to go with 17 boundaries in his 291-ball innings.Meaker got his man next ball up, however, when Lyth, in aiming to clear the ropes again, skied to proffer a simple catch to Steven Davies, keeping wicket in place of the injured Ben Foakes.Though they had 400 on the board for maximum bonus points, Yorkshire batted on allowing Tom Curran to pick up the wicket of Andrew Hodd following a stunning diving catch in the covers by Rory Burns. David Willey then holed out to deep midwicket to end the innings.

ScorecardLiam Dawson ensured Hampshire had the foundations to control the match•Getty Images

Liam Dawson, an England matchwinner last week, rallied to his county’s cause as Hampshire enjoyed a welcome day of prosperity as they again try to find a way to preserve their Division One place. The skills required to influence an international T20 differ hugely from those demanded by four-day Championship cricket but confidence is a transferable factor whatever the discipline.The 26-year-old allrounder made his mark with the ball as England beat Sri Lanka, taking 3 for 27 on his senior international debut on his home Southampton ground. His impact on the first day here was with the bat, where his first century of the season helped Hampshire reach a strong position. Called up for England Lions in between, it has been a good few days for him.Hampshire desperately need a win. They escaped relegation by two points last season and went into this match at the bottom of the Division One table, 23 points from safety. Win here, though, and they might have a chance of beating the drop again. Nottinghamshire, whom they meet at Trent Bridge next month, have played two matches more. Moreover, it was by winning at Trent Bridge on the last day that Hampshire clinched survival.On a flat pitch on which he may have an important role to play with the ball as the match progresses, Dawson encountered few difficult moments until he was out, struck in front by Keith Barker not long after Warwickshire had taken the second new ball, playing across one that shaped back in. Having faced precisely 200 balls, he had hit 13 fours and one six, coming out best in a prolonged battle with Jeetan Patel, Warwickshire’s canny offspinner.”It’s a pretty flat pitch but you still have to get the runs and I’m happy to have helped put us in with a chance of making a big score,” Dawson said.”Playing for England in a T20 is very different from four-day cricket and although you gain confidence from playing well in any format I find red-ball cricket harder, to be honest. It is a test of concentration over long periods so it is very pleasing to come out with a hundred today.”Dawson shared partnerships of 81 with 20-year-old Tom Alsop for the third wicket and 155 with Adam Wheater for the fourth. Wheater closed unbeaten on 89 and after pulling Barker for a meaty six and might have completed a century of his own had the dismissal of Dawson not forced him to switch to conservation mode for the day’s closing overs.The left-hander Alsop, playing in only his ninth first-class match, completed an attractive fifty before failing in his attempt to attack Josh Poysden, Warwickshire’s rookie legspinner, the ball flying off the top edge to Patel at mid-off as he tried to hit over midwicket.The runs added by the three combined made up for a somewhat stodgy start by Hampshire, who had crawled to just 63 from almost 28 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Jimmy Adams, in particular, found it hard to make progress against Patel, who was bowling from as early as the sixth over and opened with four consecutive maidens.Adams had flicked a ball from Barker off his legs for four in the first over of the match but thereafter scored only two more runs from 76 deliveries. He then drew ironic applause from spectators by hitting consecutive boundaries off Patel, only to be out in the next over, driving straight to Ian Bell at midwicket.Like Hampshire, third-placed Warwickshire have gone in with two spinners in an unchanged side from the one that beat Surrey handsomely at Guildford last week, when Patel took five wickets in each innings.It was particularly unfortunate, then, that they should lose fast bowler Boyd Rankin after the Irishman was forced off the field with a back problem after bowling just one over, leaving Barker and Rikki Clarke as their only pace options. Warwickshire are hopeful that Rankin will be fit to bowl in the second innings.Hampshire have not many fast bowlers fit even to be considered for selection. Ryan McLaren has joined James Tomlinson, Reece Topley, Fidel Edwards, Chris Wood and Ryan Stevenson among six currently sidelined, while Tino Best has been left out to be kept fresh for the critical fixture against Surrey at the Ageas Bowl next week.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said the board is in talks with former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed for the post of Bangladesh’s bowling coach.”We are in touch with Aaqib Javed,” Hassan said. “Our CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed us that we will get an answer from him – yes or no – by day after tomorrow (Tuesday). We are also discussing if we can talk about the alternatives.”The position became vacant when Heath Streak decided not to continue as the bowling coach last month.Aaqib, who stepped down as the UAE coach in April, is also the director of cricket operations with Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.So far, the BCB has been in discussions with three other candidates.

Middlesex 319 for 1 (Holden 137*, Williamson 88*, Robson 57) vs NorthamptonshireMiddlesex’s Max Holden plundered an unbeaten century as he and New Zealand star Kane Williamson piled up runs on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship clash against Northamptonshire.Holden, opening to accommodate Williamson’s red-ball debut for the county at number three, batted right through the day for 137, his third ton of the season, with the pair adding an uninterrupted 197 to reach 319 for one at Merchant Taylors’ School.Sam Robson (57) shared a stand of 122 with Holden before Williamson – sampling his first taste of Championship cricket since he featured for Yorkshire in 2018 – weighed in with an unbeaten 88.It was a testing day for Northamptonshire, with Ben Sanderson their only successful bowler after they inserted the hosts in overcast conditions, while Rob Keogh sustained a serious-looking finger injury attempting to catch Williamson’s ferocious drive.With Northamptonshire skipper Luke Procter absent for personal reasons, Lewis McManus took the reins for the first time in red-ball cricket and fulfilled his first duty by winning the toss.However, his bowlers went through the morning session wicketless, despite a tricky opening spell by Sanderson – with Holden taking his time to settle, facing 20 deliveries before he got off the mark with a single.First change Dom Leech struggled for consistency and Robson took advantage to steer him for successive fours as Middlesex picked up the pace, with Holden also unfurling a couple of classy straight drives to the boundary.Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal entered the attack as early as the 15th over, extracting turn as he began with two maidens, but Holden danced down the wicket to take him on, driving and sweeping with confidence.Having reached lunch with 90 on the board, the Middlesex pair advanced their partnership into three figures and Robson won the race to his half-century, pulling Liam Guthrie for two boundaries in an over.But the opener departed in the next, caught behind leg-glancing Sanderson and that slowed the batting side’s progress, although Williamson opened his account with a sweetly-driven cover boundary off Liam Guthrie.Holden moved on to 50 with a swiped hook that flew to the rope, but soon afterwards the left-hander survived a sharp chance to short leg off Chahal – now operating in an all-spin attack alongside Keogh.Displaying exquisite timing and placement, especially on the off side, Williamson mastered the bowling and progressed to his half-century just three balls ahead of Holden’s hundred, courtesy of a back-foot punch for four off Chahal.The Indian spinner returned for another spell earlier than expected after tea, with Keogh forced from the field after making a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to catch Williamson’s rocket drive off his own bowling.Holden pummelled Leech for another four to lift the partnership beyond 150 and, following the last of the day’s three brief rain stoppages, he and Williamson resumed the Middlesex offensive.Williamson cut Saif Zaib to the fence and then lifted his next ball effortlessly over the top for six but, with the new ball due and the light continuing to worsen, the umpires called a halt to proceedings.

Ireland batter Peter Moor has retired at the age of 34 after playing 15 Tests, 49 ODIs and 21 T20Is.Moor, who was born in Harare, had begun his international career with Zimbabwe before moving to Ireland. He played his last international game in February this year – the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.He made his international debut for Zimbabwe in November 2014, in an ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. His T20I and Test debut came in 2016, against Afghanistan and New Zealand respectively. Moor played eight Tests and all his 49 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Zimbabwe.He qualified to play for Ireland in October 2022 – he had an Irish passport as his paternal grandmother was Irish – and was first selected in their squad for the Test tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in March-April 2023. He went on to play seven Tests for Ireland.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo in the lead-up to his first Test for Ireland, Moor had said: “I still believe I’ve got three or four years of good cricket in me at the top level. Even though I might have missed out on a few World Cups for Zimbabwe in the last few years, I hope I can play for Ireland at the next one.”However, Moor never played an ODI or a T20I for Ireland. His Test performances also dipped after he moved: he had averaged 35.53 with five fifties in eight Tests for Zimbabwe, but only 14.35 with one half-century for Ireland. The only fifty for Ireland, though, came in a victory against Zimbabwe in July 2024.Moor retired as one of 17 cricketers to have played Tests for two different countries.

Maia Bouchier put her hand to her mouth but she couldn’t conceal the broad, relieved grin for long.Bouchier had reached 92 when she was adjudged not out lbw after attempting to pull a Jess Kerr delivery which struck her low on the back pad, and New Zealand’s bid to overturn the decision was denied on umpire’s call. A maiden century was still on the menu.The moment was a precursor – an amuse-bouche, if you will – to a tense passage of play in which Bouchier, who had been in the 90s twice before at international level and never scored a century in professional ranks, set about reaching the milestone with the help of a cool-headed Nat Sciver-Brunt.”You’ve just got to take those as they come and I was just super happy it was umpire’s call,” Bouchier said after her Player-of-the-Match performance in an eight-wicket win for England in the second ODI at Worcester, which put the hosts 2-0 up in the three-match series.”They call them the nervous nineties for a reason. I try not to think too far ahead and it was nice to have Nat come in and be that calm voice. At the start of the game she did our little speech in our huddle and she just said. ‘one ball at a time’. That’s exactly what she said to me when I was on 96 and she just said, ‘keep thinking one ball at a time, watch and react’. My heart rate was going through the roof, but she really calmed me down, so that was pretty good.”England needed eight more to overhaul the target when Bouchier had her stroke of luck, having bowled New Zealand out for a mere 141 thanks to Sophie Ecclestone’s 5 for 25.Bouchier sent the next ball skywards and it dropped short of long-off as she and Sciver-Brunt scampered two, then two singles took her past her previous best, 95 scored in the third ODI against Sri Lanka last September.Danni Wyatt, padded up outside the dressing-room ready to come in next, could barely watch, holding her breath behind cupped hands as the tension rose. Would Bouchier run out of runs to get? It was possible after Ecclestone’s outstanding performance with the ball.Sciver-Brunt lightened the mood somewhat as she blocked the remaining four balls of Molly Penfold’s over to great cheers from the crowd, including a full toss which she prodded to mid-on where Sophie Devine even tried to lure an attempted run by taking a step back. But the England batters were having none of it and Sciver-Brunt succeeded in handing Bouchier the strike, facing Jess Kerr with four more runs needed to win.Related

• Lauren Bell stars with five wickets as Nat Sciver-Brunt puts seal on 3-0 sweep

• Ecclestone five-for, Bouchier century help England seal ODI series against New Zealand

• Tammy Beaumont hopes 'ruthless' victory is sign of inspiration to come

• Heather Knight: New Zealand ODIs offer chance for World Cup experimentation

• Dean, Beaumont, Bouchier lead New Zealand rout

Bouchier tucked Kerr’s first delivery to backward square leg and ran two more. Then, after a dot ball pushed towards point, Bouchier struck the next into space through midwicket and took off for the two runs she needed to reach her ton and seal the win for England inside 25 overs.”I didn’t really know what Nat was thinking in terms of just getting the runs for the team, but when she started blocking a full-toss, I kind of knew and it was great that she was there at the end with me,” Bouchier said. “It was an unspoken communication that we both agreed on.”It was on England’s successful tour of New Zealand earlier this year that Bouchier established herself at the top of the order, particularly in their five T20Is, where she had scores of 43 not out, 12, 71, 91 and 6 as England claimed the series 4-1.In last Wednesday’s first ODI, which England won by nine wickets in Durham, Bouchier scored 67 in a 137-run stand with Tammy Beaumont, who was not out 76.In Worcester, Bouchier took charge, particularly after Beaumont was run out for 28, having shared a 73-run opening stand with Bouchier.Bouchier was on 42 at that point and peeled off five fours in the space of eight balls following Beaumont’s dismissal, four of them off one Devine over. She struck 17 boundaries in all and faced 88 balls for her 100 not out.”I’ve just started to trust myself more and I’ve got a lot more confidence in the way I play and not forcing it really,” she said. “That’s a big thing for me. I time the ball quite well and that’s one of my big strengths, so using those as much as I can.”