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And can Ireland nullify any such calculations with their first win against India across formats?

Vishal Dikshit22-Aug-2023

Big Picture – Will Bumrah give chances to Jitesh, Shahbaz and Avesh?

India have largely achieved what they wanted from this Ireland series. Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna have made excellent returns to form and fitness and have subsequently been drafted into the Asia Cup squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad has returned to the T20I set-up with one unbeaten knock and one quick half-century. Sanju Samson looked fluent during his 40 in the second T20I before Rinku Singh sparkled on what was effectively his debut. Shivam Dube has auditioned as the back-up for Hardik Pandya’s role – although he could do with some more wickets. And Ravi Bishnoi grabbed four wickets in the two games after going wicketless in his only outing in the Caribbean. And, India have the series in the bag.So now they can turn attentions to the players who’ve been on the bench in Malahide. Jitesh Sharma could be given his India cap and bat in the lower middle order with licence to showcase his hit-from-ball-one skills. Shahbaz Ahmed could also come in – confident after his haul of wickets in the Deodhar Trophy – to give India another all-round option while resting the more-established Washington Sundar. And Avesh Khan, once such a promising force with the white ball, could do with another chance to prove he has ironed out his flaws.Ireland will have to step up big time with both bat and ball to give India a fight. In the first game, they slumped to 59 for 6 against two bowlers returning from injury, who were not yet at their peak. Opting to bowl in the second match, all India’s batters bar one flourished, Ireland leaked too many in the death overs, and their top four batters – barring Andy Balbirnie – couldn’t find answers to Prasidh’s short balls and Bishnoi’s wrong ‘un.Related

• Avesh Khan ready for reboot after being 'all over the place'

Even if they leak runs again, which isn’t a crime in T20s, Ireland’s batters will have to shoulder most of the responsibility if they want to register their first win against India after ten unsuccessful attempts.

Form guide

India WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LLLWW

In the spotlight – Shivam Dube and Paul Stirling

Allrounder Shivam Dube had a second coming of sorts in the IPL this year with the bat. He had his most prolific season – 418 runs at a strike rate 158.33, including a whopping 35 sixes (second-most in IPL 2023), while also averaging 38. More than half of those runs and 22 of those 35 sixes came against spin, though, and the conditions in Ireland are as different as they could get from Chennai (his home base at the IPL) – soggy, overcast, and quicker, bouncier, greener tracks. He faced only pace in the second T20I and scored 22 not out off 16 balls. His challenge will be to score more off the short stuff should it come his way, and be a wicket-taking option in the middle overs in conditions that better suit him.Paul Stirling has been scoring all around the world in the last couple of years – in the Vitality Blast and the Hundred in England, at the Lanka Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, the Caribbean Premier League and the SA20, apart from in international cricket. He
took the added responsibility of the captaincy from Balbirnie in July, but he hasn’t scored much against the No. 1 T20I side in this series. He fell to Bishnoi’s googly in the series opener before being bounced out by Prasidh for a duck and, with Ireland’s batting under pressure, Stirling will be eager to end the series with a significant contribution.

Team news – Will Theo van Woerkom get a debut?

Samson could hand over the wicketkeeper-batter reins to Jitesh, Shahbaz could come in for Washington, and Avesh for Arshdeep Singh, since Bumrah and Prasidh would want more game time before the Asia Cup. The only question would be whether India would want to make as many as three changes.India (possible XI): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Rinku Singh, 5 Sanju Samson/Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar/Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Arshdeep Singh/Avesh Khan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Jasprit Bumrah (capt), 11 Prasidh Krishna.Ireland have used the same XI in both games and, with nothing more to lose, they could also hand a debut to Christchurch-born left-arm spinner Theo van Woerkom. He was part of New Zealand’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2012 but has qualified for Ireland, with an Irish background on his mother’s side. He could come in for legspinner Ben White. They could also try out Ross Adair (Mark Adair’s brother) at the top or batting allrounder Gareth Delany in the middle.Ireland (possible XI): 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Andy Balbirnie, 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Mark Adair, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Fionn Hand/Craig Young, 10 Josh Little, 11 Ben White/Theo van Woerkom.

Stats and trivia

• Paul Stirling is fifth among the all-time T20I run-scorers, behind the high-profile names of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill and Babar Azam. He will overtake Babar on Wednesday if he scores more than 77.
• Bumrah’s economy rate in this series so far is just 4.88 – no other bowler has gone at under six an over.

Pitch and conditions

Wednesday is expected to be mildly sunny in patches, with more of cloud cover and windiness and some rain expected. The temperature is expected to settle just under 20 degrees Celsius. There are more chances of rain later in the evening especially so, with a 3pm local time start, we should get a completed game squeezed in, even if it is interrupted.

He insists that the final won’t be about Muzumdar vs Pandit and wants the spotlight to be firmly on the players

Shashank Kishore21-Jun-2022The Mumbai team haven’t had lengthy meetings. There have been no long messages or speeches either. Players have been left to prepare the way they want to and figure out what works best for them and what doesn’t. This doesn’t mean the players have been left to fend for themselves. It’s just a way to make players more responsible for their own actions.Amol Muzumdar, the man guiding them, has seen it all during a two-decade-long first-class career. Even as a player, he invariably played the role of a mentor towards the end of his career, especially once he left Mumbai to play for Assam and Andhra. He has also been involved with Netherlands, South Africa and in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals. Much of his coaching philosophy is born from his varied experiences in cricket.Muzumdar is clear this is not about him. He has won the Ranji Trophy as a captain and has been part of several title-winning teams. His opposite number, Chandrakant Pandit, has had a tremendous track record as coach, plotting title wins with Mumbai and Vidarbha in the past. Now, he is looking to shepherd Madhya Pradesh to their first title.Muzumdar and Pandit are old friends and team-mates. The mutual respect is evident, but the competitive streak hasn’t been lost. Muzumdar is mindful of not wanting to make this Mumbai vs Pandit or Muzumdar vs Pandit, as tempting as it may be to hype up the match along those lines.”It’s all about the players,” he stated firmly on the eve of the match. “Of course, every team has its own engine room, but at the same time the main focus has to be the players. He [Pandit] is a proven customer. This is my first season [as coach]; his must be the umpteenth season. I wouldn’t like to compare. He has been there, done that.”Muzumdar spelt out his priorities clearly the day he was appointed head coach in June 2021. “Getting back on track in red-ball cricket” was written in bold. Through the course of a Covid-shortened season, the focus was on building a core group of young players who could serve Mumbai cricket for many years to come. And so far, the signs are promising.This will be Mumbai’s first appearance in a Ranji final since 2016-17•Special Arrangement

“When I took up this job, all the entire association asked about was getting back in red-ball cricket,” he said. “That was our main focus. Coming so far, we’ve slightly tried to achieve that. Credit to the boys, they’re on track. Red-ball cricket was a concern for everyone from Mumbai. Looking at the last five-six years, even you guys [journalists] must have thought so.”But the guys have done splendidly well. The focus was on how to get gen-next hooked on to deliver in Ranji Trophy. With this kind of performance, we’re pushing towards it. I am certain these guys would serve Mumbai for a long time.”Yashasvi Jaiswal has only featured in three first-class games but has already racked up three hundreds. Prithvi Shaw’s talent has never been in question; he remains the “leader of the pack” even if his temperament for long-form cricket and technical adjustments remain focus areas.Suved Parkar missed out on a chance to represent India at the Under-19 World Cup two years ago but comes into the final with a reputation of being a marathon batter, much like Muzumdar. Then there’s Armaan Jaffer, a prolific age-group run-getter who has finally brought all that promise to the first-class level with a maiden century in the semi-finals.Sarfaraz Khan’s form has been pandemic-proof; he leads this shortened season’s run-charts by a mile with 803 runs in seven innings, including three hundreds. He is 297 runs ahead of Rajat Patidar, his nearest competitor in the final. This hunger for big runs in the dressing room augurs well for the future. Muzumdar underlines the culture and “processes” – that boring cliche – for helping bring about a change in mindset that first-class cricket is as important as the IPL.”I personally believe it is about the process and culture you have in the dressing room and automatically players will buy into that,” he said. “We’ve tried to do that, almost all of the [players] have bought into the future. Yes, IPL is a culture where people go in and play but they shouldn’t forget their roots, which is domestic cricket.”

Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera and Lakshan Sandakan not part of 17-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2021Pathum Nissanka has earned a maiden call-up for the two Tests against West Indies for which fit-again Dimuth Karunaratne will lead Sri Lanka’s 17-man squad. Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera and Lakshan Sandakan were missing from the squad which included allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva, who had missed the two Tests against England in January with a thigh injury.Nissanka, the 22-year-old top-order batsman, has already impressed in the ongoing T20Is in the West Indies with scores of 39 off 34 and 37 off 23. He has also been a consistent performer in first-class cricket, maintaining an average of 67.54 across the 59 long-format innings he has played so far. In those innings, he has hit 13 hundreds and 13 fifties. Middle-order batsman Roshen Silva has also impressed in domestic cricket, but has not played a Test in over two years.Karunaratne missed the England Tests with a finger fracture he suffered on the tour of South Africa during his century at the Wanderers, but will now return to lead both the ODI and Test sides.On the fast-bowling front, Sri Lanka are missing Lahiru Kumara, who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two weeks, but have the likes of Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando available. Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya will likely be Sri Lanka’s primary spinner following his good performances against England at home. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga is also available, in addition to the offspin of de Silva. Ramesh Mendis – if he plays – offers another offspin option.Sri Lanka lost their last four Tests – two away to South Africa, and two at home to England – but were seriously hampered by injuries through those series. Several important players are missing from this Test squad as well, but the return of captain Karunaratne will be especially heartening. De Silva’s return is also significant, particularly as he adds balance to the Test XI with his offspin.Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Dasun Shanaka, Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Embuldeniya

Cameron Green helped lift Western Australia after an afternoon collapse against Cameron Gannon

Alex Malcolm02-Nov-2019Shaun Marsh continued his tantalising form with another half century but a skilful spell of seam bowling from Cameron Gannon helped Queensland restrict Western Australia on an even first day of the Sheffield Shield clash at the Gabba.Marsh, playing his 100th Shield match for Western Australia, salvaged the visitors innings with a sumptuous 77 after they had slumped to 2 for 2 in the third over having been sent in to bat.Marsh struck 13 elegant boundaries in his 167-ball innings. He looked set for another hundred but fell just after tea, getting an inside edge onto pad to be caught at short leg off Mitch Swepson.Marsh now has scores of 77, 82, 85, 85 and 214 in 10 innings for Western Australia across both the Marsh Cup and the Shield this summer although it is unlikely he will be recalled to the Test team.After Marsh’s departure, Western Australia collapsed at the hands of Gannon. Having lured Sam Whiteman into a false drive with his first ball of the day Gannon returned after tea to take three more wickets and leave Western Australia struggling at 7 for 171, having been 2 for 120 prior to tea following a 118-run stand between Marcus Stoinis (44) and Marsh.However, Queensland would not take another wicket for the day with promising allrounder Cameron Green and Jhye Richardson combining for an unbeaten 84-run partnership before bad light stopped play. Green looked very comfortable in making his maiden first-class half-century in his 11th innings and he got good support from Richardson who remained 35 not out.Earlier, there were further concerns for Test aspirant Cameron Bancroft who was caught at leg gully for a duck. It is the third time in three Shield matches he has been dismissed in such fashion.

With Trent Bridge meandering to a draw, Yorkshire thoughts soon turned to a Roses match that could determine both sides’ fate

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge07-Sep-20181:22

Warwickshire’s lead cut as Division Two heats up

ScorecardYorkshire’s thoughts soon turned to next week’s Roses match as play ended with handshakes at 4.20pm as a slow-moving, often attritional contest from drifted to its inevitable conclusion after the rain-reduced third day.Contained within the first half-hour were pretty much all the significant developments on the final day. Tom Kohler-Cadmore completed his maiden first-class century as a Yorkshire player – well-deserved, too – and Yorkshire made the 43 they had needed overnight to claim a fifth batting bonus point.It is the first time this season that Yorkshire have collected all five and will give them a much-needed sense of stability ahead of a contest that could decide the fate of both counties. It leaves them still next to bottom of the Division One table, still behind Lancashire, but only by one point and with a game in hand.A Roses match is always an occasion but next week’s encounter at Headingley, the latest in terms of starting date in the rivalry’s history, thus has more riding on it than most. If there is a positive outcome, whoever wins probably sends the other one down.Certainly, in Lancashire’s case, a victory looks imperative, with only Hampshire at the Rose Bowl to follow. Yorkshire, who won handsomely at Old Trafford in July even with James Anderson in Lancashire’s line-up, are unbeaten in the last five first-class Roses matches.”It’s a massive game,” first-team coach Andrew Gale said. “The ones that come after will be big too, but in the context of things, with both of us where we are in the table, the Lancashire game is huge.”But we have come away from this game after a difficult few weeks having played well, winning the key passages of play. Tom Kohler-Cadmore showed what a good player he is and the batting display overall was really solid.”The lads have got a spring in their step again and we know if we play well over a long enough period of time at Headingley we will win the game. Maybe there is a little bit more pressure on them with one game less to come but they are a good side and they will be confident too.”That aforementioned half-hour was the most exciting of the match, the crucial 110th over – bowled by Samit Patel, which Yorkshire began still needing seven for 400 – a contest all of its own.A single from Kohler-Cadmore preceded a dot ball before Tim Bresnan took a comfortable leg-bye, then Kohler-Cadmore, giving himself room to go inside out against the left-arm spinner, was bowled leg stump. It meant that, with five still needed, new batsman Matthew Waite – playing in only his third first-class match – effectively had to score off his first ball, if only to get Bresnan down to the striker’s end for the last one.The two batsmen conferred in the middle, where the 22-year-old presumably said something along the lines of ‘leave it to me’ to his senior partner. Confidently stepping down the pitch, he drove his first ball through the covers for four and the next past mid-on with the same outcome. Job done. “That’s what you get with young players,” Gale said. “He was fearless.”Waite, who later swept Patel for consecutive sixes, had been Yorkshire’s most effective bowler, also, which would make his omission against Lancashire look a little harsh, although with Steve Patterson likely to return after injury and Ben Coad a possible too Yorkshire may have to decide between him, the legspinner Josh Poysden and the pace of Mathew Pillans, the new arrival from Surrey, who conceded 128 runs in 30 overs in this match without taking a wicket.One selection not in doubt is Kohler-Cadmore, who rounded off his fifth career first-class century by pulling and glancing Harry Gurney for consecutive fours before raising his bat towards the Yorkshire balcony, where all the players and coaching staff had lined up to applaud what had been a measured innings of high quality.Patel, who had not bowled as many overs in an innings since sending down 60 of Durham’s 171 in a September match at Chester-le-Street in 2009, showed patience of a different kind to come through such a long test of his mental agility and was rewarded with 6-114, his best figures in the Championship since his career-best 7-68 against Hampshire in July 2011 and, slightly surprisingly, given his aggregate, only the fifth five-wicket haul of his career.The last of the six, neatly enough, was his 300th first-class wicket for Nottinghamshire as Jake Libby, fielding under the helmet on the off-side, snapped up a catch to dismiss Jack Brooks, to be followed quickly by a first for the county for Libby’s occasional offspin as Bresnan, whose 82-ball half-century had been important in winning the extra point, was well taken at mid-on for 80, his highest Championship score for two years.Nottinghamshire, whose left-arm seamer Harry Gurney left the field mid-over after feeling tightness in a calf, faced 31 fairly meaningless overs in what remained. Jack Brooks did not bowl for Yorkshire, who felt it better to give him more rest ahead of next week. Matthew Fisher and David Willey, who also missed this match, will be assessed over the weekend, although Gale is reluctant to take risks with anyone’s fitness, even with so much at stake.

Durham are in danger of becoming the doormats of the north group in the NatWest T20 Blast after Nottinghamshire wiped the floor with them

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2017
ScorecardRiki Wessels saw Notts home•Getty Images

Durham are in danger of becoming the doormats of the north group in the NatWest T20 Blast after Nottinghamshire wiped the floor with them. Notts won by nine wickets with four overs to spare at Chester-le-Street against an inexperienced side who, after five games, remain on minus four points.Being obliged to start with that four-point deficit cannot have helped the morale of a side shorn of five players from the team which reached last year’s final.All out for 123 with 11 balls unused, there was no attempt to exert pressure as 18-year-old debutant Liam Trevaskis was asked to bowl the first over and Alex Hales hit the left-arm spinner for two fours.When Durham’s T20 skipper Paul Coughlin came on for the third over Hales twice drove him straight down the ground. With 15 coming off the over Hales set about finishing it as quickly as possible, only to be bowled for 44 when going down the pitch to Trevaskis in the seventh over.There were already 69 on the board and Riki Wessels was able to continue his good form by coasting to an unbeaten 49. Brendan Taylor finished the match with a six over long-on off Ryan Pringle to finish on 33 not out.Any chance of a contest looked remote from the moment Durham slipped to 8 for 2 after ten balls. They were briefly revived by Graham Clark with 41 off 27 balls, but from 54 for 2 Durham slipped to 65 for 6 with Samit Patel picking up three wickets.On the day he was awarded a full contract until the end of the 2019 season, Cameron Steel cut the first ball of the match, from Patel, for four. But after adding two singles he lifted left-arm seamer Luke Wood’s first ball to extra cover.Paul Collingwood was moved up to No. 3 but fell for nought, skying a pull off Wood to backward square leg. Clark cut, pulled and drove three fours in taking 15 off the first five balls of a Jake Ball over, only for Michael Richardson to bottom edge the sixth into his stumps.Patel was recalled and had Clark caught behind when aiming to leg. Jack Burnham’s fierce drive to extra cover was well held above his head by Dan Christian then Stuart Poynter played all round Patel’s next ball.Coughlin and Pringle could afford few risks but did well to add 39 before Pringle pulled Steven Mullaney straight to deep backward square. Smart work by Mullaney saw Coughlin run out and Barry McCarthy stumped by Tom Moores off Ish Sodi before last man Chris Rushworth lofted to mid-off.It was a tame end to a stuttering innings, leaving Nottinghamshire with a simple task to complete their third successive win.

Callum Jackson answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2016
ScorecardAneurin Donald made runs during a dreary final day•Getty Images

Callum Jackson, who was released by Sussex last year because of financial cutbacks, answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation.There was little prospect of a result to the game once 104.1 overs had been lost during the first two days, with both teams content with bonus points, although Glamorgan, despite their 12 points, remain at the bottom of Division 2.Had the weather not intervened, there could have been an interesting final day, with Kent chasing a target on a pitch that favoured the seamers.Callum Jackson•ECB

Glamorgan resumed on 22 for 0 on the final morning, but added only seven runs before Jacques Rudolph again failed, pulling a short delivery from Mitchell Claydon to the fielder stationed on the long leg boundary. Mark Wallace, another senior batsman in need of runs, mixed caution with aggression to add 52 with Will Bragg- before Bragg was bowled by Matt Coles for 22. Wallace went on to score 52 with seven fours, until he touched one to Jackson.Callum Jackson•ECB

Chris Cooke quickly followed, leg before playing across a delivery from Claydon, who then dismissed David Lloyd three balls later with the combined efforts of three fielders; the batsman edged the ball to fourth slip who diverted to third slip and eventually to Tom Latham at second slip who held on to spare his colleagues’ blushes.Aneurin Donald and Graham Wagg then averted a total collapse by adding 80 for the sixth wicket, with Donald, scoring an attractive 67- his third championship fifty of the season- from 68 balls with nine boundaries. Wagg went on to score his second fifty of the game, exceed 500 runs for the third successive season, being particularly severe on James Tredwell’s off spin whom he struck for 22 in one over.He was undefeated on 64, and now needs only 42 more runs to become Glamorgan’s leading run scorer in the championship this season .Both teams shook hands at 4.55pm when Glamorgan declared at 279 for 6- a lead of 348.Rudolph was pleased by his team’s overall performance- especially the two seamers Michael Hogan and Timm Van Der Gugten- and felt that” had we not lost so much time because of the weather, we could have won the game. But we are on an upward curve, and we are not far away from that championship win.”Kent captain Sam Northeast said that “after two weeks of white ball cricket, we found it tough to adjust, and we were not clinical enough after reducing them to 137 for 6 in the first innings but I was happy as they progressed from then on”.

Yuvraj Singh unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to hit an unbeaten 77 off 35 and haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries to spare

The Report by Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh hunted down the target of 202 with the calm of old•BCCI

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Aakash Chopra: ‘Yuvraj, the perennial comeback man’

In his second comeback after recovering from cancer, a leaner and fitter Yuvraj Singh was called upon to do a job he has done numerous times for India in ODIs – revive a floundering chase, with MS Dhoni for company, and only the lower order to follow. Only, this was a T20 and Yuvraj did not have the luxury of building his innings before accelerating. He duly cut out the building part, and unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries remaining. India were facing an asking-rate of nearly 12 at 100 for 4 in the 12th over, but Yuvraj’s response was so forceful, that all Dhoni needed to do was give him the strike. By the end, the partnership was 102 at exactly two runs a ball, Yuvraj’s 77 off 35 showing his dominance.Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli had all failed to kick on from starts and India’s innings was in danger of going Australia’s way, who had lost too many wickets in maintaining a frenetic pace of scoring, and had run out of steam at the death. Aaron Finch seemed set to carry Australia way over 200 but his exit in the 17th over for 89 off 52 helped India keep the visitors to 201, as only 29 came off the final four. India themselves needed 49 off the final four, but Yuvraj was in such flow that the big shot was always at hand.Yuvraj first took 18 off Clint McKay in the 14th over, and then, when the pressure escalated again, carted James Faulkner for successive sixes in the 17th. The timing on the boundaries was vintage Yuvraj, as was the effortlessness and grace. George Bailey’s preferred field of three men in the ring around point worked to Yuvraj’s advantage, as did the fact that Australia bowled too full to him.Dhoni did his bit, constantly scampering twos and ones as he does in ODI chases, and coming up with the crucial boundary, a typical stretch-and-club to cover, when it came down to six needed off four.Yuvraj’s cool assault meant Finch’s innings, and Australia’s electric start, were in vain. After being put in, Finch and debutant Nic Maddinson had kickstarted the innings with a 56-run partnership inside five overs. It was the manner in which the openers attacked the offspin of R Ashwin that stood out. The highly-rated Maddinson, 21, calmly stepped out to Ashwin’s first delivery and lofted it cleanly over extra cover for four. Finch set about cutting and lofting with intent, and Ashwin’s first over cost India 17.Maddinson made 34 before missing a slog to be bowled. Vinay Kumar got both Shane Watson and George Bailey in the eighth over. Finch, meanwhile, kept battering boundaries, generating immense power and finding gaps consistently. He was swift and brutal on the cut, played the lofted drive repeatedly and when he went to cow corner, it was more timing and placement than slogging.Glenn Maxwell showed Australia were in no mood to relent even momentarily, swinging Ashwin for three sixes in the tenth over as the score zoomed to 114 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings. Ashwin’s figures read 2-0-41-0, and Dhoni was forced to turn to Virat Kohli’s mediums for a couple of costly overs.Australia stalled after Finch clubbed a high full toss straight to Vinay. The blow split the webbing on the bowler’s left hand, but did not deter him from sending down a couple of tight overs. A last-ball six from Faulkner took the score past 200, but Yuvraj hunted it down with the calm of old.

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again to win on the last ball

The Report by Alan Gardner15-Sep-2012
ScorecardChris Wood was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers as they scrapped their way to a second one-day trophy•PA Photos

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again, denying County Champions Warwickshire despite Ian Bell’s 81 to steal a heart-stopping victory at Lord’s.With the scores tied, Neil Carter, playing his final match for Warwickshire, failed to collect the required single off the bowling of Kabir Ali to give Hampshire the trophy by virtue of having lost fewer wickets. Following their last-over win against Yorkshire in the Friends Life t20, this must surely have been the most dramatic one-day double in county cricket’s history.Bell had seemingly done enough to take Warwickshire home, passing fifty for the fourth time in a domestic one-day final. But Hampshire are more than the sum of their parts and when Bell picked out Michael Carberry at deep square leg with 27 required they had the crucial wicket. Just as during the 2005 C&G Trophy final, Bell’s half-century against Hampshire was to be in a losing cause.Until then, he had guided the chase in phlegmatic style. Wickets fell around him but although 83 were needed from the final ten overs, and 52 from the last five, Bell exuded a sense of control. Even when he departed, Chris Woakes took up the challenge and, with seven required from the last six balls, Warwickshire appeared to be the favourites. But Ian Blackwell was bowled and despite Carter’s shovelled four off the penultimate delivery, Ali, like Chris Wood in Cardiff three weeks previous, held his nerve, beating the bat before sprinting off to be engulfed by his team-mates in celebration.It was a poignant moment for Ali, born in Birmingham but discarded by Warwickshire at a young age, and came after he had dropped Bell earlier in the innings, a difficult chance at long leg when the batsman had 41.Wood was also magnificent, his concession of just a single and a leg bye from the 35th over, in which he also dismissed Rikki Clarke, a crucial point in the match. His 3 for 39 followed 3 for 26 in the FLt20 final and, having scored his maiden first-class century the day before that, it is fair to say he has had quite a month.This has not been a stellar year for Bell, by his his own high standards, but one-day cricket has been his tonic. Put him in a snooker hall and he would likely chalk up a 147, such has been his affinity for the white ball. A conversion to opener for England’s ODI side brought a century and four fifties and it seemed as if his season would end with a match-winning hundred in a one-day final at Lord’s. It wasn’t to be.Warwickshire, mssing the services of William Porterfield, at the World Twenty20 with Ireland, curiously preferred Darren Maddy as Varun Chopra’s opening partner. Bell had previously guided them to victory in the 2002 B&H Cup final – scoring 65 not out batting at No. 3 – and against Somerset in the CB40 in 2010 – when he scored 107 at No. 4 – but it was to be his 54 in vain seven years ago that provided the precedent.With Hampshire in dark blue and Warwickshire in black, both offset by yellow piping, there was little to tell the sides apart visually. In such a tight finish, even the scorers had trouble – Carter was not stumped off the last ball, as he appeared to have been in the frantic finale. The association was more than kit deep, too: both had won a title already this season; both had won Lord’s finals of recent memory (Hampshire in 2009, Warwickshire in 2010); and both line-ups featured veterans from 2005.Hampshire were led to victory by a Sean Ervine hundred that day and he made his side’s most vibrant contribution with the bat this time around. After the final-day draw that sent last season’s Championship pennant to Lancashire, Warwickshire fans will likely swear off holidays to the New Forest for a while.Even with an attendance of 16,000 and a fair proportion of the white seating left empty, Lord’s still jostled and thrummed with the excitement of a crowd that seemed demob happy, eager to drink from the county cup one last time. Children played kwik cricket on a section of the nursery ground, young men in ties mingled with old men in baseball caps, while the interval entertainment was provided by a troupe of schoolgirls performing a dance routine on the outfield. The atmosphere was lively and expectant and the spectators were treated to a denouement that will resonate long in the memory. The one-day competition needed a final like this.Put in to bat under milky blue skies after Warwickshire won the toss, Carberry and James Vince set about the task with the sort of cold-blooded violence that marked their decisive 129-run opening stand in the semi-final against Sussex. Carter started with a leg-side wide that set the tone and neither he nor Woakes could curb the enthusiasm of Hampshire’s openers.Vince pushed his “Michael Vaughan” buttons early on, strictly come dashing out of the crease a couple of times and threading one exquisite drive between extra-cover and mid-off. Having taken Carter for successive boundaries, however, he pulled the next ball flat to deep square leg. Carberry, meanwhile, left-hooked Woakes for six over deep midwicket during an over that cost 14 but he too departed tamely soon after. From 70 for 2 after 11 overs, Warwickshire steadily obtained a handle on the scoring rate, as spinners Blackwell and Jeetan Patel wheeled away in bright sunshine.A dogged innings from Hampshire’s captain, Jimmy Adams, kept the scoreboard ticking but it was left to Ervine and Simon Katich to haul Hants up towards 250, as they turned on the tap in the final overs. Carter was handled without a trace of sentiment as the fifth-wicket pair put on 69 from 43 balls before Ervine was cramped for room after making a breezy 57.It was becoming difficult to get Carter’s selection, other than on nostalgic grounds, until the final over, when he could not be got at, conceding just four singles. In the end, however, it was Carter’s inability to get anything on the last ball of the day that proved decisive.

James Taylor’s 106 and a buccaneering 26-ball 59 from Jonny Bairstow set up England Lions’ 97-run win over Sri Lanka A at New Road

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2011
Scorecard
James Taylor’s 106 and a buccaneering 26-ball 59 from Jonny Bairstow set up England Lions’ 97-run win over Sri Lanka A at New Road.Having been inserted after losing the toss Taylor, who made 76 and 98 in the four-day fixture against the same opposition last week, ensured his side posted a tough target by anchoring the innings. Joe Root offered bright support initially with a boundary-studded 62 from 66 balls. On a day when his England batting rival Ravi Bopara made 7 against India, Taylor’s century was excellently timed.Though less expansive than Root – and later Bairstow – Taylor was still positive. He struck seven boundaries and a six in all, bringing up his century from 115 balls. His partnership with Bairstow, though, was the biggest entertainment of the day. Coming in with 9.1 overs left in the innings he bashed the ball to all parts.In 26 deliveries he smashed four fours and four sixes getting to his half-century in 22 balls. After he was out with 15 balls left a flurry of wickets followed but the 311 set for victory always looked a difficult task.Sri Lanka A weren’t really up to the chase with only 21-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne, who has had a good tour so far, showing any resistance with the only half-century in the innings until he fell to Scott Borthwick’s first delivery, a leg-break that beat his defences.Steven Finn struck early, castling Dimuth Karunaratne in his second over, but it was Surrey’s Stuart Meaker who took the most wickets with three. Borthwick’s 10 overs of legspin yielded two wickets, and only cost 42 runs, his second scalp a lovely googly to remove Kanishka Alvitigala.”I’m delighted to get my first win as captain under my belt and to get a century after getting so close last week in Scarborough was really pleasing,” Taylor said. “I thought we played well today. We got a decent total and then put them under real pressure from start. It was a solid performance with bat and ball and we’ll be looking to continue that on Sunday.”With only two more games to go, the tourists will have to fight back immediately.