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The hosts are looking to clinch a series-winning victory in Chittagong on Wednesday, but their captain remained keen on trying out young players for the second ODI

Mohammad Isam23-Oct-2018Bangladesh will try to carry their winning momentum while still trying out a few new faces in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, according to their captain Mashrafe Mortaza ahead of their second match in Chittagong. Fazle Mahmud, who debuted in the first ODI, continued to have Mashrafe’s backing despite the opener scoring a duck in the first game.”We have to be clinical and find a way to win while trying out a few guys,” Mashrafe said at his press conference on Tuesday. “The likes of [Nazmul Hossain] Shanto, Ariful [Haque] and Abu Hider also deserve to play. But I also have to consider that this is the series-deciding game.”I still think [Fazle] should get another game. It is hard to judge a player based on one game. You can’t also blame him for getting out to that delivery. We have backed a lot of players in the recent past but we also can’t afford to give someone a lot of chances before he performs. But we will try to give him the best of opportunities.”Bangladesh won the first game by 28 runs with Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Saifuddin and Mohammad Mithun leading the way with the bat, a welcome change from the usual performers like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.But victory didn’t come easy. Imrul and Saifuddin had to stitch together a 127-run seventh-wicket stand after Bangladesh lost their way in the middle overs. Fazle was one of those dismissed early, undone by a Tendai Chatara short ball that got big on him and took the outside edge. Mashrafe, however, felt that not only Fazle, but any Bangladeshi newcomer into the international stage, needs a bit of time to adjust to the frills that come with the standards of top-tier cricket.”Firstly it is the presence of the camera. There is automatic pressure when a player knows that the match is being televised,” Mashrafe said. “There is also the home crowd, and of course our social media which also plays a part.”The press, teammates and family are also there, but all of these things don’t really matter at the domestic level. Nobody even bothers finding out. So it is a huge difference.”Fazle was Bangladesh’s fourth ODI debutant this year, with Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Nazmul Islam and Hider making their debuts during the Asia Cup. The absence of Shakib and Tamim would encourage Bangladesh to try more experiments, particularly if the younger players have a bad day out. But as Saifuddin showed in the first game with his half-century, a good outing solves issues both wide and small, something that Bangladesh want to do without as they look to complete the series win over Zimbabwe and move on towards the 2019 World Cup.

Trent Copeland claimed four wickets and Nathan Lyon three as Western Australia were bowled out 63 runs behind the Blues

The Report by Alex Malcolm28-Nov-2018Shaun Marsh continued his fine form in the lead-up to the first Test against India but it wasn’t enough to prevent Western Australia from conceding a first-innings lead to New South Wales at Perth Stadium.
Trent Copeland claimed four wickets and Nathan Lyon three as WA were bowled out 63 runs behind the Blues. The visitors lost Daniel Hughes early but take a 95-run lead into day three with nine wickets in hand.Marsh made his fifth score of 80 or more in seven innings since returning from the UAE. This was arguably his most patient. He came out in the fifth over of the day after Copeland trapped Will Bosisto lbw. Marsh absorbed 193 deliveries and managed just 12 fours while he watched five wickets fall at the other end.Hilton Cartwright (29) and Ashton Turner (38) provided some support but neither could convert their starts as they fell to Lyon and Harry Conway respectively.Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply, pinned lbw on the crease by a brilliant late inswinger from Copeland. Marcus Stoinis, keen to make his Test credentials known, was strangled down the legside for just 10.It was Conway who claimed the key wicket of Shaun Marsh, taking the outside edge of his broad bat. WA’s very capable tail folded meekly adding just 10 more runs to the total after Marsh’s exit. Lyon claimed two of those, using some natural variation on the drop-in surface.The Blues negotiated 16 overs late in the day for the loss of one wicket. Matthew Kelly picked up Hughes, caught behind off the inside edge.

The late wicket of Joe Burns boosted Tasmania after they had set a huge target

Alex Malcolm09-Dec-2018Half-centuries to Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne gave Queensland a chance of chasing down 414 to win against Tasmania on the final day at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Tasmania set Queensland the monumental target after George Bailey reached his 23rd first class century early on the third morning. Matthew Wade was run out without adding to his overnight total and Bailey fell for 109, caught at second slip off Mark Steketee. But Simon Milenko made 53 to help push the Tigers total beyond 350.Queensland legspinner Mitch Swepson picked up four wickets to wrap up the innings.The Bulls’ huge chase started brightly with Matthew Renshaw racing to 27 off 24 balls. But he was undone by a superb piece of bowling from Jackson Bird. Coming around the wicket to the left-hander, he angled in and seamed one away past the outside edge to clip the top of off stump.But Burns and Labuschagne steadied the innings with a 126-run partnership. Burns reached his fourth half-century of the Shield season and Labuschagne his second. They looked set to reach stumps just one down with 250 more to get but Riley Meredith breached Burns’ defence on 74 with just three balls remaining in the day. Labuschagne remained 58 not out at stumps.

The two captains extended their altercation from the third evening when Paine had called Kohli a “big head”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-20182:10

Kartik: Banter fine as long as Code of Conduct not pushed

The fourth day witnessed heated conversations between the two captains, Tim Paine and Virat Kohli, in Perth as Australia were strengthening their grip on the match. During the wicketless first session, the captains even came into physical contact when Paine ran down the pitch for a single in the 71st over of the innings. As Paine nudged the first ball of the over towards midwicket for a run, Kohli ran towards the pitch in anticipation of collecting the ball and collided with Paine before the batsman could reach the non-striker’s end. Even as Kohli collected the ball and made his way towards mid-on for the next delivery, Paine followed him for a couple of steps for a few words before umpire Chris Gaffaney interrupted to remind them they were the captains.Kohli to Paine: “I’m not saying a word to you, why are you getting riled up?”
Paine to Kohli: “I’m fine. You’re the one that lost it yesterday, why are you trying to be cool today?”
Chris Gaffaney: “Oi, that’s enough, that’s enough.”
Paine: “We’re allowed to talk.”
Gaffaney: “Nah, nah, come on, play the game. You guys are the captains.”

Paine: “We can have a conversation… there’s no swearing, no…”

Gaffaney: “Tim you’re the captain.”

Paine: “Keep your cool, Virat!”Things heated up between Virat Kohli and Tim Paine in the first session•Getty Images

When Paine was walking off after being dismissed for 37 eight overs later, Kohli said a few more words that made the Australia captain turn around for a reply.Kohli and Paine had earlier been recorded exchanging words after a caught-behind appeal against Australia’s captain was turned down on the third evening. Walking past Paine, Kohli had remarked to his team-mates “If he messes it up, it’s 2-0”, moving Paine to retort “You’ve got to bat first, big head”.

Sri Lanka’s batting failed abysmally again, as they crashed to 139 all out, to lose in roughly two-and-a-half days

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jan-2019Sri Lanka’s batting failed abysmally for the second time in the match, as they crashed to 139 all out, to lose the first Test against Australia in roughly two-and-a-half days.It was the quick and intense Pat Cummins who precipitated Sri Lanka’s collapse, and Cummins who made the greatest impact for Australia through the match. His 6 for 23 in the second innings are his best innings figures, and his 10 for 62 in the match is also a career-best. So outstanding was he late on day two and in day three, that Sri Lanka did not muster a single boundary off his 15 overs, in the second innings. He also essentially sealed the match by removing Sri Lanka’s three key batsmen.The result provides relief for a beleaguered Australia side, following India’s series victory earlier in the month, while for Sri Lanka, it will feel like another dreary chapter in what is becoming a shocking summer in the southern hemisphere. Not only have they picked up their worst Test result in over a year at the Gabba, they also sustained a series-ending injury to their fastest bowler, Lahiru Kumara, who is now also in doubt for the Tests in South Africa next month.Although Sri Lanka’s batting had generally been serviceable in New Zealand, the top order has also ended this Test without an innings of significance across both innings. Only wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella mustered a little fight. He hit 24 off 29 in this innings, having made Sri Lanka’s only half-century in the first dig. Incredibly, Dickwella was the only batsman in Sri Lanka’s top eight to hit a boundary on day three.Cummins’ charge began in the opening overs of the day, and he would essentially define this innings in his first spell. His second ball on day three dismissed Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, who could not defuse the steepling bounce Cummins generated off a length, and sent the ball off the shoulder of his bat to gully, where Kurtis Patterson completed a comfortable overhead catch. Counting his wicket off the last ball on Friday, Cummins had now dismissed Sri Lanka’s two most-experienced batsmen in the space of three balls, and he would soon claim the third key wicket as well. Pitching one up to Kusal Mendis, Cummins enticed an off drive, moved the ball away, and had Mendis caught at slip for 1. Sri Lanka had slipped from 17 for no loss late on day two, to 19 for 3, within the space of a few overs.His third wicket of the morning – and fourth overall – took a little longer to come. Lahiru Thirimanne was dogged, if not quite resolute, and for a while it appeared as if Roshen Silva would join Thirimanne in a long resistance, as they both largely sought only to play the balls headed for the stumps. In his sixth consecutive over, however, Cummins succeeded in drawing another loose drive, this time from Silva. Having raised a big lbw appeal two balls earlier, Cummins had Silva nicking off to second slip, where Joe Burns took his second catch of the morning.Wickets five and six for Cummins came in the twilight session. The caught-behind dismissal of Lahiru Thirimanne was slightly controversial. Cummins and the entire Australia slip cordon appealed voraciously when Thirimanne pushed at an away-seaming delivery. The batsman was given out by standing umpire Marais Erasmus, before the batsman chose to review that call, after chatting to the non-striker. Hotspot showed no evidence of an edge, but a slight spime in real-time snicko, seemingly a frame after the ball had passed bat, was deemed to be enough evidence to stay with the on-field decision. Sri Lanka, in any case, were going nowhere fast, with Thirimanne having limped to 32 off 98 balls, earlier overturning an lbw decision against him off Nathan Lyon.Cummins’ final wicket was the result of a spectacular catch by debutant Patterson in the gully. Dilruwan Perera attempted to carve a full Cummins balls square, but although the ball seemed to already have beaten an airborne Patterson, he flung his right arm out to reel it in.In between Cummins’ excellent spells, Jhye Richardson bowled a leaden-footed Dhananjaya de Silva in the ten minutes before tea, and later had Dickwella caught at backward square leg. Nathan Lyon also picked up the final wicket of Suranga Lakmal, which means that Mitchell Starc was the only Australia bowler to go wicketless in the innings, extending his modest streak.So hot was Cummins, and so poor were Sri Lanka, however, that Starc having a slightly off-colour day did not prevent an outstanding result for Australia.

An animated conversation ensued between Capitals’ consultant Sourav Ganguly and the head groundsman of Feroz Shah Kotla after Capitals lost their second home match

Sidharth Monga in Delhi05-Apr-20195:46

Need to learn to be better at home than the opposition – Ponting

After Delhi Capitals lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday night, even as presentations and handshakes and selfies and interviews went on, Capitals’ consultant Sourav Ganguly took the head groundsman of Feroz Shah Kotla to the match pitch. An animated conversation went on for 10 minutes or so. Hands were pointed towards the practice nets repeatedly, and also to the pitch and the square.This was Capitals’ third defeat in five games, two of them in three home matches. In a highly competitive league where teams look to maximise home advantage, Capitals have had to deal with a slow turner against sides whose strength is spin: Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers. Their coach Ricky Ponting was at pains to emphasise his batsmen should be doing better and reading conditions much better, but he was also bemused at the surfaces his side has been getting.After game one – the defeat to Super Kings where they couldn’t get to 150 – Ponting said they would have to bat smartly because their home surfaces were now going to low and slow. Then in the next game both sides pushed 200, and Capitals won in the Super Over. The pitch was back to type in the third game.Asked if he was disappointed with “home” conditions, Ponting said: “At the end of the day, it’s the same pitch for both teams. But if you would have asked me, would I have wanted to play the Sunrisers on that type of pitch, there’s no [more] polar opposite wicket that you want to play the Sunrisers on. That absolutely suits them to the end of the ground. They’ve got spinners, and all their seamers all bowl slower balls. On that wicket when you bowl slower balls it’s not even possible [to hit big].”If the wicket’s going to keep being like that here, we need to think about selections in our team as well, because maybe our bowlers weren’t best suited to the wicket today. But as I said, it wasn’t expected. It wasn’t what the groundsman told us was going to be so we were all surprised as anybody else.”Ponting said they were told to expect the best of the pitches so far in Delhi. “I thought they bowled smartly on that wicket,” Ponting said giving credit to the Sunrisers bowlers. “I think it’s fair to say that that wicket surprised us a lot. Talking to the groundsman before that game, he expected it to be the best pitch out of the three wickets so far. By far and away, it was the worst. You saw how little it bounced and how slow it was. I thought their bowlers adapted to the conditions really well. They have got very skilful bowler in those conditions.”Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting have a tough task ahead of them as team advisor and coach•BCCI

Having said that, Ponting said the onus was on them to find a way because neither the home ground nor the square can be changed. “This is our home ground,” Ponting said. “We need to learn how to play in these conditions better than the opposition, and in two of the three games so far, the opposition has played these conditions better than us so we definitely have to improve there.”Ponting was also left disappointed by his batsmen. It started with a Prithvi Shaw slog to an offcutter from Bhuvneshwar Kumar that left his off stump flattened. “I don’t think Prithvi Shaw played a great shot, considering how low the ball was bouncing,” Ponting said. “To try to hit across the line early on wasn’t a great shot. Some of our senior players probably didn’t bat long enough into the innings as well, to let us post a total that was going to be defendable. I mean, 130 was sort of short of what we were expecting. Even on a slow wicket, we expected our batting group to be able to get 160-165 on any surface when we bat first, and obviously, today we came a long way short. We need to talk about that. We need to find a way to get better there.”Ponting made it clear this performance was not acceptable. “I love the group of players that we’ve got here,” Ponting said. “I love the youthful exuberance of some of those youngsters we’ve got and we’ve got a good mix of experience around them. We’ve got Shikhar and Morris and Ingram and these guys. We haven’t got a completely young team by any stretch of the imagination. Even Rishabh and Shreyas have played four or five or six seasons of IPL themselves. They’re not inexperienced players.”But we all have to play better. It’s as simple as that. As a coach, I can’t accept a performance like that tonight. For a batting group as good as ours, to be able to get a 129, that’s not acceptable as far as I’m concerned as a coach. Our players have to accept that and we’ve got to find ways to get better next time.”

Here’s the explanation, from the man himself. Also, Parthiv Patel’s thoughts on his nerveless last-ball direct-hit

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2019Chennai Super Kings lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by one run. MS Dhoni refused three singles in the 19th over.Viewed next to each other, without context, those two facts might suggest that the missed singles cost Super Kings the match. This isn’t true, of course. Dhoni was set, and backed himself to hit the boundaries his team needed when they required 36 off the last two overs. And when it came down to 26 off the last six balls – a final-over task no team has ever pulled off in the IPL – he hit Umesh Yadav’s first five balls for 4, 6, 6, 2, 6, leaving Super Kings on the doorstep of victory.Still, why didn’t he take those singles, especially when the man at the other end, Dwayne Bravo, was eminently capable of the same sort of hitting?Asked this question, Dhoni said the nature of the surface meant it was difficult for a new batsman to the crease – Bravo had only faced three balls at that point – to start middling the big hits straightaway. Given that he himself was batting on 51 at that point, Dhoni felt he was better equipped to handle that task.”I think it was still difficult at the death,” Dhoni told the host broadcaster in his post-match interview. “If you bowl that back of a length it was slightly spongy, it was not really coming on to the bat, which meant the new batsman who would have come, he would have also found it slightly difficult.”Since I have played so many deliveries, I can afford to take that risk, because a lot of runs were needed. I think 10 or 12 deliveries, we needed some close to 40 runs or 36 runs or something like that, which meant a lot of boundaries were needed.”So yes, right now you can calculate, two runs over there, one run over there, and we are through, because we lost by one run, but at the same time what you have to see is what if there were a few dot balls, whether we could have got those extra boundaries or not.”Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming backed Dhoni’s decision to farm the strike, adding that he would “never question” Dhoni’s tactics especially when it comes to finishing a game.”I think the reason was Dhoni felt he was best equipped to hit the sixes,” Fleming said after the match. “The way he calculates the last few overs based on his power. He would have looked at it saying “I need four-five sixes” to win the game. And as it panned out, it was pretty close.”He is so calculative that I would never question the last part of an innings with MS Dhoni. Yes, Bravo’s got power but if MS has a feeling that he’s going to win it this way, I’m going to back him every time. He’s done this so many times and look, tonight he got us so close to the game so I’ll never question that.Shardul Thakur is run out•BCCI

Parthiv does a DhoniDhoni’s assault on Umesh left Super Kings needing two runs off the last ball. What would Umesh do? Hope and pray, primarily, but he sent down a slower offcutter, fairly wide of off stump.Looking to steer the ball through point, Dhoni missed, and Parthiv Patel, who had shed his right wicketkeeping glove, picked the ball up and threw down the stumps at the striker’s end to catch Shardul Thakur just short of completing what would have been a match-tying bye.It was a moment of calm amid swirling emotions, reminiscent of MS Dhoni’s glove-in-pocket run-out – though he ran to the stumps instead of throwing, on that occasion – to clinch India’s last-ball win over Bangladesh in the 2016 World T20, at the same ground.Parthiv said he had been conscious even earlier in the over that he might be called upon to effect such a run-out. He also said the line from Umesh – outside off stump – was part of the plan, to make Dhoni hit towards the shorter boundary and reduce his chances of running two.”Last ball I knew there was only one way,” Parthiv said at the post-match presentation. “If he gets beaten there was only one chance, because we were trying for Umesh to bowl outside off stump, and he missed it, and that was our plan, because it was the shorter side of the boundary, that’s where two runs are difficult to take, and he missed it.”And I was warming up from ball number three, that this situation might come, so I gave away my gloves, and luckily it hit the stumps.”RCB players gather around Parthiv Patel after he ran out Shardul Thakur•BCCI

It was the last thing I was expecting – KohliWhat were Virat Kohli’s thoughts before the last ball, and what did he tell the bowler and his fielders? Not very much.”We’ve said a lot of things in the nine games, but if you don’t have confidence when you’re running in with the ball, or when you’re fielding the ball you don’t have the confidence to make a play, then none of those things really matter,” Kohli said.”So in the last couple of games we’ve just told the guys, go out there and do your own thing, take ownership of the decisions that you make, and senior cricketers like AB [de Villiers], like Parthiv, they make good decisions under pressure. I think it was outstanding of Parthiv to have the awareness that it might be down to a run-out as well.”It was the last thing I was expecting, and credit to Umesh as well, coming back off the last ball, these are the things that matter, you know? Having been smoked for five balls, he comes back and he beats MS [Dhoni], who was striking it so well, so these are the things you can take a lot of heart from, because in T20 cricket you are going to be put under the pump, it’s how quickly you bounce back that matters, and tonight was an example of that.”

With the IPL still on, only eight of the visitors’ World Cup 15 are part of their tri-series squad

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy04-May-2019

Big picture

The World Cup is nearly here, but not quite, and the IPL is nearly done, but not quite. In this in-between time comes an ODI tri-series of in-betweenish significance, with each team looking to take something different out of it.Bangladesh have whisked Shakib Al Hasan away from Sunrisers Hyderabad and assembled their full World Cup squad, plus four others. For them, this is a chance to figure out their best combinations, and to acclimatise to the conditions in the British Isles, although whether early-May pitches in Dublin will remotely resemble the ICC-curated strips in England and Wales remains to be seen.Ireland won’t be at the World Cup, and will want to show everyone – like they did on Friday when they gave England a proper scare – that this is unfair on them.West Indies, meanwhile, have allowed their star players to remain at the IPL, and their squad here only contains eight players who are part of their preliminary World Cup 15. Spots are theoretically still up for grabs before the final squads are inked in, and the likes of Sunil Ambris, Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase will strive to achieve the optimum balance between exuding team spirit from every pore and hoping for an injury to strike down a bigger name or two.The last time West Indies met Ireland in an ODI, the stakes were high: a chance to take two crucial points to the Super Six of the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Ireland had West Indies down to 83 for 5 and then 169 for 6, but a century from Rovman Powell ultimately lifted them to a match-winning 257. Much like in Friday’s game against England, Ireland showed they had enough quality to inflict serious damage on more fancied opponents, but not perhaps the depth of resources to seize the advantage fully. Can they show a little more bite this time, against a less-than-full-strength West Indies?

Form guide

Ireland LWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLWLL

In the spotlight

With Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer still at the IPL, West Indies’ top order is perhaps their weakest suit in this tri-series. Ireland will have their best chance of putting them under real pressure if Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin can make a few early breakthroughs.If he features, as he should, Shai Hope will be making his 50th ODI appearance. His numbers so far – an average of 45.56, a strike rate of 72.38 – suggest he’s still searching for that extra gear to become a truly elite 50-overs batsman. If he can find some form in this tri-series and carry it into the World Cup, he could just make that step-up at the perfect moment.Will Porterfield drives through the covers•Getty Images

Team news

There isn’t much reason for Ireland to make any changes to the XI that competed so strongly against England at the same venue.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Lorcan Tucker, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 George Dockrell, 8 Mark Adair, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Josh Little, 11 Boyd RankinGiven that seam-friendly conditions are expected, West Indies are likely to go in with only one frontline spinner in Ashley Nurse, and three fast bowlers plus Jason Holder in the allrounder’s slot at No. 7.West Indies (possible): 1 John Campbell, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Jonathan Carter, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Sunil Ambris, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

Rain reduced Friday’s ODI to a 45-overs-a-side contest, but Sunday’s forecast does not suggest a high chance of showers. The pitch can be expected to favour seam bowling once again.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland have beaten West Indies only once in six completed meetings. This was at the 2015 World Cup, where fifties from Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien helped Ireland chase down a target of 305.
• Ireland have hosted two ODIs against West Indies. Both matches – in Dublin in 2007 and in Belfast ten years later – were washed out by rain.
• Gary Wilson needs 18 runs to become the sixth Irish batsman to score 2000 ODI runs.
• Apart from being on the cusp of playing his 50th ODI, Shai Hope is three catches away from 50 as a wicketkeeper in ODIs.

South Africa determined to learn from opening loss and move on, captain says

Osman Samiuddin30-May-2019It wasn’t quite the chronicle of a defeat foretold but South Africa talked this game down so much in the run-up, it did feel, long before the actual end, inevitable. One of the messages that kept coming out through to game day was that the format of this tournament affords them an early loss or two. The opening game was important, but far from decisive.If it is at least out of the way now, there is slightly less margin for error than before. And this World Cup moves – less than a week from today they’ll be playing their third game, against India who will be playing their first.”Yeah, this is where it’s important for us to make sure that you look at the World Cup for what it is,” Faf du Plessis said after a 104-run defeat.”You know, you’re going to play games. You’re going to come up against quality opposition. Today England was better than us in all three facets of the game. They show why they are such a good cricket team, and now we have to look at the league. It’s a league competition.”As disappointed as we are with our performances today, you have to make sure you learn from it quickly and put every single dart to bed because there is a next game and you have to make sure you play good cricket again.”In many ways the result revealed more about England’s credentials for the challenge ahead rather than South Africa’s. It was England who had to overcome a slow pitch and show that there is another side to their game.Given England’s batting, South Africa could have considered restricting them to 311 a job well done, especially with an attack built on three specialists and a couple of allrounders and part-timers. In particular, conceding just 76 in the last 10 was a mini-triumph, more so for Lungi Ngidi who overcame a nervy start to pick up three cheap wickets at the death.”Yeah, I thought after the first half, that we did a good job with the ball,” du Plessis said. “You know, as I said before this game, England more so than any other team in this World Cup, bat longer than anyone else. So if you can stop them with the long batting line-up you have, then you’re doing a great job with the ball.”For them to score as little runs as they did the last 15 overs and us picking up as many wickets as we did, was a great achievement by our bowling units. But yeah, as I said, 310 is still a big score, so what you need to do you is need to start well, and we didn’t have that luxury today.”The chase was on until the moment Hashim Amla went off, having been pinged by a Jofra Archer bouncer. That disrupted the start but it also reaffirmed perhaps how much South Africa’s batting will depend Quinton de Kock, Amla and du Plessis himself (though Rassie van der Dussen must feel like a welcome addition).”When you are chasing a big score like 310 what you need is a good start,” du Plessis said. “You need to make sure that you settle the bats in the dressing room with a good partnership, whether it’s zero down or one down, but a good start is really important and obviously with him [Amla] coming off, and then a few overs later, Aiden got out and then one or two overs later, I got out. When you go three-down on a big score like that, you’re making it really tough for our batting unit to perform. And then the score just looks big. It looks too far.”

Denly slaps 29 off 22 balls in thrilling finale Championship clash

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2019Joe Denly had some Vitality Blast practise as he slapped 29 off 22 balls in a thrilling finale to Kent’s County Championship clash with Hampshire – but he couldn’t prevent a draw at the Ageas Bowl.Denly provided the muscle in an incredible climax, which saw visitors Kent need a tantalising 153 from 17 overs.But after Sean Dickson, Alex Blake and Daniel Bell-Drummond departed, Kent gave up the chase and shook hands after 50 balls – with the away side still requiring 96 runs.Earlier, Aneurin Donald and Keith Barker had provided a wall to put Hampshire on course to save the match.The seventh-wicket pair provided an important afternoon recovery for Hampshire after they had lost three wickets in 25 balls in the morning session. Donald and Barker, who ended up on 43 and 37 not out respectively, battled through 30 overs to put the hosts on the brink of victory.But Kent were given a late glimmer of hope as they were given 17 overs to score 153.Denly led the charge with a huge six over mid-wicket off Barker. But when Dickson slogged to long-off and Alex Blake, who replaced Heino Kuhn after he had been struck by an Edwards bouncer, soon departed. Once Bell-Drummond was bowled both sides decided to call it a draw.The stalemate extends Kent’s unbeaten run in the Championship to four games, following victories over Nottinghamshire and Surrey and a draw with Warwickshire.It also makes the county’s already high likelihood of avoiding relegation even stronger as they moved 69 points clear of basement side Nottinghamshire. The draw means Hampshire remain a place above fifth-placed Kent, although the visitors gain an extra bonus point to close the gap.Ian Holland and Rilee Rossouw had looked stable to put Hampshire on course for a draw at the start of a crazy day. They added 118 for the third wicket as both picked up their second half-centuries of the match.Holland, who had scored 60 in the first innings, reached his fifty in 160 balls, while Rossouw, after his first-innings 92, needed 82 deliveries for a mature half-century.But Denly and Rayner teamed up to end the partnership, rout the Hampshire middle-order and completely change the complexity of the match in 25 balls.Rossouw was the first to depart as he top-edged a long-hop from Denly to pick out Bell-Drummond on the square-leg boundary.In the next over, Holland followed when he faintly edged Rayner behind to Ollie Robinson, the nick was so thin that Graham Lloyd needed almost four seconds to make his decision.Gareth Berg followed quickly after when he was lbw to a Denly googly, the all-rounder bagging a pair in the match.That spell had seen Hampshire lose three wickets for two runs as they reached lunch still trailing by 50 runs.Lewis McManus falling soon after the interval, edging to Sean Dickson at first slip, pushed the game firmly Kent’s way.But a rear-guard from Donald and Barker made a positive result less likely with a 30-over collaboration.Matt Milnes ended the 63-run stand when Donald pulled to Bell-Drummond on the boundary, before Kyle Abbott was lbw to Denly.Mason Crane jabbed to short leg and Fidel Edwards was caught behind as Hampshire were bowled out for 298.