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They have also recalled Guyana-born 37-year-old seamer Jeremy Gordon

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2024Canada have picked uncapped batter Kanwarpal Tathgur in their 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2024. Tathgur, who has played only eight List A games, is one of the six new faces from the side that played against USA in the five-match T20I series last month.The others include Guyana-born seamer Jeremy Gordon, who had made his debut for Canada in 2012; 39-year-old allrounder Junaid Siddiqui, who last played a T20I in February 2022; left-arm quick Kaleem Sana; 35-year-old batter Ravinderpal Singh, whose previous T20I had come in 2022; and batting allrounder Rayyan Pathan.
Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, and Dilpreet Bajwa are the only players aged under 30 in the side.The 15-member squad will be led by Saad Bin Zafar.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tajinder Singh, Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu and Parveen Kumar have been named as reserves but only Tajinder will travel with the team.Those who were left out from the squad that played against USA were Srimantha Wijeyeratne, Uday Bhagwan, Nikhil Dutta and Yuvraj Samra.This is the first time Canada are participating in the T20 World Cup. They will play in the tournament opener against USA in Dallas. India, Pakistan and Ireland are the other teams in their group.

Canada’s squad for T20 World Cup

Saad Bin Zafar (capt), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyan Pathan, Shreyas Movva (wk)Reserves: Tajinder Singh (travelling), Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu, Parveen Kumar

The hosts recovered from 99 for 5 against South Africa in Bengaluru

Srinidhi Ramanujam16-Jun-2024Smriti Mandhana’s outstanding century and a clinical bowling performance led by Asha Sobhana headlined India’s massive win as they went 1-0 up against South Africa in the first of the three ODIs in Bengaluru, on Sunday.Mandhana’s 117, her first century at home and sixth in ODIs, rescued the hosts after they opted to bat first but suffered an early collapse. India added 166 runs after the fall of the fifth wicket, the most they have ever done in a women’s ODI, to push their total from 99 for 5 to 265 for 8, which proved too much for South Africa, who had an underwhelming outing with the bat on a surface that offered variable bounce and turn.The chase got off to a shaky start as South Africa lost Laura Wolvaardt, the returning Tazmin Brits and Anneke Bosch for 33 runs. Marizanne Kapp and Sune Luus chipped in briefly but none of the batters could negate the spin threat under lights at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Asha, showing no nerves on her debut, starred with four wickets to skittle the visitors for 122, handing India a 143-run victory.

India’s oldest ODI debutant’s two crucial overs

A month after making her international debut at 33 in the T20Is against Bangladesh, Asha was handed the ODI cap, becoming India’s oldest debutant in this format as well. She was slotted in ahead of the offspinner Shreyanka Patil. That Asha has the knack of picking up big wickets in pressure situations was well-known after the WPL. On Sunday too, she showcased that control and maturity to tilt the momentum in India’s favour.After India’s pacers and Deepti Sharma strangled South Africa’s top order, South Africa slowly found a way to get back into the contest, thanks to Kapp and Luus’ partnership. The duo had batted for more than ten overs after the fall of the third wicket and India knew a well-set Kapp could be a game-changer.Asha Sobhana picked 4 for 21 on her ODI debut•BCCI

Having bowled two overs for eight runs, Asha came back for her second spell, in the 19th over. The legspinner started by conceding just two runs, getting enough drift and turn to slow down the scoring. After largely sticking to length deliveries in her first few overs, she floated one outside off this time, slow through the air, to deceive Kapp and force her to hit in the air towards cover where Harmanpreet was stationed. An easy catch for one of India’s best fielders gave Asha joy, and her maiden ODI wicket.In her next over, Jemimah Rodrigues dropped Annerie Dercksen at point but a mix-up between her and Luus ended Dercksen’s innings as she was run out at the striker’s end.At 75 for 5, South Africa were all but out of the game.

India rejig batting order

D Hemalatha and Rodrigues were back in the XI. Rodrigues was returning from a back niggle after missing out on the Bangladesh T20I series while Hemalatha, on the back of good performances against Bangladesh, made her way to the ODI setup.In India’s last ODI series against Australia in December, head coach Amol Muzumdar had mentioned that Richa Ghosh would be suited for No. 3, with Harmanpreet and Rodrigues coming in after her. This was a deviation from her previous role where she was used as a finisher.However, on Sunday, with Shafali Verma departing early for 7, Hemalatha slotted in at No. 3. She perished after a 16-ball 12. Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were India’s Nos. 4 and 5 and Ghosh back to the lower-middle order at No. 6. She survived four balls but was then caught behind for 3.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mandhana at home in Bengaluru

Ninety-two for three became 99 for 5 in the 22nd over and India were desperate for a big partnership. An ODI after a gap of six months, players are bound to be rusty. But not Mandhana. She put on a brisk 81-run stand for the sixth wicket with Deepti Sharma to lift the team past 250. Switching to the long format, the India vice-captain curbed her aggressive instinct to play along the ground to play long.South Africa denied easy runs for India’s batters, with the likes of Dercksen and Ayobhanga Khaka targeting a stump-to-stump line. But Mandhana countered well, using the crease whenever the opportunity arose to play her pull and cut shots to manufacture runs. Though she and Deepti kept the scorecard ticking, there were also chances to convert the ones to twos.Mandhana hit 12 fours – seven of them on the leg side – and a six. She was all clarity and calmness. After 32 overs, she batted cramps on her way to hundred. But it also forced her to find a few quick boundaries and forgo the singles.Once Deepti departed for 37, Pooja Vastrakar joined Mandhana and this pair stitched a 58-run stand off 54 deliveries to give India the late push they wanted. South Africa let their guard down in the last ten overs, conceding 74 runs, with the humidity also playing a major factor in their sloppy fielding.Mandhana played for 193 minutes and 42.3 overs overall to make 117. In the end, South Africa could post only five more than her score.

Fast bowler still believes he could have more to give, but accepts the final curtain is nigh

Vithushan Ehantharajah08-Jul-20242:00

25-26 Ashes ‘gave England their out’ with Anderson

On the morning of the second day of the Lord’s Ashes Test in 2015, James Anderson was late getting to the ground. He was not alone: Joe Root, Mark Wood and the designated driver Stuart Broad were also behind schedule.Australia were 337 for 1 overnight, with Steve Smith and Chris Rogers already boasting hundreds. The motivation to get to the ground on time to warm those aching joints after 90 overs in the dirt was hardly through the roof. So, the quartet did a few laps of Regent’s Park while Anderson queued up James Bay’s “Hold Back The River” on repeat, belted out louder with each rendition to the bemusement of fellow Friday commuters. Australia went on to win by 405 runs.Nine years on, that sense of delaying the inevitable hangs heavier in NW8 for Anderson. Wednesday will be the beginning of an end to his career, a progress that could never really be fathomed until it was talked into existence during meeting at a Manchester hotel in April.Time has made the enforced decision a little easier to swallow. But speaking on Monday, Anderson articulated the caveats to his acceptance that planning for the next Ashes – by which point he will be 43 – is the right thing to do.”I still feel as fit as I ever have, like I’m bowling as well as I ever have,” he said. “My record has got much better since turning 35. I still think I could do a job. But at the same time, I understand that it has to end at some point, and I completely accept – completely understand – their reasoning behind it.”Related

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It would be pig-headed to ignore the romanticism of Anderson’s journey coming to an end at Lord’s, no matter how reluctant. This was where it all began in 2003 against Zimbabwe. And while the “Home of Cricket” has not always been kind to its legends – neither Sachin Tendulkar nor Brian Lara have centuries here – it has rewarded Anderson handsomely.Of his 700 career dismissals, 119 have come at this venue alone, with the majority from the Pavilion End. His name appears on the honours board seven times, including what remain career-best figures of 7 for 42 against West Indies in 2017. The first of those – incumbent captain Kraigg Brathwaite – took him to 500 career dismissals. Such forewarning at least means friends and family will be able to travel down to share this final chapter. Those lucky enough to have tickets will be able to pay their respects. They may also witness an extra bit of history if he manages to overtake Shane Warne’s tally of 708 Test wickets which, while unlikely, cannot be ruled out given the setting, the anticipated overcast conditions, and considering what he did to Nottinghamshire just last week.And yet, at the same time, the oddity of this week is inescapable. The groundswell of public opinion seems to be that this is both premature and callous. If anyone deserves to go out on their own terms, surely it’s the pace bowler with the most wickets in Test history?James Anderson reacts to a question at his final pre-match press conference•PA Photos/Getty Images

“I don’t particularly like fuss,” Anderson said, knowing that is exactly what he is going to get. Had he got his way, he would not have done any media at all.The team, by and large, have approached this Test no differently. The fallout from the 4-1 defeat in India off the back of Australia’s retention of the Ashes puts the onus on this team to refine their ways and, well, win some games. But the sight of the uncapped Dillon Pennington charging in for the best part of an hour on the Nursery Ground, after Gus Atkinson secured the last fast-bowler slot, spoke of the looming change on the horizon.That, ultimately, is the bigger picture here, one which Anderson is keen to embrace. He was put at ease by a speech from Brendon McCullum on Sunday in the home dressing-room after the squad trained together as a group for the first time. Focussing on what happens “in these four walls” and not being distracted by any outside noise were the key takeaways.Those are tenets that have been ever-present during McCullum’s tenure, which the head coach was keen to reinforce. But they are particularly prescient for what’s to come, and it would not be a surprise if the Kiwi made a point of reiterating them to reassure the man unwittingly front and centre this week.”There might be a point where I start milking it,” Anderson said with a hint of sarcasm.”I don’t know. I feel so lucky to have played for as long as I have. It feels really special that I get to play for England one more time.”The choice of words feels particularly important. One “more” time rather than one “last” time reflects a cheerier disposition.Growing up, Anderson yearned for “just” one chance to play Test cricket for England. And there is a beautiful tragedy to the fact his era is being brought to an end at Lord’s, where that dream first became a reality. No number of laps around Regent’s Park will put that off.

It was an attritional day of cricket where neither team seemed to make progress for long periods of time

Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2024Tony de Zorzi, South Africa’s opening batter who was dismissed for 78 before lunch, sat on the change-room balcony with a copy of Aldous Huxley’s . Ironic, because what played out in front of him was nothing like the novel’s dystopian reality. Instead, it was as his coach Shukri Conrad predicted: same, old Test cricket. “Traditional” was the word South Africa’s red-ball coach used to describe what he expected would be attritional cricket in Trinidad, and that is what the teams produced.All but one South African batter, Aiden Markram, got starts. Two, de Zorzi and captain Temba Bavuma, made half-centuries, and there were four 50-plus partnerships, but there were no hundreds. Only one frontline West Indies bowler, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, conceded at more than 3.5 runs per over and the seamers shared five wickets between them. They were disciplined most of the time and threatening for some of it, but did not consistently trouble the batters. All these things could have a lot to do with the kind of surface this Test is being played on: docile, fairly dry, and lacking in life in the form of bounce or pace. It was the kind of surface that requires patience, not flair, and rewards those who are willing to grind.Related

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That was evident from the first exchanges when West Indies’ senior seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder relied on good lengths to keep South Africa quiet and were punished as soon as they strayed. In the third over of the day, Holder dropped it a fraction short and de Zorzi scored the first boundary when he dabbed it behind point. In the next over, Roach was a touch too full and Tristan Stubbs drove his first and last balls through the covers with confidence.South Africa’s second-wicket pair were beaten on occasion but were mostly fairly comfortable early on. De Zorzi reached his second Test fifty off 78 balls. Importantly for de Zorzi, it is also his first success in his first attempt at opening in Tests. Stubbs did not quite have the same results at No. 3 and failed to use his feet when Roach angled a length ball in from wide of the crease. With the slip cordon up, Stubbs edged behind and Holder dived across from second slip to take the catch low down.Jomel Warrican had Keshav Maharaj caught and bowled•AFP/Getty Images

Roach was pumped and greeted a leaden-footed Bavuma with a delivery that almost kissed the bat before beating the outside edge. He kept Bavuma in the crease throughout that over but the South African captain was happy to bide his time. Bavuma took ten balls to get his first runs but when he did, he got them with confidence. He stepped down the pitch and hit Motie over his head for two runs to bring up 3000 runs in Test cricket.While Bavuma’s approach remained watchful – understandable given this was his first Test innings since March 2023 – any aggression came from de Zorzi. He was proactive in turning an intended drive off Jayden Seales into a slice over point and reverse-swept Motie to get to 70. With a top score of 85, also scored against West Indies, de Zorzi would have been eyeing a first century but he undid himself with a second reverse sweep off Jomel Warrican and gloved it to Kavem Hodge at slip, 12 minutes before lunch.After the break, Bavuma again dropped anchor and allowed his partner, David Bedingham, to take the fight to West Indies. Following on from his five centuries in eight matches in the County Championship, Bedingham showed his class when he double-stepped down the track to club Warrican over long-on and then waited for a Seales delivery to late-cut it for four.That urgency rubbed off on Bavuma, who scored his first boundary in 48 balls when he advanced down to hit Warrican for four. But he quickly went back into his shell when a pull off Seales was almost caught by Hodge at square leg. Instead, it was Bedingham who fell to the pull. He couldn’t keep Seales down and sent him to deep square leg, where Keacy Carty, on debut, took the catch diving forward to give Seales his first Test wicket at his home ground.Kyle Verreynne got hit by a beamer•AFP/Getty Images

Ryan Rickelton started convincingly with a sublime cover drive and then watched as Bavuma reached his 21st Test fifty off 123 balls. Rickelton lived dangerously and hit a full toss from Warrican straight back to him but the left-arm spinner could not hold on. Luckily for West Indies, the drop did not prove too costly. Rickelton added 11 runs to his score and then succumbed to the second new ball: lbw to Roach.Bavuma was on 80 at that stage and still had one recognised batter, Kyle Verreynne, to accompany him in pursuit of a century. Verreynne faced the first 20 balls of their partnership, including a beamer from Seales that hit him on the left glove, but did not seem to do any damage. Bavuma then survived a West Indies review for lbw off Holder, which was too high on umpire’s call. But two-and-a-half overs later, Seales bowled a full toss and Bavuma’s concentration broke. He missed the flick, was hit at shin height and given out. Verreynne convinced him to review but only in hope. He had to leave, without a first Test century away from home, a second against West Indies and a third in his career.South Africa were 271 for 6 and West Indies had the opportunity to run through their lower order. They conceded only 20 runs in 12 overs to frustrate the naturally aggressive Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder, but the pair held firm and as West Indies tired, they cashed in. But just as they started to pull away, Warrican struck twice in two balls. Verreynne offered him a simple redemptive return catch that he held onto and then Keshav Maharaj chipped one back to him that required a dive to take with both hands but Warrican did that too and suddenly South Africa were in danger of a sub-350 score.Mulder and Kagiso Rabada took them to the brink of that and they will be eyeing slightly more on the third day.

Mominul led the visitors’ resistance with an unbeaten 40

Hemant Brar27-Sep-20241:16

Manjrekar: India have found a very handy third seamer in Akash Deep

A combination of bad light and heavy rain meant only 35 overs were possible on the opening day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, in which Bangladesh scored 107 for 3.The toss itself was delayed by an hour because of a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. When the toss finally happened, the coin fell in India’s favour. Under overcast skies, Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in opting to bowl first – the first time India had done so in a home Test since 2015.Rohit expected his three seamers – India fielded an unchanged XI – to exploit the conditions. He said the pitch was a little soft and had a bit more grass than the usual Kanpur surface. Bangladesh read the conditions completely differently. Not only did they want to bat first but also picked three spinners.Jasprit Bumrah got the ball to move both ways and bowled three maidens to start with, but could not take a wicket. Mohammed Siraj did not find any success either as Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan survived the opening spells. Zakir, in fact, could not open his account despite facing 20 balls in that period.Things changed when Akash Deep was introduced in the ninth over. With his third ball, he had Zakir walking at him and edging it towards gully, where Yashasvi Jaiswal went low to his right and pouched it with both hands. The TV umpire was consulted about the fairness of the catch. He had only one good angle but it was enough for him to deduce that the ball went straight into Jaiswal’s hands.A few overs later, Akash Deep struck again. Continuing from around the wicket, he got one to beat Shadman’s inside edge and hit him on the pad. The on-field umpire denied the huge lbw appeal – it looked like the ball, at best, would have clipped leg stump. India opted for a review and, to everyone’s surprise, the projection showed the ball hitting a good chunk of the leg stump.Shanto came out with a positive mindset and picked up a few streaky boundaries off the outer half of the bat. Mominul, too, had begun tentatively but grew in confidence as the innings progressed. He picked up a four each off Akash Deep and Siraj via the ramp before driving Bumrah through the covers.As the last over before lunch was in progress, it started to drizzle which delayed the second session by 15 minutes. When play resumed, R Ashwin did not take long to get one go with the arm from around the wicket and beat Shanto’s inside edge to trap him lbw for 31. It ended the 51-run stand for the third wicket.Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim had a few nervy moments after that. Akash Deep got Mushfiqur’s outside edge but it went for four through the gap between third slip and gully. Three overs later, Mominul went after a full delivery from Bumrah, only to edge it over the cordon for another boundary.That was also the last over before it became too dark to continue. Soon, it started pouring down, forcing the umpires to call off play just before 3pm local time.

Chandimal made the most of his promotion to No. 3 allowing Mathews and Kamindu to cash in later in the day

Vishal Dikshit26-Sep-2024A trademark, enterprising century from Dinesh Chandimal led Sri Lanka’s charge towards a big score, making New Zealand rue multiple lapses in the field on the opening day in Galle. Chandimal switched gears across the first two sessions on his way to a 16th Test century, helping the hosts finish on a commanding 306 for 3. Unbeaten half-centuries from Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis provided the support act.New Zealand would have picked up more than three wickets in the day had Daryl Mitchell not put down two catches at first slip, Tom Blundell not missed Dimuth Karunartne’s stumping, and William O’Rourke not overstepped when he had Mathews caught behind. It was Chandimal’s chanceless innings, however, that hurt the visitors the most. He raised his sixth hundred in Galle and his fourth 50-plus score in eight Test innings while batting at No. 3 – out of his usual position in the middle order, to accommodate Kamindu at No. 5 and Kusal Mendis at No. 7.The only thing that went New Zealand’s way was the early wicket of Pathum Nissanka who edged an outswinger from Tim Southee behind at the end of the first over. Chandimal took on the fast bowlers when the new ball was still swinging around to set an early base for his team, and once the ball got older and conditions eased out for batting, with the sun beating down nicely, the hosts piled on the runs.Tom Blundell missed a stumping chance of Dimuth Karunaratne•AP

Karunaratne was the beneficiary of two lives; first dropped at slip on 5, off O’Rourke, and then he survived a stumping chance on 17 when he came down to attack Ajaz Patel and took a big swing but missed. Chandimal also edged the ball a few times early on against the pace bowlers but that didn’t deter him from going for his shots. He got off the mark with a fierce scythe that crashed the ball to the deep-point boundary and then went over the covers against Southee’s outswinger. He took on Ajaz’s left-arm spin from around the wicket to score quick runs.The most picture-perfect of his boundaries was against O’Rourke when he drove a full delivery on the up, square on the off side with a lot of power and impeccable timing. When he raced to 41 off 42, Southee brought on left-arm spin from both ends to stem the flow of runs before lunch and the tactic worked as Ajaz and Mitchell Santner bowled in tandem for 15 overs for 36 runs, with the odd ball turning sharply. A now-patient Chandimal was on 49 for 13 balls before finally getting to the landmark on his 79th ball.A brief spell of showers in the first hour pushed the lunch break from 12pm to 12.22pm and when play resumed, it was a fielding effort, aided by a mix-up, that ended the century partnership. Karunaratne flicked a ball from Santner to midwicket and ran all the way to the other end, but Chandimal barely left his crease. Glenn Phillips’ throw from midwicket, meanwhile, reached short leg and not the keeper, and Latham hit the stumps with an under-arm throw just in time to find the batter – scrambling to regain his ground – short.New Zealand then handed a life to Mathews. When O’Rourke had to re-bowl the last ball of the 44th over because he had overstepped, he had Mathews tickling one down the leg side and saw the umpire’s finger go up only to see the hand stretched to the side seconds later. Mathews settled his nerves thereafter by patiently seeing off the spinners who stuck to tight lines and lengths with slightly flat trajectories.Dinesh Chandimal, who recently had a baby, made 116•SLC

Chandimal, meanwhile, continued to drive full deliveries through the covers, loft the spinners down the ground when the field wasn’t spread out, and he even got a bonus four runs via overthrows to reach 95. He soon acknowledged his century with a rock-the-baby celebration having become a father in June. Mathews relied heavily on back-foot cuts and punches off the spinners, transferring his weight on the ball with his powerful arms and wrists. Chandimal fell soon after Mathews registered his 44th Test half-century, when he danced down and missed an offbreak to lose his off stump, a reward for Phillips for bowling tight lines through the day.Luck continued to favour the hosts even in the last session. Kamindu, the centurion from the first Test, edged his seventh and eighth deliveries in almost identical fashion off Southee not long before the second new ball was taken, but on both occasions the ball flew through the gap between Blundell and wide slip. After being dropped by Mitchell at slip off O’Rourke after the new ball was taken, Kamindu produced a flurry of boundaries, which started with a slog-swept six off Ajaz and included three more fours in quick succession to bring up his 53-ball half-century.O’Rourke used his height and bounce to also draw an edge off the splice of Matthews’ bat late in the day, but when the ball only kissed Tom Latham’s fingertips before going for four, Latham’s wry smile summed up New Zealand’s day.

For New Zealand, Sophie Devine, Lea Tahuhu and Amelia Kerr have moved up after the first two ODIs in India

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2024Deepti Sharma’s performances with the ball in the first two ODIs against New Zealand in Ahmedabad have given her a career-high 687 rating points in the ICC ODI bowling rankings, and taken her past Kate Cross and Megan Schutt up to No. 2 on the table. That’s only behind Sophie Ecclestone, though the gap between them remains a massive 83 points.Deepti carried her good form into the final ODI of the series, returning 3 for 39 as India wrapped up a 2-1 series win, but those wickets* came after the latest ICC update. In the first two games, Deepti had three wickets and has an economy rate of 3.42, which gave her the boost in the rankings. On the T20I table, too, Deepti is up at No. 3, only behind Ecclestone and Sadia Iqbal.From the India vs New Zealand series, Lea Tahuhu has moved up three places to 12th, Amelia Kerr is up one spot to 13th, and Sophie Devine has gained nine positions to get to equal 30th among bowlers.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

Kerr was ruled out of the remainder of the series after she picked up a quadricep tear in the first ODI, which India won, before Tahuhu and Devine played starring roles in New Zealand’s win in the second ODI.Devine, who led the way for New Zealand with an 86-ball 79 and 3 for 27 in that game, has also gone up three spots to eighth among ODI batters. Also gaining within the top 20 are Kerr (up one spot to 11th), Suzie Bates (up two spots to joint 15th) and Maddy Green (up seven spots to 18th). For India, the major gainer among the batters is Jemimah Rodrigues, whose 35 played a part in India winning the first game.Both Deepti and Devine also made strong gains within the top ten on the allrounders’ table. Devine is up two places to No. 7, while Deepti is up one spot to No. 4.

Jacob Bethell continued his serene start to life in an England shirt by hitting the winning runs in Christchurch

Vithushan Ehantharajah02-Dec-2024Hitting the winning run in a Test match that takes you to a half-century on debut. Walking off alongside England’s all-time leading run-scorer, Joe Root. Sunday was just another of a series of bucket-list moments for Jacob Bethell.Since September, the 21-year-old has enjoyed life in England’s priority lane, ticking off T20I and ODI caps against Australia and West Indies, registering three white-ball half-centuries against the latter. This first against the red was right out of his limited-overs playbook, taking just 37 deliveries, as the tourists chased 104 inside 13 overs to beat New Zealand by eight wickets in Christchurch. They take a 1-0 lead to Wellington.”[It was] a hell of a lot of fun yeah,” Bethell said. “And to walk off with Rooty [who made 23 off 15] at the end there was pretty special.”To come out in the second innings and have a chance to walk off with an England win was at the forefront of my mind and luckily I was able to do that.”Related

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The second-innings speed run was in keeping with how England attack smaller targets. Barring a thick inside edge to get him off the mark, the other eight boundaries were real statements shots. Especially a pull for six on to the grass banks of the Hagley Oval off fellow debutant Nathan Smith.Smith did not take kindly to Bethell’s onslaught, having copped four boundaries off the left-hander in his first over, and went to bouncers. Bethell, however, is no stranger to short-pitched bowling. He was reared on it as a kid born in Barbados and later raised the UK – a scholarship to Rugby School brought him over aged 12 – as a regular target of the intimidatory tactics of bigger kids.”I was very small growing up so I didn’t really get a lot in my half up until I was about 16 or 17 when I got a bit bigger,” he said. “I never had as much power on it but I could still play it well. And now it’s just a decision on whether to hit it on the ground or hit it for six.”Such confidence, delivered with a mixed Bajan and Brummie accent that has a distinctly Welsh feel – which almost makes sense as the crow flies – is why England had no qualms placing him at No. 3. Even his first innings was met with something of a shrug.Conditions were tough, New Zealand’s seamers up and at them. Bethell backed himself, but managed just 10 from 34 balls – only getting off the mark with his 13th, still on one after 26 – before Smith snicked him off. Root’s dismissal then had England reeling on 45 for 3 at lunch on day two.”That’s part of the game, isn’t it?” Bethell said, like he’d been here before. “I saw it [as] if I got through to lunch, it looked like a different pitch after lunch. It does help when you’ve got Harry Brook batting, he makes it look quite easy.”I think it could have been a different story, I battled hard and unluckily didn’t make it through to lunch but another day you get through and go on to make a big one.”Ben Stokes singled out those 34 deliveries after the match rather than the half-century, clearly buoyed by the way someone so young owned his space during those first 49 minutes as a Test batter. “If he sticks to having that attitude, that swagger about him, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be alright,” Stokes said.Bethell’s selection for the tour outright was a huge show of faith, picked as the spare batter despite a first class average of 25.44 from 30 innings – none of which had come higher than No. 5. Not that he was worried.”Pretty much every time I’ve played against better people, I’ve played better,” he said. “Step up to the Hundred, played better. Straight into internationals, played better. I didn’t really have a doubt in my mind that coming into Test cricket that I’d have done well.”The strut, the talk, the arrogance, reinforced by what was only his sixth first-class fifty, could see Bethell retain this new spot for the series. It would require Ollie Pope to keep the gloves and stay at No. 6, meaning Durham wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, who arrived on Saturday as Jordan Cox’s injury replacement, waiting his turn.England still regard Pope as their No. 3, and the man himself spoke forcefully that he still wants to make the position his own after his innings-saving 77 on day two. It is clear Pope wants that spot back for series against India and Australia next year.Bethell, however, is hopeful he gets a chance to show he can thrive up top, something he wants to do at Warwickshire but has not yet been able to make a solid case for.”I like batting up the order so, yeah, I was really happy that opportunity arose,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to bat in the top four so three is perfect.Bethell his eight fours and a six in his maiden Test fifty•AFP/Getty Images

“I think my game is fit to play any style. On Sunday we saw a bit more of an attacking style. I can also absorb a bit of pressure, so I’m sure at times in my career there will be times to do that as well.”As a multi-format batter already, inevitably there will come a time when Bethell is pulled a few different ways. It may already be happening.Following the conclusion of this Test series, he will head to Australia to fulfill his overseas commitments with Melbourne Renegades. And just last week, he was one of 12 English players picked up in the IPL mega auction, earning a maiden gig with Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a tidy sum of £245,000. It will also see him miss the first seven rounds of Warwickshire’s County Championship campaign.He will join England team-mates Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone at RCB. No surprises, though, for guessing who he is most looking forward to rubbing shoulders with.”It’s a bit of a given, isn’t it?” Bethell said, with a wry smile. “Virat! He’s a great of the game so… King Kohli.”Like all young players at the premier franchise competition, he wants to be a sponge. “Any kind of overseas player that’s gone over there has come back with a wealth of experience.”But this first taste of the longest format has him craving more. With an Ashes tour on the horizon – England’s successful 2010-11 tour was his formative series – this format, and this team, are where he wants to truly establish himself.”It’s everything I’ve dreamed of to be honest,” Bethell said of Test cricket. “Since I was a little kid I’ve always dreamed of playing Test cricket, I remember watching the Ashes, and just any England Tests on TV and wanting to be a part of it.”And then since Baz [Brendon McCullum] took over with Stokesy, I’ve always watched it on TV and gone ‘how fun that does that look’ and it lived up to expectation. It was so fun.”

“Live life on your terms, make space for those extra calories, make time for your family, make time to do absolutely nothing”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2024″It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say.. Do I put this down as a tribute to my all time favorite cricketer ? Maybe I’ll just take the partner angle? Or maybe a love letter from a fan girl? I guess this is a little bit of all of it.”When I saw Ashwins PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many many memories over the last 13-14 years. The big wins , the MOS awards, the quiet silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower running for much longer than usual on some evenings post play , the scratch of pencil over paper as he scribbled thoughts down, the constant streaming of footage videos when he is making a game plan, the calm of meditative breathing before leaving for each game, certain songs playing on repeat while he unwinds.. The times we weeped in joy – after the CT final, after the MCG win, after the Sydney draw, The Gabba win, after making a comeback in T20s…the times we sat in silence and the times when we had our hearts broken.Related

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“Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put a kit bag together to following you to stadiums all over the world, rooting for you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege to watch and enjoy a sport that I love from close quarters. It also showed me how much passion, hardwork and discipline is needed to keep your head above water. And sometimes even that is not enough. I remember us talking about why you, R Ashwin, had to do all of this and a lot more to even stay relevant in the scheme of things. How awards, the best of stats, the POMs, the accolades, the records didn’t matter if you didn’t sharpen your skill sets constantly and did not put in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough. As you end your wonderful international run, I only want to tell you that it’s all good.It is all going to be good.It is time to set the burden of being you down. Live life on your terms, make space for those extra calories, make time for your family, make time to do absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, bug our kids out of their minds. Just do it all.”

Carse suffered an injury to his left toe, which also cut his Champions Trophy campaign short

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2025Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder Brydon Carse has been ruled out of IPL 2025 with a toe injury. SRH have signed Wiaan Mulder as a like-for-like replacement replacement.Carse, who was picked by SRH for his base price of INR 1 crore, had aggravated his left toe during England’s white-ball tour of India before the Champions Trophy. The injury worsened during England’s first Champions Trophy game, against Australia in Lahore, where he was only able to bowl seven of his overs. He was subsequently ruled out of the competition.Mulder, meanwhile, was South Africa’s joint-highest wicket-taker, with six wickets, in their run to the Champions Trophy semi-finals.Mulder has played 128 T20s, scoring 2172 runs and taking 67 wickets. This will be his maiden stint in the IPL. However, he’s been part of the SA20, now-defunct Mzansi Super League (MSL), and England’s Vitality Blast.IPL 2025 will begin on March 22 and SRH, who were runners-up in 2024, will begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals at home on March 23.