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His 4-37 helps bowl home side out for 255 before Notts enforce the follow-on

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2024Kent were once again fighting to save a match in the Vitality County Championship, reaching 85 for no wicket in their second innings against Nottinghamshire at Canterbury, still 123 behind at stumps on day two.Tawanda Muyeye was unbeaten on 55 and Ben Compton was 22 not out when bad light stopped play with seven scheduled overs remaining.Notts were all out for 433 early during the morning session, Nathan Gilchrist finishing with 4 for 101, but Farhan Ahmed then claimed 4 for 37 as Kent were dismissed for 225 in their first innings.Joey Evison was the highest scorer, hitting 76 against his former side, while the second-biggest contribution came from the extras column with 43.Kent were forced to follow on and the seven bonus points the visitors have stockpiled mean that even if the hosts pull off an improbable win here, Notts would need just a single point from their final fixture next week at home to Warwickshire to ensure Kent go down – and if Lancashire beat Somerset, Kent will be relegated regardless of what happens on the final two days.The visitors began day two on 393 for 6 and Luke Fletcher had moved to 22 when he played an elaborate leave shot against George Garrett, who clipped a bail.Rob Lord survived a strong first-ball appeal for caught behind but was lbw in the next over to Nathan Gilchrist, who then sent Ahmed’s off stump cartwheeling for 2.Dane Schadendorf was the last man to go when he holed out to Akeem Jordan and was taken by Daniel Bell-Drummond, who sprinted to long off.Kent’s reply was just five balls old when Compton was adjudged lbw to Fletcher for four and Muyeye went for 10 when he flicked Fletcher to Lord on the square leg boundary.It was 60 for 2 at lunch and Bell-Drummond went soon after, caught by Schadendorf off Lyndon James for 28.Joe Denly edged Lord to Schadendorf for 5 and it nearly got worse for Kent when Freddie McCann put down Evison when he was one after he’d edged James.Jack Leaning went for 26, trying to fend off a short ball from Lord that he gloved to Schadendorf.Ahmed took a wicket with his first ball, getting Harry Finch caught at short leg by Jack Haynes and at that point the game looked like it might be over in two days, let alone three but Jordan made a game 23 in a partnership of 63 with Evison before he was lbw to Ahmed.Ahmed then got Parkinson for a 28-ball duck after a sharp catch at short leg by McCann and an already interminable-seeming afternoon session was prolonged when Jacob Duffy bowled Nathan Gilchrist for four with last scheduled ball before tea.Evison eventually holed out to Ahmed and was caught by Ben Slater on the deep cover boundary, forcing Kent were forced to follow on for the sixth time this season, but not for the first time this campaign they made a better fist of it second time around.Muyeye sped to 50 from 49 balls but with the light deteriorating, play was abandoned at 6.06pm.

Bangladesh earned just two wickets on opening day, both picked up by Taijul Islam

Firdose Moonda29-Oct-2024South Africa 307 for 2 (De Zorzi 141*, Stubbs 106, Bedingham 18*) vs Bangladesh It was a coming of age day for two of South Africa’s top three as Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs both scored their first Test centuries in Chattogram. De Zorzi and Stubbs, with eight and five Test caps to their names respectively, shared South Africa’s third-highest second-wicket stand in Asia of 201 to put South Africa in a strong position to push for a series sweep.They made the most of batter-friendly conditions with little seam movement, swing or steep bounce and only hints of turn to assist the home attack. Bangladesh’s bowlers had little to work with and the best they managed was to keep South Africa quiet in patches. Their tall seamer Nahid Rana was the most impressive of the five-man attack and reached speeds of up to 148kph but went wicketless. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam picked up from where he left off after a five-for in Mirpur and was the only bowler to take wickets, although Hasan Mahmud will feel hard done by. De Zorzi was dropped off him twice, on 6 and 69, on his way to an unbeaten 141.South Africa started the day strongly as stand-in captain Aiden Markram and de Zorzi motored at 4.6 runs an over in the first hour. They hit four fours and a six between them as South Africa reached morning drinks on 60 without loss. The only threat came from Hasan, who took de Zorzi’s edge with the first ball of his fourth over but debutant wicketkeeper Mahidul Islam could not hold on. Bangladesh turned to spin from both ends after that and it brought success for Taijul. Markram advanced down the track to a ball that was not as short as he anticipated and chipped it to Mominul Haque at mid-on.Related

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Markram’s dismissal allowed Bangladesh to pull the scoring rate back. They did not concede a boundary for 21 deliveries as Stubbs played himself in. He found his first four when he reverse-swept Mehidy Hasan Miraz behind point but then Bangladesh reapplied the squeeze. Another 28 balls were bowled for just 14 runs before de Zorzi brought up South Africa’s hundred with a sumptuous cover drive. De Zorzi went to lunch one away from a third Test fifty and got there in the over after the break.The opening exchanges of the afternoon session were difficult for South Africa and they went 91 deliveries between boundaries as they navigated Rana’s pace and small amounts of proper turn from Taijul. Nahid’s lengths were improved from the fuller ones he employed in the morning and he stuck to back-of-a-length balls which proved difficult to get away. But he did not come close to a wicket. Instead it was Mahmud who should have had something to show for his efforts. He drew de Zorzi forward again and took the edge but the chance slipped through the hands of Shadman Islam at first slip, de Zorzi and South Africa survived a period in which they scored only 34 runs in 13 overs after lunch and then things opened up a bit for them.The next eight overs brought 32 runs at a healthier scoring rate and Stubbs brought up his second Test fifty. Stubbs grew in confidence when he hit Mehidy over the sightscreen for six and de Zorzi followed suit by entering the nineties by sending Taijul over long-on. De Zorzi reached his hundred with a sweep shot off Mehidy through square leg and celebrated his achievement to warm applause from the dug out, which included injured captain Temba Bavuma. De Zorzi is only the second black African batter from South Africa to score a Test hundred, after Bavuma.2:12

‘You can’t buy that pace’ – Phil Simmons impressed with Nahid Rana

As de Zorzi struggled with cramps, Stubbs faced 25 of the first 30 deliveries after tea and showed good intent. He was particularly severe on Mehidy, charging him twice for six and reverse-sweeping him for four to near the nineties and knuckle down. De Zorzi struggled to run between the wickets so the pair quietened down and Stubbs spent 39 balls getting from 88 to 100. He did it with a single to deep point and a standing ovation from everyone in the South African camp.Stubbs was bowled in the next over by a ball that kept low from Taijul with about half an hour left of play in the day. South Africa saw that as a license to attack. De Zorzi and David Bedingham played with freedom and scored 34 runs in the six overs that followed as Bangladesh awaited the second new ball. They were also without their captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for that period after he left the field with what seemed like illness. Taijul led in his absence and took the second new ball as soon as it became available. Mehidy bowled one over with it before the players came off for bad light, with the day’s accolades going to de Zorzi.South Africa went into this series with only two specialist batters in their squad with playing experience in the subcontinent and only one, Markram, with a century in Asia. The other, Bavuma, was ruled out of the series with injury, which left them further bereft of experience. A Test and a day into the series they have four batters in the playing XI who have scored centuries in the subcontinent.

Late wickets for Jackson Bird left South Australia facing the prospect of their first defeat of the season

AAP15-Nov-2024Kurtis Patterson has taken the next step in his revival as a first-class cricketer, hitting another half-century as New South Wales rammed home their advantage over South Australia.Dropped from NSW’s Sheffield Shield side for most of last summer and fearing his career could be over, Patterson made it three straight half-centuries for the Blues on Friday. With NSW well on top, Patterson struck 71 to help NSW to 394 late on day two and a first-innings lead of 284 at Karen Rolton Oval.Related

• Bird seven-for sinks South Australia as New South Wales dominate day one

• Bancroft's nightmare continues as Western Australia endured tough day

• Weatherald flays Queensland after enjoying opening 'circus'

South Australia went to stumps at 53 for 3, still needing 231 more runs to make NSW bat again. Paceman Jackson Bird had taken 2 for 15 to follow his first innings heroics of 7 for 46.Patterson took his time through the majority of his innings, crunching two boundaries through the covers and another through mid on. The two-time Test representative eventually lost his leg stump trying to glance Brendan Doggett, but Patterson has now clearly given himself a second life as a first-class cricketer.He has made scores of 91, 66 and 71 since his return earlier this month, after only being recalled when NSW found themselves short on batters through Australia A duties.Patterson was one of four NSW players to pass 50 against the previously-undefeated South Australians. After Nic Maddinson hit 69 on the opening evening, Oliver Davies blasted his way to 56 on day two by regularly taking on spinner Lloyd Pope down the ground.Wearing a floppy hat, Davies used his feet to hit Pope for four through cover, down the ground for a big six and then over cover for four again in quick succession.Matthew Gilkes also hit 55, while Nathan McAndrew took 4 for 90 for South Australia and Doggett 3 for 90. No South Australians were, however, able to replicate the joy of NSW veteran Bird on day one, who set up the Blues’ dominance.

“I don’t think Ashwin the cricketer is done, I think only Ashwin the Indian cricketer called time.”

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-20240:57

Kumble toasts ‘great champion’ Ashwin: ‘Wanted you to go past 619’

R Ashwin has “zero regrets” about his sudden decision to retire from international cricket at the end of the Gabba Test, stating his desire to play for Chennai Super Kings for “as long as I can” because “I don’t think Ashwin the cricketer is done”.After announcing his retirement in Brisbane on Wednesday afternoon, Ashwin was back in Chennai by Thursday morning and was received at home by his family and friends amid much fanfare, which included flower garlands, autograph hunters and a band.”I never thought so many people will come here. I just wanted a quiet entry, and was looking forward to relax at home. But you have made my day,” Ashwin told the crowd gathered near his residence. “I have played Test cricket for so many years, but the last time (I saw something) like this was after the 2011 World Cup.”It’s emotional for a lot of people, and may be it will sink in (in some time) but for me, personally, it is a great sense of relief and satisfaction,” Ashwin said of his decision to retire. “It was very instinctive and it has been running in my head for a while. I just felt (it) on day four and I just called it a day.Related

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“To be honest, we all go through a lot in our career, not only for cricketers but in general. Generally, when I go to sleep I remember a lot of things like taking wickets, making runs, but those memories are not there in the last two years. So, that was a clear indication that we need to take a different route now. I have not set any new goals, as I just want to relax now. Actually, it’s difficult for me to stay inactive, but I want to try that now.”While the retirement is only from international cricket, Ashwin plans to continue playing cricket. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings at the 2025 IPL auction, returning to his home city’s franchise for the first time since 2015, and also plays for Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.”I think that part for me is still burning bright. I am going to play for CSK and don’t be surprised if I aspire to play for as long as I can,” Ashwin said. “I don’t think Ashwin the cricketer is done, I think only Ashwin the Indian cricketer called time. That’s it.”

They have opened together only 28 times in ODIs, but their numbers are staggering

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Feb-20252:26

Gill: ‘The way Rohit and I play in powerplay quite different’

Shubman Gill averages 63.73 in ODIs at the top of the order. Rohit Sharma averages 55.21 when opening. Together, their numbers are approaching all-time great territory.They’ve only opened together 28 times in this format, so the sample size is small. But in those innings they’ve put on 1943 runs at an average of 71.96. Only in ten of those 28 innings have they failed to get India to 50 for no loss or better. To this dependability, they have also braided in aggression. India travel at more than seven an over on average when these two are together.Their numbers put this pair at the top of the all-time list for players that have opened together at least 25 times in terms of average and strike rate*, with daylight between themselves and the next-best pair (Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, who memorably helped deliver England the 2019 World Cup). Part of their effectiveness, Gill said on the eve of India’s match against Pakistan, was down to their varying but complementing methods.Related

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“The way we play the game in the powerplay is quite different to each other,” Gill said. “Rohit likes to play more aerial shots, and tries to hit those big sixes. And I like to play along the ground, and I like to pierce those gaps. In between, if I see the bowler is under pressure, I like to go over the circle. I think that’s the hallmark of us as a pair. We score boundaries with different shots. The bowlers really have to think which areas to target for us, because the areas we play the shots are different from each other.”It’s a delight to watch [Rohit] from the non-striker’s end. He has his own style and if at all it helps me to find my own groove.”Much of this was in evidence on Thursday, when they put on 69 for the first wicket against Bangladesh, in the 9.5 overs they were together. Rohit’s rapid start had given Gill the space to play a more sedate innings, as he made 101 not out off 129 balls. The key stat for Rohit is the strike rate – he has gone at 120 in the four ODIs he’s played this year. Gill, meanwhile, has gone at less than a run-a-ball (strike rate 96.46 as opener in 2025). But he’s averaged a mammoth 136.50, scores of 112 and 60 preceding the latest hundred (to go with one score of 87 from No. 3).Gill had had a rough time in the Tests in Australia, making a top score of 31 in the five innings he played there during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But a return to his favourite format has led to a spectacular return to runs.”I don’t think there was any flaw in my batting in Australia that I couldn’t score runs,” he said. “But, definitely, sometimes there is a mental aspect and we start focusing on the batting, which leads us to think there has to be some fault in the batting that the runs aren’t coming.”But, I don’t think every time it has something to do with batting. It is possible, we are lacking in some other facet. I haven’t worked on any area in particular, but knowing I am going to play white-ball format now and then T20s, so I practised accordingly.”

Mumbai Indians took a step closer to making the playoffs for a third year in succession, having triggered a UPW slide

S Sudarshanan06-Mar-2025Mumbai Indians (MI) mounted a fine comeback with the ball to set up a win that put them a step closer to making the playoffs for a third year in succession and pushed UP Warriorz (UPW) to the brink of exit from WPL 2025. Led by a five-wicket haul from Amelia Kerr, MI picked up nine wickets for 76 runs to restrict UPW to 150 for 9 and chased that down with six wickets and nine balls to spare.UPW were off to their best start in the competition thanks to Georgia Voll’s half-century in just her second WPL match. After being bowled for a duck on debut, she hit 55 off 33 balls to lay a strong platform. But UPW couldn’t capitalise, going from 74 for 0 to 125 for 7. The MI spinners combined to pick up eight of the nine wickets UPW lost.

Harmanpreet fined 10% of her match fees

MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur was reprimanded and fined 10% of her match fees for Level 1 offence under Article 2.8, which relates to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during a match. Harmanpreet had got into an argument with the umpires when MI were penalised for slow over rate.

In reply, Hayley Matthews struck her second half-century of the season and was involved in a 92-run second-wicket partnership with Nat Sciver-Brunt that all but sealed the win. It was Matthews’ second fifty in as many games this season against UPW, the 46-ball 68 in Lucknow following up her 50-ball 59 in Bengaluru last week.The win took MI up to second on the points table with eight points and a net run-rate of 0.267 after six outings. Their next game is against Gujarat Giants, who are third currently with six points in six matches with an NRR of 0.357.

Pace-off from MI

Shabnim Ismail bowled the fastest ball recorded in women’s cricket history last year. Sciver-Brunt is capable of swinging the ball around in the early 110kphs. Going by the first WPL game at the Ekana Stadium, there was enough help for the fast bowlers with the new ball. Yet, the MI fast-bowling duo bowled offcutters on a red-soil surface. Ismail tried to soften Voll up with a one-two trick early on but quickly switched to taking pace off. Sciver-Brunt’s cutters proved tough to get away too, initially.Georgia Voll and Grace Harris had a big opening stand•BCCI

A refreshing start ft. Harris and Voll

UPW opted for a third opening pair in their seventh game at WPL 2025, with former Brisbane Heat team-mates Grace Harris and Voll striding out. The first ball of the match, from Ismail, caught Harris by surprise. It reared up from short-of-a-good length outside off and hit her high on the blade. That left Voll expecting the bouncer again, but Ismail slipped a few full ones in to keep the batter thinking. But Voll soon got the measure of the bowler as well as the surface and she hit three fours in the five balls she faced after getting off the mark.Voll was the aggressor, but it was Harris who ended the powerplay with back-to-back fours off left-arm spinner Parunika Sisodia, whom MI had brought in for Jintimani Kalita. And so UPW ended the powerplay on 50 without loss. It was the best start for UPW this season. Voll took just 29 balls to bring up a fine half-century soon after.

The familiar batting collapse

Voll greeted Kerr with three fours and then hit one more off Matthews in the next over. A misjudgment by Ismail at long-on saw Harris hit her only six. But a bouncer from Matthews, one she often uses to surprise the batters, got the better of Harris, who top-edged her pull to short fine-leg. Kiran Navgire, at No. 3, went for an ungainly hack, charging at Kerr, to fall for a second-ball duck. Sciver-Brunt delivered the decisive blow when Voll went for the scoop and missed.From there, UPW struggled to get momentum with only Deepti Sharma holding one end up. All of Vrinda Dinesh, Chinelle Henry, Shweta Sehrawat and Uma Chetry fell trying to hit out against spin. Deepti hit just the two fours in her 25-ball 27 as UPW scored just 61 in their last ten overs.Hayley Matthews established her dominance over UP Warriorz•BCCI

Matthews, Sciver-Brunt get the job done

MI are the most successful chasing team in the WPL and the 151-run target was unlikely to pose a major challenge. But they had a concern at the top of the order – Yastika Bhatia had tallied 38 runs in six innings before Thursday. So they pushed Kerr up to open with Matthews and the move did not pay dividends. After hitting a couple of fours, Kerr mis-swatted a back-of-a-length ball from Henry to mid-on.Matthews and Sciver-Brunt then joined forces and sped up the scoring with dew also coming to their aid. Deepti was seen using the towel to wipe the ball inside the powerplay. Kranti Goud began well and extracted enough swing, much like Henry had earlier, resulting in Matthews playing and missing a few. But a 16-run Gouher Sultana over set MI on their way.The duel between Caribbean mates Henry and Matthews was one of the highlights of the phase: Henry got one to rear up at her West Indies captain and had a few friendly words to say, only for Matthews to walk down the track to a short ball and send it sailing into the deep-midwicket stands and grin in response.MI lost three reasonably quick wickets at the doorstep of victory but Bhatia, in at No. 6, hit a couple of fours off the offspin of Voll and Deepti to seal the deal. And so, two games into their “home leg” in Lucknow, UPW have two comprehensive defeats to show.

Kyle Mayers had helped Seattle Orcas put up 200 before their sloppy fielding and MINY’s powerful batting in the death overs finished the game

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2025MI New York 203 for 3 (Monank 93, Bracewell 50, Raza 2-37) beat Seattle Orcas 200 for 5 (Mayers 88, Jahangir 43)MI New York finally got a ‘W’ against their name in MLC 2025 by the time all teams have played three of their ten league games. MI New York did it in style, although after a slow start in their chase of 201 against Seattle Orcas that gave them some tense moments in the last game played in Oakland this season. They managed just 38 for 1 in the powerplay and before his opening partner Monank Patel took off to end with 93 off 50 balls before allrounders Michael Bracewell and Kieron Pollard saw them home with an over to spare.Orcas opted to bat in search of their first win of the season and changed the batting order and the XI to change their fortunes. Kyle Mayers dropped down to No. 4 after bagging a duck in their last game and the move worked as he walked out when Orcas were 30 for 2 towards the end of the powerplay once captain David Warner and Aaron Jones fell cheaply. Mayers and Shayan Jahangir then struck a six every over for five overs in a row while Mayers also got a life when Tajinder Singh dropped a sitter on the off side. More sixes followed before Jahangir holed out for 43 off 34 that ended the third-wicket stand of 77 off 49 balls that took them past 100 in the 14th over.Mayers then lifted the run rate over eight an over with two sixes and a four off Naveen-ul-Haq in the 15th over that went for 18 and saw his half-century come off 31 balls. Mayers smoked a lot of his boundaries on the leg side and relied heavily on his back-foot strokes to muscle the ball away. He launched four more sixes in Naveen’s next over – three of them over long-on – before Trent Boult removed Mayers in the 19th over that went for just eight runs. But there was no respite for Naveen; he got the last over which saw Shimron Hetmyer smack two fours and two sixes before holing out on the last ball. Captain Heinrich Klaasen also chipped in with three sixes in his 27 off 11 as Orcas pummeled 120 runs in the last eight overs.MINY were also hardly looking great in the powerplay with edges and appeals before Quinton de Kock flicked a six in the third over off Obed McCoy. He was, however, trapped lbw as soon as Sikandar Raza came on, while Monank smashed his USA team-mate Jasdeep Singh for a six and four next over. Monank continued to pepper the boundaries while Bracewell moved along at run a ball to play second fiddle. MINY promoted Bracewell over Pooran as they expected the second half the innings to be better for batting, and even though the plan didn’t work exactly that way, runs did flow more easily as the chase progressed. With 90 required off 48, three fours came off Raza’s zippy offbreaks in the 13th over not long before Klaasen put down Bracewell. But Cameron Gannon held on to one to send Monank back for 93 when they needed 57 off the last five. Pooran scored just one run off his first four balls before launching a six which was followed by him losing his stumps against Raza, who celebrated wildly. The stage was set for Pollard with 49 needed off 22 and he started with two fours in his first three balls to stamp his arrival.Bracewell collected two fours and a six off Mayers next over that went for 19 and with 21 to get off 12, Pollard and Bracewell finished things off in the 19th over off McCoy. As many as four Orcas bowlers went for over 10 runs an over while Bracewell remained unbeaten on 50 off 35 and Pollard on 26 off 10.

Unbeaten half-century sinks Northamptonshire with 23 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Jul-2025Leicestershire Foxes kept themselves in the race for a quarter-final spot in the Vitality Blast after defeating Northamptonshire Steelbacks by six wickets with 23 balls to spare to go fourth in the North Group, moving ahead of their opponents, who remain in contention despite losing five matches in a row.Rehan Ahmed was the Foxes’ match-winner with an unbeaten 52 off 30 balls after Sol Budinger had hit 40 off 22, pace bowler George Scrimshaw taking three for 33 for the Steelbacks.Josh Thomas, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner on a short-term loan from Somerset, took two for 32 on his Blast debut, with two wickets each from Logan Van Beek and Josh Hull as the Steelbacks made 171 for seven, led by Ravi Bopara with 53 from 40 balls.Saif Zaib made 30 off 18 and skipper David Willey 27 off 18, the visitors’ innings swelled by Luke Procter (22 from 17) and Ben Sanderson adding 42 unbroken after a collapse from 106 for two to 129 for seven on what looked a good pitch.The Steelbacks lost Tim Robinson second ball when he miscued Van Beek to mid-off, with Willey dropped on nought in the same over as Sam Wood let the ball through his hands on midwicket rope, Willey picking up six more with a repeat of the shot to go with a couple of fours before mistiming Hull to be caught at short midwicket.Another spilled chance on the boundary, this time sparing Zaib on eight, as Hull palmed one over the rope at fine leg off Tom Scriven, cost 22 runs as Zaib and Bopara added 63 in 40 balls before Zaib hit Wood straight to mid-off.Zaib’s demise prompted a collapse with five wickets falling in as many overs. Thomas, signed as cover for the injured Liam Trevaskis, bowled Justin Broad and had Lewis McManus caught at long on as his first victims in the format.Van Beek bowled George Bartlett and Bopara, whose 50 had come off 36 balls with six fours and a slog-swept six off Louis Kimber, hit Hull straight to extra cover as the Steelbacks stumbled, before Procter and Sanderson drew on their experience in the last five overs to provide something to defend.Willey dismissed Rishi Patel without scoring for the second time this season, taking an easy return catch off a towering top-edge, but Budinger drove Willey and twice pulled Sanderson for maximums, before Shan Masood (25 off 23) fell victim to a leg-side strangle facing Scrimshaw after he and Budinger had added 71.The 6ft 7ins Scrimshaw picked up his second in his next over as Budinger swatted a full toss straight to wide mid-on. Kimber lifted Aussie wrist-spinner Lloyd Pope over long-off for six before both Rehan, on 18, and Kimber, on 12, were dropped by Bopara at extra cover in an eventful next over by Pope, who was also lifted for two sixes by Rehan.Scrimshaw returned to bowl Kimber at 118 for four but after Ben Cox had scooped Willey for an inventive six the Foxes needed 38 from 36 balls, but that came down to 21 off 24 after Rehan cut Zaib for four and drove him down the ground for six, the night continuing to go wrong for the Steelbacks as Cox was missed on the long-on boundary on 14, picking up six more, after which the end came quickly after Willey’s last over went for 18, Rehan completing his half-century off 30 balls with the winning boundary off Sanderson.

The hosts were stuck on their own surface, posting 109 for 7 which was overhauled with 17 balls to spare

ECB Media24-Aug-2025Birmingham Phoenix 113 for 3 (Duckett 49*, Clarke 40) beat Manchester Originals 109 for 7 (Klaasen 34, Livingstone 2-11) by seven wicketsBirmingham Phoenix produced a polished display to thrash Manchester Originals by seven wickets at Emirates Old Trafford and move up to fourth in the table.The Phoenix have struggled for consistency in the tournament, and their defeat to Welsh Fire on Friday evening ended any hope of qualifying for the knockout phase, but a disciplined performance in the field and a clinical partnership of 72 from 45 balls between Ben Duckett (49 not out from 38) and Joe Clarke (40 from 21) delivered a consolation victory.Set just 110 to win, Will Smeed nicked off to Sonny Baker for 13 but it was plain sailing thereafter, Clarke announcing his arrival with three consecutive boundaries off his Nottinghamshire teammate Josh Tongue before dispatching Ish Sodhi for a slog-swept six.Duckett had been more circumspect but came to the party by taking 14 off Sodhi’s second set and the Phoenix wasted no time in racing to their target, Tongue’s dismissals of Clarke and Liam Livingstone only delaying the inevitable as victory was secured with 17 balls to spare.Earlier, the Originals had made a positive start after winning the toss and electing to bat. Phil Salt (31 from 20) hit Adam Milne for a six and a four in the second set, and belted two maximums off Trent Boult in the third, but Liam Patterson-White got the breakthrough when he clean bowled Ben McKinney for 2 with an arm ball and the hosts badly lost their way when Salt followed, caught at long-on by Duckett off Jacob Bethell.Jos Buttler came and went for 5, trapped lbw by the excellent Livingstone (2 for 11), and wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Heinrich Klaasen (34 from 35) unable to fully unleash his range of shots on a slow surface that played into the hands of the Phoenix spinners.The South African was eventually caught in the deep off Chris Wood (2-11) in the penultimate set and the Originals could only muster 109-7, ultimately slipping to a fifth defeat in seven, bottom of the table on net run rate, as their formidable batting line-up again failed to fire.Clarke, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I feel in good rhythm and have good confidence, so it was nice to contribute to a win.”The pitch had been used a few times so it was slightly on the slower side. I felt like once the seamers were on I could inject pace into it and it helped having Ben at the other end who could knock it around and run hard.On the partnership with Duckett, he added: “We wanted to stick to our strengths. He’s a very good player of spin, he hits gas really well, and it was about limiting dot balls. We’ve played cricket together for a long, long time, so it’s nice to be out there in the middle with him.”

“When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough”

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-20253:59

Kuldeep: Had a good time in England working on myself

For Kuldeep Yadav, rhythm is everything. It’s what aids his drift, helps develop a loop to deceive batters in the air, and gives him confidence to sequence his deliveries better.However, he says, rhythm only comes with time in the middle, something he didn’t have a lot of through the course of an entire Test series in England, because the team opted for batting depth.”In England, obviously, looking at the conditions and the combination of the team, I didn’t get a place in the XI,” he said ahead of India’s final group match against Oman in Abu Dhabi in the Asia Cup. “But it was a very good time for me to work on myself, to improve my fitness and to give more volume to bowling, because it is very important.”Instead of sitting and sulking, Kuldeep developed his own pattern to training, and analysed his game, and picked out certain markers for when his time would come.Related

• Kuldeep makes it worth the wait

• How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan

“As a player, you learn a lot when you don’t play,” he said. “When the team reacts to certain situations, you can judge from the outside. You have a lot of ideas when you are in this situation, as to how to react and how you can bowl. I got a lot of ideas from there.”The communication [when he didn’t play] from Gauti [head coach Gautam Gambhir] was very clear. He was very straightforward. When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough. There are two ways and players choose according to themselves.”But it is very important that you keep working hard. The game is such that you have good and bad days. If you are not playing, you have time to improve on your own and become a better player when you get the chance.”Kuldeep Yadav did not get to play in England•Getty Images

Kuldeep’s opportunity came soon after, in the form of a Duleep Trophy game in August. The scorecard will show no wickets next to his name, but for Kuldeep, those 32 overs meant so much more.”It was very important for me to bowl there,” he said. “Bowling in nets and bowling in a match are very different. Obviously, you want to play after a long time. You want to perform well. But I didn’t have that much in my mind. I focused on my strength and tried to bowl in good areas.”Now, he feels that sense of rhythm has returned fully at the Asia Cup, where he has picked up seven wickets in two games, against UAE and Pakistan, across 37 deliveries.”Actually, my rhythm is set now,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that. I think it is important to use small angles for bowlers. As a wristspinner, I always think about my release point, my finish, whether the body is transferring [weight forward] or not.”When you don’t play, these things run in your mind. But obviously, with the help of video analysis, you get an idea of how you are bowling. I think my rhythm is good now. In the beginning, when I changed [in 2022, he worked on a straighter run-up and went through the crease faster], it took time. But now I am used to it.”The rhythm and confidence tie in nicely to his spin chemistry with Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel in India’s T20I set-up, with all three having different roles.”Everyone knows their job and my job is to take wickets in the middle overs,” Kuldeep said. “Axar, obviously, we have seen him bowling in the powerplay and he did the controlling job for us. Between me, Varun and Axar, we are very experienced in the T20 format and understand our roles very well.”Giving a lot of inputs really helped me, or anyone who is bowling in the middle. Whether it is Axar or Varun or me, whoever bowls first assesses the conditions and then suggests something. So it’s a good combination and we are very happy with that.”Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav ran through Pakistan’s middle order•AFP/Getty Images

While Kuldeep’s rhythm has given him a fresh verve on the field, he also consciously tries to find a balance off the field, something he believes helps him find a release, especially when he is not playing. That balance has come through football.”If you follow other sports, you get to know how it feels when a team is performing really well,” he said. “You see the bench strength of their team. They have some unbeatable bench strength and when you focus on them, they are not getting enough time -15 minutes, 20 minutes – but they are so good, they can start in any game.”You see other teams, especially the big ones, and how they play against smaller teams – the communication, the decision-making, how quickly it all happens. You hardly have enough time to react.”Obviously, I play cricket on the field, that’s my job. After that, I enjoy football. There are so many games, you just watch and enjoy. In any sport, you admire how they play, especially in team games. The communication, the connection between players, how they lift each other – that’s the most important thing.”