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Having missed South Africa’s previous game with an elbow problem, he returned with a match-winning 64 off 56 balls against England

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-20251:49

Is Klaasen among the best batters against spin?

Heinrich Klaasen wants to prove he is “the best in the world”, after his 64 off 56 balls helped South Africa cruise to a seven-wicket win over England on Saturday, confirming their place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.Klaasen missed South Africa’s first match of the tournament with an elbow problem but extended his impressive 50-overs form against England in Karachi. He made his fifth consecutive ODI half-century, scoring freely from No. 4 as South Africa romped to their target of 180 inside 30 overs.Speaking to after Saturday’s match, Klaasen revealed that, along with head coach Rob Walter, he had set himself a lofty ambition to prove himself as the world’s best player over the course of the Champions Trophy.”I gave myself a challenge with Rob Walter this trip: I want to be the best in the world,” Klaasen said. “But I want to be the best in the world, and I know I can play situations well and for me, just to keep hitting it on the ground for as long as possible, like I did tonight [is important]. I’m quite pleased with my innings tonight. [I scored runs] by standing still and just trusting my technique. I know my swing is good, so as long as it clicks then I am quite happy.”Heinrich Klaasen hit 11 fours and no sixes in his 56-ball knock•AFP/Getty Images

As if to underline the point about hitting along the ground, Klaasen hit 11 fours and no sixes before he was caught at short third, trying to hit the winning runs off Adil Rashid with six runs required. “I want to jump off this building, the way I went out tonight,” he joked, but said he was happy with his recent form, and explained that he has looked to keep things simple in training since his elbow injury.”I think I’m very blessed at the moment where I’m with my game, and understanding my game quite well,” he said. “I’m not a guy that faces all our seamers in the nets. I just do a couple of drills and face a little bit of spin. At the moment, I’m meeting the ball out of the middle of the bat. That’s my piece that I go with, and as long as my technique is good, I’m quite happy.”Klaasen, 33, has been in career-best form since turning 30 and said that he has tried to keep things as simple as possible, reacting to each ball rather than premeditating. “It’s about standing there still,” he said. “It was about three years ago that I really worked hard on that, just standing there still, not premeditating the game too much.”Aiden Markram, who stood in as South Africa’s captain for the unwell Temba Bavuma, said of Klaasen, “It’s always great to see him out in the middle. He’s been in a ridiculous patch of form over the last many months, and for him to walk out after having a little niggle on his elbow and for it to look like he’d never really left is a great sign for us.”

Siddique took a four-for in the chase where Oman crumbled in the powerplay

Alagappan Muthu15-Sep-2025A skillful half-century from Alishan Sharafu and a dogged one from Muhammad Waseem took UAE to 172 for 5, and then a 42-run victory as well, in their Asia Cup game against Oman on Monday.

Sharafu’s method

Both teams were searching for their first points of the tournament and their challenge in Abu Dhabi was to negotiate a slow and low pitch. Sharafu did so by charging out of the crease. Twelve attempts just within the powerplay fetched all six of his fours.On the back of that, UAE, who were 11 for 0 after three overs, collected 39 runs off the next three and never looked back. Sharafu’s best shot, though, came outside the field restrictions, an inside-out drive over cover for six against legspinner Samay Shrivastava.

Waseem’s record

Waseem became the fourth-quickest batter to 3000 T20I runs, behind Mohammad Rizwan, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. He wasn’t really at his best in this game. The 69 off 54 balls was often a struggle, but there were also clever moments, like when he saw a new bowler – Aamir Kaleem – coming on in the powerplay and smashed him for three fours in the over. Waseem went to his fifty with a trademark six down the ground.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Oman didn’t help themselves in the field. They had a chance to dismiss Waseem on 27 off 22 but the fielder wasn’t all the way back on the long-on boundary, and not only did he miss the catch but he also let it go for four. Then with Waseem on 34 off 33, Shakeel Ahmed dropped a dolly at short fine leg.UAE finished on 172 for 5 with their middle-order players chipping in with crucial runs. Harshit Kaushik and Muhammad Zohaib put together hit 40 off 21 balls.

Oman’s collapse

Jatinder Singh briefly looked like the best batter on show as he found ways to time the ball in slow and low conditions. He raced to 20 off 10 but soon enough hitting through the line on a surface where the ball wasn’t coming on came back to bite him. The Oman captain dragged Junaid Siddique back onto his stumps during a period where his team lost three wickets in 14 balls.The powerplay was still going and Oman had lost nearly half their side. Four of their top five bagged single-digits and from a start like that – 32 for 4, then 50 for 5 – all they could do was try and play out the overs. Siddique threw a spanner in those works too, taking two wickets in the 16th over and finishing with 4 for 23. Oman were bowled out for 130.

The popular former Australian opener was known as a courageous, obdurate player who was held in incredibly high regard by both teammates and opponents

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2024Former Australia batter Ian Redpath has died at the age of 83.Redpath, who became known as an obdurate opener, played 66 Tests and five ODIs in an international career that ran from 1964 to 1976.He came close to a century on Test debut against South Africa at the MCG when he was bowled by Joe Partridge for 97. “I hit an off-drive for four and there was another one I thought was in the same spot, and I licked my chops. Beautiful follow-through, it was,” he recalled to newspapers last year.It was not until February 1969, against West Indies at the SCG, that he made his maiden century with 132 in the second innings against an attack of Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Garry Sobers and Lance Gibbs.Seven more centuries would follow, with a career-best 171 against England at Perth in 1970, and he closed out his Test career with three in four innings against West Indies in 1975-76. On the first of that trio, at the MCG, wrote: “Although Redpath was at once subjected to plenty of short stuff, he ducked and weaved in his own effective way and went on to complete an important century for Australia and one which underlined the value which he has been to Australia over many years.”Despite clearly still being good enough, Redpath retired to work full-time for his antique business in Geelong. However, he would be lured back to the game a year later by an offer to play World Series Cricket where he featured for two seasons although missed most of the first one due to injury.In a piece for the last year, Gideon Haigh wrote: “As there’s precious little footage of Redpath, how to picture him? He was a hard man to dismiss: he knew where his off stump was; he played straight, with a short pick-up, mainly off the back foot; he was a swayer and a ducker of bouncers rather than a hooker in those pre-helmet days. On his Sunicrust cricket card, he was pictured playing a leg glance.”Early in his international career he had been the last Australian to play as an amateur when he turned down his match fee in 1963-64 in order to maintain his amateur Australia Rules Football career.He was vice-captain to both Ian and Greg Chappell, batting alongside the latter when he brought up a century on debut against England in 1970-71.”My first innings in Test cricket was, as you might expect, a trying experience, but proved to be one of the best cricket lessons of my career, thanks to Ian Redpath,” Greg Chappell later wrote, “…Fortunately we both succeeded and our partnership put us into a sound position, but from my point of view I had received an invaluable lesson in what Test match batting was all about from one of the most courageous batsmen ever to play for Australia.”Redpath retains the record of scoring the most runs off an over by Australian: in 1969-70 against Orange Free State he took 32 (four sixes and two fours) off Neil Rosendorff. However, his first six in international cricket did not come until his penultimate Test against West Indies.In 1975 Redpath was awarded an MBE and would go on to coach Victoria. In January 2023 he was indicted into the Cricket Australia Hall of Fame. In 2024, the Geelong Cricket Club renamed their scoreboard in honour of Redpath.”Ian was a much loved and revered figure and everyone in Australian cricket will be enormously saddened by his passing,” CA chair Mike Baird said. “As a fine opening batter, Ian was a mainstay of the national team through one of the great eras of Australian cricket and beloved by many throughout the world for his courage, impeccable sportsmanship and wry humour.”We were privileged to hear Ian speak of the wonderful experiences and relationships cricket had provided upon his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023 and this deep love of the game was manifest in his enormous contribution to cricket at first-class and community level.”The thoughts of everyone at Cricket Australia are with Ian’s family and many friends at this sad time.”Cricket Victoria chair Ross Hepburn echoed those sentiments.”This is enormously sad news as we farewell one of the greats of our game and a very proud Victorian in Ian Redpath,” Hepburn said. “On behalf of Cricket Victoria, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Ian’s family, particularly to his four children and many friends and team mates from across a generation of cricket.”Ian’s talent on the field and leadership saw him contribute to one of the great eras of Australian cricket and he leaves behind a remarkable legacy to the game at national, state and local level.”‘Redders’, as we affectionately knew him, was a gifted storyteller with a wonderfully wry sense of humour. His friendship and presence will be missed by many in our cricket community.”

The 19-year-old becomes the youngest since Ricky Ponting to score two centuries in a Shield game

AAP10-Oct-2024Sam Konstas has continued to flag his strong potential as a superstar of the future, writing his name alongside Ricky Ponting in the history books with another Sheffield Shield century.The teenage opener put New South Wales in control of their clash with South Australia at Cricket Central in Sydney, compiling 105 from 225 balls after making 152 in a breakout first innings.The hosts declared at 282 for 6 late on day three, with South Australia 7 for 1 chasing 389 runs for victory on day four after Nathan Lyon struck early to dismiss Conor McInerney without scoring.Earlier, 19-year-old Konstas became the youngest player since Ponting to record two centuries in the same Shield game. Australia’s most successful Test captain achieved the feat as an 18-year-old playing for Tasmania against Western Australia in 1992-93.Konstas is the third youngest to do so in Shield history behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Konstas beat Sir Donald Bradman who first achieved the feat as a 20-year-old.”Obviously very special,” Konstas said of the feat. “But hopefully we get the job done tomorrow and keep doing our basics well.”Konstas was given an extra life by Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who dropped a sitter before the teenager got off the mark on day three.Having also missed a stumping in the first innings, Carey saved face with a diving catch that dismissed Nic Maddinson and continued the opener’s meagre start to his second stint at NSW.But Konstas nevertheless made the visitors pay. He brought up his half-century off Lloyd Pope in the 37th over with a four that rushed past extra cover so fast that Jordan Buckingham needed to jump to avoid the fence as he chased the ball past the boundary.South Australia managed to slow Konstas down after tea as batting partners fell around him.”They had different plans, they were bowling a wider line,” Konstas said. “I had to be a bit ruthless and cop my medicine a bit.”But the teenager finally brought his century up as the final hour of play approached, smacking a six over deep midwicket from Ben Manenti’s bowling.South Australia finally removed him, with McInerney sprinting to long-on to catch him off Pope.Earlier, Lyon continued an impressive lead-in to the Test summer, finishing his first Shield innings of the summer with a five-for.Lyon ripped through the South Australian tail to ensure they were back in the sheds inside the first hour on day three, all out for 260.Nathan McAndrew skied Lyon to deep square leg before Pope nicked off two balls later and set the stage for NSW to extend their lead, which was already 106 runs at the innings break.Lyon expects to play two more matches for NSW ahead of the five-match Test series against India that begins in Perth late next month.

Sri Lanka’s Test captain is disappointed at his team’s schedule and considers it a “big disadvantage”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-20250:49

Dhananjaya de Silva: Pitch won’t spin from ball one

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva has described his team’s Test schedule this year as “really disappoining”. He believes it is a “big disadvantage” for a team such as Sri Lanka to play as few Tests as they have scheduled this year.Beyond this two-match Australia series, Sri Lanka only have two home Tests against Bangladesh to come in 2025. Their next World Test Championship cycle has only 12 Tests scheduled for now – an average of six Tests a year.Related

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“It’s really disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests,” Dhananjaya said on the eve of the two-Test series against Australia. “Honestly, it is a big disadvantage, especially considering ours is a good side, as well.”I’m hoping we can get more fixtures than we have. We’re hoping to discuss the opportunity to play more Test series and hopefully we get an open window for that. Hopefully Sri Lanka Cricket can organise something. But all we can do is control what we can, and play good cricket in the matches that we do get.”Sri Lanka were among the teams with a chance of making the World Test Championship final. If they had won one of the two Tests against South Africa, they would have come into this Australia series still in the hunt. But having been more-or-less trounced in South Africa, the best Sri Lanka can hope is to finish just behind the finalists, Australia and South Africa. Even for that to happen, they’d have to win this series 2-0.”We were close to getting to the WTC final,” Dhananjaya said. “We have a good side and we were unlucky in a couple of games. If you take the two Tests we lost to Pakistan [at the start of the cycle] that was a big drawback. But we need to finish the cycle strong. If we can get to No. 3, then we will be satisfied.”

Colin Ackermann hits 83 not out, Alex Lees 77 as home side run up 231 for 5

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-Jul-2025Colin Ackermann made 83 off 33 balls and Durham made their record T20 score as they returned to Vitality Blast action with a 49-run defeat of Nottinghamshire Outlaws at the Banks Homes Riverside.On a run-stuffed evening in the North East, the home side made 231 for 5 and the visitors replied with 182 all out, Kasey Aldridge, who had only taken two T20 wickets previously, finishing with a career-best 5 for 29 from 2.4 overs. The win is Durham’s fifth in this year’s Blast and clearly strengthens their bid to qualify for the knockout stages.The home openers, Alex Lees and Graham Clark, began in uncompromising fashion, by putting on 70 runs in six overs. They were particularly hard on Olly Stone, who was playing in his first match of the season after recovering from injury and conceded 27 runs in his first two overs.Joe Clarke’s decision to use the spinners, Farhan Ahmed and Calvin Harrison, in tandem slowed the run rate but it was Matthew Montgomery who took the first wicket on 83 when he had Clark caught on the cover boundary by Daniel Sams for a 27-ball 40Nevertheless, Durham’s hundred came up in the 11th over and Lees reached a 34-ball fifty a few deliveries later. By now faced with a battery of slow bowlers that also included Liam Patterson-White, Lees and his partner Ackermann sought to attack at every opportunity.Stone was reintroduced and was whacked for three successive boundaries before gaining his revenge with the next ball when he had the Durham skipper caught by Harrison on the deep backward square leg boundary for a 46-ball 77 that included 11 fours and one six.The dangerous Jimmy Neesham was bowled by Harrison for 3 and Ben McKinney was caught on the long-on boundary by Harrison off Montgomery for 3. Nevertheless, Durham had been well placed on 154 for 3 after 16 overs and despite the loss of three wickets for ten runs, they were able to pillage an astonishing 77 runs in the final four overs.Those efforts were assisted by two no-ball beamers from Sams, which necessitated the Australian being withdrawn from the attack. And the wheels really came off the Nottinghamshire attack in the 19th over when Ackermann smashed 32 runs of Montgomery, reaching a 25-ball fifty in the process.The Durham batsman was eventually caught at deep midwicket by Sams off Harrison but by then he had done the damage, hitting 83 off 33 balls with seven fours and six sixes, all those maximums being scored off the last 11 balls he received. Harrison escaped with the least punishment, taking 2 for 33, but every other visiting bowler conceded at least ten runs an over.Nottinghamshire’s pursuit of their distant target began poorly when Freddie McCann was dismissed off the fourth ball of their innings, caught by Will Rhodes off Callum Parkinson for 5, but the visitors were going well on 37 for 1 after 3.2 overs until Jack Haynes was brilliantly caught by Lees off Aldridge for 14, the Durham skipper running back 20 yards from mid-off to take the steepling chance.But the fall of wickets could make no difference to Outlaws’ approach. Lyndon James hit his first two balls for four and Neesham’s first over cost 19 runs. Nottinghamshire scored 76 runs in their powerplay, six more than their hosts, but their onslaught was halted by Nathan Sowter, who conceded five runs in his first six balls and had James caught at deep midwicket by McKinney for 30.Clarke was the next to go, caught at short third man by Sowter for a 25-ball 41 when attempting to ramp Neesham and the visitors reached the midpoint of their innings on 112 for 4, still needing 120 to win. That task seemed tougher still when Aldridge struck twice in four balls, bowling Moores for 5 and having Patterson-White caught at long off by Rhodes for 8.Parkinson conceded 19 runs off his next over as Outlaws dispensed with any scrap of caution but Sams was bowled by Sowter for 9. With seven overs remaining, 76 runs were still required and that was reduced to 61 off six thanks to Montgomery taking 14 off three deliveries from Parkinson.Aldridge took his fourth wicket when he had Harrison caught at backward point by Clark for 7 and Stone was run out for nought next ball after a complete mix-up. Aldridge completed his career-best figures when he had Montgomery caught behind by Ollie Robinson for 41.

KL Rahul ranks the 2-2 draw in England as among India’s best achievements in Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-20253:49

Bangar: Series result proves India is growing in stature

KL Rahul has said that a young team drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 in England “will rank right at the top” among India list of achievements in Test cricket.”For us, as a team that wasn’t given a chance in this series, for us to fight back and to fight in every game and to get a result which is 2-2 might seem like a draw, but for us and for Indian Test cricket going in the future, I think this will rank right at the top,” Rahul told the host broadcaster right after India won the fifth Test at The Oval by six runs on the final morning. “And this is where the change begins and the Indian Test team will go on to create many things and win many more series outside of India.””I’ve played cricket for a while. I have won the Champions Trophy. I’ve seen India lifting the World Cup. I mean, nothing compares with lifting the World Cup, but so many doubts, so many questions from everybody about whether Test cricket would stay or not… I think both the teams with the way we’ve played in this series, I think we’ve answered that question.”Related

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Rahul added that while India would have loved to have won the series, the draw felt like a “satisfying” result. The series has been a gruelling one with all five matches going into the fifth day and both India and England having their moments.”Feeling is hard to describe,” he said. “Been here, toiled for 25 days. It took every inch out of us. Everything that we had, physically, mentally, emotionally, this Test series has taken everything away from all of us. And I think, at the end of 25 days, we’re standing here 2-2, absolutely proud of ourselves.”So satisfying to be here and draw the series. Would have loved to win this series. But for a young team to come here and for a lot of us to step up and show the world that we can compete, we can win games outside of India, yeah, it’s truly a testament to what this team is and what Indian cricket means.”Rahul also said it felt “a bit weird” to not have the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, who all retired from Test cricket over the past few months, around. That meant additional responsibility for the opener, who is on his third tour to England, and he responded with 532 runs in ten innings at 53.20 – the third-highest for the series.”Yes, it hit me when I joined the team,” Rahul said on the absence of the three seniors. “I was here about two weeks earlier playing for India A and it didn’t hit me back then, but once I joined the team and I looked around and I didn’t have a Rohit, a Virat, an Ashwin.KL Rahul was the third-highest run-getter in the series•Getty Images

“But yeah, that’s when it hit me that everyone else is looking at me, coming to me to ask about English conditions, what they need to do, how they need to prepare. That’s when it hit me that, ‘okay, I’ve stepped into a different role now and it’s time for me to help the younger guys, use all the experience I’ve had of playing Test cricket and international cricket over the years and really put my hand up and stand up for this team’.”This moment almost feels like this is a young team that’s going to stay there for a long time.”On a personal level, Rahul said he was “really happy” with his performance. “When India are touring England, it’s always a challenge,” he said. “The most important thing is for the openers to give the team a solid start and then continue and get as many runs as I can. That was my goal. I was really focused and really wanted the series to go well for me. And I wanted to do the job for the team and put my hands up and take that responsibility.”Rahul hailed the performance of Shubman Gill, who in his first series as captain scored 754 runs in ten innings, breaking a number of records on the way. He also heaped praise on several of his team-mates, who put up their hands at critical junctures all through the series.Shubman Gill had a series to remember•Getty Images

“Shubman has been phenomenal,” Rahul said. “He’s really led from the front, worked on the boys behind the scenes as well, forming connections which a lot of people don’t see, but I think that’s really important to do as a captain and he’s done that. He’s been tactically really good.”The changes he’s made over the series has always got us the wickets somehow. I think he will grow as a really, really good Test captain. I don’t want to speak too much about his individual performance because he has shown the world what he can do in all three formats. And, especially this series, the way he batted. I think it was phenomenal to watch, phenomenal to bat with him, and there’s so much I get to learn from him.”But also, there have been so many other performances. [Mohammed] Siraj being the highest wicket-taker in the series, [Ravindra] Jadeja has got 500 [516] runs, which is really crucial down the order. Not to forget Rishabh’s [Pant] contributions, Jassi’s [Jasprit Bumrah] contributions, Prasidh [Krishna] stepping up, Akash [Deep] stepping up, Washington [Sundar] stepping up.”I think it’s been a complete team performance. There have been four or five people in every game that have stood up and delivered for the team. So that gives us more satisfaction than this whole series. And this whole series, almost a series victory, is because of how we played as a team.”

Sussex have confirmed that they have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown to have talks with Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown takeover as captain.

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009Sussex have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown, the 22-year-old allrounder, to talk to Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown take over as captain.Hamilton-Brown has played just eight first-class games and is currently with England’s performance squad in Pretoria as a level B player, meaning the selectors view him as being one to three years away from international level.Sussex, who signed Hamilton-Brown from Surrey in 2008, did not welcome the approach initially, saying they had no intention of losing Hamilton-Brown and had already offered him an improved contract before Surrey’s approach.On Wednesday, Jim May, the Sussex chairman, reiterated the club’s position but admitted they would have to allow Hamilton-Brown to speak to Surrey.”The position of Sussex remains unchanged in that we have no wish to see a player of Rory’s potential leave the Club and our immediate aim is to agree an extended contract with him,” he said. “However, we recognise that to achieve this aim it is appropriate to give Rory time to talk to Surrey about their opportunity.”At this stage, the Club has granted permission to talk only. We remain strongly of the view that Rory’s cricket development is best served by remaining at Sussex and we will be meeting him subsequent to his meetings with Surrey to discuss matters further.”

The former Mumbai captain represented the state in first-class cricket for over a decade in the 1960s and 70s but is best remembered as a Mumbai selector and administrator

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2025Milind Rege, the former Mumbai captain, died of a heart attack on Wednesday just days after turning 76.Rege took 126 wickets with his offbreaks in 52 first-class matches between 1966-67 and 1977-78. He also scored 1532 runs at an average of 23.56 in those games. After his playing career, Rege was associated with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in various capacities, including selector and chief of selector in separate stints.He was one of the Mumbai selectors when a young Sachin Tendulkar was added to the Ranji Trophy squad in 1988. In 2006, he backed Mumbai’s use of a video analyst in domestic cricket, one of the earliest to use the then-fledgling tool in the sport.