CSA also roped in Duminy as permanent batting coach and Kleinveldt as temporary bowling coach for the white-ball set-up

Firdose Moonda06-Mar-2023Aiden Markram has been appointed South Africa’s new T20I captain, while Cricket South Africa (CSA) roped in JP Duminy as the batting coach and Rory Kleinveldt as the bowling coach in the white-ball set-up. Markram takes over captaincy from Temba Bavuma, who has been dropped from the squad altogether for the upcoming home T20Is against West Indies later this month.Duminy has been appointed on a permanent basis whereas Kleinveldt has come in only for the West Indies series for now.Talks between new white-ball coach, Rob Walter, and former captain Faf du Plessis meanwhile proved unfruitful for now and du Plessis was not included in the T20I squad. This could change in the future.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Markram led South Africa’s Under-19 side to victory at the World Cup in 2014 and more recently was at the helm of Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who won the inaugural SA20 title. He has also been named captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the upcoming IPL and Walter sees the national leadership as a natural progression for Markram.”Aiden has shown himself to be a leader over a period of time now. Obviously, his most recent success for the Sunrisers [Eastern Cape] stands out so it seemed like just a logical progression into the leadership of the national side,” Walter said at a press conference in Johannesburg. “He has been there before but I think he’s matured a lot as a player and as a leader since then.”This is Markram’s second foray into leading the senior side after he captained them in an ODI series against India in February 2018, in the absence of an injured du Plessis. Then, the captaincy negatively affected his batting and he scored 118 runs in five matches at 23.60.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As for Bavuma, who stepped down as the T20I captain to take over the Test leadership recently, Walter indicated the shortest format door is not closed to him. “It was purely a T20 performance-based decision,” Walter said. “My job now is to work with him to get him back into the side. That’ll certainly be one of our focuses.”Bavuma had a tough 2022 in the T20I format, and got into double figures only five times in 12 innings. He led South Africa at the last two T20 World Cups, in 2021 and 2022, and they failed to reach the semi-finals in both. Bavuma also faced criticism over his strike rate, which sits at 116.08 in T20Is and he was not bought at the SA20 auction. He got a deal with Sunrisers Eastern Cape as a replacement player later in the tournament, by which point he scored a series-winning century against England in a World Cup Super League ODI.Walter was still in New Zealand at the time, where he coached Central Stags, and the ODI team was under the command of new Test coach Shukri Conrad, who introduced a more aggressive style of play which Walter endorses and will build on. “The way that you saw the ODI side play against England was how we’d like the team to play going forward,” Walter said.South Africa will play three ODIs against West Indies, starting on March 16, which do not count for World Cup Super League points. For those ODIs, South Africa have rested fast bowlers Anrich Nortje (who is also out of the second Test with a groin niggle) and Kagiso Rabada, but the duo will return for the following three T20Is. Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee and batters Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs earned their maiden ODI call-ups.There is no place for Dewald Brevis in the South Africa squads yet•SA20

There is still no room for 19-year old batting sensation Dewald Brevis, who was the leading run-scorer at last year’s age-group World Cup, and has experience in the IPL, CPL and SA20. Walter had indicated Brevis needs to bide his time before making the step up.”He forms part of a category of young, exciting cricketers that are in the system. The job and the journey with him will be exactly the same as it is for the others in trying to find opportunities that are below the Proteas level to give him access to,” Walter said. “The SA20 would have given him some insight as to the areas that he needs to develop in his game, along with many others. There’s an x-factor that is exciting and now we just need to give him the foundations and the pathway to grow.”After the T20Is, South Africa will end the summer with two must-win ODIs against Netherlands in the World Cup Super League. If South Africa win both games and Sri Lanka win one match or fewer in their three-match series against New Zealand, South Africa will secure automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup. “Hopefully the Blackcaps do what they need to do and and secure that series and then we still have to take care of our business,” Walter said. “Everything else becomes irrelevant if we don’t take take care of that first.”The matches against Netherlands take place on March 31 and April 2 and clash with the opening matches of the IPL. CSA’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, confirmed that the South African contracted players who are part of the IPL will be available for national duty before leaving for India. “As it stands, they are available,” Nkwe said. “We have been engaged with the IPL and the BCCI as well, so the selected players will be available for the two ODIs.”South Africa’s T20I squad for West Indies series: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock , Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.Squad for ODIs: Temba Bavuma (capt), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen. For third ODI only: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell.

Josh Davey half-century barely limits damage of Brett Hutton’s six-wicket haul

David Hopps15-Apr-2023Nottinghamshire 256 and 187 for 6 (Mullaney 29*, Hutton 20*, Siddle 2-26)) lead Somerset 173 (Davey 60, Hutton 6-45) by 270 runsThere is a marvellous Finnish word, ‘kalsarikännit’, which literally means the sort of morbid stay-at-home feeling when you just want to get drunk in your underwear. They may look askance at the suggestion, but aficionados of county cricket are particularly prone to such a mood as they wait for the mental torture of a cricketless winter to end.When the Championship does return, it does so slowly, not as much bursting into life as leaking, the first milky shafts of sunlight taking several weeks to take the chill out of the bones. Outside Trent Bridge, the river was high, the ground squelchy underfoot. Inside, the groundstaff and drainage systems had created miracles (“they’re abandoned at Leicester already,” said a Notts loyalist at 11 o’clock with grim satisfaction).As for the spectators, most could at least now claim to be sober and clad in several protective layers, the period of kalsarikännit once more behind them. “Bring my coat, love, the cricket’s starting again.”Stuart Broad vs Cameron Bancroft was presented as an early skirmish in the Ashes phoney war, but it didn’t really work out like that: Broad bowled 14 balls at Bancroft, conceded five runs, including a filthy long hop that was gratefully cut for four, and then the Australian fell lbw to one from Dane Paterson that swung back. Bancroft second top-scored, but dutiful 27s from 69 balls are not about to ensure his place in Australia’s Ashes party.For all his theatrical oohs and aahs, and for all his white headband flickering behind him with the suggestion that considering such a winning look, artistry was inevitable, Broad finished wicketless after 15 overs. That was despite a bowler’s morning during which Somerset, 28 for 2 overnight, escaped to 173, via the perils of 87 for eight and 117 for nine. They had to thank Josh Davey’s down-to-earth 60 from 66 balls, only his second first-class fifty for Somerset, for keeping the first-innings arrears to 83, but Nottinghamshire tightened their grip in their second innings and their lead of 270 runs with three wickets remaining feels ample.Broad maps out his preparations for an England summer with great deliberation and this is thought to be the first of four matches to get himself in optimum shape. His first excursion since the Wellington Test in late February is best described as exploratory. These days, his careful build-up is a case of needs must. The Ashes series begins a week or so before his 37th birthday, and with James Anderson now 40, England’s opening attack now sounds so venerable that give it a few years and they will have something in common with the crowd. A chat about Grand Theft Auto III is only a few seasons away.Broad will settle for a better outcome than another pre-Ashes match-up involving Bancroft at Sedburgh before the 2019 series when Anderson went in the calf, and only bowled four overs in the series. As for Bancroft, he was dropped after two unproductive Tests.While Broad went unrewarded, the best figures fell to the medium-quick, Brett Hutton, who made the ball talk on an overcast morning and who returned a Nottinghamshire-best six for 45. The mood was set, though, by Dane Paterson, who revels in such responsive Trent Bridge mornings in the way that Andre Adams did before him, and who followed up his successful inswinger to Bancroft by dismissing Tom Abell in the following over with one that seamed away and had him caught, driving, at second slip.Three Somerset batting tyros are missing here, not just Tom Banton, who is recovering from a broken finger, but George Bartlett and Lewis Goldsworthy, who is a bit of a scrapper and, as such, gives their recently brittle line-up a different feel. Steve Davies has also relinquished the gloves to James Rew. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, acquired from Yorkshire, but not steeped in Yorkshire obduracy, is not about to change that nature. He is very much in the adventurous “that’s how I play,” mode, eyes on the shorter formats, and he failed with several forays down the pitch before Hutton had him lbw to straight one.At times, Hutton found prodigious movement, and his dismissal of Lewis Gregory was pure chicanery. There were better balls for Gregory to envisage a lofted blow over long on. What had all the makings of an outswinger suddenly made a hairpin turn and dipped through the gate. It became three wickets in seven balls as another lavish inswinger did for Craig Overton (a touch leg-sideish perhaps) and squeezed one past Rew’s defence to hit off stump.With eight down for 87, the follow-on was still possible, but Somerset righted the ship somewhat, Davey’s resistance ensuring that an extra half-hour was taken before lunch to no avail. Tom Moores also relinquished the gloves – Joe Clarke deputising – after suffering a hand injury collecting a rising delivery from Lyndon James.With a lead of 83, and cloud forecast for Sunday, Nottinghamshire had a sizeable advantage. Peter Siddle took just one ball to silence Ben Duckett at midwicket. Haseeb Hameed’s responsible 34 ended unfortunately at second slip when Gregory forced a deflection of inside edge and pad and the umpires conferred before rightly awarding Kohler-Cadmore a catch. Bancroft’s excellent slip catch removed Ben Slater.When Liam Patterson-White walked out ahead of the injured Moores at No.7, the lead was 209. Somerset had done well to just about stay in the game, although their cause was not helped when Davey limped off with a hamstring injury. There was turn, too, for Jack Leach which will make their fourth innings even harder. Gregory took his ninth wicket of the match when Liam Patterson-White’s thick edge was taken at gully but Hutton and skipper Steven Mullaney batted sensibly through to the close.In an age of instant gratification, Championship over rates get more ponderous. To avoid penalties, official figures are massaged for all sorts of spurious reasons. Somerset are spritelier than many, but by the time, the Grand National began at 5.30pm – 15 minutes late because of a course invasion – there were still 30 overs left. It all drifted to a halt at 7.25pm. If protesters ever glue themselves to the pitch at a county match, nobody will get away before midnight.

The spinner is expected to return for the final ODI on June 7

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2023Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka with a lower-back injury. The Afghanistan Cricket Board stated that “he will remain under full medical observation, and is expected to return for the final ODI on June 7”.The three-match series begins on June 2, with the second game to be played two days later at the same ground. Just seven days after the ODI series, Afghanistan are scheduled to play a one-off Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram.Rashid was recently involved in the IPL, where his side Gujarat Titans lost the final to Chennai Super Kings on Monday night. He was the tournament’s joint second-highest wicket-taker with 27 strikes.In Rashid’s absence, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad will have to shoulder extra responsibility in the spin department.Noor also had a successful IPL stint for Titans, grabbing 16 wickets from 13 games at an economy of 7.82. However, he has played only one ODI and one T20I for Afghanistan.Last month, Afghanistan announced a strong 15-member squad, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, for the Sri Lanka ODIs.Having sealed direct qualification for the upcoming ODI World Cup, Afghanistan will be looking at this series to get their preparations going for the marquee event. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will treat it as a build-up for the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, starting on June 18.

Australia’s No. 3 was happy to acknowledge Broad won the early round

Andrew McGlashan26-Jun-2023Marnus Labuschagne believes the slowness of the Edgbaston pitch played a part in him being drawn into twice edging Stuart Broad during the first Ashes Test but while he is looking at some technical adjustments it isn’t something he will dwell on for long.Labuschagne nicked deliveries outside off stump in both innings – the first against the outswinger Broad said he developed especially for him and Steven Smith – with Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto saying he had never seen that happen before.Labuschagne netted extensively at Lord’s over the weekend in preparation for the second Test which starts on Wednesday, at the venue where his Test career took off in 2019, with the Sunday session watched by Ricky Ponting, the pair sharing the occasional word.Related

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While he did not want to divulge everything he had learnt from his twin dismissals, Labuschagne put some of it down to the conditions although did suggest Broad may have out-thought him in the first innings.”When you get out first ball you just throw it in the bag. Potentially I thought that they were going to come straight and then he got a nice ball that swung in the right area,” he said. “With a lack of bounce at Edgbaston, it sucks you in to thinking you can hit the ball a bit more and I just made a few poor decisions [against balls] that were really wide. They’d be eighth or ninth stump, some of those deliveries.”They were very uncharacteristic dismissals to how I’ve usually played, that’s why I was pretty frustrated with myself to get out that way and asked myself the question, ‘why did I play at those deliveries?’.”I’ve come up with my own summation of what that is. Now it’s if there’s anything I can do tactically or technically to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s a rarity that I’d play at those balls so it’s not something I’m going to overthink, but I hold myself to a much higher standard than those dismissals.”Labuschagne was happy to acknowledge the skill of Broad for having the better of him in the first Test. The only previous occasion he had been dismissed by him was the bizarre occasion when he walked across his stumps in Hobart and ended up flat in the crease.”He’s 2 and 0 now so he’s done his homework,” Labuschagne said. “That first [and only] ball I got in the first innings was a very nice ball. I haven’t faced Stuart Broad where he’s really been able to swing it away. He usually angles in, and that one definitely swung.”First ball, most of the time you just play and miss at that then you go ‘okay’, you can make the adjustments out there. I said this about [R] Ashwin, guys who take the time to do the homework, understand the game, and work out how they’re going to get certain guys out, I’ve got so much respect for them so if they’re putting the time and effort in and it pays off, that’s a credit to them.”On the flip side, Labuschagne was confident that he has the body of work to show he can respond to the challenge, which his batting coach Neil D’Costa had earlier told ESPNcricinfo was part of the “arm wrestle” that everyone enjoyed watching in Test cricket.”I’ve tried to make my game as adaptable as possible, so I don’t have one way of batting,” he said. “Some people play their whole career and bat one certain way and have one method that works… I’m always working on my game and working on my technique to think of ways I can score runs.”

Greg Barclay has acknowledged that exposure gained from playing top teams regularly has made Associate teams more competitive

Firdose Moonda08-Jul-2023Following Netherlands’ stunning run to the 2023 Men’s World Cup, there are calls from both the Dutch and the ICC for a continuance of the World Cup Super League (WCSL) in some form. The world’s top 13 ODI sides featured in the first edition of the WCSL, which gave Associate teams such as Netherlands the chance to pit themselves against top opposition regularly. Netherlands’ performance in the World Cup Qualifier, as also those of other Associate teams, notably Scotland, has been seen as proof of the WCSL having made these sides more battle-hardened.”I don’t think there is any doubt that the Super League was hugely helpful in terms of a pathway to Associate countries,” Greg Barclay, the ICC chairman, said at a press conference in Harare on Friday. “The fact that you are seeing some of the performances from the Associate members over here, in large part, was due to the fact that they have had the experience of playing teams ranked above where they are.Related

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“It’s a work on. It’s no secret that T20 is in a pretty good place, Test cricket has had a shot in the arm [with the World Test Championship] but maybe we’ve lost our way a little bit in the 50-over format. We need to address both context and relevance and the experience around that. Is that a re-creation of the Super League or something equivalent? I don’t know but I suspect that the answer to that will be yes. We need to do something.”As things stand, the WCSL will not be played during the 2023-2027 ODI cycle, with the participants for the 2027 World Cup to be decided based on rankings. This means there is no imperative for teams to play a set number of ODIs in the next four years (the World Cup Super League made provision for 24 ODIs, in eight series of three matches each), Associate teams are not guaranteed 50-overs cricket against Full Members, which has increased the volume of questions surrounding the relevance of bilateral ODI cricket, which the ICC acknowledges.”We need to make sure one-day cricket continues to have a following,” Barclay said. “It’s running the risk at the moment of having a lot of irrelevancy in terms of the bilateral arrangements that are made.”But how this will be fixed remains unclear. From the information ESPNcricinfo has to date, the Super League is not on the agenda at the ICC’s AGM, which will take place next week, even though the Associate boards will be present and eager to discuss the way forward. Barclay, too, believes that they have a case, especially after the Netherlands’ Qualifier success. “If we accept that we are keeping all three forms of the game then we have got to give the next tier of countries, mainly those high-performing Associates, the opportunity to make sure that they then perform at the top table when they are performing at world events,” he said. “We’ve got 14 teams [qualifying for the World Cup] in the next cycle, so we’ve got to make sure they are competitive and prepared when they get to those events.”A case in point are the Dutch themselves, who, had they not qualified for the World Cup, would have had no fixtures scheduled from the end of the Qualifier until the start of the new World Cup Cricket League 2 next February. Their success at last year’s T20 World Cup, where they advanced to the Super 12s and finished fourth in their six-team group, means they do not have to play in the European Qualifiers for the 2024 T20 World Cup. That means that in peak European summer, Netherlands have an empty calendar and no indication of when they play competitively before or after the ODI World Cup.’If we didn’t play that Super League, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are’ – Max O’Dowd•ICC via Getty Images

Opening batter Max O’Dowd described Netherlands as “gutted” at the discontinuance of the WCSL. “It’s just the tough reality that we live in as Associate teams,” he said. “I don’t like the word Associate but us, in that boat, we just don’t get the same cricket. We’re all extremely gutted that the Super League is gone because you can see where we’ve come from to where we are now.”Netherlands won only three of their 24 Super League matches (two against Ireland, who finished 11th, and one over Zimbabwe, who were 12th) and ended the WCSL in last place. But the value they took from playing against Full Members informed how they went about this Qualifier – particularly their approach against spin – and taught them how to build winning habits.”The playing experience was massive. If we didn’t play that Super League, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are,” O’Dowd said. “We were in situations so many times where we actually should have won games and then, we created a culture where we gave ourselves permission to win these games. In the past, we were quite happy just getting close against big sides. And now, we know that if we are in a winning position, we should be winning. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against. That’s been massive for us. The Super League has boosted so many guys’ confidence.”The game against West Indies in June 2022 is one example. Netherlands were 164 for 1 in the 30th over, chasing 309, and lost 9 for 124 to fall short by 20 runs. They were particularly conservative against Akeal Hosein and Hayden Walsh in that game; they rethought their strategy against spin shortly afterwards. Since then, they have developed confidence in their sweep shots, and memorably beat West Indies in this Qualifier.Now, Netherlands will have the opportunity to play against nine other Full Members at the World Cup albeit without knowing when their next chance to play against them will be. Asked what they hope their journey to India will offer other Associates, O’Dowd hoped it could serve as an example that the game should continue growing.”It shows the strength of Associate cricket. The gap between Associate cricket and Full Member nations is dwindling. Three Full Members have missed out on the World Cup,” he said. “I don’t want to sit here and say to other Associates to work harder and all that kind of stuff because I feel that’s a bit degrading. These guys are quality and they know what they need to do to win games. I just hope they can take a bit of inspiration from what we’ve been able to achieve and hopefully going forward, they can do the same.”

Motie and Shepherd picked up three wickets each to set up the game for West Indies; Hope and Carty then did the job with the bat

Himanshu Agrawal29-Jul-20231:23

Jaffer: Suryakumar will probably get one last chance in the third ODI

West Indies beat India in an ODI for the first time since December 2019, the six-wicket win in the second of three games their first after nine defeats in a row. The win helped West Indies level the series 1-1 after losing the first ODI on Thursday.After Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd got three wickets each and Alzarri Joseph picked up two to bowl India – they had rested Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – out for 181, captain Shai Hope and the inexperienced Keacy Carty took care of the chase, which was completed with more than 13 overs to spare.It was comfortable in the end for West Indies, but didn’t come without its share of hiccups – they slipped from 53 without loss in the ninth over to 91 for 4 after 17, Shardul Thakur the main reason for it. That must have raised India’s hopes, but Hope and Carty ensured smooth sailing after that. Hope scored 63 not out, and put up an unbroken stand of 91 with Carty (48 not out) for the fifth wicket.The pitch in Bridgetown offered grip and turn throughout the game, with the spinners’ economy rate across two innings being 3.89 as against the pace bowlers’ 5.20. However, before Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja tested West Indies’ middle order – Jadeja was fast and flat; Kuldeep was slow while getting more turn – it was Thakur who removed the top three batters in the space of 25 balls to open the game up.Once they got together, Hope and Carty were content to do it in singles after Kuldeep had cleaned Shimron Hetmyer up with one that was quicker and skidded through to hit off stump.1:40

Should Axar Patel have bowled more for India to defend 181?

Carty got to a patient 48 off 65 balls, opening up only after the job was almost done and smashing consecutive boundaries off Hardik Pandya to finish the game off. But the fact that West Indies had only 182 to chase was down to a collective bowling effort, along with a combination of a helpful pitch and refreshing athleticism from the fielders.India, asked to bat at the toss, suffered two collapses of their own. First, from a solid 90 for 0 to a dicey 113 for 5, and then from 146 for 5 to 181 all out. These came either side of a lengthy rain break. West Indies sensed an opportunity in the absence of Rohit and Kohli, and they pounced. It all started in the 17th over, when a full, tossed-up delivery from Motie had Shubman Gill lofting to long-off for 34, his highest score in seven international innings across formats since June.For a change, West Indies also put up an impressive fielding and catching display•AFP/Getty Images

That got West Indies going, and in the 18th over, Alick Athanaze dived to his right at point to send Ishan Kishan back for 55. It was Kishan’s second successive half-century in the series. Two overs later, Shepherd got one to rise sharply at Axar Patel, promoted to No. 4, and he was cramped for room with the ball angling in from around the wicket. Axar tried to drop his gloves, but still ended up tickling to the wicketkeeper.Jayden Seales then got his only wicket of the day when a shoulder-height bouncer to Hardik had him pulling straight to midwicket, before Yannic Cariah foxed the comeback man Sanju Samson with turn and bounce. Landing one on a good length around off stump, Cariah got the legbreak to jump as well as move considerably away from the batter, who edged it to slip.India were sliding, and then came heavy rain. When Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja added 33 to signal a brief recovery after the stoppage, it seemed like the break had come as a blessing for them. But West Indies seized control again, picking up the last five wickets for just 35 runs.Shepherd pitched short at Jadeja, having him top edge a pull to fine leg in the 32nd over. Motie, getting turn and bounce, had Suryakumar slashing to point after an entertaining 24. Soon after came another moment of spectacular fielding from West Indies, when Carty rushed in and dived forward from deep square leg to send back Umran Malik in the 38th over.Motie wrapped the innings up when he got last man Mukesh Kumar in the 41st, finishing with 3 for 36. As a result, West Indies now have a shot at a first ODI bilateral series win against India since May 2006.

Originals heavily beaten after losing captain Ecclestone in warm-ups

Ciara Fearn23-Aug-2023Danni Wyatt led the Southern Brave into Sunday’s Hundred final at Lord’s with a superb 60 off 32 balls, as they chased down 119 to beat Manchester Originals by eight wickets in their final group fixture at Emirates Old Trafford, where there was drama on and off the field.England spinner and Originals captain Sophie Ecclestone was ruled out after suffering a shoulder injury during warm-up. She pulled out at the last minute and Amara Carr stepped in as her replacement, with Ellie Threlkeld skippering the side.Ecclestone later went to hospital for a scan, as her England team-mate Wyatt was carrying the Brave to a seventh win in eight group fixtures.The Brave have topped the table and now advance to play the winner of Saturday’s Eliminator between Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire at The Kia Oval.Wyatt was well supported by England team-mate Maia Bouchier, the pair sharing 93 in 44 balls for the second wicket, Bouchier finished unbeaten with 47 off 25 balls.Batting first, Fi Morris and Laura Wolvaardt were the leading duo for the Originals with 50 and 46, both facing 39 balls.Georgia Adams (obscured) struck early for Southern Brave•ECB/Getty Images

They shared a second-wicket partnership of 88 in 69, advancing from 7 for 1 after eight balls to underpin a total of 118 for 4.Morris played the spinners well, eventually departing after attempting an ambitious reverse shot against a well-directed bouncer from Lauren Bell – 95 for 1 after 77.From there, the Originals would have wanted more, but gathering singles wasn’t going to be a good enough against a strong batting line-up for the league leading Brave. South African opener Wolvaardt looked good, particularly eye-catching on the drive.But, after an expensive start, Anya Shrubsole returned to get her and Deandra Dottin both caught in the deep as the innings lost momentum inside its last 10 balls.While Shrubsole finished with 2 for 33 from her 20 balls, Bell and Georgia Adams were both excellent for 1 for 15 and 1 for 19 respectively.The Brave started their reply knowing they needed to reach 112 to stay ahead of the Northern Superchargers and qualify directly for the final even with a defeat.Indian Smriti Mandhana was run out by a direct hit from Amanda-Jade Wellington early in the Brave chase – 15 for 1 after 13 balls – but that was the only blip.From there, it was smooth-sailing for the league-leaders, who are chasing their first title after two previous final defeats to Oval Invincibles.Wyatt and Bouchier were both strong down the ground, though the former did reach her fifty off 28 balls with a swept six off Emma Lamb, who she had hit for three fours moments earlier.By that time, it was game over at 97 for 1 after 50 balls. Wyatt was bowled by Kathryn Bryce but it was too little too late. Southern Brave won by eight wickets and will be straight into the final at Lord’s this Sunday.

“We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it”

Matt Roller15-Oct-20231:27

What made the Afghanistan spinners so good against England?

Afghanistan’s fixture list sees them play New Zealand in Chennai less than 72 hours after they pulled off the most famous win in the country’s sporting history by beating England in Delhi on Sunday night. But their coach Jonathan Trott’s message to his players was simple: “It’s important that you celebrate your victories.”Despite having won only one of their previous 17 matches at World Cups before their 69-run victory over the defending champions, Afghanistan’s ambition in this tournament was to qualify for the semi-finals. As a result, Trott admitted he needed to guard against complacency when they head south.And yet, drawing on the experience of his own playing career, Trott said that it was only right that his players should bask in their success. “I’m very keen not to put a dampener on things or tell them to focus on the next game,” Trott said. “I know from my career and my experience, I never soaked up enough, or enjoyed moments [like these].Related

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• Rashid Khan hopes for 'big celebration' in earthquake-ravaged Afghanistan after England win

“I’m certainly going to say to the guys, ‘enjoy tonight, spend some time together, whatever you want to do.’ As soon as we land in Chennai, in 12-18 hours’ time, we switch on for the next game and it’s back to business. It’s important you celebrate your victories, because they’re so hard and they’re always such a challenge.”We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it. But also, [that they] take stock and realise when they get a certain amount of things right in the 50 overs or the 100 overs, what they can achieve and the level of teams that they can put under pressure and compete with and win cricket matches.”The spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman did the trick for Afghanistan•Getty Images

Trott suggested that his players had benefited from the experience of playing with and against England’s players in franchise leagues, realising that despite their status as world champions, they were “human” too. “They get to know the ins and outs of each player, so there’s that familiarity and also the confidence,” he said.”Sometimes, I think when you see big Test-playing nations, you hold them in high regard. Playing with players like that, you see that they are human, and you are just as entitled to win or do well [as they are]… that’s the beauty of the World Cup, isn’t it? That’s what cricket is about.”I’m just chuffed with the players. The things that we’ve spoken about as a side, we’ve agreed if we get these things right, we can compete with anybody in the world. These guys work incredibly hard. I’m really impressed with them. They will see the rewards, and this will encourage them to kick on even more.”Trott also acknowledged the bigger picture of Afghanistan’s win. Last weekend, over 1,000 people were killed and many more injured in an earthquake in the west of the country. The players wore black armbands in memory of the victims during their defeat to India on Wednesday, and several players have donated substantially to relief efforts.”It’s not just cricket that the guys are playing for,” Trott said. “The guys are very knowledgeable of the things and the hardship that some people are going through because of the natural disaster, and for various other reasons. If this can give a smile to people’s faces anywhere in the world, but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket wherever they are in Afghanistan, then that’s the goal that’s been achieved.”It’s very pleasing. There’s a lot of confidence that will hopefully come from this when competing against the bigger nations and it’ll have a knock-on effect to all the other games – not only in this World Cup, but for the future as well. [It shows] just what Afghanistan cricket can achieve… we don’t fear anyone. Every game we are here to play, and we are here to win.”

Chameera becomes Sri Lanka’s third injury replacement at the World Cup after Chamika Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2023Lahiru Kumara has been ruled out of the World Cup after hurting his left thigh during training in Pune, where Sri Lanka play their next game of the tournament, against Afghanistan on Monday. He has been replaced in the Sri Lanka squad by Dushmantha Chameera, who becomes the third player to come in as an injury replacement for Sri Lanka since the tournament started.Chameera was one of the key players who Sri Lanka couldn’t fit into their World Cup squad earlier because of fitness issues. He was initially out of action with a torn pectoral muscle, which he suffered ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, and after recovering from that, he injured himself again in the Lanka Premier League in August.Related

• Peak Sri Lanka too sharp for England

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But Chameera came into the touring party – along with Angelo Mathews – on October 19 as a travelling reserve, and has now moved into the main squad. Mathews had earlier replaced Matheesha Pathirana (shoulder injury), while Chamika Karunaratne had come in for regular captain Dasun Shanaka (quad injury).While Chameera would have been an automatic pick in the Sri Lanka squad under ordinary circumstances, Sri Lanka would probably have wanted Kumara in the mix too, especially after his Player-of-the-Match performance against England on October 26. Kumara picked up three big wickets in that game – those of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Ben Stokes – as Sri Lanka won by eight wickets, only their second win in five games in the tournament so far.Sri Lanka’s updated World Cup squad: Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne

Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, will leave the ODI squad after the first game to prepare for the Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2023 • Updated on 17-Dec-2023Mohammed Shami will miss the upcoming two-Test series in South Africa because of an ankle injury. Shami wasn’t part of the Test contingent that left for Johannesburg on Friday, and is currently under the watch of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy. India will also be without Ishan Kishan, who had kept wicket for them in their previous Test assignment in the West Indies in July; the BCCI said in a statement that Kishan had “has requested the BCCI to be released from the upcoming Test series against South Africa citing personal reasons”.*Deepak Chahar, meanwhile, will not be available for the ODI series in South Africa because of a “family medical emergency”.While announcing the Test squad late last month, the BCCI had said that Shami was “currently undergoing medical treatment” and that his inclusion was subject to fitness. A media release on Saturday confirmed that Shami “was not cleared by BCCI’s medical team” and was subsequently withdrawn from the squad.Shami last featured in a Test in June when he played the World Test Championship final against Australia. He was rested for the Caribbean tour that followed to manage his workload ahead of India’s busy white-ball season that ended with the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Shami topped the wicket-takers’ chart.Related

• Chahar eyes T20 World Cup spot after overcoming personal setbacks

• Avesh to join second Test squad to replace Shami

• Prasidh and Shardul impress for India A ahead of SA Tests

The selectors haven’t named a replacement for Shami. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar and Shardul Thakur are the other fast bowlers in the touring party.

Bharat named Kishan replacement

KS Bharat, who last kept wicket for India at the WTC final in June, has been called up to the Test squad in Kishan’s place. Bharat had also been India’s first-choice keeper during the home Tests against Australia earlier this year but had to pass the gloves on to Kishan for the West Indies series in July, Kishan’s debut in the long format. Bharat is already in South Africa, on tour with the India A team, which is playing two unofficial Tests against South Africa A.India also have KL Rahul in the squad, who is looking to reclaim his place in the Test XI and said yesterday he would be happy to take on keeping duties in the format.As for Chahar, he also missed the T20Is in South Africa last week. Chahar made his comeback during the T20Is at home against Australia last month, but featured in just one game – the fourth game in Raipur – before flying home for personal reasons.Akash Deep, who was earlier part of India’s Asian Games-winning squad, has been called up into the KL Rahul-led ODI squad.In another update, Shreyas Iyer will leave the squad after the first ODI in Johannesburg on December 17 to prepare for the Test matches that will follow.Iyer is likely to play the intra-squad three-day fixture in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test. His last Test was against Australia in March, after which he was sidelined with a back injury. It’s likely Iyer will reclaim his middle-order spot, which had been occupied by Ajinkya Rahane in his absence.With Rahul Dravid and his team of Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach) and T Dilip (fielding coach) involved in preparing the Test squad for the two-match series, India’s second assignment in this WTC cycle, the ODI side will be assisted by India A’s coaching staff: Sitanshu Kotak (batting coach), Rajib Datta (bowling coach) and Ajay Ratra (fielding coach).India’s updated Test squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KS Bharat (wk), KL Rahul (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Prasidh Krishna.India’s updated ODI squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, B Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (capt, wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep