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England captain defends leadership in doomed campaign, believes ‘blended’ squad will come good

Andrew Miller22-May-2024Jos Buttler, England’s captain, has backed his players to put the disappointment of their 50-over World Cup defence to one side as they set out to retain the 20-over version they won in Australia two winters ago. However, he insisted that their failures in India before Christmas could not be attributed solely to a “lack of clarity” from the team management.Despite being considered among the favourites for the 2023 World Cup, England lost six of their first seven matches – including a nine-wicket loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener; a historic maiden defeat to Afghanistan, and a record 229-run loss to South Africa. Only a pair of late wins against the Netherlands and Pakistan spared them the humiliation of having to pre-qualify for the 2027 Champions Trophy.Buttler himself endured a poor campaign with the bat, making 138 runs at 15.33 in nine appearances, with some critics suggesting his own struggle for form had impacted his communication within the squad. However, speaking to Sky Sports in the wake of the washed-out first T20I against Pakistan, he defended his leadership, and insisted that England’s problem had been simple: “We just didn’t play well enough”.”The big learning for me is to try not to confuse freedom with maybe a lack of clarity,” he said after the abandonment at Headingley. “Sometimes you’re trying to let players play with freedom and you don’t want to step in too much. But you have to make sure you don’t miss things.”Maybe [there could have been] more communication at times, to make sure people are clear on what is needed from them. But certainly there are times where I look back and say I’d probably make similar decisions in certain instances, and for whatever reason, they just don’t work out.Phil Salt recorded back-to-back T20I hundreds in the Caribbean in December•Associated Press

“Even if there was a lack of clarity, or whatever you want to call it, I’d still expect us to perform better than we did. It’s easy to look at results and say there are certain things you would do differently or say differently. We just didn’t play well enough.”It’s a chapter in the book, it was obviously a really disappointing World Cup and your pride and confidence gets dented a bit, but time moves on, and this a really exciting opportunity now with this World Cup coming up.”In response to his former captain and fellow 2019 World Cup winner, Eoin Morgan, Buttler was bullish when asked whether England would have the wherewithal to bounce back from adversity in their 20-over defence – much as they were forced to do after losing to Ireland in a rain-affected group match at the MCG in the 2022 campaign.”I don’t see why not,” he said. “You guys are sat here talking as if no-one knows what’s going on. I’m pretty sure there’s some experienced players in there who know how cricket works, and know how to play T20 cricket.”I don’t think it’s about trying to reinvent the wheel, or trying to give people messages that they’ve never heard before. It’s about playing good cricket. In tournament cricket, you’ve got to play the crunch moments really well. You’ve got to come back from adversity really well. You have to read the game and play well, and be able to adapt.”There might be games where you need to score in excess of 200, there might be games where you need to scrap and try and defend 140, on a wicket that’s holding up and it’s tough for batting.”England gained a valuable insight into the tournament’s likely conditions when they faced the hosts West Indies in a hard-fought five-match T20I series before Christmas. West Indies won the decider to claim the series 3-2, but only after England had fought back from a 2-0 deficit. Their stand-out performer was Phil Salt, who cemented his status as Buttler’s opening partner with back-to-back centuries, and has since carried that form into an impressive IPL campaign with Kolkata Knight Riders.”We’ve got a really nice blended squad actually,” Buttler said. “We’ve got a lot of experience but some guys who are really on the upward curve, the likes of Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Harry Brook, who is still very early in his international career. Those guys are really trending in the right direction and pushing this team forward.”Related

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• Buttler backs ECB's decision to pull players out of IPL early

• Hasan Ali released from Pakistan squad to play for Warwickshire

• Babar: 'Rauf is positive about his involvement in 2024 T20 World Cup'

• England hope Livingstone can roll out the big hits on Headingley return

Early in his international career, Salt had a tendency to give his innings away after powerful starts. However, a mid-tournament run of three fifties and a 48 in five innings, all scored at strike-rates between 189 and 342, confirmed his new-found ability to align power with endurance.”One of the great things about him is he’s got that insatiable appetite to learn,” Buttler said. “He’s not afraid of asking questions. He’s always wanting feedback. At every training session, he’s clearly trying to work on something to improve.”Personally, I see he’s really improved his off-side game,” he added. “He’s always been very, very strong through the leg-side. But watching him back in the IPL especially, I thought he was so hard to bowl at, because he scored so freely through the off-side and he’s never going to lose that leg side game as well.”One of his things in the past would be those scores of 30 off 15, or 25 off 10, but he’s been able to go on and really extend those innings, which show great maturity. He can be one of the real key players for us.”England’s campaign gets underway against Scotland on June 4 in Bridgetown, the venue where they played the first of their five T20Is in December. England have since enlisted the help of Kieron Pollard as a batting consultant for their campaign, and Buttler is confident the team’s preparations would enable them to give a good account of themselves.”The conditions out there, the wickets can be a little bit slower,” Buttler said. “Spin will play a big part out there, as well as extra pace. I think the wind is a big factor on those island grounds too. But one thing that people will have to react quickly to in that World Cup is a very early start, with some 10 o’clock or 10.30 starts. A lot of the time you’re playing night cricket in T20s, so it’s trying to learn from that.”

Allrounder is recovering from an injured ankle in CSA’s care as they “assess her eligibility for the [T20] World Cup”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2023Dane van Niekerk has been left out of South Africa’s 17-member squad, led by legspinning allrounder Sune Luus, for the women’s T20I tri-series featuring India and West Indies. Experienced wicketkeeper-batter Trisha Chetty is also absent from the squad that has two uncapped players in Annerie Dercksen and Tebogo Macheke.Van Niekerk, who last played for South Africa in September 2021, was not considered after failing to meet fitness requirements as she makes her comeback from a broken ankle. She suffered the injury in January last year and has intermittently played in the Women’s BBL, the Hundred, the Women’s Super League, and for the South African Emerging Women’s side but has not met the standards to qualify for national selection. She has two weeks to change that, with South Africa due to announce their Women’s T20 World Cup squad on January 31. Chetty is sidelined with a long-standing back injury.”Dané has progressed very well and it’s a step in the right direction,” Clinton du Preez, Convenor of Selectors, said. “Unfortunately, she did not meet the minimum national standards and therefore is ineligible for selection and we will continue working on her fitness as we continue through the tri-series, to assess her eligibility for the [T20] World Cup.”Mignon du Preez, who announced her retirement late last year, and Chetty are the only two missing from the team that played the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022, with top order batter Tazmin Brits and offspinning allrounder Delmi Tucker – who made her T20I debut against England in July last year – coming in apart from the two uncapped players.Dercksen, who bats in the top order and bowls right-arm seam, impressed in the CSA Women’s Provincial T20 competition with her fast starts. She also picked up wickets while being economical. Macheke is the back-up wicketkeeper in the squad behind Sinalo Jafta.”The uncapped players included have been part of the recent camps and have grown immensely,” Clinton du Preez said. “Annerie as an allrounder, she will bring much depth to the squad and versatility within the team. Tebogo has been working hard and will add an additional option as a wicketkeeper and it’s great for them to be a part of it.”They’ve shown a lot of improvement and I am looking forward to their involvement and how we can maximise the opportunity of them being in the squad. It’s a great occasion for them to come up against two strongholds in India and the West Indies, which will really test the resilience of the two players.South Africa open the tri-series with a match against India on January 19. While they haven’t played an international since August last year, van Niekerk, allrounder Marizanne Kapp and fast bowler Shabnim Ismail were part of the Oval Invincibles side that won their second successive Women’s Hundred title in September. Ismail, Kapp, batter Laura Wolvaardt and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon played in the Women’s Big Bash League. Luus and seamer Ayabonga Khaka were in action at the inaugural Women’s Caribbean Premier League.Squad: Suné Luus (capt), Chloé Tryon (vice-capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Tebogo Macheke, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

The left-arm quick will miss the start of the tournament due to quarantine requirements

Tristan Lavalette02-Dec-2021Tymal Mills, who starred for England in the recent T20 World Cup before succumbing to injury, has committed to Perth Scorchers for the upcoming BBL, in a late signing coup for last season’s runner-up.Mills, the left-arm quick, replaces compatriot Brydon Carse, who was ruled out of the tournament following a knee injury sustained last month less than 24 hours after the quick signed with Scorchers. Mills adds serious punch to the Scorchers’ fast bowling stocks headed by stalwarts Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye.He helps offset the expected lengthy absence of in-form Jhye Richardson, who is likely to be tied up with Ashes duties. Mills arrives in Sydney on Monday after playing in the Abu Dhabi T10, meaning he will miss the Scorchers’ opening two matches due to quarantine rules.Related

• Mills comes full circle in his remarkable England comeback

• Munro accepts international career probably over but questions remain

• Turner backs uncertainty to galvanise Perth Scorchers

“When they got in touch, I was extremely keen,” Mills said. “They’re a great franchise with some great players. It’s exciting to get the opportunity to play in big competitions.”Mills, who has battled a back condition throughout his career, was a key part of England’s strong start to the T20 World Cup with figures of 2 for 17 against West Indies and 3 for 27 against Bangladesh. His pace, left-arm angle and ability to bowl through the middle and at the death helped him balance England’s attack until Mills’ campaign cruelly ended when he suffered a right thigh strain against Sri Lanka.It was a similar injury to the one he sustained in 2018, which also ruled him out of the rest of that English season. Mills finished the T20 World Cup with seven wickets at 15.42 in his four matches, at an economy-rate of 8.00, and his absence was particularly felt in the semi-final against New Zealand, where England were unable to contain the rampaging batters at the death.Tymal Mills had a big impact for England before injury•Getty Images

Scorchers also announced the signings of emerging players Nick Hobson and Cooper Connolly, while quick David Moody – the nephew of ex-Australia player and renowned coach Tom Moody – has been confirmed as Richardson’s replacement.Left-handed batter Hobson played for Scorchers in BBL08 and gave his selection chances a timely boost with a sparkling 90 from 59 balls during the team’s practice match at the WACA on Wednesday.Scorchers start their season against Brisbane Heat on December 8 at Optus Stadium, where they currently only have two fixtures confirmed due to Western Australia’s strict border controls.

We give marks out of ten for West Indies’ 2-1 series loss which saw England reclaim the Wisden Trophy

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jul-20207Jermaine Blackwood (211 runs at 35.16)

The most improved player for West Indies. Blackwood was the only one who came closest to raising his bat to mark a Test century, missing the landmark by five runs having set up the victory in Southampton. Naturally aggressive, Blackwood learned on the job to not get excited having engaged erroneously with Ben Stokes and losing his head on the penultimate afternoon in the second Test. Finished the tour as Windies’ top run-scorer.Roston Chase (10 wickets at 34.00, 157 runs at 28.16)

Player of the Series mainly for his bowling, but in the Southampton victory, Chase played a significant hand with the bat, providing semblance to the middle order when England were threatening to regain control. Got a five-for in the second Test. His aim was to score a Test century in England, but he was exposed playing back to deliveries coming in. Finished the series caught napping and was run-out.Shannon Gabriel (11 wickets at 32.27, 4 runs at 2.00)

Took the first wicket of the series, ended up being one of most persevering bowlers and the third-highest wicket-taker behind Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes. Started the series stiff, having not played since last September. Remained stiff due the endless workload through the series. Bowled with pain but never showed it as he hit the bat hard and created opportunities.6Kemar Roach (8 wickets at 36.50, 15 runs at 5.00)

Bowled the most overs in the series (116.4). Had the most maidens (31). Was the second most economical bowler behind James Anderson. Yet Roach was not as lucky as others finishing with just eight wickets. He went wicketless in the first Test, but he returned proud to the bowling mark, never allowing the batsman the upper hand. Set an example with endless toil.5Jason Holder (10 wickets at 30.10; 114 runs at 22.80)

It was the West Indies captain who broke England’s back in the first innings with five-for. He swapped the best allrounder position on the ICC rankings with Stokes through the series, Holder failed to play the decisive hand that Stokes managed with the bat. It would hurt the Barbadian’s pride to return home without a Test century. His leadership, too, was under scrutiny especially after he twice inserted England to bat in overcast conditions at Old Trafford.Jermaine Blackwood drives through the covers•Getty Images

4Kraigg Brathwaite (176 runs at 29.33)

Finished the series as a pub quiz question – the batsman who was the 500th Test wicket for Broad and Anderson. Before the series Brathwaite had worked on his technique with former Windies batting great Desmond Haynes. The counselling worked, it seemed, as Brathwaite scored twin half-centuries, both in the first innings of the first two Tests, playing the new ball late. However, the Windes vice-captain failed to cash in on his starts and continued with his string of second-innings failures while struggling with a fraught technique.Shamarh Brooks (195 runs at 32.50)

The most watchable Windies batsman in this series. With an upright, side-on stance Brooks showed composure, timing, placement and good wrist work while making quick starts. However, the promise never lasted long as Brooks struggled to bat for longer or, as in the final Test, played a ball he could have left.3Shane Dowrich (126 runs at 21.00; 7 catches)

Will be remembered for getting hit on the mouth after failing to collect a fast ball from Gabriel in the final Test. It only put under scrutiny his glovework to both types of bowling. Also got exposed with the bat by jumping against the short delivery, which became a weakness as the series progressed.2John Campbell (84 runs at 16.80)

The only left-hand batsman for the visitors, Campbell had his toe bruised by Jofra Arher in the second innings of the first Test. He would return to hit the winning runs, but otherwise Campbell remained a walking wicket despite showing a much more positive attitude in the final innings of the third Test.Alzarri Joseph (59 runs at 19.66; 3 wickets at 60.66)

West Indies head coach predicted Joseph would the difference this series. Joseph got three wickets playing the first two Tests. He has the pace, but he struggled for control and rhythm. According former Windies fast bowler Andy Roberts, Joseph needs to use his body more than his shoulder.Rahkeem Cornwall (12 runs at 6.00)

Replaced Joseph in the final Test as the fast bowler had a sore elbow. Recognised for his bounce, Cornwall started well, but fell silent as England attacked him. Cornwall aims to become a specialist batsman, but his head keeps falling away and he loses balance quickly.1Shai Hope (105 runs at 17.50)

In a chat with Sachin Tendulkar before the series, Brian Lara folded his hands to pray Hope’s talent would flourish during the England series. Hope had not scored a single century since his record twin tons at Leeds in 2017. Hope and everyone in the Windies camp assured the issue was not technical and more mental. Hope finished the series with a highest individual score of 31, amassing just 105 runs in six innings. On the 2017 England tour Hope’s average was 75. This time it was 17. Lara shouldn’t have wasted his time.

Kieron Pollard’s 46 not out off 26 balls lifted Mumbai Indians to a respectable total before Joseph produced one of the great IPL bowling performances

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Apr-20191:02

I play to win, not for the limelight – Alzarri Joseph

First IPL match ever, 22-years-old Alzarri Joseph steamed in, bowled the tournament’s top run-scorer David Warner – off an inside edge – with his first delivery, and went on to have a debut beyond all fantasies.In defence of Mumbai Indians’ 136 for 7, which had only been made respectable by Kieron Pollard’s 46 not out off 26 balls, Joseph produced one of the great IPL bowling performances. He claimed 6 for 12, consistently rushing batsmen with his deceptive pace. Those figures broke an IPL record that had stood since the very first season, bettering Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14.

Joseph’s stunning IPL debut

• Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 12 are the best bowling figures in the IPL. The previous best was Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14 in the inaugural edition in 2008. The previous best on IPL debut was Andrew Tye’s 5 for 17, in 2017.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad were dismissed for 96, which is their lowest total. Their previous lowest was 113, also against Mumbai Indians, in 2015

• The 40-run defeat was the first loss for Mohammad Nabi in eight IPL matches.

• Joseph also became the seventh bowler to take a wicket off the first ball of his debut IPL game, joining a list that includes Wilkin Mota, TP Sudhindra, Ali Murtuza, Amit Singh, Ishant Sharma and Dwaraka Ravi Teja

• Joseph became only the second bowler to deliver a wicket-maiden in his first IPL over. Pat Cummins was the only other bowler to achieve this feat.

Despite being posed with a modest target, even if it was on a tricky home pitch, Sunrisers never got themselves moving. They lost their in-form openers inside the first five overs, and although several batsmen got starts, no one could push beyond 20. Joseph and Mumbai continued to take wickets, and the required rate ballooned. When Rashid Khan fell towards the end of the 15th over, with 49 to get off 25 balls and only three wickets left, the match was effectively sealed.2:05

Failed to capitalise on our good start – Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Joseph’s star turnHad Lasith Malinga been available, there is every chance Joseph would still be awaiting his IPL debut, but boy how he grabbed the opportunity. Joseph claimed two wickets off his first two overs, bowling David Warner off his inside edge with his first ever IPL ball, before having Vijay Shankar caught at point off a top edge soon after the Powerplay ended.His two wickets off successive deliveries in the 16th over, definitively swung the game in Mumbai’s direction. He bowled Deepak Hooda with a full, straight delivery, which the batsman inside-edged onto his stumps. Next ball, Rashid Khan was rushed into a pull shot, which the batsman could do no better than top edge – Joseph himself running through to take a simple chance.The final two wickets were almost just a bonus. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had his middle stump pegged back by another full, straight one. Four balls later, No. 10 batsman Siddarth Kaul was caught behind trying to run Joseph to third man.That Kaul wicket concluded the second excellent away result for Mumbai, who in the last two seasons had been infamously slow starters in the IPL. With this victory to follow the one against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, Mumbai have announced they are once again serious title contenders.Pollard’s manic finishFor so much of Mumbai’s own innings, it seemed as if they would not muster a competitive score. They had been a pathetic 5 for 65 after 12.5 overs – four of their top five batsmen having failed to score at a run-a-ball. Pollard, though, eased himself into his innings, hitting 9 off his first 13 balls, thanks to some good fortune (more on that later), before exploding in the 19th and 20th overs.He walloped the first ball of Siddarth Kaul’s final over over long off, before blasting one into the legside stand two balls later, then muscling another into the stand beyond long on two balls after that. Mumbai made 20 off that Kaul over, then 19 off the final one bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, thanks again to some serious luck for Pollard.Alzarri Joseph wheels away in celebration after completing a five-for•BCCI

Sunrisers’ horror dropsVery rarely does Rashid Khan let a catch slip through his fingers, but he did so today, and wouldn’t you know it, it was Mumbai’s eventual top scorer that he reprieved. Pollard should have been out for 8 off 13 balls had Rashid held a straightforward chance at deep extra cover. He would go on to pummel 37 off 13 balls after the drop.According to ESPNcricinfo’s , the drop cost Sunrisers Hyderabad 21 runs, which very much looks like the difference between the two teams.To make things worse, Mohammad Nabi also dropped Pollard off the penultimate ball of the innings – palming the ball over the boundary to give him six, before Deepak Hooda at long off failed to stop a ball that deflected off his body for four.Mumbai’s support actsAlthough Joseph was easily the visitors’ best bowler, the attack actually put in an excellent performance between them. Jason Behrendorrf claimed 1 for 28 from his four overs, Jasprit Bumrah took 1 for 16 from his three, and Rahul Chahar had struck the first blow, removing Johnny Bairstow in the fourth over of the innings. Chahar finished with figures of 2 for 21, later removing Yousuf Pathan as well.

Melinda Farrell26-Jan-2018Pat Cummins believes Australia can take confidence out of their victory over England at Adelaide Oval and carry the momentum of their victory into the final ODI in Perth on Monday. Cummins did, however, concede that the way his side allowed England to fight back after Australia’s blistering start with the ball was “not ideal”.England were left staggering after Cummins and Hazlewood created havoc with the new ball, losing five wickets in the opening seven overs, but Australia were unable to fully press their advantage and a Chris Woakes-led revival helped England to a first innings tally of 196 – a total that had seemed virtually impossible when they had lost their first five wickets for eight runs.Cummins and Hazlewood dominated in the early stages and took seven wickets between them after Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first in humid conditions that proved to be helpful for the seamers before England’s middle order stemmed the fall of wickets and Woakes launched a counter-attack.”It always seems to happen that you get a great start and there’s always someone that gets a few,” said Cummins. “I thought Chris Woakes batted excellent.”He’s been hitting the ball really cleanly in the last few weeks. But yeah it was certainly a perfect start for us. It was a bit of an unknown for us really, we didn’t know what to do when they were five down.”Australia needed just 37 overs to chase down the target but lost seven wickets in the process, with only Travis Head – who came into the side in place of the injured Aaron Finch – able to go beyond a start, eventually falling four runs short of a century.”I think those small totals either go one of two ways really,” said Cummins. “You either blast them out or you get seven or eight down so it was obviously not ideal but I thought someone like Travis Head coming back in the side, he batted beautifully.”England captain Eoin Morgan acknowledged that the result was all but decided in the first 10 overs, but was encouraged by the way his side avoided a complete collapse.”Australia bowled really well, took advantage of conditions and really were relentless with traditional line and length,” said Morgan.”From there it’s a very difficult position to win the game but from there I thought we did rebuild fairly well. To get to 190…we still would have needed something special – something early on or the spinners to catch fire in the middle. It’s never going to go 50 overs.”While England’s aggressive approach to batting since the 2015 World Cup has brought them success in the 50-over format it has also, at times, led to top-order collapses. Morgan acknowledged there is a still a challenge for his team to go hard with the bat without imploding.”We don’t want to lose our positive mindset but it’s a balancing act,” said Morgan. We don’t want to wipe 10 overs out of the game and say, they bowled well but we only got 15-20 runs. We still want to take the game forward. I’d rather probably be 40 for 2 than 20 for 0. We just need to get better at playing that way.”Cummins believes that England’s approach is one that Australia could look to adopt in the run in to the 2019 World Cup.”I think it’s one of those things, the freedom that the English played with in the first couple of games, trying to replicate that. I think that’s really important in one day cricket. I thought we did that ok today.”

Both Australia and New Zealand are fresh off Test series’ at home, but while the home team will have a full-strength team at their disposal, New Zealand will have to make do with the absence of key personnel

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale03-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 4, 2016
Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)1:57

‘We can beat anybody’ – Williamson

Big Picture

In 2004, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy was struck. In 2010, it was struck off. Not officially, of course, but the idea of an annual one-day series between Australia and New Zealand was quietly forgotten. It was as if these neighbours, until then welcoming each other with open arms, had fallen out over some petty matter like a tree hanging over the back fence. When they crossed paths at someone else’s place, they would nod politely – as when the trophy was put up for grabs in their match at the 2011 World Cup in India – but neither would invite the other into their home. But at the World Cup last year, they kissed and made up, decided that actually that tree had plenty of tasty fruit, and why couldn’t they just share it, after all.As a result, having gone nearly six years without a standalone Chappell-Hadlee series, we now have three in the space of 12 months. In February, New Zealand won at home. The teams now meet in Australia, and next February, they again play in New Zealand. It is curious scheduling for both sides. New Zealand rushed to Australia the day after winning a home Test series against Pakistan, but at least they can stay in white-ball mode for a while: their next commitments are home ODIs and T20s against Bangladesh. Australia have switched almost as quickly from Test mode, but unlike New Zealand, they must hastily change back into a Test mindset as soon as these three games are over, as they host Pakistan for three Tests.In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy what should be a fine one-day series. If the World Cup final last year was a bit of an anticlimax, the pool game in Auckland showed how thrilling contests between these two teams can be. It was a low-scoring affair, dominated by the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult – both of whom will be playing in this series – and it went down to the last wicket. Both teams have had significant personnel changes since that World Cup, though: from that match alone, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Grant Elliott, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson have all retired.New Zealand enter this series missing some important players: Ross Taylor is recovering from eye surgery, while Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan and Corey Anderson are all out injured. But they could unleash the pace of Lockie Ferguson, who at his best can hit 150kph, and still have some fine names throughout their batting and bowling groups. Australia come in at full strength, with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc back after resting from the tour of South Africa, and Steven Smith’s men will be keen to put the focus back on the cricket after the Glenn Maxwell-Matthew Wade controversy in the lead-up.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: LLLLL
New Zealand: LWLWL
Australia will be buoyed by the return of Mitchell Starc, who was rested for the South Africa tour•AFP

In the spotlight

Glenn Maxwell hasn’t played an ODI since the tour of the West Indies in June, having been left out of the squad for the tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa. If he wanted to slip quietly back into the side for this series, his pre-match comments on Matthew Wade and the Victorian batting-order have ended any hopes of that. Maxwell might just find himself under even more pressure to perform as a result – if he even finds himself in the XI at all.Martin Guptill is the No. 8-ranked ODI batsman in the world, boasts the second-highest score in ODI history (237*) and has struck 14 international centuries across formats. And yet, not a single hundred has come against Australia in 40 innings in Tests, ODIs and T20s. But Guptill’s last one-day series against Australia hinted at progress: he scored 90 in Auckland and was the leading scorer from both sides across the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series. But with Taylor injured and McCullum having retired since, the pressure is on Guptill once again to stand up as a senior batsman.

Team news

Australia have stressed that they will pick their strongest XI while this series is alive, and will refrain from resting fast bowlers as they did on the tour of South Africa. That should mean an attack based around Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. The main question is the balance of the middle order and allrounders, with Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner potentially vying for just two positions. The uncapped Hilton Cartwright, named in the 14-man squad, has been released to play in the Sheffield Shield.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Travis Head/Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Josh Hazlewood.New Zealand have plenty of bowling options to choose from, with the uncapped Ferguson having a chance of playing.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Colin Munro, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry/Lockie Ferguson/Colin de Grandhomme, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult.

Pitch and conditions

The only ODI at the SCG last summer was a high-scoring affair in which India chased down 331 to beat Australia. There has been spin on offer at the ground in the Sheffield Shield this season, but expect the one-day surface to be good for batting. The forecast for Sunday is for a fine day and a top of 28 degrees centigrade.

Stats and trivia

• The world’s joint top ODI wicket-taker in 2016 is fit and available, but has been left out of Australia’s squad for this series: John Hastings, who has 29 victims at 24.13.
• Martin Guptill needs 45 runs to reach the 5000-run mark in ODIs
• The Chappell-Hadlee series has not been played in Australia since February 2009

Quotes

“We’ve both come off playing Test matches, so we’ve got to be adaptable and turn things around with the white ball. We’ve played pretty well here in Australia in one-day cricket, hopefully that will continue.”

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on October 22

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2015
Scorecard File photo: Ravindra Jadeja picked up his fifth consecutive five-for•Associated Press

Twenty wickets fell after Saurashtra elected to bat on the opening day in Rajkot. Saurashtra were bowled out in 42 overs with left-arm spinner Mehdi Hassan and offspinner Vishal Sharma picking up nine of the ten wickets between them.Opener Sagar Jogiyani was the only batsman on either side to pass 50, and he was the seventh man out with the score on 89. Saurashtra lost their last six wickets for 40 runs.Hyderabad lasted only two balls longer than the hosts, but eked out a 46-run lead. Hyderabad’s major contribution came from K Sumanth, who scored a 52-ball 41, including four fours and two sixes. Ravindra Jadeja claimed his fifth-consecutive five-for, while offspinner Kamlesh Makwana picked up the remaining four wickets.Saurashtra batted eight overs for 10 runs without losing a wicket in their second innings.
ScorecardSagun Kamat’s unbeaten hundred held Goa’s innings together after Rishi Dhawan’s 17th first-class five-for had them in trouble early on.After being inserted by Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, Goa were reduced to 19 for 4 in the ninth over, Dhawan picking up three of those wickets, including two in one over. Kamat and Snehal Kauthankar, however, revived the innings with a patient 156-run partnership.Dhawan provided the hosts with breakthroughs when he removed Kauthankar and Rahul Keni in the space of three overs to reduce Goa to 175 for 6. Kamat, however, added 57 runs with Rituraj Singh, and then put on an unbroken partnership of 33 with Shadab Jakati to help Goa finish the day on a position of relative comfort. Kamat played 252 balls and struck 17 fours and a six.
ScorecardParvez Rasool’s eighth first-class century and captain Mithun Manhas’ 96 helped Jammu & Kashmir end the first day on a strong note in Agartala.Electing to bat, the visitors were down to 58 for 3 before Rasool and Manhas put on 207 runs in 53.1 overs to put them in command. Manhas was caught behind in the 77th over off MB Murasingh four short of his 26th first-class hundred, but Rasool, who faced 178 balls and smashed 18 fours and three sixes, remained unbeaten.
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Rohan Prem and VA Jagadeesh helped Kerala finish the opening day in a comfortable position in Palam, despite scoring at well below three runs per over.Electing to bat, Kerala lost their first wicket in the 20th over with the score on 45 when seamer Poonam Poonia had Akshay Kodoth caught. Services’ next breakthrough arrived after 48 overs when Jagadeesh, who had added 100 runs with Prem, gave Rajat Paliwal his second catch of the day off left-arm seamer Vikas Hathwala.Prem and Sachin Baby (32*), however, ensured there were no more casualties for the visitors.

Cricket Australia will not disclose its list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy, breaking the norm followed by all countries ahead of ICC tournaments

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2013Cricket Australia will not disclose its list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy in England this June, breaking the norm followed by all countries ahead of ICC tournaments. It is understood that CA approached the ICC for clarification over the rules about squad announcement and then requested that the 30-man squad, which will be pruned to 15 in a month’s time, not be made public.”Custom and practice is that countries announce their provisional squads 60 days before the first ball is scheduled to be bowled in the tournament,” an ICC spokesperson said. “But this isn’t compulsory.”Pakistan have already released their list of 30 probables, and other countries are expected to do so by the end of the week. Australia have been grouped with England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and play their first game on June 8, against the hosts.

Junaid Khan, the Pakistan fast bowler, who sustained a knee injury during the recently-concluded England series, will not be available for the Asia Cup when the new selection committee chaired by Iqbal Qasim sits tomorrow to pick the squad

Umar Farooq02-Mar-2012Junaid Khan, the Pakistan fast bowler, who sustained a knee injury during the recently-concluded England series, will not be available for the Asia Cup when the new selection committee chaired by Iqbal Qasim sits tomorrow to pick the squad. PCB sources have indicated that Junaid is likely to be out of action for three weeks.ESPNcricinfo understands that Junaid picked up the injury during training ahead of the second Twenty20 in Dubai. MRI scans revealed a fracture of the patella. Junaid had played a total of three matches on the tour – one Test, one ODI and one Twenty20 – and accounted for just one wicket.Junaid, 21, who graduated from the same Under-19 batch that Mohammad Amir came from, is also a left-arm fast bowler but his fledgling career has been hurt by injuries in the last few months. Incidentally Junaid was picked for the England series after he had freshly recovered from the abdominal tear he picked during the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, which ruled him out for six weeks.