All posts by n8rngtd.top

The focus will be on India’s top order with Prithvi Shaw waiting in the wings

Himanshu Agrawal28-Jan-20233:51

Jaffer: ‘India could look at an extra batter in place of Umran Malik’

Big picture

New Zealand finally have a win on this tour. After being whitewashed in the ODI series, their new stand-in captain Mitchell Santner led from the front with the ball to give his side hope of taking home the T20I series. Things that were not working during the ODIs suddenly clicked: Finn Allen gave them a quick start and their bowlers struck with the new ball.While Mark Chapman fell without scoring, and Glenn Phillips is yet to produce a substantial knock on the tour, the visitors will be backing them to come good in the second T20I in Lucknow, especially with pressure now on India to keep the series alive.For India, things went exactly the opposite way in the first T20I. During the ODIs, their top order was causing New Zealand big trouble. In Ranchi, though, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Rahul Tripathi contributed only 11 runs from 17 balls as India slipped to 15 for 3 in the fourth over.

Watch live in the UK and USA

You can watch the first T20I between India and New Zealand live on ESPN Player in the UK, and on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi in the USA.

India do have Prithvi Shaw in the squad, but before the first T20I, Hardik Pandya had said that Shubman Gill was ahead of him in the pecking order. The team management is unlikely to change its mind after just one game.

Form guide

India LWLWT (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand WTLLW

In the spotlight

Rahul Tripathi made his T20I debut during the Sri Lanka series. In his second game, he smashed 35 off just 16 balls, which included five fours and two sixes. All that inside the powerplay. After the game, Pandya had highlighted Tripathi’s intent, for which he was drafted into the side. So a six-ball duck in Ranchi will not dent his confidence, as a couple of early blows from him can put the opposition on the back foot.Glenn Phillips is yet to play a decisive knock on the tour•BCCI

Glenn Phillips had landed in India on the back of a match-winning 63 not out off 42 balls against Pakistan in the ODI series decider, but his scores in three ODIs and the first T20I against India have been: 11 (20), 36 (52), 5 (7) and 17 (22). It’s not just the low scores but also the strike rate. If he can find his form, it will really bolster New Zealand’s middle order.

Team news

With Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav bowling economic spells in Ranchi, while also picking up three wickets between them, Yuzvendra Chahal may have to sit out again. Arshdeep Singh had leaked 27 in the final over but until then he had figures of 1 for 24 from three overs. So he should retain his spot, especially with India thin on experience in the fast bowling department.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Arshdeep SinghNew Zealand may not want to change a winning combination. That means left-arm seamer Ben Lister will have to wait for his debut.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Blair Tickner

Pitch and conditions

All five T20Is hosted by the Ekana Stadium to date have been won by the side batting first. And with New Zealand defending 176 successfully in the first T20I despite a threat of dew in the second innings, both teams may prefer batting first after winning the toss.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have featured in four out of the five T20Is played at this venue. India in only two.
• India’s previous T20I in Lucknow was in February 2022. Yet, because of a combination of form, injury and rotation, only Kishan and Deepak Hooda from that XI may play on Sunday.

Afghanistan to play UAE in three-match T20I series once a year for the duration of the deal

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2022Afghanistan will play their home games in the UAE over the next five years. An agreement was signed between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), firming up the deal. As part of the agreement, Afghanistan will play UAE in a three-match T20I series in each of the five years.The ECB will “provide valuable logistic support to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, including visa assistance and office space”, an ACB statement said.Of late the Afghanistan team has already been playing and training in the UAE, but on a series-by-series basis. Now, there’s a formal longer-term deal in place.Given the political situation in Afghanistan, it has remained a no-go zone for international teams. The situation escalated with the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Several ACB staff were among those who fled the country in the immediate aftermath, and thereafter getting visas for players based in Afghanistan to play abroad became a bigger challenge. The board subsequently arranged UAE residency visas for about two dozen players.Related

• ACC increases Afghanistan's share in revised financial distribution model

• Afghanistan to tour UAE for three T20Is in February

• One year after Taliban takeover, Afghanistan is still living and loving its cricket

As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), Afghanistan are set to host Australia, Pakistan and West Indies in three ODIs each, as well as Zimbabwe across formats, in the next year leading into the 2023 ODI World Cup. In the UAE, these can be spread across venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.Mubashir Usmani, the ECB secretary said of the development: “Both parties, the Emirates Cricket Board and the Afghanistan Cricket Board enjoy long and cordial relations and we are happy to support the ACB in ensuring that they have a home for their cricket.”We are also thankful to the Afghanistan Cricket Board for agreeing to play a series of T20I matches against UAE Team each year. This will provide our UAE team with invaluable exposure and help in their development.”Previously, the ACB had used the National Cricket Academy in Lahore as a base to train in 2013, and also signed a similar deal with the PCB in 2017. In between, in 2015 it signed an agreement with the BCCI to move base to Greater Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi.

A round-up of all the Group A matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 15, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2015An unbeaten 78 from Yuvraj Singh helped Punjab take another step closer to the knockouts as they beat Rajasthan by six wickets to register their fourth win in five matches. Manender Singh, playing in only his second List A game, top-scored with 118 in Rajasthan’s 270 for 7, but it wasn’t enough as Punjab’s launch pad was set by Jiwanjot Singh (66) and Mandeep Singh (60). That smoothened the passage of victory as Yuvraj hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 59-ball knock and Punjab won with 32 balls to spare. Brainder Sran, the left-arm pacer, was Punjab’s best bowler of the day, finishing with figures of 4 for 60.Services were consigned to their second successive loss as Mumbai put it past them by six wickets in a Group A fixture. Nakul Verma’s half-century was the lone bright spark in a disappointing batting effort as Services were bowled out for 151 in 42.1 overs. The bulk of the damage was done by pacer Shardul Thakur who finished with 4 for 19.The in-form Akhil Herwadkar piloted Mumbai’s chase with a 48-ball 46, while Shreyas Iyer, coming in at No. 3, contributed 35. Although Mumbai lost three quick wickets with the target in sight, victory was never in doubt. They eventually crossed the line in 25.2 overs to post their third win in four matches.Assam, who came within touching distance of upsetting Punjab on Monday, suffered a batting collapse as Hyderabad beat them by 72 runs to register their first win in the tournament. Hyderabad, who were sent in to bat, were propelled to 271 for 8 courtesy Tanmay Agarwal’s 83. Hanuma Vihari, the captain who walked out to bat at No. 3, chipped in with 51 as he and Agarwal put on 107 for the third wicket to set the foundation for a big total.As many as six Assam batsmen got off to starts, with Pallavkumar Das’ 54 at the top of the order being the highest. The pace duo of Ravi Kiran and Chama Milind picked up three wickets each as Assam were bowled out for 199. With five losses in as many matches, Assam have only pride to play for in their final league fixture of the tournament on Thursday.

Jayawickrama, Embuldeniya were the main spinners in the original squad against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2022Left-arm spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Lasith Embuldeniya have been left out of Sri Lanka’s 18-member squad for the two-match Test series against Pakistan starting July 16.The more inexperienced left-arm spinners, Prabath Jayasuriya, who picked up a record 12 wickets on Test debut against Australia, and uncapped Dunith Wellalage, who were drafted in the Covid-hit squad ahead of the second Test last week, have been included.Both Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama have been dropped on account of modest form. Embuldeniya claimed only one wicket and went for 177 in his last two Tests, Jayawickrama went wicketless and conceded 155 in a Test in Dhaka, in May.Although 19-year-old Wellalage has not played a Test, he was the top-wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s ODI series win against Australia. He also offers some batting down the order.In selecting the squad, Sri Lanka have also taken the unusual step of naming two wicketkeepers – incumbent Niroshan Dickwella, as well as Dinesh Chandimal, who has played as a specialist batter in the last two series.There are no real surprises on the batting front. Kamindu Mendis secures a place after having made a half-century in his first Test innings this week.The first Test will be played from July 16 in Galle, followed by the second from July 24 in Colombo. The series will be part of the World Test Championship, in which Sri Lanka are placed third and Pakistan fourth.Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay

Sir Richard Hadlee believes New Zealand are entering this three-Test series against Australia with their finest-ever new-ball combination: Trent Boult and Tim Southee

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane04-Nov-20152:09

‘Southee-Boult is most successful NZ bowling combo’ – Hadlee

When New Zealand last won a Test series in Australia, in 1985, the country’s all-time greatest cricketer, Sir Richard Hadlee, was the difference. Thirty years on, Hadlee believes New Zealand are entering this three-Test series with not only their finest-ever new-ball combination – Trent Boult and Tim Southee – but also the man who will come to be regarded as New Zealand’s best batsman of all time, Kane Williamson.They are significant words from the most important figure in New Zealand’s cricket history. They are also pretty hard words to argue with. All three men were junior members of the side that beat Australia in Hobart in 2011 in the last Test between the nations, and they are key reasons why this could be New Zealand’s best chance for a series win in Australia since Hadlee’s era.Hadlee made similar comments about Boult and Southee during this year’s World Cup, and with the red ball both men are also near the peak of their powers. Both are 26, both swing the ball both ways, and both are in New Zealand’s top eight wicket-takers of all time. The left-right new-ball combination will test Australia’s changing top order in helpful Gabba conditions.”I think I can confidently stand here and say without doubt that that combination will be, if it’s not already, the most successful bowling combination in the history of New Zealand cricket,” Hadlee said on Wednesday. “To work in tandem as they do, they will put a lot of pressure on any batting line-up, anywhere in the world in any conditions.”It is not just with the swinging ball that New Zealand will threaten Australia. Williamson is the fulcrum of the New Zealand batting line-up, having joined Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Sachin Tendulkar, Graeme Smith and Neil Harvey as the only men to have 10 Test centuries before the age of 25. But there is damaging potential throughout their batting order.”I think Kane Williamson will be our best ever batsman by the time he finishes his career,” Hadlee said. “The fact that by this stage he’s scored ten Test centuries at 24 years of age, and in the history of the game only six players have scored ten Test centuries by the age of 25. That includes the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers and Sachin Tendulkar. So he’s in very good company.”Technically [he’s] very good, he just has a desire to occupy the crease and score runs. Taylor is a fine batsman averaging 45, McCullum can be very destructive, and you can’t underestimate the likes of BJ Watling, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, who is averaging 40 himself. Neesham is averaging 43.”When you look at the run-making potential in the side, they can put runs on the board and you’ve got bowlers who can get wickets. This is a very capable side, it’s a confident side, and they’re playing a good, bright, brand of cricket. Attacking, entertaining, and at times high risk, but that can bring great rewards as well. It’s a very, very good side.”Hadlee said he expected McCullum to pile the pressure on to Australia’s newer players, including Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja, but he stopped short of declaring New Zealand favourites. When Hadlee claimed match figures of 15 for 123 at the Gabba in 1985, New Zealand won the toss and bowled in humid conditions on what he called a “frisky” pitch.”It is difficult to win here,” he said. “We’ve only won three Test matches in our history here in Australia – the Gabba here in 1985, then Perth in ’85, and then four years ago in Hobart, where Doug Bracewell got his career-best of 6 for 40. It is difficult to win here, simply because you’re playing Australia in Australia, conditions vastly different here than what they are in New Zealand.”Hopefully these guys can take some lessons from what went on in the past and the bowlers get in there and get their lines and their lengths right and not go searching. If you go searching and you miss your target you concede runs. Good old-fashioned basic fast bowling … That hasn’t changed in the history of the game. If you put the ball in the right place and do a bit with it, you’re going to challenge batsmen and batsmen can make mistakes.”

Neser, Hogan claim four wickets each as Derbyshire make 368

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2022David Lloyd led from the front as Glamorgan fought back on the second day of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.After Michael Hogan and Michael Neser each took four wickets to bowl Derbyshire out for 368, the Glamorgan captain scored 84 from 104 balls, sharing an opening stand of 103 with Andrew Salter.Marnus Labuschagne made an unbeaten 53 and Sam Northeast 49 as Glamorgan closed on 240 for 4, 128 runs behind.Glamorgan’s bowlers completed the recovery started by the second new ball on the previous evening with Neser striking in the second over of the morning.Mattie McKiernan edged a defensive push into the gloves of Chris Cooke and Neser continued to cause problems in tandem with Timm van der Gugten.The runs dried up until a wayward spell by James Harris from the Racecourse End relieved the pressure on Leus du Plooy and Anuj Dal.Harris leaked 22 runs in four overs and the seventh wicket pair had added 50 before the belated introduction of Hogan broke through.The 40-year-old found just enough away movement to have Dal taken at first slip and du Plooy followed two overs before lunch when he was lbw shuffling across to the off-spin of Salter.The game meandered after the interval with Derbyshire adding only eight more runs in seven overs with Suranga Lakmal’s attempt to raise the tempo by hitting Salter over the top ending in a well-judged catch by Labuschagne running back at midwicket.When Neser had Ryan Sidebottom snared at first slip, Derbyshire had lost their last eight wickets for 92 runs which was a disappointing decline on a good batting pitch.Even so, it was still a total that could put pressure on Glamorgan if they lost early wickets but Lloyd and Salter batted watchfully before accelerating in the afternoon sunshine.Salter survived a big appeal for a catch behind off Sam Conners but the makeshift opener grew into the role as the pair passed Glamorgan’s previous best opening stand this season of 41.Lloyd drove fluently to reach 50 from 79 balls and Salter swept Alex Thomson’s off-spin for four to bring up the century stand in the 26th over.But a farcical mix-up in the same over gifted Derbyshire a wicket when Salter set off a second run and found himself stranded at the same end as his captain.Lloyd looked in no mood to throw his wicket away but after driving Conners for three fours in an over, he went for another big drive at Dal and Wayne Madsen held a sharp catch at slip.Madsen has been one of the best slip fielders on the county circuit but he missed several chances in the previous home game against Sussex and he spilled another catch here to reprieve Northeast.Conners was the unlucky bowler as Madsen failed to hold on at second slip with Northeast on 5 and the score 126 for 2.That was proving to be costly as Labuschagne and Northeast added 93 in 22 overs but Madsen responded by beating Northeast’s attempted sweep.Labuschagne drove Madsen over the ropes at long on but Kiran Carlson edged a loose drive at Lakmal to leave the match finely poised

Jerome Jayaratne, the SLC head of coaching, has been appointed interim head coach of the Sri Lanka team for the upcoming home series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2015Jerome Jayaratne, Sri Lanka Cricket’s head of coaching, has been appointed interim head coach of the Sri Lanka team for the upcoming home series against West Indies. Jayaratne’s appointment came four days after Marvan Atapattu had resigned as the national team coach.Jayaratne was appointed SLC’s head of coaching in 2008, a role that did not extend to the national team coached at the time by Trevor Bayliss. Jayaratne has coaching certificates from Cricket Australia and the ECB, and previously held the posts of manager-coaching as well as coach of the SLC academy squad. He also played 22 first-class matches between 1990-91 and 1995-96.Atapattu had quit after Sri Lanka lost Test series to Pakistan and India, only the second time they have lost two home series in a year. He had officially held the position since September last year, but had effectively been head coach since April 2014, after Paul Farbrace’s departure. Before that, Atapattu had worked as batting coach of the team since 2011.

Seamer takes 5 for 11 as Worcestershire slip to fifth defeat in six games

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2022Leicestershire Foxes secured their third win in four games with the help of a superb spell of bowling from Naveen-ul-Haq in a 26-run triumph against Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.The Afghanistan pace bowler returned career-best T20 figures of 5 for 10 from four overs as the Foxes comfortably defended a total of 162 for 6.He claimed the prized wickets of Brett D’Oliveira and overseas duo Colin Munro and Dwayne Bravo before cleaning up the innings as the Rapids were dismissed for 136 in 19 overs.All of the Foxes’ wins have come on the road against Yorkshire, Birmingham Bears and now Worcestershire. But they were aided by some poor shot selection by Worcestershire’s batters and the home side remain in bottom spot after a fifth defeat in six games.Moeen Ali put the visitors into bat on the same hybrid wicket used against the Bears on Friday and for the Central Sparks-Western Storm game yesterday in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Related

• Hampshire finally get on the board as Seifert's 55-ball 100 goes in vain

• Bopara steers Sussex home after McCoy claims four

• D'Oliveira, Haynes help Worcs take down Bears in high-scorer

• Steel shows his mettle as Leicestershire end Bears' perfect start

Leicestershire opener, Hamish Rutherford, a former Worcestershire player, was looking to improve on a record of 22 runs in his first five innings in the Blast this summer. Worcestershire bowled a tight line in the opening stages and Dillon Pennington was rewarded when Scott Steel, who had hit half centuries in his previous two innings, holed out to mid-off.Rutherford did not strike a boundary until his 16th delivery but four fours in Pennington’s third over lifted the powerplay total to 47 for 1. Arron Lilley scored freely and smashed Bravo over backward of square for the first six, but two wickets in two overs checked the Foxes’ progress.Lilley tried to work Ed Barnard to leg and was lbw and then Rutherford, having made 29 off 34 balls, missed a straight ball from Moeen. The England allrounder finished with excellent figures of 4-0-18-1.Leicestershire T20 captain Colin Ackermann perished to a fine catch by Josh Baker running back from third man off Barnard, but 59 came off the last five overs thanks mainly to Rishi Patel’s 37 from 25 balls before he holed out to cover off Bravo and then Rehan Ahmed was caught and bowled off a skier by Pat Brown.D’Oliveira, fresh from his career-best 71 against the Bears, gave the Rapids a flying start with 25 off 13 balls with five boundaries before he was yorked by Naveen. Ed Pollock flicked a Ben Mike no-ball over backward square leg for six but on 19 picked out Callum Parkinson in a similar shot off Will Davis.Munro, the Rapids’ leading-scorer in the Blast this summer, was caught behind on one after aiming to cut Naveen. Moeen played one exquisite late cut for four off Parkinson and drilled Will Davis for six over long but then he went lbw to Ahmed’s first delivery which kept low.Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and Jack Haynes went lbw to Parkinson aiming across the line at 91 for 5. Parkinson struck again when Ben Cox picked out deep cover and Bravo was lbw to Naveen who cleaned up the innings by sending back Dillon Pennington and Barnard, who top-scored with 27.

Allrounder earns reappraisal from Anderson after crucial match-turning innings

Osman Samiuddin02-Jul-2022You’d think an allrounder who averages over 35 with the bat and under 25 with the ball (and takes four wickets per Test) across 60 Tests might not need the validation of a century to boost his confidence. You’d think Ravindra Jadeja might not need that boost of confidence. You’d be wrong.Jadeja’s first Test hundred outside India, and especially because it was in England, is one that he will draw from. “I’m feeling really good, to do it outside India, especially in England to hit a hundred as a player is a really big thing,” he said. “I can really take some confidence in myself as a player from this, to score a hundred in England, in swinging conditions, so yeah it feels really good.”The innings was overshadowed by Rishabh Pant’s 111-ball 146 but was marked by a discipline and sense of game-management that spoke of the work of a proper batter. Which is precisely what James Anderson identified as a shift from previous encounters with Jadeja – and the pair have, of course, history.”In the past he was coming at 8, bat with the tail so he had to chance his arm a little bit,” Anderson said, “whereas now at 7 he can bat like a proper batter. He leaves really well and made it difficult for us.””In England you have play close to the body,” Jadeja added. “The ball swings here so if you look to play the cover- or square-drive there is a chance you can edge to the cordon. My focus was to initially not play at too many balls outside off-stump.”When the cover or point is vacant there is a temptation to hit the ball through that area for a boundary, but then you can get out in the slips. My thought was only to hit the ball that was really close to me and to hit it straight. Luckily, all the balls that I picked were in my areas and converted them into boundaries. If you know where your off-stump is, then you can leave the balls outside that line.”And Anderson’s assessment?”See, when you score runs, everyone says they think of themselves as a proper batter. But I’ve always tried to give myself time at the crease, to set a partnership with whoever is at the crease, to play with him. It’s nice Jimmy Anderson has realised that after 2014… so I’m happy.”Facing opposition bowlers is one thing but long partnerships with a batter like Pant brings its own questions and decisions. The pair put on a record 222 and Jadeja said that, while batting with Pant, he understood Rahul Dravid’s line about the difficulties of batting with Virender Sehwag: such was Sehwag’s attacking game that it was difficult for the partner to not get swept alongside in a similar vein.”Yes totally,” he said. “A little pressure goes off because he’s hitting every bowler in the same way. He wasn’t leaving anyone alone. At the non-striker’s end it feels good because they then don’t focus too much on me.Related

• Smothered by England's unwavering support, Zak Crawley is running out of ways to fail

• Bumrah cameo and three-for make it India's day amid rain breaks

• Stuart Broad 'pretty unlucky' during Jasprit Bumrah assault – James Anderson

• Bumrah tees off as Broad bowls most expensive over in Tests

“But as a batsman you still have to come to [a place like] England and concentrate and focus because it is never easy here. You’re playing on 50 or 70 and you can get a good ball anytime. Me and Rishabh were talking about this, that we just try and put on a long partnership. When I came to bat we had to take the team to a good position and really had to put some effort in. Hopefully we’ve put a good total on the board.”With England 84 for 5 at the close of a rain-hit second day, that total of 416 was looking even more imposing. Three fast bowlers have done all the bowling and the wicket-taking thus far, but with England’s engine room this summer of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes at the crease, it may be that Jadeja’s second suit is called upon as well.”It might be that I have no role to play at all which will be a good thing,” he said. “The way our four fast bowlers are bowling, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Shardul, I want that I don’t have a role. That’ll be best for the team.”My job is to do whatever the team needs me to do. As an allrounder, sometimes the situation is that you need to make runs and save the team and help them win. In bowling you sometimes have to provide the breakthroughs and break partnerships or chip in with one or two wickets. I consider myself only a team player who does whatever the team needs.”

Poor fielding display condemns holders to third straight loss in round-robin stage

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2022Lisa Keightley, England’s head coach, says that she shoulders the blame for the collapse in form that has left her team’s defence of the World Cup hanging by a thread, following their third straight loss of the tournament, and their sixth ODI defeat in a row.After opening their campaign with narrow defeats to Australia and West Indies, England batted first in Mount Maunganui and posted 235 for 9 in their 50 overs, with half-centuries from Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones and five wickets for South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp.In reply, however, England missed a number of key opportunities in the field – most notably against Laura Wolvaardt, who anchored South Africa’s chase with 77 from 101 balls. Sune Luus and Kapp backed up their earlier efforts with the ball with a pair of important 30s, before Shabnim Ismail and Trisha Chetty sealed a three-wicket win with four balls to spare.England, who beat South Africa by two wickets in a similarly tense semi-final of the 2017 World Cup, now face four must-win contests in a row, starting with Wednesday’s clash with India in Mount Maunganui. Even that, however, might not now be enough for qualification with Australia, New Zealand and West Indies already better placed to push for a spot for the semi-final berths.”As a coach, I take a huge amount of responsibility,” Keightley said. “It’s up to me to drive the team and get the wins on the board, that’s the job of the coach. And we’re trying really hard, the coaching staff and myself, to get the players up and about and we don’t have to do too much.”The players are pretty gutted,” she added. “They were pretty gutted after the last match and they wanted to bounce back. They were unable to do it, so the responsibility and the buck lies with me and I’m happy to cop that.”Moving forward, do I feel the pressure? I don’t feel any more pressure than what the players feel and I’m no more disappointed than the players. We came into this World Cup wanting to play better than we have and we haven’t, and it’s been frustrating.”After an arduous winter campaign, which featured the disappointment of England’s Ashes defeat in Australia, the weariness of England’s fielding performance will raise inevitable questions about the fitness levels of the squad, with the veteran new-ball pairing of Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt likely to come under particular scrutiny.Keightley, however, hinted that England would once again be relying on their experience of their proven matchwinners in the India game, rather than rotate them out, despite the likes of Freya Davies and Tash Farrant waiting in the wings as new-ball options.”We will have to have a look, see how they pull up, and make those decisions,” Keightley said. “They’ve done a great job for England over a number of years and they’re working really hard to do their job for the team. I think we’re on a new [pitch for the India match]. So it probably makes sense to play some senior bowlers.”Related

• England seek World Cup refresh as Kate Cross reveals difficulties of dealing with restrictions

• Peerless Kapp takes South Africa over the line to leave England winless

• After trumping New Zealand, young Darcie Brown gung-ho about 'awesome challenge' against West Indies

• Fahima Khatun: 'We want to take back some good memories' from our first World Cup

One bowler who did once again emerge with credit was the spinner Sophie Ecclestone, whose ten overs went for just 23 runs, including the key wicket of Mignon du Preez for 8.”Sophie has been amazing,” Keightley said. “She bowled well again today, and in the last games she has been fantastic. If we’d taken our chances in the Powerplay, we would have put pressure through the middle with Charlie [Dean] coming infor her first World Cup game. We tried really hard and created chances, we’re just not taking them.”We haven’t really put our finger on it really, we have fielded pretty well throughout the Ashes and took a lot more chances than we have today,” Keightley added. “The last two days, we’ve trained really well and the girls have been up and about and putting a lot of effort in.
“We just haven’t got the rewards in the games that matter, so it is something that we’ll have to think about when we review after this World Cup.”Despite England’s bleak standing on the World Cup table – only Pakistan, with four defeats out of four, sit below them – Keightley is adamant that the round-robin format can still get them back into the qualification mix.”We’re trying hard to get those wins and once I think we win a close one, we’ll get a bit of momentum and finish strong,” she said. “We’ve just got to dust ourselves off, come back out in two days’ time and play the way we want to play.”