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Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder earn West Indies series-leveling victory

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Australia slumped to 45 for 6 with Akeal Hosein taking three quick wickets

Andrew McGlashan22-Jul-2021 • Updated on 25-Jul-2021Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder rescued West Indies from more top-order troubles to level the ODI series in Barbados in the match that was delayed by 48 hours after the Covid-19 scare in the home side’s camp.In the end it was Australia’s collapse that proved decisive when they crumbled to 45 for 6 as left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein claimed three wickets in six balls. The last four wickets turned the innings around by adding 142, which included a 59-run ninth-wicket stand between Adam Zampa and Wes Agar, then when West Indies slipped to 72 for 5 – with Mitchell Starc again brilliant – there was the chance of a remarkable resurgence.However, Pooran and Holder played with excellent composure knowing that the required rate was never an issue. Pooran was given lives on 26 and 49, the first when Moises Henriques spilled a simple chance at mid-off, and Holder was reprieved by the DRS but it was a well-constructed stand during which Holder brought up his first ODI fifty since the 2019 World Cup while Pooran was unbeaten to finish things off.Even though the toss remained from two days ago, West Indies had given permission for Australia to make a change to their XI with Agar replacing Josh Hazlewood who had been managing a calf niggle and hadn’t been able to get the usual treatment due to two days of isolation while everyone in the bubble was retested.West Indies struck in the opening over when Ben McDermott nicked a wide delivery from Sheldon Cottrell’s second ball and after Josh Philippe had briefly shone he picked out deep square leg with a pull.Cottrell’s first spell had been just two overs as he left the field but his replacement, Holder, made a significant inroad when he produced an excellent delivery to take Mitchell Marsh’s outside edge.Then it was over to Hosein. There was no captain’s innings from Alex Carey this time as he was comprehensively beaten through the gate by a fantastic delivery that spun sharply from quite wide. Henriques’ disappointing tour continued when he edged a drive to slip, a reward for Hosein throwing his line a touch wider to entice the shot.Two balls later, he produced another gem, dropping a delivery on the middle and leg which then ripped past Ashton Turner’s edge to take middle stump. At that point, a very early finish was a possibility.Starc and Matthew Wade started a rebuild with a stand of 51 which was broken by Hayden Walsh Jr who had Starc lbw sweeping, via the DRS, having survived the same mode of dismissal on 7 when the review system overturned the decision. On both occasions, the umpire was Joel Wilson on a day he had four decisions overturned.Wade never found fluency but had little choice but to try and bat through the innings. However, the revival then came from the unlikely pairing of Zampa and Agar in a stand of 59 in seven overs which included Agar twice clearing the rope as West Indies became a little ragged in the closing stages until things ended in consecutive deliveries.It did not take long for a target of 188 to look much more challenging on a challenging surface. Starc was again on-song in his first spell as he pinned Evin Lewis lbw – having seen the opener saved from a caught behind in the opening over – and produced another pearler for his collection to extract Darren Bravo’s off stump.Spin then made an impact as Zampa caused plenty of problems with his googly, firstly removing Jason Mohammed with some help from the pad and then going right through Kieron Pollard. Between those wickets, Turner, a part-time offspinner, struck with his second delivery in ODIs when Shai Hope, who had played superbly against Starc, ran past one that slid on to take off stump.While that was a smart piece of captaincy by Carey, it also highlighted one of Australia’s problems as they lacked the second frontline spinner which West Indies possessed. Alongside the absence of Hazlewood, it left a lot on the shoulders of Starc and Zampa who couldn’t conjure another breakthrough in time – although Zampa should have done when Pooran was shelled with 65 still needed.In the over following that miss, Holder pulled debutant Riley Meredith for six over deep square leg which saw McDermott clatter into the boundary borders as he tried to reach the catch and hobble away.The rest of the chase was not without the occasional nervy moments particularly when Starc had Holder lbw with 23 needed. Pooran, who earlier became the third-fastest West Indies men’s batter to 1000 ODI runs, went to 49 with a six off Turner and brought up fifty when Wade could not hold a top edge at slip which he was moving the wrong way for. There was then a sigh of relief when Starc finished his 10 overs.

Sri Lanka have a top three and the Dinesh Chandimal experiment is over, right?

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Four things Sri Lanka might have learned from their T20 February, with an eye to the World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Feb-2022

They have a top three

Pathum Nissanka’s strike rate across these eight matches was 117, but he stuck it out for 260 runs. For now, Nissanka is not necessarily a match-winning T20 opener, but in the context of a hilariously fragile Sri Lanka top order, his tenacity is useful. Plus, at age 23, there’s an element of investing for the future here.Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, hit 100 runs in the three innings he got in Australia (he was injured for the India series), and hit a good 69* in Melbourne to top score in Sri Lanka’s only victory in this stretch.Charith Asalanka was not quite at his best this month, but given his runs at the T20 World Cup last year, he’s hard to displace.The likes of Danushka Gunathilaka, Janith Liyanage, and Kamil Mishara didn’t make enough of an impact to break into that top three.

Kumara could still be a good T20 bowler (just not at the death)

Lahiru Kumara played just five of the eight matches, but got nine wickets – as many as Dushmantha Chameera, who played all eight. This is a slightly unfair comparison, since Chameera bowls more often at the difficult stages of an innings – the death in particular – and Kumara has been given easier conditions. But if Kumara can be a wicket-taking threat through the early and middle overs, that’s enough, for now.Through the course of those five matches, Kumara has often been the quickest bowler on show (across both teams), and roughed opposition batters up with his bouncers. If he stays fit, and keeps working on those skills, the quicker tracks in Australia could suit him nicely in October.Related

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Shanaka the big-hitter emerges

No one wanted to say it. But although the T20 team was doing better under Dasun Shanaka than it had under several previous leaders, the captain’s own form had been awful. In 20 innings as captain until the first match of this India series, Shanaka had hit just 334 runs at a strike rate of 107.Just in the last two games at Dharamsala though – one of the bounciest tracks in South Asia – Shanaka has found his range. He bashed 47 not out off 19 in the second match, then a stunning 74 not out off 38 in the third, having come in at 29 for 4.Sri Lanka had lacked lower-order firepower in the last T20 World Cup. They need Shanaka to continue his big-hitting into October and November.

The Chandimal experiment is over. Right?

Dinesh Chandimal has played 61 T20 innings, striking at 104. Let’s not sugarcoat it. These are appalling numbers. When it comes to Chandimal, though, there always seems to be hope that he can resurrect the hyper-aggressive past version of himself, and this is what the selectors thought when he tore up the Lanka Premier League in November last year, hitting 277 runs at a strike rate of 151, as a finisher.Sadly, he has not even come close to replicating those numbers in the seven T20I innings he got in February, making just 112 runs, at a strike rate of 97. He’s got to be done, right? No way the selectors can pick him in this format. That is until he carves up another domestic season.

Ravindra Jadeja proud to prove his worth with maiden overseas century

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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

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“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.”

Trinbago Knight Riders get first CPL red card; 'absolutely ridiculous,' says Pollard

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Sunil Narine had to leave the field as Knight Riders were forced to field with only ten men in the 20th over against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2023The red card made its first appearance in the Caribbean Premier League 2023, when Trinbago Knight Riders were behind the required over rate at the start of each of their last three overs while bowling against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on Sunday in Basseterre. They were left with only ten men for the final over as a result, and just two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, losing Sunil Narine from the field.As per the new rules in the CPL, if the bowling team doesn’t start the 18th over in time, one additional fielder enters the 30-yard circle with four allowed outside. If they miss the time limit at the start of the 19th over, one more fielder must enter the circle, leaving three in the outfield. And if they don’t start the final over on time, one player must go off the field and they can have just two players outside the circle. Knight Riders incurred all three penalties and Patriots’ No. 5 Sherfane Rutherford made them pay with 18 runs from the final over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo.Fortunately for Knight Riders, Nicholas Pooran, captain Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell smashed their way to the 179-run target with 17 balls in hand. Pollard later called the new penalty rule “absolutely ridiculous”.”This could be a historic moment here… oh, red card,” Ian Bishop called on the official broadcast as the red card was whipped out by on-field umpire Zahid Bassarath before the start of the final over of the Patriots innings. “You don’t want to see that colour card. They must field with only ten, so somebody has to leave the field. And only two outside the 30-yard circle. The absolute last thing that he [Pollard] would want. And imagine the bowler!”

Pollard, moving his limited fielding options around, asked Narine, who had finished his four-over spell with 3 for 24, to leave the field.”To be honest, it will take away the hard work everyone has done,” Pollard said on the broadcast after the game. “We are like the pawns and we are going to do what we are told. We are going to play as fast as we can. If you are penalised for 30-45 seconds in a tournament like this, it is absolutely ridiculous.”Red cards, a first in the game, have been introduced in the 2023 CPL – for both men’s and women’s competitions – to combat slow over rates. “We have been disappointed that our T20 games have been getting longer and longer each year, and we want to do what we can to arrest this trend,” Michael Hall, CPL tournament operations director, had said in a statement prior to the start of the tournament.The slow over-rate penalties

  • If behind the required over rate at the start of the 18th over, one additional player must enter the fielding circle – for a total of five players inside the circle
  • If behind the rate at the start of the 19th over, two additional fielders must enter the fielding circle – for a total of six inside the circle
  • If behind the rate at the start of the final over, teams will lose a player from the field – selected by the captain – and have six inside the fielding circle
  • There will also be an onus on batting teams to keep the game moving. After a first and final warning from the umpires, the batting team will be slapped with a five-run penalty for each instance of time wasting

The rule, using the 85-minutes-per-innings rule for T20 cricket, is that the 17th over of the innings must be completed by 72 minutes and 15 seconds, the 18th by 76 minutes and 30 seconds, and the 19th by 80 minutes and 45 seconds, before the last over ends within 85 minutes.”Over rates will be monitored by the third umpire and communicated to the captains via on-field umpires at the end of every over, as well as to the crowd and TV audience, with graphics showing how far they are behind (or ahead of) the over rate,” a CPL statement had said. “Dispensations will be given for injuries, DRS and time-wasting by batting side where appropriate.”

Two-day tour game expected to be 50-over match on Sunday after rain

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The first day was washed out in Canberra

Alagappan Muthu30-Nov-2024The first day of the two-day pink ball game between India and the Prime Minister’s XI was washed out due to persistent rain.Chances of play were remote with a steady drizzle bedding in from almost 10am right through to about 5.30pm during which time the covers stayed firmly on. The Indian team did come over to the ground but there wasn’t much reason for them to stick around.The rain did stop, briefly, late in the day, and there was a flurry of activity, with the covers being peeled off and members of both teams’ support staff being briefed by the two umpires. But when the groundstaff restored the covers, packed up and left at 6.30pm, it was clear that there would be no cricket. Much heavier rain came through at 7pm.The game is expected to resume as a 50-over affair starting from 2.40pm on Sunday. Tickets for Saturday’s play will be refunded.The day-night match was going to be India’s only chance of getting any game time with the pink ball under lights, especially or India captain Rohit Sharma who joined the squad after missing the first Test in Perth, which India won by 295 runs. Sunday could also be the return for Shubman Gill, who missed the first game because of a thumb injury and had returned to the nets in Canberra on Friday.The second Test is a day-night game from December 6 in Adelaide, where India were bowled out for 36 in their last outing there.

LSG set to retain Pooran, Mayank and Bishnoi for IPL 2025

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The uncapped pair of Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan are also set to be retained by the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Oct-2024Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi along with the uncapped pair of Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni are set to be retained by Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2025.With KL Rahul, who has led the franchise since its inception in 2022, unlikely to be retained barring any last-minute change of mind from both parties, LSG will have one right-to-match (RTM) card at the auction.The exact amount the five players have been signed up for is not yet known, but based on the retention slabs put in place by IPL, INR 51 crore will be deducted from LSG’s purse. In case aggregate sum paid to the five exceeds 51 crore, then the higher number will be deducted from the INR 120 crore purse each franchise has been given to build their squads for IPL 2025.Related

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It is understood that Pooran will be the top retention followed by Mayank and Bishnoi. In 2024, Pooran was just behind Rahul on the run-charts and he also was the interim captain-cum-wicketkeeper during the first half after Rahul sat out due to a niggle.Considered one of the best power-hitters in the game, Pooran, 29, was bought by LSG ahead of the 2023 season for INR 16 crore (USD 1.927 million approx). Pooran’s price tag has continued to soar since his maiden IPL season in 2017 when Mumbai Indians bought him for INR 30 lakhs. Two years later, Punjab Kings bought him for INR 4.2 crore ($575,000 approx). At the 2022 mega auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid INR 10.75 crore ($1.433 million approx then) before releasing him a season later.Mayank picked up two Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two IPL matches clocking 150-plus kph deliveries in 2024. While a side strain restricted him to play just four matches, the national selectors quickly added him to the list of quicks handed fast-bowling contracts. Bought by LSG for INR 20 lakhs in the 2024 auction, Mayank has only played seven matches, all T20s: four in the IPL followed by his international debut in the T20 series against Bangladesh recently. Mayank is currently at the BCCI’s newly opened Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Bishnoi was one of the three players LSG picked ahead of the mega auction before IPL 2022 for INR 4 crore, as he was then an uncapped player. In 2022, when LSG made the playoffs, Bishnoi picked up 13 wickets at 8.44. A year later, now an international, Bishnoi was 13th on the list of leading wicket-takers, with 16 wickets at 7.74 and played a role in LSG reaching the playoffs once again. Last season, though, he picked up only 10 wickets in 14 matches at 8.77.Mayank Yadav’s maiden IPL season was disrupted by injury•AFP/Getty Images

Badoni and Mohsin, both uncapped and bought for INR 20 lakhs each in the 2022 auction, have been integral to LSG’s success. An aggressive middle-order batter, Badoni’s best season came in 2023 when he made 238 runs at a strike rate of 138 in 12 innings. He recently also played in the Emerging Series for India A.Mohsin, the 6’3″ left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, impressed straightaway in his maiden IPL season in 2022. He picked up 14 wickets at a sub-6 economy in just nine matches which made him one of the potential candidates for the T20 World Cup later that year. He was not considered due to a career-threatening injury where he nearly lost an arm. Mohsin, however, bounced back playing in the second half of the 2023 season and finished 2024 with 10 wickets in 10 matches.

Ireland and Scotland seal their place in 2024 Men's T20 World Cup

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Both teams are on course for a top two finish at the ongoing Europe Region Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2023Ireland and Scotland have qualified for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, after favourable results in the Europe Region Qualifier on Thursday. While a washout against Germany pushed Ireland through, hosts Scotland beat Denmark by 33 runs to confirm their berth for next year’s tournament.”While it’s true that we’d rather have achieved qualification on the field today, we’re delighted to have achieved our primary objective of qualifying for next year’s T20 World Cup,” Ireland captain Paul Stirling said. “We came to Scotland with a clear plan and style of play we wanted to implement, and I think we delivered on that front.”So we’ll celebrate job done this afternoon, but there is a trophy on the line tomorrow, and we are keen to continue that winning momentum going into the India T20 series next month.”Related

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Scotland’s victory over Denmark makes it five wins out of five for them in the Europe Region Qualifier. This spree also has them on top of the tournament’s points table. However, had Denmark beaten Scotland, then Italy would have stood a chance of making it to the T20 World Cup next year, since they would have been the only other team that could match Scotland’s points total had they beaten both Austria and Germany in their upcoming games. Ireland, meanwhile, won all four of their matches before their match against Germany was rained out. Ireland and Scotland gained automatic entry into the Europe Region Qualifier thanks to their participation in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Germany and Jersey made the Qualifier on the basis of taking part in the 2022 global qualifiers, while Austria, Denmark and Italy earned their spots by winning their respective sub-regional qualifiers.The 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the USA, is set to be a 20-team tournament. The teams will be divided into four groups of five each for the first round, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Super 8 stage. The Super 8 teams will be split into two groups of four each, with the top two in each group reaching the semi-finals.Twelve teams had already qualified for the next T20 World Cup before the regional qualifiers. These are hosts West Indies and USA, the top eight teams at the 2022 T20 World Cup – Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka – and Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who qualified by virtue of the T20I rankings.The East Asia Pacific Qualifier is currently underway in Papua New Guinea, with the hosts on top of the four-team table. The top team from this event will qualify for the T20 World Cup.Qualifiers for the Americas (for one spot at the World Cup), Africa (two spots) and Asia (two spots) will also take place over the coming months.

Bangladesh cancel training because of air pollution in Delhi

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They hope to resume training on Saturday ahead of their game against Sri Lanka on Monday

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2023Bangladesh cancelled their training session in Delhi on Friday to safeguard their players from the air pollution in the city, according to team director Khaled Mahmud.The Bangladesh team had arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for their World Cup match against Sri Lanka on November 6. They had initially scheduled three training sessions at Arun Jaitley Stadium, with the first of those between 6pm and 9pm on Friday.However, an air emergency was declared in Delhi on Thursday, as the air quality index (AQI) rose above 400 in several places in the city, forcing the government to close schools for two days and impose restrictions on construction and vehicle traffic. ESPNcricinfo has learned that at present there has been no conversation between the ICC and BCCI about moving the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka fixture on Monday.Related

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“We actually had a training session today, but due to worsening conditions, we didn’t take the chance,” Mahmud said on Friday. “We have two more training days. Some of us developed coughing, so there’s a risk factor. We don’t want to get sick. We don’t know if things will improve, but we have training tomorrow. We want all the players to be fit for the important game coming up on November 6.”Bangladesh’s training session on Saturday is also in the evening, while on Sunday they are scheduled to train from 2pm.According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, managed by India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, the AQI in the city was “likely to be in upper end of severe category” on Friday. “The air quality is likely to improve marginally but remain in severe category from 04.11.2023 to 06.11.2023. The outlook for subsequent six days: The air quality is likely to remain in severe to very poor category,” the ministry said in a bulletin on Friday.Sri Lanka are also keeping a close eye on the AQI and may choose to cancel their training session on Saturday if pollution levels remain high. A team source said an AQI of 400 had been talked about as a cut-off mark, though they may take caution even if that number is lower.Several of the players in Sri Lanka’s squad have already experienced playing cricket in polluted Delhi air, when they played a Test at this venue in late 2017. On that occasion several players had come off the field to vomit in the dressing room, while others received on-field medical attention for respiratory problems. At least five Sri Lanka fielders had also come out to field in masks.On Wednesday, ahead of India’s World Cup match against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma had expressed concern over the worsening air quality in Mumbai, and elsewhere in the country, saying it is important to ensure that future generations can live “without any fear” in India. On the same day, the BCCI said it would not allow any fireworks displays for the remaining games in Mumbai and Delhi because of the air-quality issue.

Rachel Slater drives Diamonds to home semi-final from No. 11

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Hosts beat champions Southern Vipers by one run in a last-ball thriller chasing 241 at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2024No. 11 Rachel Slater hit the winning two to long-on to help Northern Diamonds beat champions Southern Vipers by one run in a last-ball thriller chasing 241 at Headingley to qualify for a home semi-final in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Diamonds were on the ropes at 216 for 9 after 46.5 overs in reply to 240 for 8. Visiting captain Georgia Adams impressed with 57 and a season’s-best four for 26 with her off-spin.Debutant left-arm spinner Rebecca Tyson impressed with three wickets, but she couldn’t quite defend nine runs off the last over with Katie Levick at the crease alongside Slater. They shared 25, with Slater finishing 18 not out. Leg-spinner Levick’s 13 had been preceded by three wickets.The Vipers innings was built around a measured 82-ball innings from Adams.She was supported by a quartet of scores in the thirties from opener Ella McCaughan, Georgia Elwiss, Emily Windsor and Naomi Dattani.Having elected to bat, Vipers made steady progress. There was little aggression in the innings, more determination to get themselves into the game following back-to-back defeats.This XI may have lacked the experience of previous title-winning Vipers sides, but they still found a way to a competitive total.A superb diving catch in the covers from Abi Glen helped Scotland seamer Slater remove Rhianna Southby before Levick bowled the other opener, McCaughan, for 30.Adams and Elwiss then steadied with a no-frills partnership of 76 in 18 overs.Adams hit all six of her boundaries through the off-side in a 74-ball fifty, cutting and driving nicely. Elwiss added 31. Both then fell as part of a loss of three wickets for 30 as the score slipped from 126 for 2 in the 32nd over to 156 for 5 after 38.Adams was bowled trying to cut a ball too close to her, Elwiss was run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from mid-off and Abi Norgrove was run out having slipped trying to get up from playing a sweep to short fine-leg.A trio of Vipers were run out, including new loan signing Dattani in the final over. Dattani, on loan from Lancashire Thunder, hoisted the only six of the innings off Phoebe Turner’s seam over midwicket.On Sunday, Dattani played against Diamonds for Thunder and was bowled by Turner, who claimed six wickets in that Southport fixture. Today, Turner only struck once, with Levick leading the way.After bowling McCaughan and Adams, she later broke a crucial 47-run stand for the sixth wicket between left-handed Dattani and the ever-resourceful Windsor, getting the latter stumped as the score fell to 203 for 6 in the 45th over.Diamonds lost stand-in captain Lauren Winfield-Hill – Hollie Armitage is on England duty in Ireland – early in their chase as she miscued Adams to mid-on, leaving the score at 5 for 1.But they were boosted by a 91-run partnership between Emma Marlow and Rebecca Duckworth, who were both strong on the drive. Duckworth posted her maiden regional fifty and Marlow only her second, off 71 and 81 balls respectively.However, both fell quickly after reaching their milestones as Diamonds lost three wickets for 26 inside seven overs to set them back at 122 for four in the 32nd.Duckworth and Sterre Kalis were trapped lbw sweeping at Adams before Marlow was bowled by the seam of Elwiss.Australian allrounder Erin Burns added 31, but when she sliced Tyson to short third it felt like a defining moment. Not so.Tyson also bowled a scooping Phoebe Turner and had Glen (24) caught at backward point. In between, Adams bowled Katherine Fraser before Freya Davies bowled Sophia Turner.Slater and Levick chipped away at the target before, with three balls left, the former crashed Tyson through cover for four. Then came the winning two to long-on.

Bavuma: Pakistan defeat not a concern but 'a bit of a wake-up call'

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South Africa’s captain refuses to blame slippery conditions for their fielding errors

Andrew McGlashan03-Nov-2022Temba Bavuma has admitted the “wheels probably came off” for South Africa in the field at the SCG as they suffered their first defeat of the T20 World Cup but did not see it as a major cause for alarm with progression still firmly in their hands.Pakistan had been reduced to 43 for 4 in the seventh over but managed to post 185 for 9 with 117 coming off the second ten overs which featured a significant deterioration in South Africa’s fielding, although the latter part of the innings took place under drizzle.Related

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Bavuma did not believe his attack had been agile enough to adjust to conditions as they changed, but with the final group game against Netherlands, they should still reach the semi-finals although will concede the top spot to India if they beat Zimbabwe.”I wouldn’t say it’s a concern,” Bavuma said. “Probably is a bit of a wake-up call. I thought the first ten overs, we were superb. We were able to get them under pressure. Then after that, the wheels probably came off.”Conditions changed a little bit with the ball going to skid [on]. I think in terms of our awareness, in terms of adapting to that, we were very slow. We allowed them to get momentum into their innings, and they were able to get a formidable score on the board.”We’re going to use our pace. We’re going to use our bounce. Unfortunately for us today, it probably wasn’t the right plan considering the conditions out there.”Like I said, I don’t think it’s a big concern. Yes, there are talking points for us, areas that we can learn from. Maybe it’s a performance that we needed to kind of bring us down back to earth.”Bavuma did not want to use a damp ball and slippery underfoot conditions as an excuse for an uncharacteristic number of fielding errors.”Maybe the intensity lowered a bit for the guys. Individually, the guys know, but it’s definitely not the standard of fielding that we pride ourselves on,” he said. “I guess we had a bit of a lifeline probably because of the way we played up until this point, but I think from now on it’s about us playing our best cricket. If we come unstuck, we come unstuck. Today we didn’t play our best cricket.”South Africa went into the match without the in-form David Miller who suffered back spasms although Bavuma indicated it should not be a major concern for the games to come. And the captain himself was able to make his highest T20I score since the previous World Cup with 36 off 19 balls which briefly put South Africa ahead of the DLS target.”It’s been a while since I hit the ball in the middle,” he said. “I felt a lot better today…I guess I just tried to enjoy it, to be honest.”

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