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With two needed off the final ball, Muzarabani managed to get an inside edge that beat the wicketkeeper for a one-wicket win

Abhimanyu Bose07-Dec-2023Brilliant catches, dramatic shifts in momentum and a lucky inside edge – Zimbabwe’s last-ball win against Ireland had it all in a game that had you on the edge of the seat for the last few overs.Sikandar Raza put on a clinic with both bat and ball to lead Zimbabwe to victory in the first ever international match under lights at the Harare Sports Club and a 1-0 series lead against Ireland.The pace trio of Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and debutant Trevor Gwandu would be hailed as equally important heroes in their dressing room, but not for what they did with the ball.Raza picked up three wickets to restrict Ireland to 147 before navigating the chase with a composed 42-ball 65 with wickets falling at the other end and some heated exchanges from Ireland fielders. He himself fell in the 19th over – thanks to a diving catch from Paul Stirling at cover – with Zimbabwe needing 11 off 9 and all the established batters back in the dugout.The equation went down to nine off the final over, and when Ngarava and Gwandu managed only three runs off the first three balls, Ireland seemed to have edged ahead. But Ngarava found a boundary with a leg-side swipe to make it two needed off two.Sounds simple? Well, not simple enough.The momentum shifted again when Mark Adair ran back from short third to hold on to a blinder, landing on his neck after a full sumersault in the process and walked off. That left Muzarabani on strike, with two runs needed off the last ball. But to Ireland’s dismay, the No. 11 got an inside edge that beat Lorcan Tucker to give Zimbabwe the two runs they needed to seal a dramatic win.

Raza steers the chase

Ireland dominated the powerplay with both bat and ball, but Raza was key in bringing Zimbabwe back in the game in both innings.
Defending 147, Ireland started tightly with the ball and Tadiwanashe Marumani was out early, chipping Barry McCarthy to mid-on. Josh Little then had Sean Williams chopping on in next over to put Zimbabwe further under the pump.Raza helped inject some momentum into Zimbabwe’s innings with back-to-back boundaries to end the powerplay. When spin came on, Wessly Madhevere reverse-swept George Dockrell for four but was out after one ball, exposing his stumps and missing his scoop.Raza and Ryan Burl kept Zimbabwe ticking, and the momentum seemed to shift in the 12th over when Raza deposited Gareth Delany over midwicket and Burl powered a drive past long-on in a 13-run over.Josh Little kept Ireland in the game with an economical spell•Sportsfile via Getty Images

But Craig Young threw a spanner in the works with two wickets in two overs. He bounced Burl out, with the batter top-edging a pull shot for Tucker to grab. Young struck again when debutant Brian Bennett ended up hitting aerially towards mid-off and Harry Tector completed a stunning take running to his left and leaping to pluck the ball out one-handed.Raza seized control back, getting to his 12th T20I fifty before stepping it up. After top-edging Adair for four, he hit a six over fine leg off McCarthy to start off a productive 17th over. Clive Madande pulled McCarthy for a six and four to make it a 20-run over to put bring the asking rate down to run-a-ball.At that point, Zimbabwe looked set to see Ireland off without much trouble, but Little castled Madande before Adair dismissed Luke Jongwe and Raza in an excellent penultimate over.

Balbirnie gets Ireland off to a flyer

Andy Balbirnie got Ireland off to a rollicking start, hitting Ngarava for three fours – including two gorgeous cover drives – in the first over.
He then took Muzarabani on, slapping him over point for a four and a six. Stirling then welcomed Gwandu to international cricket by hitting him for three back-to-back fours as Ireland raced to 38 for no loss in three overs.Muzarabani then slowed Ireland’s innings down with some off-pace deliveries. Ngarava reaped the benefit of the pressure created by the quiet over as he returned to trap Stirling in front with a low full toss.

Spin squeeze from Raza and co.

Raza brought himself on immediately after the powerplay and made instant impact by knocking Balbirnie over with a ball that spun in to beat his sweep shot and take his leg stump.Ireland struggled to keep the tempo up against spin as Williams got in the act. He beat the batters with two beauties in his first over – the tenth of the innings – and got in the wickets column in his next as he had Tucker caught at backward point. Raza then picked up his second wicket of the night by bowling Curtis Campher.Only 53 runs came off the eight consecutive overs of spin after the powerplay, and the pressure told as Muzarabani castled Dockrell with a clever offcutter to leave Ireland on 108 for 5 with five overs to go.Raza had his third when he trapped Tector in front with a sidearm delivery that pitched on leg stump, and looked to be sliding down, before straightening to pin him on the front pad. Adair was the next to go, trying to go for a big shot downtown off Ngarava only to pick out long-on.Muzarabani’s slower variations brought him another wicket off the next over with McCarthy offering a simple catch to point. Delany helped Ireland go past 140 with a 20-run final-over, which saw him hit two sixes down the ground – including one that hit the roof.

The trophy commemorates the tragic Tangiwai train disaster of 1953 where 151 people, including the fiance of NZ fast bowler Bob Blair, lost their lives

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2024All New Zealand and South Africa Test series will now be played for the Tangiwai Shield, starting with the two-match Test series that’s set to begin on February 4 in Mount Maunganui. The trophy commemorates the tragic events of 1953, when 151 people on the train from Wellington to Auckland on Christmas eve – including Nerissa Love, the fiancé of New Zealand fast bowler Bob Blair – lost their lives in the country’s worst rail disaster.The tragedy coincided with the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on December 24, which Blair was part of. On the opening day, New Zealand’s seam attack reduced South Africa to 259 for 8. The New Zealand squad spent Christmas at their team hotel, but woke up on Boxing Day to the news of the accident.Blair remained behind at the hotel to grieve. It was announced that he had withdrawn from the match, and flags at the ground were lowered to half-mast.But Blair appeared out of the players’ tunnel after New Zealand lost their ninth wicket for 154 in the first innings, which left the players and the crowd at Ellis Park stunned. Along with Bert Sutcliffe, he put up a 33-run stand to drag New Zealand to 187. It remains one of the most defining moments in New Zealand sporting history.”The background to this Test match is one of the most sad and moving and heart-breaking stories imaginable,” NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. “It’s also an uplifting story of incredible courage and resilience, and in terms of the South African team and public, great compassion and empathy. I’m delighted to see this very important part of cricket history properly recognised and acknowledged.”The Shield was created by carver David Ngawati (Ngati Hine), is made from the native New Zealand timber puriri, and includes an inlaid mere made from pounamu, a type of stone sourced from the Tangiwai region. An NZC release said that the shield will be blessed and presented to the teams in Tauranga today.CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said, “On behalf of CSA, I send my best wishes to everyone who was touched by this tragedy, and to both teams contesting the inaugural trophy. It’s important that the teams of today and tomorrow know where they came from, and I’m sure the Tangiwai Shield will do much to assist with that.”

Scotland came close to making history, but the power and depth in Australia’s batting ultimately proved to be too much

Andrew McGlashan16-Jun-20244:16

Finch on Australia’s six drops: They were uncharacteristically sloppy

Scotland could almost touch a history-making moment. Australia’s asking rate was approaching 13 going into the final seven overs of their chase in what, until then, had been an underwhelming performance. But Marcus Stoinis, with help from Travis Head and later Tim David, shattered their dreams and in turn left England breathing a sigh of relief in Antigua, the result securing their Super Eight berth in the T20 World Cup 2024.Stoinis, who mixed deftness and power in another impressive performance in what is becoming an outstanding tournament for him, put it back in Australia’s favour with a 25-ball half-century while Head turned on the afterburners after compiling a somewhat sedate 45-ball fifty with three sixes off consecutive legitimate deliveries.Although both departed, Australia entered the last over needing just five but there was one final twist. With three needed off four balls, David was dropped at deep midwicket by Chris Sole and with that went Scotland’s last hope. The next ball was sent into the stands.For three-quarters of the contest, Scotland had been outstanding. Their platform was laid by a blistering display from Brandon McMullen on one of the better batting surfaces of the tournament so far. Australia, who shelled six chances in a poor fielding display, clawed it back in the second 10 overs but in their powerplay were held to 36 for 2 by some excellent bowling. However, ultimately the depth and power of their batting order was too much leaving a host of emotions across two islands.

Deftness and power from Stoinis

Australia could not get up or ahead of the asking rate through the first half of the innings. When Glenn Maxwell, who had struck one six over long-on, was defeated by a wonderful delivery from Mark Watt, which pitched on off stump and straightened, Scotland were buoyant and there was a sense that Australia could pay for being off the pace.However, Stoinis got away from his first ball with the help of a misfield, square cutting one of Watt’s 24-yard deliveries. So often known for sheer brute force, he then deftly reverse-swept Michael Leask from the first delivery of the next over and looked on his game. Still, the requirement had become a demanding 87 off 39 balls when Stoinis took down Leask with a reverse-hit six over point then another down the ground.When Head slammed three sixes off Safyaan Sharif the tide had firmly turned; at one stage a series of 12 legitimate deliveries brought 46 runs. Sharif did strike back to have Head taken at long-off, but Australia had given themselves breathing room.Brandon McMullen struck six sixes in his knock•ICC/Getty Images

Scotland’s Bazball

Having been put in, it took Scotland a couple of overs to size up conditions and midway through the third they were still to reach double figures. That changed when McMullen lofted Nathan Ellis stylishly over long off. Even better was to follow as he used his feet against Mitchell Starc and flayed him into the stands over cover.When Adam Zampa was introduced he showed excellent footwork to send him for six, then drive through the off side against a shorter delivery, with another brace of sixes coming off Ashton Agar in the eighth over as he brought up a 26-ball fifty.At the other end, George Munsey had laboured somewhat to 4 off 10 balls but then followed the lead of McMullen by taking on Glenn Maxwell’s over inside the powerplay with 14 off the last three balls. He swept Maxwell for another six before dragging a wider delivery into the hands of deep midwicket next ball. From 92 for 1 after 8.5 overs, Scotland will look back with some regret that the remaining 11.1 overs only brought 88 runs. A large amount of the credit for that has to go to a pair of skillful death overs from Ellis who continued to impress.

Australia’s hat-trick of drops

Australia had an uncharacteristically poor day in the field. None of the chances were simple, but in all they missed six catches – the most in a Men’s T20 World Cup match according to ESPNcricinfo data. At one stage, they put down three in consecutive balls: Zampa palming Matthew Cross’ pull over the fine leg rope, Mitchell Marsh spilling a low one at cover and then Matthew Wade being unable to take a glove down the leg side when Cross swept at Maxwell. Earlier, there had been two put down in Starc’s second over when Marsh couldn’t hold a chance above his head at mid-on and Head grassed a tough one at cover from McMullen.Mitchell Marsh wrings his hand after dropping a tough catch•Getty Images

Agar ends long wait

By the time the game ended, a lot had happened since Agar struck in the opening over of the contest to remove Michael Jones. He was playing his first T20I since the previous World Cup in October 2022 as Australia had one eye on potential match-ups in the Super Eight.”Deep in a tournament, when the same grounds are being used a lot, we’re starting to see some wickets that are starting to show a bit of fatigue in the West Indies,” national selector George Bailey told reporters. “A lot of the guys we’ve got in the group have got a bunch of cricket behind them, either through the IPL most recently or have played quite a bit in this team.”But Ash [Agar], just coming off his injuries and the way we’ve structured up when he has been available, he just hasn’t been able to get much game time, as much as he’d probably like…just getting that opportunity in the middle to be able to put that into place, for Mitch to be able to navigate what it’s like with a number of spinners in the team.”Australia ended up using 12 overs of spin with Agar, Maxwell and Zampa all bowling their full complement. They will be back in St Lucia to face India in their final Super Eight fixture. For a while it appeared Scotland would be joining them but that proved agonisingly out of reach.

Brydon Carse to debut, Chris Woakes set for first overseas Test since 2022

Matt Roller05-Oct-2024Ben Stokes has been ruled out of England’s first Test against Pakistan in Multan, as he continues to recover from a torn hamstring. Stokes confirmed after training on Saturday that he is not yet fully recovered from the injury he sustained two months ago while playing in the Hundred.In Stokes’ absence, Chris Woakes will play his first overseas Test in two-and-a-half years and his first in Asia since 2016, while Brydon Carse will make his Test debut. Ollie Pope will captain England for a fourth successive match in Stokes’ absence, having led them to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka last month.”I tried my hardest to try and get myself fit for this first game but we’ve taken the call to miss this one. I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready,” Stokes said. “We got to a certain point, but just looking at the bigger picture around what we’ve got coming up and actually physically where I’m at with my rehab, I’m not quite ready to play.”Related

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Stokes spent the first 45 minutes of England’s training session doing shuttle runs with Peter Sim, the strength and conditioning coach. He later batted in the nets, facing spin from Rehan Ahmed and local net-bowlers as well as throwdowns from England’s coaching staff, but is taking a cautious approach to his comeback.He will now target the second Test in 10 days’ time. “I’ve pushed myself incredibly hard,” Stokes said. “I’ve worked really, really hard with the medical team to get to where I’m at now. I think I’m further ahead than what we expected today. Look, I’ll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try and give myself a chance to be fit.”Whatever sports you play, you’re going to get injuries. I’m 33 now, so I’ve put my body through quite a lot. I’ve started working incredibly hard over the last two years: I know that I’m getting older, so it’s not through lack of effort. It’s just one of those things where, with what we do, you’re going to put yourself at risk every time you walk out on the field for injuries.”Brydon Carse has been confirmed for a Test debut•Getty Images

If Stokes is available for the second Test, it may only be as a specialist batter – though he said it was “too far away” to tell. “That’s in my 10-day plan from now to that next one, eking bowling back into my training. We’ve had a good plan put together by myself and the medical guys out here, so I’ll be working incredibly hard to try and give myself a good chance of being ready.”England confirmed their XI later on Saturday, two days out from the first Test. They have picked two specialist spinners, with Jack Leach returning to the side for the first time since January alongside his Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir. Gus Atkinson has shaken off a thigh niggle and will play his first overseas Test after impressing during the English summer.Carse pipped Olly Stone and his Durham team-mate Matthew Potts – who both featured against Sri Lanka last month – to the final spot in England’s seam attack. Carse, like Potts, impressed in England’s recent ODI series against Australia but his additional pace and superior batting have seen him win the battle to be England’s third fast bowler.Having missed most of the summer due to a gambling ban, Carse regularly hit 90mph/145kph during Australia’s tour and has impressed England’s players in the nets. “He’s a natural wicket-taker,” Joe Root said. “He’s got those balls in him that, out of nowhere, on the flattest of wickets, you can make something happen… He offers a huge amount to the squad.”Carse, 29, was born and raised in South Africa but qualified for England through his ancestry in 2019. He will become England’s sixth Test debutant of the year after Tom Hartley, Bashir, Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Hull, and has been carded to bat at No. 9, just below Atkinson.England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jamie Smith (wk), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir

With one eye on the 2027 Test tour of India, selectors have shown some of their cards on how the future Australia Test team could look

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2025Nathan McSweeney’s second call in three weeks from chair of selectors George Bailey was much better than the first one.After being ruthlessly cut from the Test side against India following the Brisbane match, paving for the way for Sam Konstas’ momentum-shifting debut, McSweeney is back in the fold for the Sri Lanka series having been selected in a squad that has a youthful flavour.”Obviously [it was] nice news after a bit of a chaotic couple of months,” McSweeney told reporters at Brisbane airport. “It was a bit of nicer call than the last one. I will take heaps of learning from my experiences in my first three Tests and hopefully learn from that if I get the opportunity to play over there I play really well.”It would need a reshuffle of the batting order for McSweeney to return to the side in Sri Lanka, which is not out of the question with Travis Head an option to open although there will also been a keenness to get subcontinent cricket into Konstas, but even if he doesn’t play it is notable that he has been recalled swiftly.Related

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“I think it shows the character that we’ve seen and the sort of person he is, the way he responded and spoke so well about it publicly pretty soon after it happened and jumped straight back into performing for the Heat,” Bailey said.McSweeney has previously traveled to the MRF Academy in India to further his education against spin and expects to have to use a different set of skills than works for him in Australia should he get an opportunity.”It’s a great challenge no doubt, but one I have planned for and will be ready for no doubt,” he said. “Playing spin in Australia has to be very different to playing spin over in Sri Lanka. I’ve worked out a method in Australia that has worked for me in my Shield career but will definitely have to work out a new one to be a good player over there.”In the official release, Bailey had talked of the tour as a chance for players to “grow their games in the subcontinent” with a view on the years ahead, although later insisted that qualification for the World Test Championship final, with the 3-1 series margin over India, had not changed the selectors’ thinking over who went on this trip.Nathan McSweeney had a tough initiation to Test cricket•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“I know there’s been a lot of speculation around that [WTC qualification], but we view every Test tour and Test match as being really important,” Bailey said. “So for us, it was more around structuring up two or three different ways of what we thought the first XI may look like.”But there is certainly evidence of the next generation being unfurled with McSweeney (25) joined by Konstas (19) and the uncapped Cooper Connolly (21). Todd Murphy, who has six Tests under his belt, is also just 24. Call-ups for Glenn Maxwell (36) and Peter Handscomb (33) would not have brought a sense of forward planning, although Handscomb was very close and remains on standby.While it is not rubberstamped that Konstas retains his spot as an opener, it would be a way to help fast-track his education at Test level in what are likely to be spin-friendly conditions with an eye on the 2027 Test tour of India.”What we have seen is he’s a quick learner, absorbs a lot of information,” Bailey said. “So [we are] expecting him to get a lot out of it. From his spin play in Australia and the opportunities he has played in different parts of the world, we think he’s got a game that’s well suited and a technique that can stand up. That’s one of the exciting things about this tour. We’ll learn a bit more about his game in different conditions to what he’s just faced in Australia.”Connolly, meanwhile, has been selected after just four first-class matches which have brought three half-centuries, including 90 on debut in last year’s Sheffield Shield final, and he has yet to take a wicket in the format with his left-arm spin. However, the selectors have been encouraged by his big-temperament which has already earned him four white-ball appearances.”Technically, we like it. Temperament, we like. Character, we like. Clearly, skill set, there’s a lot to like there as well,” Bailey said. “On the first-class front, there’s not a great deal of games behind him, but he is one that’s been around that one-day group. We have in the past used that as a stepping stone at different times to see a player a bit more, find out a bit more about the way they play. He was obviously the beneficiary of that. He’s someone that we’ve had our eye on for a period of time.”

Hardik hasn’t played any professional cricket since the Asia Cup in September, and will be hoping to prove his fitness ahead of the T20Is against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2025Hardik Pandya will appear for Baroda in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India’s domestic T20 tournament, marking his first appearance in professional cricket since the end of September. National selector Pragyan Ojha is expected to be in attendance for the two games- against Punjab and Gujarat on December 2 and 4, respectively – to assess Hardik’s match fitness.Hardik’s last appearance was for India, at the Asia Cup, during their Super Fours match against Sri Lanka on September 26. He has been out of action since then owing to a left quadricep injury. He arrived at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, in Bengaluru, to begin his rehabilitation on October 15, and after a three-day break for Diwali, he has continued working with them on his fitness during the stretch from October 21 to November 29.He appears for Baroda at the SMAT with the BCCI selectors at the cusp of announcing the squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa. ESPNcricinfo understands that the selectors are expected to name a squad for the series in the next couple of days. Hardik’s availability for Baroda, and whether he can appear for any further fixtures, will depend on if and when he is called up to join the India squad for preparation.Baroda lost their opening encounters against Bengal and Puducherry at the SMAT – by six wickets and 17 runs, respectively – but have bounced back to win against Himachal Pradesh.

Left-armer rips through visitors as they concede 171-run first-innings deficit

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2023Keith Barker blew Somerset away with his first LV=Insurance County Championship five-wicket haul of the season as Hampshire took control on day two at the Ageas Bowl. Left-arm seamer Barker had only taken 14 wickets in his opening eight red-ball appearances of 2023 but after a fine Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign, roared back with 5 for 32 to see off Somerset for 137.Andy Umeed scored 43, to follow up Jack Brooks’ first five-wicket haul of the season, but the visitors’ hopes of victory took a hefty blow. Despite a 171-run lead, Hampshire batted again and reached 45 without loss in 23 watchful evening overs to extend their lead to 216.After Sean Dickson had been brilliantly caught at third slip by James Vince off Barker in the third over, Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell bedded in for over an hour either side of lunch. The pair put on 51, but Abell lbw to Barker sparked a collapse from 51 for 1 to 67 for 5, from which they wouldn’t fully recover.Barker has endured an underwhelming Championship campaign, due in part to missing matches after he fractured both his hands while batting in the early stages. His 10 wickets in six One-Day Cup matches have warmed him up for the season’s final month.The former Warwickshire quick took a heavy-handed Lammonby’s outside edge before pinning Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Division One’s leading run scorer, heading into the round, James Rew prodded to short leg off Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory played on to Mohammad Abbas, Ben Green edged Abbott behind and Neil Wagner was bowledUmeed – fresh from 613 One-Day Cup runs – had been in survival mode but once the eighth wicket fell started to unleash. He reached 43 before he missed a big swing and was stumped to give Dawson 3 for 61. Barker had the final word by having Shoaib Bashir lbw before celebrating his five wickets with his trademark one-arm raised celebrappeal.Somerset gave up a 171-run first-innings deficit but James Vince elected against enforcing the follow-on. Toby Albert and Fletcha Middleton bedded in, heeding century-maker Dawson’s advice to bat long to score runs. It made for a lifeless final 23 overs of the day – during which Wagner attempted a short-pitched onslaught on a pitch not suited to such a tactic, Hampshire closing on 45 without loss.Earlier, Brooks bolstered his impressive Ageas Bowl record to 21 wickets at an average of 16.85 in four matches with two morning wickets – as Hampshire added 26 to their overnight score to be bowled out for 308. Barker was caught off his inside edge before Dawson was pinned by Brooks to end his 115-run stay. Kyle Abbott swatted back-to-back boundaries to gather a second batting bonus point but chipped to cover.Brooks returned 5 for 56 – his third five-wicket haul on the ground – and first in four Championship appearances this season.

Haskett, Rocchiccioli and Morris threatened to take the game away on a lifeless WACA pitch but Tasmania hung on

Tristan Lavalette18-Oct-2023Western Australia sniffed a remarkable Sheffield Shield victory on a sedate WACA pitch, but Tasmania hung on to force a draw.After only 18 wickets fell in the first 10 sessions, the match unexpectedly came alive late on day four when WA’s attack tore through Tasmania’s stuttering batting order.Tasmania wobbled at 70 for 5 early in the final session before Beau Webster and Brad Hope guided them to safety.Related

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“It was nice to hang on,” Webster said. “It was a different WACA wicket…it was a different sort of challenge than we are used to coming out west.”Emerging offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli continued his strong start to the Shield season as he targeted the rough to particularly trouble the left-handed batters. He finished with five wickets for the match and looms as a bowler of interest for the national selectors.Speedster Lance Morris impressed in his comeback having not played first-class cricket since March as he works his way back from a back injury that ruled him out of the Ashes.Morris, whose workload was managed, bowled with trademark hostility and hit speeds regularly around 140kph. He took three wickets from 32 overs for the match, but will be rested for WA’s next Shield match against South Australia in Adelaide starting on October 26.The late fireworks almost overshadowed a lifeless WACA surface where batting unusually dominated almost throughout. Captains Sam Whiteman and Jordan Silk came close to making double centuries in high-scoring first innings from both teams.It was a different pitch used to the sluggish surface of the Shield opener when WA easily beat Victoria. The ground is still feeling the effects of Australian rules football being played on it during the off-season.”With the footy taking its toll there was no grass on the wicket,” Whiteman said. “Knew it was going to be flatter, but I thought we did really well there to put Tasmania under pressure to nearly get a result.”WA should feel buoyed with their stirring late efforts with the prospect of an outright result appearing forlorn when the final day started.Trailing by two runs, there was no sign of an early WA declaration as the normally aggressive Ashton Turner – Perth Scorchers captain – was content with a conservative approach.But Turner and Charles Stobo, who hit a maiden first-class half-century, put the foot down before lunch as Tasmania resorted to nine fielders on the boundary.After WA declared at lunch with a lead of 135 runs, all eyes turned to Tasmania opener Caleb Jewell who fell to Morris for a golden duck in the first innings.Jewell’s nerves eased when he elegantly drove Morris on his second ball as it appeared the match was about to merely go through the motions. But any thoughts of a breezy net session was put to bed when opener Tim Ward was trapped lbw by Rocchiccioli.Towering left-armer Liam Haskett menaced with his bounce and he quickly accounted for Charlie Wakim and Silk, who was displeased after being caught at short-leg off his hip.It was left to Jewell and Matthew Wade to steady Tasmania as they batted through to tea. But the twists continued when Jewell was spectacularly bowled by a searing Morris yorker then Wade was trapped lbw by Rocchiccioli in a decision he clearly disagreed with.Jewell has scored just 27 runs in his last three innings after starting the Shield season with an 87 against South Australia. He is deemed a contender to replace opener David Warner, who is set to retire from Test cricket this summer.WA were on a roll before Webster, Hope and, ultimately, the pitch thwarted their bid for a memorable victory.

SA first folded for 55, before India faced a collapse of their own, losing their last six wickets without adding a run

Deivarayan Muthu03-Jan-2024
As many as 23 wickets tumbled on a chaotic opening day in Cape Town, including a never-before-seen collapse of 6 for 0. It was the first time in 2522 Tests that a team had lost six wickets for . India claimed that unwanted record when they went from 153 for 4 to 153 all out in 11 balls, in response to South Africa’s 55 all out, in the afternoon session.Despite that collapse, India were still in front on a Newlands pitch that provided excessive seam movement and variable bounce throughout the day. With even the old(ish) ball misbehaving off the surface, the batters found it fiendishly difficult to bat, especially when the bowlers forced them to play a shot. Only once has more wickets fallen in a day in Test cricket in this century.Related

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• South Africa's 55 all out, the lowest total against India in Tests

It was that kind of a day in Cape Town.Dean Elgar became the just second player after Australia’s Jack Barrett to be dismissed twice on the same day of his last Test. Barrett’s last Test was in 1890.After opting to bat, Elgar was bowled by Mohammed Siraj off an inside edge for 4 in the first innings, where South Africa folded in 23.2 overs. Siraj’s new-ball spell of 9-3-15-6 skittled South Africa for 55 – the lowest total against India in Test cricket – in a session. India then needed less than ten overs to take the lead, with Rohit Sharma motoring along at better than a run-a-ball during those early exchanges. However, the late collapse, triggered by Lungi Ngidi’s triple-strike, brought South Africa back into the game.Aiden Markram, who was the first batter to be dismissed on the day, then somehow survived 51 balls in South Africa’s second innings to bring his team even closer to parity. India, though, still have a substantial lead of 36, which appears even bigger on this surface.South Africa were not in control of only 55 of the shots they played in their first innings. They got bowled out for 55. That means one in five mistakes cost the ultimate price.India were the same. They were not in control of 50 of the shots they played. A ratio of one in five again. In all, there were only seven double-digit scores across three innings. If this match ends in less than 34.1 overs on Thursday, it will be the shortest Test ever.Mukesh Kumar bids Dean Elgar goodbye after being the last man to dismiss him•Associated Press

It was Siraj who had started the mayhem on Wednesday when he hit the perfect length and the outside edges. Siraj’s new-ball spell in Centurion was just as incisive, but luck – and the wickets – didn’t go his way in the first Test. However, it would be a discredit to Siraj’s skills to say it was only good fortune in Cape Town.While Siraj probed away around off stump – or outside off – against the right-handers, he snaffled Elgar and Tony de Zorzi with a middle-and-leg line, with a deepish short leg and leg slip in place. After bringing the stumps – and the close-in catchers in play – he hung one up outside off. Elgar took the bait and threw his hands at the ball only to chop it back onto his own stumps. After having de Zorzi flaccidly fend to short leg, Siraj had him caught down the leg side by KL Rahul.But it was the dismissal of David Bedingham that created a stir in Cape Town. When Siraj put one on a length and outside off, it reared up viciously into Bedingham’s glove and ballooned to third slip. Mukesh Kumar, who was picked in place of Shardul Thakur, came into the attack in the 20th over and took care of the tail.Rohit then came out attacking against Ngidi and Nandre Burger who weren’t as accurate as Kagiso Rabada with the new ball. In his first spell, Ngidi bowled like… someone who was playing his first first-class match in over a year and kept offering up floaty half-volleys. Burger also erred too full before he pulled his length back and hit the shoulder of Rohit’s bat. Burger also got rid of Shubman Gill (36) and Shreyas Iyer (0) for a duck to leave India at 110 for 4.Virat Kohli, though, looked comfortable in the middle and continued to play his shots, especially the drives. Ngidi then returned to the attack and bowled at full tilt, running in hard and hitting the deck even harder. In the 34th over, he bounced out all of Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, who slotted in at No.8, in the absence of Thakur. The big seam movement and variable bounce was just too much to handle. Kohli himself was part of that 6 for 0 collapse.But India’s batters had done enough to pull their team ahead on a manic day.

Serene innings has shades of Headingley Test win, as high-scoring match heads for end-game

David Hopps08-Apr-2023 Yorkshire 517 and 220 for 4 (Hope 83*, Hill 57*, Wharton 52) lead Leicestershire 415 (Handscomb 112, Rehan 85, Milnes 3-72, Thompson 3-86) by 322 runsYorkshire’s coach, Ottis Gibson, expressed the wish on the eve of the season for a new groundstaff to bring more life to Headingley’s surfaces as they seek to return to Division One at the first attempt, but there have been no signs of an instant cure against Leicestershire as a docile surface has left batters in the ascendancy and bowlers having to labour for their rewards.For all that, this match enters the final day with a positive result still possible. Yorkshire lead by 322 with six wickets remaining and must time an awkward declaration on the final morning, earplugs in to ignore the cries from the outer of “declare”. They will surely need around 370 to feel entirely safe and their inability to bowl sides out last season – Gloucestershire at Bristol was their only victory – will be foremost in their minds. A forecast of a cloudy day might help to steel their minds.Yorkshire have bowled solidly, without much penetration, but for all that, quick bowlers on both sides must be looking askance on the speed-gun figures displayed on the county’s live stream. They appear to be a good 4 mph lower than those seen on TV, and whilst it is tempting to wonder mischievously whether TV companies like to ramp them up a little (surely not), the truth appears to be the opposite. Run-of-the-mill club cricketers who might routinely practice against bowling machines set at 68/70mph might like to imagine that the likes of Ben Coad bowl at the same speed, but he would happily offer a net session to prove that he does not.That the match is not dead owes much to the positive intent of both sides, but particularly Yorkshire, who scored at more than five runs an over in the first innings, and almost that second time around despite the potential inhibitions caused by the loss of three wickets to the new ball after establishing a first-innings lead of 102. Those prematurely shouting “declare” tonight would be just as likely to shout “rubbish, Yorkshire” tomorrow if things take a turn for the worst.Naturally, there has been much personal satisfaction to be had for batters on both sides. Peter Handscomb, who was overlooked this week, when Australia announced their annual contracts – Cameron Bancroft was another omission – will have found meaning in making 112 from 201 balls in his first time out.International selectors do not often turn first to Leicestershire’s scores – and Gloucestershire’s Marcus Harris, who did win a contract, also struck a century and does seem to be ahead of him as an Ashes possibility this summer. But Handscomb fared better than some of his colleagues on Australia’s recent tour of India and an innings of impressive certainty suggested he is not about to lose hope yet. He has six games with Leicestershire to push his claims and called the Headingley pitch “a lovely surprise” which is probably the nicest thing anybody had said about Yorkshire for a while.For Yorkshire, as well as Finlay Bean’s maiden Championship hundred and the continued dominance of Dawid Malan on this ground (although he failed in the second innings), there was also a maiden Championship fifty for James Wharton and arguably the most serene innings of all, Shai Hope’s blissful unbeaten 83 only a couple of days after arriving in England on a short-term deal.Hope’s equanimity brought back memories of his two hundreds in a match on this ground in 2017, the first time it had ever been achieved at Headingley, and which put him in an illustrious band to have achieved the feat. At Headingley, they will observe a Test average of 25 in 38 Tests – with those two hundreds looking increasingly lonesome – and wonder quite how it has remained half the size of his impressive returns in ODIs.Responsibility for tweaking the nature of Headingley’s pitches rests primarily with Richard Robinson, who has the former head grounds manager, Andy Fogarty, as a consultant. Fogarty stood down because he no longer wanted to work full-time – and it is not known if anyone dared to suggest that the easiest way to achieve that was a succession of three-day finishes. With diversity much on people’s minds at Yorkshire, it is also worth reflecting that Jasmine Nicholls, a former international race-walker, has become only the second woman to work on the groundstaff on an English international ground. Meg Ley, who hails from New Zealand farming stock, became the first at Bristol last season.Yorkshire’s serious commitment to changing the culture of the county has also been seen in a female hide of media/comms and the election of the first female president, Jane Powell, a former captain and head coach of England women. These are all positive balancing moments in Yorkshire’s history and, with Championship crowds undoubtedly thinned out this season, with some former members taking a view on the racist ructions that have beset the county, Yorkshire will be desperate for a new wave of supporters to show commitment to a new era once the T20 Blast comes around.With Leicestershire still more than 300 adrift at the start of the third day, half the side dismissed and Matt Salisbury only fit enough to bat with a runner, Yorkshire must have hoped for a quick kill. But Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed resisted in a sixth-wicket stand of 141 in 34 overs. What alarms there were came from run-out opportunities with Dom Bess and Wharton both missing shies at the stumps, Wharton’s opportunity coming as Handscomb dashed a single to mid-off to secure his hundred. Yorkshire’s slip catching remains as fallible as ever with both George Hill and Bean fumbling inviting opportunities.It was the first over after lunch when Rehan succumbed for 85, Jordan Thompson managing to get one off the straight for Hill to hold on at first slip. Handscomb was lbw to one from Coad that shaded back, but the last two wickets weighed in with 83 as Chris Wright hit about him for an unbeaten 66 from 82 balls. Bess has worked with Australia’s Nathan Lyon over the winter, but Wright hit him for three sixes over long-off and he finished with 0 for 69 in 11 overs. Never trust an Aussie in an Ashes year.