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Opening the batting, Wayne Parnell blitzed 99 – his first T20 fifty – to help Cobras hunt down 154 against Lions at Johanessburg

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Wayne Parnell cracked nine fours and five sixes•AFP

Opening the batting, Wayne Parnell blitzed 99 – his first T20 fifty – to help Cape Cobras hunt down 154 against Lions with six wickets to spare in Johannesburg. The win took Cobras to second place with 20 points, eight behind Titans.Parnell struck back-to-back fours off Dwaine Pretorius early in his innings before tucking into the spinners. He brought up his fifty off 32 balls after the fall of Andrew Puttick but the wicket did not hamper him. Eddie Leie was swept over midwicket, Hardus Viljoen was hit over the covers and long-on. Parnell then moved from 87 to 99 with a brace of sixes but missed the century as he skewered one to backward point. He fell with his side eight runs away from the target but Rory Kleinveldt put the seal on the win with a six over midwicket.Earlier Kleinveldt had bowled a tidy spell, backing up Justin Kemp, despite some late blows from Pretorius and Thami Tsolekile, who added an unbroken 53 for the sixth wicket in 4.3 overs. The top order, though, did not convert starts – opener Devon Conway’s 37 off 36 balls was the highest score. Alviro Petersen managed 20 but eventually the total of 153 turned out to be inadequate.

Tino Mawoyo will not play against Bangladesh due to injury but the openers should heed his approach as they look to secure the series 2-0

Firdose Moonda23-Apr-2013Tino Mawoyo remembers when people used to laugh at him just because he was practising patience.”I was in the nets with the bowling machine practising [against] away swingers. Most of the balls were too good. I think I hit three out of 45 and left the rest of them,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Ian Kemp, who was the groundsman at Harare Sports Club at the time, came and told me that some people were making fun of me because I was leaving so many balls. I just said I was practising [leaving] good balls, so if they want to laugh that’s fine.”Zimbabwe may need someone of his patience at the top of the order if they get the pitch Brendan Taylor is hoping for in the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts on Thursday. “Exactly the same as the one we had for the first Test would be great,” Taylor said. That would mean assistance for the bowlers and a tricky time for batsmen, which may not play into the hosts’ hands entirely.As much as Bangladesh struggled on the surface, Zimbabwe’s top-order also battled against pace and movement. Their opening pair was under particular scrutiny against Robiul Islam, and they are on even closer watch now that Bangladesh have called in bowling reinforcements.”They were at the ground early this morning and [have done] an hour of extra practice themselves for the last two days, and they also put in time on Sunday after the match,” Taylor said. “They are very determined and take their batting seriously. They’re definitely due some runs and they deserve to get some.”With Zimbabwe set to field an unchanged XI, the opening pair of Vusi Sibanda and Timycen Maruma will be followed by Hamilton Masakadza, and all three have shown the technique and temperament required at this level. Taylor is hopeful Sibanda and Masakadza’s experience will come through, while interim coach Stephen Mangongo expects big things of Maruma who, he said, “deserves his chance”.Maruma is not an opener by trade, having usually batted in the middle-order, and may not have played had Mawoyo been fit. A groin injury, sustained in late December and exacerbated in the West Indies, has ruled Mawoyo out for up to six weeks after he has surgery.He hopes to go under the knife this week and recover in time to play club cricket in the UK to stake a claim for a comeback. Mawoyo is due to turn out for Wickford in Essex, where he hopes to play second-team cricket for the county.His main mission abroad is to get the kind of experience Zimbabwe lack in the batting department: the ability to adjust to conditions overseas. Mawoyo was part of the group that were humiliated on their last two away tours and admitted he found it “hurtful” to suffer so many dramatic batting collapses.”The Test matches were very tough for us and I hope we learnt lessons. I want to play on different surfaces and in foreign conditions. We had the New Zealand tour, which we struggled in, and the West Indies, where I had never been before, so it will be good for me to go to the UK, with the ball swinging around a bit, and get used to it and try to further myself.”Mawoyo is aiming for a comeback for the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He also wants to play a part in keeping the game going in his home town of Mutare, where the Mountaineers franchise he captains are based.”We are struggling a little bit for numbers in the league there. We had four teams, but we had to cut them down to three because we had a lot of schoolboys and so on,” he said. “But one of the positives was that the team which won the league, West Side, is where Tendai Chatara plays, and he has emerged with real promise.”Chatara was left out of the first Test against Bangladesh in favour of Shingi Masakadza, but remains part of the squad. Mawoyo is certain his “enthusiasm” will continue to create competition among the pace pack. When Mawoyo returns to match readiness, he hopes his presence will have an impact on the tussle for Test spots for the batsmen.For now, he is happy to admire the progress. “We made a bit of a difference in the first Test and it showed that we can put into practice what we learn,” he said. “Now, we need to repeat it in the second. The batters have to look at Brendan and the way he constructed his innings. He gave himself a fair chance. It’s good to see the captain lead from the front and for someone like Malcolm Waller to follow. Those are the guys that reap the rewards for the hard work.”Zimbabwe’s efforts have put them on the brink of their first series win, other than one-off Tests, since 2000-01 when they beat Bangladesh 2-0 at home. If they win the second Test, it will be the first time in 12 years they have triumphed in consecutive matches, which would be a massive feat for a side that has struggled in the longest format since then.Taylor knows how important that is for their development, and was carefully mixing caution with anticipation in the lead-up. “We don’t want to look too far ahead, and we expect Bangladesh to bounce back strongly,” he said. “There will be some nerves, but [everyone] understands [their] roles.” If the opening batsmen can turn that understanding into application, Zimbabwe could prove tough to beat at home.

Not even eight days rest, their best efforts with the bat and Amit Mishra’s three wickets were enough to earn Deccan Chargers a first win in IPL 2012

The Report by Firdose Moonda17-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Brad Hodge’s 48 came at a strike rate of 228.57, and that was perhaps the difference between the two sides•AFP

Not even eight days rest, their best efforts with the bat and Amit Mishra’s three wickets were enough to earn Deccan Chargers a first win in IPL 2012. After Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan put on the highest first-wicket partnership of the season, and JP Duminy and Daniel Christian blasted 77 off the last five overs, Chargers piled on a hefty score for Rajasthan Royals to chase, but they were unable to defend it on a flat pitch with small boundaries.Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane did the groundwork and Brad Hodge finished off fiercely. Almost everything Chargers did, Royals did better. Although Dravid and Rahane shared a stand of only 62, compared to Sangakkara and Dhawan’s 94 , the Royals pair scored at a faster rate. They went at 10.62 runs to the over compared to Sangakkara and Dhawan’s 8.81. Chargers had amassed 119 for 2 after 15 overs, Royals had the same score after 13. Duminy’s 58 came at a strike rate of 223.07, Brad Hodge’s 48 came at a strike rate of 228.57, and that was perhaps the difference between the two sides.With a tall task ahead of them, Royals approached it aggressively. Rahul Dravid tore into an out-of-sorts Dale Steyn in the second over, using the pace to club him for three fours. With the in-form Rahane on the other end, Daniel Christian and birthday-boy Anand Rajan also took a pasting and Royals raced to the fastest fifty in this season’s tournament, off 4.5 overs.Dravid seemed set for a much longer stay at the crease but was foxed by a Christian slower ball that was aimed at his legs. He did not get inside the line and the ball cannoned into the pads and onto the stumps. The wicket brought a short-lived calm to the crease as Rahane and Ashok Menaria consolidated.Unlike Chargers, who suffered a lapse in the mid-section of their innings and scored 23 runs between overs 13 and 16, Royals kept their slump to just two overs. The 8th and 9h overs yielded only eight runs in total but Rahane soon had the wheels turning again with a six over long-off after charging down the track to Mishra.Menaria was not expected to bat at No. 3, given the match situation which needed quick runs, but Royals stuck to their original line-up and he did not let them down. He freed his arms and found the boundary and seemed a worthy partner to Rahane until he pulled straight to short midwicket. Rahane holed out two overs later to cause jitters in the Royals camp. Those nerves would have grown when Shah was dropped by Steyn at long-on when he was on 10 and then caught two balls later at deep midwicket.Hodge did not waste time taking over and ensured the advantage was back with Royals when he clubbed Steyn for four consecutive fours. Hodge cut the short ball, turned the full toss to square leg, lofted another short one over third man and carved a half-volley through the covers to ensure Steyn had the most expensive return of the Chargers’ bowlers.With the anxiety shifting to Chargers, they dropped another catch, putting Johan Botha down and found themselves with only 11 to defend off the last over. Dishant Yagnik, little-known on the international stage, was the unlikely hero. Steyn offered him a touch of width and he found the gap on the off side and followed it up by slapping the ball through the covers to hand Royals victory.This is the second match of in the tournament that Chargers have lost from a seemingly winnable position. Last Monday, they let Mumbai Indians canter to a five-wicket win after having them under their thumb at 95 for 4, chasing 139, in the 17th over. Chargers’ three losses keeps them at the bottom of the points table.

Hampshire allrounder Sean Ervine insists he made the right decision in opting to continue his county career rather than attempt an international comeback with Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2011Hampshire allrounder Sean Ervine insists he made the right decision in opting to continue his county career rather than attempt an international comeback with Zimbabwe. Ervine had been named in both the preliminary and finalised squads for Zimbabwe’s World Cup campaign but pulled out weeks before the event and committed to Hampshire.Ervine, who was initially confident that a return to Zimbabwe was the right choice, suggested that the change of heart came after his consideration of the financial problems that remain in Zimbabwean cricket and the added security provided by a county contract.”Zimbabwe told me they wanted me to go back out there and play,” Ervine told . “We went through a few negotiations and talks but I wanted to speak to Rod (Bransgrove) and Chalky (Giles White) personally before anything went ahead. But Zimbabwe went ahead and just announced I would be in the World Cup squad. When I got to the Caribbean, I was probably 100 percent confident I would go with Zimbabwe. But then there were a few issues and I knew it would be a wrong decision if I made it.”It was either me going to play for Zimbabwe, which is a risk, or carry on playing for Hampshire, which is a security thing. It was hard but it was pretty clear in the end. Watching the guys play in the World Cup, I was a bit disappointed I wasn’t there but I knew that afterwards some of the problems would start.”While Zimbabwe Cricket has made positive strides in recent years, most notably with the return of Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Grant Flower to coaching and administrative positions, the contracting of Alan Butcher as national coach, and the return of several players to a revamped domestic system, Ervine suggested that certain problems continued and that he may have had “a lucky escape” in his decision to forego an international comeback.”All of the players are being cut 60 percent of their salary because Zimbabwe Cricket have got no money – that’s a big thing. My brother Craig was on £1,500 a month before that, not including match fees, but it goes to show you what it’s like. It was always the case that time would tell with Zimbabwe and it is showing already. There weren’t even any fixtures organised.”There were supposed to be games against Bangladesh in April or May and then Pakistan and New Zealand in August – now they have been canned and put back to later in the year. Everyone talks about it being back on track and in a lot of ways it has improved but it’s more about the ICC putting in their money and which direction this money is going.”Maybe I’ve had a lucky escape. Every cricketer is trying to achieve the goal of playing international cricket but they need to sort out a lot of things on the administration side.”

In his first public appearance since the controversy over the Kochi franchise ownership, IPL chairman Lalit Modi said he disclosed the consortium’s shareholding pattern because of the general confusion over those details

Cricinfo staff14-Apr-2010In his first public statement since the controversy over the Kochi franchise ownership, IPL chairman Lalit Modi has said he disclosed the consortium’s shareholding pattern because of the general confusion over those details. His comments came on a day Sunanda Pushkar, one of those Modi had listed as a Kochi shareholder, denied she was acting as a proxy and said the franchise had given her equity as payment for her marketing expertise and her help in putting the bid together.In Mumbai, Modi explained the reason for his revelations, through Twitter, of the Kochi ownership details. “The only reason we did it (disclose the identities) was that even those who presented the bid documents did not know who the owners were,” Modi said in Mumbai . “In regard to all the franchises bought earlier, everyone knows who they are… in regard to Kochi, we have some question marks in regard to who they are. Even the shareholders don’t know who they are.”Modi was speaking at a press conference called to announce details of the IPL awards and questions on the Kochi controversy were officially off the agenda but he eventually answered a few. “We will deal with Kochi after the IPL is over,” he said. “It is not a big issue but an issue nevertheless. We will call a governing council meeting to present my facts.”In a separate interview to PTI, Modi said it was his job as IPL chairman to seek details and authenticate the shareholding of every franchise. “How otherwise would I know where the money is coming from,” he asked.Sunanda Pushkar, whom Modi revealed to hold free equity in the Kochi consortium, said she was approached last year by Rendezvous “inviting me to associate myself with them as a consultant in their various sporting activities and particularly in their potential bid to acquire the franchise of an IPL team.”In view of my extensive international experience as a business executive, marketing manager and entrepreneur, I was invited to assist Rendezvous in the areas of fund-raising, networking, elsewhere; event management; and brand building. Because this is a start-up, I was told that in lieu of a salary they would grant me minor equity in Rendezvous in return for my efforts. I have accepted no salary or expenses and am conscious that the equity remains only on paper for the foreseeable future.”Pushkar is a close associate of Indian federal minister Shashi Tharoor’s; the minister has been criticised for not revealing the link earlier, on the contrary stressing he had no personal stake in the Kochi bid. In her statement on Wednesday, she denied acting as a proxy for Tharoor.”My own business interests and assets are substantial, and efforts to besmirch Tharoor by presenting me as a proxy for him are personally insulting for me as a woman and as a friend.”

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.

All three matches at the venue so far have produced 200-plus first-innings totals, so expect more fireworks

Alagappan Muthu28-Apr-20235:32

Muzumdar: Jason Roy has improved his spin game

Big picture: Will we witness Rinku magic again?

There isn’t a lot to talk about when talking about this game, is there? Just kidding. Where my Rinku fans at?Living up to that epic night three weeks ago is not going to be possible. 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 to win a game feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event.And in any case, both teams will want to focus on making the game as boring as possible. That sounds like a blasphemous way to build up to an IPL match, especially one that pits a side that kept defying the odds all the way to the title last year and one that has produced this year’s most outrageous result.But here’s the thing. Both Gujarat Titans (7 games) and Kolkata Knight Riders (8) have had enough of a go at this to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to play to them. In other words, their experience will help them manage difficult situations better, instead of letting them go so far that they end up needing a miracle.

Form guide

Gujarat Titans: WWLWL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: WLLLL

Team news

KKR’s Litton Das left the IPL on Friday to attend to a medical emergency in his family in Bangladesh.Shubman Gill batting deep into the innings could enable Titans to mitigate the KKR mystery spin threat•BCCI

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Kolkata has not been kind to fast bowlers, so Titans, who have barely had to use Rahul Tewatia’s legspin, might decide to give him a proper run here. They’re also likely to swap Shubman Gill for Josh Little or Alzarri Joseph when they have to bring in their Impact Player.Gujarat Titans possible XII: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 , 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 KKR will be pleased to see Jason Roy finding form. With Venkatesh Iyer and Suyash Sharma settling into life as Impact Subs, they aren’t short on options. They’ll want their quicks to buck up, though. With just 13 wickets at an average of 55.5 and an economy rate of 11.5, they are the worst-performing seam unit in the competition.Kolkata Knight Riders possible XII: 1 N Jagadeesan (wk), 2 Jason Roy, 3 , 4 Nitish Rana (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 David Wiese, 8 Vaibhav Arora, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12

Stats that matter

• Andre Russell is averaging 18 – his second-lowest in an IPL season – with five single-digit scores in eight innings. Not the best time to come up against Rashid Khan, who has dismissed him five times in 39 balls for 54 runs in T20 cricket.
• 3.6 vs 13.8. Those are Rinku Singh’s balls-per-boundary numbers against pace and spin this season. So if you’re the Titans captain, do the right thing. Don’t give him pace.
• Shubman Gill has an average of 59.2 and a strike rate of 143 against spin since IPL 2022. His batting deep into the innings might enable Titans to mitigate KKR’s mystery spin threat.
• Though right now one of them is not feeling so great. Sunil Narine has an economy rate of 8.9 in IPL 2023. Never in the history of this tournament has he been so expensive. Also, he hasn’t picked up a wicket for five matches straight. That’s another first for him in the IPL.
• Hardik Pandya has a strike rate of 102 against pace this season. This is the second-lowest among all batters who have faced at least 50 balls.

Pitch and conditions

Eden Gardens, after hosting three matches in this year’s IPL, has produced an average first-innings score of 222. It is the highest out of all the grounds on show in the tournament. So expect a few runs. Spin has offered a bit of respite, though – 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.7 (versus 10.9 for pace) and a strike rate of 15.6, which is another season-topping metric among the grounds this IPL.

Uncapped trio set to win opportunities in absence of players involved on Ashes tour

Matt Roller23-Dec-2021England could hand T20I debuts to George Garton, David Payne and Phil Salt against West Indies in January but have stuck with the core of the squad that was knocked out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.The five-match series is due to start in Barbados four days after the final day of England’s fifth Test against Australia, and members of the Ashes squad were not considered for selection. Several seamers including Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Sam and Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Olly Stone and David Willey were also unavailable due to injuries, putting England’s fast-bowling depth to the test.Eleven of the 16-man squad – including Eoin Morgan, who continues as captain as expected despite a poor year with the bat – were in the UAE for the World Cup in October and November, either as squad members or travelling reserves. This series signals the start of England’s preparations for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, with six T20Is following in July (three each against India and South Africa) before seven in Pakistan in September-October and three more in Australia in the immediate build-up to the tournament.The five additions to the World Cup touring party – Garton, Payne, Salt, Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood – have all featured in England squads over the last two years. Mahmood, Payne and Salt were part of the hastily assembled ODI squad that beat Pakistan 3-0 after a Covid outbreak in July, with Banton and Garton among those forced into self-isolation.In the absence of Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow due to their involvement in the Ashes, England will field a new-look top order. Salt has earned his call-up after an impressive winter on the franchise circuit – he was the second-highest run-scorer at the Abu Dhabi T10 and led the Lanka Premier League’s run charts heading into the final – and is likely to win opportunities to impress on the island where he lived for six years while growing up.Banton’s recall comes as a surprise after a lean period for him. He has struggled for form over the last 18 months, averaging 17.02 with a strike rate of 136.32 since the start of the Pakistan Super League in 2020, but England have stuck to their belief that he is a batter with a high ceiling. He was preferred to other promising young batters like Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.There are four left-arm seamers in the squad despite injuries to Sam Curran and Willey, with Garton, Tymal Mills, Payne and Reece Topley all included. Garton has been on England’s radar for a number of years and has earned contracts with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Adelaide Strikers in recent months, while Payne has impressed with his pace and bounce and has taken regular new-ball wickets for Gloucestershire in the Blast.Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, is the surprise omission, with Liam Dawson – who is seen by England as a more versatile bowler and offers more with the bat and in the field – again preferred as the back-up spin option. Parkinson is understood to have been placed on standby as a reserve.Related

• Garton set for another wild ride with RCB in rollercoaster career

• Salt, Banton show off their credentials at Abu Dhabi T10

• Mahmood not thinking of Ashes as BBL debut looms

• Collingwood to stand in as England head coach during WI T20Is

Six players in the squad – Sam Billings, Garton, Mahmood, Mills, Topley and James Vince – have full-season deals in the ongoing Big Bash League. Their inclusion in this squad means that they will miss the knockout stages of the competition, should their respective teams qualify. Seven more – Jordan, Livingstone, Mahmood, Jason Roy, Salt, Topley and Vince – will miss the opening rounds of the PSL.As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Paul Collingwood will stand in as head coach, with Marcus Trescothick acting as his assistant coach. The ECB has also advertised for three roles as “support coaches” for the tour – one fast-bowling, one fielding/wicketkeeping, one batting.”We have selected a strong squad with some serious batting power and a balanced attack as we begin preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia,” Collingwood said. “The World Cup is less than a year away and there will be increased opportunities for the squad in the absence of those players who are with the Ashes squad.”I have good memories winning a World Cup in Barbados and I’m really looking forward to going back there with this squad to face a very good West Indies who will test all aspects of our skills.”England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince

Six talking points after England were held to a 1-1 draw in their T20I series against Pakistan

George Dobell01-Sep-2020After England were held to a 1-1 draw in their T20I series against Pakistan, we look at six talking points from the seriesTop-order depth
As things stand, it seems England intend to use Jos Buttler at the top of the order in T20I cricket. That means Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Tom Banton and Dawid Malan are all competing for a couple of spots in the top three. And we haven’t even mentioned Joe Root who, but for a last-over miracle, would have been named Player of the Match in the last World T20 final.It seems incredible that Malan, who reached 50 seven times in his first 12 T20I innings, and Banton, who looks a hugely promising player, might be struggling for a place in the squad. But with Butter pencilled in and Bairstow and Roy established, there are going to be some very disappointed players when England do finally settle on a World Cup squad.Middle-order issues
In Eoin Morgan England have one batsman they can rely upon to float between No. 4 and No. 6 as required. In Ben Stokes they have another. But there is still a vacancy for one batting spot in the middle-order. One solution would be to move Buttler back to where he began. While that might not maximise his own potential, England are blessed with several good top-order options and many fewer ‘finishers’. And it would certainly go some way to solving their top-order selection headaches. Sam Billings wasn’t quite able to take the opportunity here; he scored 39 in his three innings – albeit one of them was not out – and averages 17.59 across his 29-match T20I career.England’s Powerplay bowling
Heading into the final match of this series, England had taken just one wicket in the Powerplay overs in their four T20s this year. Although they took two here – one to Moeen Ali’s spin – the point remains: unless they are able to strike more in those opening overs, opposition teams are liable to establish strong platforms. Against the best sides, that will prove a fatal weakness. In this series Saqib Mahmood, who finished wicketless across his seven overs, was unable to take his opportunity to impress.ALSO READ: Hafeez, Haider shine as Pakistan square the seriesIt seems odd that David Willey, in particular, was overlooked in this series and not selected for the games against Australia. Not only would his left-arm angle have provided some variation, but his T20 Powerplay record is exceptionally good. He also looked in decent form with bat and ball in the ODIs against Ireland.The need for speed; or variation, at least
In the absence of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, England looked a little one-paced at times in this series. Whatever the all-round merits of Lewis Gregory and Tom Curran, neither were able to take their chance here, with Chris Jordan the pick of England’s seamers. With Wood, Archer and Stokes all set to return when England pick their strongest side, it could prove hard for Curran or Gregory to retain their places.Rashid reliance
Adil Rashid has long been a vital player for England in white-ball cricket. While Moeen was picked in all three of these games, he delivered only two overs and, even though Rashid wasn’t at his best – he conceded an average of 10.28 runs per over – the fact is that, with Liam Dawson and Matt Parkinson not deemed fit for selection, the back-up spinner in the squad was Joe Denly, who has taken 31 wickets in his 206-game T20 career. The conclusion? There is still a vacancy for a spinner in the squad that England will take to India for the T20 World Cup. Could Root have a role to play as back-up spinner and floating batsman?Moeen could still provide many of the answers
Moeen had looked in miserable form coming into this match. He had reached double-figures with the bat only five times in 19 innings (and 20 only twice) across formats (four innings in Tests, five in T20Is and 10 in ODIs); a spell that included five ducks. He has also bowled his full allocation of overs only once in his last seven international limited-overs matches across formats. But here he provided a reminder of his ability with an excellent innings of 61 that kept England in the hunt until the final couple of overs. Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised. This is a man who was good enough to score four Test centuries within eight months in 2016 and has three ODI centuries as well. If England can find a way to unlock his undoubted talent on a more consistent basis, they still have a valuable all-rounder to help balance the side.

Length of tournament, and nature of injuries, means that players who miss the cut should not give up hope of involvement, says skipper

George Dobell at Headingley19-May-2019Eoin Morgan has confessed that he is still not sure who will make England’s final World Cup squad.Morgan, the England captain, and his fellow selectors, Ed Smith and Trevor Bayliss, will meet on Monday to finalise the 15-man squad. They plan to announce it at 9.30am on Tuesday morning.With England having beaten Pakistan 4-0 to secure an unbeaten run of 11 ODI series (of more than one match) in succession, Morgan feels he has an embarrassment of riches available to him among the 16-men used against Pakistan and described the final decision as “extremely difficult”.But while Morgan knows there will some hugely disappointed players on Tuesday morning, he has urged them to take pride in their achievements in recent years and to remain prepared in the expectation that illness or injury could grant them a reprieve in the coming weeks. England will go into the World Cup as the No. 1-ranked side, having improved immensely over the four-year cycle since the debacle of their previous World Cup appearance in Australia and New Zealand.”I don’t know the 15,” Morgan told Sky Sports after the game in Leeds. “Every one of these guys should be proud of what we’ve achieved so far. The continuous improvement of performances makes the selection meeting extremely difficult.”But every single member of the 17-man squad here will play some role, due to the nature of injuries and illness and call-ups.”While Chris Woakes, who claimed a five-wicket haul in Leeds, has surely done enough to guarantee his own selection, he admitted he would be nervously awaiting a confirmation.ALSO READ: Dobell: The final contenders for England’s World Cup 15“Everyone will be wary of that phone call,” he said. “Even if you feel like you’ve got a good chance to being in the squad, until you hear it from selectors’ mouths, it’s not quite set in stone. You’re still probably a little bit on edge, particularly with these 16 and 17 players, because everyone has performed at some point. It’s a tricky decision for the selectors. Everyone will be looking at their phones tomorrow I suppose, if that’s when we find out.”Woakes, who revealed his post-wicket celebration was a tongue-in-cheek homage to Sir Ian Botham’s celebrations during the 1992 World Cup, also accepted, however, that the competition for places has “driven everyone forward”.”It’s certainly driven everyone forward to try and improve,” he said. “And to make sure you’re on top of your game. Whenever you get the opportunity to bowl in practice, or bat or field, you constantly feel, not like you’re on audition, but like it’s an opportunity to show your skills. It’s certainly driven everyone to try and improve and it’s certainly showed in our performances over the series.””The series went as well as we could have hoped,” Morgan agreed. “Pakistan are a strong side and they played some competitive cricket. We’ve chopped and changed our side a lot but the performance has never been compromised. That emphasises how competitive positions are as well as everyone’s hunger and determination to constantly improve their games.”