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India are already 175 ahead by the end of the second day, with Jadeja and Axar in the mood to add the tally

Sidharth Monga26-Jan-20242:42

Why were England’s spinners ineffective?

India all but batted England out of the first Test as early as the second day, overhauling their 246 for a first-innings lead of 175 and three wickets still in hand. India began the day 127 behind, lost a wicket in the first over, but kept on batting enterprisingly, moving into the lead in only the 57th over. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja led the batting charts with contrasting fifties.It was only after five wickets fell that England managed to bring some control into the proceedings. All five fell to attacking shots, only the second time it has happened since ESPNcricinfo started doing ball-by-ball commentary. The other instance was England trying to set up a declaration in Barbados in 2022.The other side of the aggressive intent was that wickets kept falling. Everyone bar R Ashwin got himself in. Everyone including Ashwin kind of gave his wicket away. No one other than KS Bharat fell lbw, bowled or caught at the wicket.The closest one got out to falling to a plan was when Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a catch back at Joe Root in the first over of the day. Root went on to create chances from both Rahul and Shubman Gill, but was taken off after just four overs despite looking like the best spinner on display. Rahul edged the first ball he faced, Ben Foakes failed to collect it, and the umpire called the resultant run a bye. Even if Foakes had caught it, England were out of reviews after burning them all in the first 14 overs.KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja led the batting charts on the day with contrasting 80s•BCCI

Debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley got another long spell during which he got on the board with the wicket of Gill. Among the specialist batters, Gill was the only one who frequently defended well in front of his body. As the dots accumulated, Gill looked for the big release shot. He got away when he miscued Root, but ended up hitting Hartley straight to midwicket.England immediately went to the only pacer in their attack, Mark Wood, to look to test Shreyas Iyer. But Rahul hit him for three boundaries even before he could bowl to Iyer – the back-foot punch past point was one for the highlight reels. The hallmark of Rahul’s batting was his willingness to stay back against spin and keep picking singles. Twenty-six runs of his half-century, brought up off just 72 balls, came off the back foot.Iyer’s method might not have been so foolproof, but he was ruthless each time the bowlers erred. And they erred frequently. A classic example was Rehan Ahmed’s first over of the day. When you first encounter Rehan, two things make the batter’s job difficult: he bowls with a scrambled seam and he bowls both the legbreak and the wrong’un out of the back of the hand. Naturally, Iyer struggled to pick him. The first ball went past the edge, the second took the edge but fell short of slip, the third hit the glove but went right down, and yet he offered a short ball, which gave Iyer the boundary.The first maiden of the day came immediately after lunch. In the second over from that end, the third after the break, Iyer picked a wrong’un and perhaps wanted the bowler to know he had done so, but the slog sweep that he committed to ended up with the only boundary fielder on the leg side, deep midwicket. In Rehan’s next over, Rahul picked the variations all right and went one better by hitting two sixes, both down the ground. The second of those took India into the lead.The partnership between Rahul and Jadeja began on steroids, crushing any hopes of momentum England might have had with that early wicket after lunch. The partnership reached 52 in 51 balls, but soon Rahul picked out deep midwicket with a long hop from Hartley, 14 short of what would have been only a second home century to go with seven away from home.Axar Patel added to England’s misery in the final session•Getty Images

At long last, England managed some control, bowling 11.1 overs leading up to tea for just 21 runs to Jadeja and Bharat. Jadeja, a proper old-fashioned player of spin, was happy to just wait for the bad ball except for not letting Jack Leach settle by stepping out to him. Bharat didn’t start convincingly, but post tea, he, too, started getting the regular ordinary ball. He went from 10 off 44 to 41 off 81 but missed trying to sweep a second boundary in a Root over.Ashwin and Jadeja, great partners with the ball, soon got into a misunderstanding to give England their first set of two quick wickets, but India already led by 112 at that point.Axar Patel was yet to come.Both Jadeja and Axar batted like proper top-order batters, keeping the good balls out and putting away the bad ones. It is unfair almost to have to bowl to batters of such ability for the eighth wicket, but the spinners on show failed to question them enough.Axar ended a sedate day for himself with a four, six and four off the last three balls. Despite that, India went at under three an over since the wicket of Rahul, but they still added 133 runs for the loss of just two wickets. It meant more mileage on the pitch, more time for it to break, and also more runs in the bank for India. Jadeja ended the day with a century in sight, and his partnership with Axar read 63 in 19.3 overs.

The incident took place in Adelaide, where Maxwell was attending a concert, last Friday

Andrew McGlashan and Alex Malcolm22-Jan-2024Cricket Australia is conducting an investigation after Glenn Maxwell was briefly hospitalised in Adelaide last Friday following an alcohol-related incident.First reported by the , it’s understood that Maxwell was out watching , the band that features Brett Lee, when the incident took place at live music venue The Gov. What exactly happened is still being determined, but it’s understood an ambulance was called and Maxwell was taken to hospital although his stay was short.ESPNcricinfo understands that the incident did not involve anyone else. Maxwell had been in Adelaide for a celebrity golf event following the end of Melbourne Stars’ BBL campaign.Earlier on Monday, Maxwell was “managed” out of Australia’s ODI squad to face West Indies although Cricket Australia insisted that is not related to the events in Adelaide.”Cricket Australia is aware of an incident involving Glenn Maxwell in Adelaide at the weekend and is seeking further information,” a statement said.”It is not related to him being replaced in the ODI squad, a decision that was made following the BBL and based on his individual management plan. Maxwell is expected to return for the T20 series. No further comment will be made at this time.”During the ODI World Cup in India late last year, Maxwell suffered concussion when he fell off a golf cart in Ahmedabad. In late 2022, he broke his leg when he slipping while running at a friend’s 50th birthday and was out of the game for more than three months.Last week, Maxwell stood down as captain of Melbourne Stars after they had failed to make the BBL finals.

A maiden T20 hundred from Ben Stokes moved Rising Pune Supergiant to their sixth win of the season in a seesawing contest against Gujarat Lions

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy01-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:29

Bangar: Stokes picked his bowlers at the right time

A maiden T20 hundred from Ben Stokes moved Rising Pune Supergiant to their sixth win of the season in a seesawing contest against Gujarat Lions. Battling cramp, frequent wicket losses at the other end, and the demands of a testing asking rate, Stokes steered Rising Pune home with a ball to spare.Sent in to bat, Lions ran away to 55 for no loss inside the Powerplay, but lost their way thereafter to get bowled out for 160. Supergiants’ chase inverted the pattern: the flurry of wickets came in the beginning, leaving them 42 for 4 at one point, before Stokes, with a bit of help from MS Dhoni and Daniel Christian, took the game away from Lions once again.Tahir stalls Lions after bright opening standHaving been sent in to bat, Lions got off to an excellent start, Brendon McCullum and Ishan Kishan finding the gaps and putting away the short ball clinically to race to 55 in just 5.5 overs. Then Kishan, having already hit Imran Tahir for two fours in the sixth over, sliced the last ball of the Powerplay into the hands of short third man.What followed was a puzzling slump. With Dwayne Smith coming in for the injured Andrew Tye, Lions had batting depth all the way down to James Faulkner at No. 8. But this was to be one of their bad days.Suresh Raina fell to a harebrained run-out before Tahir struck with successive balls – Aaron Finch sending back a return catch off the leading edge and Dwayne Smith playing all around a googly – to leave Lions 94 for 4 after 10 overs. McCullum fell soon after. Then, from 109 for 5, came a brief revival, with Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja adding 26 in 19 balls, before another slide. Struggling to put away the slower ball, Lions did not score a boundary between the fourth ball of the 14th over and the fifth ball of the 19th. Eventually, they were bowled out with one ball still left in their innings.Sangwan, Thampi shock Pune top orderWithin nine balls of the Rising Pune innings, a middling target became a daunting one. Pace was the catalyst in this transformation. Pradeep Sangwan, playing his first game of the season, produced a classic inswinger from left-arm over to trap Ajinkya Rahane lbw (with some help from Marais Erasmus, who did not notice that the ball had pitched outside leg stump) and bounced out Steven Smith. Then Basil Thampi made Manoj Tiwary pay for being stuck on the crease.Stokes looked in ominous form right from the time he punched his fifth ball for four past the stumps at the other end, and raced away to 25 off 17 to keep the required rate in check. But a mix-up sent back Rahul Tripathi in the sixth over, and Rising Pune were back in deep trouble.Spinners tie down DhoniBefore this match, Dhoni had scored 111 off 79 balls against pace this season, and only 62 off 64 balls against spin. His struggles against spin continued here. Against Ankit Soni and Ravindra Jadeja, who began bowling in tandem as soon as he walked in, he scored 12 off 20 balls, facing 14 dots.Soni’s legspin caused Stokes a few problems too – he didn’t seem to pick the slider out of the front of the hand, angled across him, and on a few occasions ended up playing down the wrong line. But successive sixes over long-on off Jadeja and a sliced four past point off Dwayne Smith kept Pune in touch with their asking rate, just about. After 14 overs, they needed exactly two a ball – 72 from 36.Hobbling Stokes seals the dealDespite being tied down by them, Dhoni did not take any chances against the spinners, and couldn’t afford to take too many, given Pune’s situation at that stage. He had to target the quicks, and he pulled the first ball he faced from James Faulkner, in the 15th over, beyond the square leg boundary. Stokes clattered Dwayne Smith for six and four in the next over, and Rising Pune were left needing 44 off the last four.They still didn’t have too much batting left in the hut, though, and when Dhoni holed out to long-off, first ball of the next over, the balance seemed to swing Lions’ way, particularly with Stokes struggling with cramps.Christian showed just the calmness a new batsman might need in that situation; he chopped Faulkner away past point when he got a loose ball, but otherwise kept bringing Stokes on strike – there would be no dots in his eight-ball innings.Stokes’ hitting down the ground, crucially, wasn’t hampered by his cramps. With Rising Pune needing 25 off 12, he hit Thampi for two sixes – one just clearing a leaping Brendon McCullum at long-on, one just clearing a leaping Aaron Finch at long-off – before collapsing at the non-striker’s end after taking a single off the last ball. A bit of assistance from the physio, and he was back on his feet.By then, Pune only needed eight off the last over, and a flat-bat clatter through the covers off the first ball of the last over halved their ask and moved him from 98 to 102. It eventually came down to one off two balls, and with the field brought in, Christian mowed Faulkner into the stands behind the square leg boundary.

He was taken to the hospital for treatment, with his scans being sent to London for analysis

Danyal Rasool03-Jan-2025Pakistan will have to complete the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town without the services of their opening batter Saim Ayub, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the match after suffering a right ankle injury.Ayub had to be stretchered off the pitch in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton edged a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub off on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal pulled it back in as Ayub stood poised to be the relay fielder, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He went down immediately and appeared in anguish holding the lower part of his leg as the physio rushed on.Despite prolonged treatment outside the boundary line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle, and appeared to be in tears as he was placed on to a stretcher and taken off, with the injury casting a pall over proceedings for Pakistan. Things only got worse a few overs later when his replacement, Abdullah Shafique, put down a simple chance Aiden Markram at cover. It would not cost Pakistan much, though, with Markram falling to Khurram Shahzad two overs later.Ayub was sent to hospital soon after the incident, and shortly after the close of play, the PCB confirmed he would play no further part in the contest. “Saim underwent X-rays and MRI tests this afternoon,” the statement read. “The reports have been sent to specialists in London for further advice on the treatment and time away from competitive cricket.”Ayub has been a breakout star across formats over the last few months, and was Player of the Series when Pakistan beat South Africa 3-0 in the ODI series last month, scoring two hundreds in three games.He is one of the few all-format regulars for Pakistan, and was expected to be a key figure for the side in the upcoming Champions Trophy that Pakistan will host, beginning in February. That participation may now be in serious doubt.”It’s a big blow, the kind of form he’s in,” Salman Agha, Ayub’s team-mate, said at the close of play. “He would have been a great asset on this wicket. I wish him well and hopefully he’ll be better soon.”

Mitchell Santner had a starring role against Netherlands while Sri Lanka will hope to recover from their South Africa drubbing

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-20231:25

McClenaghan: Ravindra could bat at No. 4 upon Williamson’s return

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Five-star Santner and New Zealand’s batters make it two in two

New Zealand’s innings started with three maidens in a row but ended with them bashing 50 off the last three overs, courtesy Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry, which propelled them to 322. Netherlands started the chase slowly and never shifted gears as they folded for 223, as New Zealand further consolidated their position at the top of the points table after making it two in two.Player-of-the-Match Santner, who clubbed an unbeaten 36 from 17 balls with the bat, then grabbed 5 for 59 with the ball, and in the process became the first New Zealand spinner to claim a five-for in a men’s ODI World Cup. He varied his pace consistently on a spin-friendly pitch – exactly the trait which makes him threatening – as the highlight of all his wickets was that of Scott Edwards’.Full report

Match analysis: New Zealand’s problems of plenty

Rachin Ravindra has had a memorable start to the World Cup•ICC via Getty Images

New Zealand came into the tournament with only 12 of their 15-player squad available for the first game, with Kane Williamson and Tim Southee recovering from serious injuries and Lockie Ferguson suffering back stiffness. By the time they play their next match, on Friday, they should have all 15 players available and the performance against Netherlands could help them decide who to pick.Let’s start with the obvious: when captain Williamson is ready for competitive cricket, he’ll slot straight back in at No. 3, which would ordinarily leave room for only two of Devon Conway, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra. All three have put good numbers on the board at this tournament, Young becoming the latest to do so. He came back from a second-ball duck against England to score his sixth half-century this year and third in six innings, making a strong claim to continue as an opener.Read the full analysis from Firdose Moonda

News headlines

• Former England captain Eoin Morgan has played down Jofra Archer’s hopes of featuring in any part in the World Cup as he continues his comeback from long-term injuries.
• India opener Shubman Gill will again be absent from their next match against Afghanistan as he continues his recovery from dengue.
• Steven Smith hopes Australia can learn lessons from their opening defeat against India where they were tied in knots by the spinners.