England captain proud of team’s attempts to force pace, targets squared series at The Oval

Matt Roller23-Jul-2023Australia have retained the Ashes after escaping a fourth Test dominated by England with a rain-ruined draw. They will leave Manchester on Monday morning with a 2-1 lead, and have the opportunity to clinch a first series win in England since 2001 at The Oval next week.After only 30 overs of play were possible between showers on Saturday, Australia trailed by 61 runs in their second innings with five wickets remaining heading into the fifth day at Emirates Old Trafford. But persistent showers meant that Sunday’s play was abandoned without a ball bowled, with the draw finally confirmed at 5.24pm.Heavy overnight rain delayed the start on the fifth day at Emirates Old Trafford, and planned inspections were then pushed back by persistent showers which swept across the ground. A start time of 1pm was announced during an early lunch break, but the rain returned almost immediately and then set in for the rest of the afternoon.Related

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England’s players kicked a football around on the outfield, as if to signal their willingness to play, but eventually returned to the dressing room after being drenched. The rain only became heavier, with a substantial volume of standing water on the covers and puddles forming on the outfield.By the time the umpires decided to call play off for the day, the vast majority of the sold-out crowd had gone home – with the Party Stand utterly deserted. Pat Cummins shook hands with Joel Wilson and Nitin Menon, before telling his team-mates that they could celebrate retaining the urn.Heavy rain left standing water on the outfield•AFP/Getty Images

Ben Stokes spoke in the build-up to the Test about the prospect of the weather forecast forcing England to “push the game on even more” than usual and there was not much more they could have done. They scored at 5.49 runs per over in their only innings, and took 15 wickets in 161.2 overs in the field.But the rain – and sluggish over-rates from both teams – limited the Test match to 269 overs, which proved insufficient for a result on either side. This was England’s first draw in the 17 matches they have played since Stokes’ appointment as captain last year, after 12 wins and four defeats.For Australia, the result means that they cannot lose the series despite being on the back foot for the last two Tests. Four years ago, they left Manchester 2-1 up but lost at The Oval, missing the opportunity to win outright; they will be desperate to make amends next week.

Fifties to James Rew, Craig Overton only prolong the inevitable for Somerset

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2023Jordan Clark claimed four wickets as Surrey strengthened their position at the top of the First Division table with a comprehensive LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Somerset inside three days at Taunton.The hosts began their second innings at the start of play trailing by 198 runs and were bowled out for 226, Clark taking 4 for 36 to help set up a ten-wicket victory.James Rew contributed 55, becoming the first player in Division One to pass 1,000 runs for the season at the age of 19, while Craig Overton smacked five sixes in a defiant 70 not out. But Surrey were left to make only 29 and reached their target in 8.3 overs.Somerset took only three points from the match after two brittle batting efforts, while their opponents claimed 22 to maintain a healthy lead over nearest challengers Essex.Related

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With only four balls bowled, the morning session was interrupted by rain. When play resumed at 12.10pm, any hope Somerset had of getting back into the game disappeared with some abject top-order batting.Sean Dickson had already survived a chance to third slip when in the same Clark over, the fourth of the innings, he edged to first slip where Dom Sibley made no mistake.Four overs later, Tom Lammonby swished at a wide delivery from Clark, which he might have left and Will Jacks held a low two-handed catch.It was 23 for 3 when George Bartlett shouldered arms to a Clark delivery that crashed into his pads on off stump and fell lbw.With only five runs added, Kohler-Cadmore directed a sharp catch off Dan Worrall to Jamie Overton at backward point.Clark finished his opening spell with figures of 3 for 15 from six overs. But Tom Abell put a blameless pitch in perspective with sound shot selection and by lunch, which was taken at 46 for 4, the Somerset skipper had struck four boundaries in moving to 27.Rew, who had taken 32 balls to get off the mark in the first innings, again displayed a patience lacking in more experienced team-mates and had yet to open his account, having faced ten deliveries.The afternoon session saw Rew and Abell progress their partnership to 64 with few alarms, the prolific teenager reaching a four-figure run tally for the summer when moving to 21 with a single to cover off Worrall.But Clark returned at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End to pin Abell leg before for 46 with a yorker and at 92 for 5 Somerset still required 106 to make Surrey bat again.Kasey Aldridge edged a short, wide ball from Tom Lawes to third slip where Jacks took an excellent diving catch as his side continued to gift wickets with injudicious strokes.An exception was Rew, content to accumulate quietly without resorting to big shots until, with his score on 31, he effortlessly lifted a ball from Lawes over deep backward square for six.Ben Green was caught behind looking to drive a full-length delivery from Jamie Overton to make it 130 for 7 before Rew went to fifty for the seventh time this season, off 96 balls, with four fours and a six.The unflappable young wicketkeeper, who doesn’t turn 20 until January, had turned five of his previous half-centuries into hundreds, with a top score of 221 against Hampshire at Taunton.At tea, Somerset were 139 for 7, still trailing by 59. They had added just six runs when Rew, perhaps feeling he was running out of partners, top-edged a pull shot off Gus Atkinson and skied a catch to fine leg. He had faced 106 balls in another mature contribution.The end looked nigh as Atkinson quickly followed up by sending back Matt Henry, lbw to a yorker. But Craig Overton had other ideas, launching a savage attack with powerful pulls and drives that saw him take 20 off an Atkinson over and dominate a last wicket stand of 77 in 13 overs with Shoaib Bashir.It merely prevented the inevitable and Surrey wrapped up victory at just before 6.15pm with openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley completing the job.

It is unclear as of now if Ebadot will be fit for the World Cup

Mohammad Isam22-Aug-2023Bangladesh fast bowler Ebadot Hossain has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup because of the knee injury he sustained in the ODI series against Afghanistan last month. Ebadot was named in the 17-member squad 10 days ago, but he hasn’t recovered through the rehab programme on time. He will be replaced by the uncapped 20-year-old fast bowler Tanzim Hasan, and it is unclear as of now if Ebadot will be fit for the World Cup.Ebadot has taken wickets in all but one of the 12 ODIs he has played since making his debut last August. He has been in good form in white-ball cricket although he was picked for just one game against Afghanistan last month. BCB’s chief sports physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said that Ebadot’s recovery for the World Cup is being prioritised. For this, they could also seek overseas consultation.”Ebadot had undergone six weeks of rehab following the injury,” Dr Chowdhury said. “We have had multiple MRIs done during this time and the reports suggest that his ACL is still a concern and requires further management. Therefore, he misses out on the Asia Cup. Considering the importance of the Bangladesh team’s next major event, which is the ICC World Cup in October, the BCB is committed to exploring every safe medical option available for getting Ebadot back to full fitness and playing as early as possible, including consultation and treatment overseas.”Related

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Tanzim, uncapped at the international level in all three formats, has 57 List A wickets from 37 games, including nine from three matches in the just-concluded ACC Emerging Men’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. He also took 17 wickets to help Abahani Limited win the Dhaka Premier League last season.Tanzim is the ninth member of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup winning side to get into the senior side. Of them, Towhid Hridoy, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Parvez Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shamim Hossain and Shoriful Islam have made their international debuts.Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan

Having played a holding role on grassy surfaces in NZ, Santner has made adjustments to be successful in India

Shashank Kishore09-Oct-20231:51

What made Santner effective against Netherlands?

You thought it was a dream night out with the ball for Mitchell Santner. He picked up only his second ODI five-for to floor Netherlands, his spell of 5 for 59 along with his cameo 17-ball 36 at No. 8 earned him the Player of the Match.But in all honestly, Santner revealed he’d bowled much better against England in Ahmedabad for lesser reward. It told you why numbers can’t sometimes be a reflection of a performance. It wasn’t in Santner’s case.Related

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“Yeah, it was obviously nice to get the rewards,” he said after New Zealand made it two wins in two. “I don’t think I bowled as well as I did in Ahmedabad. Probably missed a little bit more, but it was nice to keep trying to be aggressive and get wickets. I guess that’s the only way we can kind of slow the batters down in the middle of the ODI innings, by taking wickets.”And I thought, as a bowling unit, we did that very well. Guys coming back, still being aggressive, trying to take wickets, and managed to chip them out along we went. And it was nice to get the win in the end.”Santner prides himself on reading situations and surfaces, and puts into practice his early assessment, even if it may be from watching the opponent bowl. On Monday, Santner took a cue from watching Aryan Dutt and Roelof van der Merwe, the Netherlands spin pair, operate in the middle overs.”Yeah, I think it was, slightly on the slower side,” he assessed. “I thought they bowled, especially their spinners, bowled extremely well. Yeah, it looked like we were kind of setting up a bigger score and they managed to pull it back and get a couple of wickets. So, I guess when I went in, it was still that kind of ‘take it as deep as we can’ and then try have a couple of big overs at the end, which luckily enough we did, to get up to 322.”Santner had a studious demeanor to him as he answered questions but allowed himself a slight chuckle when reminded of New Zealand’s next venue, Chennai, where he’s spent a few seasons at the IPL. He’s had to mostly warm the bench because the dynamics of the Chennai Super Kings haven’t always allowed him and Ravindra Jadeja to feature in the same XI. He was nonetheless excited going to his IPL home ground where New Zealand play Bangladesh on October 13.Mitchell Santner picked up his second ODI five-for•ICC/Getty Images

“We knew that going into the tournament that Chennai has that nature of being a bit spinny and it did, especially first innings the other night [India v Australia],” he said. “And they’re [Bangladesh] obviously good players of spin so it’s going to be a challenge just like every other game is going to be in this World Cup.”I think we’re going to see teams beat teams and have upsets. We’ve got to be prepared for both those next coming games. Obviously first is Bangladesh and if it is something similar to the other night, it could be spinning a little bit in the daytime and then start to skid on a little bit and get a little bit dewy second innings so we’ve got to be prepared for both.”On the topic of spinning wickets, Santner also underlined the bowling adjustments he’s had to make. From playing a holding role on grassy surfaces that leaves little bowling time back home, he is now an aggressor looking for wickets in the subcontinent.”It’s obviously nice to come over here and see some spinning wickets because they’re few and far between back in New Zealand,” he said. “I guess the role in New Zealand is slightly different to here. You want to be a little bit more aggressive. You keep your slips in for longer. I try to operate with that mid-on up most of the time, only having three back, trying to make them play big shots.”And if it is spinning, yeah, the role is kind of more aggressive. And then I think we’ll see at times throughout this tournament if it’s pretty flat, it might be that defensive role for a little bit, try to get wickets through pressure. And then if it is, like tonight, if there is a little bit of spin, it might be, all right, let’s be more aggressive. let’s throw it up, leave the slip in. And so that was nice. I think Rachin [Ravindra] bowled extremely well as well, that kind of same mentality of always trying to get wickets through the middle.”So two wins, and a couple of days off in a long tournament. They should be flying high, right?”Yes, obviously a nice start. We knew that turning up today after the highs of beating England, we couldn’t get too complacent. We know the Netherlands are a good team and they almost touched up Pakistan the other day, so it was obviously nice to get the W tonight. It’s another two points, but you got to move on pretty quickly in this tournament.”

The Adelaide Strikers star needs to undergo a minor surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2023Afghanistan allrounder Rashid Khan will not turn up for Adelaide Strikers in the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) after suffering a back injury, which requires him to undergo a surgery.Rashid has “withdrawn from the upcoming KFC BBL 13 due to a back injury which requires a minor operation,” Strikers said in a statement.”Rashid is a beloved member of the Strikers and a fan favourite who has been with us for seven years, so he will be extremely missed this summer,” Strikers General Manager of cricket Tim Nielsen said.Related

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“Rashid loves Adelaide and the Strikers, and we know how much he loves playing in the BBL, and we support him as he has treatment for this injury to ensure his long-term involvement in the game.”Rashid last played for Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup earlier this month, where Afghanistan were in contention for a semi-final spot till their last league game against South Africa. He finished the tournament with 11 wickets, the most for Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup.Strikers have not yet announced a replacement for Rashid but Nielsen said management and staff will look at the options and make a decision. The team has said they will maintain Rashid’s retention rights for future seasons.Having made his BBL debut in December 2017, Rashid has picked 98 wickets in 69 matches at an average of 17.51 and economy of 6.44.Rashid became the second overseas player to pull out of the upcoming BBL season, with Melbourne Stars’ English recruit Harry Brook withdrawing to manage his workload earlier this month.

A round-up of the Abu Dhabi T10 matches on December 7, 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2023Impactful cameos from Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis boosted Bangla Tigers to a huge total of 126 paving the way for a 27-run win against Chennai Braves. The victory sealed a playoff spot for Tigers, who will face Deccan Gladiators in the eliminator on Friday.Charith Asalanka slammed a half-century in response, but only two batters reached double figures for Braves, with Asalanka smashing 55 out of their total of 99 during the run chase.At 61 for 5 in the eighth over, they had little chance of eclipsing Tigers, who were shown the way by Shanaka’s 34 off 15 balls, and Mendis’ 32 from 15. They combined to add 55 for the fourth wicket after Tigers were 44 for 3, but it was Benny Howell’s defining contribution that made a difference. He faced three balls, two of which went for sixes and the other for four, ending unbeaten on 16.Tigers’ win made them No. 4 on the points table, behind third-placed Deccan Gladiators only on net run rate.Team Abu Dhabi finally signed off the tournament with a win, as their last-ball victory also dashed Delhi Bulls’ hopes of making the playoffs.Chasing 98, Abu Dhabi got off to a flyer as Kyle Mayers and Tom Banton added 52 in just 4.2 overs, with Mayers doing the bulk of the scoring, including four sixes off an over from Richard Gleeson. Banton came off retired hurt, but such was Mayers’ carnage, that Abu Dhabi had the chase fully in control. With just six needed off the last over, the win seemed to be a formality, but UAE pacer Wasim Akram conceded just three runs off the first four deliveries, and most importantly, dismissed the red-hot Mayers for a 30-ball 61. The game went down to the final ball, with Abu Dhabi needing two runs to end their losing streak, and Colin Ingram would do the needful, flicking a low full-toss off the legs for four.Bulls, who needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, had earlier made 97 for 3, on the back of a 71-run stand for the third wicket between Adam Lyth and their captain Rovman Powell. While Powell was dismissed for a 20-ball 31, Lyth remained unbeaten on 39, smashing smashing two fours and three sixes, though it ultimately came in a losing cause.In a dress rehearsal for Friday’s qualifier featuring the top two teams, Samp Army eased to a six-wicket win against New York strikers and sealed the No.1 spot on the table.Strikers, batting first, failed to put together any meaningful partnerships, as Bas de Leede (3 for 13), Jake Lintott (2 for 16) and Qais Ahmad (2 for 12) struck at regular intervals to peg the team back. Niroshan Dickwella, with 18, was the team’s top scorer, as Strikers managed just four fours and two sixes in their entire innings, being bowled out for 70.Samp Army were rocked in the chase by the early dismissals of Ibrahim Zadran for a duck, and Monank Patel for 4, but Dewald Brevis wrested the advantage with an unbeaten 18-ball 31. Strikers kept chipping away, but Brevis and Moeen Ali eventually finished the chase at a canter by taking 24 runs off an over from Odean Smith, to win with 18 deliveries remaining.

The team director has also laid out a new policy designed to discourage young cricketers from playing T20 early in their careers

Osman Samiuddin28-Nov-2023The PCB has reiterated that the priority for all Pakistan players must be Pakistan and not T20 franchise leagues. That message came loud and clear from team director Mohammad Hafeez on the eve of the side’s departure for Australia, but more pertinently in the context of Haris Rauf’s potentially delayed departure to the same country, albeit to play in the Big Bash League (BBL).Rauf has found himself in the crossfire of a transition in team management with a new set of priorities. Having first been called out by new chief selector Wahab Riaz for turning down selection to the Test squad for Australia, Rauf is now facing a delay to the start of his stint with Melbourne Stars as he awaits an NOC.Officially the PCB says it is because domestic commitments must take priority and Rauf is playing for Islamabad in the National T20 Cup that runs until December 10.Hafeez doubled down on the Pakistan-first line in a press conference in Lahore, in which he also laid out a new policy designed to discourage young cricketers from playing T20 cricket early in their careers.Rauf has mostly been viewed as a white-ball specialist for Pakistan, having played only one Test and nine first-class matches in his career. The Test he did play he failed to complete, bowling 13 overs in the first innings in Rawalpindi last year against England and not at all in the second. He wasn’t part of the squad for their last Test assignment, in Sri Lanka in July.But he was told by Wahab that he was going to be picked for Australia, an opportunity he turned down. Though the precise version of events is disputed, Hafeez said Rauf committed to Wahab before reneging.”Haris Rauf went to the chief selector [Wahab Riaz] one evening and I think committed to Test cricket,” Hafeez said. “Then for some reason he didn’t want to play. When we saw reports from the physio, Haris has no issues stopping him from playing Test cricket. So the thinking that someone doesn’t want to play Tests, or is being forced to, that is wrong.Haris Rauf has only played one Test and nine first-class matches•Getty Images

“If an individual thinks he doesn’t want to play red-ball cricket, that is an individual act. The central contract was given on the basis that all players will be available for all formats if we need them. In the Haris Rauf case, he has shown unavailability for red-ball ricket, so with central contracts any decision will be taken keeping Pakistan’s FTP commitments in mind and that is how it will be decided who we give what contracts to in what category.”Hafeez initially seemed to suggest that a new NOC policy might be incoming but later confirmed that it would be in line with current central contracts. And his messaging is not necessarily in conflict with NOC regulations as they are in the current central contracts. Those allow players to take part in a maximum of two leagues per year other than the PSL. It was a key point of negotiation between players and the board earlier this year. But the contract spells out clearly that an NOC will depend on the approval of several stakeholders, from domestic coaches to PCB departments as well as the national-team coach and selectors. In effect, Hafeez’s words are a hardening of the permissions each and every NOC will need.And he stressed that once a cricketer had been offered – and signed up to – a central contract the assumption was that they were available for Pakistan in all formats at all times of the year.”First of all, the priority is Pakistan representation. After that comes everything else. All centrally contracted and domestic contracted players, for all of them the priority is Pakistan.”What I understand is that when you are offered a central contract for Pakistan, there is a strong reason you’ve been offered it. The point of offering it to the 20-25 players, with Pakistan’s FTP commitments in three formats in mind, is to play them, is that they are available for it.”Now there is a parallel option in the shape of leagues. Unfortunately, we experienced this in the Asia Cup and World Cup, there was talk of fatigue, or players were getting injured because their workloads were too much, or not performing as they should [because of leagues].”Hafeez has indicated that Pakistan will prioritise workload management in the lead-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, when it comes to issuing NOCs for T20 leagues•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

In a sign that it might not be straightforward for the likes of Rauf and others to secure NOCs for the raft of leagues this winter, Hafeez said workload management, with next year’s T20 World Cup in mind, would be paramount. As well as the Tests in Australia, Pakistan are scheduled to play T20Is in New Zealand in January before the PSL.”Moving towards the T20 World Cup, the NOC policy will be based on what Pakistan needs. If Pakistan need fit players, we need to make sure of their workloads. The maximum energy and availability has to be to Pakistan. If there is an opportunity around that, that they can play [in leagues], that will be definitely considered.”This season the central contracts have been given and it will run according to that. That is not going to change. But the reason for giving that central contract is that they are available for the FTP. Anything that will be done on NOCs will be according to Pakistan’s priorities. It won’t be that anyone will be stopped from playing in leagues but if Pakistan is the priority, then with NOCs it can’t be that Pakistan is the second priority and leagues first.”Hafeez also said that he had prohibited Under-19 players from playing in the National T20 Cup and will do likewise in the PSL because he wanted them to concentrate on the “basics” of their game.”We will create opportunities to play two- or three-day games for them so that the basics of their game become more solid. That is why they were stopped from playing the National T20. And we will do that in the PSL as well.”The U-19 player will have to learn the basics and when he becomes mature mentally and physically and by tactics, then he should play T20 cricket. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, a 16-year-old plays and practices for four overs. He doesn’t think he needs to play 20-25 overs. We brought this change. We need to push U-19 cricket towards red-ball cricket. One clause we added was that if any U-19 player wants to play T20 cricket, he should have played 10 first-class matches or non first-class matches so that he has the basics of the game.”

Allrounder takes over at Taunton from Tom Abell, who stepped down last summer

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2024Lewis Gregory will lead Somerset in the County Championship this season after captaining them to the T20 Blast title in 2023. Gregory takes over as club captain from Tom Abell, who stepped down in November after seven seasons in the role.Gregory has captained Somerset’s T20 side since 2018, though handed over to Abell in 2022. He led Trent Rockets to the Hundred title that year, and has captained a handful of games in first-class cricket, including one for England Lions against the touring Australians in 2019.Abell said that he felt stepping down was “in the best interests of the team and the club” when he resigned the captaincy last year, following a quiet year with the bat in red-ball cricket. Somerset have never won the Championship and finished sixth in Division One last season.Dean Elgar, who had spells with the club in 2013 and 2017, was linked with a return to Somerset as club captain in the South African media but has instead signed for Essex as a replacement for Alastair Cook. His deal was also confirmed on Friday.”I’m lucky enough to have been here for a while now and played under a number of great captains,” Gregory said. “To be able to lead the boys in the four-day format is a massive honour and it’s something that I’m very proud to be able to do.”Captaincy makes you feel more responsible for what goes on in the game and I think that the added responsibility brings out the best in me. We’ve got a lot of leaders in the dressing room and out on the field and it’s exciting to think about what this group can achieve.”Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “Lewis has thrived under the captaincy in T20 cricket. He is a natural leader and is held in the highest regard by his teammates and the staff at the club. He is highly regarded across the whole changing room, has extensive experience, has a natural ability to gain the followership of others and is the natural choice to take on the prestigious role.”Craig Overton, who will not play overseas this winter after an operation on his back, has been named vice-captain. “Like Lewis, Craig has a wealth of experience and is a genuine match-winner,” Hurry said. “He has really developed his leadership attributes over recent years, has led the side on a number of occasions and plays a big part in shaping how we operate off the field.”

“I love to play in tough situations and tough conditions,” Thakur says after top-scoring in Mumbai’s first innings in the Ranji Trophy final

PTI10-Mar-2024Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer might have failed to snap their lean runs with the bat in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy final for Mumbai, but Shardul Thakur has placed his trust in them to return to form.Rahane and Iyer scored 7 apiece as Mumbai scored 224 at Wankhede Stadium, with Thakur the top-scorer with 75. Thakur then picked up the first Vidarbha wicket before Dhawal Kulkarni picked up two more to leave Vidarbha at a precarious 31 for 3.”Ajinkya is not scoring runs throughout the season. He is not in the greatest of the forms. We cannot blame him as it is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs,” Thakur said after the day’s play. “It’s just a rough patch for them. That’s what I would say [about] Shreyas [and] Ajinkya. These guys have been absolute match-winners for Mumbai and India.Related

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“Right now, it’s not their time; it’s time to support them rather than criticising them because it’s easy to criticise.”Rahane has so far made just 141 runs in eight Ranji matches at an average of 12.81 with a solitary fifty. Iyer has not been a regular for Mumbai this season, but his return to the domestic circuit has been far from impressive – 58 runs from three games at an average of 19.33 with a highest of 48.”Ajinkya has not scored runs but his attitude on the fielding is top notch,” Thakur said. “A lot of youngsters coming from Under-23 and Under-19 cricket in Mumbai don’t have the attitude that he has. You see him in the slips, even if he is fielded for 80 overs, he will sprint [to] save four runs.”Shreyas moves around the field like a tiger. He absolutely gives everything that he has on the field. Both of them are role models when they are in the dressing room.”While defending the senior pros, Thakur expressed his displeasure at some of the younger batters not grabbing their opportunities in a match as significant as the Ranji final.”The other batters… we collectively felt that they should have shown a better approach,” he said. “Starting from Bhupen Lalwani, because he survived the first two or three balls in that over [from Yash Thakur, in which he was dismissed] and still chasing that wide one on the fourth delivery, is not on.” Lalwani scored 37, while Prithvi Shaw scored 46, but Musheer Khan (6) and Hardik Tamore (5) failed.Dhawal Kulkarni, playing his last game, brought Mumbai back into the contest after a middling batting effort•PTI

“They have to learn quickly because Mumbai dressing room is not about [your] own self. When you play here, you play for the team. You have to keep your individual scores, your own game aside,” Thakur said. “When you score 20-25 or 30 runs, the next runs are for the team. They have to learn about it.”We just need to regroup as a batting unit [in the second innings]. There are going to be tough days as a batting unit. Probably, we will just have a meeting and decide collectively how are you going to put a big score on the board from the first three or four wickets.”On his own innings – Thakur walked out at 111 for 6 and was the last man out – he said, “I love to play in tough situations and tough conditions. The kind of life that I have lived travelling far from Palghar to Mumbai with the kit bag on the train, you know it was not easy. That has toughened me up.”About Kulkarni, who will retire after the final, Thakur said it was emotional to see his old mate turning out for Mumbai for the last time.”Today morning it was confirmed that he is playing. It was going to be his last game. It was an extremely emotional moment for him,” Thakur said. “It’s an emotional moment for me also because I have watched him since childhood. When I did not have money to buy shoes, he gave me a few pairs of shoes.”

Anrich Nortje has joined the team, and could get into the Capitals XI straightaway, while Royals will hope Riyan Parag is well enough to play

Shashank Kishore27-Mar-2024

Match details

Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)

Jaipur, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Royals look the stronger side

Sports pages, web pages, front pages – Rishabh Pant has been on them all over this past week, his comeback from a career-threatening accident analysed threadbare.But for the first time in a week, Pant seemed happy to not be the centre of attention, enjoying being part of the team’s Holi celebrations and going through light training drills, after which he oversaw the nets sessions of some of Capitals’ young batters.More exciting viewing was when Pant went head-to-head in a range-hitting competition with Jake Fraser-McGurk. Batting in adjacent nets, the two repeatedly sent the ball to the far corners of the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s academy ground, forcing the organisers to cordon off a walking area where the balls went and landed.The team’s focus seemed to be on Fraser-McGurk, Australia’s teenage sensation, and how he could match up to Pant. At the same time, there couldn’t have been a bigger sign of how far Pant has come since he was declared fit.At the other end of the training area were the Royals, who haven’t enjoyed a lot of success at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium lately. Last year, Royals managed to win just one of their five home games at the venue, once considered a fortress for them. And therein lies an opportunity for Capitals.