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The Ireland captain, who found much-needed form with 94 against Bangladesh on Wednesday, also wants to prove that innings wasn’t a ‘one-off’

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2019Five matches, four defeats, one washout. It hasn’t been the greatest of home summers for Ireland as an ODI team, but their captain William Porterfield, is confident of an improved display in the upcoming series against Afghanistan, which begins on Sunday in Belfast.”The runs have been shared around, Kevin [O’Brien] has a couple of 50s, Stirlo (Paul Stirling) has over 200 runs [over the summer], it’s nice everyone is starting to click,” Porterfield told the on Saturday. “Murts (Tim Murtagh) will come back in and help the younger bowlers and if we bring 95-100 overs together against Afghanistan (over the two ODIs) we will beat them.”Porterfield himself has found a bit of form, scoring 94 against Bangladesh on Wednesday after going 13 ODI innings without getting to 30.”No pressure, but I have to prove it wasn’t a one-off,” Porterfield said. “I’ve been in situations like that before. It’s different when you feel out of nick or making the same mistakes but I didn’t feel like that.”It would have been nice to kick on and have fun with Stirlo at the end but it was pleasing to spend time out in the middle, it’s a performance game.”Coming in at No. 4 – a position he has dropped down to to allow James McCollum to open the batting – Porterfield added 174 with Stirling, Ireland’s highest partnership for any wicket against a Test nation.”Stirlo did all the work against West Indies in the previous game and was disappointed to get out in the 70s,” Porterfield said. “It shows the standards he sets and it was pleasing he got a century against Bangladesh. That’s what you need to set up totals.”With the left-arm seamer Josh Little injured, the allrounder Tyrone Kane is likely to come into Ireland’s XI, and his superior batting ability could also enable a change in the spin department, with the out-of-sorts left-arm spinner George Dockrell – who has gone wicketless in all four ODIs he has played this summer – potentially making way for the offspinner Andy McBrine.

English batter gets INR 2.8 crore deal with Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan already ruled out for the franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2023Kolkata Knight Riders have signed up England batter Jason Roy as a replacement player with two of their big names Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan already out of the tournament. Knight Riders signed Roy for INR 2.8 crore (USD 341,000 approx.); his base price listed at the pre-season auction was INR 1.5 crore (USD 183,000 approx.).Most English players are only permitted to sign replacement deals at the IPL before a cut-off date of March 1, in order to help their counties plan for the early months of the County Championship season. However, players with ECB central contracts or incremental deals are eligible to be signed after that date. Roy lost his central contract in October, but still has an incremental deal.Roy last played the IPL in 2021, having opted out last year – after being bought by Gujarat Titans in the auction – while taking an indefinite break from cricket. In 2021 he represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and scored 150 runs from five games, averaging 30 and striking at 123.96.In 2020 too he had opted out of the IPL because of personal reasons, when he was with Delhi Capitals.Knight Riders have played just one game so far, which they lost to Punjab Kings by seven runs (DLS method) in Mohali. They play their second game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday at their home ground Eden Gardens.They have lost Iyer to a lower-back injury for which he needs surgery, and Shakib has opted out of the season for personal reasons.

He backs Sri Lanka to make a serious push for victory at the Hagley Oval on Monday

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Mar-2023Sri Lanka has the seam-bowling weaponry to make a serious push for victory on Monday. So believes Angelo Mathews, their centurion from day four, who was most responsible for setting New Zealand a target of 285.In the 17 overs Sri Lanka bowled at New Zealand before stumps, the seamers were probing and disciplined. Kasun Rajitha claimed the wicket of Devon Conway, and New Zealand could not score at more than 1.64 an over, finishing at 28 for 1, with Tom Latham and Kane Williamson the overnight batters.In the first innings, Sri Lanka’s seamers had had New Zealand at 188 for 6, before an outstanding Daryl Mitchell hundred, and lower-order hitting from Matt Henry pushed the hosts into a narrow lead.”We’ve got the fast bowlers to exploit the conditions,” Mathews said after play. “We’ve got some fantastic fast bowlers in the group, and we have the belief that if the batters get the runs on the board, the fast bowlers will definitely come into play, with the conditions. They’ve done exactly that.”We’ve given ourselves a great chance to win the Test match. We have to turn up tomorrow and just go for it. The game is evenly poised. Latham and Williamson – we all know they are world class. We need to strike early to get into the game. If we can open one end, we can put a lot of pressure on the Kiwis.”Related

• Mathews says SL not getting enough Tests, especially this year

• Mathews' 115 helps SL set NZ a stiff target

The surface did not appear especially treacherous on day four – though there was still some movement off the seam for the quicks. The Hagley Oval surface has in the past tended to get lower and slower as a match goes on, though spinners have been effective at this venue late in the game as well.”You can’t predict a wicket 100%, but there was variable bounce today,” Mathews said. “But hoping he [Prabath Jayasuriya] can hit the rough spots. Especially to the left-hander there’s a big rough on either side. The spinner also might come into play – you never know.”His own 115 off 235 balls, which was his 14th Test ton and his second in successive tours of New Zealand, Mathews put down to experience. It was a vital innings, during which he forged a 105-run partnership with Dinesh Chandimal, then put on 60 alongside Dhananjaya de Silva.Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara shared five wickets between them in the first innings•AFP/Getty Images

Although in the first innings Sri Lanka rattled along at almost four an over, they were prevented from scoring freely for much of day four, by some disciplined New Zealand bowling.”The more you play the more you learn, and I’ve played a lot of cricket in New Zealand, and in Christchurch as well,” Mathews said. “I know what kinds of conditions we are getting here. Credit should go to the New Zealand bowlers as well. After Neil Wagner got injured, the other three fast bowlers gave nothing away. It was hard work out there, but they kept pegging away, and we had to work extremely hard to get those runs. We had to keep grinding all day, which we did, I thought.”Scoring was especially difficult before lunch, when New Zealand sent down 28 overs and conceded just 67 (a run rate of 2.39).”You come set to play certain shots because they aren’t giving anything away,” Mathews said. “You kind of know what you get from each bowler, so you kind of mentally plan it out. The first session they gave nothing away at all. We had to keep fighting for sngles and twos – forget about the fours. We all know [Tim] Southee is a world-class bowler, and no matter how tired he is he lands it on the spot. Matt Henry bowled extremely well, as well as [Blair] Tickner though he’s young and new to the Test arena, he bowled with a lot of gas. We knew what’s coming with each and every bowler, and we had to plan accordingly.”Sri Lanka must win this match, and the next one, to stand any chance of making the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval later this year. Mathews lauded the work of coach Chris Silverwood and captain Dimuth Karunaratne for creating a vibe through which a side that is not particularly studded with standout players, has been able to come close to making a major final.”The captain and the coach play a major part in the team’s environment. And us seniors will back it up with them. Chris Silverwood and his support staff and the captain has done a fantastic job in creating a great environment, to play cricket with a lot of freedom. That’s what you want – to put everything aside, and go out there and enjoy yourselves, which we’re absolutely doing.”

The spin duo shared four wickets to restrict Bangladesh to 88 before Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan steered the visitors home

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2018ACC

Nashra Sandhu and Nida Dar led Pakistan to a series-clinching seven-wicket win in Cox’s Bazar. The spin duo proved too much for Bangladesh, sharing four wickets while giving away just 32 runs in their combined eight overs.Nashra removed Fargana Hoque and Nigar Sultana before Nida took the wickets of Sanjida Islam and Fahima Khatun as Bangladesh stumbled to 81 for 8 in their 20 overs. There were two run-outs as well, and a wicket each for Aiman Anwer and Anam Amin. For the home side, Nigar top-scored with 19 off 29 balls.Pakistan banked on two of their top three batsmen to reach their target in 18.1 overs. Nahida Khan made 33 off 40 balls with three fours while captain Javeria Khan finished unbeaten on 31 off 37 balls. Legspinners Rumana Ahmed and Fahima took a wicket each for Bangladesh.The fourth T20I will be held at the same venue on October 6, before the solitary ODI on October 8.

India were left to rue a top-order collapse and five no-balls from Arshdeep Singh

Ashish Pant05-Jan-20233:00

Is Axar Patel India’s No. 1 spin-bowling allrounder?

Axar Patel tried his absolute best with both bat and ball, but Dasun Shanaka continued his all-round domination of India to bring up a 16-run win for Sri Lanka in what turned out to be a thrilling contest at MCA Stadium in Pune.Batting first, the visitors, helped by some shoddy Indian bowling, including seven very costly no-balls, racked up 206 for 6 in their 20 overs. Kusal Mendis (52 off 31) and Shanaka (56* off 22) were their top-scorers.The Sri Lankan bowlers then broke India’s back, reducing the hosts to 57 for 5 in the 10th over. The chase seemed to be done and dusted at that stage, but Suryakumar Yadav and Axar staged a fightback for the ages, adding 91 runs off 40 balls for the sixth wicket. Even as Suryakumar fell, Axar and Shivam Mavi kept the game in the balance.

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Enjoy the replay the second India vs Sri Lanka T20I here

However, with India needing 21 to win off the final over, Shanaka picked up the ball for his first over, took two wickets and helped his side get over the line.

Kusal Mendis starts on fifth gear before spinners strike

It started well enough for India. They won the toss and were able to bowl first to avoid fielding in the dew later on. Hardik Pandya bowled the first over and conceded just two runs. And then it all went downhill. Mendis went on a rampage as Sri Lanka smashed 45 runs in the next three overs to trigger panic in the India camp. Mendis raced to a 27-ball fifty.Hardik had to rely on his spinners to pull things back. Axar and Yuzvendra Chahal put a lid on the scoring and picked up wickets at the same time. The duo conceded just 54 runs off their eight overs combined.

Arshdeep and a tale of five no-balls

Arshdeep hasn’t played competitive cricket since the final ODI against New Zealand on November 30 and was bound to be rusty coming into this T20I. He was introduced in the second over and started off with a half-volley on the pads that was clipped through square leg. No fuss – first ball after a fairly long break, happens. The next four balls went for just a run. Then began a saga of inexplicable no-balls – three on the bounce in his first over. The first was sprayed down leg, the next flicked to deep backward square leg for a four and the third smoked over the fielder in the same region.Arshdeep wasn’t brought back till the 19th over, and when he was, the horror no-balls continued. He bowled two more – Shanaka was caught at long-on off one of those – to finish with figures of 37 runs in two overs. His five no-balls changed the complexion of the game.Game recognises game – Dasun Shanaka pats Axar Patel after a fantastic knock•Associated Press

Shanaka continues his India domination

When the Sri Lanka captain walked out to the middle, his side had stuttered to 110 for 4 in the 14th over. He then saw Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga fall to Umran Malik off successive balls and faced the hat-trick ball. One that he pumped straight over the bowler’s head. There was no stopping Shanaka thereon. He brought up his fifty off 20 balls, the fastest by a Sri Lankan in men’s T20Is, as they hammered 93 runs in the last six overs. Later, when the chase got tricky, he took it upon himself to bowl the final over, and picked up two wickets, giving away four runs.

Sri Lanka quicks blow away India’s top order

Seeing how Sri Lanka finished off their innings might have given hope to India’s top order that the Pune surface was full of runs. They were in for a rude awakening. The Sri Lanka fast bowlers bowled with gusto and had the batters in all sorts of trouble. By the time the powerplay ended, the hosts had been reduced to 39 for 4, with all of Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha and Chamika Karunaratne on the board.

Axar, Suryakumar stage a fightback to remember

India were languishing on 64 for 5 after 10 overs. With a long tail to follow, a heavy defeat seemed imminent. Then came a run-out chance, one that saw Axar and Suryakumar almost at the same end. Sri Lanka missed, and that turned a switch. Both Suryakumar and Axar went for their shots like two men possessed. Not one Sri Lanka bowler was spared and a required rate often near 15 was being managed fairly well. Axar brought up his fifty off 20 balls, Suryakumar off 33. Eventually, though, the target turned out to be a peak too big to scale.

Former India head coach advocates split captaincy to take the load off Rohit Sharma

Shashank Kishore17-Nov-20222:10

Zaheer: Umran Malik adds variety to India’s pace attack

Ravi Shastri believes there’s “no harm” in India exploring the possibility of having a new T20I captain to ease some load off Rohit Sharma, who currently leads them in all three formats.India have Hardik Pandya leading the T20I squad in New Zealand after the selectors rested the senior players following the World Cup in Australia. It’s a job Pandya first did in Ireland earlier in the year, following a successful IPL stint where he led first-timers Gujarat Titans to the title.Related

• Harbhajan wants 'better suited' Nehra to coach India's T20I side

• Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan to lead India in New Zealand

• Dravid given break for New Zealand tour, Laxman to coach India

• 'Be aggressive but also focus on conditions and situations' – Laxman's mantra for T20Is

“For T20 cricket, there is no harm in having a new captain,” Shastri told select media during an interaction facilitated by Prime Video ahead of the first T20I in Wellington on Friday. “Because the volume of cricket is such, that for one player to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy. If Rohit is already leading in Tests and ODIs, there is no harm in identifying a new T20I captain and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it.”Shastri also backed VVS Laxman’s beliefs that India shouldn’t be averse to picking specialists for the shortest format, even if it means keeping out “certain senior players”.”I think that is the way forward,” Shastri said. “I think VVS is right. They will identify specialists. Going forward, that should be the mantra. Identify and make that Indian side into a terrific fielding side and identify roles for these youngsters who can be fearless and play that kind of cricket without any kind of baggage.”Shastri wasn’t willing to be drawn into comparing the differences he saw in the Indian team when his coaching term ended in November 2021 to the current outfit but was firm in his belief that India should try and emulate England’s white-ball formula that has brought them considerable success since their reboot under Eoin Morgan following a group-stage exit at the 2015 World Cup.

Watch India tour of New Zealand LIVE on Prime Video from Nov 18 to 30

“I wouldn’t like to point out anything, but there’s an opportunity with this team in the future to identify roles for players, identify match-winners, and go pretty much on the template of England,” he said. “They are one team that really caught the bull by the horns after the 2015 World Cup. They sat down and said they are going to identify the best players for that format of the game – whether it’s T20 or 50-over cricket.”Which meant if there were certain senior players who had to sit out, then so be it. They got in youngsters who were fearless, who could adapt to that pattern of the game without having to change their games too much. So it’s a template that can be followed easily; India have got a wealth of resources. And I think it can start from this tour. Because when you look at this team, it’s a fresh, young side. You can identify, you can groom, and you can take this team ahead in two years’ time.”Shastri was also unabashed in his support for tearaway quick Umran Malik who he believes will give the bowling attack much-needed variety in New Zealand, having been included in both the T20I and ODI squads.Malik was called into India’s net bowling contingent at the 2021 T20 World Cup during Shastri’s tenure, and subsequently made his T20I debut under Pandya in Ireland earlier this year.Malik has polarised opinion in Indian cricket. While some believe his raw pace can be an asset, others have pointed to the lack of consistency and the need to nurture his talent by giving him opportunities with India A before transitioning him into the senior team.”He is one of the fastest bowlers in India and you saw what happened in the World Cup where genuine pace rattled opposition, whether it was Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah or Anrich Nortje,” Shastri said. “So, there is no substitute for genuine pace, even if you are defending small totals. So this is an opportunity for Umran. Hopefully, he will learn from this exposure.”

Brathwaite will be part of a team that is looking to put pressure on Surrey at the top of the Division One table

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2018Nottinghamshire have bolstered their batting for the County Championship run-in by signing West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite after Quinton de Kock was withdrawn from his deal by Cricket South Africa.Brathwaite goes straight into Nottinghamshire’s squad for their match against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl. They are currently second in Division One, nine points behind Somerset, with Surrey holding a considerable lead at the top.Brathwaite is a proven Test match opener, averaging 37.94 over 49 Tests, which included scores of 134 and 95 against England at Headingley last year when West Indies produced a memorable chase on the final day.He does not feature in T20 cricket – so there is no clash with the ongoing CPL – and is a rarity among the current generation having never played in the format in his career.”I’m excited about getting going at this great Club and hopefully I can help the side push for the Championship title in the run-in,” said Brathwaite.”Being able to call Trent Bridge home for a few weeks will be a great feeling and I’ll be looking to give my best for the team across the final five games. Testing myself in English conditions will develop my game and I’m hoping to continue my good form with the bat, starting on Sunday.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “Kraigg will bring great experience to the side having played nearly 50 Test matches and we hope he can continue his form on these shores. Put simply, he adds quality and depth we’re hopeful that he can make contributions in the final weeks of the season.”

The home side had their target adjusted due to rain and couldn’t get close

AAP28-Nov-2022Queensland kept their Marsh Cup campaign alive by defeating New South Wales by 31 runs via the DLS method in their rain-affected one-day clash at North Sydney Oval.Queensland had blasted 5 for 298 from 43.2 overs, with Max Bryant making 88 off 53 balls, when lightning and rain brought a premature close to their innings on SundayThe home side’s original DLS target following the first 80-minute delay was 329, before further showers halted play for a further 80 minutes with NSW 2 for 75 after 11.3 overs.The target was revised to 225 off 24 overs and the new asking rate of 150 from the next 75 balls proved well beyond the home side when a third downpour ended proceedings permanently.Kurtis Patterson and Matthew Gilkes both holed out to pull shots prior to the second delay as Queensland asserted their dominance early in the chase.In-form Daniel Hughes, who had amassed three tons from his previous four competition knocks, was scratchy early before finding his best form after play resumed. Hughes looked the Blues’ best hope of pulling off a miracle, top-scoring with 43.But when he was run out in the 16th over via a direct hit from Sam Truloff, just one ball after Moises Henriques skied a catch to Max Bryant, the home side’s hopes went out the door.The first rain delay denied the blazing Bryant the opportunity to notch a maiden ton, but he revelled in the victory nonetheless.”It’s always good to play at North Sydney as a batter,” Bryant said. “It’s pretty small so you have to go 100 percent hard or nothing. You don’t really have those in-between shots where you get caught on the boundary.”I’m not going to go down without a fight – it’s the Queensland way. Getting a win against NSW is always special.”After the early loss of Bryce Street to a contentious lbw decision, fellow opener Sam Heazlett and first-gamer Jack Clayton impressed before Bryant ripped the match away from NSW.He hit five sixes in his swashbuckling knock, dominating a 122-run sixth-wicket stand with captain Jimmy Peirson, which came from just 12.1 overs and put Queensland right on top.The result meant Queensland leapfrogged NSW and Victoria to rise to fourth spot on the points table.

The identity of the new rights holder has not yet been disclosed, with the ICC board set to make that call on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Aug-2022There will be no second-round e-auction for the ICC media rights after a clear winner – or winners – emerged when the sealed bids were opened on Friday. The identity of the winner/s for the right to broadcast ICC events in India has not been disclosed yet – the ICC board makes that call on Saturday after a recommendation is sent to it by the media-rights advisory group appointed to adjudicate on the bidding process.There has been no official communication from the ICC on whether a solitary winner won both the TV and digital rights or whether there were separate winners in the two categories. What is also not yet confirmed is whether the rights have been sold for four years or eight, as the ICC had kept the tenure of the rights flexible, in order to exploit the best number commercially.Related

• ICC eyes $4 billion-plus media rights money for Indian market

• Four major broadcasters concerned over transparency of ICC rights bidding

Though the value of the winning bid is unlikely to be made public, the ICC is believed to have set a base price of USD 1.44 billion (for a four-year deal) and USD 4 billion for an eight-year one. Its last rights deal, for eight years, was worth approximately USD 2.1 billion. Because of the changing nature of the market and especially the digital streaming landscape, as well as the increased number of ICC events in this cycle, the expectation was that any new deal would be considerably bigger than the last one.A total of six packages were on sale with the sealed bids opened on Friday at the ICC headquarters in Dubai in the presence of the bidders. It is learned that four bidders participated, including Disney Star*, Sony, Viacom and Zee.After facing mounting pressure from the bidders over the past month over concerns about the transparency of the process, the ICC had said that an e-auction would take place as a second round of bidding should the value of the two best bids in the first round be within 10% of each other.By Saturday, it is expected that the ICC Board comprising 17 directors will discuss the recommendations of the rights advisory group and announce the identities of the winner/s. The five-person advisory group includes ICC chair Greg Barclay, Ross McCollum (the chair of the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee), Anurag Dahiya (the ICC’s chief commercial officer), Richard Freudenstein (finance & commercial affairs director) and BCCI acting CEO Hemang Amin.

‘You look back at Tommy’s 264 in Wellington, and for him to come out yesterday in the second innings and basically hit reset and do all that hard work again is pretty cool’

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch28-Dec-2018Two Christchurch boys putting on a 214-run stand on their home ground, in a Boxing Day Test – one learning off the other. This is roughly how Henry Nicholls summed up his fourth-wicket stand with friend Tom Latham, on a third day in which New Zealand took the second Test against Sri Lanka by the collar.Both batsmen made big hundreds; Latham produced 176 to follow his 264 not out in Wellington, while Nicholls hit a career-best 162 not out, two Tests after his most recent ton in Abu Dhabi, a world away.In this innings, Nicholls, who began cautiously against the second new ball before gaining momentum after lunch, said Latham’s discipline had “inspired” him.”It was pretty special to be out there for so long with Tommy,” Nicholls said. “We’re really great mates, we carpool every morning together to the ground, so to be out there and put on however many we did, a couple of hundred, and obviously the way he batted yesterday and continued that on today like he did at the Basin last week gave me a lot of inspiration to try and do the same and put us a team in a position where we’re now in a chance to win the game with a lot of time left.”ALSO READ – The importance of Henry NichollsNicholls batted 225 balls for his score, only twice having faced more balls in his Test career. Latham faced 370 deliveries for his, which takes his series tally to 889 – the third-most balls faced by anyone in a two-Test series.”You look back at Tommy’s 264 in Wellington, and for him to come out yesterday in the second innings and basically hit reset and do all that hard work again is pretty cool.” Nicholls said. “He’s a very resilient guy and is one of the most hard-working guys I know. To see him have the discipline to do that for another 300 balls in this innings, and to be out there batting with him, was pretty special.”Every New Zealand batsman who came to the crease in the second innings was involved in a 50-plus partnership at the very least, with the lowest individual score being Ross Taylor’s 40. Nicholls said the runs that had been scored prior to his arrival made his job that much easier at No. 5.”Guys at the top like Tom, Jeet Raval and Kane Williamson batted for long periods of time and made their bowlers – especially the seam bowlers – come back for more spells. We saw the fatigue factor with that later on. It was important for me and Tom to keep things really simple and know that when they do come back, you’re going to get scoring opportunities.”Immediately before New Zealand’s declaration, Nicholls put on an unbroken 124 off 87 balls with Colin de Grandhomme, who hit New Zealand’s fastest Test fifty, reaching the milestone off 28 balls.”The wicket here has a bit more pace than the one at Wellington and allows you to score quicker at times,” Nicholls said. “For Colin de Grandhomme to come in and show the class and X-factor he has, to really put that total to a big number was great.”