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Vanuatu kept their slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive with the four-wicket win while also eliminating Bermuda’s chances at promotion

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur03-May-2018Player-coach Shane Deitz top-scored – with an unbeaten 114-ball 71 over Bermuda – for the third time in four matches since his international debut at the start of WCL Division Four. Dietz’s maiden half-century propelled Vanuatu to a four-wicket win – their first win in the tournament – and kept alive their slim hopes of avoiding relegation.After their disastrous decision to bat second on a wearing track, Bermuda opted to go the other way on Thursday. But the slipped to 24 for 3 inside the Powerplay. The big scalp in that bunch was Kamau Leverock, who decimated Jersey with a belligerent 28-ball half-century.Dion Stovell, who took four wickets on Wednesday, teamed with captain Terryn Fray to grind out a 110-run stand across 32.1 overs to get Bermuda back into the match. But Nalin Nipiko’s medium pace broke the stand in the 38th over and new-ball bowler Patrick Matautaava returned at the death to claim three more wickets, including Fray for 77 to finish with 4 for 41.Bermuda began their defence of 181 with spin and Stovell struck on his fifth delivery to claim Jonathon Dunn leg before. Matautaava was dismissed for 10 as his nightmarish tournament with the bat continued. And in walked Deitz. The former South Australian wicketkeeper added 54 for the third wicket with Joshua Rasu (31 off 67 balls) before Leverock and Stovell struck six balls apart to remove Rasu and then captain Andrew Mansale.Deitz held firm, and with nuggety contributions from Nipiko (26 off 34 balls), Ronald Tari (15 off 39 balls) and Trevor Langa (13 not out off 25 balls) along the way, Vanuatu sealed victory with an over to spare and also put an end to Bermuda’s chances of promotion.

The former Mumbai captain was pulled up for retweeting a tweet that questioned his exclusion from the recently concluded inter-state T20 tournament

Arun Venugopal22-Feb-2017Suryakumar Yadav has been added to Mumbai’s 14-member squad for the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy after he tendered an apology to the Mumbai Cricket Association for retweeting a post on Twitter that questioned his exclusion from the team for the Inter-state T20 tournament.”The president has accepted his apology and he has been cleared to play in the Vijay Hazare tournament. Surya had sent a letter yesterday and met with the president [Ashish Shelar] today,” MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told ESPNcricinfo. “Surya wrote in his letter that such things wouldn’t happen in the future. He also said that it was the agency [that manages him] that had retweeted the post.”The Mumbai batsman had earlier been asked to show cause and appear before the MCA’s managing committee. Consequently, Suryakumar’s selection for the Vijay Hazare Trophy inter-state one-day tournament had been withheld pending the committee’s decision.Khanvilkar said on Tuesday that players were not allowed to comment on selection decisions on social media. Suryakumar, 26, has been involved in a few controversies over the last few years. Last year, Suryakumar was let off with a warning for tweeting his displeasure at opener Jay Bista’s omission from the Mumbai side for their semi-final game against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He had also quit as Mumbai captain midway through an underwhelming 2014-15 season. At that point he was reprimanded by MCA officials after some players complained against him for using abusive language on the field and in the dressing room.Mumbai will take on defending champions Gujarat in the opening match of the tournament on February 25.

An eight-wicket haul from Bilawal Bhatti shot out United Bank Limited for 189 in their second innings, leaving Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited chasing a target of 160

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Bilawal Bhatti’s figures of 8 for 56 were his best in first-class cricket, as were his match figures of 11 for 95•AFP

An eight-wicket haul from Bilawal Bhatti shot out United Bank Limited for 189 in their second innings, leaving Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited chasing a target of 160 to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. SNGPL’s chase got off to a rocky start, however, as they ended the third day 56 for 3, with the experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease.The second day had ended with Bhatti dismissing the opener Sharjeel Khan to leave UBL 17 for 1 – effectively minus 13 for 1. The third day began with Bhatti needing to bowl one ball to complete his over. He had Umar Siddiq caught behind off that ball.UBL avoided giving Bhatti the hat-trick, but Azizullah bowled Shan Masood and Sohaib Maqsood in between. The two SNGPL quicks had taken four wickets in the space of seven balls, conceding only two runs in the process.From 19 for 4, UBL recovered thanks to Younis Khan’s 128-ball 98, which contained 16 fours. He dominated a fifth-wicket partnership of 141 with Hammad Azam before Bhatti bowled him. There was little resistance thereafter, as Bhatti swept through the lower order, picking up the remaining wickets as UBL lost their last six wickets for 29 runs. Five of Bhatti’s eight wickets – and seven of ten overall – were either bowled or lbw.Bhatti’s figures of 8 for 56 were his best in first-class cricket, as were his match figures of 11 for 95.

USA’s Steven Taylor has been stripped off the senior team captaincy for the Auty Cup in Canada from July 25 to 28, and has been given a one-match suspension for transgressing the team’s curfew

Peter Della Penna17-Jul-2013USA’s Steven Taylor has been stripped of the senior team captaincy for his side’s tour to Canada for the Auty Cup from July 25 to 28, and has been given a one-match suspension after United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) announced on Tuesday that he had been involved in a breach of the team code of conduct and tour protocols last week, while on the USA U-19 tour to Canada for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament.According to a USACA press release, the 19-year-old Taylor, along with team-mate Trevis Ross, 18, admitted to breaking the team’s 10pm curfew, when they went out drinking on July 12 and didn’t return until 2.30am the following day. Taylor took to Twitter to boast about his escapades in the early morning hours, posting a series of tweets from 1.28am until 2.19am which stated: “Random girl trying to get mi drunk lol”, “Shot after shot!!!!!!!!!” and “I’m drunk.”In addition to the tweets, Taylor posted an Instagram photo showing a bottle of rum with two full glasses, as well as a short Instagram video featuring him and Ross singing along to music being played in the background, while Taylor makes obscene gestures to the camera. The Instagram photo and video have since been removed.As part of USACA’s official statement, Taylor issued a formal apology: “I wish to publicly apologise to my team-mates, the US coaching staff, and to USACA for my actions,” Taylor said. “They were selfish and do not reflect the behaviour that the captain of a national team should display. I feel that I have let myself down and brought dishonor to the game and the US team. I am hopeful that I can learn from this mistake and make amends on and off the field during the Auty Cup.”USACA made the announcement on Tuesday after the team returned from the tour. USACA chief executive Darren Beazley met with Taylor before issuing the reprimand. Ross received a written warning for his involvement in the incident with USACA’s statement claiming he broke curfew, but was not drinking.”This incident is regrettable and out of step with the new direction for US cricket,” Beazley said. “To play cricket for this country is an enormous honour. If we are to progress to a performance-based culture in our high performance programmes, all players that represent the US must accept the responsibility that comes with wearing the national colors. Both players have made an error in judgment.”The fact that the transgression was not leading into a match day does not excuse the fact that players must give themselves every opportunity to perform at an optimal level, particularly in light of the fact that there was a place in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at stake. I am confident that Steven and Trevis will learn from this mistake and will respond in the best way possible by performing well in the coming months of the 2013 US cricket season.”No decision has been made as to who will take over as USA captain for the tour to Canada. Taylor had been named stand-in captain in place of Steve Massiah, who is one of several players unavailable due to work commitments. USA is scheduled to play a two-day game, one 50-overs match and two T20s as part of the tour.

Steven showed he was ready to slot into England’s team if the call came but his team-mate Tim Murtagh was equally, if not more, impressive

David Lloyd at Lord's30-May-2012
ScorecardSteven Finn took three wickets in front of national selector Geoff Miller•Getty Images

Steven Finn made enough of a mark on the first day of this contest to indicate he is ready, willing and able should England decide to rest a fast bowler or two and make changes ahead of next week’s final Test against West Indies. But if Middlesex go on to win this game then the new-ball burst of Tim Murtagh may prove to have been the crucial element.Sussex, with barely time to draw breath following Monday’s Championship loss to Nottinghamshire, were staggering horribly inside the first hour after winning what appeared to be a good toss on a bright, sunny morning. Murtagh, hitting the seam instantly while Finn searched for his radar following a week on international 12th man duty, soon had them 16 for 3.The visitors recovered pretty well, with 70s from both Ed Joyce and Ben Brown and a more than useful 38 by Naved Arif, to finish in touching distance of 250, but Middlesex look to have the edge.Murtagh is one of those too often unsung county stars – a bowler who rarely delivers a bad spell but does not often pick up a stack of wickets. And, when he does, a ‘bigger’ name usually puts him in the shade.Today, understandably, most eyes – including, presumably, those of watching national selector Geoff Miller – were on Finn. And the big lad could not be faulted for effort, pace or menace once he found his range. Finn finished the day with 3 for 65 from 23 overs but, quite properly, Murtagh outdid him with 4 for 41 from 20.The way this match began we might easily have been back in April when wickets were tumbling here, there and just about everywhere and, horror of horrors, Surrey boss Chris Adams was being highly critical of the Lord’s pitch used for his side’s nerve-tingling three-run defeat. We might have been back in April, but we were not.For a start, there was real warmth coming from this morning’s sun. And, regardless of what may or may not have happened at HQ a month or so ago, the five wickets which Sussex lost before lunch, can be put down to a mix of skilful new-ball bowling, poor shot selection and leaden-footed stroke-play.Certainly, Sussex were happy enough to bat first after winning the toss – especially their bowlers, most probably. Given that the domestic season starts in early April and runs through to mid-September, there seems no real excuse for any team to have to play on nine out of 10 days, starting with a day-night game.They looked to be in a bit of a trance, for sure, although the in-form Chris Nash could argue that he would do well to survive the beauty he received, second ball up, from Murtagh whenever or wherever he received it. Lifting and leaving the right-handed Nash late, it brushed the outside edge.That set the tone, really. While Finn had a bit of trouble with his direction early on, Murtagh regularly hit the seam and drilled a challenging line on or just outside off stump. Add some less than sparkling batting – Mike Yardy played a horrible shot away from his body before Luke Wright drove ambitiously without much foot movement – and Sussex were in all sorts of bother at 66 for 5 after 90 minutes or so.Thanks to opener Joyce, playing against his old county, and Brown, meltdown was averted with a stand of 81. But both eventually fell to Finn (Joyce caught down the leg-side and Brown edging a fast, full delivery to slip) and it needed Arif’s contribution to prevent Sussex from falling away again.As always, it will be a lot easier to judge how much of a foothold the visitors have given themselves once both teams have batted once, but – for now – they are just about hanging in there.

Against a high-quality attack and on a pitch offering some assistance, Ian Bell combined solidity with flair in a most impressive innings

George Dobell at Trent Bridge18-May-2011
Scorecard
Ian Bell was the outstanding performer on a gloomy Trent Bridge day•PA Photos

Such was the excellence of Alastair Cook over the winter, that Ian Bell’s contribution to England’s Ashes success was easily overlooked.But Bell came of age over the winter. Ending the series with an average of 66 and a maiden Ashes century to his name, Bell finally silenced all but the most dogmatic doubters. He had, at last, graduated from promise to substance.Now, however, aged 29 and the veteran of 62 Tests, the time is right for Bell to progress again. Established as a good Test player, he now has the opportunity to earn himself a reputation as one of the finest batsmen currently playing international cricket.His batting here bodes well. Against a high-quality attack and on a pitch offering some assistance, Bell combined solidity with flair in a most impressive innings. He looks a fine, fine player. And he looks hungry.Bell was not the only batsman to impress. Varun Chopra, William Porterfield and Jonathan Trott also played some sparkling strokes against an attack perhaps striving a little too hard to justify their captain’s decision to insert the opposition.But while Trott, Chopra and Porterfield flourished only briefly – all falling to edges – Bell scarcely played a false stroke and looked determined to provide something more substantial than a cameo.Warwickshire were grateful for Bell’s defiance. Their last three innings against this opposition have totalled only 373 runs for 30 wickets, culminating in them losing 20 wickets in a day last August. Bell was not present in either game, however, and provides a far stiffer spine to his team. He’ll be sorely missed when he departs on England duty.Perhaps Nottinghamshire can count themselves unfortunate. Andre Adams beat the bat frequently and might have dismissed Porterfield, in particularly, on a dozen occasions. Porterfield also survived two tough chances, both off Adams, who had good cause to curse some of the out-fielding that dented his figures and released pressure on the batsmen. Mark Wagh was, by some distance, the worst offender.Still, there were some encouraging signs from an England perspective. Stuart Broad, while not quite at his best just yet, looks to be coming to the boil nicely, though Graeme Swann was only given two overs on a green if sluggish first-day pitch that encouraged the seamers throughout.
Warwickshire started well. With both opening bowlers over-pitching, Porterfield and Chopra launched into a series of sumptuous drives, posting 72 for the first wicket in just 16 overs, before Chopra was drawn into an extravagant drive at one that left him and edged to slip.The introduction of Adams made life more difficult for the batsmen. Though Porterfield, another man who will be absent on international duty (Ireland play Pakistan in two ODIs at the end of the month) next week, recorded his second half-century of the Championship campaign, a good portion of his runs came from edges through point or gully. His dismissal, inside edging one that may have nipped back a fraction, was no more than Adams deserved.Trott was soon into his stride, however. Timing the ball delightfully on both sides of the wicket, he looked in decent touch for a fellow who has spent the first few weeks of the season plying his trade on horrible surfaces. But, with a big score seemingly his for the taking, Trott fished at one he could have left and departed. He has now scored just 93 runs in five Championship innings.
Through it all, however, Bell remained unbeaten. His driving through extra-cover was beautiful; his flicks off the hip masterful. But, most of all, he picked which balls to leave and defend better than any of his colleagues and retained his concentration despite several rain delays that eventually shortened the day by 37 overs.Mohammad Yousuf, back to his best after a century against Worcestershire, provided company during the last 45 minutes of the day but, in conditions that should be better for batting on the second day, the game remains just about in the balance.Meanwhile, it appears that Warwickshire will have to wait until next week before their appeal into the points penalty for a pitch deemed ‘poor’ in the game against Worcestershire is to be heard.

Kent switched their home venue to The Oval but enjoyed no change in luck as Essex held their nerve to win a Friends Provident t20 South Group thriller by four wickets and with only two balls to spare

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010
ScorecardDarren Stevens registered a 26-ball fifty, but Essex prevailed at The Oval•Getty Images

Kent switched their home venue to The Oval but enjoyed no change in luck as Essex held their nerve to win a Friends Provident t20 South Group thriller by four wickets and with only two balls to spare. Chasing Kent’s useful total of 171 for 6, Essex appeared to be coasting to their ninth win of the campaign as they reached 146 for 3 courtesy of identical 36-ball innings of 51 by Alastair Cook and Mark Pettini.Opening bat Ravi Bopara had set them flying with a cameo 29 from 21 balls but, when Cook needlessly chipped to mid-on, the Eagles suffered a serious case of the jitters.Even when Matt Walker (one) fell leg before to Simon Cook, the pick of Kent’s attack with 2 for 21, Essex still only needed 23 from the last 18 balls. But a frugal over from Azhar Mahmood that leaked only three runs and accounted for Pettini, bowled by a yorker, set Essex nerves jangling again.It took a cameo 25 from 13 balls by Scott Styris, including 17 off the penultimate over of the night from Matt Coles, to set Essex back on course. Coles got his revenge by bowling the New Zealander with his last delivery and then Mahmood bowled James Foster, but with six needed off the last over Essex were once again favourites.Mahmood conceded a leg-side wide in the final over and, with nine of his fielders in the ring, could not prevent Tim Phillips from hitting the winning boundary.Batting first after winning the toss, Kent lost makeshift opener James Hockley in the fourth over when, in aiming to flick a leg-side wide Styris, he over-balanced and dragged his back foot allowing Foster to whip off the bails for a sharp stumping.Acting Kent captain Martin van Jaarsveld, their top-scorer in this season’s t20, had reached only three when he mistimed a lofted drive against Styris to clip a simple catch to midwicket and make it 41 for 2.Two run outs then left Kent deep in trouble at 73 for 4, 12 overs into their innings. Geraint Jones (11) was first to go after being called through for a suicidal single to Walker at mid-off.Four runs later Denly (35) also gifted away his wicket with foolish running. Having turned the ball firmly into the covers he pushed off only to be sent back by non-striker Darren Stevens, and finished well short of his ground once the throw from Styris arrived.Fresh from his success with England Lions, Stevens then teamed up with Alex Blake (17) to add 53 in 4.3 overs before Blake holed out to long-off against Chris Wright, who caused most problems with his slow-ball bouncer.Allrounder Azhar Mahmood (eight) nicked a Bopara long-hop to the keeper but with Stevens in full flight Kent added 91 in their final seven overs at 13 an over, Stevens finishing unbeaten on a 26-ball 50 with eight fours.

Sussex captain will be without Jofra Archer due to England’s T20Is against Australia

Matt Roller05-Sep-2024Tymal Mills’ delight at leading Sussex to Finals Day in his first season as their T20 captain was tempered by his frustration that Jofra Archer will be unavailable, due to a scheduling clash that he described as “pretty stupid” and “a real shame”.Blast Finals Day – which sees the two semi-finals and the final played back-to-back-to-back at Edgbaston – will be staged on September 14, with England playing the second and third T20Is of their series against Australia on September 13 and 15. The ECB is working through scenarios but players will only be released if they are not required for the final two T20Is.”As far as I’m aware, no England players will be available – which is pretty stupid, to be honest,” Mills said after captaining Sussex to an eight-wicket win over Lancashire in Wednesday night’s quarter-final at Hove, in which Archer took 2 for 20. “Obviously no England players will be there from any side, but it is a real shame for us to lose a player like Jof. Whoever comes in for him will have big boots to fill.”Surrey, who beat Durham at The Oval on Tuesday, will be worst affected, with Jamie Overton called up by England as injury cover on Thursday and joining Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Reece Topley in the T20I squad. They are waiting for confirmation of the availability of their four Test players: Gus Atkinson, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith.Dan Mousley and Jacob Bethell, the uncapped allrounders, are also in England’s T20I squad. “I know Warwickshire will be without Mousley and Bethell – two of their better players – if they beat Gloucestershire on Friday,” Mills said. “It’s disappointing. This is a big day of the year and you’d like your best players there.”For us, it hurts us a lot, because you take Jofra Archer out of your team and it is a huge loss. Other counties – Surrey, for example – can maybe cover their losses a bit better than what we can, but it is what it is. The XI that’s taking the field on the 14th will have to step up. But I’m sure you won’t find many people that will agree with the schedule and say, ‘Yeah, it’s great.'”Surrey will be without Sam Curran on T20 Finals Day•Harry Trump/Getty Images

The Blast’s quarter-finals took place more than six weeks after the end of the group stage, which Kent captain Sam Billings branded “ridiculous” earlier this year. But many counties prefer a long gap as it allows them a bigger window to sell tickets, with a record quarter-final crowd at The Oval on Tuesday and a sellout at Hove on Wednesday.Sussex have thrived under Mills’ leadership this year. They missed out on the quarter-finals under Ravi Bopara’s captaincy in 2023, but have won 10 out of 15 games this season. Daniel Hughes, their Australian overseas player, is the Blast’s leading run-scorer, Mills himself is the third-highest wicket-taker and James Coles has enjoyed a fine all-round season.”I love the club,” Mills said. “This is my 10th year now, and I don’t just want to waste my last few years ticking over and then ride off into the sunset without anything to show for it. I put myself forward for the captaincy when Ravi left… I could have gone elsewhere at some point over the last few years and gone to a bigger club but I live here and this is where I want to be.”I’ve never even captained in a club game before, but I’ve really loved it. I’ve always been a senior player and I like to think about the game a lot: I don’t just stand at fine leg, look at the sky and twiddle my thumbs… One thing I’ve learned is just to trust your gut. There were a couple of times when I’ve got a little bit defensive with fields or bowling changes, and it comes back to haunt you.Related

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“I take T20 cricket very seriously, because it’s all I do, whereas I felt maybe as a club, there were players that maybe didn’t quite take it as seriously – which is hard, when guys are playing all formats. I’m 32 now. I’m not going to be playing forever. I want to win as many games as I can and nothing would mean more to me than winning [the Blast] for Sussex.”Mills has been particularly pleased at Sussex’s aggression with the bat, having reached 200 in five out of seven innings while batting first. “We’re playing positive, entertaining cricket,” he said. “We were poor here [at Hove] for the last few years, and our record here has really improved. I’m really proud of everything that the coaching staff and the players have done to get this far.”First of all, you want to get out of the group. We did that, and to win a knockout game against a very experienced and talented Lancashire side was obviously really pleasing as well. We’ll wait to see who we will play at Edgbaston next Saturday, but we’ll turn up expecting to win. That’s the attitude now that the team have.”

Women’s team to face South Africa for the first time in a four-day Test; West Indies come visiting as well

ESPNcricinfo Staff and AAP14-May-2023Test cricket will return to the WACA in Perth, with the Australia women’s team set to face South Africa for the first time in the format as part of their multi-format series early in 2024.It will be one of three Tests Australia will play in nine months following the Ashes encounter in June and one on the multi-format tour of India set for December and January. However, unlike the five-day Ashes Test, the match against South Africa will be over four days.Cricket Australia (CA) announced the home fixtures for the 2023-24 season on Sunday, which sees Pakistan men visit for three Tests, including the traditional Melbourne and Sydney fixtures, while both West Indies men’s and women’s sides will feature.West Indies men are touring in consecutive seasons due to a quirk in the next FTP, with their Tests taking place in Adelaide, which will revert to a day game for one season, and then Brisbane which will host a day-night encounter.Australia men’s home summer schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The men’s Test summer stretches deep into January next season due to the 2023 ODI World Cup then a five-match T20I series tacked on afterwards, meaning Australia won’t return home until early December. However, the T20 and Test teams are likely to look very different.Their summer begins with the first Test against Pakistan in Perth from December 14, before the teams meet in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the New Year’s Test at the SCG.Adelaide will host a red-ball Test against West Indies from January 17, before a day-night Test at the Gabba from January 25. It means all Tests will fall in the holiday period.White-ball players will be available for the entire men’s BBL, before they enter camp for three ODIs and three T20s against West Indies between February 2 and 13.But the opening of the international season risks being completely overshadowed by the National Rugby League (NRL), with the first match scheduled for Sydney on grand final day with Australia’s women playing West Indies in a T20I at North Sydney Oval on October 1.That game will finish only hours before the NRL grand final, asking fans to choose which event to attend and viewers to switch off rugby league’s grand final lead-up games.CA takes the view that in a cluttered schedule, a Sunday start in Sydney is the right way to go, hopeful they can benefit from Channel Seven promoting the match during the AFL grand final the previous day.They are also adamant October 1 should be the start of the cricket season, that scheduling clashes with other sports are inevitable and that their world champion women’s team can win out.But privately there are concerns from some over the significant challenges the sport will face promoting the T20 match in Sydney, with a second game to be played the day after the grand final.Australia women’s summer schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Australia vice-captain Alyssa Healy was hopeful the situation would not impact crowds while acknowledging there could be some hurdles to overcome in drawing fans.”It could be [a problem], maybe we might get washed out a little bit in that,” Healy told AAP. “But in saying that, it’s the start of the cricket summer. So hopefully that is spoken about that week.”Yes, the headlines will be dominated by AFL and NRL, but they are anyway. Come and watch some world-class athletes do their thing at North Sydney if the NRL is not your thing. I don’t think we need to compete against the NRL grand final, we can work around it.”It is not the first time concerns have been raised around the scheduling of women’s fixtures.Players were unhappy when they were switched to play on January 26 last summer, with Indigenous woman Ashleigh Gardner vocalising her opposition to the decision.Another match in the same series, against Pakistan at North Sydney Oval, clashed with the Sydney Smash in the BBL.There is some good news for the women in the upcoming fixtures, however. After three T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies early in the summer, they host a multi-format series against South Africa in January and February.Included is a day-night ODI at a major venue, Adelaide Oval, on February 3, followed by the Test on the pacy WACA wicket from February 15.

Loss in 2017 final not important, “right now it’s all about momentum and that’s on our side,” she says of taking on England

Vishal Dikshit15-Mar-2022An ODI average of under 28 between the two World Cups in 2017 and 2022, but an imposing average of 53 in the 18 World Cup innings she has played so far tell the story of a player who steps up on the big stage.Harmanpreet Kaur had been under pressure before the ongoing World Cup because of a severe lack of runs since the 2017 ODI World Cup, giving an impression that she had been given a long rope because of that epochal 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 semi-final.Related

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But crucial knocks of 109 and 71 against West Indies and New Zealand, respectively, have served a reminder of the value she adds to India’s middle order.”Big tournaments are very important and your role is more important, you need to take more responsibility and perform for your team. Maybe that’s the reason [I do well in World Cups],” she said a day before India’s game against England in Mount Maunganui. “I always want to give my best for the team but sometimes, things don’t go your way. But I’ll make sure whenever we play the World Cup, I’ll be there for my team.”As opposed to her career batting average of 35.17, Harmanpreet averages a whopping 53.07 in ODI World Cups and has struck three of her four centuries in the format in world tournaments, her World Cup runs coming at a strike rate to 97. In fact, many of the highlights from her ODI career have come in World Cups. ODI debut – 2009 World Cup. Maiden ODI century –
2013 World Cup against England. Her only Player-of-the-Match award in the format – the 2017 World Cup semi-final, of course.Smriti Mandhana, who was involved in a record partnership of 184 with Harmanpreet against West Indies, scoring a century of her own, had said Harmanpreet brought out her “best” self when “her back is towards the wall”.Harmanpreet agreed that backing herself was the key to playing such big innings. “Sometimes, I just need to back myself and that’s what I’ve been doing, like before this West Indies game, and the New Zealand game,” she said. “When I bat with Smriti and someone who is already settled, it’s always easy for me to settle there and that’s what I enjoyed the other day.”Harmanpreet warmed up for the ongoing World Cup with a knock of 104 off 114 balls against South Africa, after she had scored a brisk 63 off 66 against New Zealand in the final ODI of the bilateral series.”The greatest thing was before the World Cup, we got a five-ODI series against New Zealand, and one T20,” she said. “Because of that, we got that momentum and got used to these conditions, and that is the reason which is helping us perform well.”Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana put together the best partnership for India in World Cups in the game against West Indies•ICC via Getty Images

With two wins from three games, India now take on defending champions England, who are in danger of crashing out early after three losses in a row. England had beaten India in the 2017 World Cup final by just nine runs, but Harmanpreet said India were focusing on current form instead of past results.”If we talk all over, we started that [2017] World Cup by beating England [in the league stage],” she pointed out. “And we can’t just focus on past performances. They had played good cricket [in the 2017 final] but right now, it’s all about momentum, and that’s on our side. We want to focus on our strengths. Past is history and if we focus too much on that, we’ll add to our own pressure. We want to live in the present and focus on the good things we’ve done rather than think about past results.”The only aspect of India’s game that Harmanpreet was wary of was losing wickets in clusters, which has happened consistently. They were 112 for 5 against Pakistan, 95 for 5 against New Zealand, and 78 for 3 against West Indies, before the lower-middle order rescued them.”Sometimes, we are losing back-to-back wickets and if we can work on that… otherwise, things are the way we want them,” she said. “Now is the time we just need to stay relaxed and enjoy the situation, because sometimes, that helps you perform better.”