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“Let’s see what the future holds,” Narine said after the match when asked if he’d reconsider his decision to retire

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-20243:22

Powell: ‘Tried to take down KKR’s main bowler Narine’

Is Sunil Narine being coaxed into coming out of international retirement for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA that follows IPL 2024?Three nights ago, Narine, who had announced his international retirement in November 2023, was certain he’d be watching the tournament from home. But on Tuesday night, after hitting a magnificent century to power Kolkata Knight Riders to 223 for 6, Narine gave an inkling of that stance changing.”It is what it is, but let’s see what the future holds,” Narine, said after the match, when asked if he’d reconsider his decision to retire.Related

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After the match, Rovman Powell, West Indies’ T20I captain, revealed he’d been trying to change Narine’s mind through every channel possible.”For the last 12 months, I’ve been whispering in his (Narine’s) ears, but he’s blocked out everyone,” Powell said when asked about trying to convince Narine to reverse his decision. “I’ve asked [Kieron] Pollard, [Dwayne] Bravo, [Nicholas] Pooran. Hopefully, before they select the team, they can crack his code.”Powell himself was a key contributor to Rajasthan Royals’ chase, hitting 26 off 13 balls. He came into his own in the 17th over, when he took apart Narine for a four and two back-to-back sixes in a 16-run over that left Royals needing 46 off the last three.They eventually got home off the last delivery when Jos Buttler, who struck his second century of the competition, heaved Varun Chakravarthy into the leg side with the scores level.Powell was one of Royals’ big-ticket auction signings at INR 7.4 crore, but opportunities have been limited. Tuesday’s game at the Eden Gardens was just his second outing with the bat this season, but he was all praise for the team management.Rovman Powell played a crucial role in Rajasthan Royals’ win•AFP/Getty Images

“The morale in the team is very good, even when I am not playing the communication has been very good and as an international player, I really appreciate when the communication is precise and clear,” he said. “The guys are in good space and long may that continue.”Powell was also asked tongue-in-cheek if he’d been whispering into Kumar Sangakkara’s [director of cricket] ear about a batting promotion.”I told them, ‘hey, I bat at No. 4 or 5 for West Indies and if you think West Indies is a good T20 side, then you can push me up the order,” he said with a smile. “We have got a few days off now and I will keep ringing it in their (the management) ears.”Powell likened the emotions at the end to that of a roller-coaster ride as Royals pulled off IPL’s highest successful chase. He also revealed he went out to bat with not set plans of taking down spin, and was merely reacting to the situation.”The emotions are all over the place at the moment,” he said. “I didn’t plan to take on Sunil, I knew he’s their best bowler, but when it comes down to 80 off 30, you have to take your chances. I backed my strengths, took my chances and came off today.”

McAndrew’s maiden 10-wicket haul and McSweeney’s scores of 64 and 100 helped South Australia to a 186-run win

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2023Nathan McAndrew and Nathan McSweeney have propelled South Australia to a commanding 186-run win that extends New South Wales’ winless streak in the Sheffield Shield.McAndrew produced the most dominant individual bowling performance of the competition so far this season, taking two five-wicket hauls including 5 for 19 in the second innings that restricted the Blues to totals of 183 and 136 at Adelaide Oval. It marked the first time the New South Wales’-born paceman, 30, had taken 10 wickets in a first-class match.It wasn’t enough to claim player of the match honours though with McSweeney rewarded for his superb batting display, making 64 and 100 in a low-scoring match where only three players passed 50. The next highest score in the match was just 58 from Daniel Hughes. No other South Australia batted passed 33 in either innings.McAndrew began the final day with nine wickets already to his name in the match having ripped through the Blues late on day three, taking 4 for 19, as the visitors slumped to 99 for 6 chasing 323 runs for victory in the fourth innings.But there was a chance his 10th wicket would not come. He was strangely not used by captain Jake Lehmann in the first seven overs of the day as Blues duo Jack Edwards and Jack Nisbet added 25 runs for the seventh wicket before Conway broke through.McAndrew was called on from the other end and bowled a maiden first up but Conway added another wicket to his tally in the following over as Edwards pulled one straight down fine leg’s throat. McAndrew bowled another maiden before Conway removed Chris Tremain to grab a fourth wicket for the innings and leave New South Wales nine-down.But McAndrew was able to his 10th with Jackson Bird caught in the gully as the Blues were bowled out for 136.

Ramesh Mendis’ five-for could not prevent Pakistan from racking up 461 after struggling at 101 for 5

Madushka Balasuriya18-Jul-2023
Pakistan’s first five wickets cost 101, and their next five amassed 360. Of that Saud Shakeel accumulated 208. He would end the innings unbeaten, having frustrated, pummelled and ground down Sri Lanka, and in the process put Pakistan in total control at the end of the third day’s play in Galle. The visitors would eventually be bowled out for 461, having batted on for 121.2 overs – no mean feat in Galle – with Ramesh Mendis picking up the fifth five-wicket haul of his career.Sri Lanka’s batters saw out 20 minutes of play at the end, without loss; though the real business will start tomorrow, when an already fractured wicket will likely break down even further. But as for today, it belonged to Shakeel through and through. In fact, such was his dominance that after a point Sri Lanka simply stopped trying to get him out, with much of the afternoon and post-tea sessions resembling a glorified net session as Sri Lanka allowed him to freely turn over the strike to the tailender at the other end, who offered valiant support.Shakeel’s innings could be broken down into two parts: before and after Agha Salman. Sri Lanka felt the pinch while Agha was at the crease, as the pair rattled along at nearly five runs an over; with their partnership of 177 scooting at 4.96 per over.Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman put together 177 runs for the sixth wicket•AFP/Getty Images

During this period, Shakeel was completely in his element, working singles with ease, never searching for the boundary but graciously accepting any when the opportunities came around. In Agha, he had a like-minded partner at the other end, one who was equally adept at rotating strike and finding the ropes.Together they tormented Sri Lanka’s bowlers, especially their primary weapon, Prabath Jayasuriya, who racked up 145 runs in his 35 overs – well above his Test career economy rate of 2.93. While Agha utilised the sweep to great effect, Shakeel used his feet, either coming down the track or using the depths of the crease. Neither batter allowed Jayasuriya to settle into the lines and lengths that have devastated other visiting batters. The left-right combo aided them further in wearing down the Lankan bowlers.But when Agha fell, going for an ill-fated charge against Mendis only to find himself well out his crease and stumped, Shakeel began to show the other side of his game, one characterised by resilience and solidity that Sri Lanka just could not find a way past. He strung together partnerships of 52, 16, 94, and 21 for the final four wickets.But that’s not to say there weren’t chances – two came by, in fact. The first was when Shakeel was on 93, as he sought to work a length ball from Ramesh, around the corner. But the fielder at backward short leg, who didn’t have to move, spilt a low grab. The ball not sticking in the hand indicated that it was Shakeel’s day after all.Naseem Shah and Saud Shakeel hung in for a 94-run stand•AFP/Getty Images

The second was Angelo Mathews grassing a dolly at deep midwicket. If the first was a genuine mistake coaxed out of the batter, this was Shakeel at his most carefree, looking to up the scoring rate with a big slog sweep. He was on 139, with Naseem Shah for company, their partnership worth just 13 at the time. Shakeel would spend a couple of hours, shielding Naseem from the strike and inching Pakistan’s lead forward. Of the pair’s 94-run stand, Naseem scored just six runs.During that period, it seemed Shakeel and Pakistan would bat for as long as they wished, as the Lankan bowlers wilted in the face of the batters’ endurance. Naseem had an lbw call overturned and was beaten once or twice on the outside edge, but aside from that he was sturdy in defence. Shakeel would bat out the first four deliveries of an over, time and again before turning over the strike on the fifth delivery – no field placement was good enough to contain him.It was only once Naseem fell, castled by one that was tossed up and dipping from Mendis, that Sri Lanka felt the end was nigh. There were a few lusty blows from the last man Abrar Ahmed – and Shakeel, too, joined in to reach his double ton with a carve through point. Abrar would eventually hole out to Mathews, who completed a good catch running the boundary at long leg.But by then the pitch had started spitting and Sri Lanka were 149 in the red – at Galle that can be a death sentence. Sri Lanka’s batters will know they have an uphill task ahead of them tomorrow if they’re to save this Test, let alone win it.

Is England’s new approach genius or confidence trick? It may be both, but buckle up anyway

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Jun-2022

Big picture

In episode 20, season one of cult TV hit some of the Bluth Company assets are unfrozen leading to Michael, head and signatory by virtue of being the only competent Bluth, fielding requests for cash from various family members. At the end of his tether by the time his brother, Gob, and brother-in-law, Tobias, get to him, he suggests the pair come up with a business proposal to earn their money.Gob and Tobias retreat to a local coffee shop for a brainstorming session that goes nowhere. But as they go to leave, Michael walks in and, before they tell him of their fruitless conversation, he commends them for their initiative as he had always been interested in opening a coffee shop. They say nothing in response, and slowly back out of the shop, wary of ruining the perception they a) have a plan, and b) know how to pull it off. A bluff that lasts barely a week when all they managed to come up with is the name – “Gobias”. As in, “go buy us” a coffee.We are probably not at that stage with “Bazball” just yet. But as remarkable as the men’s Test team have been these last two weeks, it’s hard not to shake the feeling its veneration, perhaps even the ethos itself, has been bestowed upon them without a thorough idea of what it actually entails. And as much as the players can talk up the cleansing powers of Brendon McCullum and the contagious brilliance of Ben Stokes, the cynics are still wondering if this emperor has simply gone on a spending spree.As such, Headingley provides as much of an opportunity to reinforce the method behind the mantra or pull at a rogue thread on the invisible garment. The trick for England is to react calmly whatever the result: not get too full of of themselves with a 3-0 win, and keep faith in these principles even if New Zealand get on the board – two things previous iterations of this England team have not done exactly done well.For now there remains a humility within the squad that there is more learning to be done. They know the adrenalin shot of a Stokes-Bairstow partnership won’t always come off, or that chasing down scores of 299 inside 50 overs of the final day means all the ills of the last few years have been cured.Ben Stokes tees off in the nets ahead of the third Test•PA Images via Getty Images

Training on the final day was no less serious with a series won. And it was particularly noteworthy that Harry Brook, who won’t have the glory of a home debut, peppered all parts of Headingley during his net session, much to the enjoyment of managing director Rob Key, who was at the ground after making his way up yesterday. Those on the periphery are keen to adopt the new way, and it will be interesting to see how much of that filters through as it did with the white-ball revolution seven years earlier.By contrast, New Zealand’s practice was far more jovial in a bid to lift spirits after what has been a taxing few weeks. Along with the defeats has been the jeopardy of waking up every morning to some kind of Covid news.Thankfully for all concerned, it seems they are through the storm. Kane Williamson, fit and present, focussed on two good games for the neutral but will no doubt to be keen to make up for time spent in his hotel room during the second Test.Related

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In many ways, there is no better venue to follow on from the high of Trent Bridge. They do good Test matches up in Leeds, most obviously the blockbuster against Australia in 2019, which happened to be Stokes’ last game here for his country. A mental-health break last summer meant he missed the innings-and-76-run victory against India in 2021 – the team’s only success in 17 attempts until the start of this summer. This is a place of comfort for English cricket. Or at least it used to be.The cloud of the racism scandal engulfing Yorkshire County Cricket Club got an extra burst of smog last week when the ECB announced that the club and several of its current and former players will face charges following the conclusion of the board’s investigations. Those cases will be heard by the Cricket Discipline Commission panel in September and October, but the fact this Test remains here will be a sour note for many. It was back in November that the ECB suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches given their appalling handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.Those sanctions were lifted in March – a move welcomed by Rafiq. But the change the ECB wished to see has been slow and by no means steady. In a week to be celebrated, there is a sense those involved with the club, both at the time of the scandal and now, are praying the match passes as quietly and quickly as possible.

In the spotlight

An environment of celebrating wins is kept ticking along day-to-day by the bonhomie of celebrating other people’s successes. And so far 11 of the 12 players who have turned out for England in this series have had something to take home and frame. Zak Crawley, though, remains uncelebrated. The only batter to have not registered at least one half-century – a 43 in the first innings at Lord’s his highest score so far – Crawley is nursing an average of 14 that puts him below James Anderson (16) and well adrift of his opening partner, Alex Lees (39).There cannot be a much worse feeling than that of a failing batter in a successful team. The added sour taste for Crawley is that, of the openers picked in the last few years, he is the most perfect fit for what this side are trying to be about. There’s an argument to be made that he got out to the two best deliveries sent down by Trent Boult, New Zealand’s best bowler, in the second Test. But that will only console him so far. The of this England set-up is to give people opportunities to come good. As is always the case for anyone searching for form, the best time to find it is the present.On the other side of the fence, Kane Williamson finds himself in the unique position of being doubted. Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull, currently working for Sky out in the Netherlands, stated his belief Williamson should walk away from the captaincy to prolong his status as the nation’s best batter. When the thought was put to Williamson, it was typically met with the softest of straight bats: “The picture of leadership in this side is something I’m very passionate about”. He then went a bit cryptic, talking of “a number of leaders in this team that share that passion to take steps forward and become a better side”. Whatever he decides, and whenever he decides, his body language and tactics will be under the microscope to monitor any lapses in “desire” for the job. Throw into the fact he has just one century and one fifty since the start of 2021 – albeit from nine innings, and with 238 at the start of that sequence – you’ve got the makings of quite the narrative.

Team news

Ben Stokes made it a hat-trick of announcing the team 24 hours in advance. There is just one change, though not for the captain who pulled through in good spirits after a few days of an undisclosed illness. Jamie Overton will make his international debut as a replacement for James Anderson who has reported discomfort in his ankle. It is believed that, if push came to shove, Anderson could have turned out, though the opportunity to see Overton crank it up and give Anderson a few days off ahead of facing India at Edgbaston next week made it an easy decision to take.England: 1 Alex Lees, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Matthew Potts, 9 Jamie Overton, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Stuart BroadNeil Wagner has put his hand up for selection•PA Images via Getty Images

Williamson confirmed a squad of 13 a day out, which is the touring party minus its newest additions Dane Cleaver and Blair Tickner. His return is likely to be in place for Michael Bracewell, and it looks like we will finally get a sight of Neil Wagner on this tour as he comes in to replace the injured Kyle Jamieson. One particular sticking point may be the need for a spinner, given how the pitch looks like it will play, which could bring Ajaz Patel back into the reckoning as the superior spinner, even after bowling just two overs in the Test he played at Lord’s.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Devon Conway, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Tom Blundell (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Matt Henry/Ajaz Patel, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The rains expected over the weekend are probably not going to be enough to guarantee this game will go to five days. But the look of the pitch – the beigest so far this series – a day out suggests it will require a decent amount of graft from the bowlers to prise 20 wickets. England chose to bowl first at Trent Bridge last week and conceded 553, and though that worked out fine in the end, it’s probably not an approach they’ll look to take again.

Stats and trivia

• Stokes is one six away from 100 in Test cricket. Should he hit eight, as he did in his brain-melting 135 not out against Australia here three years ago, he will go level at the top with his coach McCullum (108)
• England have the opportunity to sweep a team in a multi-match series at home for the first time since 2013, when they won both matches of their series also against New Zealand. Their previous wash of any kind came in the 2-0 win away to Sri Lanka at the start of 2021.

Quotes

“For me, my message is clear and simple: let’s try to progress from that. It’s hard to put into words how we do that this week, but I said this week let’s feel like we’re in the entertainment business and not the sports business. That’s the only real way I could put into simple terms for everyone.”
Ben Stokes wants his side to go bigger, again“There’s a lot of pride in that changing room from some of the performances we’ve put out over the last few years. If we’re fair we probably haven’t been at the standards we want to be as a group, it’s nice to have one game to go out and play like we know we can.”


Trent Boult believes New Zealand can remind people how good they are and why they are World Test champions

They have rested Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025Toss India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat against Oman in the last league fixture of the Asia Cup, in Abu Dhabi. With this being a dead rubber – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have qualified for the Super Four – India experimented with their combination, resting their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. They handed Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh their first games of the tournament.With Abu Dhabi less conducive to spin than Dubai in recent times, India fielded just two specialist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel though Abhishek Sharma can also pitch in with left-arm spin, if needed. Arshdeep, who returned to the XI, is on the brink of a milestone: he is just one strike away from 100 T20I wickets. He is set to become the first Indian to the landmark.Suryakumar explained that India chose to bat to test their depth. “We’ve not batted [first] in this competition and we want to know our depth. having game-time is important going into Super Fours,” he said.Oman also made two changes, with Zikira Islam and Mohammad Nadeem coming in for Wasim Ali and Hassnain Shah.Oman captain Jatinder said his team lacked experience and exposure at this level and were keen to compete against India. This is the first international game between Oman and India.India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav.Oman: 1 Aamir Kaleem, 2 Jatinder Singh (capt), 3 Hammad Mirza, 4 Vinayak Shukla (wk), 5 Shah Faisal, 6 Zikria Islam, 7 Aryan Bisht, 8 Mohammad Nadeem, 9 Shakeel Ahmed, 10 Samay Shrivastava, 11 Jiten Ramanandi.