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Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and over 55,000 have already been sold

Matt Roller08-Mar-20232:25

Where do you see women’s cricket in five years?

One hundred days before the start of the 2023 Women’s Ashes, England Women are set to attract record crowds this summer.Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and ESPNcricinfo understands that over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England’s home fixtures. The Ashes, a multi-format series, start with the Test match at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by white-ball fixtures from July 1-18, while Sri Lanka will tour for six white-ball matches in September.The sales figures mean that England are already guaranteed a record-breaking total attendance this summer, having attracted around 50,000 fans to series against South Africa and India in 2022.England will play at some of the country’s biggest stadia in 2023. Ticket sales for the Ashes T20Is at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord’s are internally considered a major priority by the ECB, who have made a point of marketing the women’s series alongside the men’s.Warwickshire announced last week that they have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Edgbaston T20I, which looks set to become the best-attended England Women’s home game outside of world events. The current record, set at Lord’s for last year’s India ODI, stands at 15,187.”It’s really exciting that we’ve sold so many tickets,” Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is playing for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, said. “You see it out here in the WPL and back home in the Hundred: a big crowd makes such a difference.”The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord’s or Edgbaston in an Ashes game is pretty cool. It’s what you grow up watching, so I’m really looking forward to that.”Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 9.

They haven’t won a Test against India in the last 21 years but the Queen’s Park Oval pitch could help them change that

Hemant Brar19-Jul-2023

Big picture

It’s a historic occasion. The second Test between West Indies and India, in Port-of-Spain, will be the 100th Test between the two teams. Of the 99 played so far, West Indies have won 30 and India 23, while 46 have been draws.In the last 21 years, however, West Indies have not managed a single win against India. Their previous victory came in 2002, when Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Player of the Match in the first Test of the current series, was not even five months old.Since then, the two sides have met 24 times, with India winning on 15 occasions and drawing on the other nine. Given how the first Test went – India winning by an innings and 141 runs – West Indies will have to put in a serious effort to end that streak.Related

• Secret to Kohli's longevity? 'A lot of hard work and sacrifices,' says Dravid

• Dravid lauds youngsters for performing 'straightaway' in India's transition

Having said that, this could be one of their better chances to do so. The pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval has been, traditionally, conducive to fast bowling, and West Indies have a far more experienced seam-bowling attack in this series.Neither West Indies nor India play another Test for the next five months at least. So both teams will be looking to make the most of this opportunity, apart from pocketing some World Test Championship points. West Indies will be looking to achieve some stability with the bat, and India will hope that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan spend a considerable time in the middle.

Form guide

West Indies LLLWD (last five Tests, most recent first)
India WLDLW

In the spotlight

The world first took notice of Alick Athanaze when he topped the runs chart at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Last month, against UAE, he smashed the joint-fastest fifty by a batter on ODI debut. Then on his Test debut last week, against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and a turning track, he showed he had the temperament for the long format as well. With wickets tumbling at the other end, he top-scored for West Indies in each innings with knocks of 47 and 28. Ian Bishop said he could be “a leading light in the years to come”, and West Indies will hope he proves Bishop right.In Dominica, Athanaze was impressive on a pitch that offered turn and bounce to spinners•Associated Press

At the same U-19 World Cup where Athanaze was the leading run-scorer, Shubman Gill was second on the list, and was named the Player of the Tournament. While it took Athanaze five years to make his international debut, Gill is already seen as the heir apparent to Virat Kohli. In the first Test, by asking to be moved down to No. 3, he took another step in that direction – experts believe the middle order is his natural home. But a failure in India’s only innings in Dominica meant he now averages 31.96 after 17 Tests. The good thing is he has all the time in the world and the backing of the team management.

Team news

With Raymon Reifer out of the squad, left-hand batter Kirk McKenzie could be in line for a debut. West Indies may also be tempted to bring in Shannon Gabriel for either Jomel Warrican or Rahkeem Cornwall. Meanwhile, uncapped offspin-bowling allrounder Kevin Sinclair will be on standby as a like-for-like replacement for Cornwall in case the latter is yet to fully recover from his chest infection.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Jermaine Blackwood, 5 Kirk McKenzie, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Rahkeem Cornwall/Kevin Sinclair, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel/Jomel WarricanTwo days out from the Test, India captain Rohit Sharma said he was not looking to make “any drastic changes”. He also backed Ishan Kishan, saying he was “very impressed” with the wicketkeeper’s glovework. So it will not be a surprise if India field an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Ishan Kishan (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions

While the Queen’s Park Oval has not hosted a Test since 2018, fast bowlers have always enjoyed the conditions here, registering a much better average (27.39) and strike rate (61.0) as compared to spinners (36.57 and 88.7). Rain is forecast on all five days of the Test, though.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli (8555) needs 32 runs to go past Virender Sehwag’s Test tally of 8586. Among Indians, only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and VVS Laxman have more Test runs.
• Ashwin is 14 short of 500 Test wickets.
• In Dominica, Athanaze became only the second West Indies batter to top-score in each innings of his Test debut. The first was Lawrence Rowe, who scored 214 and 100 not out against New Zealand at Sabina Park in 1972.
• India have won three of their 13 Tests at Queen’s Park Oval. Another win here will make it their joint-most-successful overseas Test venue alongside the MCG.
• England and Australia are the other two teams West Indies and India have met India 100 times in Tests.

Babar (107) and Salman (58) excelled with the bat before Usama Mir’s ODI best stopped NZ well short

Danyal Rasool05-May-2023After a somewhat off-colour performance where Pakistan allowed New Zealand to get close to them, this was back to business for the hosts. A century from Babar Azam – his 18th in ODIs – helped Pakistan post an intimidating 334 for 6 after being put in to bat.It was then up to the bowlers, who were at their ruthless best, to shut New Zealand out. The game as a contest was over well before the final wicket fell and New Zealand folded for 232, putting Pakistan up 4-0 in the five-match series and at the top of the ICC rankings for ODI teams in the process.From the moment the chase began, it was apparent that keeping up with the asking rate would be a problem for New Zealand. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf were metronomically accurate and fearsomely fast in the powerplay, and Will Young and Tom Blundell are not natural aggressors. The two fell within two overs of each other after a sedate start.Both were, to their credit, dismissed seeking boundaries their side desperately needed. Mohammad Wasim struck off his first ball, with Young spooning it high into the night sky for a straightforward catch, before Blundell failed to get elevation on a drive off Rauf, the ball heading straight to Iftikhar Ahmed in the covers.The period of stagnation through the third-wicket stand that followed, between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, was probably what ultimately did New Zealand’s chances. A total of 83 painstaking runs were scored at a rate under five, but the asking rate had climbed to around 8.50 by then. Usama Mir – who did his World Cup chances no harm with an excellent display deputising for Shadab Khan – drew Mitchell into a stroke that caused his downfall.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The stand between Latham and Mark Chapman, which followed, was New Zealand’s brightest passage, as Chapman dispensed with all conservatism. The two put on 55 in 43 balls with Chapman taking the lead, smashing Iftikhar and Agha Salman out of the attack with 34 in three overs.But the fast bowlers returned, and Afridi cleaned up Latham yet again for a well-made, if less than explosive, 76-ball 60. Chapman continued to flay the bowling, but a quicker one from Mir saw his stumps knocked back for a 33-ball 46. Thereafter, New Zealand’s resistance melted away. Mir helped himself to a couple more wickets to register career-best figures of 4 for 43, and Pakistan secured a 102-run win.Earlier, another Babar hundred helped Pakistan to a total that always looked well beyond New Zealand. Across an innings where he also became the quickest player to 5000 ODI runs, the batters – especially Babar and Salman – were in control for the most part on a flat pitch. However, New Zealand, spearheaded by Matt Henry, punctured Pakistan regularly enough to ensure the total wouldn’t completely get out of hand. Some late Mohammad Haris and Afridi fireworks ensured that the platform Pakistan’s middle order had set would lead to a big enough total.Pakistan rung the changes in after sealing the series already, and Shan Masood – who replaced Imam-ul-Haq – guided Pakistan through the powerplay with characteristic ease after Henry removed Fakhar Zaman early with a similar delivery to the one that got him the previous game, the back-of-a-length ball miscued high into the air.The innings continued to cruise on autopilot through a 50-run, ten-over stand between Masood and Babar, before sharp work behind the stumps from Blundell saw Masood fall to Ish Sodhi. With Pakistan’s reliance on the top order well-known, the fall of Mohammad Rizwan after a Henry direct-hit caught him short would’ve given Pakistan the wobbles. But in that moment of slight adversity, Salman rose magnificently.Usama Mir registered career-best figures of 4 for 43•AFP/Getty Images

Exquisite with the sweep and reverse sweep, as well as commanding in his use of footwork, Salman cranked through the gears to put New Zealand on the back foot again. With a straight six off Cole McConchie, he brought up a 40-ball half-century as well as the hundred partnership between him and Babar.Babar had blended into the background but he still eased past 50, as he usually does in ODIs. By the time Henry pouched a stunning return catch to dismiss Salman, Babar was just 12 away from his century, and content to let Iftikhar lead.Iftikhar assembled an entertaining cameo – 28 off 22 – before Babar tickled one through the off side to bring up his century in 113 balls. When Babar holed out to deep midwicket to give Ben Lister his first wicket on ODI debut, Pakistan had got stuck somewhat, with two overs to go and still not past 300.Wasim and Shaheen remedied, plundering 38 off the final two overs, also making compelling cases to bat higher up. The four sixes and two fours between them meant they had done enough to break New Zealand’s spirits. In reality, Pakistan’s bowling demonstrated the Afridi-Wasim cameos merely added flourish to what was a near-guaranteed victory anyway.

Jeffrey Vandersay, who played his lone Test back in June 2022, has also been included

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2024Sri Lanka have named uncapped right-arm seamer Milan Rathnayake and fast-bowling allrounder Nisala Tharaka in an 18-member squad for the three-match Test series against England later this month.The squad also marks the return of Pathum Nissanka in the longest format. Nissanka made his Test debut in March 2021 but has not played a Test match since the middle of 2022, having since been displaced by Nishan Madushka at the top of the order.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who played his lone Test back in June 2022 against Australia, has also been brought back after an impressive showing in the second ODI against India where he picked a career-best 6 for 33.This is a first call-up for 33-year-old Tharaka, a veteran of 107 first-class games in which he has picked 257 wickets and scored 2358 runs with a highest score of 107. His most recent performance of significance was for Sri Lanka A against Afghanistan A in May when he took six wickets for 42 runs in the second innings.Rathnayake, 28, had been selected in Sri Lanka’s Test squad earlier, most recently for a one-off Test against Afghanistan but is yet to get a game. He has played 39 first-class matches and picked 79 wickets and also scored 633 runs with a highest score of 59. Rathnayake has been a consistent performer in the Sri Lanka A side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the side with Kusal Mendis as his deputy. Sri Lanka have gone with a pace-heavy squad which includes Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Tharaka and Ratnayake as the fast bowlers. Angelo Mathews, who has had occasional success with his seam bowling in England, is also in the squad.Vandersay, Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya are the main spin options. Ramesh and Jayasuriya have been Sri Lanka’s primary Test spinners over the past 18 months.Although many of the players named in this squad are currently involved in the ODI series against India, six Test specialists flew on Saturday to England to begin training. Vishwa also played three County Championship matches for Yorkshire as part of his own preparation.The first Test between Sri Lanka and England gets underway on August 21 in Manchester before the teams travel to Lord’s for the second Test on August 29. They will finish with the third Test at The Oval on September 6.

Sri Lanka squad for Tests vs England

Dhananjaya De Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vice-capt), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake

In Multan, WI knew they had to get their runs before the ball with their name on it came and they did that

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2025West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said that batters had to be brave and trust their plans to succeed on the difficult pitches in Multan, after they won the second of two Tests to level the series and also create a little bit of history. This 120-run victory was their first in Pakistan for 34 years.Brathwaite led by example. After being part of a collapse that left West Indies 38 for 7 in the first innings, he chose a far more aggressive approach in the second. In fact, he made his fastest fifty in Tests, consciously taking chances against the Pakistan spinners. This approach earned West Indies a lead of 254 and it proved plenty more than enough.”Both Test matches the pitch was tough to bat on and we knew that so as I said I just wanted us to be brave, to do whatever plans we have, to go there and execute them as good as possible, because regardless of what there will be a ball with your with your name on it on this pitch,” Brathwaite told reporters after the second Test in Multan on Monday.Related

• Wily Jomel Warrican learns on the go to undo Pakistan

• Noman Ali paying no heed to pitch criticism as second Test becomes 'a one-innings match'

• Brave Brathwaite and West Indies stand up to Multan demons

• Warrican bags five as West Indies win in Pakistan after 34 years

• Warrican dominates a series made for spinners in Multan

“I mean it was a difficult pitch to bat on so it was good to see the confidence we went about doing it and you know as I said very proud of this team.”It was just for the batsmen to be brave you know. I mean as batsmen, as I said everyone’s going to have their plans. Be brave in whatever you want to do as batsmen,” Brathwaite said about West Indies’ strategy. “Bowling wise bring forward the batsmen as much as possible and there will be 20 balls that you will get 20 wickets because as I said the pitch is a difficult pitch so there’s no second guessing.Brathwaite maintained that the pitch was “very, very difficult” but had no complaints about PCB preparing spinning tracks.”I would say Pakistan could prepare the pitch how they want. What I’ll say is batsman will not be averaging high on these pitches. You would average 15-20 and obviously the spinners will do well. and as I said it’s a difficult Test pitch to score runs. You’re going to get out regardless, it’s just a matter of when. So you know as batters we had to come up with a plan of how we want to score and put runs on the board.”Jomel Warrican finished the series as the leading wicket-taker•AFP/Getty Images

Brathwaite also heaped praise on Jomel Warrican. The left-arm spinner finished the series with 19 wickets – the most by a visiting bowler in a two-Test series in Pakistan.”Jomel was outstanding. To see how he went about his bowling and the pressure he built from from ball one, I mean it was amazing,” Brathwaite said.Warrican also put in a crucial contribution with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 36 in the first innings, with his 68-run stand for the last wicket with Gudakesh Motie key in reviving West Indies from being 38 for 7 after they won the toss and chose to bat.”With the bat you can’t count him out, I think he did a fantastic job with the bat as well. But bowling wise I know he’s worked hard over the years. He’s been in and out of the team but it’s good to see him get the chance and he grabbed it. very very proud of him uh he was outstanding.”West Indies’ triumph in Multan came almost exactly a year after Gabba 2024, and Brathwaite said it showed their ability to adapt to different conditions.”It’s a very important win for us it just shows that we can get it done in any conditions once we believe and always have a plan,” he said. “It’s right up there with some amazing Test wins because coming here, playing here in Pakistan, it’s never easy to win a test match you know so coming up with a win is fantastic.”

England have won their last seven T20Is against Sri Lanka, but they will be wary of the threat of Theekshana and Hasaranga on a worn pitch

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Nov-20223:28

Uthappa: England will want to know the target and chase

Big picture

With Afghanistan going down narrowly to Australia, Sri Lanka have no hope of making the semi-finals. New Zealand are already on seven points following their win against Ireland. Australia have now matched that tally.What Sri Lanka can do, however, is ruin England’s chances of progressing to the knockouts. This is must-win for England, thanks partly to washouts, but also to their having lost to Ireland earlier in the tournament.Related

• England win tactical tussle to prevent repeat of semi-final defeat

• Nawaz puts Sri Lanka's success down to 'losing less wickets during the powerplay'

• England hope to make better SCG World Cup memories, but Sri Lanka won't make it easy for them

The good news for them is that bad weather is not forecast for Sydney on Saturday (another washout would rule them out). The better news is that their net run rate is well clear of Australia’s, so all they need to do is win, by any margin. The even better news is that Sri Lanka have not beaten England since 2014. None of the likely Sri Lanka players have any memory of defeating England in a T20I. England have won their last seven encounters, spread over four countries.That England have firepower right through their batting order is well-known, but in this tournament, they’ve also showcased some excellent bowling variety. Despite having played only three matches because of the rain, Sam Curran has nine wickets, with an economy rate of 6.28. Mark Wood, the fastest bowler of this World Cup so far, has six wickets. Ben Stokes has four with an economy rate of 5.04.Although the bad losses to Australia and New Zealand put major dents in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign, a victory against England to finish will have them heading home upbeat. This is still a young team, and though they perhaps didn’t quite live up to their dark-horse billing, they will have salvaged something out of a rough tournament, in which they lost their best quicks very early, and have been pinballed around Australia more than most other teams.A loss leaves a different flavour; they’d have defeated only teams they were expected to beat (Netherlands, UAE, Ireland, Afghanistan). And that’s all after they lost to Namibia.

Form guide

England WLWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLWWLahiru Kumara’s pace could be a double-edged sword against England’s top order•Getty Images

In the spotlight

In the three matches he’s played at this tournament, Adil Rashid has been wicketless. He hasn’t bowled badly exactly – getting through his four overs nicely, and even going at only a run a ball against Ireland. He’s just not made a breakthrough, when perhaps you’d have expected him to be much more of a threat through the middle overs. He’s playing against one of his favourite opponents now, however. In seven matches against Sri Lanka, Rashid has nine wickets, and an economy rate of 5.91. Sri Lanka’s batters have become better at playing legspin recently, but on a worn Sydney pitch, Rashid may still back himself.Lahiru Kumara has five wickets from five matches in this tournament, and has seemed an improved bowler from the one who played last year’s T20 World Cup. But England’s batters, who enjoy the ball coming on, may prove a serious test, particularly in the death overs. It seems likely that outside the powerplay, England will have plans to put pressure on Kumara.

Pitch and conditions

There is only an outside chance of rain. The surface will be worn – two matches having been played on it already. This should suit the spinners, of whom Sri Lanka have a superior contingent. England’s quicks know how to take the pace off the ball too, though.Will Chamika Karunaratne find a spot in the XI?•Associated Press

Team news

Sri Lanka may go with the same XI that beat Afghanistan, though there may be some thought to bringing back allrounder Chamika Karunaratne.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Pramod Madushan, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru KumaraEngland are likely to retain the side that beat New Zealand.England (possible): 1 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Harry Brook, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid

Stats and trivia

• Of the bowlers who didn’t play the first round, only Anrich Nortje has more wickets (10) than Curran’s nine. Nortje’s average and economy rates are worse, though.
• But then no one has more wickets than Wanindu Hasaranga, who’s got 13 from the seven games he’s played. He was the last World Cup’s top wicket-taker too. More breakthroughs in Sri Lanka’s final match will put some distance between him and the rest of the field.
• When Sri Lanka last beat England, at the Oval in 2014, TM Dilshan was still opening the innings, and James Tredwell was England’s lead spinner.

Packed stadium, lesser known domestic talent stepping up, capped players trying to be relevant – the RCB vs DC clash is tantalizingly poised

Shashank Kishore16-Mar-20243:10

Mandhana recalls being awestruck by Lanning

Big Picture: A celebration of talent

Raging debates about the need for a tournament like the WPL feel all too recent.They said there wasn’t enough talent depth to split into enough teams to form a league and captivate audiences. On Friday evening, 25,000 fans packed into the Arun Jaitley Stadium to witness Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.On Sunday, the same crowd will turn fanatical in their support for Delhi Capitals, who will have a second shot at WPL glory. Last year, they let nerves get the better of them against Mumbai. Things may turn out differently this time with a stadium full of people cheering them on.Related

• How Minnu Mani overcame adversity to make her mark in the WPL

• 'She's a real fighter' – Nitschke praises Jonassen's response to axing

• New and improved Shafali has brought method to her madness

• Perry: 'We're lucky to play in front of such big and fanatical crowds'

• Innovative Rodrigues makes it count with boundary-laden half-century

Capitals have got here on the back of a dominating run in the group stage. Twice in two seasons now, they’ve made the finals directly by topping the pool. RCB’s journey has been bumpy. Having opened with two wins, they suffered a mid-season slump, before putting it past the defending champions twice to make it here.Not surprisingly, the history of both these sides, in the IPL, has been brought up quite a bit. Capitals and RCB have part of that tournament since 2008 but neither of them have won anything – Capitals have made only one final previously, RCB three. So this much is for sure: one of them will be making space for a first trophy.Both teams have invested heavily in their scouting system. Asha Sobhana’s nerveless final over on Friday night to dethrone Mumbai was a ringing endorsement of this. At 33, it’s possible she would have been a mere footnote in several domestic scorecards if not for an opportunity at the WPL.Capitals have identified a core group of young Indian players to drive them forward. Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav, who hadn’t been in the conversation as far as the Indian team goes, are part of this. Compelling performances here, a byproduct of fierce backing from Meg Lanning and the coaching staff. Now, a national call-up won’t seem so surprising.Shafali Verma’s chats with Lanning about becoming ruthless and consistent and adding new gears to her game are bound to have a ripple effect. Minnu Mani’s smile and Lanning’s embrace after she spun one past Ash Gardner’s defence told you of how a team culture that empowers young players to discover themselves and grow as individuals has already reaped dividends.2:51

Lanning: Mandhana is starting to get the ins and outs captaincy

Shreyanka Patil, a find of WPL 2023, has come on leaps and bounds from there. She fought through a hairline fracture, resisting the idea of rest to prevent aggravating her injury to play Friday’s Eliminator and delivered a clutch performance.Stories of hope, inspiration and glory will once again play out on Sunday evening on the biggest stage of them all. And it will culminate in the WPL having a new winner. It feels fitting.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals: WWLWW (Last five games)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLLW

In the spotlight: Asha Sobhana and Jemimah Rodrigues

Twice this season, Asha Sobhana has helped RCB complete a sensational last-over defence. She defended 10 runs in the opener against UP Warriorz. Against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, she defended 11. That she has been preferred ahead of regulars like Renuka Singh reflects the confidence Smriti Mandhana has in her. At 33, Asha is not a newbie, but her exploits could put her in contention to be in India’s T20 World Cup squad in Bangladesh later this year.After a slow start, Jemimah Rodrigues has hit form towards the business end. She has scored 38*, 58, 17 and 69* in her last four innings. Unlike last year, where she was largely an accumulator, Rodrigues has added a robust power game to help finish off innings. This versatility gives her a massive edge in India’s World Cup plans.5:43

Rodrigues: I’ve learnt from Kohli how to hit sixes while hitting in the gaps

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Alice Capsey, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Jess Jonassen, 6 Marizanne Kapp, 7 Minnu Mani, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Arundhati Reddy, 11 Shikha PandeyRCB: 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Sophie Devine, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Disha Kasat/S Meghana, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Sophie Molineux, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Shreyanka Patil, 9 Renuka Singh, 10 Asha Sobhana, 11 Shradda Pokharkar/Ekta Bisht

Pitch and conditions: Something for the bowlers

A fresh pitch, right in the centre, will be used. Delhi has ensured decent bounce and carry for seamers, while the absence of dew has helped spinners also have a say. Toss hasn’t been as big a factor, with teams happy to bat first, like RCB did in the Eliminator.

Stats and trivia: RCB have never beaten Capitals

• Ellyse Perry’s 6 for 15 in the final league game against Mumbai are the best figures in WPL’s short history.
• Lanning has never been out in single digits in 17 WPL innings. But two of her lowest scores have come against RCB.
• Marizanne Kapp’s economy rate of 6.50 is the best among those who’ve bowled at least 15 overs this season. Out of the five T20 finals she has played since 2021, Kapp was Player of the Match in the Hundred in 2021, WBBL 2021 and Hundred 2022.
• Seven out of ten matches in the Delhi leg of this WPL have been won by the side batting first.
• Shafali’s 17 sixes are the most by a batter so far this season. Mandhana is next best with 10.
• RCB have never beaten Capitals in four attempts so far.
  

  Quotes

  “We were just thinking we’re only two seasons into this, so let’s not take too much stress about what has happened over the last 15 years or correlating with similarities [to the men’s team].”
  
  “It is a nightmare having a 40-meter boundary on one side. That is one thing I haven’t necessarily enjoyed as a captain. There’s so much more power and strength in the game now that people are clearing the ropes pretty easily.”
  

The other Knight Riders struggled on a slow pitch and an excellent innings went in vain

Sreshth Shah16-Apr-20232:54

Moody: ‘Mumbai Indians will have to outbat oppositions to win consistently’

On a special day for the Mumbai Indians franchise, their home fans were treated to a commanding victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, with contributions from Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Hrithik Shokeen.The all-round effort from the Mumbai team overshadowed Venkatesh Iyer’s 51-ball 104 that had single-handedly lifted the Knight Riders to 185. Iyer broke Knight Riders’ jinx of no IPL centuries since Brendon McCullum’s 158* from 15 years ago, but the other batters were not fluent.That meant Knight Riders finished below par and Kishan’s powerplay dominance (58 off 25) made it even worse for them. Suryakumar, the stand-in captain, then showed glimpses of his best (43 off 25) with solid contributions from Tilak Varma and Tim David to polish off the win.There was also a debut for Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He bowled two new-ball overs that showed promise for the future.

Venkatesh ends KKR’s century curse

Sometimes intent matters more than timing. Or so it seemed in Venkatesh’s case. Walking in after N Jagadeesan fell for a duck early, he hit Tendulkar and Cameron Green for sixes to race away to 19 in 8 balls.He often charged out of hise crase, using his reach to convert length balls into fuller deliveries, and even if he wasn’t timing it, he was clearing the boundaries. He also survived some inside-edges that whizzed past the stumps for four, including the ball that got him to fifty in 23 deliveries.Sometimes Venkatesh looked a million dollars. Like when he pulled both Riley Meredith and debutant Duan Jansen – Marco’s twin – for sixes in the 11th and 12th overs. At other times, Venkatesh rode his luck with his footwork getting him in awkward positions.Another six off Meredith in the 14th over took Venkatesh to 94, but he wouldn’t reach his century till his 17th, with Mumbai’s bowlers squeezing him and Shardul Thakur with three tight overs. When he got there, he presented a wide grin and acknowledged the crowd.He couldn’t stay till the end though. In the 18th over, an attempted reverse scoop off Meredith resulted in an easy catch on 104 for short third.

Chawla leads Mumbai’s bowling effort

Suryakumar chose to bowl at the toss. Tendulkar took the new ball and got it to swing early. He bowled six dots and finished 0-17 in two overs. Green kept tight lines and Shokeen’s offbreaks to two left-handers kept one end quiet.Trying to increase his strike-rate, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was caught at short third off Chawla. Then things got heated when Nitish Rana was dismissed by his state team-mate Shokeen. Shoekeen went on to remove Shardul Thakur, slog sweeping to the deep and Rinku Singh couldn’t repeat his recent heroics either, making only 18.It was Venkatesh’s hitting – a total outlier in the Knight Riders innings – that had kept them on course for a 200+ score, but Shokeen, Chawla and Jansen bowled three tidy overs between 15 and 17 to take some momentum out from the batting innings. Russell faced only 11 balls after walking in at No. 7 and hit 21 unbeaten runs to set Mumbai 186 to win.

Ishan’s burst and Rohit’s ‘Impact’

Rohit, who didn’t start the game due to a ‘stomach bug’, walked in as opener after Mumbai activated their Impact Player. He was very nearly caught-and-bowled by Umesh Yadav off his first ball. For most of the powerplay, he was spectator to Kishan’s thrashing of Knight Riders’ bowlers before falling for 20.Kishan punished Shardul for 4, 4, 6 through the off side in the second over. He then showed his leg-side play with a four and six off Umesh in the third. When Narine came in to bowl the chase’s fourth over, he was hit for 22 with Kishan going 6, dot, 6, 4 through slogs. He got his fifty in 21 balls.Kishan then smashed Varun Chakravarthy for six to move to 58, but when he tried to repeat it, he was bowled.But the openers had done their job. According to ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster, Mumbai were 30% favourites to win the game at the start of the chase. By the time Kishan and Rohit were gone, Mumbai were 87 for 2 in 7.3 overs – now 70% favourites.

Tilak, SKY bring it home

The blazing start gave both batters the liberty to start cautiously but the big hits came out soon enough, with Suryakumar punishing wide deliveries with cuts for four and Tilak slog sweeping Narine at the start of his second spell for six over square leg.Otherwise, they were cautious against spin through the middle overs with Rana being forced to use his best bowlers early. When Lockie Ferguson took the ball, Suryakumar brought out some vintage shots, picking up a full ball for six over fine leg and repeating it next ball over midwicket. Tilak and Suryakumar then picked off Russell for 17 in one over.Their partnership of 60 in 6.2 overs deflated Knight Riders, and after they were dismissed, David made a dash for the finish. His 24 in 13 balls sealed the deal with 14 balls to spare and gave Mumbai a net-run rate boost.

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Nitish, Shokeen fined after altercation

Nitish Rana and Hrithik Shokeen, who are team-mates for Delhi at state level, were both fined for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct after exchanging words following the former’s dismissal. Nitish charged down the pitch to Shokeen, lofting him to long-on, and Shokeen appeared to give him a send-off after substitute fielder Ramandeep Singh took the catch.Nitish responded angrily and was escorted away from Shokeen by Suryakumar and Chawla. Nitish was fined 25% of his match fee under Article 2.21 of the Code of Conduct, which covers “all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute”.Shokeen was fined 10% of his match fee under Article 2.5, which covers the use of “language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal”.Suryakumar was also fined INR 12 lakh (USD 14,000 approx.) for Mumbai’s slow over-rate.

The home side could only post 122 for 8 and it was chased down with ease by finals-bound Strikers

Andrew McGlashan18-Nov-2023Sydney Sixers’ WBBL season was all-but over after they fell to a seven-wicket defeat against Adelaide Strikers who in turn kept themselves in the hunt to host the final.Sixers could only post an underwhelming 122 for 8 and Strikers got home with 15 balls to spare, led by the efforts of Katie Mack and supported by captain Tahlia McGrath.As of Saturday night, Sixers still had the slimmest mathematical chance of making the top four but that would be extinguished if Brisbane Heat beat Melbourne Stars on Sunday. If Melbourne Renegades also beat Hobart Hurricanes, that would also lock in the top four with a week to run of the regular season and just leave jostling for finals hosting rights.Related

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The team finishing second host the Challenger, against the winner of the Eliminator which will be played at the same venue.Sixers needed multiple early inroads to give themselves a chance but though Lauren Cheatle produced a superb delivery to take Laura Wolvaardt’s off stump that was their only breakthrough.Mack, who has had another very consistent season, added a steady 52 with McGrath then Patterson lifted the pace with 20 off 12 balls.Sixers’ batting effort had initially shown some encouraging signs but they struggled to lift the tempo. Suzie Bates returned to the top of the order after a spell in the middle but couldn’t find her stride before falling for 5 off 13.However, Ellyse Perry dominated the early scoring and Sixers had 32 on the board after the four-over powerplay. But from there, it took until the eighth over as Strikers built pressure.Ash Gardner’s lean season with the bat, which has seen her average under 20, continued as she laboured for 8 off 10 balls.After 10 overs, Sixers were scoring at under a run-a-ball and shortly afterwards Perry became McGrath’s second wicket. Strikers’ spinners then had an impact during the middle phase of the innings with Anesu Mushangwe and Amanda-Jade Wellington taking a combined 3 for 29 from six overs despite one very short boundary.Chloe Tryon tried to keep things going for Sixers, and managed one huge six down the ground, but aside from her and Perry, Erin Burns, with a single boundary, was the only other batter able to find the rope.

Kenya gained some revenge for back-to-back Twenty20 defeats earlier in the week with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Uganda

Cricinfo staff18-Dec-2009Kenya 105 for 1 (Patel 57*) beat Uganda 104 (Obado 3-10, Oluoch 3-23) by nine wicketsKenya gained some revenge for back-to-back Twenty20 defeats earlier in the week with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Uganda in the first ODI at Nairobi Gymkhana. The result also buys a little relief for Kenya’s under-fire selectors after recent poor results.In the two Twenty20 matches it was Kenya’s batsmen who let them down – this time it was the Ugandans whose inexperience was plain to see. None of them was able to play an innings of any substance or to take the attack to the bowlers, so much so that there were only eight boundaries in their innings.There was the briefest worry when David Obuya fell to the fourth ball of Kenya’s reply, but then Rakep Patel (57*) and Maurice Ouma (44*) chased down the target in 17.2 overs with no further alarms. Patel played with increasing confidence, cracking five fours and two sixes in his 59-ball innings.