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On paper this series resembled India’s tour of England in 2011. The No. 1 side in the world went in with big expectations and came out bruised

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Delhi02-Dec-2015

Match facts

December 3-7, 2015
Start time 0930 local (0400GMT)1:46

Moonda: Unclear whether Steyn will go back home

Big picture

On paper this series resembled India’s tour of England in 2011. Big expectation, No. 1 side to be tested over a long period of time by the hosts, the No. 1 side loses its No. 1 bowler in the first Test, it competes for a Test and a half, and is then run ragged. The key feature of both the assaults on the best side in the world at that moment was the complete decapitation of their batting units. Except for Rahul Dravid then and AB de Villiers now, the rest played as if they were facing ghosts and not bowlers.That is where comparisons end. India struggled on normal English pitches. South Africa have had to face extreme conditions, the most recent parallel to which is what India encountered in New Zealand in 2002-03. The ICC officiating team – match referee and the umpires – has labelled Nagpur “poor”. Mohali was on the borderline. Bangalore was good, but who knows how it would have turned out had the week in the lead-up to the Test seen some sun?While India have won, they have spent every breathing minute in public defending the pitches as opposed to basking in what should have been the glory of beating the best travellers of Test cricket in recent history. South Africa will want to provide another difference between the two series by competing hard once the series is lost whereas back in 2011 the bruised and battered best side in the world just sleepwalked through a whitewash.There is no time for Delhi to react to ICC’s verdict, which arrived about 40 hours before the toss. Daljit Singh, the artist who gave us Mohali, has been overseeing Delhi too, and after Ravi Shastri’s proclamation he wanted something similar to Nagpur, it is hard to expect a much better track. If it turns out to be better, it won’t be for a lack of effort. The ground staff will be caught between a rock and a hard place: the team wants a replica of Nagpur, the ICC has called it poor. A part of them must be wishing the High Court hadn’t intervened and kept the Test at Feroz Shah Kotla after financial irregularities in the organising association nearly resulted in losing Delhi the match.

Form guide

(last five completed games most recent first)
India WDWWW
South Africa LDLDD

In the spotlight

Dean Elgar has confounded all through the series. He comes across as a feisty character and he has, in theory the easiest of batting slots in India: at the top of the order. Along with M Vijay, not surprisingly also an opener, he has got off to the most number of starts in this series. Yet Elgar has been finding ways to get out. It can sound harsh on a man playing for the first time in such extreme conditions, but he has been in the best position of all except AB de Villiers to have a big influence on South Africa. Can he get off to another start? Can he convert it?Poor Ajinkya Rahane. He has worked his backside off scoring all those runs in testing conditions outside Asia, and he now finds himself facing even tougher conditions at home, just as it was when he debuted, against Australia in Delhi. He now averages under eight in India. Hopefully his dressing room is not telling him he has forgotten the art of grafting for runs.The batsmen in this series have been playing as if they have been facing ghosts•Associated Press

Team news

There has been no rain, we are in no danger of seeing any seam movement, which means India should keep their three spinners intact. Depending on how much turn India expect from the Delhi surface, they will either play the extra batsman in Rohit Sharma or the extra bowler in Varun Aaron.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Rohit Sharma/Varun Aaron.Dale Steyn has been ruled out. Stiaan van Zyl’s lack of form is a big problem so one option for South Africa is to bring in Temba Bavuma for van Zyl at the top of the order. Bavuma is a middle-order batsman, but the way South Africa have been going there is no distinction between top and middle orders.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Stiaan van Zyl/ Temba Bavuma, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Dane Vilas (wk), 8 Simon Harmer/Dane Piedt/Marchant de Lange, 9 Kagiso Rabada/Kyle Abbott, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir.

Pitch and conditions

If you lived in Delhi more than four-five years ago and came back expecting fog and cold in December, you are in for a rude shock. It is hardly cold here, the forecast is clear and unless the Delhi pollution plays up we shouldn’t lose any time to the elements.

Stats and trivia

• Hashim Amla began the series 230 short of 7000 runs. Over four matches in India you would have backed him to nudge that mark. He still needs 140. If he somehow manages to get there in the first innings, he will be the joint-fastest South African to the mark. Graeme Smith reached 7000 runs in 148 innings.
• R Ashwin has a staggering 15 five-wicket hauls in his first 31 Tests. Among spinners only Clarrie Grimmett had that many under those constraints. In their first 31 Tests, only two men have taken more wickets than Ashwin’s 169: Sydney Barnes (189) and Waqar Younis (180).
• If Ashwin takes another five-for in Delhi, it will be his seventh in 2015, which will be a record for an Indian.

Quotes

“We’ve got England coming shortly so it would be good for us to get back to winning ways.”
“I don’t want to say much about the pitch as lot has been said about it. It’s better if we talk about the positives. Because when the team wins, you should get support from every corner. We always try to find points to criticise people, but we should give confidence to people. That’s why this is something which I don’t find logical, that everyone is commenting on the pitch.”

The MCC has revealed a 25-year Masterplan for the development of Lord’s to maintain the ground’s status as the finest in the world and to secure Two Test matches and two ODIs every year.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2013

Gatting to be MCC president

Mike Gatting, the former England captain, will become the next president of MCC when he takes over from Mike Griffith on October 1.

Gatting, who played 79 Tests, retired from first-class cricket in 1998 having hit more than 36,500 first-class runs at an average of 49.52 and is now Managing Director of Cricket Partnerships at ECB.

“Few people are so closely identified with Lord’s as Mike Gatting,” Griffith said. “He made Lord’s his home for Middlesex, and made more appearances for the county than any other player. He was an excellent and a particularly brave batsman for England, and he has continued to serve cricket with a dedication and passion that is unstinting for both ECB and MCC.
“Mike’s absolute priority is the good of cricket – he cares for and thinks deeply about the game. He has already done so much for MCC and Middlesex – it is fitting that someone of his cricketing stature should be president during this great ground’s Bicentenary in 2014.”

The MCC has revealed a 15-year Masterplan for the development of Lord’s to maintain the ground’s status as the finest in the world and to secure two Test matches and two ODIs every year.The project, compiled by the MCC Ground Working Party and publicised to members at the club’s AGM, will cost up to £200 million, begin in 2014 will the final phase schedule to get underway in 2027.The development will see the capacity increase by 2,700 with the Warner, Tavern, Allen, Compton and Edrich stands rebuilt and the pavilion extended. A new entrance will be created on Grove End Road behind the pavilion, which will supersede the Grace Gates as the member’s entrance, and the existing entrances will be upgraded to better cater for large attendances.The new stands, Grove End Road entrance and new Thomas Lord building will be completed by 2017 and be funded by current MCC resources. The development will pause in 2019 when England host the World Cup before continuing with the rebuilding of the Compton and Edrich Stands and work on the Nursery Ground – a new food street, ECB offices and the removal of the Nursery pavilion to move the playing area towards Wellington Road.”This Masterplan has cricket at its heart,” MCC president Mike Griffith said. “Every MCC Member cares deeply for our wonderful ground and we have a duty to ensure any changes made to Lord’s reflect the love we have for cricket, its history and its heritage. This Masterplan will reinforce the special place the ground has within the game by making it even better for every player and spectator who comes here.”Colin Maber, the chairman of MCC’s Ground Working Party and Estates committee, added: “The Masterplan has been designed to provide a framework within which Ground development over the next 15 years can be set.”The phased approach allows room for flexibility and evolution. Our key principles – on the absolute need to retain the size of both grounds, on keeping Lord’s as a Ground rather than making it a stadium, on the importance of green open spaces, and on enhancing the experience for every visitor – will underpin all we do. It is advanced work in progress, but can be flexed to reflect changing economic circumstances, technology and research.”

Wayne White and Matthew Hoggard saw out almost ten overs to secure a draw for Leicestershire with nine wickets down

12-May-2012
ScorecardLeicestershire held out for a draw in a tense finish to their Division Two match against Northamptonshire. Having been set a victory target of 341 in 86 overs, the home side finished on 289 for 9, with last-wicket pair Wayne White and Matthew Hoggard surviving the last 9.2 overs to deny Northants their second win of the season.At one stage Leicestershire looked the more likely winners, with Ramnaresh Sarwan hitting 94 and Josh Cobb 59, to leave them needing 101 runs off 20 overs. But they then lost five wickets for 28 runs in 10 overs before White and Hoggard salvaged the draw.It was a fine effort from Northants who were reduced to a four-man bowling attack because of an injury to Chaminda Vaas that kept him off the field for the final day. Lee Daggett took 4 for 76 and David Willey 2 for 70 but, despite claiming the second new ball with six overs remaining, Northants were unable to claim the wicket they needed for victory.Two enterprising declarations set up the prospect of a positive result from the rain-affected game. Leicestershire declared on their overnight 38 for 2 and Northants responded by scoring 26 without loss. Leicestershire did not make the best of starts to their chase, slipping to 64 for 3 as Willey and Daggett gave Northants the initiative.But Sarwan and Cobb joined forces in an exhilarating fourth-wicket stand of 103 in 21 overs that gave Leicestershire a sniff of a possible victory.Sarwan was in majestic form with some glorious drives on the off side and wristy strokes through midwicket. He reached 50 off 65 balls with seven fours and looked set to complete his second century of the season as he cruised into the nineties. But he was finally dismissed lbw trying to sweep offspinner James Middlebrook having hit 94 off 120 balls.Cobb’s half-century came off 62 balls with a six and seven fours but his innings ended when he was bowled offering no shot to a ball from Daggett. Ned Eckersley made a determined 35 but in the end it was White and Hoggard that came to Leicestershire’s rescue.

Four wickets for Monty Panesar undermined Durham as they subsided from 173 for 1 to 292 all out against Sussex in their County Championship Division One encounter at Chester-le-Street today

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
Four wickets for Monty Panesar undermined Durham as they subsided from 173 for 1 to 292 all out against Sussex in their County Championship Division One encounter at Chester-le-Street today. The visitors replied with 30 for 1, Ed Joyce falling to a brilliant right-handed diving catch by Gordon Muchall at first slip off Mitch Claydon.Durham rested Graham Onions after his excellent comeback in the win at Headingley, and with Liam Plunkett out with a thigh muscle injury they brought in Claydon and West Indian Ruel Brathwaite. On as early as the 17th over after Durham won the toss for the third successive
game, Panesar commanded respect without threatening to take wickets until he
suddenly captured his first two in his 19th and 21st overs.Ben Stokes had been tied down but two balls after advancing to drive a six over long-on he sat back to force a back-foot shot through the off-side and got an inside edge into his stumps.
Dale Benkenstein popped up a catch to short leg and Panesar had bowled 25 overs for 55 runs when Scott Borthwick set about him.Crisp strokes on both sides of the wicket produced six fours off the spinner, including four off successive balls, and the young allrounder succeeded in having Panesar briefly removed from the attack. Borthwick’s knock of 35 ended when he edged to wicketkeeper Ben Brown to give
Amjad Khan a third wicket, and Panesar returned to claim two lbw verdicts and finish with 4 for 88.Durham’s slide started when Muchall miscued an attempted pull off James Anyon, skying a catch to mid-on. Muchall had taken up where Michael Di Venuto left off, the opener having scored
30 off 33 balls before falling lbw to the first ball when Anyon came on for the ninth over. The left-hander was looking to work the ball to leg.Muchall raced past anchor man Will Smith and dominated a stand of 129, hitting 13 fours in making 74 off 119 balls. Smith made 59 before edging a drive at Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to first slip and wicketkeeper Michael Richardson, again deputising for the injured Phil Mustard,
perished in similar fashion to give Khan his first wicket. This time the ball flew to second slip, where Joyce held a good catch.Khan’s second wicket swiftly followed when Ian Blackwell drove loosely wide of off stump and played on for 19, leaving Borthwick to harvest what runs he could accompanied by a tail lengthened by Plunkett’s absence.

Sussex are already on course for an immediate return to the top flight of the
County Championship after completing their fourth successive Division Two
win

29-Apr-2010

ScorecardSussex are already on course for an immediate return to the top flight of the
County Championship after completing their fourth successive Division Two
win. The home side overcame some stubborn Leicestershire resistance led by veteran
Paul Nixon to complete a 10-wicket win shortly after tea on the third day at
Hove.Nixon made 93 while skipper Andrew McDonald and Wayne White both contributed 47
as Leicestershire were bowled out for 338 in their second innings. That left Sussex with a victory target of just 61 and they knocked off the runs in 13.3 overs with Michael Thornely making 29 and Chris Nash, who hit the winning boundary off White, unbeaten on 27.Sussex have now won two games by 10 wickets and the other two by more than 200
runs and the early evidence suggests they are too strong for this division. Once again the key to Sussex’s victory was the persistence of their bowling attack, with Monty Panesar playing a big part.He made the breakthrough in his seventh over of the day when McDonald prodded
to short leg after helping Nixon put on 95 in 25 overs for the fourth wicket. Nash has developed a habit of taking important wickets this season and when acting skipper Murray Goodwin brought the part-time off-spinner on just before the second new ball was due it paid an immediate dividend, Josh Cobb drilling Nash’s second ball back to the bowler for a simple return catch.Panesar struck again in the next over when Tom New was lbw offering no shot to
leave Leicestershire six down and still needing eight runs to make Sussex bat
again. When the new ball failed to bring a breakthrough Goodwin brought back Panesar
and with the second ball of his new spell he ended Nixon’s obdurate innings when
he was in sight of the 21st hundred of his career.The veteran left-hander had employed the sweep and reverse-sweep effectively
against Panesar but missed this time and was lbw after resisting for four and a
half hours. He faced 222 balls and hit nine fours and a straight six off Panesar.Panesar bowled beautifully to finish with three for 77 from 29 overs but it was
Sussex’s seamers who polished off Leicestershire’s tail after lunch. Claude Henderson lost his off stump to Rana Naved shouldering arms and Corey Collymore then dismissed White in the first over of his spell.AJ Harris was last to go, bowled by Collymore as he prodded forward, leaving
Sussex with the straightforward task of completing a victory which maintains
their 100% record in all competitions so far this season.

The new coach will be appointed on a three-and-a-half-year term, from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2024 • Updated on 13-May-2024The BCCI has invited applications* for the successor to a Rahul Dravid in the position of head coach of the India men’s senior national team. Applications must “be submitted by 6pm IST on May 27, 2024,” the BCCI said in a statement on Monday. That’s the day after the final of IPL 2024. The new coach will be appointed on a three-and-a-half-year term, from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027.Last year, the BCCI had made the mistake of inviting applications for the head coach only after the incumbent coach’s tenure had ended. With not enough time left for the next big assignment, the outgoing coach, Dravid, was convinced to take an extension until the T20 World Cup this June.This time, applications have been invited even before the team leaves for the T20 World Cup. Should Dravid want to continue, he will have to re-apply. The rest of the backroom staff will be appointed in consultation with the new head coach. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, said recently that it was unlikely India will split the coaching role based on formats.Related

• Similar but different India have tough choices to make with their batting order

• BCCI approaches Gautam Gambhir to become India's head coach

• Injured Mayank all but out of IPL 2024

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“We are looking for a long-term coach for three years,” Shah had said last week. “There is no precedent of different coaches for different formats in Indian cricket. Besides, we have a number of all-format players. Ultimately, it will be the Cricket Advisory Committee’s (CAC) call. I have to implement what they decide.”The CAC will also decide on a new national selector for which the BCCI had already advertised in January this year. This selector is likely to replace Salil Ankola, who is the second member of the selection committee from the west zone. The new member is likely to be from the north zone. “A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened,” Shah said. “The CAC will meet in a week’s time to finalise the name, and we will announce it soon.”

Players from teams knocked out of IPL 2024 to leave early

Shah also confirmed that the Indian team will leave for the T20 World Cup to the USA and the West Indies in two batches. Those players whose teams don’t qualify for the IPL playoffs will leave on May 24 along with the coaching staff. The rest of the squad will leave after the IPL final on May 26. India’s first match is on June 5, against Ireland.Shah ruled out resting players whose teams have no chance of making it to the playoffs for the remaining games of the league stage. He said the IPL was a great opportunity for them to sharpen their T20 skills. “Look at how well Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma played the other day,” Shah said. “If [Jasprit] Bumrah gets to bowl to Head, what better opportunity is there to practise?”

Mayank Yadav to get fast bowlers’ contract

Mayank Yadav impressed with high speeds in his maiden IPL stint•BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who is injury-prone and is likely ruled out of IPL 2024, will be under BCCI supervision after Shah confirmed he has been awarded the newly-constituted fast bowlers’ central contract. He joins other promising fast bowlers who don’t have an annual retainer: Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa. These bowlers will be monitored by the NCA medical staff all year around except for during the IPL.

WTC final to move out of England?

While acknowledging the challenge for finding another window for it or finding another venue that can host it during June, Shah did indicate that the BCCI has spoken to the ICC about new venues for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The first two finals were played in England where India lost. The third WTC final will also be played in England in June 2025. “We have spoken to the ICC about it,” Shah said, “They will consider changing the venue.”

“We want him to be involved, we’d love him to be involved, we understand entirely his situation so we will keep working with him,” Larsen said

PTI02-Feb-2023New Zealand’s selection manager Gavin Larsen is hopeful fast bowler Trent Boult will spearhead the country’s bowling attack at the ODI World Cup in India later this year.Last year, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) agreed to release Boult from his central contract as he wanted to make himself available for T20 leagues around the world. He is currently turning out for MI Emirates in the UAE’s International League T20.Although the 33-year-old has expressed his desire to play in the World Cup, his participation in the tournament has not yet been confirmed.However, Larsen told SENZ Mornings: “The door is very much open,” adding that Boult is in constant talks with head coach Gary Stead.”Gary and Trent talk on a regular basis. We all know Boulty’s pedigree, his experience and just what a great match-winner he is and has been over the years for us,” he said.The left-arm quick, who has the exceptional ability to swing the ball both ways, is one of the best bowling talents in all formats of the game.”We want him to be involved, we’d love him to be involved, we understand entirely his situation so we will keep working with him,” Larsen said.”We’ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and I’ve got my fingers crossed that if the stars align that we’ll have a certain Trent Boult opening the bowling for us.”In the absence of Boult and the experienced Tim Southee, the relatively inexperienced New Zealand pace attack struggled in the recently-concluded white-ball series in India.They were blanked 3-0 in the ODI series which would be a cause of concern for them with the World Cup just months away.New Zealand reached back-to-back finals in 2015 and 2019 but are yet to win the event.

The captain said that tension can be “amplified” when a team is losing

Alex Malcolm18-Aug-2021Australia limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has conceded reports of tensions coming from inside the dressing room regarding Justin Langer’s coaching style are “disappointing” and “not a great look.”Langer has come under intense scrutiny in recent days following Australia’s 4-1 T20I series defeat to Bangladesh which followed the same scoreline against West Indies. Finch was absent from the Bangladesh leg having flown home for knee surgery.During the Bangladesh series, Australia team manager Gavin Dovey was involved in a heated exchange with Cricket Australia’s digital journalist who was inside the Australian team’s bio-bubble as part of the touring party. Langer, a close confidant of Dovey’s, spoke briefly but firmly to the journalist in the immediate aftermath before the pair cleared the air the following day.The incident, first reported in the , has sparked further debate about Langer’s coaching style. Finch was asked about the tension around Langer’s position and cited the team’s recent poor form as partly to blame.”There’s always tension when results don’t go your way in all sports,” Finch said on radio. “Wins and losses are what count. I think anytime that doesn’t happen, that all gets amplified. It’s just one of those things. It’s disappointing that things are coming to the front the way that they are, that’s never ideal. It’s just one of those things that keeps popping up, which is disappointing.”Related

• Defeats, bubbles and absent players: how Australia threatened to unravel

• Paine vows players will work with Langer following emergency talks

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• Men's T20 World Cup: India vs Pakistan in Dubai on October 24

Langer had led Australia to No. 1 in both the ICC Test and T20I rankings in May 2020 after just two years in the job. But since then Australia have lost five T20I series in a row, one of which was coached by senior assistant Andrew McDonald, and lost a home Test series to India to miss out on the World Test Championship final.Reports regarding tensions between Langer and the playing group emerged following the loss to India at the Gabba. Those tensions were followed up in a wider post series review conducted by leadership consultant Tim Ford. Langer took on board the feedback and addressed the team at the pre-tour camp prior to the West Indies and Bangladesh tour.”The camp we had on the Gold Coast, to go through our culture and values and things like that, especially from a playing group, was really important, and one that I think players got a lot out of,” Finch said. “But when things are being leaked out from inside, that’s not a great look.”All of this has emerged as Langer and new national selector George Bailey finalise Australia’s T20 World Cup squad this week. Australia are set to welcome back David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, and Glenn Maxwell who all missed the tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh.Finch believes Australia’s full-strength squad can win the title despite their recent form.”Absolutely,” Finch said. “I’ve got no doubt that our best is as good as or better than anyone in the world. There’s a lot of experience there. There’s firepower, there’s class. I think that our best team covers all bases. And that’s what I’m really excited about.”Australia have not played a T20I with all their best available players to choose from since September 2020 against England. They may only get two practice matches ahead of the World Cup to prepare, with some players set to play in the IPL while domestic cricket in Australia remains in limbo due to heavy Covid-19 restrictions in New South Wales and Victoria, but Finch does not believe a lack of recent cricket together will affect his group.”I think with the way the side will most likely structure up, when you bring back Warner, Maxwell, Smith, we’ve played together a lot over the last eight years,” he said. “I’m not too bothered about that. I think guys who are going to the IPL are going to have that opportunity to prepare in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I think the continuity of selection won’t play as big a part purely because we’ve played a lot of cricket together.”Finch is confident he will be fit for the opening practice matches despite having knee surgery to repair cartilage damage just five days ago.”It’s looking on track,” Finch said. “Obviously it’s hard to know until you get deep into your rehab but at this stage it’s just about trying to ice it and get as much swelling down as possible. That’s coming down. I’m walking around fine. There’s no pain. At this stage everything is looking really positive and having a little bit of time up my sleeve at the back end will be really important.”The plan is to be batting in four weeks and fully running and in full training in six to seven weeks. From the day of surgery it was 10-and-a-half weeks to that first World Cup game. That’s still really positive.”

Ryan Stevenson’s career-best 4 for 71 keeps Hampshire in contest

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2020Ryan Stevenson and Martin Andersson recorded career-bests for their respective sides as Middlesex and Hampshire fought out an absorbing first day of their Bob Willis Trophy encounter at Radlett.Devon-born seamer Stevenson, recalled for only his sixth first-class game, took 4 for 71, doubling his first-class wicket tally in the process, but Andersson, a man with just eight first-class matches behind him, hit 92 to take the hosts to 252 all out.Liam Dawson, Keith Barker and James Fuller were also among the wickets, seemingly justifying Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl first, but James Harris took two wickets to leave the visitors 27 for 2 in reply after a seesaw day of action.Northeast’s decision to field raised eyebrows given their hosts opted for two spinners on a pitch expected to turn late in the match.However, in humid conditions and thanks to some early seam movement, it didn’t take the visitors’ attack long to reward their captain’s faith. In just the third over Barker bowled Sam Robson for a duck with a beauty which clipped the top of off stump.Nick Gubbins, fresh from his hundred in the win over Surrey also didn’t stay long. The left-hander got away with one top edge hook over the slips, only to play the shot again in the same over and hole out to Felix Organ at fine leg, so giving Fuller a wicket against his former county. And when the Stevenson got in on the act for the first time, trapping home skipper Stevie Eskinazi for 18, Middlesex were struggling at 41 for 3.That was Andersson’s cue to enter the fray and he played positively from the off, steadying the ship in the company of opener Max Holden either side of the lunch interval.Holden was dropped at slip by Ian Holland off the luckless Barker early in the afternoon, but the drop wasn’t costly as the same combination accounted for the left-hander for 36 shortly afterwards – a wonderful catch taken just millimetres from the turf to end a stand of 44.Andersson was given his one life on 23 when Dawson spilt a difficult chance at slip and he went on to make the most of his reprieve, reaching 50 from 71 balls with eight fours. He found a staunch ally in wicketkeeper John Simpson, who after a sticky start hit Barker for three successive fours.Dawson dropped Simpson on 26, but like Holland earlier atoned soon afterwards to give Stevenson a second wicket and end a stand of 93 for the fifth wicket. Dawson, back from England ODI duty then struck with the ball having Harris taken at slip off the last ball before tea.Six more boundaries took Anderson past his previous best of 83 against Lancashire at Old Trafford last September and to within touching distance of a maiden first-class hundred, but he came up eight short when Fuller trapped him lbw.Tom Helm and Nathan Sowter added useful runs for the eighth wicket before Stevenson returned to dismiss the latter and Thilan Walallawita off successive balls to cap his excellent day.Helm ensured a second batting point by striking Dawson for a towering straight six, but Dawson had him caught and bowled later in the same over.With 14 overs left to bat, Hampshire looked set to get to the close unscathed before Harris found the edge of Organ’s bat and Sowter took a sharp catch at second slip.Barker was sent in as nightwatchman, but that plan backfired when Harris struck a second time with one that splayed the stumps, leaving the match intriguingly poised ahead of day two.

The New Zealand veteran said she saw potential for at least four teams, and possibly six, in the Women’s T20 challenge

Annesha Ghosh18-May-2019Suzie Bates, New Zealand’s most capped female cricketer, does not have a Test appearance to her name. Five years ago, she felt “a bit cheated” at not having had the opportunity to play in the longest format, a run of luck that has not changed 13 years on from her international debut. Nearly a decade-and-a-half since New Zealand women last played a Test, the 31-year-old former national captain underscored that the onus rests on the boards of the top eight nations, rather than the ICC, to host “at least one annual Test”.”There’s a real opportunity for the boards, away from the ICC, to encourage at least one annual Test match between certain countries,” Bates told ESPNcricinfo, putting her weight behind the multi-format women’s Ashes as a template for other nations to follow.”The series structure of England versus Australia is brilliant. If we had, say, a tour of India and we decided we have three ODIs, three T20Is and one Test match, that would be one of the best experiences for our group. I believe there is a real opportunity for the top eight nations to host a Test match a year. I was speaking to Smriti [Mandhana, the 22-year-old India opener, during the Women’s T20 Challenge] the other night. She has played two Test matches; I haven’t played any (laughs). She couldn’t believe that.”The two Tests Mandhana featured in are the only ones India have played in the longest format in the last decade. In fact, outside of Australia and England, India are the only team alongside South Africa (one match) to have played women’s Tests at all since 2008, with only one Test (England v Australia) taking place since August 2015.Bates’ views on the need for national boards, other than only Australia and England, to back Test cricket for their women’s players come a little over a month after Australia captain Meg Lanning called on “big fish” India to “get involved” in promoting women’s Tests.Beyond her standing as a stalwart of the women’s game, the New Zealander’s stance on women’s Tests assume greater significance when viewed in light of her position as the only woman on the current MCC World Cricket Committee, an independent panel of former and current players and umpires, that can propose changes to the sport’s laws. Bates also offered another suggestion to get more countries involved in women’s Tests.”One other thing I thought about, and with my role at the MCC… I see a potential in the opportunity for some of the best cricketers to play Tests, outside of bilateral series if they do at all turn into a reality, is when England and Australia play their Ashes series,” said Bates, who was appointed to the committee in 2017.”They could pick a Rest of the World side to play a Test match each against England and Australia in the build-up to their Ashes. That’s another way to see what the standard is like, besides providing them [England and Australia] with another match because they only play one match as well.”That’s something I’ve sort of thought of randomly, and it might be a good way to give a push to women’s Tests. It’s a something I’ve thought of as a selfish thing because I’d love to play a Test, and if the Ashes are the only Test series you’re going to hold, I’d love to play an Ashes. How cool would that be, even though I am neither from Australia nor England?”Bates admitted that T20s are the best bet to grow women’s cricket, but if commercial viability is the only hurdle on the path of hosting more women’s Tests, boards could chose to cut costs by not broadcasting the game(s).”The Test match doesn’t need to be televised,” said Bates. “We don’t need to televise everything if that’s a reason for not holding Tests, and if you want to promote only the Twenty 20 format as much as you can. Do they go along the commercial side with no broadcast? Perhaps yes.”I do understand why Twenty20 cricket has become the main push for women’s cricket. And, look, without it we wouldn’t have been at the [Women’s] Big Bash [League], KSL [Kia Super League], or the Women’s T20 Challenge. I get why the boards want more T20 cricket for women because commercially… the television factor, the entertainment, so understandably that’s going to come first now, and I’m supportive of that.”Only last week, Bates was part of the first multi-team Women’s T20 Challenge, as one of the 12 overseas participants. The Player of the Match in the one-off exhibition that took place in 2018, under the same tournament banner, Bates underlined that the road-map for the Indian domestic tournament should take into consideration a few key factors going forward.”I’m an advocate for progression,” Bates said. “I do believe that by having last year’s exhibition game slightly bigger, longer this year, you get a peek into the problems, you get to talk to the people close to the women’s game about what’s right.”I think for me the No. 1 thing is the real clear window, so that we don’t miss the likes of the South Africa and Pakistan and Australians, so there’s plenty of information for the boards over a period of time and you are able to get the best of the best from around the world. It will lift the standard.”Where does Bates stand on the teams’ structure for next year’s edition?”The number of teams is a contentious issue,” Bates replied. “I don’t know the depth of Indian (domestic) cricket, but even three teams like this year had really good players on the sidelines. So I’d definitely root for four, but I see potential for six.”Once you put them out there, the next tier of players have something to look up to. They may be miles away from the Indian side right now, but if they see here are six teams training hard for a women’s IPL, playing in a women’s IPL, they will want to be a part of it. Initially there may be a gap, but in the following one or two years, it just naturally builds as we’ve seen in the Big Bash.”