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Kohli top-scored for RCB but his 51 off 43 saw a slowdown after the powerplay

Sreshth Shah25-Apr-20241:40

Moody: RCB bowlers did their homework and executed well

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) rode on the success of their spinners – considered the team’s least-fancied department – to force big-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) into submission in Hyderabad. Their 35-run victory on Thursday, the season’s second for RCB, also ended their six-game losing streak and kept them alive for playoff contention.Favourites to chase 207 down, SRH lost their way right from the opening over when part-time offspinner Will Jacks won the tactical battle against left-hand batter Travis Head. Making his debut for RCB, Swapnil Singh and experienced wristspinner Karn Sharma then caused further damage. By the time the tenth over rolled along, SRH were 85 for 6, and the result was pretty much decided.RCB also had a strong day with the bat, banking on Rajat Patidar’s 19-ball half-century and quick-fire cameos from Cameron Green and Faf du Plessis. Virat Kohli also scored his 53rd IPL fifty, but his 51 in 43 balls came at a strike rate of 118.60, following a big slowdown.

RCB expose SRH’s weaker suit

SRH’s record-breaking totals in IPL 2024 have all come batting first. So RCB robbed them of that opportunity when du Plessis chose to set a target instead. He said he wanted to put SRH under scoreboard pressure, although 206 could have well been within SRH’s territory.But that changed in the first half of the chase as SRH crumbled to RCB’s use of spin. Jacks’ offspin, turning away from the two SRH openers, had Head top-edge for 1 in the first over. Abhishek Sharma counterattacked with 31 in 13 balls, but in his bid to keep going hard, he fell to Yash Dayal in the fourth.Even though the openers fell unusually early for SRH, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen showed that they were in no mood to slow down. Together they struck 19 off Swapnil’s first over, but their aggression caused their downfall as the left-arm spinner removed both in the same over. Markram was lbw off a full toss coming down the track while Klaasen holed out attempting a big shot.Du Plessis soon brought on legspinner Karn to attack SRH further, and in consecutive overs he removed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abdul Samad. Pat Cummins hammered 31 off 15 and Shahbaz Ahmed remained unbeaten on 40, but by then SRH were basically looking to protect their net run rate.

Patidar makes up for Kohli’s slowdown

With big overs against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Cummins with the new ball, the pair of du Plessis and Kohli had given RCB a rollicking start at 43 for no loss after three overs. But the dismissals of du Plessis for a 12-ball 25 and Jacks for 6, along with some tidy overs from T Natarajan and Shahbaz saw Kohli losing his fluency. From racing away to 23 in his first 11 balls, Kohli laboured to score his next 28 runs in 32 deliveries. The squeeze was provided by Shahbaz after the powerplay, and by the left-arm seam-bowling pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Natarajan with both relying on their assortment of slower balls.But the presence of Patidar did not let RCB’s scoring rate drop. He came into the game with a strike rate of 125 against pacers and 197 against spinners in this IPL, and banked on his strength to score the joint second-fastest fifty in RCB’s history.He picked on Mayank Markande from the get-go, first clubbing him for a six in the ninth over, and then ransacking the legspinner for four back-to-back sixes to take 27 off the 11th over. Soon enough, he had overtaken Kohli and reached his fifty well before the opener, but fell to Unadkat in pursuit of another big shot.Unadkat, playing his 100th IPL game, then dismissed Kohli in the 15th over and Mahipal Lomror in the 17th, but from the other end Green ensured RCB got the strong finish they needed. He was particularly lethal against his Australia captain Cummins, drilling him for four fours across two overs in the last five to finish unbeaten on a 20-ball 37. The success of left-arm spinner Shahbaz (0 for 14 in three overs) may have prompted RCB to bring in spin-bowling allrounder Swapnil as an Impact Player in the 19th over of the first innings, and before his bowling jolts in the chase, he contributed with a six-ball 12 in the 20th over to help RCB past 200.

After completely opposite runs to the playoffs, the momentum is very much on RCB’s side as they take on an out-of-sorts Royals

George Binoy21-May-20242:06

Moody: Class of Boult will be crucial against du Plessis and Kohli

Match details

Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Eliminator
Ahmedabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture: No second chances

On April 21, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost a 200-plus chase to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by one run, their seventh defeat in eight games, leaving them last in the league. As a familiar feeling of despondency shrouded their season, ESPNcricinfo outlined how they still had a chance, improbable though it was.Since then, RCB have had a resurrection, the kind of turnaround that has been prime material for inspirational screenplays about sports teams coming back from the abyss. RCB didn’t just win six in a row; they won by massive margins of 35 runs, 24 balls to spare, 38 balls to spare, 60 runs, 47 runs, and by 27 runs to improve their net run-rate and rise above three other teams on the same points as them, to make a dramatic last-minute dash into the playoffs.Related

• The RCB catharsis and the need to go again

• Swapnil – from almost calling it quits to going on a dream run

• What RCB did right after it began so horribly wrong

• How T20 has changed cricket forever

A couple of days after RCB had begun their revival, Rajasthan Royals (RR) cruised to their eighth win in nine games. They had owned No. 1 for weeks and were favourites to finish there. There was absolutely no sign of what was to come.The fall began insidiously, a one-run defeat in a 200-plus chase, a 20-run defeat in another 200-plus chase, both results so easily attributed to the vagaries of T20 cricket. Even when their batters were muzzled on a slow pitch in Chennai, their captain Sanju Samson didn’t think they were playing bad cricket. But when it happened again in Guwahati, there was no denying their “failures”. Despite losing four in a row, though, and having their final league game washed out, RR would have still finished No. 2 had Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) not won their last game. That’s how strong a safety net they had built with all those early wins. It wasn’t strong enough, however, to give them a second chance of making the final.The value of confidence and momentum in sport is impossible to measure. RCB and RR’s unexpected rise and fall are examples of how unpredictable T20 cricket can be. But in addition to intangibles like confidence and momentum, there’s also experience. RR go into the Eliminator with no experience of playing a high-pressure, knockout game this season. RCB, on the other hand, have qualified for the Eliminator having played, and won, six eliminators already.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LLLLW
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WWWWWIt’s been kind of subdued at the Rajasthan Royals camp of late•BCCI

Previous meeting: Buttler’s ton trumps Kohli’s ton

It was RR’s fourth win in four games, and RCB’s fourth defeat in five games. Virat Kohli scored 113 off 72 balls in Jaipur – equalling the record for the slowest IPL century – though he has sped up enormously since. The rest of RCB’s batters didn’t do much – that’s also changed since – and they finished with 183 for 3. Jos Buttler led RR’s successful chase with a hundred, but they don’t have him anymore, while Samson made 69 off 42 balls. He’s passed 20 only once in his last four innings.

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB brought Glenn Maxwell back into the XI for their previous game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after Will Jacks returned to England, and he scored 16 off 5 balls and took a wicket with the first delivery of the defence on his way to figures of 1 for 25 in four overs. Expect them to be unchanged, with one of Rajat Patidar and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh starting in the XI and the other coming in as Impact Player depending on whether they bat or bowl first.Likely XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 , 4 Cameron Green, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Mahipal Lomror, 8 , 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Mohammed Siraj2:27

Powell or Hetmyer? Royals face selection dilemma

Rajasthan Royals
RR won the toss in both their previous full games but lost after making sub-par totals. Are they batting first to make the most of their Impact Player strategy: six batters and five bowlers in a batting first XI gives them the option of a sixth specialist bowler for the chase if they don’t need to bring in an extra batter in the first innings. If they choose to field with six specialist bowlers in the starting XI, they leave themselves with only six specialist batters for the chase. In Chennai, they swapped out Dhruv Jurel for fast bowler Nandre Burger after the first innings. Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Guwahati, however, they brought in Donovan Ferreira as an extra batter in the first innings because of a collapse.While Shimron Hetmyer, who hasn’t played since May 2 because of injury, was reported to be fit for RR’s last league fixture, he was not named in the starting XI or the subs’ bench for the seven-over contest that was eventually washed out before a ball was bowled. If he is fit for the Eliminator, he could come in for either Rovman Powell or Ferreira.Likely XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Tom Kohler-Cadmore, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 , 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Rovman Powell/Donovan Ferreira/Nandre BurgerRajat Patidar’s takedown of spin in the middle overs has been a big factor in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s revival•Associated Press

In the spotlight: The difference between RCB and RR

The upshot of Kohli and Faf du Plessis’ fast starts, Patidar’s demolition of spin through the middle overs, and Cameron Green and Dinesh Karthik’s finishing, is that RCB’s run rate has jumped from 9.54 in the first half of the season to 11.03 in the second half, the best in that period. During their six-match winning streak, RCB have been scoring at a strike rate of 170 in the powerplay, 174 in the middle overs, and 199 at the death, and go into the Eliminator with nearly all of their batters in prime form.Their bowlers have complemented this surge in batting form by improving their collective economy rate from 10.70 (the worst in the league) in the first half of the season to 9.22 (second best) in the second half.RR, on the other hand, have scored at a run rate of 9.07 in the second half of the season, which is the lowest among the ten teams. Their top four batters, who had a collective average of 50 and a strike rate of 153 in the first nine games, aren’t as prolific anymore either. In their four successive defeats, that average has dropped to 31.66 and the strike rate is down to 133.42. Yashasvi Jaiswal has 32 runs in his last three innings, Samson 33 off 34 balls in his last two, and Buttler’s replacement opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore made 18 off 23 in his only match ahead of the Eliminator. Only Riyan Parag has remained in form, and RR will hope he gets support above and below him in the batting order.

Stats that matter

• Sandeep Sharma was injured and did not play the only RR-RCB fixture this season, where Kohli made that unbeaten hundred. He’s got Kohli out seven times in 15 T20s while conceding only 87 off 67 balls.
• Kohli has a powerplay strike rate of 187 in his last eight innings, which has raised his overall strike rate in the first six overs to 162 this season, his best in any IPL.
• Yash Dayal had been playing a crucial part in RCB’s revival long before he denied CSK in that thrilling final over in Bengaluru. He’s taken eight wickets in their six successive wins with an economy of only 7.78, which is sensational considering he bowls at the death. Dayal has a good match up against Jaiswal in T20s: 11 runs off 12 balls for two dismissals.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s poor run has coincided with Rajasthan Royals’ downturn in fortunes•BCCI

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the Eliminator is the strip on which Gujarat Titans scored 231 for 3 against CSK and won by 35 runs on May 10. There is no rain forecast in Ahmedabad on Wednesday and it’s likely to be extremely hot, with day time temperatures of 40-45°C reducing to only between 30-35°C in the evening. Whether there is dew or not will depend on the gulf between the day and night temperatures.The range of scores also vary significantly depending on the surface. There was only one match with 175-plus scores in the first four league matches in Ahmedabad, but the last two league games had scores of 200 for 3, 206 for 1 (RCB), 231 for 3 and 196 for 8. RR have not played a game in Ahmedabad this season.

Quotes

“When you are getting to the business end of the season, you need someone to raise their finger up and say, ‘I am going to win the game for the team’. Yes, this is a team sport, but we have a lot of match-winners in the side, and we need individuals to step up.”
“When we get on that flight to Ahmedabad, we have a job to do. We have it within our grasp to do something that people will remember us for many decades. It will be a journey where people will say, ‘wow, that RCB team was special.'”

Canada have India left to face in the group stage and the opening batter said, for all the stars, they must play the ball, not the name

Sidharth Monga11-Jun-20241:24

O’Brien: ‘Ultra-aggressive’ Johnson perfectly suited for this surface

Twenty more runs, and who knows what Canada might have been able to achieve? And looking at the way Aaron Johnson started they threatened to go past the run-a-ball mark, which has been successfully defended in New York on the last two days.Canada now have only a remote chance to make it to the Super Eights but for a while they dreamed. All thanks to Johnson’s half-century on a surface where every batter has struggled. Not surprisingly, Johnson called it the best international innings of his life.Related

• Never Fold: Canada puts Punjabis out of Punjab back in cricket

• Highlights – Canada vs Pakistan – Amir, Rizwan keep Pakistan afloat

• Rizwan takes Pakistan to their first win after Amir-led quicks put on a big show

“I think it’s my best innings so far in international cricket,” he said. “And growing up, you know that Pakistan, one thing they have is quality fast bowling attack, right? And to be able to get a decent total on the board for my team, I think that’s up there with the top, probably top two best innings for me.”Johnson took advantage of the early full lengths and never looked back. “If it’s in my area, my team-mates, my coach, they give me the license to back myself and play my shots. So, once I get going, I knew that they would pull the length back because they saw that I’m scoring so it’s just a matter of me batting as long as possible for the team.”The relentlessness of bigger attacks is something that stood out for Johnson. “One thing I learned, if you’re going to score runs, you have to bat very, very hard,” he said. “You have to focus. Because again, these guys, just imagine, I batted well against Shaheen Shah [Afridi], and then Babar signal to Amir to come and bowl. And you’re thinking to yourself, I remember when I was playing cricket in England, these guys were playing for Pakistan international team. I went to the ground to watch them play. So, to be playing against them, it’s a wonderful experience.”Aaron Johnson took on the Pakistan attack in tricky conditions•Getty Images

Earlier this year, Johnson spent time with Carlos Brathwaite in Toronto. And the Jamaican-born Johnson is also friends with Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. He cherishes the friendship but is also aware that he represents Canada now.”I’m here representing the Canadian national team and as you say my fellow West Indians, Carlos, Chris Gayle, and these guys. Last game we won, I got a personal message from Russell – we’re very good friends. Chris Gayle and these guys would text you sometimes or just to like some of the posts that you make.”Yes, I get some amount of inspiration from them. And one thing Carlos said to me when we met about two, three weeks ago in Toronto is just relish the opportunity and express yourself. Someone you can change the game for your team. So don’t stress too much, don’t think too much about it, just react to what you see.”Possibly Canada’s last match in this World Cup will be against India, and Johnson is aware of the line between respect and awe. “Again, as I say it’s just a ball,” Johnson said when asked about the challenge Bumrah and Co. pose. “The ball is very round the moment you walk on the field, anyone can win. Yes, you have to have respect for these guys. They have been doing it for years.”There are some of them, like someone like Babar today, he’s a legend. I’m pretty sure he will be a legend of the game, right? And hopefully we get to play against Kohli, Rohit, all of these guys, the list goes on and on. And you have to respect them, but at the end of the day, you have to know that you’re a professional cricketer also. And if they did it, you can do it also. So, it’s about respecting them, but also respecting yourself.”

Classy centuries take centre stage at Sedbergh alongside Ackermann and de Leede

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2024Durham 344 for 4 (Lees 111, de Leede 72, Ackermann 59) beat Lancashire 287 (Bohannon 147, de Leede 3-33, Ackermann 3-37) by 57 runsCaptain Alex Lees starred with a superb 111 added to impressive all-round contributions from Dutch internationals Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann as Durham claimed an opening day Metro Bank One-Day Cup win over Lancashire at Sedbergh School.Opener Lees cleanly struck eight fours and a six in a 126-ball innings which underpinned 344 for four – Durham’s sixth highest List A total. De Leede contributed 72 off 63 and Ackermann 59 off 33.In ideal batting conditions, and in front of approximately 2,000 spectators, Lancashire’s task of chasing was tall. Josh Bohannon top-scored with an excellent career best 147 off 119 balls, an even better innings than Lees’s. But Ackermann and de Leede equally shared six wickets in 287 all out – a Durham win by 57 runs.Lees made the most of his decision to bat first, hitting all of his boundaries on the leg-side and driving George Balderson’s seam over long-off for his only six.Every Durham batter contributed. Fellow Under 19s international Ben McKinney opened with a pleasing 43 – he shared 87 with Lees – before Scotland international Michael Jones added a late 41 off 21 against his birth county.Durham paced their innings beautifully against a Red Rose attack who failed to gain control. Only Balderson – one for 57 from 10 overs – went at less than six in over in a six-man attack.Lees and de Leede shared 129 inside 20 overs for the second wicket, advancing from 87 for one in the 20th. It was a Durham partnership record for the second wicket in List A matches against Lancashire.Lees reached a 117-ball century but didn’t last much longer.He followed de Leede’s departure, the skipper caught at long-off against Harry Singh’s off-spin – 250 for three in the 44th over.After that, 81 came from the last six overs as Ackermann and Jones set about a thrilling acceleration.New ball seamer Tom Bailey conceded 27 off the 47th – 308 for three. Jones hit a six and four and Ackermann two sixes and a four.Lancashire’s reply started well despite George Bell’s early departure. He cut Paul Coughlin to backward point.At 91 for one in the 16th over, their hopes would have been high as captain Keaton Jennings and Bohannon both approached fifties.But their second-wicket partnership was cut short at 72 when the former was run out for 44 at the non-striker’s end going for a third to deep midwicket, sparking a match-defining collapse of four wickets for 46 – Lancashire now 137 for five in the 23rd.Ackermann’s off-spin (three for 37 from six overs) accounted for three of them, bowling Balderson and Tom Bruce added to George Lavelle caught at backward point. The latter two fell in as many deliveries in the 23rd over.Bohannon shared a calming 61 for the sixth wicket with Singh, but the latter was one of two wickets to fall in the 34th to de Leede’s seam, leaving the hosts 202 for seven.Singh pulled to deep midwicket for 25 and Tom Aspinwall was bowled.De Leede (three for 33 from eight) bowled Bailey shortly afterwards before Bohannon reached a second List A century off 93 balls.But a win was the prize he craved. Unfortunately for him, that ship had long sailed as no team-mate could support him until it was too late.He also shared 62 for the ninth wicket with Will Williams, who fell to Jonathan Bushnell’s seam.The same man completed the visiting success when he bowled Bohannon in the 45th over after the England Lions captain had struck 13 fours and half a dozen sixes.

The West Indies allrounder had ended her international career suddenly in August 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2024Deandra Dottin has come out of international retirement, making herself available for West Indies selection once again, nearly two years after a sudden decision to quit while leading Barbados in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.The development is a boost for West Indies ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October this year.”Representing West Indies in international cricket has always been a matter of great pride and passion for me,” Dottin, 33, said in a letter to Cricket West Indies (CWI) that was part of the board’s statement. “After a period of reflection and thoughtful dialogue with various parties within Cricket West Indies, including Cricket West Indies President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, I am pleased to inform you that I am eager to return to the game that I love, and contribute my utmost to the West Indies women’s team across all formats, with immediate effect.”I am confident that my experience, maturity, and skills will add value to the team as it has done in the past, and I am prepared to furnish my best efforts in every match and training session to ensure the team’s winning trajectory in international cricket. Moreover, I am enthusiastic about mentoring younger players and contributing to the overall development of women’s cricket in our region.”Related

• Deandra Dottin warns West Indies to get their house in order

• Deandra Dottin announces West Indies retirement

CWI welcomed Dottin’s decision. “Deandra is a player of immense ability and experience,” CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe said. “We are pleased with her decision to return to international cricket and be eligible for selection. There is no doubt that she could add significant value to the West Indies Women’s teams.”When Dottin announced her retirement in August 2022, citing a “non-conducive” environment within the West Indies set-up, she had played 143 ODIs (3727 runs at an average of 30.54) and 127 T20Is (2697 runs). She holds the record for the fastest century in women’s T20Is – a 38-ball hundred against South Africa in the 2010 T20 World Cup. She also has 72 wickets in ODIs and 62 in T20Is.”It has a lot to do with the board, how they handle stuff and how they handle players and how they actually speak to players,” Dottin said in August 2022 about her decision to retire. “Certain people take things different, so it is a lot of work that West Indies Cricket will need to be done and I think they need to do it as fast as possible because it’s not going to end well for West Indies Cricket or cricket in the Caribbean.Dottin was active on the T20 league circuit after her retirement but hasn’t been in competitive action since September 2023. She will captain the Trinbago Knight Riders team in the upcoming women’s Caribbean Premier League, ahead of a West Indies camp in August in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.

Seamer claims four wickets alongside Douthwaite, as Ingram and Carlson build stand

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024Timm van der Gugten was the pick of the Glamorgan bowling, grabbing the first four Leicestershire wickets to fall, while Dan Douthwaite also chipped in with four wickets to justify the decision to bowl first.Leicestershire fast bowler Chris Wright made his first-class return from a drugs ban to help his side to a batting bonus point, his side recovering to 251 all out on a hybrid pitch in Cardiff.Wright, who was banned for nine months but found not to be at fault after a banned substance was contained in a fruit supplement, combined with debutant Sam Wood and Tom Scriven as the last two wickets added 75 runs.Glamorgan lost both openers early in reply, but moved onto 114 for 2 at the close with Colin Ingram, 63 not out, and Kiran Carlson, 42 not out, putting on an unbroken partnership of 87 to put their side in the driving seat.After winning the toss and inserting Leicestershire in overcast and drizzly conditions, Glamorgan would have been hoping for an early breakthrough, which was delivered from a familiar source.Van der Gugten has been the spearhead of the Glamorgan attack this season and he delivered once again, taking all three wickets to fall before the lunch break with arrow-like accuracy.He bowled opener Rishi Patel for 7 with a delivery which clipped the top of off stump, then fellow opener Ian Holland played on with one which jagged back slightly when on 13.The Dutchman returned to have a spell just before lunch and added a third, this time LBW as captain Lewis Hill did not get far enough forward to depart for 25.Ned Leonard, on loan from Somerset, should have had a wicket when Indian star Ajinkya Rahane top-edged a pull shot, but deep midwicket Douthwaite was slow coming forward and ended up spilling the low chance.It was the ever-reliable van der Gugten who brought the downfall of Rahane, finding the outside edge after lunch and helped by a sharp catch at second slip by captain Sam Northeast.After looking good, England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed gave things away when he lifted a short ball from Douthwaite straight to Billy Root on the deep square leg boundary.Then out of the blue Australian Peter Handscomb went for 46, trying to dab Douthwaite down to third man but instead just feathering a catch to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Then New Zealander Fraser Sheat got into the act with his first wicket in county cricket, a rather tame dismissal of Liam Trevaskis who chipped the ball to mid-on.The tame-ness was copied by Louis Kimber who also chipped the ball in the air, aiming a leg side half volley at catcher Asa Tribe off the bowling of Douthwaite.That brought Sam Wood to make his debut in confident style as he and Scriven put on a half-century partnership, Wright and Wood doing the rest to reach the first batting bonus point.Glamorgan’s innings could not have got off to a worse start, captain Sam Northeast promoting himself to open and then departing first ball of the innings, caught behind by Handscomb from the bowling of Holland.The same bowler accounted for debutant Asa Tribe, who played on for 4. Ingram and Carlson saw out the rest of the day’s play to put Glamorgan in a strong position.

His appointment as COO will be effective from October 1 and his role as acting CEO will commence on November 1

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2024Cricket West Indies [CWI] has appointed Lynford Inverary as its new chief operating officer (COO) and acting chief executive officer (CEO). The decision was made by the board of directors on September 28 in Port-of-Spain.Inverary’s appointment as COO will be effective from October 1 and his role as acting CEO will commence on November 1. He will assume the position which will be vacated by Johnny Grave.Grave has been CEO of CWI for close to eight years having taken up the role in February 2017. During his tenure, he oversaw three World Cups hosted in the West Indies: the 2018 women’s T20 World Cup, the 2022 Under-19 World Cup and the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup co-hosted with the USA. He was also the T20 World Cup CEO for the event in June this year..Related

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• Johnny Grave doubts Big 3's $15 million Test fund plan will make much difference

• Johnny Grave to step down as CWI CEO in October 2024

• India, Australia and England boards should do more for Test cricket – Johnny Grave

Inverary, an Antiguan national born in Guyana, has over a decade’s worth of experience at the CWI where he has held various roles. This includes the post of a business planning manager and also as an acting corporate secretary.More recently, Inverary spearheaded the formation of CWI’s 2024-27 strategic plan, titled ‘The Long Run’, which outlines a comprehensive roadmap focused on improving governance, enhancing cricket development, optimising operational efficiency, and ensuring long-term growth and sustainability for the organization.”I am honoured and grateful to the CWI Board of Directors for their vote of confidence in my ability to lead,” Inverary said. “I embrace this new challenge as a platform to continue contributing to the development of the sport that means so much to me and the people of the West Indies.”I look forward to working with the board, management, and staff to implement our four-year strategic plan, improve operational efficiency, and shape a strong future for West Indies cricket.”Inverary holds a graduate degree from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and an MBA degree from the University of South Wales.”Lynford brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of CWI’s strategic goals, paired with an operational capacity to execute with precision,” CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow said. “Over his decade-long tenure, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, guiding critical projects to successful completion while steering key initiatives with purpose and vision.”His unyielding commitment and expertise leave us confident in his ability to lead CWI through this pivotal phase of growth and transformation.”

Sajid and Noman shared 19 out of 20 wickets to leave their batters chasing a target of only 36

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Oct-2024Pakistan 344 (Shakeel 134, Sajid 48*, Noman 45, Rehan 4-66, Bashir 3-129) and 37 for 1 (Masood 23*) beat England 267 (Smith 89, Duckett 52, Sajid 6-128, Noman 3-88) and 112 (Root 33, Noman 6-42, Sajid 4-69) by nine wicketsThe wait is finally over. For the first time since 2021, Pakistan have won a Test series at home, coming back from 1-0 down to confirm a 2-1 success over England.A comprehensive nine-wicket win on day three of the third and decisive Test in Rawalpindi arrived before lunch, achieved with so little fuss that England’s victory by an innings in the opening match feels like it belongs in a different series altogether. It is only the second time Pakistan have come from behind in a series and the first time they have done so at home.Just as it was in the first innings, and indeed the victorious second Test at Multan, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran riot, bagging all 10 wickets as England were snuffed out for 112 in a listless second innings performance. It was Noman’s turn to pocket the match ball with 6 for 42, a sixth five-wicket haul, while Sajid’s 4 for 69 registered a second 10-wicket match of his 10-Test career after 6 for 128 on the first day.That left a nominal chase of 36 on the table, which was still enough for beleaguered home skipper Shan Masood to indulge in a cathartic 23 from six deliveries. He clouted four successive fours against Jack Leach upon his arrival to the crease after Saim Ayub was trapped leg before, then sealed victory with a towering six off Shoaib Bashir.Prior to Masood walking off with Abdullah Shafique, Noman and Sajid had done so hand in hand, basking in the glory of instigating England’s day three collapse in which the final seven wickets fell for just 46, and the fact their introductions turned the series on its head. Since being drafted into the squad after the tourists took a 1-0 lead, they have managed 39 wickets between them – Noman’s left-arm spin taking 20 at 13.85, Sajid’s off breaks 19 from 21.01.And yet, things began serenely enough for England. They started Saturday 53 behind on 24 for 3, but in Root and Brook, they had two batters capable of chipping off that deficit, and then some.Related

• Stats – Pakistan's first Test series win at home since 2021

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When Brook began the 13th over by striking Sajid for back-to-back fours – first through cover, then over mid off on the charge – the more pessimistic Pakistan fans might have been wondering if the Yorkshire pair were about to embark on another match-tilting partnership. After all, it was these two who combined for all of 454 in the first Test at Multan.However, that was before Sajid and Noman entered the series. And after the former adjusted his line to keep Brook honest, the latter followed up a slow delivery with one far quicker that was cut late into the gloves of Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan’s lead had been cut to 11, but the first domino had been toppled. Others duly followed.Stokes’ troubles against spin continued, inexplicably leading a straight delivery from Noman, expecting turn from over the wicket that never came. Jamie Smith’s charge to Sajid was almost as bad, bowled off stump through a wild swing that belied the sensibilities he had displayed with a load-bearing 89 in the first innings.It was only four balls after Smith’s dismissal that England went ahead, and what hopes they had of extending that in a meaningful way ended when Root was snared by a pearler from Noman with a lead of eight. Perfect dip onto a length to drag the right-hander forward from around the wicket, before just enough spin – it was a delivery the 38-year-old had served up a few times but only Root was good enough to nick. ASajid tagged in to lop off the tail, yorking Gus Atkinson before knocking back Rehan Ahmed’s leg stump for his second 10-wicket match haul. And he looked to have bagged a second five-for in the match when Shoaib Bashir was given out LBW on the sweep.A cursory DRS review came back in the No.11’s favour, with the impact onto the pad coming outside off stump. The reprieve only brought an extra two runs, as Noman caught Leach lacking on the charge, firing one wide of the advancing left-hander, stumped smartly by Rizwan.A lead of 35 was always going to be light work on a pitch that was far from demonic, but it was Masood’s introduction that ensured formalities were completed inside 3.1 overs. Ayub began the chase with a brace of fours at the end of the first over before Leach pinned him in front, confirmed via DRS after another erroneous call from umpire Sharfuddoula.But even his dismissal brought some icing to the cake, as Masood took the team charging over the line for his first series win as captain. After starting his tenure with six straight defeats before the second Test of this series, It was hard to begrudge him that honour.

The lack of depth in India’s attack showed as the day went on as Head and Smith added 241 in 302 balls

Karthik Krishnaswamy15-Dec-2024Centuries from Travis Head and Steven Smith, those two great India tormentors, put Australia in control of the third Border-Gavaskar Test at the Gabba, on a fast-moving second day that produced 377 runs and seven wickets. Five of those wickets fell to the exceptional Jasprit Bumrah, who kept India in the contest almost singlehandedly while swelling his overall Test tally in Australia to 49; Kapil Dev (51) is now the only Indian bowler ahead of him.Almost singlehandedly, because Bumrah wasn’t the only India quick to trouble Australia here. Akash Deep kept landing the ball in testing areas and induced almost as many false shots (45) as Bumrah did (46), but ended the day wicketless. Mohammed Siraj put in a solid shift too, and for most of the first session India applied pressure from both ends and had Australia on a tight leash.The lack of depth in India’s attack began to tell as the day wore on, though, and Australia pulled away as Head and Smith added a rollicking 241 for the fourth wicket in 302 balls. The second new ball gave India some respite, with Bumrah dismissing Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Head in the space of 12 balls, but Australia were already in a superb position by then.Related

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At stumps, they were 405 for 7, and in a position to dictate the shape of the rest of this Test match, although time (all but 13.2 overs of day one were washed out) and the weather may yet complicate their push for a win.India yet again had no answer to the thorny problem Head poses: how do you bowl to a batter whose stock response to the top-of-off line and length is a fast-hands square cut? They tried various options, but nothing really worked, and their attempts at going short proved particularly futile: their bouncers weren’t hostile or accurate enough to cramp Head consistently for room, and the pace and bounce of this Gabba pitch too true to cause indecision. Instead of tucking him up and making him look awkward, India typically allowed Head to lean back and ramp the ball away over the slips.The bigger issue for India was their lack of sustained wicket threat beyond their three main quicks. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja, their fourth and fifth bowlers, gave away 141 runs over a combined 29 overs, while picking up just the one wicket. That wicket was a vital one, leaving Australia 75 for 3, but it was revealing that it was the result of a loose drive from Marnus Labuschagne rather than a genuine wicket-taking delivery.The problem of the fourth and fifth bowler was particularly pronounced after the tea break, when India resumed with a 70-over-old ball. It left them with a conundrum: they could either start the session with their best bowlers, or preserve them for the second new ball which was 10 overs away. They started with Reddy and Jadeja, and went on to concede 63 runs in the first 10 overs of the session.Steven Smith found his hands…and more•Chris Hyde / Getty Images

Smith, in particular, blossomed during this period, and surged in confidence after having had to struggle through his first half-century. He came into this innings with the big, back-and-across trigger movement that he had shelved following his first-ball duck in the first innings in Perth, and it took him a while to find any fluency. He was beaten numerous times in the corridor, particularly by Akash Deep, and had played 30 false shots by the time he’d reached his half-century.It was a measure of how much he was struggling, because each of the other 11 innings in Smith’s Test career with 30 or more false shots were centuries. But perhaps it was a portent too, and his wagon wheel blossomed after he brought up his fifty, with India no longer able to restrict him to just the leg-side scoring shots. Smith’s first fifty took him 128 balls, and his second just 57. And he only played eight false shots after reaching the half-century mark.The last of them was an expansive drive off Bumrah that he edged to slip after India had taken the second new ball. In his next over, Bumrah struck two more times to send back Marsh and Head, and like the wicket of Smith, these two also came from balls that landed in the perfect length to bring the batters forward without allowing them to drive safely, in the perfect channel to force them into playing, and with just enough seam movement to find the outside edge.It’s the most fundamental thing about bowling in Test cricket, but finding that right area for a particular pitch can be a long and arduous process for even the best of bowlers. Bumrah had himself taken his time finding it on day one.It was almost inevitable, however, that he would find it as soon as day two dawned. His six-over spell in the morning was all but unplayable, with 14 of his 30 balls inducing false shots, and two of them sending back Australia’s openers.He drew Usman Khawaja onto the front foot and got him feeling for the ball three times in a row, beating his bat with the last two balls of his first over of the day and finding his edge of the first ball of his second.An over later, Nathan McSweeney had fallen to Bumrah for the fourth time in his five-innings Test career, squaring up and edging an away-seamer to second slip, where Virat Kohli took the first of his three catches on the day. Bumrah had bowled five overs on day one, but McSweeney had only faced three balls from him. Now he was out, having been exposed to his nemesis for three balls in a row, leaving their overall Test-match head-to-head reading 52 balls, 12 runs, four dismissals.A tense period followed, with Labuschagne and Smith putting on 37 off 89 balls, with their doggedness at leaving the ball on length standing out as the main feature of their partnership. It may not have made the pulse race, but it served an important function for Australia, allowing Head to walk in when the ball was 33.2 overs old and doing significantly less than at the start of the day, and when the three main quicks had already bowled 29 overs between them.