The omissions from that squad are uncapped seamer Duffy, legspinner Sodhi, and the injured Jamieson; NZC also announces T20Is vs UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2023

There were no surprises in the 13 New Zealand named for their two-Test series against Sri Lanka that begins on March 9. All 13 players who featured in their recent 1-1 draw with England were named, with the omissions from that squad being the uncapped seamer Jacob Duffy, legspinner Ish Sodhi, and the injured Kyle Jamieson.Tim Southee will lead the squad that is coming off the high of becoming only the fourth team to win after following on, in a dramatic game which they snatched by one run in Wellington to level the series against England. The batting will continue to be anchored by Kane Williamson, with Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Will Young for support. Tom Blundell will continue behind the wicket, with Michael Bracewell the key in the spin department. Neil Wagner, fresh off his signature short-ball exploits against England, will spearhead the pacers along with Southee, the line-up including Matt Henry, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn.Getty Images

Jamieson, who was withdrawn from the squad initially named for that England series, is due to undergo back surgery for an injury that has kept him out of international cricket since June 2022. The out-of-contract Trent Boult, who’s focusing on playing franchise T20 cricket, continues to remain unselected.The two Tests against Sri Lanka are part of the World Test Championship, and while defending champions New Zealand are out of contention for the final, Sri Lanka need to sweep the series 2-0 to have a shot at making the title bout. The first Test will be played in Christchurch, followed by the second in Wellington from March 17.New Zealand Test squad to face Sri Lanka: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Out: Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson (withdrawn from previous series)New Zealand to face UAE in T20Is in AugustNew Zealand Cricket (NZC) also announced a three-match T20I series against UAE in the UAE for August. The three games will be played on August 17, 19 and 20, as the squad stops over in the UAE on its way to England for limited-overs assignments.August is peak summer in the UAE, with day-time temperatures often climbing to 45C. NZC said all three games will be played under lights.New Zealand have previously played UAE in just one international, an ODI during the 1996 World Cup.”In terms of the global cricket family, it’s important we keep helping each other, and growing the game on an international scale,” NZC chief executive David White said of the decision to play the series. “NZC has a close relationship with the Emirates Cricket Board and our players are very familiar with the environment. I know the Blackcaps will be looking forward to testing themselves against a competitive UAE team.”

Ravindra Jadeja joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in the A+ Grade of BCCI contracted players for the period from October 2022 to September 2023.Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya have been promoted to Grade A, from B and C respectively, while KL Rahul has dropped from A to B. Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav have moved up to Grade B from C.Shardul Thakur has dropped from Grade B to C, while Kuldeep Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, and KS Bharat are all newly-contracted players in Grade C. Washington Sundar retains his spot in Grade C.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma, who were previously in Grade B, have not been given contracts, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha and Deepak Chahar have all been dropped from the list.An A+ contract is worth INR 7 crore, A is INR 5 crore, B is INR 3 crore, and C is INR 1 crore.

List of BCCI contracts for men

A+ category: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra JadejaA category: Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant, Axar PatelB category: Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman GillC category: Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka admits he had self-doubts about his return to fitness after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the season.

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Saka back from hamstring injuryFeatured in England loss to SenegalAdmits self-doubts over return to formFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal's brightest talent has returned to the pitch in recent weeks following a serious hamstring injury and even made a cameo during England's 3-1 loss to Senegal on Tuesday night. But the forward has opened up on self-doubts he has had on finding his form again, having been such a crucial player for club and country.

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Speaking to the press, Saka said: "It’s about not thinking about the past, not thinking about the future. Just being in the moment and always asking yourself – what’s necessary right now?

"Sometimes I can think: 'Oh, am I going to come back in the best shape?' Or, in the past: ‘What could I have done to prevent injury?

"But all that is not necessary. It’s only going to bring bad energy, negativity to your body. One of the best things I took from the book is always ask yourself: 'What’s necessary in this moment right now?' And try to live that way.

"I was not happy with last season, how it went, how it ended. But the only thing I can do now is look forward and try and be the best version of myself and help my team-mates be the same."

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Saka bagged 16 goal contributions in 25 games during Arsenal's 2024-25 Premier League campaign and with Tuchel already coming under pressure as England boss, the German head coach will need his talented winger to hit the ground running next term ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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Saka revealed that he will be jetting off for a nice holiday while many of his colleagues head Stateside for the Club World Cup this month. Some extra rest and recovery could be exactly what the Gunner needs if Arsenal are to mount a title challenge again next term.

Desire Doue was left speechless after PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, but he did pay tribute to Luis Enrique.

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• Doue sparkled in CL final
• PSG won hugely one-sided final
• Enrique wins a second treble

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Doue was in sparkling form as PSG thumped Inter 5-0 to become champions of Europe. The 19-year-old scored twice in the rout, and was left speechless in his post-match interview, although he did find the words to pay tribute to manager Luis Enrique.

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  As a result of PSG's triumph, Enrique became only the second manager in history to win two trebles, along with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, and Doue credited him as both a "great coach" and a "great human being".

• WHAT DOUE SAID

  Doue told reporters: "I have no words… it’s just incredible for me… simply incredible … I have no words, sorry, sorry! … [Luis Enrique] has been here two years … tactically, mentally he’s a really good coach … an unbelievable coach and as a human being too … it’s a pleasure to work with him … [the celebrations] are gonna be crazy!"

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  WHAT NEXT?

  PSG will now compete in the UEFA Super Cup, playing Europa League winners Tottenham on August 13.

Former CSK batter’s decision comes even as BCCI proposes year-long cooling-off period for retired players before they can join overseas T20 leagues

Shashank Kishore08-Jul-2023Ambati Rayudu has withdrawn from the inaugural edition of USA’s Major League Cricket, where he was to represent Texas Super Kings. This follows the BCCI’s proposal to introduce a year-long cooling-off period for retired players before they can participate in overseas T20 leagues. The proposal, put forward at Apex Council meeting in Mumbai yesterday, will be ratified at the BCCI’s AGM in September.The BCCI is believed to be concerned about the possibility of mass retirements by domestic players – all of whom are without contracts – to pursue opportunities elsewhere.”We’ll come out with a policy to prevent the trend of pre-determined retirement,” secretary Jay Shah said after the Apex Council meeting. “The office bearers will make a policy and send it back for approval.”Related

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Rayudu announced his retirement ahead of Chennai Super Kings’ fifth IPL triumph, in Ahmedabad in May. At the time, Rayudu, who had previously retired only to make a comeback, had promised “no U-turn”.Two weeks later, he was named along with a number of other present and former Super Kings players such as Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner, as signings for the Texas franchise, which is also run by N Srinivasan’s India Cements that also owns Chennai Super Kings. The Texas team will be coached by Stephen Fleming with Eric Simons and Albie Morkel as assistants coaches.As things stand, Indian players can feature in overseas T20 leagues only if they are retired from international cricket and BCCI-run tournaments such as the IPL. Unmukt Chand, the former India Under-19 World Cup winner, is an example of a player who left Indian cricket to pursue opportunities overseas.Chand announced his decision in 2021, aged 28. Since then, he has featured in the Big Bash League for Melbourne Renegades and Bangladesh Premier League for Chattogram Challengers.MLC 2023 is a six-team event, scheduled from July 13 to 30. Super Kings will play the tournament opener against Los Angeles Knight Riders.

Winner of last season's Serie A Golden Boot at the age of 35, the Juventus striker is now at the forefront of the Azzurre's incredible summer

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• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

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• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
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• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
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Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

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• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
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Major tournaments are a great stage for players to introduce themselves to the wider world, with youngsters so often announcing themselves as stars of the future and ones to watch with performances under the highest of pressure. But one of the most heart-warming features of the 2025 European Championship has been the regularity with which long-standing icons of different nations have had their moments in the spotlight.

Lucy Bronze is a great example. The full-back enjoyed a breakout tournament when England reached the last four of the 2015 Women's World Cup and has been a key player in the run of six successive major tournament semi-finals that started, so it was fitting that she was such an inspiring figure in the remarkable comeback against Sweden in last week's quarter-finals, aged 33.

Jess Fishlock, meanwhile, is the greatest women's footballer Wales have ever produced, as well as being one of the best players in the history of the NWSL, the U.S. top-flight, but it long looked like she'd never play in a major international tournament. Thus after helping to finally drag Wales over the line in qualifying, having contemplated retirement in an emotional and often heart-breaking journey to that point, it was amazing to see her score the Dragons' first-ever goal on this stage – and provide a great assist as they bowed out against England.

But the best story of this kind during Euro 2025 has come in the form of Cristiana Girelli. Twelve years on from her senior international debut, the striker looks to be almost better than ever at 35 years old, with her goals having helped Italy put back-to-back group-stage exits at major tournaments behind them during an incredible run to the semi-finals, where they will take on the defending champions, England.

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  Iconic status

  Girelli is a long-standing icon of the Italian women's game. Debuting back in 2005 for Bardolino Verona, aged 15, she would go on to represent Brescia and then Juventus, for whom she has scored 137 goals in just 206 appearances. She has 10 Serie A titles to her name, as part of 30 major honours, and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2022 alongside Gianfranco Zola, Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho.

  Yet, perhaps one of her greatest achievements in a long and storied career is that, aged 35, she has just had one of her very best seasons. Girelli won the Serie A Golden Boot this year with her fifth-best scoring campaign in the league ever, one which helped propel Juventus back to the top of the domestic game after back-to-back titles for Roma.

  “I don’t feel my age,” she told before Euro 2025, with her performances for Italy similarly exciting. Girelli scored three goals in four appearances in the Nations League at the start of this year, averaging a successful strike every 64 minutes. That form was a feature of a serious upturn in results for the Azzurre under head coach Andrea Soncin, and something that created real optimism around the national team before this tournament.

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  Breaking the glass ceiling

  But that optimism was cautious because, as Girelli knows well, things haven’t gone to plan for Italy in recent years. At the 2019 Women’s World Cup, she was one of the main faces of a team that reached the quarter-finals of that tournament for the first time since 1991, scoring a hat-trick against Jamaica in the group stages.

  It was a run which captured the attention at home. ‘An Italy to love: Calcio discovers women’ was the headline in as television records were broken and, upon returning home, players received incredible receptions from those whose hearts they had won. “The media attention we’re getting is invaluable for the growth of women’s football in Italy,” Girelli said at the time. “We are here trying to win, but we are also here to send a strong message to society back home, that there is still so much to do.”

  A lot of that work has been done in the six years since. Serie A has become a professional women’s league and has grown incredibly, now standing out as one of the best divisions in Europe. However, it coincided with surprising underperformance from the national team.

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  Back-to-back disappointments

  At Euro 2022, many expected Italy to back up the success of that World Cup and progress from a group that featured France, Belgium and Iceland. They didn’t. Then-head coach Milena Bertolini was keen to explain the disappointment, noting that it would take four or five years to "reap the benefits" of the professional era that was coming. "You can't think you can make up a 20-year gap in seven years,” she added. All that she said was fair enough, though there were questions about tactics, selection and performances that it couldn’t quite excuse.

  At the 2023 World Cup, there was similar disappointment, as Italy again crashed at the first hurdle. A surprise 3-2 loss to South Africa in their final group-stage game saw their opponents progress at their expense and would result in Bertolini leaving her post. Having been at the helm during such an important point in the history of the Italian women’s game, at that 2019 World Cup, it was a sad way for her to depart, but her work remains significant.

  "History is written by what has been done before,” Soncin, her successor, said last week. “We must give credit to those who were there in previous years, who, even without these possibilities, have given a boost to the movement. We are reaping the fruits."

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  Unmatched and underrated

  A lot about this Italy team has changed during that time, with just eight players left from the squad that re-established the Azzurre on the women’s football map in 2019, but it feels fitting that Girelli, now the captain, is still leading this team from the front. Scorer of the two goals that defeated Norway in the quarter-finals, her second coming in the 90th minute, the veteran is only further cementing her iconic status with her performances in Switzerland.

  Cecilia Salvai described her as “an unmatched striker”, while Lucia Di Guglielmo cited her as a long-time “reference point” for her. “I remember a time during our preparations for the Euros when we were all tired and out on our feet at the end of a training session, but she was doing reps and running around more,” the defender explained. “I thought, ‘Well, this is what makes the difference’. It’s in your head, not your legs.” Elena Linari agreed, adding: “She showed during this season that it's not the age which makes the difference, but the mentality.”

  “Throughout her career, she’s received less recognition than she truly deserves, both for her technical ability and her character,” Soncin said after Girelli’s match-winning brace against Norway. “There are very few like her in the box.”

Tottenham Hotspur have expressed interest in signing Rodrygo Goes from Real Madrid, but the Brazilian winger reportedly has no intention of joining the Premier League side. While the Lilywhites have explored a possible move, the 24-year-old has his sights set on a 'bigger club than Tottenham' if he leaves the Santiago Bernabeu this summer following his slide down the pecking order.

Rodrygo uninterested in Spurs despite transfer enquiryNo talks ongoing after Tottenham approach Real MadridBrazilian winger only open to move to an elite-level clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

It was reported earlier that Tottenham Hotspur made an enquiry for Real Madrid star Rodrygo with an eye on signing the winger on a permanent transfer this summer. However, FootMercato has reported that the Brazil international has no interest in joining Thomas Frank’s squad. Despite the Lilywhites’ push, no talks are currently ongoing between the two parties.

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Rodrygo’s future at Real Madrid is uncertain, especially after being benched during the Club World Cup despite Kylian Mbappe’s lack of fitness for the tournament in the United States. Even so, it is reported that the Brazilian star remains focused on staying at Santiago Bernabeu, or moving only to an elite-level team that is 'bigger' than Tottenham.

DID YOU KNOW?

The 24-year-old still has a long-term deal with Real Madrid that runs until the summer of 2028. He has made 270 appearances for the club, contributing 68 goals and 51 assists. Given his quality and age, any departure would come with a hefty price tag, as Los Blancos are not keen on parting ways with Rodrygo for less than what he is worth.

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Tottenham are now likely to shift their focus elsewhere after Rodrygo’s firm stance towards a move to the Lilywhites. Liverpool remain linked with the Brazilian, but they’ve yet to make an official move. For now, Rodrygo is expected to stay put unless a top-tier club presents a compelling offer.

LSG’s coach suggested their captain, who is returning from a quadriceps injury, will be ready to face Royals on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2024Justin Langer, the new Lucknow Super Giants coach, is hopeful that his captain KL Rahul is “ready to go” ahead of their opening fixture of IPL 2024, following a quadriceps tendon injury which ruled him out of India’s final four Tests against England.Rahul travelled to London last month to consult a specialist after feeling discomfort in his right quadriceps immediately after India’s defeat in Hyderabad at the end of January and has not played since. He linked up with the LSG squad on Wednesday night and Langer suggested he will be ready to face Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday afternoon.”KL was supposed to be here this afternoon to play in the practice game tonight, but unfortunately, he’s had a hold-up on the aeroplane,” Langer said on Wednesday in a virtual media conference. “He’ll be at the ground later on tonight, so he’ll probably arrive just after the start of the day’s play.””He’ll be around for the first time to be with the boys and to be with the team. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing him. We know he has worked very hard to tick off all his return-to-play protocols. He’s worked very hard. He’s been practising, he’s been hitting lots of balls. He’s hopefully ready to go. It’s going to be nice to have the captain with us.”*ESPNcricinfo learned that Rahul did join his team-mates in training later on Wednesday evening.Langer did not confirm where Rahul will bat this season, with the off-season acquisition of Devdutt Padikkal raising the possibility that Rahul will slide down from his usual opening spot. That move would also give Rahul the opportunity to pitch a case for selection in India’s middle order ahead of June’s T20 World Cup.”I haven’t been coaching for two years since I left the Australian cricket team, and for two years I’ve been sleeping very well at night,” Langer said, laughing. “Now, it’s hard to sleep at night because it’s very hard to fit so much talent into 11 positions. It’s a good problem to have. It’s a sweet problem, but we’ll work it out. It’s nice to have so much talent in our squad.LSG head coach Justin Langer expects the Lucknow pitch to play truer than it did last season•Lucknow Super Giants”My view – and I’ve said this for probably 25 years – [is that] if the team does well, then everyone gets rewarded. And therefore, from KL’s point of view, if he captains the Lucknow Super Giants to an IPL victory, it means he would’ve played well himself and he would’ve captained very well, and he would’ve wicket-kept very well.”If we have team success, everyone will be rewarded. That’ll be the message for all the players, including Bishi [Ravi Bishnoi] and KL, and there’s a few others who will be vying for T20 World Cup spots. That’s all part of the game we play. The more they concentrate on playing well for Lucknow the more their chances of being selected will increase.”Langer will be coaching in the IPL for the first time in his career, and said he has been “blown away” by the talent he has seen in LSG’s pre-season training. “I cannot believe the depth of talent in India,” he said. “I’ve seen some players already, just in our franchise, [and] my mind is blown away by the amount of young talent in this country.”He also said that he has been “all across” the extensive work that has been done on the pitches at Ekana Stadium, LSG’s home venue, since last year’s IPL. The pitches tended to play slow and low in IPL 2023, with only three team totals above 170 across the seven matches staged in Lucknow, but Langer said there were signs of improvement during the 50-over World Cup.”We’ve done a lot of work here on the pitches. I’ve been all across it. They’ve changed the water that goes into the pitches. They’ve also changed some of the soil. At the end of last season, they changed the soil on the pitches, and we saw some good results in the World Cup. They played a few games here. There were some high scoring games. I think South Africa vs Australia was a very high-scoring game, right?”We’ve trained here now. We had a practice game last night under lights, and we’ve had two very good training sessions on the middle wickets, and the pitches were – very, very good… they recognised that we needed to improve the pitches from last year, so we’re all very hopeful that we see excellent pitches. From what I’ve seen so far, though, we have nothing to worry about.”GMT 1815 The story was updated with confirmation that Rahul trained with his team-mates on Wednesday.

They extended their lead at the top of the league and are six points clear of KKR in second place

Himanshu Agrawal27-Apr-20243:03

How close is Samson to making India’s T20 World Cup squad?

The target of 197 that Lucknow Super Giants set Rajasthan Royals may not have seemed like much at the end of the first innings. After all, over the last four days, targets of 262 and 211 had been chased comfortably, while totals of 257 and 225 were also nearly overrun.But even so, RR were in a tricky situation at 78 for 3 after 8.4 overs, after ending the powerplay 60 for 1. Ten overs into the chase, with RR needing 116, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave LSG an 87.76% chance of winning. But then Sanju Samson joined forces with an out-of-form Dhruv Jurel, both batters scoring half-centuries in a 121-run riposte to LSG’s hundred partnership between KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda, and took Royals to victory with an over to spare.The result was Royals’ eighth win in nine games, taking them six points clear of Kolkata Knight Riders in second place, and has all but assured them of a place in the playoffs with five games in hand.Samson and Jurel keep calmJos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal had added 60 off 34 balls. But with two deliveries of the powerplay remaining, Buttler was bowled by Yash Thakur – moving across his crease and missing a full toss that crashed into the base of leg stump. In the next over, Marcus Stoinis had Jaiswal caught at deep cover.LSG had chosen a black-soil pitch for this contest and brought on 41-year-old legspinner Amit Mishra for the first time this season as the Impact Player. He accounted for RR’s Impact Player – Riyan Parag – having him caught at deep cover too soon after conceding a six. RR were in trouble then but Samson and Jurel led them out of it.While Samson began his innings with form on his side – he was among the top-scorers of the season – Jurel had managed only ten runs in his previous three innings across six matches. They took their time, scoring only three runs off the first eight balls of their partnership, before ransacking the next two overs for 29 runs. Jurel launched Mishra for a six and chipped Thakur for four, while Samson also got three boundaries.The 14th over, from left-arm quick Mohsin Khan, proved to be the turning point of the game. Jurel was dropped twice in that over by Thakur and hit three fours and a six, eventually finishing unbeaten on 52 off 34 balls. Samson’s innings was less fraught with risk and he ended the match with a six over fine leg to remain not out on 71 off only 33 deliveries.Quinton de Kock lost his stumps to Trent Boult in the first over of the game•BCCI

Not quite a spinners’ pitchThere were a few cracks on the pitch in Lucknow, with the ball expected to turn off them. The soil was black too, which has historically been more spin-friendly. When LSG batted, RR’s spinners R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal combined for figures of 8-0-80-1. The solitary wicket was Ashwin’s – Deepak Hooda caught at wide long-on – and it was only his second wicket in eight games this season.LSG’s spinners didn’t have much success during the chase either, even though there wasn’t much dew, with Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and Mishra bowing a total of seven overs for figures of 1 for 60. While Krunal bowled quicker and flatter to concede only 24 from his four overs, Mishra and Bishnoi proved expensive.RR restrict LSG at start and finishTrent Boult did what he almost always does – strike in the first over. Quinton de Kock had begun the match with boundaries off the first two balls, but had his stumps shattered by the third. And in the second over Sandeep Sharma swerved the ball through the gap between Stoinis’ bat and pad as he attempted to drive and bowled him.LSG were 11 for 2 when Hooda joined his captain Rahul, and they went about the recovery at brisk pace, counterattacking by smashing four boundaries in the last two overs of the powerplay. Rahul then took Avesh for 21 in the eighth over, whipping and swinging for six over midwicket and fine leg, and pulling a free-hit for four more. LSG were 94 for 2 at the halfway stage, with Rahul reaching 50 off 31 balls. He and Hooda continued the offensive, picking up 32 off the next two overs. Hooda got to his half-century from 30 deliveries before holing out to a carrom-ball from Ashwin to end his partnership with Rahul on 115 off 62 balls.With eight overs to go and plenty of wickets in hand, LSG were primed for a strong finish, but it did not happen for them. Even though they lost only two more wickets, they were those of Nicholas Pooran and Rahul – for 76 off 48 balls – and LSG were able to score only 25 runs in the last three overs of their innings.

Australia are set to field an unchanged side for the fourth Test in a row and an unchanged bowling quartet for the seventh match of the summer with back-up quick Scott Boland likely to be sent home to play Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria on Monday.Captain Pat Cummins confirmed Australia’s expected line-up for the second Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval starting on Friday as they look to secure the series 2-0 following the victory in Wellington.The final round of Shield matches begins on Monday and Victoria have a chance to qualify for a third straight final as they host Western Australia at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Related

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Boland and Michael Neser are the two back-up quicks on tour, with Matt Renshaw the only spare batter in the 14-man touring party. Australia will need to keep at least one spare batter and one spare bowler with the squad in case of a concussion but could release one of the quicks to play in the Shield. Queensland are out of contention for the final and would not need Neser to return to try and qualify.Boland looks likely to be released after the toss on Friday to return home to prepare to face Western Australia.”There was talk of maybe sending Scotty back for Victoria but holding Nes back from Queensland just to annoy Marnus [Labuschagne] and Usman [Khawaja],” Cummins said. “I did hear the back end of that conversation the other day.”It has been a frustrating summer for Boland. He was the star of the World Test Championship final for Australia in June last year and kept Mitchell Starc out of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. But England attacked him in the two Tests he played in the Ashes and Australia returned to their big three for three for the final two Tests.Boland was rested for specific Shield matches at the start of the summer at the request of Australia’s selectors to be fresh for the Tests with a genuine concern that one of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc would not be fit after a gruelling ODI World Cup campaign. But the trio have got through unscathed, and Boland has played just five first-class matches for the season as a result.Michael Neser is Australia’s other spare pace bowler on the tour•Getty Images

“I think I said at the start of the summer I’d be surprised we played all seven just because it’s rare that something doesn’t pop up,” Cummins said. “But thankfully we’ve all kind of managed all the little niggles that pop up pretty well. I think even the schedule this summer seems to be just when you need a week’s break, there was a week’s break in between Test matches.”Obviously it’s been a long summer but we all still feel like we’ve got a fair bit of freshness about us. We’re not limping over the line. I still feel like we’re in a great position. I wouldn’t have thought we’d be here a couple of months ago.”While Australia are settled, there is a wariness heading into the second Test. In 2022 against Sri Lanka, and just last month at home against the West Indies, Australia gave up 1-0 leads with poor performances in the second match of each series.There are concerns around the batting group with some frank discussions held internally during the week about being more ruthless and accountable to individual plans.”I think it’s just decision-making around plans, and having really clear plans,” Cummins said. “It doesn’t mean you need to have 12 shot options. It might only be two or three. But you’re building innings around that. I think Greeny was a great example. For all his big shots last week, he also showed a lot of restraint at times.”So just managing that tempo, having a really clear game plan and just living and dying by that. There have been a lot of conversations. A lot of guys working in the nets just to have a think about that.”