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After the extraordinary highs of Headingley last week, the trip across the Pennines provided a rather more low-key resumption of hostilities

The Report by Andrew Miller04-Sep-2019Australia 170 for 3 (Labuschagne 67, Smith 60*) v England

Put that Ashes fever on ice. And wind. And rain. And grim Mancunian Autumnal mizzle. After the extraordinary highs of Headingley last week, England and Australia’s trip across the Pennines provided a rather more low-key resumption of hostilities, as just 44 overs were possible in a stop-start day that nevertheless provided a microcosm of the series to date.Stuart Broad bowled with aggression, intent and thrilling early success – scalping David Warner for the fifth time in seven innings, and for his sixth single-figure score of a desperately poor series, before Steven Smith and his super-sub-turned-automatic pick, Marnus Labuschagne, continued their own fine runs of form with another brace of half-centuries – for both men, it was their fourth in as many innings in this campaign, and Smith’s eighth in a row against England since the 2017-18 rubber.But then the weather had the ultimate say on a day that also featured a maiden home Test wicket for Craig Overton, a player rather surprisingly recalled to England’s attack on account of the ticker he showed in adversity Down Under two winters ago, and who lived up to that reputation with a very timely late incision after a three-hour rain delay, his sharp inducker bursting through Labuschagne’s gate to bowl him for 67 and end a determined third-wicket stand of 116.In between whiles, however, this was a day on which it was hard to judge quite where the two teams were at. At 28 for 2, with both Australian openers succumbing to Broad in the space of seven overs, it seemed the Headingley hangover was set to be prolonged for a visiting team that had had the Ashes “stolen” from under their noses, in the colourful phrasing of their coach Justin Langer.But then, by the time a three-hour rain delay had given way to a 4pm resumption amid swirling winds and a biting chill factor, the momentum of the day – such as was able to develop – swung emphatically back to Australia’s most accomplished pairing.In a mildly comical half-hour that featured another two-minute rain interruption, the squally conditions were so atrocious that the rubbish being served up by England’s bowlers was matched only by the detritus fizzing across the ground as a succession of crisp packets, clingfilm and a rogue beach-ball (crisply swept for four by Smith) punctuated both the action and what little rhythm England could muster. Even the bails failed to survive the conditions, with the umpires removing them (in accordance with Law 8.5) before a pair of replacements, weighed down by some hastily hammered-in nails, were brought back into play.Steve Smith pulls through square•Getty Images

If there was a talking point from an England perspective, it centred around a notably off-colour day for Jofra Archer – an overdue development, some might say, after a summer of ceaseless highs and expectations for a player who – lest we forget – has barely celebrated his three-month anniversary as an international cricketer.Archer’s first five-over spell was cagey, averaging in the low 80s rather than the mid-90s, although that could have been put down to his assessment of the conditions – after all, having taken the new ball in similar weather at Lord’s, he had arguably bowled a yard too short to truly challenge the outside edge, and this time seemed more focused on line and length than pace and fire.It was his second spell in the afternoon that raised a few more eyebrows – with Smith in his sights and already well set after a solid start to his comeback innings, Archer opened up with a 79mph loosener and rarely exceeded 85mph in an occasionally sharp though largely lacklustre display. There’s no doubt that the chill did not favour such a thoroughbred performer, and he seemed reluctant to part with his two sweaters before finally settling for a short-sleeve only, but such are the expectations surrounding his every delivery these days that anything that veers towards the ordinary is bound to attract attention. But he’ll be back. He always is.Besides, with Broad in one of his Ashes moods from the outset, Archer perhaps felt entitled to be the support act for once. With James Anderson now officially ruled out of the series, Broad’s status in England’s Test attack has never been more senior, and he responded to Australia’s desire to take first use of a dry pitch with another outstandingly hostile opening gambit.His first over featured a second-ball lbw appeal against Marcus Harris that England rightly chose not to review, and a fourth-ball breakthrough, as Warner’s struggles against his round-the-wicket line were exposed once again.The manner of Warner’s parting today was stereotypical of the trouble that Broad has caused him all series. Around the wicket, outside off and shaping back in, drawing the batsman into two minds, then snicking the edge of a half-committed bat by a hint of jag off the seam allied to extra bounce.Off Warner trooped for a second-ball duck, for a series record that now reads: 2, 8, 3, 5, 61, 0 and 0. Only Mike Atherton, in his first full series against Glenn McGrath in 1997, has recorded more than Warner’s current tally of six single-figure scores in an Ashes series, and with a maximum of three more innings to come, there’s time yet to match or surpass his figure of seven.Broad now was in one of his ominously rhythmic spells, and three overs later, he thumped Harris on the knee-roll with another of his angling-in nipbackers from round the wicket, and roared down the pitch, arms outstretched in celebrappeal, with only the most belated of backwards glances to the umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, who duly obliged with a tentative, unconvincing raise of the finger.Harris reviewed, as well he might, and sure enough the ball was shown to be clipping the leg bail … indisputably out, but one of those ones that leaves a batsman ruing what might have been.And so, for the first time this summer, Australia’s two stand-out batsman of the series were united in the middle – by the close they had scored more than 40 percent of their team’s runs for the series, but until now in single file rather than tandem.The curious spin-off benefit of Smith’s concussion substitution at Lord’s was that Labuschagne was handed an opportunity that might not otherwise have arisen, and for the fourth innings of the campaign, the calm, methodical, reasoned approach honed by half a season of rich returns for Glamorgan paid further dividends for his country.As had been the case with Smith at Edgbaston, England were too quick to lose patience when their lines of attack failed to find the edges that have been standard among the rest of Australia’s batting, and at times it was surprisingly hard to tell the two batsmen apart, with Labuschagne every bit as adept at working the ball off the straight and narrow through the leg-side before capitalising on the over-compensations with drilled drives through the covers.And as at Headingley in what had appeared to be an Ashes-deciding hour of indiscipline in the first innings, England’s failure to settle into any sort of rhythm looked likely to cost them dear until Overton’s sparky intervention before the early close. Either way, Smith was able to take advantage and kickstart his comeback with 60 largely unchallenged runs. They got away with it last week, but England will need to be sharper on the resumption to keep their Ashes ablaze.

Naseem Shah expected to return for hosts; Tom Helm or Olly Stone likely to replace Mark Wood

Danyal Rasool24-Sep-2022

Big picture

The shapeshifting nature of a seven-match T20I series makes it difficult to capture the big picture in words that age well, so the first rule of doing this is accepting that.England, after all, have a seemingly bottomless pit of explosive T20 cricketers, and as Harry Brook and Will Jacks – who debuted on Friday – showed in the series, they’re nowhere near scraping the bottom of that barrel. Pakistan, who will be playing their 200th T20I, have the most consistent opening pair in the world, and a middle order that has so far been unable to live up to its vast potential. We all know this. We knew it three games ago, and we know some combination of these events will continue to define the final four games of this series, because that’s what you get with Pakistan and England. We didn’t need three T20Is on the best batting pitch in the world to figure that out.Related

• England's visit to cricket city

• Wood focused on T20 World Cup readiness despite stellar display

• Brook makes his mark with maiden international fifty

• Babar and Rizwan raise the volume to drown out the noise

But that doesn’t mean there’s no value to be gained from this glut of games. Pakistan have seen the debates that are both furious in their intensity and tiresome in their repetitiveness around the top and middle order rage on, but that has shielded the bowlers from the scrutiny they deserve after two especially uninspiring performances. Shadab Khan’s return to fitness cannot come soon enough, with Usman Qadir having comprehensively failed to take the chances that have come his way. It might have been forgotten in the blur of boundaries that followed, but England hadn’t hit a six in the first half of the innings until Qadir landed a half-volley right in new batter Brook’s hitting arc and found himself dispatched over his head.The seamers, too, have repeatedly failed to find their lines and lengths at crucial points in overs, and evidence of match-up bowling has been scarce. The short-ball at pace was persisted with despite Brook’s prolific ability on the pull and behind the wicket, while rigidity with bowlers’ lines frequently allowed him to back away and open up cover, where deep protection often didn’t exist. The fielding hasn’t helped either, and in the ferocity of the culture war around batting intent, it escapes notice that the best way to limit the need for extreme risk-taking is by making sure you don’t need to chase down any more than necessary.England have problems, too, but of a much different kind. They have been the side happier to treat these games as experiments, tinkering around with both the batting and the bowling, even opting to set a total in one game, a modern T20 anathema. Alex Hales has shone on his England return, and Ben Duckett, Brook and Jacks have all enjoyed impressive starts to the series. Adil Rashid’s landed them with almost metronomic consistency, making him the most useful spinner from either side. And if you thought Luke Wood was a shot in England’s arm, what Mark Wood did on his return from injury on Friday – racking up a top speed in excess of 97 mph – becomes incomprehensible. All of this means there’s little England can complain about so far this tour.

Form guide

Pakistan: LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

England: WLWLLMohammad Nawaz has conceded just 7.83 runs this series•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

When the opposition amasses huge scores for fun, don’t expect to get any credit as a bowler. Especially one who doesn’t pick up many wickets. And yet, Mohammad Nawaz, having conceded 94 in three games for just one wicket, is arguably Pakistan’s best T20 bowler. It is a selfless role of sorts he plays, operating as a left-arm spinner with only pace and line variations to rely on. He doesn’t possess the ability to turn it big, but it’s uncanny how often a slight slowing of an England innings tempo coincides with Nawaz’s introduction. He hasn’t been afraid to take on an over or two in the powerplay, either, and against an England side that’s scored 580 runs in just under 60 overs, Nawaz has found a way to concede just 7.83 in his dozen.In an England batting line-up so chock-full of natural power-hitters, Dawid Malan can stick out. He might have been the number one ranked T20I player fairly recently, but the big-hitting that comes so effortlessly to his team-mates is obviously not his forte in the same manner. Despite impressing as opener in the Hundred, it has been a tricky start to the series for him, his penchant for starting slowly offering Pakistan’s bowlers much-needed respite. The slow, low conditions haven’t helped – and, of course, won’t be a feature of surfaces in Australia at the upcoming T20 World Cup. But with his team-mates hitting sixes for fun, Malan might feel it’s about time he showed why he belongs in this glittering batting line-up.

Pitch and conditions

Evening conditions have cooled down slightly in Karachi, though it remains fairly humid. A fresh pitch will be used for this game.

Team news

Naseem Shah might return as Pakistan look to level the series, while the middle order could face a reshuffle as the hosts search for their best combination. Shadab will be expected to come in at some stage, and, if available, would slot straight in for Qadir.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt) 2 Mohammad Rizwan/Mohammad Haris (wk) 3 Haider Ali 4 Shan Masood 5 Iftikhar Ahmed 6 Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali 7 Mohammad Nawaz 8 Shadab Khan/Usman Qadir 9 Mohammad Hasnain 10 Naseem Shah 11 Haris RaufEngland didn’t train on Saturday and would be expected to make a couple of changes for the fourth T20I. Mark Wood will likely be rested after his explosive burst on Friday, with Tom Helm or Olly Stone the likeliest replacements. Hales may also return despite Jacks’ impressive debut. David Willey might come in if Sam Curran gets a rest.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Alex Hales/Will Jacks, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali (capt), 7 Sam Curran/David Willey, 8 Liam Dawson 9 Reece Topley, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Olly Stone

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan will be playing their 200th T20I on Sunday, the first team to this landmark.
• Babar is 97 away from 3,000 T20I career runs. Only four batters – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Martin Guptill and Paul Stirling have reached that mark.
• Malan hasn’t enjoyed playing against Pakistan. In nine T20Is, he averages 18.87 against them, down from a career average of 37.05, and strikes at 106.33, while his career strike rate is 137.61.

Quotes

“You tend to be a bit fresh after seven months out. It’s been a long time, and I felt very tired at the end. I know it’s only a T20, but it’s all the intensity of international cricket.”

Even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will finish below India – irrespective of the result in Ahmedabad – on the WTC points table

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2023India have qualified for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), setting up a date with Australia for the biggest global honour in the format. Their presence in the final was confirmed after New Zealand pulled off one of the most dramatic wins ever, off the last ball of their first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, by two wickets.The WTC final race had gone into Monday, with the results of both Test matches – in Ahmedabad and in Christchurch – equally relevant. If Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand, they would have stayed in the race – if India didn’t win in Ahmedabad – but with Kane Williamson hitting an unbeaten 121 and Daryl Mitchell scoring a quick 86-ball 81, New Zealand pulled off a win that didn’t look possible for the longest time, off the very last ball of the game. The result put Sri Lanka out of the running for the WTC final.Now, following their loss in Christchurch, even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will only go up to 52.78 points. That will be lower than India’s 56.94 even if India go on to lose the Ahmedabad Test. If they draw – as looks most likely – India will finish on 58.80. Australia have already qualified: even if they lose in Ahmedabad, they will end with a percentage of 64.91.Australia and India are the only teams which have won at least twice as many Tests as they have lost in the current WTC cycle (in Tests which counted towards the WTC). Australia have been stellar with a 11-3 win-loss record so far, with series wins against England, West Indies and South Africa (home), and Pakistan (away). They also drew in Sri Lanka (1-1), with the only series defeat coming in India (assuming a draw or a defeat in Ahmedabad).India have a 10-5 record in this cycle, with series wins against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia (assuming they win or draw in Ahmedabad) at home, and Bangladesh away. They drew 2-2 in England, and lost 2-1 in South Africa.The WTC title contest will take place at The Oval in London from June 7.

Jake Doran left the field having felt ill after testing positive for Covid-19

AAP01-Dec-2022Tasmania wicketkeeper Jake Doran left the field feeling unwell after testing positive to Covid-19 and was replaced by Tim Paine on day one of the Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia.South Australia batters Jake Weatherald and Nathan McSweeney scored centuries to put their side in a solid position at 8 for 309 having been sent in to bat by Tasmania.Tasmania named former Test skipper Paine as 12th man but he was brought into the game as a substitute wicketkeeper when Doran left the playing arena.Doran had felt fine at the start of play and took an early catch but was replaced by Paine after taking ill. Paine, who will not be allowed to bat, took two neat catches.Weatherald made 100 and McSweeney (118) scored his maiden first class century.Peter Siddle, sporting a peroxide blonde hairstyle, was a constant threat on his way to 4 for 59 from 25 probing overs.Weatherald and McSweeney combined for a 149-run stand for the third wicket after Siddle struck early to remove Henry Hunt and Daniel Drew.Left-hander Weatherald struck 16 boundaries, including two sixes, and was particularly savage through the off side in a confident counter-attacking innings.McSweeney offered sensible support and was an excellent foil for his more aggressive batting partner before upping the ante. The 23-year-old brought up his century with a sweet on drive from the bowling of spinner Jarrod Freeman.It was a moment to savour for the former Australia Under-19s representative after he was stranded on 99 not out in March when he hit the winning runs in a five-wicket Shield win over NSW.South Australia were 6 for 196 just after tea but McSweeney received excellent support from in-form allrounder Benjamin Manenti and Nathan McAndrew.Weatherald said he was delighted to find form against a class attack.”This year has been a bit of a struggle for me with the bat so it was good to walk out there and play freely and score some runs,” he said. “[McSweeney] was able to absorb an amazing amount of pressure … and batted really well.”Tasmania sit second on the Shield table behind Western Australia after a hard-fought four-wicket win over Victoria in their most recent match. South Australia are second-last with two losses and three draws so far this season.

Spinning allrounder was dropped after a poor showing at Edgbaston, where he was out-bowled by Nathan Lyon

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2019Moeen Ali will take a short break from cricket after his omission from the England squad for the second Ashes Test at Lord’s this week.Moeen struggled badly in the first Test of the series, taking 2 for 130 in Australia’s second innings on a turning pitch and twice being dismissed cheaply by Nathan Lyon, who has now dismissed him in nine of his last 11 innings against Australia.He was left out of the squad for Lord’s in favour of Jack Leach, the Somerset left-arm spinner, and was expected to return to Worcestershire’s squads for the Vitality Blast.ALSO READ: The triumphs and travails of Moeen Ali’s Test careerInstead, Worcestershire announced that he would be stepping away from cricket for a “short break” after a “hectic and high-intensity period of international cricket” before linking up with the county again.Despite Moeen’s brief break, England’s captain Joe Root said that he remained integral to England’s long-term success, and backed him to bounce back after a spell in county cricket, just as he did against India last summer, when he returned to the side for the fourth Test at Southampton with a Player-of-the-Match-winning nine-wicket haul.”I spent a good while chatting to Mo, making sure he understood where he’s at, and where we’re at in terms of getting him back to his best,” said Root. “We felt it was best for him to play some county cricket, and perform well for Worcestershire.”Now, as he proved last summer, coming into that India series having a massive influence on it, there’s no reason why he can’t go back and do the same again, and try and force his way back into the squad.”You know, he’s been a big part of English cricket and he’s done some fantastic things in a Test shirt. And it’s certainly not the last we’ll see of him, he’s a fine character, a great man and gives so much to this team. I’m sure that it won’t be long until you see him back involved.”Worcestershire coach Alex Gidman said: “Mo is spending a little time away from the middle recharging his batteries and putting in some quality practice time which he feels he needs, and we completely respect. He has had an intense schedule of international cricket involving the ICC World Cup and the start of the Ashes.”Mo loves playing for Worcestershire and he gives a lift to everyone in the dressing room when he comes back and plays for us. We saw at Trent Bridge [in the Blast] what he gives to us and we look forward to when he returns soon.”The announcement, in addition to Adil Rashid’s season-ending shoulder injury, suggests that Leach is likely to be England’s spinner for much of the ongoing series – though it is possible Moeen could return for Sunday’s Championship match against Northamptonshire.Leach told the BBC this week that he had been in conversation with Moeen after the squad announcement.”Mo sent me a text wishing me all the best,” Leach said. “He said he hopes that I do really well. He’s been so supportive of me coming into this environment and helping me with my bowling. I actually told him to be ready for the third Test, so we had a little laugh.”

Mott is pleased with the performances of players who are putting pressure on for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad

Andrew McGlashan08-Jan-2020Australia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck feared the worst when she suffered a knee injury last month but is making good progress in her recovery ahead of the T20I tri-series with India and England and T20 World Cup.Vlaeminck, 21, picked up an ACL strain to her left knee during training before Christmas and has sat out the resumption of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) but is now back running.She has a history of bad knee injuries having been through two reconstructions and missed half of last season’s WBBL after suffering a previous ACL strain.”Tayla has been really good, happy with her progress,” Australia coach Matthew Mott told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a big scare at the start, she feared the worst because of her past history. But she did a strain about a year ago that felt similar so the recovery has been pretty good.”Vlaeminck is one of the quickest bowlers in the world and has added a strong point-of-difference to the Australia attack since making her debut in October 2018. She only has four wickets from her six T20Is but her economy rate is under six an over and she has often earned wickets for team-mates by unsettling opposition with her pace.The other major injury-watch around the Australia camp has been Ellyse Perry following the shoulder damage that curtailed her WBBL season after she landed awkwardly when attempting to take a catch against the Melbourne Renegades on November 17.Tayla Vlaeminck troubled Sri Lanka with her pace•Getty Images

Mott was commentating for radio at the time one of his star players went down and admitted to some unease when Perry continued to field during the match. She was keen to return towards the end of the WBBL with the Sydney Sixers trying to qualify for the finals, but a cautious approach was taken and she made her comeback in the WNCL for her new state, Victoria, on Tuesday scoring 24 and taking 1 for 20 from seven overs.”No matter who the player is you worry about the worst-case scenario,” Mott said. “I know she’s always tough, the fact she stayed out on the field was good and bad. It meant it wasn’t too serious. I’ve spoken to her and would have preferred she come straight off and get some treatment. As captain she wanted to influence the Sixers, but the right decision was made [not to rush back].”Australia will name their T20 World Cup squad in the middle of the month and while there won’t be much change from those who have thrashed Sri Lanka and West Indies in the last six matches, Mott and the selection panel will look closely at those who performed well in the WBBL as well as the India A series. Offspinner Molly Strano, who was the leading WBBL wicket-taker, and the Hobart Hurricanes seamer Belinda Vakarewa are two pushing for call-ups.”As a selection group we were very happy with what was thrown up and the competition for spots,” he said. “Someone like Belinda Vakarewa who has been on our radar for a long time, for her to get the opportunity to open the bowling and close out innings, you can’t put a price on that.”Molly Strano who has been in the team and done well and has probably been unluckily squeezed out by some allrounders. Even younger players like Annabel Sutherland doing well in the A series, Erin Burns who probably didn’t really nail it in the WBBL but had a great A series. There are players on the fringes who have given us a tough game for this final 15.”

Irish batter available under updated Covid protocols following negative test

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2022Paul Stirling is set to become Islamabad United’s second high-profile surprise return in two days, this time for Friday’s eliminator against Lahore Qalandars. If Islamabad win tonight, they will have brought back the opening pair that lit up the opening stages of the season, for the PSL final on Sunday. Multan Sultans will be awaiting the winner of tonight’s game.A tweak in the PCB’s Covid-19 policy for the tournament that allowed Alex Hales to return for Thursday’s win over Peshawar Zalmi will see Stirling immediately eligible to compete. The franchise confirmed in a tweet on Friday that he had returned a negative PCR test. Before the amendment to the protocols, agreed upon by all franchises, anyone arriving from outside Pakistan would have had to quarantine for three days before being allowed to play.Stirling played the first five games of the PSL for United before leaving for international duty with Ireland. He took part in a T20 quadrangular series in Oman and then in the T20 World Cup qualifiers in which, though Ireland lost in the final to the UAE, they qualified for the World Cup in Australia. Stirling’s performances in Oman were not spectacular – he averaged just over 23 with a strike rate of 111 across five games. In the five games he did play for Islamabad, however, he was averaging 37.40 with a strike rate of 181.55. With Hales in tow, the pair were the most destructive opening pair during that first leg, especially in the Powerplay.Hales had also departed the season early, though in his case he cited the mental fatigue of bio-bubbles as his reason for doing so. But he returned for Thursday’s eliminator against Peshawar, with his 49-ball 62 – his third fifty of the season – helping set up United’s successful chase. The innings earned him the player of the match award.As with Hales, Stirling is expected to follow the same distancing protocols and will be kept apart from the team as much as possible, including not having access to the team’s dressing room, staying in a separate area of the hotel and traveling in a separate car to the stadium.