England greats join camp heavy on spinners and allrounders, following success of summer involvement

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Nov-2023Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann will reprise their mentorship roles with the ECB as part of the England Lions’ upcoming training camp in the United Arab Emirates.Flintoff and Swann, regarded as two of the country’s most talismanic cricketers, were both in attendance at Loughborough on Thursday, working with the 20-strong playing group that will fly out on November 17 for a three-week trip, primarily focussing on red-ball skills. It is a distinctly green-tinged party, with 10 players involved in the programme for the first time, and skewed towards spinners and all-rounders, making the presence of the two modern greats in those roles all the more valuable.Both Flintoff and Swann have been involved with the England pathway over the last 12 months. Flintoff recently completed an unpaid stint with the ODI squad during their series against Ireland, presenting fellow Lancastrian Tom Hartley with his maiden international cap in Nottingham. The series was Flintoff’s first public appearance since a serious car crash while filming an episode of Top Gear last December. He has since been compensated a reported £9 million by the BBC.The hero of the 2005 Ashes, who scored 3,845 runs and took 226 wickets across 79 Tests, has also worked with the Under-19s, and attended Ashes Tests during the 2023 summer alongside close friend Rob Key, England’s managing director. Key has been integral to Flintoff’s return to the game.Swann, who retired in 2013 as England’s leading off-spinner with 255 dismissals at an average of 29.96, accompanied the corresponding Lions tour in 2022. He was subsequently drafted as a coach for their tour of Sri Lanka at the start of this year. His input, both around spin and tactics, was such that the ECB have been keen to get him more involved between his existing commitments as a commentator and spin coach of Trent Rockets in the men’s Hundred.The pair will assist a coaching team headed by men’s elite bowling coach Neil Kileen, alongside Jim Troughton (Surrey) and Paul Tweddle (Somerset). Performance director Mo Bobat, who will be in the UAE for the duration of the trip ahead of leaving the ECB in February to take up a director of cricket post at Royal Challengers Bangalore, lauded the continued involvement of Flintoff and Swann.”He’s got a huge passion for helping people,” Bobat said of Flintoff. “He is going through a bit of a journey himself. He wants to give back to the game. He has a lot to offer, and there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm from him, and we have a desire to get him involved. It’s not often you get players of his calibre and experience wanting to get involved as proactively as he does. You have to really take that seriously.Swann and Flintoff (alongside Darren Maddy and Matt Windows) were contemporaries of Rob Key (right) during their playing days, including a tour of Zimbabwe in 1999•Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“We got him around the U19s, and he was brilliant with them. We got him around the England lads, which I know Jos [Buttler] and Motty [white-ball head coach Matthew Mott] really enjoyed. I started speaking to him in the summer, saying I’d love you to come on this camp, and he said he’d love to.”At the moment, we have agreed that he will come for the whole camp, but he’s in demand and we will see. He also has a few medical things he is still working through which we have to be respectful of. The plan is that he’s there for the full camp.”We had Swanny with us last winter and he was amazing. He was even better than I thought he was going to be around the group – brilliant tactically, brilliant mentoring the spinners, great for the captains. He’s trying to bring that into the environment, and I’m sure Fred will be similar from what I’ve experienced of him so far from this summer.”Test players not involved in the ODI World Cup will also feature. Seamers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson will drop in, while wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who was dropped this summer, will be with the Lions for the duration until December 7. Ollie Pope (shoulder) and Jack Leach (back) will also travel out to continue their rehabilitation from injuries sustained last season. Brendon McCullum will also be in attendance for a portion of the tour, accompanied by a handful of Test coaches along with Key, and will work separately with the Test group while he is out there.It will also be an opportunity for McCullum to run the rule over some of the Lions contingent ahead of the five-match series in India which commences in January. While quicks Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue and legspinner Rehan Ahmed are known quantities as far as Test cricket is concerned, it could present an opportunity for Hartley to impress.The tall left-arm spinner has been earmarked for this Test tour and, at the very least, will be in India on a Lions tour due to run parallel with the main event. That particular group will feature more senior fringe players playing a two-day warm-up followed by three four-day matches against India A – ideally first-class – pending confirmation from the BCCI.It is also likely some players will be pulled away from the Lions training camp for the white-ball tour of West Indies, which begins on December 3. England’s dire performance in the ongoing World Cup has put the onus on using the eight-match tour – three ODIs and five T20Is – as a chance to blood the next generation.Rehan, Potts, Tongue, Hartley and Hampshire’s young quick John Turner could be in contention. Brydon Carse, who has not featured for England since being drafted into the World Cup squad as an injury replacement for Reece Topley, has been stood down from attending the UAE camp, given what lies ahead.

“He’s put his statement out there that he believes in” – Warner bats for opening partner Khawaja

Alex Malcolm26-Dec-2023David Warner has given a strong endorsement for Marcus Harris to replace him as Australia’s next Test opener after a day where he and Usman Khawaja showed the value of having specialists do the job, sharing a 90-run opening stand in difficult conditions against Pakistan to help Australia weather the storm.Warner and Khawaja batted almost through the opening session after they were sent in by Pakistan captain Shan Masood on an MCG pitch that had plenty of live green grass. The partnership ensured Australia did not find themselves in a vulnerable position as they reached stumps at 187 for 3 after 24 overs were lost to rain.The debate on who should replace Warner after he retires from the format – at the end of the series – has bubbled away as a talking point, with Michael Hussey adding to the debate by stating he would prefer to see a specialist do the job.Related

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• Cummins curious on ICC not allowing Khawaja's dove logo

Warner had been asked back in July about who should replace him. He spoke glowingly about Matt Renshaw’s credentials before mentioning that Harris had the “front-row seat” as the touring reserve in the Ashes.But after grinding out an 83-ball 38 in a vital 90-run opening stand, that included being dropped on 2 by Abdullah Shafique off Shaheen Shah Afridi, Warner endorsed Harris as the man to take his place after he retires in Sydney.”It’s a tough one,” Warner said. “It’s obviously up to the selectors. But from my position, I feel like the person who’s worked their backside off and has been there for a while in the background, I think Harry’s been that person. He’s toured, he’s going to have that chance. He scored a hundred the other day [for a Victoria XI vs the Pakistanis].”He missed out in a couple other games but he’s always been that person who was next in line. If the selectors show faith in him, then I’m sure he’ll come out and play the way he does. It’s not too dissimilar to me. If he sees it in his areas, he goes for it, plays his shots, and I think he would fit well.”Warner, 37, does not think Australia will need a second opener any time soon despite his current partner Khawaja being the same age as him. He was full of praise for Khawaja’s performance on the opening day. Khawaja made just 42 but looked the more comfortable of the pair and hardly put a foot wrong in the tricky morning conditions until he tried to late cut a ball from Hasan Ali that was a fraction too close and slightly too full and ended up edging it to second slip.Warner believes Khawaja could continue for as long as he wants to, given the form he is in and his importance to the team.”I think because Uzzy’s spoken about the fact that he was resigned to the fact that he was done a few years back and now he’s just playing like every game is his last,” Warner said. “He’s going to keep playing as long as he can and it’s a true testament to the way his mindset has been. His last 12 months have been absolutely phenomenal and he can play as long as he wants to and feels comfortable.”

Warner: ‘Khawaja’s got a lot of respect from a lot of people’

Khawaja wore the names of his two daughters on his shoes, having taped over the words that he had on them at training in Perth. Warner, who has also had the names of his wife and daughters written on his shoes throughout the latter half of his career, believes Khawaja has not been distracted at all by the off-field drama in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test surrounding the ICC’s rejection of his application to display a dove and olive branch on his shoes and bat to raise awareness around the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.Usman Khawaja and David Warner put together 90 for the first wicket•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“Writing your kids’ names, for me it’s sentimental, they’re always with me and that’s something that he decided to do,” Warner said. “But he’s been fine. He’s put his statement out there that he believes in, that all lives are equal.”He wouldn’t have made that statement if he didn’t feel like he could take the criticism. He knew that he would get criticism. And, at the end of the day, he’s a big boy and I just said to him, ‘you just got to keep believing what you believe in and move on and get on with cricket’. And he’s done that pretty well.”Warner was full of praise for the stance his long-time friend had taken and the example that he sets in the community.”He’s always been a leader around the group,” Warner said. “Even at New South Wales, when we were young, he’s always been that guy that’s always put his hand up to help. Especially with his community stuff. The work that goes on behind the scenes that he does for his community and his foundation is outstanding, and I think that’s the person that he is. He’s got a lot of respect from a lot of people.”

Ubaid Shah, Naseem’s brother, plays a crucial role in Pakistan’s thumping win against Afghanistan

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2024
Bangladesh Under-19s, who had beaten India Under-19s in the Asia Cup in December last year, threatened to cause another stir when left-arm seamer Maruf Mridha took five wickets in the Under-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein. Maruf’s strikes kept India to 251 for 7, but Saumy Pandey trumped Maruf with 4 for 24 and bowled his team to victory.Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, pitched in with two wickets, including that of Mohammad Shihab James, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 54 off 77 balls. The rest of the batters collapsed around James as Bangladesh were bowled out for 167 in 45.5 overs. Musheer also effected a direct-hit to sink Bangladesh. Pandey was the most economical bowler on the day, conceding just 2.44 an over.Earlier in the day, India’s innings was built around half-centuries from opener Adarsh Singh (76 off 96) and captain Uday Saharan (64 off 94). Aravelly Avinash (23 off 17), who was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 auction, and Sachin Dhas (26 off 20) then gave the innings some late impetus.Shahzaib Khan almost batted through the innings, scoring 106 from 126 balls•ICC via Getty Images

Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Zeeshan, who has been part of Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL, took seven wickets between them to skittle Afghanistan Under-19s for 103 in their chase of 285 in East London.Opener batting Shahzaib Khan had laid the platform for Pakistan Under-19s’ 181-run victory with 106 off 126 balls. His knock contained ten fours and three sixes. He added 92 for the third wicket with Saad Baig, who hit 55 off 52 balls, to set Pakistan up for a big total. Khalil Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, returning 4 for 51 in his ten overs.Pakistan’s total looked even bigger when Ubaid and Zeeshan ripped through Afghanistan’s top and middle orders. Wicketkeeper-batter Numan Shah was the only Afghanistan batter to pass 25 in the chase. Amir Hassan and Ahmed Hussain picked up a wicket each as Pakistan bundled Afghanistan out in 26.2 overs.Luc Benkenstein picked up key wickets in the middle overs•ICC via Getty Images

England Under-19s enjoyed a winning start to the Under-19 World Cup, easing past Scotland Under-19s in Potchefstroom.Luc Benkenstein, the son of former South Africa international Dale, sealed the victory with an unbeaten cameo after setting it up for England with a three-wicket haul. Farhan Ahmed, who is the brother of England international Rehan, also bagged a three-wicket haul to help England dismiss Scotland for 174.Captain Ben McKinney then hit 88 off 68 balls to rush his side to victory, with seven wickets and 142 balls to spare. He forged a 106-run partnership for the first wicket with Jaydn Denly, who made 40 off 50 balls.After Scotland were asked to bat first, they never got going and lost wickets in clusters. They didn’t even have a single half-century stand in their entire innings. Owen Gould top-scored for them with 48 off 61 balls, including five fours and a six. The other nine batters scored a combined five boundaries. Harry Armstrong was absent hurt for Scotland.

Kulkarni, Kotian and Mulani picked three wickets each to bowl Vidarbha out for 105

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2024Vidarbha’s hopes of winning the Ranji Trophy for the third time seem to be hanging by a thread. They needed one big batting performance on the second day to inch closer to Mumbai’s 224. Even that would’ve perhaps just kept them in the game, but by being bowled out for 105, they seem to have conceded way too much ground to recover.That became increasingly evident when Musheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane hit industrious unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken 107-run third-wicket stand that helped Mumbai end the day effectively on 260 for 2.Resuming on 31 for 3, Vidarbha ran into an inspired Dhawal Kulkarni. The veteran, playing in his final Ranji Trophy game, built on his overnight two wickets by snaring a third when he had the in-form Atharva Taide nicking a superb away-swinger behind in the same over where he nearly had him lbw.Related

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Aditya Thakare, the nightwatcher, and Akshay Wadkar, the captain, resisted briefly in putting together 40 for the fifth wicket. It was the only passage where Mumbai were made to earn their wicket, with Tushar Deshpande, the fast bowler, resorting to short-ball tactics especially when the two offered good technique against the seaming ball.As he’s often done over the past two seasons for Mumbai, Shams Mulani, the left-arm spinner, delivered the breakthrough. He first had Thakare lbw with an arm-ball and then had Wadkar jabbing at one that dipped and spun away, as wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore took an excellent catch.From 85 for 6, offspinner Tanush Kotian got into the act, running through the lower order as Vidarbha lost all their seven wickets before lunch, lasting all of 45.3 overs. Kulkarni finished with 3 for 15, while Mulani and Kotian between them had 6 for 39.Deflated but needing early wickets to stay alive, Vidarbha had a shot in the arm when Yash Thakur clean bowled Prithvi Shaw with an in-ducker that snuck through bat and pad. One became two when Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner, had Bhupen Lalwani flicking to short midwicket to leave Mumbai 34 for 2, with their lead at 153.This is when Rahane and Musheer got together in the middle session. For a better part of their first hour at the crease, batting was a struggle. Rahane was beaten on both edges, he played and missed on a number of occasions and seemed extremely fidgety while defending, especially against Umesh Yadav’s late reverse.Musheer tried to negate the movement by batting well outside the crease and then taking a step further down the pitch as part of his trigger to try and meet the ball early. It didn’t necessarily make for pretty viewing with both of them struggling to get going, even as scoring was reduced to a crawl. At tea, Mumbai were 52 for 2 after 25 overs.After the break, Rahane seemed to turn a corner. He played a gorgeous on-drive and then executed a superb pull in front of square to get into his element. As his innings progressed, time spent at the crease helped him grow in confidence and runs began to flow. He brought out a trademark flick against the turn through midwicket off Aditya Sarvate and then superbly square drove Umesh for a four to bring up only his second half-century of the season.On 38, Rahane was given out lbw to Dubey, but was saved by the DRS when replays confirmed he had got a thin inside edge onto the pad. That he built on this reprieve and batted sedately for the remainder of the day had the entire Mumbai contingent delighted as they closed out a day of dominance.Rahane has been steadfast in his belief that it needs just one knock to turn the tide. After an entire season of struggle, it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. He’d want – and all of Mumbai would want – for him to go on and get to that century and beyond to bat Vidarbha completely out of the match.

Australian allrounder takes two wickets before anchoring chase with unbeaten half-century

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2024Australian Charli Knott continued to impress with bat and ball as Southern Vipers secured the first victory of their defence of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.For the second game in a row, 21-year-old Knott picked up two wickets with her offspin but upgraded the 41 she scored against South East Stars into an unbeaten 58 to set up a seven-wicket victory over Central Sparks.Katie George had saved Sparks from a collapse with a classy 52 to give her side 151 to defend. But Ella McCaughan’s patient 43, Maia Bouchier’s elegant 43 and Knott’s in-control innings gave Vipers an uncomplicated bonus point win.Vipers only had one fast bowler in their attack, while Sparks were fully stocked with pace – but it was the hosts that got a flyer with the ball. Sparks were 31 for 4 and then 84 for 7, after being stuck in, as the Vipers kept taking wickets and building pressure.Eve Jones was the first to depart as she fatally took on Bouchier’s arm at mid-off in the sixth over, before Knott pounced in her first over when Davina Perrin chipped to point.Also swooping at the picturesque Wormsley was a family of red kites, who stole an orange from Sparks’ Hannah Baker and a banana off Vipers assistant coach James Hibbard.Abbey Freeborn was bowled by Linsey Smith, as the visitors only reached 27 in the first 10-over powerplay, before the left-arm spinner tclung on when Ami Campbell thumped back at her. Smith would end up with 2 for 20, with four maidens – the most economical Vipers bowling figures.Chloe Brewer had driven nicely and looked in good nick for her 23 before she tamely drove to Emily Windsor at cover, before Emily Arlott missed a Georgia Adams arm ball.Issy Wong picked out mid-off, but just as Sparks looked at a worrying sub-100 score, George and Ria Fackrell added 77. George, who had picked up five penalty runs after being hit with the ball by Charlie Dean, was in complete control throughout her innings – keeping things ticking on the leg side and using the off side for more expansive shots.She reached her third Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy half-century in 98 balls, Fackrell accompanying her with 39 to reach a more defendable total. But George fell the ball after raising her bat as she picked out long-on, with Fackrell run out in the last over as Sparks set 173 to win.In reply, Bouchier carried over her form from England’s tour of New Zealand – where she scored 293 runs in eight innings – with boundaries galore in a glorious 32-ball 33 before she was adjudged lbw.Queenslander Knott replaced her and was the subject of another controversial moment – with Wong initially claiming a boundary catch, but the Vipers contingent insistent she had stepped on the boundary rope. After a lively conversation, both teams agreed to a six rather than a wicket.McCaughan took the George approach with a watchful 43, with a seeming instruction to bat through, but after a barrage of well-directed short balls from Wong, she pulled to square leg.Knott continued with Georgia Elwiss in a 56-run stand, before the right-hander reached her milestone in 79 balls – with victory coming shortly afterwards, despite Elwiss being given out leg before to Fackrell.

Sai Sudharsan, David Miller and Shubman Gill contributed in a comfortable chase in Ahmedabad

Sreshth Shah31-Mar-20242:41

Rapidfire Review: Why is Mohit so effective with his slower ball?

Pat Cummins won the toss in Ahmedabad, but unlike the ODI World Cup final, he did not make the right call as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s score of 162 for 8 was comfortably chased by Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad to make it 11 wins out of 12 for home teams in IPL 2024.Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma and former Sunriser Rashid Khan suffocated the big-hitting team in orange to keep them down to a below-par score, and as the surface got better in the evening, the Titans rode on contributions from Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and David Miller to see them through.

Noor, Rashid rock Sunrisers

An afternoon start in Ahmedabad promised a dry surface with help for spinners, and that’s why Cummins wanted Sunrisers to make first use of the pitch. Expecting the same, the Titans dropped fast bowler Spencer Johnson to give left-arm wristspinner Noor his first outing of the season.Noor struck in his first over when he got a googly to rattle Travis Head’s stumps right after the powerplay before the opener could do heavy damage. Noor’s googly was particularly effective on this surface. He bowled 13 of them and only conceding ten runs. His spell of 1 for 32, numbers partly ruined by some late hits from Sunrisers, gave Titans their first foothold in this game.Related

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Noor’s bowling also lifted his senior Afghanistan team-mate Rashid, who conceded 49 against Chennai Super Kings in his last game and started Sunday’s spell with a 15-run over courtesy Abhishek Sharma’s twin sixes.However, Rashid returned strongly to keep Heinrich Klaasen relatively quiet, and eventually he took him out as well, a skiddy legbreak going on to shatter the stumps in the 14th over. Rashid then made an equal contribution next over in Aiden Markram’s dismissal when he dived forward to complete a difficult catch running in from long-on. He finished with 1 for 33 and apart from that catch, also played a role in Abdul Samad’s run-out in the final over.

Mohit leaves Sunrisers short

Unlike the Mumbai Indians game – where every Sunrisers batter who got starts went big – they fell after getting set this time. Perhaps the idea was to maximise the runs that a hard-hitting batting-order could generate, but on this occasion, they were dismissed before the big flourish.One of them was Abhishek, dismissed for 29 via a Mohit cutter. Mohit slowed things down and forced an error from Abhishek by getting a length ball wide and forcing a mis-hit to cover. With the surface assisting pace-off deliveries, Mohit bowled another tidy over against Klaasen and Markram to finish his first spell for 1-12. Titans saved the rest of his overs for the death and he showed just why they do that, conceding only 13 further runs and picking up two more wickets.Mohit was instrumental in Sunrisers scoring only 40 runs in their last five overs. The only six he conceded was when he delivered a full toss, but otherwise his playlist of change-up deliveries worked wonderfully. After dismissing Shahbaz Ahmed and Washington Sundar in the 20th over, Mohit led the team out with only 163 to chase, and earned a well-deserved rest, substituted by Sudharsan for the second innings.David Miller and Sai Sudharsan ensured Gujarat Titans did not slip up in the chase•BCCI

Titans’ top three gel well

Like the Titans, the Sunrisers too made a strategic change from their previous game by opting for Washington as the impact player instead of Umran Malik. They also started the bowling innings with Shahbaz’s left-arm orthodox spin.But it soon got clear that as afternoon turned to evening, the pitch had eased off. Wriddhiman Saha began in trademark fashion, attacking the new ball and hit his former Bengal team-mate Shahbaz for a six in the opening over. He then ran down the pitch to hammer Bhuvneshwar Kumar straight back and accepted a gift from Umesh Yadav to deposit a full toss over the leg side. Even though Saha fell in the fifth over to Shahbaz, his 13-ball 25 had given Titans a quick start and allowed Gill to find his feet.From scoring only 11 in his first 12 balls, Gill hit 25 runs off his next 16 to accelerate after the powerplay. He relied on the odd boundary amid risk-free grounded shots to keep the score moving. Even though Gill holed out for 36 right after the first time-out in the tenth over, he did what Saha helped him do, letting the No. 3 Sudharsan also settle.Sudharsan struggled to put Markande and Cummins away initially, but changed gears in the 12th over when he found his second boundary against Jaydev Unadkat by driving over mid-off. He then clubbed Cummins and Washington in the space of three balls and played his best shot when he came down the track to hammer Markande for six. Cummins did dismiss him with a slower ball for 45 in the 17th over, but by then the win was almost guaranteed.

Miller puts finishing touch

The year 2024 has been a forgettable one for Miller after two fantastic years of T20 cricket. Coming into the game, he had a strike rate of 119, his lowest in 13 years, and his struggles looked to surface when he could not find a boundary in his first 16 deliveries. But then came a small break as Miller got some treatment for a niggle. After that, he looked a player transformed.With his mobility hampered, Miller decided there was no point holding anything back and pounced on Markande’s predictable full-and-wide deliveries to club a 26-run 16th over. He then picked Cummins’ slower balls to club both of them for four in the 17th. And when Unadkat delivered the first ball of the 20th, Miller saw it land in his arc, and expectedly, sent it out of the park to finish unbeaten on 44.