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de Klerk stars with ball as Vipers are restricted to 118 in their 20 overs

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2023The Blaze 119 for 5 (Beaumont 49*) beat Vipers 118 (de Klerk 2-10) by five wicketsThe Blaze made it four wins from four matches in the Charlotte Edwards Cup as they squeezed home by five wickets against holders Southern Vipers in a low-scoring match at the Incora County Ground in Derby.The East Midlands representative side, who had never beaten the Vipers in their previous guise as Lightning, made it home with two balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 49 from England opener Tammy Beaumont.Batting first, Vipers were all out for 118 in 19.3 overs, skipper Georgia Adams top scoring with 31 as Nadine De Klerk, Kathryn Bryce and Sophie Munro took two wickets each.The Vipers attack made sure an apparently easy chase was anything but for The Blaze, but Beaumont used all her know-how to ensure her side did not miss out.Vipers were without key duo Charlie Dean and Lauren Bell, rested ahead of their upcoming England commitments, but The Blaze lost Nat Sciver-Brunt for the same reason and suffered a further blow when another of their England internationals, Sarah Glenn, had to pull out after suffering a back spasm in the warm-ups.Put in on a slow, dry surface, Vipers were 40 without loss in the powerplay after Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt had profited from hitting the ball in the air over the fielders in the circle, aided by a quick outfield.Yet wickets lost in each of the next three overs changed the tenor of the innings as Bouchier, Wyatt and Australian wicketkeeper-batter Nicole Faltum departed in quick order.Bouchier, having pulled Kathryn Bryce for four, connected with a leading edge attempting to do the same, Bryce herself taking a well-judged catch. Wyatt drove left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon’s second ball straight to extra cover and Faltum lost her middle stump as Bryce claimed a second success.From 44 without loss, Vipers were suddenly 49 for three and never recovered that early momentum, Adams unable to find a partner able to stick with her long enough to put any sustained pressure on the Blaze bowlers.Freya Kemp, making her first appearance of the campaign, slog-swept Gordon for six but misjudged Lucy Higham’s off-spin and was bowled, before Georgia Elwiss handed 18-year-old leg-spinner Josie Groves a Blaze debut wicket somewhat unluckily, an inside edge hitting her foot and rolling on to the stumps.Sophie Munro, whose sole powerplay over had cost 15 runs, came back well at the death, claiming the important wickets of Adams and Emily Windsor, while Nadine De Klerk, who went down so heavily in the field a few minutes earlier it seemed for a moment she would not continue, recovered so fully she was able to bowl Alice Monaghan middle stump and pin Mary Taylor in front, in between which Linsey Smith was run out at the non-striker’s end by an impressive direct hit by Beamont at mid-off, the last five Vipers wickets falling in the final four overs for 17 runs.After that, Vipers needed a good powerplay if they were to put The Blaze under pressure and achieved it, restricting the home side to 31 runs and removing two key batters in Marie Kelly, who clipped left-arm spinner Smith straight to square leg, and Georgie Boyce, who chipped a return catch that Elwiss grabbed at head height.Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce looked a combination that might take the game away from Vipers but against bowling that rarely offered easy runs were falling behind the required rate when the latter went down the pitch to off-spinner Adams and failed to connect, paying the price.A tight over from third seamer Taylor left The Blaze needing 72 from 54 balls but a contrastingly costly over from Monaghan then tilted the balance back in the home side’s favour as the fourth-wicket pair plundered 25 runs, helped by a couple of no-balls, Beaumont ending it with three consecutive fours.Smith claimed a second wicket when she beat Sarah Bryce’s swing but with Beaumont still there as a calm, experienced competitor The Blaze were able to edge home.

Nidamanuru’s 76-ball 111 helped Netherlands tie the game after they were set 375 to win

Himanshu Agrawal26-Jun-2023″I can’t really explain it,” Player of the Match Logan van Beek said. Netherlands, chasing 375 against West Indies, were deep in trouble with 205 required from the remaining 125 balls with only six wickets in hand. Who would have known they would end up getting 204 of them in a frenetic finish that would force the game into a Super Over?And if you thought that was enough excitement for the day, van Beek bashed 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4 to smash the record for most runs in a one-over eliminator. In reply, West Indies lost two wickets for eight runs, and that was it. Netherlands took two vital points into the Super Six of the World Cup Qualifier, leaving West Indies with nothing to carry forward after being beaten by both Netherlands and Zimbabwe. The two-time World Cup champions are now teetering, their hopes of making the World Cup proper hanging by a thread.Before van Beek batted like a free spirit, it was Teja Nidamanuru and his captain Scott Edwards who made that finish possible, adding 143 for the fifth wicket to give Netherlands hope from the most helpless of situations. That stand consumed only 90 deliveries. West Indies stormed back, though, taking 3 for 14 in a hurry to leave Netherlands needing 30 from the last two overs.Teja Nidamanuru celebrates his century•ICC via Getty Images

At the crease was none other than van Beek. The first three legal balls of the 49th over, bowled by Roston Chase, disappeared for 4, 6, 4. Nine needed off six balls. Four more from van Beek. But there was a twist. With one to get from the last ball, he swiped to mid-on, where Jason Holder tumbled to his right to grab the ball. It was given out only after the third umpire made sure Alzarri Joseph hadn’t overstepped.Van Beek hit 28 at a strike rate of 200 during the run chase after Nidamanuru belted 111 off just 76 balls, with 11 fours and three sixes. Edwards, meanwhile, smashed 67 from 47. Not only did they find boundaries at will, they also made the West Indies fielders look ragged, converting ones into twos and twos into threes. Every run counted towards a remarkable Super Over win.The game was set up by West Indies’ centurion Nicholas Pooran. After half-centuries from Brandon King and Johnson Charles laid a solid foundation, Pooran added 108 with Shai Hope for the fourth wicket in less than 13 overs.Pooran was on 7 off 17 balls at one stage. He then took Saqib Zulfiqar for a four and a six in the 35th over. In the 39th, he targeted the same bowler with a six and four again, before reaching his fifty in the 40th with another run of boundaries off Vivian Kingma.West Indies added 118 in the last ten overs. Pooran reached his second century of the World Cup Qualifier in the penultimate over, before Keemo Paul took over, ransacking Aryan Dutt for 20 in the final over to propel West Indies to 374. Who knew even that wouldn’t prove enough?

India’s displeasure with the umpiring extended to their captain smashing the stumps with her bat after being given out

Mohammad Isam22-Jul-2023The final, deciding Women’s ODI between Bangladesh and India should have been about the exciting finish, since it ended in a tie, but instead, Harmanpreet Kaur’s conduct – she smashed the stumps after being given out, and later called the umpiring “pathetic” – has become the talking point.While Smriti Mandhana defended her captain at the post-match press conference, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana didn’t hold back, saying Harmanpreet “could have shown better manners”.In the 34th over of India’s chase of 226, Harmanpreet was given out caught at slip off Nahida Akter while attempting a sweep. Did it go off the pads, or was there a bit of glove or bat on the way? Harmanpreet hit the stumps with her bat after being given out, and then had words for the umpires before walking off, giving a thumbs-up to the crowd on her way. Initially, it looked like Harmanpreet was unhappy as she assumed it was a lbw decision, but the umpire made the decision after the catch was completed.Related

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Yastika Bhatia had earlier protested the lbw decision against her in the fifth over, standing her ground and staring back at the umpire after being given out. Later, in the final over, after Jemimah Rodrigues’ single had tied the scores, Meghna Singh played away from her body to Marufa Akter’s next delivery, and was given out caught behind.Curiously, Meghna appeared to be walking towards the dressing room initially, even as the Bangladesh players celebrated around her, but then stopped and started speaking to the umpire.For the Harmanpreet and Meghna dismissals, the umpire at the bowler’s end was the experienced Tanvir Ahmed, while for the Yastika wicket, it was Muhammad Kamruzzaman.”A lot of learning from this game,” Harmanpreet said at the presentation ceremony. “Even apart from the cricket, the type of umpiring that was happening there, we were very surprised. The next time whenever we are coming to Bangladesh, we’ll have to make sure we have to deal with this kind of umpiring and accordingly, we’ll have to prepare ourselves.”Bangladesh, batting first after winning the toss, rode on Fargana Hoque’s 107 to score 225 for 4. In the chase, when Harmanpreet was dismissed, India were 160 for 4 in 33.4 overs, and well placed to win. But they collapsed to 225 all out.”They [Bangladesh] batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial,” Harmanpreet said. “In between, we leaked a few runs but when we were batting, we controlled the game very well. But, as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done, and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires.”ESPNcricinfo understands that when the end-of-series photograph with both sets of players was being taken, Harmanpreet shouted “bring the umpires too”, suggesting they were a part of the Bangladesh team. Nigar, it is understood, spoke about it to BCB officials, and took her players back to the dressing room soon after.”It is totally her problem. I have nothing to do with it,” Nigar said in the press conference when asked about the incident. “As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can’t tell you what happened, but it didn’t feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It wasn’t the right environment. That’s why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect.”About the umpiring, Nigar said, “The umpires wouldn’t give her out if she wasn’t out. We had umpires from men’s international cricket, so they were good umpires. What are they [India] going to say about the caught or run-out dismissals [of which there were six excluding the Harmanpreet and Meghna wickets]? We have respected their decisions. The umpire’s decision is the final decision, whether I like it or not. Why didn’t we behave in that way [like the India players]?”Possibly the moment when Harmanpreet Kaur asked for the umpires to be brought for the photograph as well•BCB

At the press conference, Mandhana had said that Harmanpreet was caught in the heat of the moment as she couldn’t accept the umpire’s decision. “When you play for India, you want to win the match, and it happens in the heat of the moment,” Mandhana said. “I think she [Harmanpreet] wasn’t really happy with the decision given and she felt she wasn’t out. That is why that [reaction] came about. It is just the heat of the moment and nothing much.”What happened in the middle is a part and parcel of the game. We’ve seen these incidents so much in the past as well. When you really want that ‘W’ on the board for India, these things happen.”Mandhana did, however, call on the ICC to appoint neutral umpires in the future.”In any match, sometimes it happens that you are really not happy with the [decisions]. Especially when there is no DRS in a match in a series of this kind, we kind of expect a little better level of umpiring in terms of some decisions,” she said. “It was very evident that there was not even a second thought given when the ball was hitting the pad when our batters were batting. There was not even one second of thought given before the finger went up.”I am sure the ICC, BCB and BCCI will have more of a discussion on that and maybe we can have a neutral-umpiring system from maybe next time so that we don’t sit here having these discussions and maybe we can focus more on cricket and cricket-oriented questions.”Separately, Harmanpreet also criticised the BCB for not inviting the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Kumar Verma, for the presentation ceremony even though he was present at the ground. “Our high commissioner from India is also there – I hope you could have also invited him here, but that’s also fine.”

Club chair calls for further evidence with three members already suspended

AAP07-Jul-2023Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members face restrictions on their movements and more space between them and players in the Lord’s Long Room as investigations continue into the second Ashes Test.Australia faced a mixed reception at Headingley on Thursday, with the country’s national anthem booed by some sections of the crowd before play on day one.Fans in Leeds were largely well behaved following the ugly scenes at Lord’s, but each Australian was still jeered onto the field as they came out to bat.The largest boos were unsurprisingly saved for Alex Carey and Pat Cummins, with the pair viewed as Australia’s chief villains in England for Carey’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow.But while some fans still posed with players for photos before play in Leeds, the use of camera phones was condemned by MCC chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown in an email to members.In a lengthy address, Carnegie-Brown said members who had abused Australia’s players on day five at Lord’s had brought shame to the entire Marylebone Cricket Club. He also criticised members for posting videos of the drama, which has brought the full extent of the abuse Australia copped to light.”The video footage captured on Sunday (including some which was taken in clear breach of our regulations) is there for all to see,” Carnegie-Brown said. “The members shown on camera have brought shame on MCC. Their actions hinder our efforts to promote the positive things our club does to promote and celebrate the game.”As a result of Sunday’s drama, which included players being sworn at, abused, and tripped over as they walked up the stairs, MCC will distance players from fans for the rest of the summer.The measures will include proving a wider roped-off space for players to walk through the Long Room away from members, while also stopping members from being on the stairs when players come on and off the pitch.Related

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The rules will come into place for Australia’s women’s T20I against England on Saturday night. MCC have already suspended three members for directly confronting Australia’s men’s players, and have asked people to help identify other culprits.”The behavioural issue amongst members that day does not end there,” Carnegie-Brown said. “Were more evidence to come to light, and additional witness statements gathered, further disciplinary sanctions would undoubtedly be warranted.”We encourage any member with information that could lead to the identification of others involved to come forward.”It is unacceptable for any of us to point the finger of blame at others unless we are willing to intervene ourselves when we see behaviours which fall short of what is expected of members.”

Legspinner declares himself available for Leicestershire’s Metro Bank Cup final

Matt Roller06-Sep-2023Rehan Ahmed cherished a “special feeling” on Tuesday night as he played international cricket in his home town of Nottingham for the first time – and could play at Trent Bridge again later this month after declaring himself available for Leicestershire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup final against Hampshire.Rehan, the 19-year-old legspinner, made his Test debut in Pakistan last December and won his first white-ball caps in Bangladesh earlier this year, but England’s six-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Nottingham was his first taste of international cricket on home soil.He was inundated with requests for his four complimentary tickets, estimating that he had seen “150” friends and family in the stands at Trent Bridge. And he impressed with both bat and ball, hitting 11 off 7 before taking 2 for 27 from his four overs.”It was a special feeling,” Rehan said. “Obviously playing abroad is great but playing in front of my home crowd is a different feeling. To be fair, in Pakistan we got a couple of big roars as well but when you are playing at home, especially in Nottingham – I know a lot of people here and am from here – it’s special.”Related

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He bowled in tandem with Adil Rashid through the middle overs, and admitted that he used to dream of playing alongside his fellow legspinner. “Him and Mo [Moeen Ali] are people we look up to as an Asian community,” Rehan said. “Everyone in England looks up to them, so to play with them is a special feeling.”We talk about bowling quite a bit. He [Rashid] is probably five times the bowler I am: he has four different legspinners, he’s played a long time, has a lot of experience. He was young, played and it didn’t go well for him; then he came back, and became the best bowler. He’s been through a lot.”Rehan is not part of England’s ODI squad to play New Zealand and is due to link back up with Leicestershire later this week. He is available for their four-day fixture against Sussex which starts on Sunday, as they bid for promotion to Division One of the County Championship.He will then join up with England again for a three-match ODI series against Ireland, starting on September 20 at Headingley, but hopes to be involved two days before in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final.Rehan missed the group stage of the Metro Bank Cup while playing for Southern Brave•Getty Images

Rehan has not featured in the competition this season, instead representing Southern Brave in the Hundred, but is eligible to play in the final. Leicestershire will be without Peter Handscomb, who has returned to Australia, but they announced on Wednesday that he will return to the club next summer and in 2025 after signing a two-year contract.”I’ve not thought far ahead,” Rehan said. “I’ll hopefully play some four-day cricket next week, try to get some overs in. I’d like to [play in the final] if I’m free and get picked. The boys are smacking it without me so I don’t know if they need me…”His 15-year-old brother Farhan has been playing for England Under-19s in a one-day series against Australia this week, and was in the stands at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. “I have been watching,” Rehan said. “They got smacked 4-1: that never happened to us when we were Under-19s.”Rehan himself only turned 19 last month; he missed England’s training session on Monday to take his driving test, with permission from head coach Matthew Mott. He passed “first time, no minors” and said: “It was the Bank Holiday Monday morning in Nottingham, so there was no-one on the road.”

BCB official says Tanzim “takes full responsibility” for the posts, and the board will monitor him going forward

Mohammad Isam19-Sep-2023Bangladesh quick Tanzim Hasan has had to apologise to the BCB for a number of offensive Facebook posts from the past, which resurfaced after his international debut at the Asia Cup last week. Some of the posts date back to 2014, and BCB cricket operations chair Jalal Yunus said Tanzim was repentant about his posts and took full responsibility for them.At least four posts, which are now deleted, became viral shortly after his ODI debut against India on September 15, when he picked up wickets in a Bangladesh win.In a Facebook post from September 2022, he wrote in Bangla: “A working woman will not allow her husband or children to have their way with her; she loses her charm, destroys her family, her purdah, and the society.”In April this year, Tanzim, now 20, shared a photo, purported to be from 1954, of a burqa-clad woman travelling in a rickshaw, possibly with her family, and called it the “golden past”.In another post (date unknown), Tanzim wrote: “If you marry a girl who mingles freely in the university, you can’t get your child a demure mother.”In 2014, when he was 11 or so, Tanzim had shared a post about not celebrating Bangladesh’s Victory Day, which is on December 16.The posts were reshared in the last four days and became a topic of discussion on social media and television news and shows in Bangladesh. Women’s right activists, writers and journalists criticised Tanzim for his posts.Yunus, who is also a BCB director, said that he spoke to Tanzim about the matter on Monday.”The cricket operations committee spoke to Tanzim Sakib on behalf of the Bangladesh Cricket Board,” Yunus said at a press conference at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday. “The media committee also got in touch with him. We informed Tanzim about the discussions surrounding his Facebook posts. He said that he didn’t write those posts to hurt anyone. He wrote it for himself, not targeting anyone. If those posts have hurt anyone’s feelings, he said he was sorry.”He said that the posts he has made about women, he takes full responsibility. He said that he is not a misogynist. We have warned him that if he posts something on Facebook in the future, the BCB will monitor him.”We are keeping an eye on this area [his mindset]. We will monitor him. His family is concerned too. They didn’t expect such a situation. They are also sorry. We have given him a warning because he is a young player, and a World Cup is ahead. If he does something like this again, we will take action against him. If there’s a [psychological] problem, we will provide support.”

Matthew Wade had given the home side a platform with a superbly paced century

AAP29-Oct-2023Tasmania pulled off the highest successful run chase in their Sheffield Shield history in a memorable three-wicket triumph over Queensland.Set 432 to win, they secured the victory with just 10 balls left in a thrilling conclusion to the match at Blundstone Oval in Hobart on Sunday.Unheralded lower-order batters Bradley Hope (48 not out) and Jarrod Freeman (47 not out) added an unbeaten 75-run eighth-wicket partnership to guide Tasmania to their second win of the season.Related

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Freeman smashed a huge six off former Tasmania player Gurinder Sandhu to complete the chase in the penultimate over.”I’ve never heard him [Hope] scream like that at the end there,” Freeman said. “He’s pretty pumped. That’s pretty special. I sort of thought if fielders are up straight, I’m going to try and get it [for six] and luckily enough I did. How good?”The run chase tops Tasmania’s previous best in a winning cause when David Boon’s 152 propelled them 402 for 6 against Western Australia at the WACA in March 1996.It was also the sixth-highest chase in the history of the Shield, which started in 1892-93, and the best since Queensland hit 471 for 5 to beat South Australia in 2014.Starting the day at 88 for 2, Tasmania looked no chance of winning until Matthew Wade and Beau Webster came together at 158 for 4Wade, who was recalled to Australia’s T20I squad on Saturday, carved out an impressive 105 for his 19th first-class century to boost Tasmania’s chances. Together with Webster, the pair put on a 164-run partnership before Wade was lbw to Mitchell Swepson.Michael Neser, who missed day two after flying home to Brisbane for personal reasons, looked to have sunk Tasmania when he bowled Webster.But Hope, whose best score in five previous first-class matches was 27 not out, looked assured at the crease with the big-hitting Freeman.Queensland go to 1-2, after opening their account for the season with a convincing victory over Victoria last week.”We couldn’t contain them,” Queensland coach Wade Seccombe said. “I think that’s one thing we could look back on and reflect and say there were moments in the game where we could have controlled the scoreboard a little bit better.”If we hadn’t done that it would have put a bit more pressure on the way they went about their scoring, but credit to them, they didn’t allow it.”

“The game continues to move and evolve. It’s no point staying stagnant; you’ve got to find ways to continue to improve”

Himanshu Agrawal05-Dec-2023Jason Holder, who had already joined the league of freelance T20 cricketers with stints in the CPL, IPL, BBL and SA20, has now added T10 to the list. The West Indies allrounder, representing Samp Army in the ongoing second edition of the Abu Dhabi T10, is relishing the challenge of cricket’s shortest format.Army started the season with a loss against Northern Warriors, but hit back with four successive wins. Holder played crucial roles in three of those victories. First, he bowled a decisive spell of 1 for 8 in two overs against Chennai Braves. Then, he produced back-to-back defining performances, smashing 29 from ten balls and grabbing 3 for 12 against Team Abu Dhabi, and a Player-of-the-Match contribution of 3 for 15 against Delhi Bulls.Related

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Holder made his feats in the newest format sound quite easy.”You’ve just got to be very clear. Once you’re clear, it’s easier to execute,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The moment you have a clouded mind, it’s a lot more difficult to execute. Having a clear mind, being clinical and just executing your plans is very much on the precision part of the game, and you’ve got to be precise in terms of executing.”As a bowler, Holder has only two overs to try and make an impact in a T10 game, and yet has delivered the results with the ball this season. He says the pressure in T10 isn’t any different to that of any other format, and has the numbers to show it, too.Holder has bagged eight wickets in five games, bowling at an average of just 10.12 and an incredible economy of 8.10 runs an over. Eventually, he brings it all down to execution and learning, and being keen to work on his skills.”You’ve got to execute on any given day, and make sure you’re hitting your straps,” he said. “You’re always looking to develop your game; you’re never a complete package. The game continues to move and evolve. It’s no point staying stagnant; you’ve got to find ways to continue to improve. You’ve got to keep sharpening your skills, and making yourself better.”West Indies, along with the USA, will be hosting the T20 World Cup in just about six months’ time. They have another 14 T20Is scheduled before the big tournament comes along – five of them against England at home start next week – and being a rare West Indies player who currently plays all three formats for his country, Holder believes T10 is “a good challenge” to have.”It’s still the same skills in cricket. You’re probably under a bit of more pressure in a shortened game, so definitely [T10] challenges your skills, temperament and overall cricket development,” he said. “It’s a wonderful game, and I think it’s here to stay. As cricketers, you’ve just got to adapt – to any given situation and circumstances. As a professional if you can’t adapt, then you’ll always struggle.”

In their second innings, India also struggled against spin but had a lead of 478 by stumps

Vishal Dikshit15-Dec-2023After dominating the first day with the bat, India bossed the second day’s play even more fiercely in Navi Mumbai, by spinning a web around England and bowling them out for just 136 in reply to their first-innings total of 428. It was Deepti Sharma’s use of generous flight and turn that started England’s dramatic collapse of 7 for 28 as soon as she came to bowl on a 19-wicket day, of which 15 fell to spin. Deepti finished with stunning figures of 5 for 7, her maiden five-for, from just 5.3 overs that included four maidens and made England look completely clueless.India didn’t enforce the follow-on despite a massive lead of 292, and even though they didn’t stitch partnerships as they did on the first day, they continued to score at well over four an over to finish the second day on 186 for 6, extending their lead to 478 with two days still left in the game. It is possible, though, that their first-innings top-scorer – debutant Satheesh Shubha – may not bat because of a hairline fracture on her left hand.Related

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At lunch, England were in a decent position of 67 for 2. Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt brought up a half-century stand but once Beaumont fell to a direct hit from Vastrakar, who swooped to square leg from short midwicket to end any hopes of a quick single, England couldn’t put on any more sizeable partnerships.Debutant Renuka Singh had bowled Sophia Dunkley with an inducker for 11 and Vastrakar had removed captain Heather Knight by trapping her lbw in the first session. From 28 for 2, England were primarily led by the ever-reliable Sciver-Brunt, who started with a flurry of boundaries and collected more of them whenever the bowlers were too full or too short. After lunch, India returned with a renewed aggression, though.Nat Sciver-Brunt scored a fighting half-century•BCCI

Once Beaumont was run out for 10 in the third over after the break, four boundaries from Danni Wyatt against Vastrakar gave England hopes of another steady stand. But Deepti dashed any such aspirations. Her second ball had Wyatt caught at short leg off an inside edge for 19, and even though Sciver-Brunt brought up her fourth Test fifty next over, Deepti returned with two wickets in an over, the first of which was aided by luck. A pull from Amy Jones hit Smriti Mandhana on the helmet at short leg and ricocheted to Shafali Verma at leg slip for a sitter. Two balls later, Deepti turned the ball in sharply and it kept low to knock back Sophie Ecclestone’s off stump for a duck.At 126 for 6, Sciver-Brunt was England’s only hope, but she too lost her off stump in the next over when Sneh Rana tossed the ball up generously and turned it in viciously to beat the batter. Deepti and Rana kept tossing the ball up around 70kph, and the flight and turn from outside off kept beating the batters. Charlie Dean was lbw when she left one just outside off against sharp turn from Rana, Kate Cross handed a return catch to Deepti before Lauren Filer also lost her stumps after being beaten by the turn. England were all out in just 35.3 overs, losing their last seven in just 10.2 overs to spin.Despite having a lead of almost 300 and having bowled for just over a session, India surprisingly came out to bat again. England also gave the second over to a spinner this time, but Ecclestone’s first ball was smacked over wide long-on for six by Mandhana in an 11-run over. When Knight dropped Shafali’s thick edge at second slip off Lauren Bell in the next over and another fell short of first slip, it looked like it was going to be another day of chances either not going to the England fielders’ hands or not sticking. England, however, changed that later in the last session by holding on to four catches, but not before Mandhana and Shafali took the lead past 350 with their fifty stand.Smriti Mandhana scored quickly at the start of the second innings•BCCI

Mandhana continued to attack Ecclestone whereas Shafali muscled Charlie Dean for a six over long-on and also used a review to get the on-field lbw decision overturned in the next over by Cross to pile on more agony on England. Ecclestone’s return for her second spell started with a six from Shafali but the left-arm spinner had Mandhana caught at short leg in the same over to finally end the opening stand.India promoted Yastika Bhatia in the absence of Shubha but she and Shafali fell in consecutive overs to England’s spinners. First, Shafali holed out to long-on for 33 and then Bhatia couldn’t account for the extra bounce Ecclestone extracted and handed another catch to Beaumont at short leg. Since the England spinners bowled much fuller and quicker than their counterparts, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues used the drives and sweeps. Rodrigues was more brisk but when Dean slowed one down a fair bit, the flight and drift took her inside edge to short leg where Beaumont pouched her third.Dean was soon on a hat-trick when she trapped Deepti, who tried one sweep to many, and had Rana bowled for a golden duck. What was otherwise a precarious score of 133 for 6 wasn’t too troubling for India because their lead had sailed past 400, and with Harmanpreet solid at one end on 44 at stumps, they will be looking to set an even stiffer target on Saturday.Earlier in the first session, England took under 40 minutes to pick up India’s remaining three wickets for just 18 runs, despite putting down two more chances, both by close-in fielders off Ecclestone. Deepti first got a life on 62 in the third over of the day when Beaumont put one down at short leg and Renuka was later dropped at silly point by Dunkley. Bell, however, tempted Deepti to drive with full and swinging deliveries from around the wicket and got her outside edge to have her caught behind for 67 to finish with 3 for 67. Ecclestone soon wrapped up India’s innings by yorking Renuka and then having Rajeshwari Gayakwad caught at silly point.

The former Australia captain, who will coach Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has yet to commit to anothe role

AAP01-Feb-2024Ricky Ponting could become the biggest signing coup in Major League Cricket’s short history after confirming he is in talks to coach the Washington Freedom.The legendary former Australian captain is deciding if he can commit to both the US-based MLC competition and commentary duties at the T20 World Cup, to be held in North America and the Caribbean in June.The second edition of MLC will begin only four days after the T20 World Cup final is played in Barbados on June 30.Ponting would be the highest-profile signing with MLC, a six-team competition that debuted last year and has received financial backing from IPL sides.”We’re not there yet, I haven’t committed to anything just yet, but I’ve had some initial discussions [with Washington],” Ponting told . “The time of the year sort of fits in okay for me, but I’ve got a really hectic off-season again. When I say off-season, there’s no such thing as an off-season for cricketers anymore.”Ponting will coach IPL side the Delhi Capitals for a sixth consecutive year from next month ahead of his potential involvements with MLC and the World Cup.A highly rated pundit for Channel 7, Ponting is not yet locked in to commentate the T20 World Cup. The World Cup will be the first broadcast in Australia on streaming service Amazon Prime, which acquired exclusive rights to ICC events until 2027 in a landmark deal struck last year.”It’s potentially another big year of time away if I want it, so there are things I’ve got to work through,” Ponting said. “If I’m actually going to be commentating the T20 World Cup or not and if I’m not doing that, where does MLC fit in?”Ponting previously coached the Mumbai Indians and has worked in the Australian set-up, most recently as an assistant to former head coach Justin Langer.”I love the coaching side of it,” Ponting said. “I love working with the best players in the world and trying to find a way to make them better, and winning some games along the way.”Under the guidance of Sydney Sixers coach Greg Shipperd, Washington finished third on the ladder in the first MLC, but were eliminated by eventual champions MI New York in the play-offs.Ponting’s former Australian team-mate Shane Watson was coach of the San Francisco Unicorns last season, while Aaron Finch, Dwayne Bravo, Rashid Khan and Quinton de Kock were among star players involved.