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The spin trio shared six wickets as India were bundled out for 80

Srinidhi Ramanujam09-Dec-2023England spinners ran through India’s batting line-up to hand the visitors a series-clinching four-wicket victory in the second T20I at the Wankhede Stadium. India, clueless and all over the place after being sent in, were bowled out for 80 – their third-lowest T20I total – in 16.2 overs. England chased it down in the 12th over to go 2-0 up in the series with the final game to be played on Sunday.In an attack that boasts of variety in the spin department, offspinner Charlie Dean, who missed the first T20I due to a stomach bug, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, and legspinner Sarah Glenn scalped two wickets each and conceded just 42 runs in their combined 10.2 overs to dominate India.

India’s horror start

India looked indecisive with the bat from the beginning, and it reflected immediately on the scoreboard. Dean struck with the second ball of the match, trapping Shafali Verma lbw as the batter got stuck in the crease against a full delivery. Smriti Mandhana, too, was lbw, trying to play another full ball from Dean from the back foot.Harmanpreet Kaur paddled Nat Sciver-Brunt for two back-to-back fours but then missed a straight ball and was lbw. When Deepti Sharma, playing her 100th T20I, edged Lauren Bell behind, India were 29 for 4.Renuka Singh struck twice in one over but India didn’t have enough runs•BCCI

Ecclestone’s sensational, low catch off her own bowling in the following over sent Richa Ghosh back. But there was some resistance from Jemimah Rodrigues, who was one of the two India batters to get to double digits. She played 33 balls and scored 30, mostly using the sweep shot against spinners to find runs. She eventually fell to Glenn in the 13th over, as the eighth wicket.Ecclestone could have added one more wicket to her tally but England failed to review an lbw chance in the 14th over. She had pinged Titas Sadhu on the boot but there was hardly any appeal. Replays showed there was no bat involved and Sadhu was plumb.

India fight back, briefly

Playing her second match after returning from a stress injury, Renuka Singh once again found swing with the new ball. She was wayward in her first over but gave India some hope by castling Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt in the second.Alice Capsey and Sciver-Brunt put on 42 off 29 balls for the third wicket, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for England. In a space of 17 balls, they slipped from 61 for 2 to 73 for 6. It started with Pooja Vastrakar cleaning up Sciver-Brunt for 16 when she exposed her stumps while looking to go big. Substitute fielder Amanjot Kaur’s brilliant catch gave left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque her first wicket. In the next over, Deepti struck twice in two balls, removing Amy Jones and Freya Kemp.But India didn’t have enough runs to make a match out of it; England needed just five after Deepti’s over. After a couple of runs, Ecclestone got an outside edge off Shreyanka Patil that ran way for four and sealed the series.

Australia’s No. 3 took a painful blow on the finger but was cleared of injury and is now looking ahead to Melbourne

Tristan Lavalette18-Dec-20234:28

‘Pakistan don’t have the belief to beat Australia here’

Cleared of a serious finger injury, Marnus Labuschagne declared himself fit and ready for the Boxing Day Test after Australia’s 360-run series-opening victory over Pakistan on a “brutal” Optus Stadium surface.Labuschagne was one of a number of Australia batters roughed up in their second innings as the wicket deteriorated on days three and four.During the sixth over of Australia’s second innings, early in the final session on day three, Labuschagne was whacked on the little finger of his right hand from a rearing delivery by debutant quick Khurram Shahzad that jumped off a length.Related

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He sought medical attention immediately, but resumed batting after several minutes before falling for 2 having made 16 in the first innings.”The finger is fine, there’s no break. It hit me more on the knuckle side and sort of just jammed up my hand,” Labuschagne said. “It just got me in a bit of an awkward spot. There was no padding on that side of the glove, so it just didn’t feel that good.”I was a bit nervous. I’ve had a lot of finger blows, but it just felt a bit different. It was a little bit sore overnight.”Labuschagne spent an hour in the Optus Stadium nets before play on day four where he was tested by quick Lance Morris, who is arguably the fastest bowler in the country and he was part of Australia’s first Test squad.”It [net session] wasn’t to test the finger out, it was to bat…something I didn’t do enough of in this game,” said Labuschagne, who before this Test had compiled 501 runs at an average of 167 from four previous innings at Optus Stadium.Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith also received blows to their arms, while allrounder Mitchell Marsh was twice hit on the helmet on day four as Pakistan’s quicks resorted to fiery short-pitched bowling.”Uz seems fine and Steve is all good,” Labuschagne said. “It was brutal there at the end with the cracks opening up. We’re all used to the bounce, played a lot here and some of us have good records in Perth.”But no one likes batting when it’s up and down [and] sharp steep bounce on a fast wicket. That’s not your cup of tea, but you just have to find a way when it’s like that.”Emerging unscathed from the bruising contest, Australia will almost certainly go into the Boxing Day Test unchanged meaning allrounder Cameron Green is set to miss selection once again.Labuschagne, who has played 39 Tests in a row, believed the MCG wicket – which has livened up in recent seasons after a dull period – would present challenges for the batters.”The MCG wicket has changed so much over the last four years,” he said. “It’s become probably very much like Adelaide with a bit of seam and swing…quite a bit of grass. Probably will be a little bit of a different challenge to this wicket, which was more bounce.”While Australia’s batters copped physical punishment, a hapless Pakistan may have mental scarring after crumbling for 89 in their second innings to slide to a 15th straight defeat in Australia.”I think it is a big advantage when you’re playing a subcontinent team on such a bouncy surface,” Labuschagne said. “It was certainly one of those tough games that you get in Perth.”

England expect pitch for first Test to spin but are not fazed by the challenge ahead

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Jan-2024It was as recently as November that the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was renovated with a new roof covering its stands. That explains why Brendon McCullum is gazing up at it like he’s been reacquainted with an old friend who has done something a bit different with their hair.It might have also been the look of a man wondering if he could have put a dent in it in his heyday. Has he cleared the stands here before? “Not for a long time,” he said with a smirk before adding a more honest: “absolutely not”.He gave it a good go back in 2010. A slap-happy Hyderabad special saw him blaze four sixes in a mammoth innings of 225. The striking was crisp, 26 boundaries all in, and the innings itself seemed a breezy affair despite taking the best part of six hours. It remains the highest Test score on this ground.Related

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Over 13 years on, McCullum was back out in the middle as red balls flew around him during England’s first training session in India. The hosts’ lack of numbers for their optional session meant greater freedom for the opposition to roam. Most made a beeline for the pitch.”It looked good,” McCullum said. “It looks like it’s going to spin.”It may not turn right from the word go, but you’d think at some stage it will turn and I’m sure spin will be a huge factor throughout the series.”Crucially, none of this was framed as a problem. Indeed there is a clear sense England have come into this tour with an edict not to let themselves be rattled by a home board curating their own pitches. McCullum even went as far as vouching for the groundsman, calling him “a good fella” who does “a really good job”. Years of embracing cricket in these parts – “a home away from home” – and the uncontrollables that come with it have left him with the view that the uncertainty should be relished. It provides the scope for something memorable.”When we started out on this journey a fair while ago we wanted to provide as much entertainment as we possibly can,” McCullum said. “We felt that gave us the best chance as well. What better stage to do it on – against India, in India?”There’ll be many eyeballs watching around the world and it’s a huge opportunity for us. India is the land of opportunity, and that’s what sits in front of us now. That’s the exciting thing. how long the games go, I’ve no idea but I’m sure both teams will stick to their respective styles. Throughout the Ashes, it was two heavyweights going at it with different styles, and I expect it to be the same in this series.”There was more caution when discussing Ben Stokes, who McCullum likened to a “greyhound”, suggesting the captain’s recovery from an overdue knee clear-up is going as well as can be expected.Brendon McCullum will oversee England’s fortunes in India•PA Photos/Getty Images

He was similarly non-committal on the keeping situation, which took on a new dynamic once Harry Brook pulled out of the tour for family reasons. Ben Foakes’ protracted training session with the gloves on Monday seemed to give the game away, though Jonny Bairstow may also start to cover for Brook’s loss. Meanwhile, Tom Hartley continues to impress and could be in line for a Test debut as one of the spin trio alongside Jack Leach and Joe Root.There are still important decisions to ratify, combinations to sort, gut calls to make. And for all the good work under McCullum, bonhomie and a few rounds of golf do not make you immune to the sorts of errors that have blighted previous England tours.But there is a prevailing sense of calm entering into battle with a team who have won their last 16 home series. A simplicity borne out of the fact there is more to gain than lose for a group of players seemingly blessed by perspective. And it was hard not to wonder if a tour of India, where McCullum’s legacy as a cricketer was cemented, is exactly the kind of series to underline his unique qualities as a coach.”Obviously it’s no secret that we’re trying to enjoy ourselves as a team as well,” McCullum said. “And those things away from cricket are obviously super important to this side. A lot of our mesaging is consistent, not just around the cricket field but around daily life and that includes ennoying yourself.”We’ve got to take 20 wickets with the ball in each Test match and we’ve got to get one more run than them with the bat. It’s not rocket science but it will be the nuances of the game, and when to stick and when to twist, which will be the fascinating part. That’s what I love about this series – we are going to be tested, and our methods are going to be challenged and we’ll see where we are at. But it’s a pretty exciting opportunity.”

Capitals were a bowler short while defending 174 as Ishant Sharma injured his ankle and had to go off after bowling just two overs

Hemant Brar23-Mar-2024Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone spoiled Rishabh Pant’s comeback as Punjab Kings started their IPL 2024 campaign with a four-wicket win at their new home ground in Mullanpur.After being sent in, Delhi Capitals were 137 for 7 in the 18th over when they decided to bring in Abishek Porel as the Impact Player. Porel smashed 32 off just ten balls to lift them to 174 for 9.But that also meant Capitals were going to be a bowler light during the chase. Ishant Sharma’s injury – he hurt his ankle after bowling just two overs – set them back further.Related

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Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow started the Kings’ chase positively but both fell in the fourth over. Kuldeep Yadav then dismissed Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma to keep Capitals in the game.But Curran and Livingstone took over after that and added 67 off 42 balls for the fifth wicket. Curran was out in the 19th over, for 63 off 47, but Livingstone stayed till the end and finished the game with a muscular six with four balls to spare.

Warner, Marsh give Capitals a breezy start

With Prithvi Shaw left out, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh opened the innings for Capitals and gave them a fast start. Marsh got going by hitting two fours off the first two balls he faced, from Curran. Warner joined in by carting Arshdeep Singh for a six and a four in the next over.Marsh then hit a six each off Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep. He fell for 20 off 12 when he drove Arshdeep to cover-point where Rahul Chahar took a sharp, overhead catch.Warner kept batting aggressively and even flick-scooped Rabada for a six as Capitals finished the powerplay on 54 for 1. In the seventh over, Shai Hope, on IPL debut, danced down the track and lofted Chahar for a straight six.It was all Capitals at that stage till Harshal Patel came to Kings’ rescue, having Warner caught behind with a slower bouncer.

Pant’s first outing after the accident

Warner’s wicket brought Pant to the crease, and the Mullanpur crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation. Playing his first competitive game in 15 months, Pant looked a bit rusty. He was given a life on 4 when Harshal lost the ball in the sun at deep midwicket and ended up gifting a four.As if to rub it in, Pant then drove Harshal for his second boundary. Two balls later, though, Harshal bowled a slower bouncer; Pant failed to spot it and ended up popping it to backward point. His first outing with bat on comeback ended on 18 off 13 balls.3:06

Moody on Porel: That’s how impact subs should be used

The Porel gamble pays off

Harpreet Brar and Chahar dented Capitals further. Brar had Ricky Bhui caught down the leg side, and Tristan Stubbs holed out to long-off while trying an inside-out shot against Chahar.When Axar Patel was run out coming back for a second, Capitals were reduced to 137 for 7 with 2.5 overs to go. But, coming in as the Impact Player, Porel slashed hard at a short and wide delivery from Harshal and picked up a boundary to deep third.After 19 overs, Capitals were 149 for 8. With Harshal bowling the last over, Kings would have expected to restrict Capitals under 160. But that’s when Porel decided to have a say in matters, and smashed three fours and two sixes in a 25-run final over.That lifted Capitals to 174 for 9. At the start of the 20th over, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had Capitals’ chances of winning at 38.9%. Porel singlehandedly lifted that number to 56.7%.

Dhawan, Bairtsow start with a flurry of fours

Just like the Capitals openers, Dhawan and Bairstow also started with positive intent. In the first three overs, they hit a combined six fours and looted 34 runs. However, both fell in the fourth over. Dhawan was bowled as he charged down the ground to Ishant, and Bairstow was run-out at the non-striker’s end when a Prabhsimran drive brushed a diving Ishant’s fingers and crashed into the stumps.But, in the sixth over, Prabhsimran tucked one towards midwicket, from where Ishant charged and fielded the ball. But as he was about to throw, he twisted his right ankle and had to be carried off the field.1:47

Has Harshal become too predictable?

Kuldeep keeps Capitals in the game

In the tenth over, Prabhsimran tried to go big against Kuldeep and holed out to long-on for a 17-ball 26, which included five fours. In the spinner’s next over, Jitesh attempted a reverse sweep, but not only did he miss the ball, he also lost his balance and ended up out of his crease. Pant was alert behind the stumps and broke the wickets.Kuldeep finished with figures of 2 for 21. He could have easily picked up a third, but Tristan Stubbs, running to his right from long-on, put down Curran, who was on 33 at that point.

Curran, Livingstone take over

Kings needed 63 from the last six overs when Curran and Livingstone clubbed Marsh for 18 to calm the nerves.Capitals still had hope when 28 were required from three overs. But with Ishant off the field, Pant had no option but to bowl Marsh again. He conceded another 18 to finish with 52 from his four wicketless overs.In the 19th over, Khaleel dismissed Curran and Shashank Singh off successive deliveries but it was too late by then. Warner dropping Brar on the last ball of the Khaleel over didn’t help either.With just six required from the final over, Sumit Kumar, who was making his IPL debut, had little chance against a set Livingstone. He started with two wides, and after a dot, Livingstone launched him over deep midwicket to seal the win.