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The 19-year-old is joined by Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft but there is no place for Matt Renshaw

Tristan Lavalette14-Oct-2024Teenaged opener Sam Konstas will audition for a Test spot in national team colours after being named in the Australia A squad for the upcoming red-ball series against India A.His spectacular rise has continued after being included in a 17-man squad for the two four-day games in Mackay and the MCG.Konstas, 19, lit up Australian domestic cricket by scoring twin centuries against South Australia in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield. He became the first teenager to achieve that feat in the Shield since an 18-year-old Ricky Ponting in 1993.Related

• Steven Smith's Test opening stint over with middle-order return for India

• Mature McSweeney making his mark in South Australia

• NSW teen prodigy Konstas shines with Ponting-like feat

• Carey and McSweeney hundreds deny New South Wales after Lyon's inroads

With allrounder Cameron Green ruled out of the summer due to a back injury, and Steven Smith likely to move back to No. 4, Konstas has emerged as a contender for next month’s first Test against India in Perth.”He’s in the mix as are plenty of others. I certainly don’t want to single him out,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “Think the consistency of Cam Bancroft over a number of years, the consistency of Marcus Harris over a number of years, they’ve both had a look at Test cricket as well, so don’t think there’s a need at this stage to put any undue pressure or expectation on Sam.”He’s five games into his first-class career, he’s had a good start and certainly looks like he has a well-organised game that we are really exited [about] and looking forward to seeing at the A level and we’ll continue to watch as that progresses.”Harris and Bancroft are both in the squad but Matt Renshaw, who was the spare batter in the series against West Indies and New Zealand earlier this year, has not been included.Harris started the season strongly after scoring a century and a half-century against Tasmania albeit on a benign Junction Oval surface. Bancroft, who made a pair, and Renshaw both had double failures in the match between Western Australia and Queensland at the WACA.”We still really like Matt’s ability to play,” Bailey said. “As far as Australia A selection goes, part of the process around that is trying to identify opportunities that may come around in the short term but also making sure we do keep an eye on developing opportunities for those players who may become important in different roles in the future as well.”Whilst there’s an Australia A squad there, I think Matt Renshaw, Pete Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, as three examples, are guys who we’ll continue to watch really closely in Shield cricket.”South Australia skipper Nathan McSweeney will captain Australia A in a role he has fulfilled several times previously. Allrounder Beau Webster, the reigning Shield player of the season, has also been named and could be in the mix for Test selection if Australia’s hierarchy decide to go with a like-for-like replacement for Green.Fringe Test quicks Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who claimed a five-wicket haul against WA, have been selected while Victoria quick Fergus O’Neill has been rewarded for his Shield success.Offspinners Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli are also in the squad and will be firmly in the mix for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year.Cooper Connolly, who made his ODI debut in England, is the only player named in both the ODI and the Australia A squads.Josh Philippe, who left WA for NSW in the offseason, and Jimmy Peirson are the wicketkeepers.The first four-day game in Mackay ends on November 3 ahead of the first ODI on November 4 while the second four-day game at the MCG runs from November 7-10 with the second and third ODIs being played on November 8 and 10.The depth of Shield teams will be firmly tested with those series clashing with the third round of the Shield starting on November 1.”We are really excited by this squad, particularly after some of the tremendous performances to start the Sheffield Shield season,” Australia national selector George Bailey said.”As always with Australia A selection we have picked a side we hope can present performances which are compelling for the upcoming Test summer, whilst also rewarding players for strong domestic form in roles we see as being important further afield.”It will be a great opportunity for these players to shine against a strong Test nation looking to prepare for what is going to be a captivating summer of Test cricket.”

Australia A squad vs India A

Nathan McSweeney (captain), Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Jordan Buckingham, Cooper Connolly, Ollie Davies, Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Michael Neser, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster

Pakistan seamer takes 4 for 36 after Daniel Lategan’s 78 lays foundation

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Aug-2025Worcestershire powered through to the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final with a 131-run (DLS) victory over Somerset at New Road.Put in, the home side totalled a solid 275 for 9 as Daniel Lategan struck his List A-best 78 against a disciplined Somerset attack with Jack Leach’s excellent 10-1-28-2 at its heart. Ben Green took 4 for 52.The target looked around par on a good pitch but Somerset’s top order imploded against Khurram Shahzad (4 for 36). The visitors lurched to 108 for 7 from 23.4 overs before rain arrived with them more than 100 runs behind the DLS score.After the resumption they further crumbled to 141 all out as Worcestershire emphatically secured a place in the final at Trent Bridge on September 20.Somerset chose to bowl but were kept waiting for their first breakthrough as openers Lategan and Brett D’Oliveira (45) added 85 in 15 overs. The bowlers gave little away though and, as risks were taken in search of acceleration, wickets began to fall.D’Oliveira drilled Kasey Aldridge to extra cover. Kashif Ali was caught with the greatest nonchalance by Finley Hill on the midwicket boundary off Green. Jake Libby skied Aldridge to mid off.Nineteen-year-old Lategan posted a polished maiden List A fifty but fell lbw, reverse-sweeping, to Leach as the spinner built pressure which also saw him bowl Rob Jones through a failed sweep. After Ethan Brookes was lbw, sweeping Tom Lammonby, Worcestershire needed some late order contributions. They got them from Henry Cullen (32) and Matthew Waite (24) before Tom Taylor (22 not out) clubbed three sixes to hoist the total to 275.Pakistan international Shahzad then began with two wides, one of which went for four, in his first three balls. From the dubious platform of 0.1-0-6-0, however, he built an opening spell of 7-2-36-4. Lammonby and Lewis Goldsworthy were beaten for pace when trying to pull and sent up catches. Archie Vaughan was brilliantly caught by Ben Allison at mid-wicket. Thomas Rew edged to slip.Worcestershire’s other seamers deepened Somerset’s plight. Waite had Joshua Thomas well caught by Lategan on the long-leg boundary and Allison dismissed Finley Hill, caught at slip, and Green, caught at mid-off.Green fell to the last ball before heavy rain arrived with Somerset in dire straits at 108 for 7. They resumed needing another 165 from 14.2 overs and quickly lost Aldridge, caught behind, and Leach, stumped, off Brookes.Last pair James Rew and Jake Ball needed to find 137 runs from ten overs. They managed five before Rew lifted Brookes to long off to trigger loud and long celebrations from the home fans.

England suffer double blow with Duckett injury and Pope falling cheaply after stepping up to open

Alan Gardner08-Oct-2024Salman Agha became Pakistan’s third centurion to cement their dominant position in Multan, before a chaotic interlude in which England lost Ben Duckett to injury and their captain, Ollie Pope, for a duck left the touring side scrabbling for a foothold in the first match of the series.Duckett suffered a painful-looking blow to his left thumb taking the catch to dismiss Pakistan’s last man Abrar Ahmed – who had already been given two lives – meaning that when England began their innings midway through the evening session, it was with Pope walking out alongside Zak Crawley. Pope only lasted two balls, Aamer Jamal plucking a one-handed screamer at midwicket to further galvanise Pakistan and bring Joe Root, England’s designated No. 4, to the middle in the second over.The riposte, as it often does, came from Crawley, back in the side after missing the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger. He slashed his sixth ball, from Shaheen Afridi, to the boundary and did the same to Naseem in the following over, before taking Afridi for a brace of fours to end the seamer’s opening spell. That led to the early introduction of spin – and another statement of intent from Crawley, as Abrar’s first over went for 11.Crawley brought up England’s 50 in the 11th, hauling Abrar through the leg side, and he continued to go after Pakistan’s legspinner, who claimed 11 wickets as a debutant on the same ground against England two years ago. Two more fours down the ground left Abrar with opening figures of 4-0-31-0, before a ninth boundary, clipped through midwicket off Naseem, took Crawley to a 55-ball half-century.Beyond a trio of speculative lbw appeals, there was little to encourage Pakistan’s attack – as had been the case for England during 149 overs in the field – with Root slipstreaming Crawley to the close in an unbroken partnership worth 92. Although Duckett’s availability to bat later in the innings remained unclear, their position looked a little more secure.It was, nevertheless, a day in which Pakistan put a commanding stamp on proceedings. Saud Shakeel steered the innings during the first forays, quelling England’s mini-fightback from the first evening – with a little help from Naseem’s cameo at nightwatcher. Salman then set about driving home the advantage on the way to a 108-ball hundred, his third in Tests, as Pakistan reached a position from which they could hope to dictate the course of the match, even against Brendon McCullum’s Bazballers.England’s six bowlers all had something to show for their efforts, with Brydon Carse taking his first Test wickets and Jack Leach finishing with 3 for 160. They generally kept at it in the field, although there were signs that five-and-a-half sessions in the baking heat of Multan would take a toll, Jamie Smith missing a simple chance to stump Abrar and Gus Atkinson then dropping the No. 11 after he had skied a chance to midwicket.England chipped away with two wickets in each session, but Shakeel and Salman ensured Pakistan did not squander the firm foundation provided by centuries from Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique on day one. The innings progressed in fits and starts but Salman’s judicious assault on England’s spinners, in particular, helped maintain the hosts’ momentum.Salman was scoreless at lunch, but stroked the first ball after the break through the covers for four – bringing up the Pakistan 400 and signalling his own intentions. He came down the track in the same over to hit Leach through long-off, and was clearly in the mood to get the scoreboard clicking after Pakistan had added only 69 runs during the morning.His battle with Leach provided a compelling spectacle, as England’s most-experienced spinner was taken for four fours and two sixes in a four-over spell. But it almost went awry for Salman, with the first of his sixes coming perilously close to causing his dismissal: Chris Woakes thought he had done a good job as he backpedalled towards long-off, tossing the ball up as he went out of bounds to then return and complete the catch. But after lengthy deliberation and various replay angles, the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, ruled that Woakes’ foot was in contact with the ground outside the rope as he claimed the ball a second time.Shakeel had been content to play second fiddle, even during his initial partnership with Naseem. He combined with Salman for another fifty stand but was undone by some sharp turn from Shoaib Bashir – a rare unplayable ball during a tough outing so far for the 20-year-old. Drifting into leg stump from round the wicket, Bashir found grip and then the outside edge, the ball deflecting off Shakeel’s back leg to Root at slip.Jamal fell cheaply to Carse but, with Afridi for company, that was the cue for Salman to emerge on another counter. Having moved to his fifty from 71 balls, he reverse-swept Bashir and then took him down the ground, before adding another brace of fours off Leach, followed by a single to bring up 500. In between, Pope added another burned review to the pile with an lbw appeal that was shown to have pitched outside leg.Pakistan were 515 for 8 at tea, with Salman resuming watchfully before hitting Leach over long-on to move into the 90s. He reached his hundred with a swept single, having scored 59 out of a ninth-wicket stand worth 85, at which point Afridi missed a slog at Leach to be bowled.England were beginning to look a little frazzled, and their problems had begun in the morning against the unlikely batting force of Naseem, who made his highest score in any format of the game – 33 from 81 balls – and held up a persevering attack for more than 90 minutes. His efforts, which included hitting three sixes during a stand of 64 alongside Shakeel, ensured that there would be no quick route back into the game for the tourists.With a ball only five overs old, England were hoping to get into the lower middle-order but found Naseem in resourceful – and impish – mood. He was not cowed after being hit on the helmet by Atkinson and went after Bashir and then Leach, the third of his sixes an audacious inside-to-out hit over extra cover. The stand passed 50 and Naseem was outscoring his senior partner by the time he finally became Carse’s maiden Test wicket, succumbing to a round-the-wicket barrage via an edge to leg slip.

DC have just one win in five matches; LSG are coming into this contest having won their last three matches

Himanshu Agrawal11-Apr-20244:01

‘Nicholas Pooran can hit boundaries from wherever he bats’ – Deep Dasgupta

Big picture – Spin to win again?

Lucknow Super Giants started the season with a defeat, but have won three on the bounce since. Their most recent victory came against Gujarat Titans on a spin-friendly pitch at home. LSG’s spinners were central to that result – Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and M Siddharth combined for figures of 10-0-48-4 to help defend 163 – and they could consider laying out a similar surface on Friday, especially against the visiting Delhi Capitals.Batting has been a struggle for the Capitals this season. Their collective average of 23.35 is the lowest among all teams, and they have had to deal with the absence of key players like Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Marsh due to injuries. So that doubles Capitals’ worries: a misfiring batting line-up on a potentially spin-friendly pitch, and Capitals have the second lowest batting average against spin (28.44) this season behind Kolkata Knight Riders.Unlike LSG, Capitals come into the contest having lost their previous two games and are at the bottom of the table with just one win in their first five matches. And they are still looking for their first win against LSG, having lost all three of their matches so far.

Form guide

LSG LWWW
DC LLWLL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav had walked off the field after bowling one over in their last game, against Titans. LSG said he will have his workload managed over the coming week as a “precaution”, and head coach Justin Langer all but ruled him out of the next two games. LSG also continue to wait on the fitness of Mohsin, who had a sore hamstring and missed his side’s last two games.If both Mayank and Mohsin miss out against DC, LSG could play left-arm pacer Arshad Khan or right-arm quick Yudhvir Singh. They have two other overseas fast-bowling options in Matt Henry and Shamar Joseph.Probable XII: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Yash Thakur, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Arshad Khan, 12 M SiddharthDelhi CapitalsRicky Ponting, the Capitals coach, is hopeful that Kuldeep and Mukesh Kumar will be available to play in Lucknow. Marsh, however, is still side-lined by injury.Probable XII: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Abishek Porel, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Lalit Yadav, 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Ishant Sharma, ,

In the spotlight – Nicholas Pooran and Tristan Stubbs

Nicholas Pooran is LSG’s top run-scorer so far this season – 178 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 169.52. He has been especially impactful in the death overs, where his six-hitting abilities takes his strike rate up to 180. Pooran has been dismissed only once so far this season, and holds the key to LSG getting a strong finish to their innings.Tristan Stubbs leads the run charts for Delhi•BCCI

Tristan Stubbs has been Capitals’ best batter this season. He is their top-scorer with 174 runs and has been particularly good against spin. His strike rate of 207 against the spinners is the highest for anyone who has faced at least 35 balls, so he will be key against LSG’s spinners on the day.

Stats that matter

• In the IPL, Quinton de Kock’s combined record against Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel and Khaleel Ahmed stands at 193 runs at an average of 64.33. All four are expected to start for Capitals against LSG on Friday. Ishant, Nortje and Axar have got de Kock once each, with Khaleel yet to dismiss him.
• At 13.43, Nortje has the highest economy rate for any bowler to have bowled at least 90 balls this season. Umesh Yadav, second on the list, has conceded at 10.55 per over.
• Since 2022, LSG have won nine of their 18 home games, the third highest win-loss ratio among all teams. By contrast, DC have won only six out of 17 away games, the fewest by any team.
  

  Pitch and conditions

  It is expected to be hot and humid in Lucknow and Langer said they would play on a black-soil pitch against Capitals. That could mean another slow, spin-friendly surface, like the one on which LSG scored a convincing victory against Titans.

  Quotes

  “What I was most proud about the last game was that with Mayank coming out of the team after only one over, we had to find another way to win – and we were able to do that. So it shows we’ve got some depth in our squad.”
  “We are very aware that time is running out… We’ve got a lot of work to do. I absolutely have full trust in the players that we can win enough games from here.”

No final-day play possible in match that was blighted by the weather from the first day

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2024Middlesex 407 for 8 (Robson 162, du Plooy 131) drew with Leicestershire 306 (Handscomb 109, Bamber 4-68) Middlesex’s Vitality County Championship clash with Leicestershire ended in a damp squib of a draw with no play possible on the final day.The hosts led by 101 with two wickets left going into day four, but the rain which washed out the first day’s action returned with a vengeance early on the final morning drenching the outfield.Umpires Paul Baldwin and Robert White gave the ground every chance to recover, calling an early tea at 3:10pm following a 2:35pm inspection. However, further rain in the interim led to the abandonment at 3:25pm.
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The hosts earn 15 points to Leicestershire’s 12 leaving them both on 68 points, six shy of leaders Sussex. Middlesex however sit above the Foxes in the table on games won.Toby Roland-Jones, Middlesex’s captain, said: “It’s frustrating. We’ve lost two full days of a game we feel we’ve played pretty good cricket in and certainly the only reason we’ve ended up only 100 ahead is through I guess trying to fast forward things a little bit on that third evening.”When you find yourselves here with the way this place can dry and have two days where it hasn’t stopped raining is incredibly rare. Once you get that window here it can be pretty good to go in a couple of hours, so we’ve just been unlucky that’s not been the case.”The most important thing is we can be happy about the way we have gone about our cricket once more. Set 300 to try and hunt and get past, the guys went about it with great skill. That partnership between Robbo (Sam Robson) and Leus (Du Plooy) was obviously great to watch.”

Unbeaten 74 combined with Lyndon James fifty ends run of three defeats

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025Notts Outlaws ended a run of three successive Vitality Blast defeats with a scintillating six-wicket victory at Edgbaston.The Bears piled up 206 for 7, with Tom Latham striking 69 off 39 balls and Dan Mousley 53 off 40 before a spectacular late barrage from Moeen Ali and Ed Barnard brought 57 in 20 balls. Liam Patterson-White took 3 for 37.But the Outlaws, who chased down 226 to beat the Bears at Trent Bridge a month ago, powered to 212 for 7, clinching victory when Tom Moores hit the last ball of the match for six. Moores finished on 74 not out off just 33 balls after Lyndon James struck a vital 50 off 40 and Daniel Sams 16 not out from six balls, including two sixes in a final over from which they needed 16.The Outlaws chose to field and started solidly. They removed Alex Davies, bowled by Farhan Ahmed through an attempted cut in the second over, and restricted the home side to 37 for 1 in the powerplay.Latham and Mousley then sped through the gears, however, in a partnership of 116 in 70 balls. Mousley reverse-lapped, swept and straight-drove Ahmed for sixes while Latham reached his half-century, from 29 balls, by pulling a short ball from Calvin Harrison into the crowd.Latham’s demise, when he skied Patterson-White to square leg in pursuit of his fifth six, sparked a wobble of four wickets for 22 runs in nine balls. Patterson-White removed Sam Hain, lbw, and George Garton, caught at long on, and Mousley, his tenth T20 half-century banked, slapped Dillon Pennington to extra cover.It was a spirited fightback from The Outlaws but they then ran into a late storm of sixes and fours from Moeen (34, 12) and Barnard (23 not out, 8) which lifted the total over 200.Joe Clarke dominated the start of The Outlaws’ reply, hitting 30 of the first 34 but then missed a Mousley full toss and was lbw. The spinner struck again with his seventh ball which Jack Haynes was lbw to, one that pitched on his boot. A third lbw decision terminated Freddie McCann’s counter attack of 32 off 17 when he missed a reverse-sweep at Moeen.James, starved of the strike early on, and Moores hit freely to keep the Outlaws in contention, with 60 needed from the last five overs, but the first of those overs, from the excellent Barnard, cost just five runs.Moores lifted Hasan Ali mightily over extra cover for six and followed up with four to reach a 24-ball half-century. James followed to his half-century in 39 balls but was run out by quick-thinking Hasan Ali to leave the Outlaws needing 16 off the last over, from Barnard.Sams lifted the first and fifth balls for six leaving the scores level with one ball left – and Moores thumped that one over long off for another six to complete a remarkable Outlaws double over the Bears.

Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner also claimed international awards

AAP03-Feb-2025Travis Head has been named Australian cricket’s Allan Border Medallist and Annabel Sutherland has won the Belinda Clark Award.It was the first time for each player to win Australian cricket’s highest individual honours. While Head was a favourite for the top men’s prize, also claiming the one-day international player award, Sutherland was third in the one-day voting and a distant sixth for the women’s T20I international award.But she was awarded top votes for the two Tests played by the Australian women in the voting period over the past 12 months, most recently scoring 163 at the MCG as the hosts capped their Ashes whitewash.Related

• Annabel Sutherland: WPL will provide intel about India before the World Cup

• Travis Head expects Sam Konstas to open in WTC final

• The finisher: ODI icon Bevan elevated to Hall of Fame

• Christina Matthews inducted into Australian cricket Hall of fame

• 'Defined his generation' – Clarke joins Australia's Hall of Fame

Sutherland the first woman to score a Test hundred at the MCG. In February last year, she scored 210 in the Test against South Africa at the WACA.The extra weighting for the Test votes proved the difference for Sutherland. It is the first time she has won any of the top women’s categories – the Belinda Clark Award, the ODI or the T20I player.”For me, I love batting, probably my Test record shows that, and I try and make the most of that when I get out in the middle,” Sutherland said.Head, who received his award from head coach Andrew McDonald at the team hotel in Galle, was a clear winner of the Allan Border Medal and is the first South Australian to claim the award. He also won the ODI category for the first time.Josh Hazlewood was named men’s Test player of the year•Getty Images

Head polled 208 votes for the Border Medal, well clear of Josh Hazlewood’s 158, with Australian Test captain Pat Cummins third on 147.Head is coming off a bumper 12 months across. The 31-year-old scored a staggering 1427 runs across all three formats in the 12-month polling period that began with Australia’s home Test series against West Indies last January, and ended with the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Smith has the next-most runs with 806, while only Adam Zampa (31) played more games than Head (29) in the voting period.A blistering 140 off 141 balls in his home Test match at the Adelaide Oval against India was an undeniable highlight for Head, and helped reignite Australia’s series after their heavy loss in the first match in Perth.Asked for the highlight of his past 12 months, Head said: “I feel like the Indian series, the Test series that’s just gone. Nice to contribute. It’s such a big five or six weeks.”Sutherland polled 168 to win ahead of Ashleigh Gardner, who won the Belinda Clark Award last year. Gardner polled 143 and Beth Mooney was third on 115, with Gardner and Mooney two-time winners.Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner took out the women’s T20I and ODI awards•Getty Images

While none of the top men’s winners were at the Monday night awards function in Melbourne due mostly to the current tour of Sri Lanka, the women were celebrating in the room after they dominated the Ashes series.Mooney and Zampa were named the top T20I players, while Gardner took out the women’s ODI category and Hazlewood the men’s Test honour.Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen were named the players of the WBBL tournament and, likewise, Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell took out the BBL award.Boxing Day Test sensation Sam Konstas was named the Bradman Young Men’s Cricketer of the Year.West Australian Chloe Ainsworth won the Betty Wilson award for the top young women’s cricketer, while Beau Webster and Georgia Voll took the domestic awards.

Full list of award winners

Belinda Clark Award: Annabel Sutherland
Allan Border Medal: Travis Head
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Ashleigh Gardner
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Beth Mooney
Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year: Josh Hazlewood

Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Travis Head
Men’s T20I Player of the Year: Adam Zampa
WBBL Player of the Tournament: Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen

BBL Player of the Tournament: Glenn Maxwell and Cooper Connolly
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year: Georgia Voll
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Beau Webster
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Chloe Ainsworth

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Sam Konstas
Community Impact Award: Cameron Green

Woolworths Cricket Blaster of the Year: Frankie Mountney
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees: Michael Clarke, Christina Matthews and Michael Bevan

Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh put on a record-breaking 298 for the opening wicket against Saurashtra

Shashank Kishore01-Jan-2025

Mayank hits purple patch

Mayank Agarawal, the Karnataka captain, recorded his third straight List A century, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t enough as Hyderabad chased down 322 with two balls to spare. Hyderabad’s chase was fuelled by Tilak Varma, who laid the foundation with a 106-ball 99.After four games, Agarawal is currently the second-highest run-getter in the 50-over competition, having racked up 428 runs in five innings. His strike rate of 117.26 is the highest among the current top five run-scorers.Agarawal’s up-turn in form comes at a time when Karnataka’s senior players are all on notice, with the selectors keen on handing opportunities to younger players. The selection churn has already led to the likes of Manish Pandey and K Gowtham finding themselves out of favour, while a number of other senior players, like R Samarth and Karun Nair, have found homes with other state sides.Related

• Ayush Mhatre breaks Yashasvi Jaiswal's record for youngest to hit 150-plus in men's List A

• Anmolpreet Singh hits third-fastest List A century off just 35 balls in Vijay Hazare Trophy

• Samson and Pandey excluded from Vijay Hazare Trophy squads

Agarawal, who went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, has been in patchy form this season. He managed just 179 innings in seven innings at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. More importantly, he presided over Karnataka’s group-stage exit. In seven innings in the first half of the Ranji season, Agarawal managed just 203 runs at an average of 29.With four wins in five games, Karnataka are currently second in Group C, tied on 16 points with toppers Punjab. Mumbai, the T20 champions, are currently third with 12 points.

Nair leads from the front

Elsewhere, Agarawal’s former Karnataka teammate, Nair, has been in rip-roaring form for Vidarbha, whom he’s also captaining. Unbeaten in the competition, Nair’s scores so far read: 112*, 44*, 163* and 111*. The last of those knocks, also the most recent one, was instrumental in Vidarbha knocking the wind out of Tamil Nadu in Visakhapatnam, whose knockouts qualification has taken a slight hit.Nair currently sits on top of the run charts, his 430 runs in four innings coming at a strike rate of 116.21. His form has coincided with Vidarbha topping Group D with four wins in as many matches. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are currently second and third.Nair was also the team’s top-scorer at SMAT.File Photo: Prabhsimran Singh made 125 off 95 balls against Saurashtra•BCCI

Abhishek, Prabhsimran set records

Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab’s openers, put on 298 in their 424 for 5 against Saurashtra, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.This is the joint second-highest opening stand in the tournament history, equalling the record set by Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in 2022.Abhishek, also Punjab’s captain, hit a career-best 170, off just 96 balls, while Prabhsimran hit 125. The record for the highest opening stand is currently held by Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan and B Sai Sudharsan, who put on 416 against Arunachal in November 2022.Punjab’s 424 is also the joint fifth-highest total in Vijay Hazare history. Saurashtra’s Arpit Vasavada was their top scorer with 104, but they fell 57 short eventually.A game prior to that, Arshdeep Singh recorded his second List A five-for, taking 5 for 38, as Punjab beat Mumbai, in Ahmedabad. Prabhsimran then hit an unbeaten 150, off 101 balls, as Punjab chased down 249 in just 29 overs to gain a massive net-run-rate advantage over the rest of the pack.Earlier in the tournament, Prabhsimran’s cousin, Anmolpreet Singh, recorded the third-fastest List A hundred – off 35 balls – against Arunachal.

Mhatre – fast climbing up the ladder

Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre set a new record for the youngest player to score 150-plus in List A cricket, during Mumbai’s clash against Nagaland on Tuesday. Mahtre did it at 17 years and 268 days, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record (17 years, 291 days).Mhatre, who made his debut for Mumbai earlier this season, clobbered 11 sixes and 15 fours to make 181 off only 117 balls while powering his side to an imposing 403 for 7, which was 189 too many for Nagaland.

England quick wants match practice before T20 World Cup after a long lay-off

Matt Roller29-May-2024With two washed-out games out of three in their series against Pakistan, England’s preparation for the T20 World Cup has been some way short of ideal. Mark Wood said they were “deflated” by Tuesday night’s abandonment and with less than a week until their opening match against Scotland in Barbados, his own fitness remains something of an unknown.Wood was due to replace the rested Jofra Archer in Cardiff and was hoping to “test out” his left knee after bowling off his full run-up in training, albeit with heavy strapping. He has not bowled in a competitive match since England’s fifth Test in India in early March, and has not played a T20 fixture since featuring for Lucknow Super Giants at the IPL over a year ago.While Wood believes it is “important” for him to get some match practice before flying to the Caribbean, the final match of the series at The Oval on Thursday is also under threat from the weather. England will fly out on Friday morning. “The lads were itching to get out at Cardiff,” Wood said. “I don’t want a repeat of that tomorrow: hopefully, the rain stays away and we get some practice ready for the World Cup.”Obviously, it’s not ideal when you schedule four games and we might only get one or two. It was great we got a run-out the other day [at Edgbaston]… that’s why these games are important. Yes, we have got experience, but warm-up games always give you a sense of different things you can tinker with; who’s in good form, who needs to work on other things.”Related

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The washouts have been particularly frustrating for England after the ECB decided to bring their players home early from the IPL, a move which caused some disquiet in India. Wood said the squad have still benefitted from spending time together, and specifically with psychologist David Young who has returned on a short-term basis.”It was great to have a session with David Young… it felt very similar to a session we had with him in 2019,” Wood said. “Jos [Buttler] spoke really well in that session about what we’re looking for as a team, and went over a few old things that strike hard with our team. Most teams around the world will say the same things, and Jos wants to get away from that and be really specific.”England’s build-up has been in stark contrast to their preparation for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which they won, after playing seven T20Is in Pakistan and three more in Australia, one of which was a no-result due to rain. “Whatever preparation we get, that’s what we’re going to have to go with,” Wood said. “There were plenty of games before the last one, but who’s to say it won’t work the other way around?”You can look at both sides: some lads have been playing at the IPL, and they’re match-ready… the lads that haven’t, is there a freshness? At the IPL, you’re playing all the time: other lads have seen your tricks, they’ve seen what you’re doing. Of course, it’s different conditions, and you have to adapt. But in terms of fresh legs, I might be going into that tournament feeling fresh.”Wood on Jofra Archer: “I don’t see why we can’t play in the same team”•Getty Images

Wood arrived in India for last year’s 50-over World Cup short on match practice and struggled: he conceded 55 runs in five wicketless overs in England’s opening match against New Zealand, and finished the tournament with six wickets at 58.16. Perhaps that is why he is so keen to play at The Oval: “I was in a position to bowl quickly and test [my knee] out,” he said. “I’m really happy with where I’ve managed to get to, after a little bit of a speed bump.”He appears unlikely to start the tournament – England picked what they consider to be their strongest XI at Edgbaston – but recent experience suggests that they will have to dip into their squad. In Australia, 18 months ago, they were without five players through injury by the final, including Wood himself. “As a group, we’ve all got to be ready to go and not be caught cold,” he said.Wood believes he will have to be flexible if he does play: “In Twenty20, you’ve got to try to be able to bowl in all phases. I usually bowl one at the top, a couple in the middle and one at the end. I was really happy with how things went in Australia: I know it’s a different surface, but the last World Cup, I was pleased with how I came out there. I’ll be trying to repeat that.”He also believes that he can feature in the same side as the returning Jofra Archer, as he did during the 2019 50-over World Cup. “That’s a question for the management, but I’ve played with Jofra before and I don’t see it like ‘me or him’. I don’t see why we can’t play in the same team, but maybe it’s up to the management to manage our bodies and see how we get through the tournament.”

The No. 3 batter struck the fastest PSL 2024 century and deflated Kings in the first innings

Associated Press04-Mar-2024Usman Khan hit the fastest century so far in this season’s Pakistan Super League to lead Multan Sultans into the playoffs with a 20-run win over Karachi Kings on Sunday.The Sultans continued their dominant run, securing its sixth win in seven games. They top the standings with 12 points, while fifth-place Karachi has just two wins from six games.Pakistan-born Usman, who now plays for the United Arab Emirates, smashed 106 not out off 58 balls after reaching his ton in 56 deliveries. Captain Mohammad Rizwan contributed 58 in Multan’s imposing 189 for 3 after choosing to bat first.The Kings never looked a threat before reaching 169 for 7 in 20 overs and losing their third straight home game. Skipper Shan Masood got clean bowled for 36 off 29 balls by the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Usama Mir (2-29). Legspinner Mir stretched his wickets tally to 15. Fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who took 1 for 40, has 14.Usman and Rizwan exploited some wayward Kings bowling, sharing a second-wicket stand of 148 off 93 balls. Rizwan was caught at mid-off soon after completing his half-century before Usman reached his ton with a pulled six against Mir Hamza in the last over.The Kings’ overseas signings Tim Seifert (1) and James Vince (7) fell inside the batting powerplay.Shoaib Malik top-scored for his team with 38 before holing out at long off in the 12th over and the Kings had plenty of soft dismissals in the run-chase.