Lancashire fast bowler faced possibility of retirement due to injury before maiden call-up

Matt Roller01-Jul-2022On Thursday afternoon, Richard Gleeson saw a WhatsApp notification pop up on his phone. Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, had sent him a message saying, “I’m going to give you a ring.” Gleeson turned to his wife, Laura, and said, in a state of shock: “I think I’m about to get picked for England.”He was right. Gleeson, an uncapped 34-year-old seamer, has been named in England’s 14-man T20I squad to play India next week and with three games in four days putting heavy demands on their seamers, he is highly likely to make his debut. It would be the crowning moment of an improbable comeback story: only eight months ago, he wondered if he would ever play professionally again.Gleeson is one of the game’s late developers. For most of his adult life, he played club cricket for Blackpool and minor counties for Cumberland and became a coach at the Lancashire Cricket Board after a series of unglamorous jobs. At 27, he was trialling with Northamptonshire and earned a first-class debut against the touring Australians; the following year, on a pay-as-you-play deal, he was a key man in their T20 Blast title-winning side.Related

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• Gleeson wins first England call-up for T20Is against India

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His ability to bowl yorkers at good pace made him stand out and his upwards trajectory continued. He played for the England Lions in early 2018, moved to Lancashire at the end of that season and appeared in the Bangladesh Premier League, the Big Bash and the Abu Dhabi T10. When England needed standby bowlers for their white-ball squads in the Covid summer of 2020, he travelled to the Ageas Bowl as a reserve.But when he returned to Lancashire, things started to unravel. On the morning before a four-day game, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back – “absolute agony, like being stabbed repeatedly” – and scans diagnosed a stress fracture, caused in no small part by the first lockdown of the pandemic which had left him unable to train.His back was effectively being held together by a single piece of cartilage and he spent the whole winter in rehab, working his way back to fitness. The following summer, he played the first game of the Blast, conceded 21 runs in his only over, and could barely move the next day due to the pain of bowling. He returned for the quarter-final defeat against Somerset but was only “around 70% healed” and was again expensive.Gleeson went for another scan in December, knowing that bad news would probably prove terminal for his career. After all, his contract with Lancashire had already expired: “I was basically unemployed for two months,” he recalls. “I didn’t know what was going to happen – or if I was going to play cricket again. That thought had definitely crept into my mind.”But when I had the scan, the fracture was 100% united, which the specialists had said was the best-case scenario.” Lancashire offered him another contract, initially just for the T20 Blast. “There were no guarantees that I’d get back out on the park and it could be that if I bowled again it would flare up, so it was almost like a suck-it and-see-contract.”In fact, that contract expires in two weeks’ time – but there are no longer the same concerns about whether another will follow. After taking 20 wickets in 12 games in the Blast this year, the joint-most by an England-qualified bowler, Gleeson hopes to win a contract in next week’s wildcard draft for the Hundred, and will soon sit down with Lancashire to discuss his future. But first, he has an England series to think about.England have generally used slower-ball bowlers at the death in short-form cricket of late, but are looking at Gleeson as an old-school, yorker option who can hit the blockhole more often than not. “The one area in our white-ball stuff where we’re looking for options is at the death,” Jos Buttler, England’s new captain, said on Friday.Gleeson is the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Blast this summer•MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“He bowls some excellent yorkers and watching him in the Blast this year, he’s bowled brilliantly. It was quite an easy selection… everyone was unanimous on that. We certainly see that death-bowling area as somewhere he can use his expertise.”Gleeson has thrived at the death in the Blast, closing out a tie and a one-run win in the two televised Roses games, while against Durham he took a superb 4 for 19, with all four wickets clean bowled.”Obviously if you do things on TV, it gets people talking,” he says. “I’ve had the responsibility of bowling in the powerplay and at the death and I relish the big moments. Dane [Vilas] has entrusted me with that responsibility with Saqib [Mahmood] being out.”I think I’ve done quite well and stepped up to it. If I’m nailing my yorker, it’s obviously a difficult ball to get away, no matter what time of the game. That’s been a big part of it, but you have to be clever with it as well and use it at the right time.”And he has thrived this season while juggling his new commitments at Myerscough College in Preston, where he has been teaching a BTEC cricket course. He has even had to ask for “a little bit of leave” after his England call-up to miss a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training day which clashes with the India series.He has taken an unusual route but next week, Gleeson will find himself bowling to some of the biggest names in cricket in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. His outlook is simple: “They’re all human, at the end of the day. I’ll just go out there, relish it and do the same thing I have all season. If it’s good enough, it’s good enough.”

Kiran Prabhu Navgire, who plays for Nagaland, gets her maiden international call-up

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2022Veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is back in India’s ODI squad for the three-match series in England this September while batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who last played an ODI in July 2021, also finds a place in the 50-overs team.Goswami, 39, had missed the tour of Sri Lanka in July amid speculation about her international future. Rodrigues, meanwhile, was ruled out of the Hundred on the same day that the squad was named because of a wrist injury she sustained during the Commonwealth Games.Kiran Prabhu Navgire, the batter from Maharashtra who plays for Nagaland, received her maiden call-up to India’s T20I squad for the series that starts on September 10. Navgire, 27, grabbed eyeballs with her unbeaten 162 against Arunachal Pradesh in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy earlier this year. Hailing from Maharashtra, she represented Nagaland as a guest player and scored a chart-topping 525 runs, with 54 fours and 35 sixes. She also hit the fastest fifty in the Women’s T20 Challenge in May while playing for Velocity.Allrounder Dayalan Hemalatha, who played an ODI last year for the first time since February 2019, also found a place in both white-ball squads. She scored 272 runs for Railways in the 2021-22 domestic T20 tournament – the most for her side – and showed her all-round skills in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy – taking eight wickets and making 67 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of 117.54 while batting in the lower-middle order.While batter Harleen Deol was picked only in the ODI squad, legspinner Poonam Yadav, who was among the standbys for the Commonwealth Games, was not selected in either squad.Meanwhile, the musical chairs for India’s wicketkeeper slot continues with Richa Ghosh replacing Yastika Bhatia in the T20I setup. Taniya Bhatia continues to keep her spot across both white-ball formats.India play three T20Is in England on September 10, 13 and 15, followed by three ODIs – part of the ICC Women’s Championship – on September 18, 21 and 24.T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Jemimah Rodrigues, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh, Radha Yadav, S Meghana, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Dayalan Hemalatha, Simran Dil Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kiran Prabhu NavgireODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Dayalan Hemalatha, Simran Dil Bahadur, Jhulan Goswami, Jemimah Rodrigues

Shami who is part of India’s squad to face Australia on Tuesday has not travelled with the team to Mohali, the venue of the first T20I

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2022Mohammed Shami has tested positive for Covid-19, and will not take part in India’s T20I series against Australia starting on Tuesday in Mohali. Umesh Yadav, who was originally meant to undergo rehab for a quad injury in Bengaluru, has been called into the squad and is now in line to play his first T20I in over three years.Despite his sporadic appearances in international cricket, Umesh has been a regular in the IPL circuit and was among the best bowlers in the powerplay this past season, picking up 16 wickets overall at an economy rate of 7.06. He has recent form behind him as well, having topped the charts for Middlesex in the Royal London One-Day Cup.The games against Australia – on September 20, 23 and 25 – and those against South Africa – on September 28, October 2 and October 4 – are the last T20Is that India play before travelling to the T20 World Cup next month. As such, they presented an opportunity for the team to see how Shami holds up after a two-month lay-off from cricket.Shami, 32, hasn’t been seen on the field since July 2022 and has not played a T20I since November 2021. Nevertheless, his experience, and his performance in the IPL – 20 wickets in 16 matches for the champions Gujarat Titans – were seen as key assets, prompting the selectors to keep him on standby for the World Cup.This is the second time in about a month that India have had to deal with a key member of their team going down with Covid-19. Just before the Asia Cup, their head coach Rahul Dravid was diagnosed with the virus and had to delay his travel to the UAE. He was reported to have only mild symptoms and was eventually able to link back up with the team after their opening game against Pakistan.

Joint head coach ‘not currently part of the business’, say club, as Kirtley takes over

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2022James Kirtley says that the turmoil behind the scenes at Sussex is “an obvious distraction” to the players, after it was revealed that Ian Salisbury, his fellow head coach, was “not currently part of the business” following a non-cricketing dispute with one of his players.Salisbury had been in charge of Sussex’s Championship and 50-over team since November 2020, with Kirtley taking over the T20 set-up in the same timeframe following the departure of their predecessor Jason Gillespie.However, with the club currently second-from-bottom in the County Championship and battling to avoid defeat in their final match of the season against Glamorgan, it is understood that Salisbury has been placed on gardening leave, due to his handling of the 21-year-old spinner, Jack Carson.Carson, who debuted as a teenager in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020, was Sussex’s leading wicket-taker in both that competition and the 2021 County Championship. However, having missed the start of the 2022 season following knee surgery, all three of his appearances in the current campaign have come in the past fortnight, since Salisbury’s departure.That includes the ongoing contest against Glamorgan at Hove, but speaking to the BBC at the close of the second day’s play, Kirtley was coy about the circumstances at the club.”We can’t make any further comment on that. There’s a legal process that has to be followed,” Kirtley said. “But it’s an obvious distraction to the lads.”We talk a lot about distractions,” he added. “This is a time of year when contracts are negotiated, and for this young side, it’s very important they understand that this is part of the game, and their ability to rise above those situations is a real skill.”The prospect of losing Carson – a highly-rated offspinner who was born in Northern Ireland but is England-qualified – comes in the wake of several high-profile departures from Hove in recent seasons, most recently the England duo of Chris Jordan and Phil Salt, but before them the likes of Reece Topley, Luke Wells, Danny Briggs, Laurie Evans, Michael Burgess and Harry Finch.It is a talent drain that has come in for scathing criticism from the former Sussex and England wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, who renewed his attack on the club hierarchy – in particular the CEO Rob Andrew and director of cricket, Keith Greenfield – in a series of tweets on Tuesday evening.”Another one the @SussexCCC Chairman, Board, Cricket committee, CEO and Performance Director will want to disappear very quickly,” Prior wrote. “Not sure that’s happening this time. The circle is closing around these people who have done so much to destroy our club.”

The two teams will hope to give their T20 World Cup plans a little more shape in the deciding game in Hyderabad

Alex Malcolm24-Sep-20222:55

What changes should India and Australia make for the third T20I?

Big picture

An eight-overs-a-side sprint in Nagpur ended with India levelling the T20I series 1-1 thanks to some outstanding bowling from Axar Patel and a supreme display of ball-striking from Rohit Sharma. But it’s difficult for the two sides to gain a lot from the experience on Friday, other than gleaning some insight into how to set up tactically for a rain-shortened game in the World Cup.India selected the extra batter, but Rishabh Pant was not even required, and they only needed four specialist bowlers and Hardik Pandya in an eight-over game, a luxury they can’t afford in a normal 20-overs-a-side contest. The death-overs bowling remains a question mark, although Jasprit Bumrah’s return was a welcome one, and he bowled superbly.Australia are truly experimenting on this tour with so many of their first-choice players missing. They went even further than usual in Nagpur, opting for an extra bowler for the first time since 2021, just to trial something in case the pitch played differently than expected. It did leave them a touch light on batting, though, when Axar ripped through Glenn Maxwell and Tim David.But Matthew Wade’s incredible form and Aaron Finch finding some runs are positive signs. Adam Zampa also bowled an outstanding spell to once again prove himself as one of the best legspinners in T20 cricket.However, like India, Australia have a death-overs problem. Nathan Ellis was injured and missed last night’s game, while Kane Richardson has a minor side niggle and won’t play in the final T20I in Hyderabad. In the absence of Mitchell Starc, Australia haven’t been able to trust their big guns in Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins at the death as often as they would like. They would like to find a solution to that issue ahead of the World Cup.”He’s really grown into that finishing role” – Aaron Finch on Matthew Wade•BCCI

Form guide

India WLWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

Australia LWLWW

In the spotlight

Harshal Patel has found the going tough in this series so far after being preferred to bowl some of the tough overs as India search for a solution to their dearth of death specialists. Wade, in particular, has proved a nemesis for Harshal. The dew factor in both games has not helped him execute his slower balls and yorkers under pressure either. That won’t be an issue when he gets to Australia, and slower-ball bouncers and short cutters are usually very effective on the true and dry surfaces there, especially with the large square boundaries at most venues barring Adelaide. But he and India’s management would love a good outing just to elevate the confidence levels and bed down the structure of India’s bowling unit.Whisper it quietly, but is Pat Cummins still a lock-in in Australia’s best T20I bowling unit? Notionally, it seems blasphemous to say it out loud. But his form since the start of the last IPL does pose the question. It is a small sample size of seven games but his economy rate in that time is 10.91 and he has only had one game where he has conceded less than ten runs per over. Australia’s management are confident he can find his groove given he rarely gets an extended run at T20 cricket because of his Test duties. Part of the problem is that his Test-match lengths don’t translate well in T20s, and it takes a while for him to adjust. Opposition batters feel his natural length is the perfect hitting length in T20 cricket. He executed some excellent slower-ball bouncers last night in Nagpur. He will need to sharpen his execution of those and his yorkers ahead of the World Cup.Pat Cummins showed some good slower-ball varations in the second game•BCCI

Team news

The teams should revert to a more normal setup in Hyderabad. Pant will likely make way given he wasn’t required with the bat, and India will need an extra bowler for a full game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems the logical choice to return. India could also consider bringing in R Ashwin for Yuzvendra Chahal.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal/R AshwinAustralia will go back to a seven-batter strategy with Josh Inglis slotting straight back into the middle order. One of Sean Abbott and Daniel Sams will make way. If Ellis is fit, he will come straight back in for the other. Australia may also be very cautious with Cummins and Hazlewood. Three games in six days, albeit one shortened by rain, and several long-haul flights is a recipe for injury. Any hint of soreness in their thoroughbreds and they will be rested. But with Richardson unavailable, they can’t rest both.Australia (probable): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Cameron Green, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Nathan Ellis/Daniel Sams/Sean Abbott, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

It’s been three years since a T20 match was held in Hyderabad. There have been no IPL matches there since 2019 and the last match was a run feast between India and West Indies. Our man at the ground says that the pitch has a nice beige tinge to it, with little or no grass in sight. It looks full of runs, so it could be another tough night for the bowlers. Virat Kohli will have fond memories walking through the gates. He averages 53.62 and strikes at 139.73 in ten matches there, including 94 not out off 50 against West Indies.The weather, warm and dry in the build-up to the weekend, has changed a bit, with dark clouds hovering on the eve of the match.3:21

Karthik on his 10 off two: I do a lot of scenario practices

Stats and trivia

• The toss may not be as important in Hyderabad. In the last 16 T20s dating back to the start of the 2018 IPL, it is eight wins each to the teams batting first and second.
• In his last four T20Is, Axar has taken eight wickets at an average of 8.62, with a strike rate of 9.7 and an economy rate of 5.3.
• In his last eight T20I innings dating back to his World Cup semi-final heroics against Pakistan in 2021, Wade has scored 228 runs (only dismissed once) with a strike rate of 178.12.
• Hazlewood is two short of 50 T20I wickets. If he gets there on Friday, in what will be his 33rd T20I, he will better Starc’s Australian record of 40 matches.

Quotes

“He can bowl in any phase of the game. That gives me an advantage to use him, especially if I have four overs of his, to use him in the powerplay. That frees up some of our fast bowlers in the middle if I want to use it. So he brings a lot to the table. This guy has been playing cricket for such a long time doing well for his franchise, India, about time he grabs these kinds of opportunity. And in the last two games, what we saw is what Axar Patel is really all about. We are just waiting to see some of his batting skills as well. “
“He’s such a calm customer at the back end of the innings there. He’s really grown into that finishing role. He’s been either at the top of the order or the bottom and I think he’s starting to do a wonderful job down there.”

He also praised England’s bowling attack for not panicking despite injury setbacks

Andrew McGlashan15-Nov-20224:05

Moody: Teams need to consider separate players and staff for different formats

For the second time in less than three years, Matthew Mott held a World Cup aloft at the MCG.In March 2020, it was the history-making performance of Australia’s women’s team, in front of 86,174 spectators, and a few days ago the England men’s team became the first male side to hold both World Cups at the same time to forge their own legacy.”It hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” Mott told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. “It was an amazing event, again. I probably never thought I’d coach either team, really, so to coach them both to a trophy is something very special.”Mott’s time with Australia came to end after their ODI World Cup victory in New Zealand as they, too, were able to unite the two pieces of limited-overs silverware. He was interviewed for the Australia men’s position when Justin Langer was forced out, but that was always going to Andrew McDonald (do not be surprised, though, if it’s Mott’s job in the future).Matthew Mott’s shift to England came after leading Australia to T20 and ODI World Cup wins•ICC/Getty Images

The time was right to bring an end to a storied run with Meg Lanning’s team and England’s interest was impossible to ignore. But even though he was moving into another set-up that had enjoyed white-ball success, had immense depth and were going to be one of the tournament favourites, a lot had to go right to win a World Cup at the first time of asking, particularly after things had gone wrong.While Australia’s title in 2020 and this one for England have not quite followed the same path, they both became fraught affairs. Australia were beaten by India in their opening match and couldn’t afford another defeat; England’s loss to Ireland at the MCG left them in a similar position.There were also injuries to contend with, both before and during the event. In 2020, Tayla Vlaeminck was ruled out on the eve of the tournament, as Reece Topley was this time. Australia lost Ellyse Perry at a vital time; England were without Mark Wood and Dawid Malan in the semi-final and final. Both teams had the depth to come through.”They are interesting tournaments,” Mott said. “There’s so much that can go right or wrong. Run rate is such a big thing that’s looming. To get out of a very strong group, there was a lot of relief after that. Once you get to the semi-finals and finals you play a slightly different brand of cricket, you can actually relax a little more. Think the team thrives on that.”Matthew Mott celebrates with the side after England clinched the trophy•PA Photos/Getty Images

“I think England’s depth is incredible. If you look at all the players who missed out in that team – Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Reece Topley – and even the quality that was still sat on the bench, David Willey has done nothing wrong at all and we couldn’t squeeze him in.”Probably the most pleasing thing – everyone talks a lot about the batting – but with Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, there’s now incredible depth in the bowling. Thought Adil Rashid had an amazing tournament. Think the way we adapted was key. In tournaments like this you will always lose a couple of players, but if you don’t panic and give other players an opportunity it really adds to the group.”Mott only started working with England in June on a short tour of Netherlands which ended with Eoin Morgan’s retirement from international cricket. Mott sensed it could be coming, but it still meant there was an entirely new captain-coach axis as Jos Buttler took over four months before the World Cup. The home summer was a stuttering affair as three of the four series against India and South Africa were lost.Related

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However, things started to come together in Pakistan, even though Buttler wasn’t playing. Mott pinpointed that trip as vital to what has played out in Australia, lauding Buttler’s decision to go on the tour. Their relationship was strengthened while Mott also believes the development of Buttler’s captaincy was aided by watching Moeen Ali.”Any time with a captain-coach relationship it takes time to build that trust,” Mott said. “I hadn’t really known Jos before I was in this role. Like any good working relationship, you have to build trust in each other. I really felt the best thing for us was when Jos selflessly said he’d come to Pakistan even though he wasn’t going to play.”He just wanted to observe and his relationship with Moeen Ali was strengthened over there, it was a brilliant. That really set the tone for us, to build a team around him. He observed a lot from Moeen’s captaincy and [I] think he took a lot out of that. He added an extra layer of calmness and assuredness.”In 2020, the destiny of the title had been all but decided by the batting of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney. Mott subsequently said he was even able to give himself a moment to soak in the experience that day. This time it was rather different, a tense affair that was only really decided when Shaheen Afridi limped off and Ben Stokes seized the moment.Mott caught up with a number of the Australians over the last few weeks and many of them sent him messages before the final. “Felt like in a strange way they shared in that even though it was England,” he said. “At least they had someone to cheer for in the final.”

Allrounder will return to UK after jarring his knee in the field on debut in Rawalpindi

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Dec-2022England allrounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series with Pakistan after sustaining a right knee injury during the first Test.Livingstone, who was making his debut in the format, jarred his knee while fielding a ball on the boundary on day two, after England had posted 657 in their first innings. He remained off the field for all of Pakistan’s first innings, but did bat in England’s second effort, scoring an unbeaten 7 but looking in clear discomfort as he hobbled between the wickets. He scored 9 in the first innings and did not bowl.A scan on Sunday morning (day four) revealed the extent of the damage. He will now return to the UK on Tuesday and begin a rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the ECB and the Lancashire medical teams.Related

• Ben Stokes hails 'greatest away Test win' as England stick together in adversity

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At this stage, England have yet to make a decision on whether to call up a replacement. A destructive batter in the shorter formats, Livingstone’s main selling point on this tour was his spin capabilities, offering legspin and offspin options to the team. Will Jacks, drafted into the XI for this Test at the very last minute following illness to Ben Foakes, took 6 for 161 with offies of his own on debut. Meanwhile, Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed offers an exciting albeit raw option as a legspinning allrounder.Fast bowler Mark Wood, also with the squad, seems the most likely to replace Livingstone in the XI in the short term. The second Test at Multan, which begins on Friday, is expected to play out on a similar docile surface. The Durham quick’s lightning pace will no doubt be a boost provided he can return to match sharpness in the next few days after missing the opening Test with a hip injury.

He maintains that Test cricket is still the pinnacle and is currently not fully swayed into the pull of franchise leagues

Vithushan Ehantharajah15-Feb-2023The eve of the first Test of the home summer is rarely the best time to be addressing cricket’s existential matters. But here was Tim Southee at the Bay Oval, just two matches into his captaincy, talking about the players not here – one in particular – and what it might mean for the game beyond Thursday’s first Test against England.In terms of the members who were present, all of the squad had finally congregated on Wednesday after Cyclone Gabrielle eased in the Bay of Plenty. Marooned members of the original squad – Tom Blundell, Blair Tickner, Will Young and Henry Nicholls – made it through after their travel plans were disrupted. The reinforcements Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn arrived on Tuesday evening to swap in for the injured Kyle Jamieson and the expecting Matt Henry. Both uncapped bowlers – Kuggeleijn also offers something with the bat – will be vying for the final spot in the XI. Southee confirmed 29-year-old Tickner will make his debut.”He’s been around the group for a while now and had a taste in the one-day and T20 formats,” Southee said of Tickner’s international experience so far, which amounts to 9 ODIs and 17 T20Is. “It’s exciting for him and his family for what should be a very special occasion.”Related

• Ben Stokes' homecoming gives England chance to 'show the world how good they are'

• Cyclone Gabrielle prevents NZ squad members from reaching Mount Maunganui

• Boult overlooked as Jamieson's replacement; Stead defends Kuggeleijn inclusion

Tickner will be something of an unknown, having played a second-string England team twice during a white ball series at the end of 2019, taking 2 for 25 in the third T20I and 0 for 50 in the following game. Ben Stokes, however, remembers him from a small stint of domestic cricket in New Zealand while suspended by the ECB at the end of 2017 after his streetfight in Bristol.”I played out here for Canterbury a few years ago and played against Tickner, he’s a big fella. Runs in and hits the deck hard. Yeah, I think he loves to get into the contest.”It did not take long for the conversation to turn to Trent Boult. Head coach Gary Stead revealed on Tuesday that no approach had been made to the fast bowler despite the fact he has returned home after a stint in the ILT20. Having stepped back from his national contract last August, New Zealand Cricket’s understandable approach has been to give preference to domestic players, at least until Boult shows some willingness to return to the longest format.Stead was unequivocal in his belief that this is not the end of Boult’s career. But the fact that hosts go into this two-match series with an inexperienced seam attack when one of their best players of the modern era is 20 minutes up the road speaks of a problem. Even Stokes, who usually keeps out of opposition matters, saw the advantage England carry as a result: “Any team without Trent Boult playing against you gives you a little bit – we know he’s a quality performer.””I think if you ask the majority of people they still see Test cricket as the pinnacle,” Southee said. “Credit to Ben and Brendon (McCullum) and the way they’ve turned things around and made it exciting for people to come and watch and be part of it.”Just look at the ticket sales for this series, there’s still plenty of interest in Test cricket and that’s exciting. For me it’s still the pinnacle of the game. Times are changing with franchise cricket and short-format cricket, but the majority of players still see it as the pinnacle.”The 34-year-old is no stranger to the franchise world, particularly in the IPL where he has enjoyed stints at five teams and is currently with Kolkata Knight Riders. Perceivably he, too, could follow Boult’s move and fill up the rest of his time while keeping a toe in international waters. That, however, does not appeal to him just yet.”It’s something most people are looking at and weighing up, there’s so much cricket. The times are changing and more tournaments popping up around the world, but for me at the moment I see Test cricket as the pinnacle. I’m loving it and as far as I’m concerned my focus is solely on the two Test matches coming up and trying to perform for New Zealand.”By Thursday at least, there will be actual cricket to talk about. Even England have found themselves a bit stir-crazy. “I feel we’ve been here for ages,” Stokes said, raring to go having been in New Zealand for the last three weeks. As for the hosts, a challenging build-up in more ways than one is something they’re happy to roll with.”[It’s been] A little bit disjointed,” Southee said. “But like we have done for a long time, in true Kiwi style.”

“A specialist opinion will be sought,” BCCI says in a statement

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2023Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the Ahmedabad Test, with the BCCI saying on the fifth morning of the match, that “a specialist opinion will be sought” to treat his lower-back injury.On Sunday, the fourth day, as India tussled for first-innings honours with Australia, Iyer couldn’t come out to bat, with the BCCI saying that he had been sent for scans after he “complained of pain in his lower back following the third day’s play”. India finished on 571 for a lead of 91. ESPNcricinfo understands Iyer was not present at the ground at any point on Sunday.The injury will particularly worry India since back trouble has dogged Iyer over the last few weeks: it kept him out of the first Test of this series, as well as the three-match ODI series against New Zealand that preceded it.After this Test match, Iyer’s next assignment is to captain Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, which begins on March 31. Knight Riders are scheduled to play their first match of the tournament on April 1, against Punjab Kings in Mohali.

Strong showing in Tests gives visitors hopes of springing a surprise in opening fixture

Madushka Balasuriya23-Mar-2023

Big picture: Test thrills augur well

Despite the eventual 2-0 scoreline in favour of the hosts, it’s safe to say Sri Lanka might have surprised a fair few folks that tuned into the Tests in Christchurch and Wellington – okay, maybe not so much the latter, but certainly over the course of that epic first Test.In that game, the visitors, in pursuit of an unlikely World Test Championship berth, ran the defending WTC champions as close as pretty much anyone could have imagined. And in the process garnered some well-deserved respect from the wider cricketing world.That, though, was the Sri Lankan red-ball side, one propelled not through individual exceptionalism but an almost New Zealand-esque sense of collectivism. And while their white-ball outings have also seen a marked improvement in recent times, culminating in a memorable Asia Cup T20 victory last year, their ODI unit has largely underwhelmed.Since the start of the ODI World Cup Super League, Sri Lanka have lost away to West Indies, Bangladesh and England, while their home record has been marginally better, losing to India, beating South Africa and, most recently, drawing against Afghanistan.The ODI side’s nadir was arguably reached earlier this year during a 3-0 drubbing in India – a particularly tough pill to swallow in a World Cup year in the same country, especially as the T20I series that preceded had seen them take the hosts to series decider. While any silver linings in Sri Lanka’s recent one-day history might seem like wizard-level straw-clutching, the record will nevertheless also show a 3-2 series win at home to Australia last year – so, yeah, there is that.Which brings us to the present, where for Sri Lanka to have any hopes of automatic qualification for the World Cup later this year they need to complete a whitewash of New Zealand in the week or so ahead – and even then, they’re heavily dependent on South Africa fluffing their lines in a series against Netherlands.What they might have going for them is that the hosts won’t exactly be at full strength. With World Cup qualification secured, and conditions in India unlikely to be anything like what the likes of Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton have to offer, New Zealand have given clearance for no less than nine ODI regulars to play in the IPL.Sri Lanka meanwhile have a relatively settled unit and, save for the absence of Dushmantha Chameera, will likely be able to put out their strongest XI. On paper at least they look the stronger side.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand: WWWWW

Sri Lanka: LLLWL

In the spotlight: Matt Henry and Angelo Mathews

With 65 ODIs to his name, in terms of experience Matt Henry comfortably eclipses the combined match tally of Blair Tickner (9), Henry Shipley (3) and the uncapped Ben Lister – New Zealand’s other seam bowling options for this series – while even the addition of Daryll Mitchell (19) to the list doesn’t help all that much. Lockie Ferguson’s 53 caps certainly would have evened the scales, but even without his recently picked-up hamstring strain, he was due to play only the first ODI before jetting off to the IPL. Henry is coming in on the back of an excellent Test outing against Sri Lanka, and if this youthful New Zealand outfit are to maintain their excellent home record, Henry will have a key role to play in it.Angelo Mathews hasn’t turned out for a Sri Lankan white-ball side since March 2021, and for much of that time a recall could have been categorised under hopeful at best. But if T20 cricket is a young man’s game, well, ODI cricket might still have room for some greying heads, even if Mathews’s recall at 35 in a World Cup year certainly does scream ‘last dance’. An average of 41.67 and nearly 6,000 runs, of course, is nothing to be scoffed at – not to mention his most recent LPL stint where he played the role of finisher in impressive fashion. Sri Lanka will need him to call on all of that vast experience if they are to have any chance at securing automatic qualification.

Pitch and conditions: Bright conditions in prospect

Eden Park hasn’t had much ODI cricket of late, but the last two games have seen 300-plus chased down and 273 defended. The pitch has also been known to aid spin. Weather is expected to be nice and sunny.

Team news: Bowes and Ravindra to debut

On the eve of the match, New Zealand captain Tom Latham announced that Chad Bowes and Rachin Ravindra would make their ODI debuts. He said, however, that the team hadn’t yet finalised their full XI, and would make a decision on the bowling attack keeping workloads in mind.New Zealand (probable) XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Chad Bowes, 3 Will Young, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Blair Tickner/Ben Lister, 9 Henry Shipley/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish SodhiMost of Sri Lanka’s XI picks itself but a few key areas remain up for grabs. At the top of the order Nuwanidu Fernando is the likely option alongside Pathum Nissanka. Then with five seamers in the squad, Sri Lanka certainly have options, with allrounder Chamika Karunaratne also able come in if Sri Lanka want an additional batter lower down.Sri Lanka (probable) XI: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Nuwanidu Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya De Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Maheesh Theekshana/Matheesha Pathirana

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka last won an ODI series in New Zealand in 2001 (4-1). Since then they’ve won six of 23 completed ODIs in New Zealand.
• Angelo Mathews needs 165 runs to score 6,000 ODI runs. He will become the ninth Sri Lankan to do so.
• Since the 2019 World Cup New Zealand have won seven of 10 ODI series home and away.

March 24, GMT 0330 The preview was updated with the news that Bowes and Ravindra would debut for New Zealand.