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Hazlewood back into the top ten in T20I rankings while Scholtz, Erasmus of Namibia dazzle too

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2024Joe Root’s first century in England’s ongoing tour of India has lifted the batter to No. 3, while Yashasvi Jaiswal’s consistent scores have taken him to No. 12 on ICC’s rankings for Test batters.Root’s unbeaten 122 in the fourth Test, his first major contribution with the bat this series, lifted him two places and into the top three. His exploits as an offspinner have also moved him up to No. 4 among Test allrounders.For Jaiswal, now only two shy of the top ten, the rise has been meteoric. He started the Test series at No. 69 in the rankings, but in a matter of weeks, his 655 runs at an average of 93.57 in eight innings has seen him jump 57 steps to 12th. The batters’ rankings are still led by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, with Australia’s Steven Smith at No. 2.

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In the Test bowling rankings, world No. 2 R Ashwin has closed the distance between him and World No. 1 Jasprit Bumrah to only 21 rating points. After missing parts of the Rajkot Test for personal reasons, Ashwin took a second-innings five-wicket haul in Ranchi to set up India’s victory. Bumrah was rested. Behind the pair are Kagiso Rabada at third, with the Australian duo of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to follow.

Australians surge in T20Is

Hazlewood’s spell of 4-1-12-1 in Auckland against New Zealand has taken him six places up to No. 7 on the rankings for T20I bowlers. He is now the only Australian in the top 10 of the T20I bowling rankings, with England spinner Adil Rashid leading the way followed by the Sri Lankan pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.Travis Head and Tim David have also gained positions among T20I batters. Head’s scores of 24, 45 and 33 elevated him 18 places up to 19th. Tim David’s 10-ball 31 in Australia’s final-ball win in the opening game of the series now sees him at a career-best 22nd. Suryakumar Yadav, Phil Salt and Mohammad Rizwan still hold the top three spots.

Scholtz makes history for Namibia

Bernard Scholtz’s six-wicket haul across two games at the League 2 tri-series in Nepal has taken him to 11th among ODI bowlers, a record high for Namibia. Scholtz’s slow left-arm orthodox spin earned him 4 for 31 against Nepal and 2 for 15 against Netherlands.Scholtz’s captain Gerhard Erasmus, meanwhile, is tied at No. 8 among ODI allrounders alongside Glenn Maxwell of Australia. Erasmus struck 52 against Nepal and took 3 for 33 against Netherlands to zoom eight places up and into the top ten.

Board chief Nazmul Hassan says after Sunday’s AGM that the idea was to make sure all top-level cricket in the country was televised

Mohammad Isam31-Mar-2024The BCB has made two amendments to its constitution at the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dhaka on Sunday, with a view to launching its own TV channel. The board wants to ensure all competitive cricket that it runs in the country is broadcast, with this channel plugging any gaps.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that the TV channel will generally show domestic matches and those international matches that their broadcast partners can’t show. “T-Sports and Gazi TV show most of our matches. If they cannot show some matches, we want to show those matches,” Hassan said. “They are showing the men’s Test match, so they can’t show the women’s series. We want both to be on TV, so we need to have an option.”We also want to show domestic cricket on TV. Everyone thinks that it will raise the standard of cricket in the country. People can then see the standard of umpiring in domestic cricket, for example.”The amendments were made to sub-clauses 6.17 and 6.20, which fall under the “scope and responsibility” section of the BCB’s constitution. The new 6.17 sub-clause allows the board to enhance its financial transactions and banking activities. The new 6.20 sub-clause talks of the option to form “one or more trusts, companies, societies/foundations as necessary to achieve ancillary objectives including enhancement of infrastructural, economic, commercial and social facilities for the development of cricket across the country”.BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the idea was not to turn the national board into a “business enterprise”, but launching a TV channel would require the board to strengthen its legal framework.”According to our legal advice, we have made the amendments to bring more dynamism to our financial transactions and banking activities,” Chowdhury said. “As you know there are many criteria of Bangladesh Bank that we have to meet to make banking transactions.”[That BCB is looking to become a business enterprise] is misleading information. There’s a difference between company formation and floating shares of a company in the share market. We have a plan to form BCB TV, for which we have to come into a legal framework through the BCB’s constitution.”The AGM brought together the BCB’s 170-plus councilors (or members) from different backgrounds, the majority of whom are from Bangladesh’s 64 districts.The BCB has long promised to form regional cricket bodies and while most cricket in these regions is being run by ad-hoc committees, the board officials, mainly based in the capital Dhaka, have not allowed them autonomy. According to BCB chief Hassan, the regional bodies have to prove themselves first before independence is granted.”Regional cricket associations cannot be free of the centre’s interference unless we are satisfied with their work. They aren’t independent right now. But our big picture plan is to make them independent bodies. It is not decentralisation. It is de-concentration. We are reducing concentration away from Dhaka. Eventually it will be decentralised.”The BCB has allocated each body BDT 2 million (USD 17,400 approx) to organise a tournament in the coming months. “We have told them to organise a T20 tournament as a test case. We will pay them BDT 2 million initially. We will see how they perform and expend this money,” Hassan said. “We are not paying them blindly. Not all districts get money. Only those who are organising cricket are getting money.”

It was the third time this IPL that MI failed to maintain a minimum over rate

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2024Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been banned for one match for his team’s slow over rate against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium. MI have already played their last match of IPL 2024, which means Hardik will miss the team’s first match next season.In case Hardik moves to another team for the next season, he will miss that particular team’s first game.It was the third time this IPL that MI failed to maintain a minimum over rate. As a result, Hardik, apart from the one-match ban, was fined INR 30 lakhs and the rest of the playing XII, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 12 lakhs or 50% of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser.Related

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• Rahul on LSG missing the playoffs: 'Injuries and the guys that went away really dented us'

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• Boucher admits off-field noise may have 'clouded' Hardik

It was a forgettable season for both MI and Hardik. The 18-run defeat to LSG meant MI finished with just four wins from their 14 games and finished at the bottom of the points table. Hardik, who had come in as a pre-season trade and had taken over captaincy from Rohit Sharma, was booed by the Wankhede crowd throughout the tournament. On the field, he scored 216 runs at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04. With the ball, he took 11 wickets at an economy of 10.75.Mark Boucher, MI head coach, also admitted that the off-field noise might have “clouded” Hardik and played a part in the team’s “below-par” performance.

Lamb’s 207 coincided with Beau Webster’s first five-wicket haul of 6 for 100 on a flat Bristol pitch

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2024Derbyshire’s Matthew Lamb and Gloucestershire’s Beau Webster set memorable personal milestones on the second day of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Unbeaten on 186 overnight, Lamb completed his maiden first-class double century before falling for 207 in a Derbyshire total of 526 all out. Anuj Dal contributed 62 as the visitors bagged maximum batting bonus points.Webster’s 6 for 100 from 26 overs was a career-best on his home debut for Gloucestershire. The 6ft 7ins Australian seamer had never before taken even five wickets in a first-class innings. By the close, the home side had responded to Derbyshire’s huge total with 243 for 4, James Bracey leading the way with an unbeaten 87 and sharing an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 112 with skipper Graeme van Buuren, who was 61 not out.Derbyshire began the day on 434 for 5. Lamb and Dal batted with few alarms and an edge wide of the slips for four off Ajeet Singh Dale took Lamb to his double ton off 254 balls, with 30 fours and a six. His innings, spanning six hours and 19 minutes, ended when he edged a short of a length delivery from Singh Dale through to wicketkeeper Bracey to make the score 487 for 6. The stand with Dal had added 78 runs in 27.2 overs.
Alex Thomson quickly fell lbw to a Webster yorker.But Dal was looking well set and brought up the 500 by clipping Ollie Price through the leg side for two in the 118th over before going to an elegant half-century off 113 balls, with 6 fours. It was 520 for 8 when Zak Chappell drove a catch to cover to give Webster his fifth wicket. He quickly added another, bowling Sam Connors for a second ball duck.Dal was last man out, caught behind looking to attack Singh Dale, having produced some wristy shots on both sides of the pitch. Webster led Gloucestershire off to warm applause from teammates, and lunch was taken.The home side’s reply got off to a poor start when, with the total on 15, Cameron Bancroft shouldered arms to a ball slanted into him by Connors and had his middle stump knocked back. Price suffered a blow on the helmet from a short ball by Daryn Dupavillon and took 28 balls to get off the mark as Derbyshire’s bowlers gave the Gloucestershire attack a lesson in accuracy, sending down four successive maidens.Frustration cost Price his wicket on three. Having aimed two big shots at Chappell deliveries, he perished attempting a big drive in the same over, edging a straightforward catch to third slip.When Miles Hammond, on 18, had his middle stump ripped out of the ground by a Dal delivery that went between bat and pad, Gloucestershire were in peril at 63 for 3. But opener Ben Charlesworth was set and Bracey helped add 57 before tea, which was taken at 120 for 3 off 34 overs.Bracey had moved smoothly to 40, with Charlesworth on 35. The two left-handers were parted in the final session with the total on 131 when Charlesworth, who has batted consistently well this season, edged a defensive shot off a good length Chappell delivery through to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.That brought van Buuren to the crease with his side still 395 runs behind and he survived a confident Chappell appeal for lbw before he had scored, the ball striking his back pad.Bracey went to an assured fifty off 72 balls with his eighth four, sweetly struck through the covers off Chappell, who was working up a head of steam from the Pavilion End. Then van Buuren went on the counterattack, hitting successive fours of Dal and dominating the strike.Bracey greeted Alex Thomson’s return to the attack at 190 for 4 by launching the off-spinner’s sixth delivery back over his head for six before van Buuren went to a 76-ball half-century, with 7 fours.By stumps Bracey had faced 131 deliveries and struck 12 fours and a six. With rain forecast tomorrow and the pitch looking very flat, a draw appears the most likely outcome.

Warner skipped to a 20-ball half-century as Australia sprinted to the their target in 10 overs

Andrew McGlashan29-May-2024Nine-man Australia made light work of Namibia in their opening T20 World Cup warm-up match, led by an impressive new-ball spell from Josh Hazlewood, during which four members of their backroom staff helped make up the numbers.There was also useful time in the middle for David Warner after his lean and injury-hit IPL season as he hammered a 20-ball half-century with Australia needing just half the overs to reach their target.Related

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At one stage there were four substitutes on the field for Australia comprising head coach Andrew McDonald, assistants Brad Hodge and Andre Borovec plus national selector George Bailey. Borovec, who is fielding coach, and Bailey were the first-choice subs when play began.Australia are currently without six of their 15-player squad – Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis – following the IPL.While Australia are shorthanded, they opted to have two warm-up matches given a number of the squad are coming from the off season and others had limited action in India.One of those who has been at home is Hazlewood and he set an outstanding tone with a remarkable opening spell of 3-3-0-2. His second wicket of Nikolaas Davin came courtesy of a catch by Borovec. In his last over, Hazlewood got fingertips on a straight drive to run out Malan Kruger at the non-striker’s end.”Probably a few of us needed to [play] coming off a big lay off…was good to get out there, playing is always different to training,” Hazlewood said. “The ball felt like it was coming out pretty good. The wicket looked a little bit tough early, probably a little bit slow, probably what we are going to encounter here in the West Indies so it’s just about keeping it pretty simple, sticking to the top of the stumps, not trying too much and letting the wicket to its work.”Ashton Agar, recalled for this tournament, opened the attack with Hazlewood and ended as the most expensive of the specialist bowlers. Given the lack of players available, and captain Mitchell Marsh not yet fit to bowl, Tim David’s part-time offspin was used for a full allotment of four overs which helped Namibia scrambled to 119.Adam Zampa took out the middle order and Nathan Ellis, who appeared just once for Punjab Kings in the IPL, was economical with 1 for 17 from his four overs.Australia raced along in their chase with Warner and Marsh quickly out of the blocks in the powerplay before the captain was run-out in a mix-up.Warner, who will retire from international cricket after the tournament, brought up his fifty with the third six of his innings against Tangeni Lungameni.Josh Inglis missed out at No. 3 when he chopped on against Bernard Scholtz, who also removed David.Australia play their second warm-up game against hosts West Indies on Thursday.

England suffer a 68-run loss in Guyana as India avenge 2022 defeat, also at the semi-final stage

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2024Jos Buttler, England’s captain, admitted his team had been comprehensively outplayed in their 68-run defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final in Guyana, but insisted his decision to bowl first after winning the toss had not been a significant factor in the result.After handing over first use of a spin-friendly surface that was liable to get slower and lower as the day went by, Buttler conceded that India’s total of 171 for 7 – thanks to 57 from 39 balls from his counterpart Rohit Sharma, ably backed up by Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 from 36 – was “20-25 runs too many”.In reply, England were rattled out for 103 in exactly 100 deliveries, with Axar Patel striking the key blow with his first ball of the match, in the fourth over of the powerplay, as Buttler top-edged a reverse-sweep to the keeper to depart for 23 from 15.Related

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Thereafter, Axar struck with the first ball of each of his next two overs to remove Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali on his way to Player-of-the-Match-winning figures of 3 for 23, before Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin ripped through an exposed middle-order to finish with 3 for 19.”They certainly outplayed us,” Buttler said at the post-match presentation. “I think maybe we let them get 20-25 runs too many. That was a challenging surface that they played well on. But they outplayed us and fully deserved the win.”Morning rain delayed the start of play by more than an hour, and returned to cause a further lengthy interlude midway through India’s innings, and England opted to stick to the same seam-heavy line-up that had carried them through the Super Eight, with Reece Topley and Chris Jordan both retained ahead of an extra spinner in Tom Hartley, as well as Ben Duckett’s prowess against the turning ball.In the final analysis, however, it was England’s chosen spinners, Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid who proved the most potent weapons, as they conceded a combined total of 49 runs in their eight overs (6.13 rpo), compared to 12 overs for 120 (10 rpo) from the four quicks.Moeen Ali, however, was overlooked, possibly as a consequence of the damp conditions early in India’s innings. Not only did Buttler admit he had erred in ignoring Moeen, he also admitted that the eventual impact of Rashid and Livingstone had caused him to fear what India’s potent spin attack could achieve on the same surface.”Obviously, they’ve got some fantastic spinners,” Buttler said. “Our two guys bowled well, but in hindsight, I should have brought Moeen [on] in that innings, with the way that the spin was playing.”Obviously with the rain around in those conditions, I probably didn’t think it was going to change that much,” he added. “And I actually don’t think it really did. I thought they out-bowled us. They had an above-par score. So I don’t think necessarily the toss was the difference between the teams.”The result was every bit as comprehensive as England’s ten-wicket victory had been at the same stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Adelaide, after which Buttler’s men went on to become the first men’s team to hold both 50- and 20-over world titles at the same time.1:33

Dasgupta: Axar a standout performer from game one

Both those trophies have now been prised from England’s grasp, and while a semi-final exit is a significantly better defence than the team managed in the 50-over World Cup last year, England still exit the tournament after losing three of their four matches against major opponents.Their early loss to Australia left them needing favours to progress from the group stage, while their narrow defeat to South Africa in St Lucia condemned them to the tougher semi-final draw, where India were waiting to avenge that Adelaide result with what Rohit pointedly described as a “satisfying” performance.”Two years on, in different conditions, it’s very different,” Buttler said, when asked to reflect on his team’s changed fortunes. “Credit to India, they played a really good game of cricket and they deserve the win.”With everything that’s happened throughout the whole tournament, we’re really proud of everyone’s efforts to be here,” he added, recalling their fraught progression from Group 2, when only a late break in the clouds in Antigua had allowed them to take the field in a must-win match against Namibia.”You can only play who’s put in front of you. We’ve had lots of adversity throughout the competition. We’ve stuck together well as a group, and played some really good cricket in patches but came up short when we needed it most.”

Sophie Day was impressive with the ball for Australia A while Priya Punia shone with the bat for India A

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2024A rapid half-century by Tahlia Wilson and a strong finish from the middle order proved crucial for Australia A as they secured a hard-fought five-run victory in the first T20 of India A’s multiformat visit despite an excellent innings from Priya Punia.Wilson dominated the early exchanges with a 33-ball fifty in an opening stand of 74 with Katie Mack but the home side fell away, losing 5 for 42 before Nicole Faltum and Maddy Darke took 31 off the last two overs.In the chase India A could never quite completely get on top of the required rate but Punia and Tanuja Kanwar added 64 for the third wicket and they needed a further 64 from 33 balls when Kanwar was smartly stumped by Faltum as she advanced at Maitlan Brown.Despite the best efforts of Punia, who struck seven fours and three sixes, including two in three balls against Charli Knott, the requirement proved narrowly out of reach as she became one of three run-outs. Left-arm spinner Sophie Day was impressive, conceding 19 runs from her four overs and just three from her last in the 17th.With 28 runs coming off the 18th and 19th overs, India A entered the last needing 16, which captain Tahlia McGrath was able to defend despite conceding a boundary to Sayali Satghare.Earlier, Australia A had been put into bat and Wilson ensured a strong powerplay as they reached 49 without loss after six overs. Left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque sparked India A’s fightback by removing Wilson the ball after reaching her half-century then put herself on a hat-trick in the 12th over by claiming Mack lbw and having McGrath caught behind cutting first ball.Three overs later, Knott and Tess Flintoff fell in the space of three deliveries against Satghare and it appeared Australia A’s innings could fade away. The next three overs brought just 16 runs, but Darke and Faltum timed their late surge well with the latter slotting away three consecutive boundaries at the start of the 20th.The teams will return to Allan Border Field for the second match on Friday followed by the last T20 on Sunday. Three one-dayers then follow next week on Mackay before the tour concludes with a four-day game on the Gold Coast.

King also returned to the T20I side after having recovered from the side injury that had forced him to miss chunks of the T20 World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu05-Oct-2024Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hosein have all opted out of West Indies’ T20I squad for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka for personal reasons. Opening batter Evin Lewis, who had last played a T20I during the World Cup in 2022, returned to the side for the three T20Is in Dambulla. Lewis was also picked for the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka tour.Brandon King also returned to the T20I side after having recovered from the side injury that had forced him to miss chunks of the T20 World Cup earlier this year and CPL 2024. In the absence of Russell, West Indies called up his Trinbago Knight Riders team-mate Terrance Hinds and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons’ Shamar Springer. This was the first international call-up for both allrounders who were impressive in CPL 2024.While Hinds often fronted up to bowl at the death for TKR, Springer emerged as Falcons’ leading wicket-taker in a spin-dominated CPL with 12 strikes in nine games at an economy rate of 9.39. Springer has quite a few slower variations in his repertoire, which could suit the potentially sluggish pitches in Sri Lanka.Related

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Rovman Powell will continue to lead the T20I side with Roston Chase, who earned a West Indies central contract earlier this week, retained as his deputy. Lewis’ return comes after the selection system was revamped with coach Daren Sammy now leading the panel.”The tour of Sri Lanka gives us a chance to test our depth and assess players in different situations, especially with several senior players missing out for various reasons, including a need for rest and rehabilitation from injury,” Sammy said in a CWI statement. “We are confident in the squad’s ability to compete strongly against Sri Lanka.”Johnson Charles, who had reinvented himself as a 360-degree batter in St Lucia Kings’ run to the CPL 2024 final, missed the cut, with Andre Fletcher being picked as the reserve opener behind Lewis and King. Alick Athanaze is also another top-order option for West Indies. Finisher Sherfane Rutherford, though, is set to return to action after having withdrawn from CPL 2024 for personal reasons.Left-arm fingerspinner Gudakesh Motie is the only frontline spin bowler in the T20I squad. He will be assisted by offspin-bowling allrounder Chase and left-arm spin-bowling allrounder who had won the LPL earlier this year with Jaffna Kings.Alzarri Joseph, who had been rested for West Indies’ most recent T20I series, against South Africa at home, returned to the side but there was no place for left-arm seamer Obed McCoy, who often operates at the death.

West Indies T20I squad

Rovman Powell (capt), Roston Chase (vice-capt), Fabian Allen, Alick Athanaze, Andre Fletcher, Terrance Hinds, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar SpringerJewel Andrew could become the youngest West Indies player to make his debut in ODI cricket•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Jewel Andrew bolts into WI ODI squad

Seventeen-year-old Jewel Andrew has broken into West Indies’ ODI squad for the three-match series in Pallekele. He could become the youngest West Indian to make his debut in ODI cricket; only Derek Sealy and Garry Sobers have made their international debuts for West Indies at the age of 17.Andrew has played only three List A games and seven CPL matches so far, but has already done enough to attract the attention of some West Indies greats, including Viv Richards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, his CPL coach at Falcons, and Ian Bishop.The youngest player to ever feature in the CPL, Andrew marked his debut with an unbeaten 50 against a St Kitts & Nevis Patriots attack that included internationals like Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi. Andrew had been earmarked to become a future West Indies star right from his age-group days.”As we continue to build our ODI team, this tour offers a valuable opportunity to evaluate strategies and give opportunities to emerging talent,” Sammy said. “We are excited to see young players like Jewel Andrew, who has earned his place as an exciting prospect for the future.”Shai Hope, who won a two-year contract with CWI, will continue to captain the ODI team with Alzarri Joseph his deputy. Matthew Forde, who didn’t find a place in the T20I side, made it to the ODI side. He has had some success with Dambulla Aura in the LPL.The ODI squad has two specialist spinners, with wristspinner Hayden Walsh Jr retaining his place to complement left-arm fingerspinner Motie. Batters Athanaze and Keacy Carty, who were also part of West Indies’ most recent ODI squad, for the Australia tour earlier this year, retained their spots.Carty was also in good form for TKR in the CPL, where he scored 246 runs in ten innings at an average of 30.75 and strike rate of 125.51.West Indies’ white-ball tour of Sri Lanka will begin on October 13 and will run until October 26.

West Indies ODI squad

Shai Hope (capt), Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr

Wicketkeeper-batter leaves Warwickshire in pursuit of opportunities across formats

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2024Kent have signed wicketkeeper-batter Chris Benjamin from Warwickshire on a three-year contract.Benjamin, 25, made headlines when drafted as a replacement player during the 2021 Hundred, having only played one senior T20 for Birmingham Bears. He scored 24 off 15 balls to see Birmingham Phoenix over the line and went on to feature regularly over the tournament’s first three seasons.Benjamin also scored a century on first-class debut for Warwickshire but had limited opportunities in the longer format, making 10 appearances for the county and averaging 22.23.His arrival will strengthen Kent’s options in the wicketkeeping department, with Ollie Robinson and Jordan Cox having left over the last two seasons, and Sam Billings signing a white-ball contract. The club’s keeper in Championship cricket this summer has been Harry Finch.”We’re delighted to have attracted a player of Chris’ talent to Kent on a long-term contract,” Kent’s director of cricket, Simon Cook, said. “He is still a young player with a lot of potential to improve further, and we’re pleased to Kent to be the place for him to do so.”Although Benjamin was born in South Africa, he is a British passport holder through his father and has played in the UK since moving to study in 2018.”I’m excited to be joining Kent and having the opportunity to play regularly across multiple formats,” Benjamin said. “There is a young squad here that will only improve over time, and there’s a clear plan for Kent to return to the highs of their recent successes in the future. It’s an exciting project to be a part of.”Kent were relegated in the County Championship earlier this month, ultimately ending up bottom of Division One. They also finished last in the South Group of the Vitality Blast and seventh in Group A of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.

Leigh Kasperek also chipped in with the ball, setting up an important two points for New Zealand in a group where the race to the semi-finals is tight

Madushka Balasuriya12-Oct-2024Georgia Plimmer’s 53 off 44 and an all-round show from Amelia Kerr secured a eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Sharjah, though the margin of victory was not enough to move New Zealand up to second; they remain third in Group A behind second-placed India on net run rate. For Sri Lanka, it’s a fourth defeat in four despite this being their best showing of the tournament with the bat; they finish bottom of the group.Set a target of 116, Plimmer and Suzie Bates gave New Zealand the ideal start with a 49-run opening stand, before Kerr joined Plimmer for a 46-run partnership to put the result beyond doubt. Sophie Devine then put the boosters on to close out the chase, finishing the game with monster six over cow corner.Kerr had earlier notched figures of 2 for 13, including the prize scalp of Chamari Athapaththu, as Sri Lanka were restricted to 115 for 5 in their 20 overs. Plimmer was named Player of the Match for breaking the spine of the chase, though Kerr’s impact cannot be overstated.Assured Plimmer kills them softlyThere were only four boundaries in Plimmer’s half-century but yet she ended her innings striking at 120. That was largely down to the learnings several sides are now internalising about how to play on the low and slow tracks in Sharjah.Georgia Plimmer set the pace in New Zealand’s chase•ICC/Getty Images

Her innings was replete with 26 singles and four twos, as Sri Lanka’s bevy of spinners were negotiated expertly. This wasn’t death by killer blow, rather one by a thousand cuts. At the end of the power play New Zealand were 35 for no loss, just one more than Sri Lanka, but by the 10th over the run rate had risen to 6.9 per over.Plimmer eventually fell holing out to deep midwicket, but at 95 for 2 at the end of the 15th over her work was largely done.Athapaththu drives Sri Lanka’s best startAfter three successive failures, Athapaththu finally managed to get some runs on the board, and with it provided Sri Lanka with their first good start of the tournament with the bat.Chamari Athapaththu ably held up her end•ICC/Getty Images

Her 35 came off 41 deliveries, not express by any means, but understandable considering the conditions in Sharjah as well as the shaken confidence of Sri Lanka’s batting unit. With the ball still holding up in the surface and keeping low, Athapaththu was forced to wait for the bad deliveries to notch any quick runs, with a couple of exquisite cover drives the pick of her five boundaries.During her stay she put on stands of 26 and 48 with Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama, to give Sri Lanka their best poweplay of the tournament – 34 for 1, which in itself speaks towards Sri Lanka’s batting troubles – and left them on a decent platform of 57 for 1 at the halfway point of the innings.Can’t keep Kerr out of the gameWith the Athapaththu-Samarawickrama partnership blossoming, a pair of boundaries off Eden Carson and Lea Tahuhu in the 12th and 13th overs signalled Sri Lanka’s intent to up the scoring rate. Enter Amelia Kerr.Amelia Kerr followed up her 2 for 13 with 34 not out off 31•ICC/Getty Images

The legspinner was coming of the back of a four-for in her last game, but here she had to wait until her third over to make any significant impact. But what an impact that was as, following a period of concerted pressure, Athapaththu looked to drag one over cow corner from outside off only to find her off stump knocked back.That wicket in hindsight was the first thread to come loose in Sri Lanka’s unravelling. At the fall of Athapaththu’s wicket Sri Lanka had 74 runs on the board and a little over six overs left in the innings – but they were just unable to push on from there, spluttering to 115 for 5 by the end of the innings.Kerr was a major factor in this as her four overs gave up just 13 runs and also included the wicket of the dangerous Kavisha Dilhari. And if Sri Lanka thought they’d seen the last of her, she struck an unbeaten 34 off 31 with the bat to ensure the win that she herself had set up.