Jack Leach out of second Test in India with Shoaib Bashir close to England debut

Jack Leach has been ruled out of England’s second Test against India, pushing Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir one step closer to an international debut.

England will settle on their XI for Friday’s match in Visakhapatnam after taking a final look at the pitch, but will need to rethink in the absence of their senior spinner.

The 32-year-old was in visible discomfort for most of England’s remarkable victory in the first Test, where he played a restricted role, and finally gave in to the inevitable after sitting out Wednesday’s training session with bruising and swelling on his left knee.

“He’s ruled out of the second Test. Unfortunately the knock he took resulted in a haematoma,” said captain Ben Stokes, who hailed Leach as a “warrior” last week for struggling though the series-opener.

“It’s a big shame for us and a big shame for him. It’s something we’re assessing every day but the medical team have taken over on that so hopefully it’s not something too serious that keeps him out for longer.”

Shoaib Bashir could be in line for an England debut on Friday (Somerset CCC/PA)

While Leach was an onlooker at nets, 20-year-old Bashir joined in for the first time since complications over his visa application were resolved.

Bashir racked up 10,000 unwanted air miles shuttling between Abu Dhabi, London and Hyderabad, where he arrived just in time to take in the final day of England’s audacious victory, and is now in the selection mix.

Record wicket-taker James Anderson is pushing hard for a recall, alongside or instead of fellow seamer Mark Wood, while Rehan Ahmed’s role could come into question after a quiet game with the ball.

But the fact that Bashir, who has a gossamer-thin first-class record of 10 wickets in six games at an average of 67, is being discussed shows just how far Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are willing to push the envelope.

The success of the inexperienced Tom Hartley on debut last week, taking a second-innings seven-for to send his side 1-0 up, can only have emboldened Stokes.

Ben Stokes (left) and Tom Hartley celebrate England’s remarkable victory in the first Test (Mahesh Kumar A./AP)

It was him who first floated the youngster’s name six months ago after watching a video montage of Bashir bowling to former England captain Sir Alastair Cook on his first Somerset appearance.

“To be perfectly honest, our training camp in Abu Dhabi was the first real live look I got at Bash,” Stokes said.

“The first time I saw him was on Twitter. I think the County Championship put a little clip together of him bowling against Sir Alastair.

“I just saw something. With the height he bowled from, it was very obvious that he put a lot of action, a lot of revolutions, on the ball.

“I’m in a WhatsApp group with (director of cricket) Rob Key and Baz (McCullum). So I actually did forward the clip on and said, ‘Have a look at this, this could be something we could work with on our India tour’. It just progressed from there.”

19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has looked very assured on first-class debut

He’s bowled beautifully to Sir Alastair Cook: here’s all 25 balls of their morning contest#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/WWvkg5iLOn

— County Championship (@CountyChamp) June 11, 2023

Stokes realises how raw Bashir is and takes the responsibility of managing his fast-tracking to the international arena seriously.

“He’s a young kid who’s finding his way… I was about to say he’s finding his way in first-class cricket, but he’s on a Test tour now,” he said.

“He’s a real sponge at the moment and I think that’s because of how young he is. He’s got an unbelievable coach here in Jeetan Patel and he’s also got someone in Jack leach who is a massive help, particularly with their Somerset connection.

“If he was to play on this tour, the great thing he has going for him is what is there to lose? That is how I will be thinking about it if he gets the chance to play.

“Just make sure I give him the best experience I possibly can because you only play your first Test once. If he does play then I’ll be trying to make it as fun and enjoyable for him as I can.”

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Tom Hartley’s home club ‘basking in reflected glory’ of remarkable Test debut

Tom Hartley’s headline role in England’s famous victory in India has left members of his hometown club “basking in the reflected glory” of a rags-to-riches Test debut.

After Hartley’s second-innings seven for 62 sealed a famous 28-run win in Hyderabad on Sunday, Ormskirk CC offered a free drink to their patrons as they celebrated one of their own’s remarkable success.

Hartley progressed through the juniors at Ormskirk, a market town in Lancashire 13 miles north of Liverpool, and was even playing the odd game for them up until a couple of years ago.

Following England’s historic win in Hyderabad and @tomhartley100‘s incredible contribution, the Club is open to celebrate. All members are welcome to a free drink on arrival.

: @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/YqLMFuguU3

— Ormskirk CC (@Ormskirk_CC) January 28, 2024

He still has close ties to the club as his father’s flower business supplies their hanging baskets, so it is little wonder there was unconfined joy at Hartley’s accomplishments on the subcontinent.

“It’s a massive, massive achievement for him,” club chair Bill Rankin told the PA news agency. “We’re all basking in the reflected glory, just to have been part of his cricket career.

“We’d have been watching it anyway as cricket fans and that was a fantastic result but to have a fantastic result where you know someone who’s been a significant part of that, it adds a new element.

“It was a great game, full stop, but it was an even greater game when you know someone who was making it happen. It’s like a dream what happened to him on Sunday.

“This is the first time we’ve had someone who’s come through juniors who played at the highest level. That’s why it’s such a special moment as a club because he really is one of our own.”

Dreams can come true…

pic.twitter.com/JAjCpmYP2J

— Ormskirk CC (@Ormskirk_CC) January 28, 2024

Hartley endured a turbulent start to his Test career as his maiden delivery was dispatched for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the slow left-armer’s opening nine-over burst leaking an eye-watering 63 runs.

But from humble beginnings, Hartley showed his redoubtable character when the game was in the balance after India were set 231, snaring their top three then taking the final wicket as England went 1-0 up.

The unwavering support of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum echoes how Hartley was treated at Ormskirk after stepping up to adult level in his early teens.

“The way he’s been captained and looked after at Ormskirk, he’s been backed,” Rankin added. “It’s a healthy way to bring people on.

“He’s been given the ball even when he was fairly young at a time when it could make the difference to a game, told not to worry about the outcome and he’s won games that could have gone the other way.

Make it happen for the next test please @TheBarmyArmy we shall leave it with you @Ormskirk_CC pic.twitter.com/LvmT5Sfd8c

— Gary Knight (@Knighty146) January 28, 2024

“It’s nice to think that at the highest level he can play at, he seems to be getting that same sort of backing where you can play in an environment where you’re not afraid to fail.”

Ormskirk’s X feed on Sunday garnered plenty of attention, while a video posted by their first-team captain showing a younger Hartley standing on a table and singing ‘I wanna dance with Tom Hartley’ to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ has been viewed nearly a quarter of a million times.

Held in the highest regard by his old club, Rankin hopes this is just the start of the 24-year-old’s journey.

“It was always obvious he was a talented cricketer but I think his progress has been a steady one,” Rankin added. “He’s been steady, steady and improving all the time.

“You’ve got to work really hard to get yourself in the situation where you have the opportunity to do what he’s done. He has done that.

“Hopefully he’ll keep on doing that, we believe he’s capable of doing it, obviously others do now so fingers crossed.”

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Watch: Mohammad Amir strikes twice, nails run out in exemplary ILT20 final over

Mohammad Amir was the star of the show in Desert Vipers’ bowling effort against MI Emirates in the ILT20, taking 3-26, including an excellent final over.

The former Pakistan quick has bowled creditably in the UAE competition so far, taking two wickets and conceding 7.63 runs per over before today. This was his standout showing, bookending the innings with two stellar overs. In the first, he nicked off Kusal Perera second ball and conceded just two runs.

His second was more expensive, when Muhammad Waseem got a hold of Amir, hitting a six and two fours. There was a tight, four-run over in the middle, before Amir returned for the 20th.

He was faced with a well-set Tim David, one of the most fearsome ball-strikers in the game, but Amir won the battle. While David hit the second ball, a low full toss, for four, a bouncer saw him off next ball. Then Trent Boult attempted to loft down the ground but only picked out mid-off. Fazalhaq Farooqi kept out the hat-trick ball, steering down to third man for a single, but Amir effected another dismissal off the final ball. Dwayne Bravo spooned the ball up, and while Amir couldn’t get to the ball to catch it, he was able to pick it up and threw down the stumps at the striker’s end.

Amir’s efforts kept MI Emirates to 149-9, but Desert Vipers struggled in the chase.

Watch Amir’s two wickets and run out in the final over below:

6⃣ runs 3⃣ wickets

Superb final over for Desert Vipers #DVvMIE | #KoiKasarNahiChhodenge | #DPWorldILT20onZee pic.twitter.com/ROh7vkmXZL

— Zee Cricket (@ilt20onzee) January 30, 2024

 

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Ben Foakes intrigued to see the type of wickets India produce for rest of series

England are ready for anything India’s groundstaff throw at them in the coming weeks, with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes recalling the “horrific wickets” that greeted them on their previous Test tour.

The visitors made the short flight from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, still basking in their stunning first-Test victory but with minds already turning to their next assignment.

Three years ago they found themselves in a similar position, 1-0 up after winning the series opener, and proceeded to lose the next three by crushing margins as the pitches in Chennai and Ahmedabad offered extravagant turn from the off.

With India’s spinners running riot, England had a top score of 205 in six innings, and it would be no great surprise if the hosts attempted to serve up similar surfaces after their shock defeat last time out.

• England 246 & 420
• India 436 & 202
• England won by 28 runs

Foakes was part of the side that was bamboozled on bone dry tracks in 2021 and remembers the trip with a grimace.

“The last time we were here all three were probably the worst pitches I’ve batted on,” said Foakes.

“From memory that first Test was played on a flat wicket and then they went to raging bunsens (turners). Going into that, I was thinking ‘oh, these are horrific wickets, I just need to find a way to stay in’.

“I don’t know (if it will be the same again) but it will be interesting to see.”

Ben Foakes returned to the England side in Hyderabad (Mahesh Kumar A./AP)

India captain Rohit Sharma had his say on the matter recently when his side defeated South Africa on a green seamer in Cape Town, telling reporters: “I don’t mind playing on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and doesn’t complain about Indian pitches.”

But just as they found a way to prevail in the Proteas’ own conditions, Foakes feels confident England are now able to win a trial by spin.

It was the tourists who batted best against the turning ball in Hyderabad, with Ollie Pope’s magnificent 196 exemplifying the team’s shared commitment to sweeping, reverse sweeping and ramping.

Debutant spinner Tom Hartley then claimed seven wickets to outshine the home attack, leaving England content that they have the tools to succeed if India lean hard on home comforts again.

“I think the way some of the lads have played it with their sweep shots can definitely counter the extreme spin,” said Foakes.

“Obviously Popey put on a bit of a masterclass in how to do that, so I think quite a few of the lads have a game plan that will do well on those pitches. If that’s the situation you’ve got to be positive, put it back on the bowler and put them under pressure.

“It’s more of a mindset shift of how to go about it because in those conditions the bowler is massive favourite to win the contest so it’s how many blows you can put in.

“Before there was more of a fear of getting out and that put us in our shells. Now there’s not that worrying about getting out.”

👒 The hat🍰 The cake-cutting 🥂 The cheers with Stokesy

Just pure vibes after our win in Hyderabad 😂#EnglandCricket | @OPope32 pic.twitter.com/ojss8OG5F9

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 29, 2024

Foakes’ appearance in the series opener was his first since the agonising one-run defeat in Wellington almost a year ago. He was dropped for the Ashes, with England restoring the fit-again Jonny Bairstow to keeping duties.

It was not the first time he has found his world-class glovework sacrificed for the team’s balance but he justified his recall.

His second-innings stand of 112 with Pope was the biggest of the match and then he finished a tidy game behind the stumps with two stumpings off Hartley.

“I obviously found it difficult (to miss the Ashes). You go through a few emotions. But there were no hard feelings,” he said.

“It still sucks getting dropped but I have come back a few times. I don’t see it as anything personal: someone picks you or picks someone else. There is no issue or anything like that. You are picked for a job and you come and try to do your best.”

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2nd Test match, England v West Indies 1988, Lord’s – Almanack report

West Indies beat England by 134 runs in the Lord’s Test match of 1988. Graeme Wright’s report originally appeared in the 1989 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

Second Test match: England v West Indies at Lord’s, June 16-21, 1988

Toss: West Indies. West Indies won by 134 runs.

Dilley, with six boundaries in his 28, and Jarvis added 53 for England’s last wicket to keep the game going until after lunch on the fifth day. Later, the England manager MJ Stewart, found some solace in England’s last-day batting, suggesting that on a good pitch, and with the sun shining, West Indies’ bowlers had not looked unbeatable. This was self-deluding. Once Lamb had reached his first Test hundred since 1984, the West Indians did little more than stroll through the closing stages.

Throughout the match, batting was easier while the sun shone. When it went behind the clouds, the ball swung and seamed, tipping the balance firmly in the bowlers’ favour. When it did shine for any length of time, as on the Saturday, West Indies had the good fortune to be batting; and it was on the Saturday, in their second innings, that their resplendent batting took the match beyond England’s reach. Greenidge was the linchpin, adding 83 with Richardson and 83 with Richards. The off-driven four off Small with which he reached his fifteenth Test hundred was imperious. It was his fourteenth boundary, and he batted in all for four hours, facing 192 balls; when 49, he became the fifth West Indian to score 6,000 runs in Tests. Richards’s 81-ball 72 contained an early six off Emburey and 12 fours – four of them stuck successively off Small to pass 50. Finally, Logie and Dujon batted stylishly for their second century partnership of the match. Their 130 together on the opening day had rescued West Indies from a position at lunch of 66-5.

It was the start England needed after the troubled events that followed Trent Bridge. Gatting, the victim of unsavoury allegations in the press, had been replaced as captain by Emburey and as a batsman by Moxon. Small came in for DeFreitas, but on the third afternoon he limped off the field and virtually out of the series with a recurrence of the thigh strain that had prevented him from playing at Nottingham.

West Indies were unchanged, and when Richards won the toss, he choose, after long deliberation, to bat on a pitch well shorn of grass. The sun was still shining then; when Haynes was caught by Moxen, throwing himself forward at short leg, the cloud covered it. Dilley was swinging the ball away on a remorseless line and also obtaining lift. His next three wickets came from catches behind the bat, and at lunch, having bowled throughout the morning, he had figures of 13-4-35-4. He would have taken five had Pringle at first slip caught Logie when he was 10.

This was a decisive miss, for Logie took the attack excitingly to the bowlers, reaching his half-century with his twelfth four. Dujon’s fifty was more classically compiled. On the point of tea, Emburey squeezed the ball between his defensive bat and pad, and soon afterwards clung to Logie’s square slash at point. Gower rose gracefully and twisted back behind square leg to catch Ambrose, but Walsh and Patterson held on for 20 minutes and saw the score past 200. England only had 6.5 overs of batting before bad light stopped play with 13 remaining, and in that time they lost Broad, beaten by Marshall’s pace and a low bounce. He left looking unhappy, and his expression of disappointment, caught by the television camera, was to cost him his Test place.

The second day, again overcast, belonged to Marshall, who finished with 6-32, the best return by a West Indian at Lord’s. He was fast, varied his line and pace, moved the ball late, and was often unplayable as he took five of England’s last seven wickets. Gower batted in the Logie mode either side of lunch and the stoppage that preceded it, overtook Gooch, who was 100 minutes in the 30s, and ultimately perished when an attempted pull from outside off stump became a lob towards square leg. For England, it was the beginning of the end. Bad light interrupted West Indies’ second innings three times before the close, but the next day, Saturday, they set out a feast of batting delights. Any joy England had on Monday morning at taking their last five wickets in eleven overs was tempered by the knowledge that, 441 runs behind, they had to bat for 172 overs to save the match. Dujon reached his second fifty, but the collapse that followed his dismissal left Logie five runs short of a well-merited century, having faced 124 balls, hit twelve boundaries and provided great entertainment.

But for Lamb, on his 34th birthday, and an hour lost to bad light and drizzle, the match would have been over that day – a long, slow one, with the West Indies’ over-rate averaging 11.21 and play continuing until 7.40p.m. Lamb’s innings was a testimony to his character and technique. His first 39 runs came somewhat adventurously from 39 balls, but with confidence he settled into the form which had been eluding him at Test level. Moxen stayed with him for almost two hours, Downton for an hour and a quarter, and Emburey in 32 balls found the boundary six times before a full toss hit first his thumb and then his stumps. Lamb 99 overnight, needed 25 minutes (23 balls) next morning to reach 100, and when Hooper brought his innings to a close with thrilling pick-up and throw on the run, he had batted for 338 minutes, faced 213 balls, and hit 15 fours. Marshall, who began England’s decline, finished with 10 wickets for the third time in Test.

For the first time in England, the match receipts exceeded £1 million, being £1,031,262.50 from an attendance of 77,923.

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Every once a while, Test cricket leaves us gleaming

Fans witnessed an exceptional day of Test cricket on Sunday. Sarah Waris looks back.

This Sunday felt different. As the multiple alarms rang off at half past nine in the morning, there wasn’t the usual dread of moving out of the three layers of blanket that had otherwise greeted me every morning for the past few days. It’s been cold in New Delhi: the morning temperatures have hovered below five degrees for the last few weeks. There was a sense of duty on the first three days of the Test match, pushing yourself out of bed and cosying yourself in front of the TV and the laptop with the first of the many cups of coffee.

At times, your mind would wander. You were envious as the sun beat down in Hyderabad, where the temperature was in the high twenties. There was the biryani discourse as well and the multiple polls of which among Hyderabad, Lucknow or Kolkata offered the best biryani (the right answer is always Kolkata).

You remembered your trip to Hyderabad a few years ago, visiting the famous Ramoji Film City and the hours you spent pearl shopping before the first assignment of the day made you snap out of the daydreaming as the day’s play slowly embraced you.

In many ways, Test cricket is like that. You don’t understand the fuss; get intimidated by the five-day commitment; and want to give up after a brief period of inactivity. It allows for lethargy as there’s more than enough time to wake up, scroll through the scoreboards and get a gist of the happenings. More than often, the silent ending is anticlimactic after the hype purists create at the start of the Test by marking it as an unmissable event in the year.

But Sunday was different. A spring in the step as you hurriedly scrambled to set up two devices. Even as the India-England match was still firmly in India’s favour, or so you thought in complacency, an unfancied West Indies side was close to creating magic in Australia. Please Australia, let them have this.

Over the next few hours, two eerily similar storylines in different continents kept you engaged.

There were the West Indies, without a single win Down Under in 27 years, led by a battered Shamar Joseph, in his debut series, who picked up seven wickets in the innings. Hailing from a family of loggers, he would bowl with lemons, peaches and guavas in Baracara till a near-death experience three years ago made him take up cricket.

After a bold declaration in the first innings, Australia were set a target of 216 in the second. Steve Smith, in a new role as opener, carried his bat through their innings after three low scores as Alzarri Joseph breathed fire and Shamar Joseph, with a suspected broken toe after a Mitchell Starc delivery ended his batting innings on Saturday, unsure whether he’d take the field just a few hours ago, running in at full pace.

There was England, without a single series win in India since 2012/13, led by determined debutant Tom Hartley who picked up seven wickets as well in India’s second leg. Hit for a six on his first ball in Test cricket, Hartley gave away 2-131 in the first innings but bounced back in emphatic manner. India’s 190-run lead had been negated by a young Ollie Pope, who fell four short of a double ton after a string of previous low scores in India. Ben Stokes, playing his first game after a knee injury, claimed crucial moments as he so often does.

Starc and Jasprit Bumrah did what they did best, getting the ball to talk and whizz around all over the batters for teams at their fortress with a proud record to protect. Skipper Pat Cummins went wicketless in an innings for only the sixth time as captain. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja conceded over 100 runs in the same innings for the first time in a home Test match. Travis Head bagged a king pair. The sensational talent Shubman Gill is on the verge of getting dropped. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma earned criticism for field placements, Cummins for being too “woke”.

But this Sunday was more than just two tightly contested games won by teams that were not even in the fray when the day began. Far from conquering conditions, it was a tale of two sides pushed against the wall, dented and destroyed. West Indies, over the years, have gone from world beaters to having their existence questioned, called “pathetic and hopeless” and for “wasting everyone’s time”. England, although not to that extent, faced brickbats for Bazball after the first batting and bowling innings, where the newly adapted approach of fearless playing was nowhere to be seen. More action, fewer words, please, we requested, with a smirk.

It wasn’t about defying the odds for both teams: it was about dominating them. It wasn’t about the underdog story: it was about thinking they were champions in their hearts even when no one else believed. It was about those emotions that unravelled, those exuberant proclaims of how Test cricket would survive the onslaught of T20 by Shamar Joseph and those dying moments that kept you glued. The audacious hits by Mohammed Siraj that left you beaming as the shadows extended on a long day or the pinpoint yorkers Josh Hazlewood attempted to play out as he looked to deny the Windies. All in vain.

As Shamar sprinted across the Gabba six hours before Stokes and co. did the same in Hyderabad, you looked back at all the hours you have given to Test cricket and how results like these make the long mundane days worthwhile. Through the monotonous results, dull draws and expected collapses, especially with the emergence of the Big Three and the preference of the players for the quick-paced T20s, you have clung on, braving the cold waves and the harsh heat, hoping against hope for a miracle story only to be let down more often than not as expected results came your way.

But every once in a while, there will be days like Sunday that will make it all worthwhile, for the story it weaves makes you gleam. They will also leave you repeating the rather annoying phrase “Test cricket is best cricket” again and again. And for once, we didn’t mind.

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Tom Hartley hopes impressive debut will ‘put a bit more respect on my name’

England newcomer Tom Hartley hopes the fairytale finish to his Test debut persuades India to “put a bit more respect on my name”.

The left-arm spinner, who was fast-tracked into the side after just 20 first-class games, played a starring role in a famous win at Hyderabad with second-innings figures of seven for 62.

That capped an emphatic shift in fortunes for the 24-year-old, who had earlier suffered a nightmare start when Yashasvi Jaiswal clubbed a solid first delivery in Test cricket for six.

How good? 👏

A 7fer to win a Test for England on your debut 🤯

🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | @tomhartley100 pic.twitter.com/wZ0yKNohQC

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 28, 2024

More of the same followed just three balls later and his initial nine-over spell came at a princely cost of 63. While some may have been concerned over his readiness for the big stage, there was nothing but support from his team-mates.

He went on to pay that back quicker and more dramatically than anybody could possibly have anticipated and now travels to Visakhapatnam with a spring in his step and a point proven.

“I was so nervous that first day…so to come and out in the fourth innings and do what I did, hopefully they can put a bit more respect on my name and go forward from there,” he told BBC Sport.

“I’ve been hit for a lot of sixes in my career, so I don’t let these things get on top of me. It was more frustration of ‘why me? why am I getting picked on?’.

“The background that I’ve had is to not let yourself get down. I just want to be a fighter and throw some punches back.”

Hartley explained how his grounding in limited-overs cricket, including as an opening option for Manchester Originals in the Hundred, allowed him to compartmentalise his brutal welcome from Jaiswal.

“He’s not the first and he won’t be the last,” he told reporters.

“You look at the first ball and it wasn’t a bad ball. If that’s the way they want to play you’ve just got to play with it.

“Thankfully I’ve had this white-ball background and, even playing in the Championship this past year, lads have come after me. You’ve just got to accept it. I’m fine with it if people want to come after me.”

Hartley, whose local club Ormskirk CC opened up to offer free drinks to members in honour of his achievement on Sunday, progressed from relative unknown to marked man at breakneck speed.

How India choose to combat him in the second Test promises to be an intriguing sub-plot but one thing he knows he can rely on is the full backing of captain Ben Stokes.

England’s captain Ben Stokes, left, was praised for his handling of Hartley’s tough introduction to Test cricket (Manesh Kumar A/AP)

The England skipper won plaudits for the way he kept his rookie involved after his difficult introduction, publicly showing his faith where others might have taken defensive measures.

“The confidence that he has, the way he just builds you up, there’s no negative thoughts,” said Hartley.

“After that first innings it was real tough for us and, personally, I didn’t bowl the way I really wanted to. But it’s all positive, if you’ve not bowled great it’s, ‘Right, what can we do better in the second innings?’ He brings so much confidence and life to this team.”

While Hartley’s stock has never been higher, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to his Lancashire prospects next season. The Red Rose have signed Australia’s Nathan Lyon on an overseas deal for 2024, with the off-spinner expected to be available for the majority of the season.

England would be disappointed if that hinders the progress of their latest find but the man himself has a better idea.

“I highly doubt (Lyon will miss out) so I hope we’re playing together, that would be fantastic,” he said.

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WCL 2024: All you need to know about the ECB sanctioned World Championship of Legends

A new T20 league is set to take place in England later this year, and will feature some of the biggest names in cricket of retired and currently non-contracted players. Here’s all you need to know about the World Championship of Legends.

The league has been approved by the ECB and is set to take place in Edgbaston, starting on July 3. It’s been created by Zabawa Entertainment, a distinguished Bollywood film and music production company, with roots in India and Dubai.

Several notable figures from international cricket over the past three decades have already been signed for the league, including Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen. Shahid Afridi has also been signed to take part in the league.

Despite the league being scheduled to take place in the middle of the English season, Stuart Cain, chief executive at Edgbaston, has assured the league will not clash or compromise domestic matches. “We are dedicated to ensuring it doesn’t compromise the quality of wickets and has minimal impact on our existing fixture commitments,” he said. “Our collaboration with the organizers and the ECB remains paramount.

“It will be a pleasure to see some of the iconic figures from those games back at Edgbaston.”

Details of the structure of the tournament have yet to be established, as have the teams and match timings. The tournament follows on from other tournaments where past greats can showcase their talents, such as Legend’s League tournaments, which have taken place in India, Oman and Qatar.

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Shamar Joseph takes seven wickets as West Indies stun Australia in Brisbane

West Indies earned a famous victory over Australia as Shamar Joseph overcame injury to inspire them to an eight-run victory at the Gabba.

Joseph had retired hurt while batting on day three after being hit by a Mitchell Starc yorker but claimed figures of seven for 68 in only his second Test to rip through the batting order and earn a first Windies win on Australian soil since 1997.

Steve Smith carried his bat for 91 but none of his colleagues reached 50.

Sensational. That is all.#AUSvWI #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/rNCJSKp7J7

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) January 28, 2024

The hosts started day four 60 for two, needing 156 runs to secure a win in the second Test, and looked to be going well as Smith and Cameron Green added 71 for the third wicket.

Joseph ended the partnership with a brilliant delivery to send the top of Green’s off-stump flying.

He struck again the following ball to send Travis Head back to the pavilion with a king pair and Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey soon followed as the Australia batting line-up began to dwindle.

Starc fought back alongside Smith, scoring 21 off 14 before being caught by Kevin Sinclair off Joseph, and captain Pat Cummins was unable to recreate his first-innings heroics as he fell to Joseph for two.

It’s all over!!!

Shamar Joseph takes SEVEN #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/fsGR6cjvkj

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 28, 2024

Alzarri Joseph picked up his second wicket of the game to dismiss Nathan Lyon before Smith ran out of partners and was left stranded as Joseph wrapped up a famous win by bowling Josh Hazlewood to earn the tourists a series draw.

It is the first time the Windies have avoided a Test series defeat in Australia since 1993.

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Watch: Bowler stunned after taking bizarre catch off own bowling to dismiss Quinton de Kock

Watch: In a 2024 SA20 match at Durban, Bjorn Fortuin was visibly stunned after catching Quinton de Kock off his own bowling in bizarre fashion.

In a clash between the top two teams in the tournament, Durban’s Super Giants were 25-2 in the fourth over against Paarl Royals at Kingsmead when Bjorn Fortuin came to bowl his left-arm spin at Quinton de Kock from round the wicket.

Fortuin pitched the ball on off stump, and de Kock went for a slog sweep. Confident of having connected it well, de Kock looked at the deep mid-wicket boundary, as did Paarl wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, only to realise that they were staring in the wrong direction.

De Kock had not middled the ball at all. Instead, the ball had caught the toe end of the bat and lobbed back to Fortuin, who held an easy catch and looked stunned at the entire course of events as de Kock walked back for a nine-ball six.

Despite Matthew Breetzke’s 43-ball 78, Durban did not seem likely to score big until Heinrich Klaasen slammed 50 in 17 balls to propel them to 208-7 even as Tabraiz Shamsi returned 2-20.

In response, Paarl collapsed to 83 against Noor Ahmad (5-11). Michael Van Buuren made 36 of these runs and remained unbeaten to boot.

The win gave Durban their fourth bonus point of the tournament. They sit comfortably at the top of the table with 28 points, six clear of Paarl’s 22.

Watch Bjorn Fortuin catch Quinton de Kock in bizarre fashion at the SA20:

A dismissal so bizarre, even the 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 #DSGvPR #Betway #SA20 #WelcomeToIncredible pic.twitter.com/dw8NUTkYfm

— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) January 28, 2024

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Watch: The 2016 Ollie Pope scoop that was recreated at Hyderabad

Watch: The outrageous scoop Ollie Pope in the Hyderabad Test match was merely an encore from seven years ago.

Ollie Pope’s magnificent hundred turned the first Test of England’s five-match series in India, at Hyderabad. At one point, England needed 27 to make India bat again with five wickets in hand, but they rode on Pope’s 196 to set a target of 231.

Debutant Tom Hartley then routed India with 7-62 to help England script a 28-run win. This was England’s second Test match triumph on Indian soil in over eleven years, and India’s second defeat at home in three games.

Pope used the sweep and the reverse sweep to great effect throughout the innings. A significant proportion of his 21 fours – he hit one every 13 balls – came using one of the two.

His most audacious stroke, off Ravindra Jadeja, was more scoop than sweep. Bowling from round the wicket, Jadeja pitched the ball on, or perhaps a tad outside, the leg stump. Pope went down on his left knee and scooped the ball over wicketkeeper KS Bharat for four.

It was a shot very similar to the Dilscoop that bears the name of its inventor, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

However, it not the first time Pope played the shot in international cricket. Against Sri Lanka Under-19s at Canterbury in 2016, Pope scooped left-arm spinner Damitha Silva, who was also bowling from round the wicket – though the shot fetched him only three on that occasion.

Pope had top-scored with a 78-ball 87 on that day as well, though England’s 276-9 fell short of Sri Lanka’s 300.

Watch Ollie Pope play his outrageous scoop:

In 2016

Ollie Pope has just done this. I approve. pic.twitter.com/54huPWF9az

— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) August 16, 2016

In 2024

Some player https://t.co/oRZuOLMasG pic.twitter.com/YuzW7ZvUnQ

— aki (@padiopanee) January 27, 2024

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India look to press advantage after early wicket of Zak Crawley

Zak Crawley was an early casualty as England set about the mammoth task of overturning India’s 190-run lead on day three of the first Test in Hyderabad.

Crawley hurried along to 31 from 33 balls but was first man down when he nicked Ravichandran Ashwin to first slip in the 10th over of England’s second innings.

The tourists took lunch on 89 for one, still 101 behind, with Ben Duckett settling well on 38no.

Strong intent with the bat

11 boundaries in 15 overs as we reach 89-1 at lunch

Match Centre: https://t.co/s4XwqqpNlL

#INDvENG #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/WPK2c0jneY

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 27, 2024

They started the day by taking the last three Indian wickets for 15 runs as they finished 436 all out in the morning session, Joe Root dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah with successive deliveries to collect four for 79.

Rehan Ahmed closed the innings when he spun one low through Axar Patel, ushering the game along to a crucial phase as England returned to the crease.

Having been bowled out for 246 inside 65 overs on day one, they knew they would need to do considerably more on a wearing pitch to have a chance of an unlikely success.

Ben Duckett swept his way to 38no at lunch (Mahesh Kumar/AP)

Crawley and Duckett made a typically positive start, clearing 45 from the deficit in the face of considerable scoreboard pressure. After two polite overs from Bumrah, it was spin at both ends and the initial signs were good.

Crawley sent a couple of reverse sweeps to the boundary boards before trying something even more expansive, moving his feet to the pitch and lifting Patel for six down the ground. It was a bold beginning but it ended all too quickly, Ashwin clipping the outside edge with a precise delivery that nestled in Rohit Sharma’s hands.

Ollie Pope started sketchily, busy but uncertain in his movements, but Duckett was poised. Trusting his arsenal of sweeps he hit five boundaries as he smothered the turning ball with some style.

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Watch: South Africa opener comes up metres short of six sixes in an over, brings up 13-ball fifty in third over of U19 World Cup game

Watch: Steve Stolk entered the record books with a 13-ball half-century for South Africa against Scotland in the Under-19 World Cup today (January 27), hitting five sixes and a four off the third over of the game to bring up the milestone.

The opener made 86 off 37, laying the platform for a seven-wicket win, chasing 270 in 27 overs.

Stolk, 17 years old, had impressed in his previous game, hitting a half-century against England at better than a run a ball, but this was something else entirely. Scotland had exceeded expectations by making 269-9, but Stolk made the total look puny.

He hit four boundaries in his first seven balls, but that did little to herald the carnage to come. Qasim Khan returned for his second over and was smashed for four sixes, and then a four that landed just inside the rope, and then another six to get Stolk to fifty. It was the fastest half-century in Under-19 World Cup history.

A big win could have seen Scotland progress to the Super Sixes stage at South Africa’s expense, but the Proteas topped the group instead. Doing so could prove crucial, with top placed teams facing an easier Super Sixes schedule.

Watch Stolk hit five sixes and a four to bring up fifty below:

 

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On this day in 2008: Australia great Adam Gilchrist announces retirement

Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from international cricket on this day in 2008.

The 36-year-old revealed he would end his Test career after their clash with India in Adelaide and his one-day international career following the next month’s triangular series against India and Sri Lanka.

Gilchrist had become the record holder for most Test dismissals by a wicketkeeper when he claimed his 414th victim the day before to move past South Africa’s Mark Boucher.

Adam Gilchrist hit 17 Test centuries (Gareth Copley/PA)

He scored 17 centuries in a 96-Test career and helped Australia’s one-day side win three successive World Cups.

Gilchrist said in a statement: “It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Test and one-day cricket.

“I’ve come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me.

Gilchrist snares England’s Michael Atherton at Trent Bridge (Gareth Copley/PA)

“My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling.

“I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will of paramount importance include much more time with (wife) Mel, (and children) Harrison, Annie and Archie.”

Gilchrist contributed just 14 of Australia’s first-innings total of 563 as his final Test match ended in a draw.

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Nepal beat Afghanistan by one wicket to secure shock progression to U19 World Cup Super Sixes

Nepal beat Afghanistan by one wicket to progress to the Super Sixes stage of the Under-19 World Cup at the Full Member side’s expense.

The game was a virtual knockout, with both sides beaten in their first two games. Afghanistan had already had a taste of a low-scoring thriller, with a pre-delivery run out not enough to snatch victory over New Zealand. The Black Caps chased 93 with one wicket to spare.

At 43-6, it looked as if Afghanistan might not even reach 92, but the tail rallied. First AM Ghazanfar smashed 37 off 21 to take them to 85-6, but two more quick wickets set them back. Captain Naseer Khan Maroofkhil and No.10 Faridoon Dawoodzai combined for a doughty half-century stand to give themselves 145 to defend. For Nepal, Akash Chand was the star with the ball, taking 5-34.

In reply, Afghanistan struck early, Nepal sinking to 24-3 despite attempting caution. Dawoodzai struck first, bowling Arjun Kumal for 10 off 14, before Khalil Ahmed dismissed the remainder of the top three. Gulsan Jha was bowled for one off 12, while Bipin Rawal fell for two off 19.

Captain Dev Khanal and No.5 Aakash Tripathi then combined for a 49-run stand. The latter fell for 16 while the former carried on to a half-century. However, when he fell, Nepal were 127-7 and Afghanistan sensed a heist.

Our sport, it really is something else. Stunning day at #U19WorldCup with Nepal taking the first big upset of the tournament, adding another Test Nation to their list at U19 World Cups & West Indies turn over England in a thriller too.

Really been a cracking tournament so far https://t.co/4EAv2tlZl2

— Andrew Leonard (@CricketBadge) January 26, 2024

The closing stages were agonising as Nepal crawled towards the target. Dipak Bohara made 27 off 42 but was bowled by Dawoodzai with six runs to get. Then with two runs to go, Chand was bowled by the same bowler.

But Subash Bhandari held firm, and eventually hit the winning runs to finish with nine off 29.

Nepal progress along with Pakistan and New Zealand to one of two Super Six groups. They will be joined by India, Bangladesh, and one of Ireland or USA. However, they face an uphill battle, carrying forward no points and with the top two teams from Group A to face.

Nepal have progressed from the group stages of the Under-19 World Cup before, most recently in 2016 when they finished eighth. However, the result is still a shock. Afghanistan were semi-finalists in 2022 and 2018, but have been consigned to the 13th-place play-off this time around.

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Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow fight back after England lose three wickets

England lost three wickets in quick succession against India’s spinners after the tourists enjoyed a bright start to the first Test in Hyderabad.

At lunch the tourists were 108 for three, with Yorkshire duo Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in the midst of a repair job following India’s triple breakthrough.

A bullish opening stand of 55 between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave England the upper hand for the first 45 minutes, but once the seamers gave way to the slow bowlers it was a different story.

108 runs in the opening session

Root & Bairstow unbeaten at lunch.

Match Centre: https://t.co/s4XwqqpNlL

#INDvENG #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/fVm6sGhQls

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 25, 2024

India picked up three wickets for five runs in the space of 21 balls, Ravichandran Ashwin picking off both set batters and Ravindra Jadeja making short work of an uncomfortable Ollie Pope.

The game was moving away from England quickly, as it has many times before in this part of the world, but they found stability in their experienced middle-order pair.

Root survived an lbw scare off his second ball to reach 18no and Bairstow, resuming life as a specialist number five after ceding the wicketkeeping gloves to Ben Foakes, found a nice flow for 32no.

With a side containing a solitary seam option and four spinners, England captain Ben Stokes would have been mightily relieved to win the toss and surprised nobody by choosing to bat.

The hosts devoted the first eight overs to pace but despite a hint of swing for Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, Crawley and Duckett took their chance to get on top with a handful of boundaries.

Crawley produced a pair of sweet on-drives off, with Duckett riding the odd play-and-miss as he flashed eagerly through the off-side.

Ben Duckett on the sweep on day one in Hyderabad (Mahesh Kumar/AP)

At 41 for nought, India skipper Rohit Sharma had seen enough and sent for spin. Almost instantly, things began to happen. Duckett swept a couple of fours before he became the first wicket of the series, pushing forward with a straight bat and falling to a tight lbw as Ashwin squeezed one through.

Pope, playing his first innings since the second Ashes Test in June, followed close behind. He lasted 11 uncomfortable deliveries before nicking Jadeja tamely to slip for one. There was a big shout against the newly arrived Root moments later, but after a long delay DRS appeared to show a thin edge before impact with the pad.

England’s relief lasted just a matter of seconds with Crawley driving Ashwin straight to mid-off, where Siraj scooped a low catch. At 58 for three, it was a tense time but Bairstow’s arrival at his former IPL home ground shifted the tone.

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Watch: Matthew Potts takes pitch-defying six-for in England Lions match in India

After a long opening partnership from India A, Matthew Potts took six wickets as England Lions’ other bowlers struggled on day two in Ahmedabad.

India A claimed a 341-run lead on the back of centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan and are well-placed to take a series lead, but would be even further ahead if it were not for Potts.

Four of his six wickets were bowled, with scalps including India internationals Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar.

Since his breakthrough summer in 2022, named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year after starring in the early stretches of Brendon McCullum’s tenure, Potts has made just one appearance, taking three wickets against Ireland at the start of the 2023 season. He has advanced his case against India A, taking 12 wickets at 16.67 thus far.

The series currently stands at 0-0 thanks to an enthralling match in which India A batted out for the final day in pursuit of 490, reaching 425 and almost taking an unlikely victory before time ran out.

Watch the Matthew Potts six-for below:

Six wickets for Matthew Potts for England Lions this morning!

He made a habit of destroying the stumps too pic.twitter.com/vzstEq3VDc

— County Championship (@CountyChamp) January 25, 2024

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Rohit Sharma feels sympathy for Shoaib Bashir over visa issues

India captain Rohit Sharma has expressed sympathy for England’s Shoaib Bashir after visa complications delayed his arrival in the country.

Bashir, a British Muslim with Pakistani heritage, has experienced difficulty having his application approved and was forced to fly back to London from Abu Dhabi to resolve the issue, ruling him out of Thursday’s first Test.

It is not the first time players with links to Pakistan have experienced hold-ups in India, with Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood and Australia opener Usman Khawaja among that number. The Pakistan Cricket Board wrote to the International Cricket Council late last year due to delays over visas for their World Cup squad.

Rohit Sharma hopes Shoaib Bashir will get to India (Adam Davy/PA)

England skipper Ben Stokes said on Tuesday he was “devastated” for the uncapped 20-year-old and his opposite number offered solidarity.

“I feel for him honestly,” said Sharma.

“Unfortunately I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details on that but hopefully he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and plays some cricket as well.

“It’s not easy for anyone, it could be one of our guys wanting to come to England and being denied.”

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England vs India, Test series and tour: Full schedule and fixtures

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Watch: Freakish deflection off bowler runs out Namibia U19 batter, sparking dismal 56 all-out collapse

Watch: An unfortunate deflection off the bowler ran-out Namibia batter Johannes Visagie during their U19 World Cup clash against Sri Lanka, precipitating a mighty collapse which saw them bowled out for 56.

Namibia threatened to spring a surprise on Sri Lanka when they bowled them out for 133 in the first innings of the game. Zacheo van Vuuren took four wickets in the Group C game at the Diamond Oval in Kimberly. However, Namibia were in trouble early in their chase when they lost Gerhard Janse van Rensburg in the third over, when they were still yet to score a run to leave them 0-1.

With Visagie joining Johannes de Villiers at the crease, the two painstakingly built a partnership, reaching the eighth over without further loss. But, off the third legal delivery of the over, bowled by Garuka Sanketh, disaster struck.

Visagie hit the ball out into the off side, with the point fielder putting in a brilliant dive to stop the ball in its tracks. The two batters were already on their way through for a run when they realised the ball hadn’t got through, and Visagie crucially hesitated before deciding to keep pushing on towards the non-striker’s end.

Related Story: Watch: Jasprit Bumrah bowls ‘Ball of the World Cup’ to spark jaw-dropping Sri Lanka collapse

The fielder, Pulindu Perera, threw the ball into the bowler’s end while he was still on his knees. With Sanketh still halfway down the pitch from his follow-through and no one backing up at the stumps, a direct hit was needed. However, Perera’s throw looked certain to be missing the stumps. Sanketh, running desperately back towards the stumps, made contact with the ball with his left hand and somehow managed to bat it onto the stumps with Visagie well short of his ground.

The unfortunate dismissal meant Visagie had to leave the field for seven off 24 balls. Namibia then lost five wickets for their next nine runs to slip to 24-7 in the 20th over. That they managed to climb their way to 56-9 before the final wicket fell was an achievement in itself.

Watch: Deflection leads to disastrous run out in U19 World Cup below

 

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