Reece Topley looking to stake World Cup claim in Hundred after injury anguish

Injury-hit seamer Reece Topley says The Hundred is “end-stage rehab” in his quest to make England’s ICC World Cup squad following a torrid spell of misfortune.

The 29-year-old is set to make his comeback from a dislocated shoulder on Thursday when the Northern Superchargers host Birmingham Phoenix at Headingley.

His career has been ravaged by fitness setbacks, with the latest issue – sustained in April playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League – occurring in the aftermath of an ankle problem and a series of serious back issues.

Reece Topley is on the comeback trail following his latest injury (CSM Systems/PA)

Topley is eager to make up for lost time and admits the 100-ball franchise tournament is his “vessel” back to the top level as he eyes a spot on his country’s plane for the 50-over competition in India in the autumn.

“It has gone really well,” he said of his rehabilitation, speaking at the launch of KP Snacks’ community cricket pitches initiative which will fund 100 new pitches over the next three years.

“You can spend a lot of time soul searching and asking why but in the end you’ve just got to get on the front foot and deal with it and almost have a typical British attitude of stiff upper lip and crack on.

“I’m really excited to get back out there. Playing again fills me with so much excitement. Let’s hope it’s the start of a relatively successful end of the summer and winter, obviously with the World Cup on the horizon.

“The Hundred is almost like end-stage rehab to an extent.

“I want to do well for the Supercharges – we’ve got a great squad that want to go all the way in the comp – and I want to put in some performances that contribute to that.”

Topley sat out last year’s Hundred as his priority was the T20 World Cup.

However, he missed England’s triumphant campaign in Australia due to damaging ankle ligaments on a boundary rope.

Having just returned from that major disappointment, the left-armer was quickly back on the treatment table after a painful incident in his inaugural IPL match.

“I knew I was going home when I was sat in Bangalore with my humerus in front of my pec,” he said.

Reece Topley (Nick Potts/PA)

“I was just like, ‘how quickly can I get home to have surgery?’.

“The Hundred, last year I didn’t play in it, but this year it’s my vessel to get back into cricket and I can’t wait to play.

“I don’t think you change anything in terms of how you perceive the game (because of injuries).

“You have a big sense of gratification that you’re out there. You love the fact that you’re playing cricket, rather than you turn up and have the sense that it’s just another game. ”

England’s World Cup defence begins on October 5 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

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Topley, who claimed a record six-for against India at Lord’s last summer, hopes his return to international duty will come in four-match ODI series against the Kiwis and Ireland in September.

“We haven’t played a massive amount of 50-over cricket so those games will be quite pivotal in the lead up to the World Cup,” he said.

“I will look to hopefully play in those and get up to speed as soon as possible.”

:: KP Snacks are funding 100 new community cricket pitches over the next three years. To find out more visit: everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder

The post Reece Topley looking to stake World Cup claim in Hundred after injury anguish appeared first on Cricket365.

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South Zone beat East Zone in a thrilling high-scoring final of the 2023 Deodhar Trophy on August 3. Here is the Wisden Team of the Tournament for the 2023 Deodhar Trophy.

The 50-over zonal domestic competition came to an end on Thursday (August 3), with South Zone defeating East Zone by 45 runs at the final at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground.

Several players had memorable tournaments, some expected and some not-so-expected. The Team of the Tournament has six players from the winning side, two from the runners-up, two from West Zone, and one from Central Zone.

Mayank Agarwal (South Zone)

341 runs @ 68.20, SR: 85.25, 4 fifties

The South Zone captain finished as the second-highest run-getter, only behind East Zone’s Riyan Parag. He went past fifty in four out of six innings including the final, where he scored a patient 63 off 83 balls to lay the platform for a big total. He had also been the third-highest run-scorer in the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class competition, last month.

Rohan Kunnummal (South Zone)

311 runs @ 62.20, SR: 123.90, 1 hundred, 2 fifties

The Kerala opener finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy. He went past fifty thrice, saving his best for the last. In the final, he struck 107 off 75 balls to propel South Zone to a 320-plus total, which, in the end, proved to be enough.

Sai Sudharsan (South Zone)

204 runs @ 102, SR: 91.47, 1 hundred, 1 fifty

Sai Sudharshan played only three games and managed to score a century and a half-century in that, continuing his form from the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. His highest score came in South Zone’s last league game, where he scored an unbeaten 132 off 136 balls to anchor a chase of 262.

Yash Dubey (Central Zone)

293 runs @ 58.60, SR: 75.32, 3 fifties

Madhya Pradesh’s Yash Dubey had a productive Deodhar Trophy, scoring nearly 300 runs including three half-centuries while batting in the top order. He got consistent starts, with his lowest score being 17 in the first match against East Zone. In the last four league games for Central Zone, he scored three seventies and a 49.

Riyan Parag (East Zone)

354 runs @ 88.50, SR: 136.67, 2 hundreds, 1 fifty
11 wickets @ 19.09, ER: 4.84, 2 four-fors

Parag had a breakthrough tournament, reaching extreme heights with both bat and ball. He consistently bailed East Zone out of trouble after coming to bat in the lower middle order, and finished as the highest scorer and the only batter to hit more than one century. His 95 off 65 balls threatened to take the game away from South Zone in the final after the East Zone top-order had collapsed, but it wasn’t to be. Parag also bowled regularly and took 11 wickets, the third-most by any bowler in the tournament. He was rightly adjudged Player of the Series.

Deodhar Trophy 2023

Deodhar Trophy 2023

Wisden's Deodhar Trophy 2023 Team of the Tournament

Deodhar Trophy 2023

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Deodhar Trophy 2023

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Deodhar Trophy 2023

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Kumar Kushagra (East Zone)

227 runs @ 56.75, SR: 109.13, 3 fifties

The young 18-year-old Jharkhand wicketkeeper struck three fifties from five innings, including a 58-ball 68 in the final where he almost pulled off a heist with Riyan. Against North Zone, he narrowly missed out on his hundred as he was dismissed for 98 off 87 balls after having come into bat at 57-5.

Washington Sundar (South Zone)

63 runs @ 21, SR: 64.28, 0 fifties
8 wickets @ 26.12, ER: 4.09, 0 four-for

Sundar had a better tournament with the ball than he had with the bat. He was economical, except in the final, where he made up by picking three wickets, including the game-changing ones of Parag and Kushagra. With the bat, his only real contribution came in the game against Central Zone where he scored 43 not out off 58 balls to see a run-chase of 262 through while batting at No.5.

Atit Sheth (West Zone)

111 runs @ 55.50, SR: 89.51, 1 fifty
4 wickets @ 45.25, ER: 4.76, 0 four-for

The Baroda seam-bowling all-rounder had decent outings with both bat and ball. His match-winning 53 not out off 53 balls took West Zone to a thrilling victory against Central Zone as he batted with the tail. He picked only four wickets, but was tidy throughout, as his economy rate of 4.76 suggest.

Shams Mulani (West Zone)

12 wickets @ 16.25, ER: 3.90, 0 four-for

The left-arm spinner from Mumbai was the joint second-highest wicket-taker. His economy rate of 3.90 was the best among the top four wicket-takers. He picked two or more wickets in every game, with his best figures coming against North Zone where he took 3-29.

Vidwath Kaverappa (South Zone)

13 wickets @ 14.53, ER: 4.70, 1 four-for

After being the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2023 Duleep Trophy, the Karnataka seamer was the highest wicket-taker in Deodhar as well. He picked at least one wicket in every game, including a 5-17 in the first league match against North Zone.

Vasuki Koushik (South Zone)

9 wickets @ 14.55, ER: 3.74, 0 four-for

Koushik, another Karnataka seamer, makes it to the XI just above North Zone’s Mayank Yadav, who picked 12 wickets. What worked in Koushik’s favour was that his wickets came at an unbelievable economy rate of 3.74, implying he was almost impossible to get away with for batters throughout the tournament. His best figures were 3-37 which came against East Zone.

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Yuzvendra Chahal traps Kyle Mayers first ball who walks off without review, replays show ball missing off-stump | WI vs IND

Kyle Mayers was given out lbw off the first ball he faced against Yuzvendra Chahal in the first T20I between West Indies and India at the Brian Lara Stadium today (August 3).

He walked off without asking for a review, but replays suggested that he would have been saved had he taken one.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bat on what looked like a good batting wicket. Brandon King gave them a solid start, scoring 28 of the first 29 runs that West Indies scored.

India introduced spin early in the innings, bowling Axar Patel in the fourth over, followed by Chahal in the fifth. It was a comeback of sorts for Chahal, who was playing in his first international game since January and he took no time to get into the action.

His first ball was a slider on Mayers’ off-stump. The left-hander shuffled towards the off-side to play a slog sweep but missed the line of the ball as it crashed into his back leg. The umpire didn’t take much time to raise his finger as it looked rather plumb to the naked eye, especially since the ball had hit Mayers’ back leg while he was bent for the sweep shot.

Even Mayers seemed convinced that the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps and he walked off without going for a review. Replays, however, showed that he had shuffled a fair distance across. The impact was just about in line with the off-stump, and the ball having not turned much would have slid on to miss the off-stump by a decent margin.

The ball-tracker for the Kyle Mayers lbw shows that Mayers would have been saved had he reviewed the decision

It brought to an end a painstaking innings for Mayers, who was dismissed for one off seven balls. Chahal, however, wasn’t done yet. Two balls later, he dismissed the other opener, King, trapping him in front as well. To make things worse for West Indies, King used a review and replays showed three reds, leading to them losing a review moments after Mayers had opted out of one when he shouldn’t have.

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The post Yuzvendra Chahal traps Kyle Mayers first ball who walks off without review, replays show ball missing off-stump | WI vs IND appeared first on Wisden.

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‘Great motivator and always shares her experience’ – how Chamari Athapaththu is changing Sri Lankan cricket

Krithika V writes on Chamari Athapaththu, who recently became the first Sri Lankan woman to scale the top place in ICC ODI rankings.

The chasm between Sri Lanka Women and other teams has been significant ever since they debuted in international cricket. Whenever they took the field against the top four teams, it has invariably been as the underdogs.

It took Sri Lanka a couple of decades – and a couple of players – to keep believing that they can defeat any top team. Shashikala Siriwardena had shown them the way in the 2000s; and Chamari Athapaththu has taken them to the next level.

Coming from Kurunegala in Gokarella, Athapaththu was around seven when she started the game. She was inspired when she saw Sanath Jayasuriya for the first time during the 1996 Men’s World Cup. Her uncle Chandra, a coach, helped her to learn the technique.

Athapaththu began her career at Kurunegala Cricket Club, where she used to practise alongside boys. She also played for her high-school team, Ibbagamuwa Central College, and was the captain of their age-group team.

At 17, she moved to Colombo after being contracted by Colts Cricket Club. Her father Bandara Jayawardena, her biggest support, used to accompany her during her coaching.

By 2008, she was good enough to be picked up as a standby in the Asia Cup squad. Unfortunately, she had to withdraw because of her father’s demise.

Led by Siriwardena, Sri Lanka finished as the runners-up to India team in the 2008 Asia Cup. Athapaththu made her international debut in 2009 against India, and her ODI debut in 2010.

She did not take long to prove herself in the international circuit. In her 11th ODI, she became the first ever Sri Lankan woman to score an ODI century, against Ireland in Colombo.

Twelve years later, she remains the only Sri Lankan to score a ton in women’s cricket, and holds the top ten scores – including eight hundreds – for Sri Lanka in the format.

Of her eight hundreds, two came in matches that ended without result; two in defeats against Australia; and the other four in wins – two against New Zealand, and one against each of India and Pakistan.

The first big win for Sri Lanka in ODIs came in the 2013 World Cup, where they defeated England and India in the World Cup. Sri Lanka chased 244 against England to win by one wicket. Chamari Athapaththu scored a half-century and Shashikala Siriwardene scored 34 runs and also bagged two wickets.

In the India match, Siriwardena led from the front with two wickets and 59 runs, playing a major role in knocking out India at home. These two wins changed the dynamics of women’s cricket in Sri Lanka.

Four years later, an unbeaten 178 against Australia did what Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171 not out did for India: several youngsters took up the game after watching Athapaththu take on Australia.

Athapaththu also became the first Sri Lankan to play in the overseas league – first in the now-defunct Kia Super League, then in the Women’s Big Bash League.

“Chamari has improved in many ways. Especially, after playing lots of leagues all over the world, she could share the dressing room with great leaders of other teams. I believe this has helped her to improve as a leader and perform better. Sharing the dressing room with them also has given her extra confidence to become a good leader”, says Siriwardena.

Siriwardena and Athapaththu might have revolutionised Sri Lankan cricket, but they approach the game in contrasting styles. Siriwardena is conventional, while Athapaththu belongs to the “see the ball, hit the ball” philosophy. She wants to take the road less travelled. Even her WhatsApp status reads “If someone says it cannot be done, be the first to do it”.

Siriwardena also points out how the Athapaththu’s hunger impacted the team culture for the better: “She always wants to do and achieve things no one has done. The hunger inside her, this has spread among other players of the team. The confidence she carries every time makes an impact on team culture. Fearless cricket is one more thing she has added to the current team.”

Siriwardena is currently the coach at the High-Performance Centre at Sri Lanka Cricket and was the head coach for the U19 World Cup team.

Having worked briefly with the upcoming players, she acknowledges how her teammate has inspired many girls to take up the game. At the same time, she believes that there will be no one of her kind: “I think there will be only one Chamari Athapaththu. She is unique and incomparable … but there are few players who can be a great asset to the country in the future.

“Because of Chamari’s playing style, young players have started to believe that they can beat any team, and achieve any task through belief and hard work. Chamari has proven that by becoming the No. 1 in the ODI rankings. Her unbelievable achievements have inspired many young girls to take up the game, and this will continue.”

During the final ODI, the stadium began to fill when Athapaththu got going. The ODI that Sri Lanka won to lift their first ever bilateral series against New Zealand, brought in more people than the first two matches.

In the T20I series, the crowd, mostly young girls, filled up the ground and cheered for Chamari and co. In the final T20I, where she led from the front, the crowd even imitated her celebrations. After the end of the tour, the girls in the crowd had an opportunity to interact with her. Some even posed with the ODI trophy.

Siriwardena, who was present at the stadium during the final match of the tour, said: “For young girls, Chamari is setting a great example. Also, she is a great motivator and always shares her experience. She makes our young girls challenge their approach and thinking patterns towards the game, especially in T20 format.”

She also believes that the fielding and improved fitness has helped Sri Lanka beat New Zealand at home: “A great effort from young and experienced players in the squad. I think Chamari did a great role here. Young batters also supported her. The bowling was mostly dependent on experienced bowlers.

“Most importantly, the accuracy in fielding and improved fitness levels helped the Sri Lankan team to achieve this success. I noticed they are building a culture with a positive attitude in the team. Wishing them all the success and courage to make Motherland proud.”

The post ‘Great motivator and always shares her experience’ – how Chamari Athapaththu is changing Sri Lankan cricket appeared first on Wisden.

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ICC Breaks Silence On The Ball Change Controversy In Ashes 2023

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