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Still no official word on Andre Russell’s availability as KKR look to go from 12 to 14 points against CSK

Karthik Krishnaswamy28-Oct-2020

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LWWLWWLLWLWL. That’s six wins and six losses, all more or less evenly distributed. It’s been that sort of season for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who’ve shown glimpses of being the force they used to be in their glory years, only to regress to the mean immediately afterwards.That sort of form has left them in a delicate situation with two games left to play in the league phase. They could win just one of them and still make the playoffs, but they could also win both and fail to qualify. With a net run rate of -0.479 – only the bottom two teams currently fare worse – they’ll probably need to win two out of two to give themselves a proper chance.First up they face the Chennai Super Kings, who are out of the reckoning for the playoffs and are now simply looking to, according to their captain MS Dhoni, enjoy the “12 painful hours” they have left in the tournament. Dhoni’s math may have been slightly off – he was speaking after the Super Kings’ victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, which was their 12th game of the season – but if his players do find a way to enjoy themselves and play with freedom over their last two games, they could become dangerous opponents.All the pressure will be on the team that has something to lose.

In the news

A knee injury has kept Andre Russell out of the Knight Riders’ last three games, and it’s not clear whether he’s recovered enough to feature on Thursday, but news of his pull-out from the upcoming Lanka Premier League – for which injury has been cited as the reason – suggests he hasn’t.

Previous meeting

A 51-ball 81 from Rahul Tripathi carried an otherwise misfiring Knight Riders batting unit to 167, and the Super Kings appeared poised to haul it down when they needed 69 from 48 balls with nine wickets in hand. But the Super Kings were unable to deal with Sunil Narine and Russell – all of whose overs had been held back for the last 10 overs – and they imploded to lose by ten runs.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 N Jagadeesan, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Monu Kumar, 11 Imran Tahir.Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Nitish Rana, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Sunil Narine, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Prasidh Krishna.

Strategy punt

• One of the big contributors to the Super Kings’ victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match, also played in Dubai, was the bowling of Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner and Ravindra Jadeja, who tied Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers down expertly through the middle overs. At least two of the three spinners, who all turn the ball away from the right-hander, are likely to feature again, and one way for the Knight Riders to deal with their threat better than the Royal Challengers did would be to have left-hand batsmen face more of their bowling. This could mean Nitish Rana moving back to No. 3, perhaps, or Eoin Morgan or Sunil Narine batting at No. 4.
• It could even mean the addition of an extra batsman – the Knight Riders squad includes the left-handed Rinku Singh, who is yet to play a game this season – instead of either Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti or Prasidh Krishna. The Knight Riders were three down early in both their most recent games, and they attempted to counterattack their way out on both occasions. That approach brought them a win against the Delhi Capitals, and also brought them back into the game against Kings XI Punjab, only for their lack of batting depth to hurt them later on. The inclusion of an extra batsman could enable the Knight Riders to play in this counterattacking fashion with a bit more security.
• When Dinesh Karthik has begun his innings within the first 10 overs this season, he’s scored 48 runs in eight innings at an average of 6.00 and a strike rate of 72.73. When he’s made his entry in the second half of the innings, he’s scored 100 runs in four innings at 33.33 and 175.44. The Knight Riders have batted him at No. 4 in their last two games, but he’s perhaps better used further down the order – below Morgan and/or Narine – or certainly in a role that brings him in close to the death (last five) overs: he has a strike rate of 188.88 in that phase this season, and an average of 42.50.

Stats that matter

• It’s time once again for Narine vs Dhoni. Narine has now bowled 63 balls to Dhoni in the IPL without conceding a boundary. He’s given away just 30 runs in all, while dismissing him once.
• Of all bowlers to have sent down at least 50 balls to left-hand batsmen this season, Varun Chakravarthy (10.83) and Jadeja (120.00) have the best and worst averages, respectively, though Navdeep Saini, who hasn’t dismissed a left-hander this season while conceding 110 runs, could be said to have done worse. Jadeja also has the worst economy rate (12.63), while Chakravarthy’s is a healthy 7.09.
• The Knight Riders (6.86) and the Super Kings (6.91) have the worst powerplay scoring rates of all teams this season. The Knight Riders (22.45) also have the worst average in this phase, followed by the Rajasthan Royals (23.60) and the Super Kings (23.71).
• If they play, it will be Narine’s 350thT20 game, Ravindra Jadeja’s 250th, and Kuldeep Yadav’s 100th.

Together, the pair added 111, a Zimbabwean record for any wicket in T20Is, in just 10 overs to end a disappointing tour on a high

Liam Brickhill14-Jul-2019Craig Ervine and Sean Williams cracked fifties as Zimbabwe closed their European tour with an eight-wicket win over Ireland at Bready Cricket Club. Ervine hit four sixes in a career best 68 not out, while Williams equalled his top score in this format with 58. Together they put on 111 for the third wicket – a Zimbabwean record stand for any wicket in this format – in just over 10 overs to help Zimbabwe chase down Ireland’s 171 for 9 with more than three overs to spare. Having lost the ODIs 3-0, Zimbabwe’s victory levelled the T20 series 1-1.The left-handers do it again
Zimbabwe were yet to win a game on tour until Sunday. The poor results weren’t due to lack of runs from their left-handed duo, however. Williams’ 153 runs in the ODIs were second only to Ervine’s 156. Also, Ervine’s innings on Sunday meant he also topped the T20 run charts.Yet, the result could’ve been different for Ervine, who came in after Hamilton Masaksdza fell for a four-ball duck. He was caught behind off Mark Adair and should’ve been walking back, but for a no-ball because Ireland had only three men outside the circle. Five balls later, he offered another chance with a top edge, which wasn’t taken. And the runs flowed thereafter.Building on Brendan Taylor’s rapid start to the innings, Ervine and Williams cruised through their partnership at 10-an-over. Ervine was first to his fifty, in the 13th over, Williams raising his own half century an over later. It was also Ervine who hit the winning runs, closing out the game on the same ground at which he opened Zimbabwe’s Ireland tour with a hundred.Zimbabwe claim the Powerplay
He was watching from the other end when Ervine hit the winning runs, but Williams played a first hand role in Zimbabwe’s perfect start when he bowled Paul Stirling through the gate with the first ball of the match. Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson set about repairing the innings with a 44-run stand before a double strike in Kyle Jarvis’ second over put Zimbabwe back in control.O’Brien skewed a big shot high over the cover field to be well caught by Richmond Mutumbami, running backwards, for 22. A leg bye put Lorcan Tucker on strike, and Jarvis nipped a full one in to hit his pad in front of the stumps and dismiss him first ball. Having been in good shape at 44 for 1, Ireland ended the Powerplay at 45 for 3 and had to repair their innings once more.Mind the windows, Gareth
Gary Wilson’s 47 and Greg Thompson’s 32 kept Ireland ticking, but it was Adair, Shane Getkate and Gareth Delaney’s hitting at the death that gave the Irish innings some oomph. Adair belted four sixes, including back to back hits over the leg side boundary off Jarvis, before he was caught via a top edged hook for 38.Delaney dabbed the very first ball he faced, from Chris Mpofu, deftly to the third man boundary, while Getkate got going with a big hit that was parried over the midwicket boundary for six and Ireland were set to launch at 159 for 6 with an over to go.But three wickets in that final over, bowled by Tendai Chatara, stalled Ireland’s charge somewhat. Amid the carnage, Delaney still found time to biff Chatara for one of the bigger hits of the day, stepping back to smear a short one way over midwicket and straight through the window outside the clubhouse bar. Yet, these efforts didn’t quite do it for Ireland on the face of the Williams and Ervine charge.

Will the selectors also persist with Taskin Ahmed, Abu Hider and Mehidy Hasan after sub-par performances in the Nidahas Trophy in March?

Mohammad Isam19-May-2018Bangladesh’s selectors were left with hard decisions to take ahead of Sunday’s squad announcement for the T20Is against Afghanistan in India next month. Most of their selections will be based on the performances in the Nidahas Trophy that was played in Sri Lanka in March.Imrul Kayes, Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque and Nurul Hasan didn’t get a game during the Nidahas Trophy, while Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Hider and Mehidy Hasan also had sub-par performances. Soumya made just 50 runs in five innings while Taskin, Mehidy and Hider combined to take just three wickets.Soumya, who lost his central contract in 2018, could still retain his spot, with the team management having shown faith in his T20 ability. Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain and Zakir Hasan are possible inclusions. However, Afif and Zakir, who made T20I debuts in February, aren’t in the 31-member preliminary squad.The selectors are also likely to persist with Mehidy; uncapped Naeem Hasan is the only other specialist offspinner in the training camp. Abul Hasan, who showed some form in the death overs in the BPL, and Yeasin Arafat have outside chances among the bowling group.Meanwhile, among those in the preliminary squad, Sabbir Rahman is likely to be picked on his international form. His most recent score was a 50-ball 77 in the Nidahas T20 Trophy final. Sabbir, was banned from domestic cricket after assaulting a fan during a first-class game earlier in the season, has been working on his batting technique and fitness.”I have been out for two months, having missed the DPL and BCL,” Sabbir said. “I worked on my fitness and batting technique. I feel staying out of the game can be a positive thing. I spent time with my family. My mother was sick, so I was with her.”Confidence is a big factor. All the techniques are in place when runs are scored. There are no faults. Everything is in place. I get out playing a good shot when I am not scoring runs, and then there are questions about technique. There can be technical and temperamental issues but as far as I am concerned, there’s nothing greater than scoring runs.”

A round-up of the West Zone games from the first round of the Inter-State T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2017Ajinkya Rahane struck 78 off 53 balls, including 11 fours and a six and Aditya Tare bettered him with 79 off 41 balls to amass 211 for 3 for Mumbai and yet they could barely cling on to victory. Baroda were wilting at 84 for 5 in the 10th over when Vishnu Solanki took control, razing an unbeaten 69 off 34 balls at a strike-rate of 202. The game hurtled to a hair-raising finish at Reliance Stadium in Vadodara but, in the end, there were just too many runs to chase down.Much of that was down to Rahane, who lost his place in the Indian T20 side, and the Mumbai captain Tare. They galloped along during their second-wicket partnership, putting on 152 runs in only 84 balls. There was only one bowler who could maintain an economy rate under 9 – Irfan Pathan, on the 11th anniversary of his taking a hat-trick in the very first over of the India-Pakistan Test in Mohali, conceded a mere 27 runs in his four overs. That’s just over six runs an over in a match that threw up 416 runs at 10.4 per over.File photo: Ankit Bawne’s career-best score could not prevent a five-wicket win for Gujarat•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Baroda’s challenge was based on a sound opening stand as Kedar Devdhar and Miten Shah put on 52 in 4.5 overes, but they were hurt badly as soon as they lost their first wicket. Pravin Tambe, the 45-year old legspinner, used that opening to dismiss Deepak Hooda and both Pathan brothers for single-digits to put Mumbai on top. He finished with 3 for 26 in four overs but had to spend much of his time on the field fretting as Solanki kept pushing. He put on 59 for sixth wicket with Swapnil Singh at 10.11 per over and 56 with the seventh with Soaeb Tai at over 16 an over. But eventually, he ran out of time.Gujarat overcame Ankit Bawne’s unbeaten 59-ball 90 to beat Maharashtra by five wickets. That Maharashtra posted 154 for 7 was down to a fifth-wicket partnership of 47 between Bawne and debutant Naushad Shaikh, and an unbroken eight-wicket stand of 45 off 20 balls between Bawne and debutant Jagdish. Offspinner Rujul Bhatt took 3 for 28, while the new-ball pair of Chintan Gaja and Ishwar Chaudhary impressed with figures of 2 for 30 and 1 for 16 in their respective quotas.Gujarat lost two early wickets in the chase, and when Dhruv Raval was taken out for 20, they were 56 for 3. A half-century stand between Bhatt and Chirag Gandhi then kept them on course. Although Bhatt fell for 54 off 34 balls, and Jesal Karia was dismissed for a duck, Rohit Dahiya partnered Gandhi to knock off the remaining runs. Gandhi was unbeaten on 39 off 22 balls, while Dahiya’s struck at 200 for his 32 not out.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on November 8, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Paras Dogra raised his third double-hundred in five matches•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Paras Dogra struck 227, equalling Ajay Sharma’s record for most double centuries (7) in Ranji Trophy history, to propel Himachal Pradesh to 531, but Railways began positively in their reply. They shaved 105 runs off the deficit in 39 overs, with all ten wickets in the bag, by stumps on the second day in Dharamsala.Soumik Chatterjee was the more dominant partner in the strong opening stand, hitting eight fours during his 57.Earlier in the day, Nikhil Gangta added only five runs to his overnight tally before he was dismissed for 98. However, Dogra kicked on, and No.8 Bipul Sharma hit a 103-ball 74, before he was the last man out. Seamer Diwesh Pathania finished with three wickets but was among three bowlers to have conceded over 100 runs.
ScorecardRohan Prem’s third century in four games formed the backbone of Kerala’s 347 but Tripura hit back, reaching 119 for 2 with opener Udiyan Bose making 52 before he was forced to retire hurt in the 28th over.Tripura, though, had suffered an early dent, when Sandeep Warrier had Arindam Das nicking behind for a 12-ball duck. Bose and Nirupam Sen Chowdhary then took their side past the 100-mark before the latter was run out for 36. Tripura had another scare when Bose retired hurt but Parvinder Singh (11*) and Manisankar Murasingh (17*) guided the visitors to stumps in Mallapuram without any further damage.Earlier, Prem was firm for Kerala and helpful knocks from Robert Fernandez (37), Akshay Chandran (41*), and MD Nidheesh (34) pushed Kerala past 300. Rana Dutta was the chief wicket-taker for Tripura, claiming figures of 5 for 50 in 21.5 overs.
ScorecardSaurashtra suffered a middle-order meltdown but their opening stand of 59 and handy lower-order contributions left Goa’s chances of a first-innings lead in the balance.Mohsin Dodia and Avi Barot gave Saurashtra a solid base only for the middle order to toss it away. From 94 for 1, Saurashtra slipped to 116 for 4, before Sheldon Jackson and Arpit Vasavada made 38 each to help their team recover despite a four-wicket haul from pacer Rituraj Singh.Kamlesh Makvana pitched in with an unbeaten 27 and No.10 Jaydev Unadkat hung on as Saurashtra inched closer to first-innings points.
ScorecardJharkhand continued to pile on the runs in Jamshedpur with five of their batsman whipping up fifty-plus scores. While Ishan Kishan and Anand Singh made hundreds on the first day, Ishank Jaggi looked set to become the third centurion of the innings on the second day until he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Waseem Raza for 93.Saurabh Tiwary and No.7 Kaushal Singh also hit fifties to lead Jharkand to 551. At the fall of Kaushal’s wicket, captain Shahbaz Nadeem declared the innings, after which he nipped out Jammu & Kashmir opener Shubham Khajuria for 6.

The SLC have appointed Ashley de Silva, their former director of cricket operations, as their acting CEO, before making a permanent decision

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Mar-2013Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed Ashley de Silva to the position of acting CEO, with a view to giving him the official position in six months, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga has confirmed. De Silva has been SLC’s director of cricket operations since 2008, and replaces Ajit Jayasekara, who retires at the end of the month.”Like in any organisation we will give him a probation period, which will be around six months, and at the end of that we hope he will be CEO permanently,” Ranatunga said.Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, had emerged as the early frontrunner for the position, but was later disqualified due to his age. Warnapura turned 60 in March, falling foul of an SLC rule that has enforced employees’ retirement at 60 since 2009. He will continue in his present job as development manager for the Asian Cricket Council.In addition to de Silva’s experience as director of cricket operations, he also managed Sri Lanka’s Under-19 side on an assignment basis before 2008, and was the general manager of private communication company Suntel for five years. He played as a wicketkeeper batsman for Colombo Cricket Club from 1984 to 1996, and appeared in three Tests and four ODIs for Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s youth cricket coach, Carlton Bernadaus, has been appointed to the director of cricket operations role that de Silva vacated.

Having emulated his technique, Darren Bravo has now sought to channel Brian Lara’s mental approach to building a major innings against Australia

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain13-Apr-2012Having emulated his technique, Darren Bravo has now sought to channel Brian Lara’s mental approach to building a major innings against Australia. Bravo spoke with Lara ahead of the second Test between West Indies and Australia in Trinidad, after regathering confidence in his batting with a pair of starts in the Bridgetown match.Lara and Bravo met at a reception for the West Indian and Australian teams at the home of Australia’s high commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago on Friday evening. Bravo, 23, has also been in contact with his half-brother Dwayne, currently preoccupied by the IPL, and said he had been seeking further advice on how to go on from the middling scores he managed at the Kensington Oval.Following a stretch of poor form that spanned the limited-overs matches against Australia and a regional four-day fixture for T&T against Barbados, Bravo hinted at a return to his best while compiling 51 and 32. He hopes that promise can bloom into a major contribution in his first Test match on his home ground.”I’m quietly confident in my form at the moment, and felt good with my timing in the last two innings I’ve had,” Bravo said at the Queen’s Park Oval. “I’ve had some advice from Brian and my brother as well, so I’m taking it one step at a time and hopefully sooner or later something special is around the corner.”[The advice was] just a matter of the way I go about building an innings, it’s something I’ve been working on and hopefully I can reap the rewards in this Test match. We know what the Australians are going to come with in this Test for sure and we’re going to come together as one big team and try our best, come up with the best plan, so we can execute it and come out victorious.”We want to level the series here and make it much more exciting for the third Test in Dominica.”Bravo’s second innings in Bridgetown had the potential to grow into a significant innings, holding up the tourists after they had cut their way past the hosts’ top order. However, he pushed at Peter Siddle and edged a catch behind in the closing overs of day four, admonishing himself as he left the field for giving up a valuable start.”To be quite honest that’s the way the game goes,” Bravo said. “One bad session or a few overs of bad cricket can cause you to lose the game, and I think that is what happened. But at the same time the guys gave a good account of themselves.”I was very disappointed that I got out in the second innings being when I was there already set, and I was trying to get my team to a respectable total. It was unfortunate but hopefully I can do better in the next Test.”In acknowledging the pattern of the first Test was a reprise of several earlier matches against India in 2011, Bravo said his team had to remain positive and not be consumed by doubt about whether they can sustain their efforts over five days. The Queen’s Park Oval pitch offers the possibility of sharp spin and variable bounce, making a result likely if Trinidad’s weather is kind.”Very important that we stay positive as much as possible,” Bravo said. “We went wrong in the first Test and it is something we need to rectify as soon as possible because we don’t want it to happen again. Hopefully we can come together as a team and find the best possible way to correct what happened in the first Test and get it right in this game.”I don’t know how the pitch looks at the moment, but we all know on the Oval that on the fourth and fifth day that spin is going to have a major part. This year hopefully we can set up the game in the first three days so it is much easier for us at the end.”West Indies were able to take advantage of fine morning conditions on Friday to train fully, before afternoon rain robbed the Australians of the chance to do likewise. The visitors made a brief observation of the pitch before returning to their hotel for work in the gym and the pool.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed Sri Lanka’s captain for all three formats during the upcoming tour of England in May

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed Sri Lanka’s captain for all three formats during the upcoming tour of England in May following Kumar Sangakkara’s resignation from the post after the World Cup. Sri Lanka Cricket have not yet named a vice-captain to fill the role vacated by Mahela Jayawardene because “the prospective candidates are nursing injuries, and their availability for the forthcoming tour is still in question.”Dilshan’s appointment ends the speculation over whether he, or 23-year-old allrounder Angelo Mathews, would be named as Sangakkara’s immediate successor. Mathews is presently fighting to recover from a leg injury which he said could keep him out for eight weeks.In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who resigned with a view of giving the next captain enough time to build a team before the 2015 World Cup, had backed either player to take over the captaincy. “If they think Angie [Angelo] is too young then Dilshan will do a good job because he has these little touches for success. Anything he does on the field, he has this little knack,” he said. “I don’t know whether he will be the long-term candidate with his age, but if he keeps himself fit he can easily play the next World Cup.”Dilshan, 34, previously led Sri Lanka to a win in a triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe – the third team being India – in May-June 2010, apart from captaining the side in two Twenty20 internationals in 2008 and 2009. Presently with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, Dilshan is coming off a rich vein of form in the World Cup, in which he topped the batting table with 500 runs from nine matches at 62.50.

Simon Katich hasn’t so much been flying under the radar as crawling under it

Brydon Coverdale in Hamilton29-Mar-2010Simon Katich hasn’t so much been flying under the radar as crawling under it. His almost six-hour century sent the odd punter to sleep on the Seddon Park hill on a dozy Monday away from the office but it was the perfect innings for the circumstances. Australia wanted an unassailable lead and Katich set them on the path towards it with a hundred that was as painstaking as Ross Taylor’s was breathtaking.If he turns out to be the match-winner, it will be well-deserved. Nothing tells the story of Katich’s reliability like his triumph on Allan Border Medal night last month. The Australian players select their best contributors after every Test and Katich’s team-mates didn’t grant him the maximum three votes in any of the 14 matches during the award period. Still, he was named Test Player of the Year, a triumph of attrition over attraction.There’s every chance he will get the three votes after this game. His 88 in the first innings saved Australia’s blushes while his top-order friends threw their wickets away, and his 106 in the second has given them a strong chance of victory. As usual he was overshadowed, first when Shane Watson made 65 of the 85-run opening stand and then when Michael Hussey proved more fluent in the early stages of their partnership. Katich didn’t find the boundary until his 138th delivery, when he drove cleanly through extra cover and made viewers wonder why he hadn’t tried it earlier.In backyards across Australia few children imagine themselves as Katich, shuffling across their plastic stumps and squirting singles to square leg. The handful who do will at least never lose their tennis ball over the neighbour’s fence. It’s a method that has worked for Katich since his return to the side in 2008 and the proof is in a list of all-time averages for Test openers. Of every player who has opened in at least 20 innings, Katich’s average of 55.08 puts him sixth on the tally, behind legends like Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, the bar against which modern Australian openers are measured, sit 13th and 17th.Fittingly, the only Australian above Katich is Bob Simpson, the man who Katich credits as having helped him overcome a technical flaw four years ago when he was striving to regain his place in the Test team. Since Katich won a position as an opener on the tour of the West Indies two years ago, he has been Australia’s leading run scorer, well clear of Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting. It was a lack of consistency that cost him his place after a disappointing Ashes tour in 2005 and a more mature, more relaxed Katich has been on display following his return.”I stick to my limitations,” Katich said after his 347-minute innings. “I know the limitations of my game and given that the game was in the balance I didn’t want to take any undue risks, and make sure that I set a platform for the rest of the team. When you do bat at the top of the order it’s easy to think someone else will get the runs, but you’ve just got to make sure you get out there and lay the foundations just in case that doesn’t happen.”That solid base was built before lunch in a session that featured the equivalent of almost 33 overs of dot balls. In the first over after the break, Katich struck two consecutive boundaries having managed three in his previous 176 deliveries, and even Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf were wondering what the batsman had eaten at lunch.”The umpires were sort of joking that I might have got a bit ahead of myself,” Katich said. “They said, ‘What’s happened?’ That was when I got to about 60. Even they noticed it. They said, ‘Is that the same bloke down there?’ I did have a bit more fun after 50, that’s for sure. The first 50 wasn’t great but after that, from 50 onwards I felt like I played quite well.”He did, and there were even a couple of aerial drives down the ground that jolted the spectators out of their slumber. Perhaps Katich’s team-mates will wake up as well, and Australia’s Test Player of the Year will finally be their Man of the Match.

Blaze victory rules Thunder out of finals contention, despite career-best 6 for 35 by Fi Morris

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2024A career-best 6 for 35 by Fi Morris for Lancashire Thunder was countered by a List A best for The Blaze of 4 for 23 by Grace Ballinger as the visitors ran out winners by 24 runs at Sale to keep their hopes alive in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Defeat for Thunder ends their hopes of making the knockout stages of the competition.In a low-scoring contest, The Blaze – having started well – were pegged back to 197 all out at the hands of Morris once the spinner was introduced into the Thunder attack in the 30th over.By contrast Ballinger did significant early damage by taking the first four Thunder wickets but the rest of The Blaze attack combined to bowl Thunder out for 173 in the 46th over despite a hard hitting unbeaten 53 by Tara Norris to clinch a vital victory.The Blaze made a good start after being put in to bat with Sarah Bryce and Michaela Kirk laying a good foundation of 66 runs off 87 balls.
But both openers fell in quick succession. Sarah Bryce was caught at mid-off for 34 trying to hit Darcey Carter, making her Thunder debut, over the top with Kirk bowled for 29 by Hannah Jones’ second delivery.And The Blaze were pegged back further when Marie Kelly edged behind for 7 off the first ball of Phoebe Graham’s second spell to leave the visitors 101 for 3 in the 24th over.Kathryn Bryce and Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast rallied with a 34-run alliance off 45 balls before the introduction of Morris transformed the innings as wickets tumbled.The Thunder off-spinner struck with a 17-ball sequence of 3 for 6 that began with her fourth delivery that Kathryn Bryce cut to Norris at gully for 31.Having made an attractive 29 off 34 balls, Prendergast fell lbw sweeping at Morris, as did Lucy Higham for 4.Hannah Jones returned to take her competition-leading 22nd wicket when Kirstie Gordon drove to Eve Jones at extra cover for 4 before Morris ran through the rest of The Blaze line-up in spectacular style bowling Ella Claridge for 6, having Grace Ballinger lbw for 6 and Cassidy McCarthy caught for 8 with The Blaze losing their last seven wickets for 62 runs.It was Ballinger who did the early damage with an impressive spell of left-arm swing that returned figures of 4 for 13 to destroy the Thunder top order, having Eve Jones caught at mid-off for 0, Alice Clarke caught at cover for 8 followed by Morris (10) and Dani Collins (0) bowled in the space of three deliveries.But having completed seven overs Ballinger limped off injured to be replaced by Prendergast who struck immediately with her sixth delivery which Seren Smale cut savagely but straight to Kirk at point for 13 with the Thunder innings in disarray at 41 for 5 after 15 overs.Ellie Threlkeld pulled a short ball from Prendergast to Higham at deep backward square for 10, Carter was bowled by McCarthy for 11 before Grace Johnson holed out to Kirk off Groves for 27 as Thunder continued to struggle.Ballinger returned in time to see Groves trap Graham lbw for 5 but a defiant last-wicket partnership of 50 – the highest of the Thunder innings – between Norris, who hit three sixes in a List A career-best 53 not out off 56 balls, and Hannah Jones, who finally fell to Kathryn Bryce for 17, held up The Blaze who eventually wrapped up victory with 26 balls to spare.