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West Indies have included Shai Hope, the 22-year-old opening batsman from Barbados, in their squad for the third Test against India, which begins on August 9 in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2016West Indies have included Shai Hope, the 22-year-old opening batsman from Barbados, in their squad for the third Test against India, which begins on August 9 in St Lucia. Hope replaces Rajendra Chandrika, who made scores of 16, 31, 5 and 1 in the first two Tests, and saw his Test average drop to 14.00, the worst by any West Indies opener who has played 10 or more innings.Hope, a right-hand batsman who is also capable of keeping wickets, has played six Tests so far, scoring 171 runs at an average of 15.54. He has been in excellent form in recent months, with two hundreds in his last four matches in the WICB Professional Cricket League four-day tournament, and a century for the WICB President’s XI in the Indians’ first warm-up match in St Kitts.The selectors have made no other changes to West Indies’ 14-man squad. India lead the four-Test series 1-0.West Indies squad for third Test: Jason Holder (capt), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice-captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Marlon Samuels.

Half-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHalf-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI in Bangalore. The teams will go into the fifth ODI on July 8 with the the series tied 2-2.Needing 221 to win, India ensured there were no early jitters, with Thirush Kamini and Mandhana raising 49 runs for the first wicket. After Amy Satterthwaite sent back Kamini, Mandhana joined hands with Raj to add 124 runs in 22.5 overs. Raj, during the course of her unbeaten 81 off 88 balls, her 37th half-century, became the second player after Charlotte Edwards to score 5000 runs in Women’s ODIs.After Mandhana was dismissed by Anna Peterson in the 38th over, Harmanpreet Kaur smashed an unbeaten 25-ball 32, including four fours and two sixes, to bring an early finish to the game.New Zealand, after electing to bat, didn’t enjoy a good start, losing Rachel Priest in the third over. Sattherthwaite and captain Suzie Bates, however, rebuilt the innings with a 65-run stand before Bates perished to Poonam Yadav. Three overs later, the visitors’ momentum was dented further when Satterthwaite, who scored 43 off 55 balls, was bowled by Kaur.But, New Zealand fought back again through Sophie Devine, who scored 89 off 102 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes. She put on 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Maddie Green, and proceeded to rally the middle and lower order around her. Devine was the last batsman out off the penultimate ball of the last over.For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Niranjana Nagarajan picked up three wickets each.

India’s captain MS Dhoni identified Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner, as the main difference between the sides

Sidharth Monga26-Nov-2012MS Dhoni has admitted to being disappointed “to an extent” with his own spinners, but he insisted Monty Panesar was a touch above everyone else, making the big difference. India finally got the square turner they wanted, played three spinners, won the toss, posted a first-innings total that many thought was surplus in these conditions, but squandered it through some ordinary spin bowling.In helpful conditions, Panesar and Graeme Swann took 19 wickets between them in 121.2 overs. India’s three specialist bowlers bowled 113.1 overs for just nine wickets. To say the Indian spinners were outplayed will be an understatement. This is one of the most disappointing performances by an Indian spin unit in favourable home conditions.It can be granted that Panesar’s natural pace is more suited to bowling on such pitches, but Swann adjusted well too, unlike the Indian bowlers. R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh were especially friendly on a surface where spinners had no business being friendly. Especially disappointing was their tendency to bowl short, not making the batsmen drive, which was where most of the mistakes happened. That is what, according to Dhoni, was the bigger flaw than not being able to adjust to the pace required on the surface.”There is a particular style of bowling,” Dhoni said. “We also tried to bowl fast. We didn’t get the same purchase. It’s the same as two different batsmen. Some conditions suit you, some don’t. I felt the only thing we could have done better is make them drive more than we did. If you bowl short on a wicket that has a bit of bounce, you give them time. Especially the fact that we were getting more purchase when we were bowling a little slow.”However, Dhoni was fulsome in his praise of Panesar. “The way Monty bowled, he was different from other bowlers,” Dhoni said. “All the other bowlers were getting bounce and turn, but Monty bowled at real pace. He bowled at 90-95kph and even above that, and still he got real turn. He had a big impact on the game.”The other spinners got the bounce, but they never looked to trouble the batsmen as much a Monty did. Big credit goes to him. If you get performances like this, margin of defeat can be big. Credit also goes to Pujara from our side, who batted really well. Pietersen and Cook batted really well. They batted off the back foot really well. I wish we were a bit fuller, and made them drive more.”However, Dhoni stood by his demand for exactly the kind of pitch this Test was played on. “I think this was a very good wicket,” he said. “Tests in the subcontinent should be played on such wickets. The toss wasn’t that vital. It started turning from the first day.”Dhoni insisted he would love to get such pitches more often, regardless of the result here. “Of course I will want a similar wicket,” he said. “That’s what our speciality is. What’s the point of playing on a flat track and winning the toss and batting for three or four days over the Test? You want to face challenges in test cricket. These are the kinds of wickets that push you. Definitely all the wickets should be like this.”However, Dhoni’s reasoning for such pitches calls for a much better show from the players in Kolkata. “The best thing about these conditions is, no side is guaranteed a win,” Dhoni said. “You have to play well to win.” If India do get another turner, they will “have to play well to win.”

Dean Brownlie, who made his Test debut for New Zealand today in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, has said he would like to cement a place in the squad ahead the tour of Australia next month

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2011Dean Brownlie, who made his Test debut for New Zealand today in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, has said he is confident his first-class performances would translate into Test cricket. He forced his way into the side by making heaps of runs for Canterbury and New Zealand A during the winter, and believes he is ready for the challenge of Test cricket.”I’ve got lots of advice from the senior players and they’re all telling me not to change anything, to do what I did to get selected,” he said. “I think that’s the key.”I try not to think too much about outside pressures and just try and take it ball by ball, like I always do.”Brownlie was born in Australia and only moved to New Zealand in 2009, qualifying to play for them through his Christchurch-born father, Jim. So he would like nothing more than to cement a place in the squad ahead of the tour of Australia next month.”It would be good, but not just because it’s Australia and I was born there and grew up there,” Brownlie told the . More so my [Perth-based] friends and family can watch me play, and a lot of the coaches I had growing up.”While he is keen to play one-day cricket and has already played two international Twenty20 matches, Brownlie said succeeding in Test cricket was his greatest ambition. “That’s the pinnacle, isn’t it? That’s the hardest test of cricket and of your ability.”A calf injury ruled Jesse Ryder out of the Test and Brownlie could be called upon to bowl a few overs to support the frontline bowlers. He did that in the tour game, picking up the wicket of Malcolm Waller, but didn’t think it would lead his Canterbury coach, Bob Carter, to throw him the ball more often in domestic cricket.”They’ve seen me bowl, and they’re about as unimpressed with it as I am.”

The Pakistan squad has returned home after completing one of the most acrimonious tours in history, with limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi calling the four-month trip to England the “most difficult” of his career

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2010The Pakistan squad returned home after completing one of the most acrimonious tours in history, with limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi calling the four-month trip to England the “most difficult” of his career.”It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with. Every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us,” Afridi said on arrival in Karachi. “The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England.”Pakistan’s coach, Waqar Younis, said the tour had taken a toll on the team’s support staff as well because of the effort needed to keep the players upbeat amid the barrage of allegations. “If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field,” Waqar, who flew into Lahore, said.”We had success against Australia which was pleasing, but because of the controversies it was tough against England. You needed that extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day.”Pakistan’s next international assignment is a home series against South Africa in the UAE in October-November. Afridi, who ended a four-year hiatus from Tests this year when he led Pakistan in the very first Test of the summer against Australia only to retire again from the format immediately after losing it, did not rule out another comeback for the Test leg of that tour. “I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa,” he said.The tour of England had begun positively for Pakistan, with victories in the two Twenty20 internationals against Australia. Despite losing that first Test at Lord’s and Afridi’s retirement, Salman Butt took over the captaincy and led Pakistan to a series-leveling victory at Headingley. It was Pakistan’s first Test win over Australia in nearly 15 years.The Test series against England began poorly, with defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston before Pakistan kept the contest alive with a victory at The Oval. During their defeat at Lord’s, however, the series was plunged into scandal when a British tabloid ran a story alleging that Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in spot-fixing by bowling deliberate no-balls.The players under scrutiny were questioned by the police and provisionally suspended by the ICC before the Twenty20 series between Pakistan and England began. Pakistan lost both Twenty20 matches, and the one-day series that followed was at 2-1 when the ICC announced that it was investigating the Oval ODI, which Pakistan had won, after receiving information from another tabloid that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns that would take place before the match.It was decided that the last two ODIs would be played but, before the fourth game at Lord’s, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt alleged that England’s players had thrown the third match as part of a wider conspiracy to “defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket”, plunging the tour deeper into controversy.The ECB reacted by issuing a strong statement deploring the allegations and said it would seek an apology from Butt or take legal action. There was also an altercation between Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz and England batsman Jonathan Trott during a net session ahead of the Lord’s game.Pakistan eventually leveled the series 2-2 before England won at the Rose Bowl to take the series.

Only 31 overs were possible in which Nyamhuri picked up his maiden Test wicket

Himanshu Agrawal29-Dec-2024Rain had the final say on the fourth day in Bulawayo as only 31 overs were possible with the first of two Tests between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan headed to a draw. Zimbabwe managed to end the mammoth 364-run third-wicket partnership between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi – both of whom batted the entire third day – with the former falling on 234. He added just three runs to his overnight score before left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri, on debut, managed to have him caught at gully.Shahidi was still batting on 179 while Afsar Zazai was in sights of his maiden Test half-century, finishing unbeaten on 46 as the pair added an unbroken 87 for the fourth wicket.Rahmat fell in the second over of the day, when he drove at one far away from his body and edged it to Ben Curran after adding just three to his overnight tally. Nyamhuri bowled it from around the stumps and floated it wide; Rahmat could not resist. That ended what is the eighth-highest third-wicket partnership in men’s Tests.Both Nyamhuri and Blessing Muzarabani got seam movement – and at times even extra bounce – but Shahidi and new batter Afsar Zazai remained watchful. Each time the line was wide, neither batter shied away from lofting or slashing at the ball. Shahidi reached 150 in the 131st over, when he clipped Nyamhuri wide of fine leg. Largely, both quicks kept it tight.The first boundary of the day came only in the 137th over. Trevor Gwandu angled one across to Shahidi, who played a lovely drive to bisect cover and mid-off. Thereafter, it was Zazai who kept finding the boundary, while Shahidi looked much calmer at the other end.Three overs later, Zazai hit his first boundary through midwicket when Sean Williams pitched one short. In the 141st over, Zazai threw his bat at a full and wide one outside off from Gwandu, only for the ball to fly for four over gully. After two overs, Zazai cut Gwandu for another boundary just after his partnership with Shahidi had crossed fifty.Zazai picked up his only six by pulling Williams over square leg. Sensing he was picking up pace, Zimbabwe slowed things down through Muzarabani, Brandon Mavuta and Brian Bennett. Afghanistan managed only 14 runs from the next seven overs, and that ended the morning session.Shahidi drove the second delivery after lunch for four to deep extra cover, but only two overs were possible in the afternoon. Seeing ominous grey clouds form, the umpires stopped play at 12:53pm sensing a heavy downpour, which arrived soon.The rain eased an hour later with the ground staff starting to peel the covers off. But that effort proved futile with another downpour starting. That spell of rain was relentless and stumps were called at 4:35pm.

The 34-year-old is “not giving up” hope of a West Indies comeback, but has decided to take a break from the game

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2023Darren Bravo has decided to take a break from cricket following his non-selection in West Indies’ squad for their three-match ODI series against England next month. The 34-year-old, who last played for West Indies in February 2022, continued to be left out despite topping the run charts in the 2023-24 Super50 Cup, where he scored 416 runs at an average of 83.20.It is not yet clear how long Bravo intends to step away from the game.”I’ve taken some time to ponder and wonder what’s my next step moving forward as a cricketer,” Bravo wrote on Instagram. “At this point in my career it’s not easy or should I say it takes a lot to continue to find the energy, the passion, commitment and discipline to be able to perform to the best of my ability and put myself in a position to make my return to international cricket.”Related

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Apart from the senior ODI side, Bravo has not found a place in either the West Indies Academy squad that is playing a home series against Ireland Academy or the West Indies A squad that is touring South Africa for three unofficial Tests.”Without any level communication I’ve been left in a very dark place,” he further wrote. “At the moment there’s three teams representing the region in multiple formats/series. That’s approximately 40-45 players and if I can’t be in any of these teams after competing in our regional tournaments and scoring runs, therefore they are basically telling me that the writing is on the wall.”I’m not giving up but I believe it’s best to step away just for a bit and maybe make some room for a young and upcoming talent. I will end by wishing each and everyone [sic] all the very best. “I’ve lived my dream.””