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The series will also be the first big one for both teams in the year of the T20 World Cup later this year, with over 20 matches to go for each

The Preview by Vishal Dikshit23-Jan-20205:39

Bangar: Understanding ground dimensions key in NZ

Big Picture

New Zealand must be hurting and how. The last time they took the field they had been thrashed 3-0 in the Tests in Australia, and the last time they played a T20I, it ended in, well, a Super Over loss to England. New Zealand were leading that five-match T20I series 2-1 and even though they handed England an innings loss in the Test series later, crossing the Tasman Sea after that dented their confidence considerably. Now, New Zealand face a stiff opposition in India to end their home summer before landing in Australia again for three ODIs.ALSO READ: Tim Southee backs New Zealand to bounce back after Australia setbackThe India series will be “huge” for them, as selector Gavin Larsen said, to work out a few things: a best XI with several players injured and how to restore their reputation. First, they will draw confidence from the fact that they had beaten India 2-1 in the T20Is last year, with a similar bowling attack that is to play in the coming series. The hosts have recalled Hamish Bennett, who last played an international in 2017, to join Tim Southee, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn in the pace attack, with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi making up the spin department. Where are the rest? Well, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are all injured. Another worry for them will be Santner’s form, as he picked only one wicket in four Test innings in Australia. A different format, though, could do it for the left-arm spinner who took his best T20I figures – 4 for 11 – against India, in 2016.There’s more experience to fall back on in the batting department, with Kane Williamson, who returns after missing the T20Is against England, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Colin Munro making the top and middle order.The series will also be the first big one for both teams in the year of the T20 World Cup later this year, with over 20 matches to go for each.India are also without a few injured players – Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar – but their depth in reserves has hardly ever been stronger. They will have their tails up after drubbing Sri Lanka 2-0 in T20Is and fighting back formidably against a full-strength Australia to win 2-1 in the ODIs. They have a settled bowling line-up with four quicks, two spinners and three allrounders to choose from. With Samson replacing Dhawan in the 16-man squad, it remains to be seen if he and Pandey will get a chance if Rishabh Pant gets to play as wicketkeeper and KL Rahul plays purely as a batsman.

Form guide

New Zealand TLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWLW

In the spotlight

Hamish Bennett will be in line to make his T20I debut with 17 international games to his name already. In the absence of New Zealand’s main frontline quicks, Bennett now has a big task ahead against India’s batting line-up that doesn’t have as much experience in the lower-middle order. Bennett could use his pace, bounce and variations in the middle or end overs to dent India’s progress towards a big total. Bennett comes on the back of figures of 3 for 34 against Auckland in the Super Smash final, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps from 11 games, and an economy rate of 7.20.ALSO READ: Firebird Hamish Bennett ready for his New Zealand rebirthVirat Kohli and Kane Williamson pose with the T20I series trophy•Blackcapsnz/Instagram

With Pandya not returning to international cricket anytime soon, India need to have his solid back-up for the T20 World Cup. They are carrying three allrounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar – and it will be a good trial for both Dube and Washington in New Zealand conditions after India played their recent games at home. Both Dube and Washington could play in the XI and India need to assess if they will need a batting or a bowling allrounder more in Australia later this year.ALSO READ: India have missed a trick with their allrounder strategy, writes Aakash Chopra

Team news

Ross Taylor said on Tuesday the injuries in their camp has given the fringe players a chance to stake a claim for spots. New Zealand have a fairly stable top half which sees Williamson’s returns. It might mean they will have to pick one of Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell for No. 6.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Kane Williamson (capt), 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Colin de Grandhomme/Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Scott Kuggeleijn, 11 Hamish BennettIndia played only five bowling options in their last T20I against Sri Lanka, but may now have to pick a sixth on a high-scoring Eden Park. Virat Kohli said on the eve of the match that making KL Rahul keep in T20Is too will give them “a lot more balance” to play another batsman. In that case, they can accommodate Manish Pandey at No. 5 and two allrounders at Nos. 6 and 7 out of Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Shivam Dube 7 Washinton Sundar/Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

Auckland is where the Super Over was played against England recently, with both teams scoring at over 13 an over in a rain-curtailed match. A cloud cover and some drizzle is expected in the morning and evening which could affect the 7.50pm local time start. With no heavy rain expected, we should get a game even if with reduced overs.

Stats and trivia

• With legspinner Adam Zampa coming into focus against Kohli in the recent ODIs, New Zealand will probably want to bowl Ish Sodhi to him early. Sodhi has a decent record against India, having dismissed Kohli and Rohit once each: he has taken 11 wickets in seven innings, averaging 16.18 with an economy rate of 7.73
• Ross Taylor is batting too low to play an anchor role in this format. He has primarily batted at No. 5 for New Zealand since 2018, but at a strike rate of just 119.40, he is scoring slow for that position. Among 31 batsmen to score 100 or more runs batting at No. 5 or lower in T20Is since 2018, Taylor’s strike rate of 125.80 is 10th worst (there are 21 other batsmen that score faster than he does).

Quotes

“Honestly, even if you think of revenge, these guys are so nice you can’t get into that. We get along really well with all these guys.”

Raj makes battling half-century before spinners take over; Pakistan, New Zealand knocked out

The Report by Sreshth Shah15-Nov-2018India cruised into the semi-finals of the Women’s World T20 after demolishing Ireland by 52 runs in Providence. The result meant that Group B’s top-two spots were decided, with Australia being the other semi-finalist. For Ireland, it was their third-straight loss of the tournament. The result also meant New Zealand and Pakistan were knocked out.

Our total was not good enough – Mandhana

India opener Smriti Mandhana believes India’s total of 145 against Ireland was not good enough as their plan was to score at least 20 runs more.
“Definitely we were looking at 165 to 170,” she said after the match. “I didn’t think that 140 (145) was good enough because in T20s you can’t keep thinking about wicket and outfield because it’s such a fast game that, and we have 10 wickets to play. So I think we were aiming at 165 to 170, but unfortunately we could not do that.
“The first two matches I definitely felt we were good, but today I felt batting could have been better. But bowling and fielding I think we are really good, and we dominated the opposition.”
Mandhana went on to say that India’s batting line-up, especially the top four, could play a crucial role in the upcoming matches.
“Well, I think the first match was enough warning for everyone. Everyone has been in good form the last seven-eight months, so coming into the World T20, we all were really confident as a batting unit. So yeah, I think if our top four bat through the 20 overs, I think we will always be putting a good total up.”

On a day where torrential rain in the morning made batting conditions difficult, Mithali Raj battled her way to a 17th T20I half-century to help India post 145. With the outfield slightly wet and a damp pitch to boot, Raj anchored India’s innings till the 19th over, collecting four fours and a six in her 56-ball 51.Openers Smriti Mandhana (29-ball 33) and Raj added 67 after Ireland asked India to bat. This partnership gave India a platform that allowed young Jemimah Rodrigues (11-ball 18) to inject some momentum. But a flurry of wickets in the middle overs forced India to lose their way and eventually limited their surge in the death overs. Kim Garth, the medium-pace bowler, was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, dismissing Raj and Mandhana to finish with 2 for 22.Mithali Raj’s battling 17th T20I fifty helped India seal a semi-final berth•ICC/Getty

The lack of pace from the Ireland bowlers forced Raj to reply on late dabs and glances. Later in the game, there was an injury scare when she hurt her knee while diving at square leg. But at the end of the game Raj, who was named Player of the Match, put it down to just a minor niggle and hoped to be fit for the Australia game on Saturday.Ireland started their chase of 146 positively, going wicketless till the sixth over. Clare Shillington (23-ball 23) and Gaby Lewis added 27, but once the opening stand was broken, the India spinners continued to rattle Ireland. Barring Shillingford, only Isobel Joyce (33) reached double digits for Ireland, as they played out the 20 overs.But Ireland were nowhere in the contest after the Powerplay. The duo of Deepti Sharma (2 for 15) and Radha Yadav (3 for 25) began to choke Ireland as the field spread out, and regular wickets meant they could not put together any useful partnership.At 84 for 4 in the 16th over, it looked like Ireland’s batsmen would respectably see the game out, but a flurry of late wickets – one apiece for Harmanpreet and Poonam Yadav – and a run-out from D Hemalatha ensured Ireland finished their innings with only two wickets in hand. Taniya Bhatia had an excellent day with the gloves. Three of the eight Ireland wickets were due to her quick glovework.The winner of the India-Australia clash will determine the Group B topper. For Ireland, their last game against New Zealand will be a chance to leave the Caribbean with at least one win.

Bangladesh also strengthened their seam-bowling options by adding Subhasis Roy and Rubel Hossain to the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20171:16

‘Confident of Mahmudullah’s ability on fast South African pitches’ – Abedin

Mahmudullah has been recalled to Bangladesh’s 15-member squad for their two-Test series against South Africa, which begins on September 28. Bangladesh also strengthened their seam-bowling options by adding Subhasis Roy and Rubel Hossain to the squad.Shakib Al Hasan, who was granted a break from the South Africa Tests, and Nasir Hossain, who underperformed in his comeback series against Australia, were excluded. It will be the first time Shakib won’t be part of the Test team since the series in 2014 against West Indies.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said it was a concern that Shakib opted out of the squad, but felt that a player’s mentality must be considered.”I respect his decision but of course it is very hard to replace him,” Minhajul said. “We have to take into account his mental state because as a player I understand what he may be going through physically and mentally.”Bangladesh’s squad for the Test series in South Africa•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Minhajul also said that Mahmudullah was his personal choice, based on his ability to adapt well on bouncy pitches and seaming conditions. Mahmudullah last played a Test in Sri Lanka in March earlier this year. He was subsequently dropped for the second Test.Despite struggling against Australia, Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes kept their place in the squad, primarily due to a lack of opening options. Mosaddek Hossain remained out of contention as his eye infection hadn’t improved, and will be sent to Bangkok on Monday for further medical attention.Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Mominul Haque

Liam Dawson smashed a 68-ball century and Glamorgan were then blown away with the ball to lose by 186 runs in Swansea

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2016
ScorecardLiam Dawson thumped his way to a century from 68 balls•Getty Images

Liam Dawson smashed a 68-ball century and Glamorgan were then blown away with the ball to lose by 186 runs in Swansea. They slipped to 29 for 6 against the seam of swing of Gareth Berg and Ryan McLaren, the pair finishing with eight wickets between them to keep Hampshire’s hopes of a Royal London quarter-final alive.Forty runs came from the final two overs of Hampshire’s innings, with Dawson reaching an unbeaten hundred by hitting the last ball of the innings, bowled by Michael Hogan, for six. Having been 70 from 61, he cleared the ropes four times in six deliveries at the death to record the second List A hundred of his career.Glamorgan made a terrible start when David Lloyd was leg before to McLaren to the first ball of the innings and, despite the slow pitch, the Hampshire seamers repeatedly beat the bat, as Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg edged balls to the wicketkeeper.Colin Ingram, who struck hundreds in both one-day competitions against Essex last week, was the next to go when he top-edged a hook to fine leg. When Graham Wagg was leg-before to a perfect yorker from Berg, the home team, playing the first day of the festival at St Helen’s, had lost five wickets for seven runs, with Berg taking 4 for 2 from 16 balls.There were ironic cheers from the sizeable crowd in the 15th over when Mark Wallace became the first Glamorgan batsman to reach double-figures by driving Brad Wheal to the boundary. Craig Meschede top-scored with 45 and his partnership of 30 with Tim van der Gugten enabled Glamorgan to pass three figures, but it was little consolation for the home side or their supporters.In complete contrast, Hampshire scored freely after winning the toss. Tom Alsop, who has struck a hundred and three fifties in the competition this season, made a fluent 35, before chipping Meschede to mid-on while Will Smith made the most of being dropped on 23 at midwicket off Andrew Salter to an anchor the innings with 84, putting on 61 with Joe Weatherley and 86 with Dawson to take Hampshire to 223 for 4 in the 43rd over. Dawson then hit the accelerator during a partnership of 60 in 34 balls with McLaren.Dawson, captaining the side in the absence of Sean Ervine, said: “The win sets us up nicely for the final game against Somerset on Tuesday, and a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. We were undecided what to do after winning the toss, but knowing the history of the Swansea ground, it was a good decision, as the pitch doesn’t get any better in the second innings. We thought that around 270 would have been competitive, but to reach 316 was a massive bonus.”

Australia may be strong favourites to retain the Ashes, but Graeme Swann believes there is little to fear from them

George Dobell21-Jun-2015Australia may be strong favourites to retain the Ashes, but Graeme Swann believes there is little to fear from them.Swann, the highest wicket-taker when England won in 2013, suggested that Mitchell Johnson, who played such a key role in the whitewash of 2013-14, was unlikely to retain his place in the side, and suggested Steven Smith, the No. 1 rated batsman in Test cricket, could struggle against the swinging ball. But he does fear the influence of Mitchell Starc who, he believes, could define the series.”I don’t think Mitchell Johnson will play in the team,” Swann said at a Chance to Shine school in Nottingham where he helped launch a new card game for the charity. “He’s not the Mitchell to worry about. Mitchell Starc is above and beyond the best match-winning player they’ve got at the minute.”Forget about the batsmen. If Mitchell Starc bowls well, I don’t think England have got any hope of winning the Ashes. If they nullify him in some way, then they’ve got a chance.”While Swann described Smith’s form over the last 18-months as “incredible”, he remains unconvinced by his technique and suggested flaws would emerge as his career continues.”I didn’t think he was a great player,” Swann said. “I still don’t think he’s got a great technique. He bats five. I don’t think he would score runs at three if it’s swinging.”He’s a very good player of the short ball. He picks it up extremely quickly for his pull shot. He pulls the length that most people just fend at and nick. And he’s been incredible over the last 18 months. He must have surprised himself, as well as everyone else, with his output. The trick for him is to try to keep that going. Whether he can, time will tell.”In Australia, when we were going through them, he still hung around a lot. Normal balls that get normal batsmen out don’t get him out because of his weird technique.”But a bit like Jonathan Trott, how he was stellar at the start of his career, the more people study, the more they find weaknesses. Weakness will emerge with Steve Smith. He’s not like a Steve Waugh, where there’s no obvious ways of getting him out. He doesn’t strike fear in you like the Aussies used to, with Matt Hayden or Adam Gilchrist.”Chance to Shine Schools and Yorkshire Tea are giving young people the opportunity to play and learn through cricket. Download Switch Hits for free at bit.ly/switchhits

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Ajinkya Rahane will join their respective Ranji Trophy teams for the next group game that begins on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2012Offspinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who have been part of India’s squad for all three Tests against England, will join their respective Ranji Trophy teams for the next group game that begins on Saturday. The third Test of the four-match India-England series is currently underway in Kolkata, but neither player is part of the Indian XI.This decision is in line with the policy adopted by the India team management over the past four seasons, by which as many players as possible are released from the national squad for Ranji games during home series’. This is done with a view to help the reserves remain match-fit.Harbhajan and Rahane will fly from Kolkata to Mumbai on Thursday, to join Punjab and Mumbai – these teams will play each other at the Wankhede Stadium in the next round of Ranji games. The pair, along with most of the other India regulars, featured in the season-opening round of the Ranji Trophy matches from November 2. While Harbhajan could make little impact with the ball as the Punjab captain against Hyderabad, Rahane scored 129 and 84 for Mumbai against Railways.The players’ availability will be a major boost for both teams, in particular Mumbai; Punjab, with young batsman Mandeep Singh at the helm, have already assured themselves of a place in the knockouts with four victories in five matches, but Mumbai are yet to win this season.Harbhajan, having recovered from a viral infection, featured in India’s humiliating ten-wicket defeat against England at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahane is yet to play in the Test series. The final game of the four-Test series will begin in Nagpur on December 13.

Chris Martin, the New Zealand fast bowler, has become the first recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, an honour given to the country’s best player of the year

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2011

New Zealand Cricket Awards winners

• Chris Martin – Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, player of the year

• Brendon McCullum – Test Player of the Year (527 runs at 58.55)

• Ross Taylor – ODI Player of the Year, (798 runs at 39.90)

• Tim Southee – Twenty20 Player of the Year, (eight wickets at 12.12)

• Sara McGlashan – Women’s Player of the Year

• Sophie Devine – Women’s domestic Player of the year (Four fifties, 24 wickets)

• Rob Nicol – Domestic Player of the year (top scorer in Twenty20 and one-day competitions)

• Peter Ingram – Redpath Cup, best first-class batting (965 runs at 50.47)

• Chris Martin – Winsor Cup, best first-class bowling (60 wickets at 25.60)

• Neil Wagner – Fans’ Choice for outstanding individual performance (Taking five wickets in an over)

• Simon Hickey – Young player of the year

• Ces Renwick – Bert Sutcliffe Medal, for outstanding services to cricket

• Nick Craig – Sir Jack Newman Award, outstanding junior cricket administrator

Chris Martin, the New Zealand fast bowler, has become the first recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, an honour given to the country’s best player of the year. There was another gong for him at the New Zealand Cricket Awards in Auckland, winning the Winsor Cup for first-class bowling.Martin, 36, was also a finalist for the Test player of the year and a nominee for Fans’ Choice award for his devastating spell in Ahmedabad when he had India pinned at 15 for 5. He took 60 first-class wickets in the 2010-11 season, including 18 in Tests and 31 for Auckland.”Chris works very hard and has strongly led the BLACKCAPS and Aces bowling attack for this past season and the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal is well deserved,” NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said.”There were a number of individuals who put their hand up for the supreme award but no one can deny that in the past 12 months Chris has been a stand-out performer in international and domestic First-Class cricket.”The other major winners in the revamped NZC awards were: Brendon McCullum as Test Player of the year, in a season where he took the gamble of becoming a specialist batsman in Tests, and moved up the order; new captain Ross Taylor as ODI Player of the year, in a season where he was the highest run-getter for New Zealand with 798; Tim Southee as outstanding player in Twenty20s, in a year where he took a five-for including a hat-trick against Pakistan which won him the ICC award for Best Twenty20 performance; Sara McGlashan as women’s Player of the Year.

Prasanna Jayawardene has rued not being able to avoid the follow-on but said his team could finish on a positive note after the encouraging start provided by openers in the second innings

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle18-Nov-2010Prasanna Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper, has rued not being able to avoid the follow-on against West Indies in Galle but said his team could finish on a positive note after the encouraging start provided by openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana in the second innings. Prasanna, who was the last batsman to fall in the first innings, battled his way to 58 but holed out, top-edging a sweep, to Kemar Roach off the bowling of offspinner Shane Shillingford with the hosts just three runs short of avoiding the follow-on target of 381. But Sri Lanka finished the day on 89 without loss in the second innings, still 113 behind.”We wanted to save the follow-on but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Our openers have done well. If we can bat like this tomorrow in the first session we have a great chance to end up well,” Prasanna said. “Against the offspinner we were trying to sweep because I thought if I defended, there was a chance of a bat-pad catch. So I kept on sweeping. I wanted to sweep and get a four. If there was a single I wasn’t going to run. I was in too minds and as I swept the bat turned a bit and I got an edge.”I know that (Thilan) Thushara (the No.11 batsman) can bat, but the issue was that the offspinner bowled the best. You have to handle the pressure and I thought against the spinner I had to take strike.”Prasanna admitted the batsmen initially found it difficult to deal with Shillingford, who picked up four wickets. “When others bowl the offbreak they flight, but Shane darts the ball sending it down. There is a change in the way he bowls,” Prasanna said. “He was troubling us at the beginning, but as he got tired he failed to bowl a good line. Our openers had to issues tackling him in the second innings.”Sri Lanka had been struggling at 295 for 7 when Prasanna was joined by fast bowler Dammika Prasad, who supported him in a stand of 72 with a quickfire 47. “Dammika batted really well. There’s no point in blocking thinking of the follow-on. You have to be attacking. I thought both of us could avoid the follow-on but once Dammika got out we got into trouble.”The key to winning the series, Prasanna said, was to dismiss Chris Gayle, who smashed 333 in the first innings, early. “The lower order is not batting well and if we get Gayle I think we have a very good chance in the rest of the series.”Prasanna also acknowledged he was under pressure to perform, though he has represented Sri Lanka in 34 Tests so far in a staggered 10-year Test career. He scored a century during the tour of India last year in Ahmedabad, made 29 in the first Test against India in Galle this year and failed in the final Test of that drawn series at the P Sara Oval. “I didn’t get a chance to bat at SSC and in the third Test, I failed in both innings. Overall if you take my performances I have failed in those two innings only, but there’s always pressure for me to perform ahead of a Test,” he said.”It doesn’t affect me. I take it match by match and I try to give my best. My average is around 30 and if you can’t handle pressure you can’t play cricket. I started playing for the country in 2000 and I have always performed. It doesn’t bother me. I am used to pressure and I try to do well at every opportunity I get.”

USACA has organised a training camp for December 18-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which two coaches will be arriving from New Zealand to assist USA’s coaches

Peter Della Penna17-Dec-2009In the first positive gains from USA Cricket Association’s (USACA) partnership with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), USACA has organised a training camp for December 18-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which two coaches will be arriving from New Zealand to assist USA’s coaches and help them with enhanced training methods.”Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand offspinner, who has coached our Under-19 team as well as some of the New Zealand first class guys will be going along with Hamish Barton who played first-class cricket in New Zealand, and who is the head of the New Zealand cricket coach education team and our coach education programme,” said Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive.”Hamish was previously not only a first-class cricketer but also spent some time in South America, was the national coach of Argentina, and has a good knowledge of a number of the United States players.”Barton, 33, played 17 first-class matches for Auckland and Canterbury before going on to be player-coach for Argentina. He also played against USA at the 2008 ICC Americas Division One tournament.”As well as his coaching expertise, he can bring a background of what you do in cricket and what an overall coach education programme looks like,” said Vaughan. “So we are not just talking about a situation where Hamish works with the Under-19s or with the national team, but instead he can start to add value to the overall structures of US cricket, in terms of their coach education programmes and trying to give some advice or sharing the knowledge that we have in terms of training our coaches. We can do that for the United States as well and that’s obviously one of the benefits that USACA can gain out of a partnership with a full member of the ICC.”Barton and Patel will be making their way to the US to help the Under-19 squad prepare for January’s Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and helping the men prepare for their first assignment in February, the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE.The 15-man Under-19 squad along with five reserves will take part in the camp alongside 23 senior players who are in contention for a 14-man squad that will be picked in January to travel to the UAE and then on to Nepal for the WCL Division Five tournament. The Under-19 squad will also have some assistance from NZC when they arrive before the World Cup. Teams must be in Christchurch by January 9, but USACA is looking to send the team a week early so they can get acclimatised and receive additional training.”I believe they’re arriving on the second or third of January,” said Vaughan. “They’ll have an additional week and will train at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre. I imagine Dipak and Hamish will be working with the team during that preparation phase. They will have already established relationships in the camp that will be held later this week, but they will be working with them in January as well. We’ll get them competitive games, whether they’re against New Zealand teams or against our Under-19 side who are in New Zealand preparing prior to the World Cup, so that they’re as well prepared as they can be.”The High Performance Centre, located at Lincoln University in Christchurch, will offer the USA Under-19 team the chance to utilise facilities that are virtually unavailable in America.”It won’t be an easy tournament for the United States,” said Vaughan. “We’re obviously getting involved now. It’s certainly late in the picture but this is a start of what we feel is a long term partnership so we’ll be doing what we can to optimise USA’s chances of a good performance in the tournament.”

Sam Konstas fell cheaply as NSW lost three wickets late in the day in a game that will have a huge bearing on the Shield final

Tristan Lavalette06-Mar-2025Sam Konstas started cautiously on a tricky surface before falling late on day one as another low-scoring Sheffield Shield match at the WACA appeared to be in the works.After Western Australia was bowled out for 196 in their first innings, New South Wales slumped to 17 for 3 in the pivotal fixture.Less than a month since WA crashed to South Australia in the shortest outright result in Shield history, the green-tinged pitch was again difficult to bat on with significant seam movement on offer.Related

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• Kellaway holds firm amid Buckingham and Thornton four-wicket hauls

• Khawaja's century gives Queensland edge on opening day

There was much intrigue over how Konstas would approach the situation having to come out to bat an hour before stumps. He started in orthodox fashion, playing straight and hitting a couple of elegant drives. There was no sign of anything fancy in his first 15 balls but he fell in tame fashion on the next delivery when he chipped left-arm quick Joel Paris to mid-off.Nic Maddinson and nightwatchman Ryan Hadley were dismissed by quick Lance Morris just before stumps to leave the match in the balance.Veteran Jackson Bird and captain Jack Edwards were standouts with five wickets between them. No WA batter reached fifty, but in an encouraging sign opener Cameron Bancroft was resolute with 22 off 66 balls in his return to the field after a horrific head-on collision in the outfield during a BBL game on January 3.Just 0.24 points separates second-placed NSW and WA with a victory for either team putting them into pole position to reach the final.With the remarkable events of the ground’s last Shield match still fresh, Edwards had no hesitation in bowling first despite the hot conditions. The calendar might have flipped into autumn, but March is essentially an extension of summer in Perth and the pitch was baking with temperatures already in the mid-30s Celsius by the time the first ball was bowled.All eyes were on Bancroft in his long-awaited return and he was intent on showcasing his trademark steely defence against accurate new ball bowling from Bird and Edwards. WA only scored two runs off the first six overs with Edwards starting off with three consecutive maidens.The ball wasn’t quite zipping off the surface like the South Australia match, but Edwards did occasionally produce sharp bounce and he had captain Sam Whiteman fending agonisingly short of leg gully.Whiteman had a torrid time, hit on the helmet by Hadley after attempting a pull shot before edging over the slips for a fortuitous boundary. But after battling through early trouble, Whiteman and Bancroft blunted the bowling in a sedate period through the middle part of the first session.The hardnosed openers have a knack of leaving bowlers flustered and they appeared set to bat through the first session as NSW’s quicks started to lose patience. But Liam Hatcher provided a spark 30 minutes before lunch when he nicked off Bancroft before having a huge appeal for caught down the legside off Jayden Goodwin turned down.Goodwin made it through to the long break, but Whiteman didn’t after he chopped on to a back of a length delivery from Edwards. WA reached lunch at 62 for 2 in a total that was eerily similar to the same stage of the South Australia match. On that occasion WA fell apart after the interval and there was a sense of déjà vu when they lost 3 for 27.Edwards was in the midst of a terrific spell and had Goodwin nicking off before Hadley clean bowled Hilton Cartwright, who had an error of judgement when he didn’t play a shot.Ashton Turner was unperturbed and decided to back his attacking instincts as runs flowed quickly for the first time in the day. He drove powerfully, but was fortunate on 21 when he was dropped by Bird in his follow through with the ball almost parrying to mid-off.But Turner couldn’t regain his rhythm after tea and he nicked off to Bird although he was unhappy with the decision. After dismissing Paris on the next delivery, Bird came within inches of completing his hat-trick when Cameron Gannon almost chopped onto his stumps.There was mock applause from several hard-bitten fans in the terraces when WA reached 150. But their mood brightened when wicketkeeper-batter Joel Curtis flourished after a sluggish start to lift the home side to what appears a competitive total.