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Dwarshuis injured on debut but Labuschagne leads fightback with ball then bat

Andrew Miller19-Sep-2024Australia 317 for 3 (Head 154*, Labuschagne 77*) beat England 315 (Duckett 95, Labuschagne 3-39, Zampa 3-49) by seven wickets It was a tale of two unconventional opening batters at Trent Bridge, both aggressive left-handers, both with a love of placing bat on ball, especially through anything remotely off-line or length. But where Ben Duckett’s innings ended tamely, on 95 from 91 balls, to open the door for a spirited Australia fightback, Travis Head’s powered onwards and upwards, to 154 not out from 129, and ultimately to a seven-wicket victory in the first ODI.That converted century, Head’s sixth in 66 ODIs and his second against England, was the fundamental reason why Australia overcame the odds, including a sickness bug that robbed them of a swathe of key names, not least Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc – two of the “big three” (alongside the absent Pat Cummins) without any of whose presence Australia had lost each of their last eight completed ODIs against England.The other reason was the resilience of their makeshift attack, stretched to eight personnel including four spinners once Ben Dwarshuis – fresh from bowling Phil Salt on his international debut – had been forced to leave the field after just four overs with a strained pectoral muscle.At the scene of their then-record pummelling in 2018, and with Duckett and Will Jacks proving once again what an invitingly flat pitch Trent Bridge can be, Australia had been bracing themselves for another huge chase at 213 for 2 in the 33rd over.But then, up popped the lesser-spotted legbreaks of Marnus Labuschagne, whose haul of 3 for 39 in six overs not only included the key scalps of Duckett and Harry Brook, both to looping return catches, but also lit a fire under Australia’s premier leggie Adam Zampa, who responded to a leaky first three overs with final figures of 3 for 49.Marnus Labuschagne struck in each of his first two overs•Getty Images

Matthew Short’s offspin also returned a maiden ODI wicket, and when Head served notice that this contest now belonged to him, by picking up Jacob Bethell and Adil Rashid with consecutive deliveries, England had been bowled out for 315 in a dramatic collapse of 8 for 102 in 17.1 overs. In total, Australia’s spinners claimed 9 for 190 in 30.4: it was a combined impact that England’s own spin cohort, led by Adil Rashid – who remains one wicket shy of 200 in ODIs – couldn’t come close to matching.Labuschagne, like Head, was only just warming up in that phase of the game. After arriving almost slap-bang in the middle of Australia’s chase, at 169 for 3 in the 27th over after Cameron Green had become Bethell’s maiden ODI wicket, there was almost no one better equipped to act as a foil to the now free-flowing Head. His pitch-perfect innings of 77 not out from 61 balls included the winning boundary off Jacks with a full six overs left unused, to cap an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 148 from 107 balls.This was the de facto reboot of England’s ODI fortunes, after their destruction at the 2023 World Cup and leaving aside a barely remembered campaign in the Caribbean in December. A new-look team, led for the first time by Brook, showed promise in patches, not least during Duckett and Jack’s 120-run stand for the second wicket from exactly 100 balls. But even while the going was good in the first half of their innings, Eoin Morgan in the Sky commentary box considered their approach to be no better than “measured”, the sort of damningly faint praise that suggested they ran the risk of being mown down by a more emphatic performance.So it proved, with Australia outgunning England by 10 sixes to eight, five from Head, and three from Steve Smith in a notably aggressive cameo at the top of the order. After the early loss of Mitchell Marsh, Smith’s commitment to attack pushed his team ahead of the rate at 69 for 1 after the powerplay, and allowed Head, with a run-a-ball fifty, to settle in for the longer haul.Head had a moment of fortune on 6, when Brydon Carse – in from the boundary at deep point – all but clawed down a replica of Ben Stokes’ “you cannot do that” epic from the 2019 World Cup. But the feature of Head’s early innings was a fascinating duel with Jofra Archer, making his first ODI appearance in 18 months. Armed with the new ball, Archer bowled a handful of unplayable deliveries, including a cutter that left Head wide-eyed with wonder, but he was also picked off for 53 runs in six overs, including a fabulous flick for six off the toes that obliged him to return the look of incredulity.Ben Duckett can’t believe what he’s done after falling for 95•Getty Images

For England, it was a case of what-might-have-been, not least for Duckett, whose self-admonishment was plain as day after he gave away an international century for the second time this month, after his 86 in the Oval Test against Sri Lanka.In his first opportunity to reprise that now-familiar opener’s role in ODIs, Duckett took particular toll of a nervy Sean Abbott, clubbing four fours in an over en route to a 49-ball fifty, meaning that Marsh was already searching for alternate bowlers, even before it had been confirmed that Dwarshuis had strained a pectoral muscle with an off-balance shy from the outfield.Zampa had been the scourge of England’s batting in their most recent ODI encounter, claiming 3 for 21 at Ahmedabad in the 2023 World Cup. However, Jacks thumped his second ball back over his head for six, and as the hundred stand came up in 86 balls, he’d leaked 27 runs in his first three-over foray by the end of the 19th.In his 100th ODI, however, Zampa couldn’t be kept out of the action for long, as Jacks drove on the up to cover, but by the time Brook had stepped into two superbly poised drives over cover for six off Short’s part-timers, England were ominously placed on 201 for 2 after 30 overs.Enter Labuschagne, for what seemed to be a speculative spell of legbreaks. However, his impact was that of a perfectly deployed secret weapon. With the fourth ball of his spell, he landed a googly that stuck just enough in the pitch to confound Duckett’s back-foot push, and he reached to his left to pluck the simplest of caught-and-bowleds. One over later, out came that googly again, and Brook this popped another mistimed push straight back to the bowler.Jamie Smith came and went for 23, caught in the deep two balls after Aaron Hardie at deep midwicket had been forced to sacrifice a chance in order to save the boundary, and at 256 for 5, England’s hopes of a 350-plus innings were back in the hands of their main men from the T20I series, Liam Livingstone and Bethell, who was making his second format debut of the week.Zampa, however, still had three overs up his sleeve, and no sooner had he returned to the attack, Livingstone chose to take him down. It was a suboptimal option. A huge thrash through the line skewed to Green at long-on, and the rest came meekly. Far too meekly, as it turned out.

Stokes once again selected, subject to police investigation, as Moeen and Bairstow are rested after Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2018James Vince has been given the chance to convert his fluent but unfulfilled Test form into the 20-over format, after being handed a recall for the T20 Tri-series against Australia and New Zealand that gets underway in February.Vince was singled out for criticism by England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, following an Ashes campaign in which he made 242 runs at 26.88, but consistently gave away his wicket after a promising start, making scores of between 15 and 25 in six of his nine innings.However, the selectors have not yet lost faith in Vince’s ability to make the grade at international level, and have included him in a 16-man squad in place of Moeen Ali, who has been rested after a torrid time in the Ashes.

England T20 Squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood

Jonny Bairstow, who also featured in all five Ashes Tests, is another squad regular to sit this series out, with Sam Billings, the Kent wicketkeeper-batsman, taking his place in the tour party.There is no respite, however, for England’s Test captain, Joe Root, who might have been considered worthy of a break as he hands the reins over to the regular one-day captain, Eoin Morgan. However, both he and another Ashes batsman, Dawid Malan, have been included in a tri-series that is the first of its kind and potentially the start of a new departure for international T20 cricket.”We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills,” said James Whitaker, the chairman of selectors.On the bowling front, the notable inclusion is Mark Wood, the Durham quick bowler who was briefly considered for an Ashes call-up when England’s lack of out-and-out pace became apparent after two early defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide.In the end, he was not considered sufficiently match-fit to play a Test match, but looked to be approaching his best rhythm during his time with the England Lions, as he continued his recovery from persistent ankle issues.In what is now a familiar turn of events, Ben Stokes has once again been named in the squad, even though his involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September.Should the ECB Board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage.”The IT20 Tri-Series will be very competitive against quality opposition in Australia and New Zealand,” said Whitaker. “Our limited-overs cricket has been progressing nicely across both formats so this tournament will be another indicator on where we are heading as a team over the long-term.”Our aim is to become the best T20 side in the world and a strong performance in this series will give us the chance to progress up the team rankings.The series gets underway on February 7 in Hobart, when England take on Australia, and will conclude on February 21 with the final at Eden Park in Auckland.

“Realistically the word rest and rotated gets thrown around a lot but you never miss a Test if you are fully fit”

Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-2023Pat Cummins does not see a scenario where Australia’s all-format quicks are rested during the upcoming Test season after they showed their durability in getting through the 2023 Ashes and ODI World Cup.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are expected to remain Australia’s first-choice Test quicks along with captain Cummins when the men’s season gets underway with the opening match against Pakistan in Perth on December 14.Overall Australia have seven Tests from mid-December to mid-March: three against Pakistan and two against West Indies at home followed by two against New Zealand. There are also a batch of white-ball matches in February.Related

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All three quicks have had spells away from the white-ball sides at various stages, including the ongoing T20I series in India, but Cummins can’t see anyone putting their hand up for a Test off.”You are always dealing with something as a bowler,” he said at the SCG where he was reunited with the World Cup trophy. “When your hamstring starts to feel then you feel a pain somewhere else, then you wake up the next day and it’s moved somewhere else.”Realistically the word rest and rotated gets thrown around a lot but you never miss a Test if you are fully fit. While over the last couple of years, we might have been rested from the odd game, the bulk of work we’ve been able to do is because of those small gaps. If we are fully fit we won’t be resting.”Cummins played all six Tests in England earlier this year (the WTC final against India and five in the Ashes) and was ever-present during the ODI World Cup. Starc, who was left out from the Edgbaston Test at the beginning of the Ashes and rested for one game during the World Cup, carried some niggles after his efforts in England but regained his best form for the knockouts in India.Meanwhile, Hazlewood, who had gone through a disjointed two years in Test cricket and has not played a full home summer since 2020-21 against India, played four out of six Tests in England and every game of the World Cup.Pat Cummins has been front and centre of Australia’s success this year•Getty Images

While Cummins’ position is obviously secure, not wanting a rest does not mean a guarantee of selection for others and there could be some tight calls to make during the season, not least whether Scott Boland can force his way back into the side at the MCG where he has such an outstanding record. There may also be an urge to unleash the uncapped Lance Morris at some stage while the ever-consistent Michael Neser will always push his case.However, speaking to , head coach Andrew McDonald indicated the Test side will always be selected with a view on the immediate challenge rather than an eye on the future which also bodes well for David Warner’s hopes of a farewell series against Pakistan.”I think they’re isolated series,” McDonald said. “I think every Test match you sit down as a selection panel and you work out your best team and go from there, that’s the bowling attack, the batting, the wicketkeeping, every decision is in isolation for each Test match and I think that’s the way Test cricket should be, pick your best team at that point in time.”There’s no doubt you will have a younger player from time to time that people will think needs to play or get exposure to play, but I think a lot of that always takes care of itself.”Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc have returned to bowling in the nets over the last couple of days as they begin their build-up to the first Test in Perth. They are all well attuned to heading into a home Tests season without red-ball matches under their belt.”It took a little bit to put the bowling shoes on for Joshy and I out the back here, but in a couple of weeks’ time we are in Perth,” Starc said. “As much as you want to enjoy the success of the World Cup and everything that comes with a hard tour of India, you quickly get into Test mode.”Mentally you take a few days and refresh but the mind and body know what time of the year it is and it’s time for five Tests. We’ve done it for a few summers now so nothing new for us. Preparation looks different every year but for Pat and I it’s a few sessions of bowling and maybe a few rounds of golf then off to Perth.”Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are reunited with the World Cup Trophy at the SCG•Getty Images

The fact that half the ODI World Cup-winning squad remained in India for the T20I series and the players who returned went to their home cities has led to a rather low-key celebration of Australia’s success over the past week. That continued with Cummins and Starc parading the trophy in front of the media and a smattering of Sheffield Shield supporters at the SCG. However, Cummins was adamant the scale of Australia’s achievement had been appreciated.”It’s been amazing back here in Australia,” he said. “I know it was a different timezone, but walking down the street everyone has been talking about the World Cup, everyone’s buzzing about it. There’s been no shortage of Aussie reception since we got back, it’s been a great week. Don’t think it was maybe the scenes you would have seen in Ahmedabad if India had got up, but it’s been pretty big.”Cummins and Starc also both reconfirmed they would be going into next month’s IPL auction with the tournament viewed as the ideal lead-in to the T20 World Cup in June where Australia have the opportunity to be the first men’s side to hold all three global titles at the same time.”To hold one trophy takes a lot but to hold them across formats really shows our amazing coaching group but also the squad of players,” Cummins said. “You can’t do that with 11 players, you need 25 really good players so it shows the strength of Australian cricket at the moment and the appetite of the guys to compete whenever they play. Everything takes a lot out of you but the guys keep rocking up and performing which is as pleasing as anything else.”

Young allrounder Tess Flintoff has been added to the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2023Australia allrounder Heather Graham has been ruled out of the ODI series against Ireland and the Hundred after she suffered a right calf strain.Cricket Australia (CA) added young uncapped pace-bowling allrounder Tess Flintoff to the squad for the three ODIs that begin at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin on Sunday.Flintoff hogged the limelight in the WBBL last November when she smashed the record for the fastest half-century, off 16 balls, in the competition’s history for Melbourne Stars. Recently, she scored a 48-ball 70 at No. 7 for Australia A against England A in Loughborough.CA stated that Graham will remain with the team in Ireland to begin her rehabilitation before returning to Australia to continue this with Cricket Tasmania. Graham was supposed to play for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, which starts on August 1, after the tour of Ireland. In the 2022 edition, she played three matches and scored just 33 runs and picked up two wickets.Australia are coming off a 2-1 defeat in ODIs and T20Is against England, eventually drawing the Women’s Ashes in the multiformat series.

Sri Lanka’s first goal, however, will be to be more competitive than they were in Durban

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Dec-20244:28

Will Sri Lanka go in without a spinner in Gqeberha?

Big picture: Can Sri Lanka avoid another collapse?

The headline is that both teams are in with a shot at making the World Test Championship final, but neither have secured a place. Unhelpfully for South Africa, the WTC points system doesn’t reward hefty winning margins, so although they crushed Sri Lanka by 233 runs in Durban, it still only goes down as a simple win.Still, they have arrived in Gqeberha full of confidence. Another win here, and their path to that final clears up significantly. A win for Sri Lanka, meanwhile, would mean they have a chance of qualifying for the final without having to depend on other results. (They would also need to win the matches against Australia 2-0.)Their first goal, however, is to be more competitive than they were in Durban. Their batters, specifically, cannot allow another collapse to occur. Various members of the batting group have spoken about the challenge of facing South Africa’s tall quicks, on tracks that offer more bounce than they are used to at home. These coastal venues are not as bouncy as they tend to be in the Highveld, for instance, but have clearly presented more of a challenge than Sri Lanka expected. They’ll also hope that given the wind and sunshine forecast for Gqeberha for the next few days, the surface will dry out and bring spinners more meaningfully into the game.Related

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South Africa’s own batters were dismissed for 191 in the first innings in Kingsmead, but they have Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs coming into this Test in serious form, while Aiden Markram also got a decent innings under his belt at Kingsmead.South Africa’s concerns ahead of the Test centre around the make-up of their attack, with Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee both ruled out. They still have their spearheads in Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, however, who shared 14 wickets in the previous Test, Jansen getting 11 on his own.

Form guide

South Africa: WWWWD (last five Tests, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LWWWLSouth Africa will be without Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee in Gqeberha•Gallo Images/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Tristan Stubbs and Lahiru Kumara

Test cricket must seem pretty straightforward so far to 24-year-old Tristan Stubbs. Eleven innings in, he’s got two centuries and a fifty, with an average of 43.90. While Bavuma was tentative in the approach to triple figures in Kingsmead, Stubbs raced through the 90s. He had had some luck in that innings, having been dropped on 33, but remained positive through his stay at the crease, pressing South Africa’s advantage alongside Bavuma. He will relish the opportunity to back that 122 up with a solid performance in his first Test in his home town.Lahiru Kumara is not always the most disciplined of Sri Lanka’s quicks, but he is their fastest bowler, and at Kingsmead, the most penetrative. He is on the verge of joining a fairly exclusive club. Sri Lanka have only ever had four seam bowlers get to 100 wickets – Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, and Dilhara Fernando. Kumara needs only one more dismissal to get up to triple figures. If Sri Lanka are to level the series, they will likely need Kumara to blow well past that milestone.

Team news

South Africa named their XI on match eve, with Ryan Rickelton and Dane Paterson coming in in place of Mulder and Coetzee. That means an extra batter, three seamers and a spinner.*South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Ryan Rickelton, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane PatersonSri Lanka also have major decisions to make around their attack. Will they do what they did in Lord’s this year, and strap four fast bowlers to the plough? It’s a definite possibility, given Milan Rathnayake can also bat a bit. They also desperately want to find a place for Oshada Fernando, as Oshada had recently made 122 and 80 for Sri Lanka A in South Africa, and had also hit 75 not out at this venue in 2019. But who would make way for his inclusion?Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Prabath Jayasuriuya/ Milan Rathnayake, 9 Vishwa Fernando, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru KumaraLahiru Kumara is on the verge of 100 Test wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The day before the match, the playing surface was covered with a hessian to prevent too much moisture loss as the drying wind was expected to pick up in the afternoon. There remained significant grass on the surface for the same reason. The groundsman has yet to decide how much will be cut on the morning of the match. The westerly wind is forecast for most of the match, which suggests batting first and taking advantage of deteriorating conditions later on. No rain is forecast for the five days, for now.

Stats and trivia

• If Kumara takes three wickets in Gqeberha, his wicket-tally will go past those of Dilhara Fernando (100) and Lasith Malinga (101), and he will become the third-highest wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s seam-bowling history.
  
• Sri Lanka lost their first match in Gqeberha in 2016, going down by 206 runs. But they won their most recent game at the venue, by eight wickets in 2019.
  
• Stubbs has been excellent at getting starts so far in his career, having got to 20 in nine of his 11 innings.

Quotes

“The way that we stacked up our line-up is that, we believe that with the runs on the board, that gives you enough time to get 20 wickets. It might take us a bit longer. It may not play like Durban. There is a bit more grass on the wicket. I think there will be something in there for our seamers. But if it doesn’t favour our seamers, we do have the spin of Kesh[av Maharaj] to be effective. So we believe that whether it’s the seam, whether it’s the spin, we can still be successful in these conditions.”
“If we compare this cycle with the previous one, we are doing far better. I’m happy with the boys and how they’ve performed. If we don’t get to the final in this cycle, we should be prepared to de even better in the next one.”
*

Georgia Plimmer has been called up as Devine’s replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2024Sophie Devine, the New Zealand captain, has been ruled out of the fifth and final T20I against England because of a quad injury, which she sustained while bowling during the fourth T20I on Wednesday.New Zealand Cricket said on Thursday that a scan has confirmed that Devine “had sustained a grade one quad strain which would require a short period of rehabilitation”.She will remain with the squad in Wellington – the venue for the fourth and fifth T20Is – and “undergo a rehabilitation programme”. Her participation, or not, in the three-match ODI series starting April 1 will be determined after that.Related

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Georgia Plimmer, who was with the New Zealand A squad that has been playing a parallel series against England A, has been called in to the squad as Devine’s replacement.”We’re obviously disappointed for Sophie, but the focus is now to make her available for as much of the ODI series as possible,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Sophie will be monitored over the next few days and that will give us a better idea of what her availability is before the first game on Monday.”The ODI series is an important series for us with ICC ODI Championship points on the line so we’re hopeful that Sophie will make a quick recovery.”New Zealand would desperately want Devine to be in the mix when the ODIs begin, having conceded the T20I series with one game left to play. Devine has been one of New Zealand’s better performers in the series so far, scoring 77 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 150.98 and picking up four wickets.Devine, as well as Amelia Kerr, had missed the first T20I of the series as they were yet to travel back to New Zealand after taking part in the Women’s Premier League in India. Plimmer, as well as Mikaela Greig, had been called up to the squad for that game.

The opener hit 117 off 67 balls while there was also a half-century for Peter Handscomb and with the ball Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Agar impressed

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2019While one Australian left hander was filling his boots in Nottingham, another was doing similar in Northampton as Matthew Wade hammered 117 off 67 balls to guide Australia A to a convincing victory at the start of their tour.His innings was the standout feature of a very efficient performance from a side that contains plenty of international experience. Wade, who was playing as a specialist batsman, still harbours hopes of resurrecting his international career despite being overlooked during a prolific home season, the form from which does not seem to have dissipated after a few months off.”I was happy with it. I haven’t played for a while so wasn’t 100% sure how I would strike the ball after a late arrival but I struck it as clean as I have for a while,” he said. “My mindset coming over here has been staying true to how I want to play, not letting things that may come in the future get into my head. I just want to come out and play the way I want to play and I know my game is good enough to succeed in any format or any competition I play in.”Elsewhere there was a neat innings from Peter Handscomb (64) who many feel should be part of the current World Cup squad, while the same sentiment applies to Josh Hazlewood who bagged 2 for 51 in his first competitive outing since being laid low by a back injury in early January.Mitchell Marsh, who was on standby to replace Marcus Stoinis at the World Cup, and Ashton Agar combined to take five wickets as Northamptonshire were held to 262 for 9 then Marsh helped complete the chase with an unbeaten 40.However, it was mostly about Wade as he flayed 18 fours and three sixes in a powerful display with the Northamptonshire attack powerless to stop him. He added a rapid opening stand of 58 with D’Arcy Short – his partner contributing just 7 – then put on 85 in 10 overs with captain Travis Head. When he fell in just the 21st over, Wade had scored 117 of the 170 runs leaving a simple task for the middle order to finish things off with 14 overs to spare.”I was feeling good, my timing was there which is always key,” Wade said. “I’ve trained a long time in the nets the way I want to play in games. I’m quite attacking at the moment, but the mindset isn’t to swing at every ball. When I feel I’m just trying to get myself in for 20-30 runs it never really works out, I need to walk out and me positive in the mind, look to score and in England you get such value for shots.”In the field, Hazlewood only had to wait until his third over to strike when he trapped Richard Levi lbw, but the Northamptonshire top order put in a solid display. Rob Newton (53) and Josh Cobb (49) added 92 before Marsh and Agar started to make inroads.Alex Wakely also struck a half-century but when he fell to Agar in the 43rd over the lower order couldn’t lift the tempo although an unbroken final-wicket stand of 30 meant the home side batted out their overs.

Experienced wicketkeeper appointed for first seven games of Championship; Mills may require cover during T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2024Sussex have named John Simpson as their captain for the start of the 2024 County Championship, with Tymal Mills set to take charge of the T20 Blast side.Both appointments are slightly provisional in nature, with Simpson inked in for the first seven games of the Championship season in order to get a feel for the demands of the job. And with the Blast set to coincide with the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA – and Mills potentially part of England’s plans – Paul Farbrace, Sussex’s head coach, conceded they might need to “reassess the situation”. Neither player has previous experience of captaincy.Simpson, 35, joined Sussex from Middlesex over the winter and replaces India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who is set to return as an overseas player for the first half of the Championship season.Related

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“John is going to do the first seven games,” Farbrace said, “and the reason that we’ve gone with the first seven games only – and it’s as much his decision as it is ours – is he wants to make sure that he is absolutely the right person to be captain. He also wants to make sure that it allows him to be the player that he wants to be, both as a keeper and a batter.”There’s a natural break after seven games in the Championship, so that fits really nicely.”Mills, 31, recently signed a new contract until the end of the 2026 season and steps up after the departure of Ravi Bopara. “Ty worked extremely closely with Ravi last year, he’s full of experience,” Farbrace said.”There is a chance that he will be selected to play for England, if he is, we will reassess that situation. For now Ty’s going to take on the T20 captaincy role.”I think they’re two excellent choices, they’re two people that really want to do the job. They’re two people with a vast amount of experience and knowledge and they’ve also got a lot of respect within our club, within our dressing room, and people really want to play for them.”Farbrace also suggested that both players “being around the club” during the off-season would help build relationships with the squad and coaches. “I didn’t join until the end of February last year so we had a short run-in to the start of the season, and perhaps it was a little bit ‘This is how we do things, let’s crack on with it’. Whereas now we’ve got a little bit more time, and we’ve had more time since the end of the season, to be more collaborative, more open, a lot more planning and involve a lot more people in discussions for the way forward.”Farbrace added that a decision on whether Tom Haines would continue as captain in the One-Day Cup would be taken closer to the start of the season, with the player currently away on England Lions duty.

Ireland succumb to 48-run loss as rookie England prove too strong in the end

Andrew Miller23-Sep-2023England 334 for 8 (Jacks 94, Hain 89, Dockrell 3-43) beat Ireland 286 (Dockrell 43, Young 40, Rehan 4-54) by 48 runsWill Jacks and Sam Hain provided the ballast with the bat, before Rehan Ahmed served up a touch of class with the ball, as England’s rookies overcame their collective nerves – and George Scrimshaw’s in particular – to seal a comfortable 48-run victory in the second ODI against Ireland at Trent Bridge.With England’s World Cup-bound 15 all absent from this contest – including Joe Root, who had been lined up to play in Wednesday’s wash-out at Headingley but is now resting up with the rest of the squad – the XI that took the field boasted a skinny tally of 48 caps all told, including four debutants. And of those, two in particular will have emerged with indelible memories … most of them good, in the end.For Hain, it was an occasion he must have thought would never come. At the age of 28, his towering List A average – 57.96 across a ten-year career – had for so long seemed inversely proportional to his prospects of breaking into a generationally strong England white-ball set-up. But with the big guns away, he latched onto his chance with a sturdy knock of 89 from 82 balls, as did Jacks at the top of the order, who reinforced the sense that he could be Jason Roy’s long-term heir with a fluent knock of 94 from 88.Between them, the pair topped and tailed a total of 334 for 8 that, while imposing, understandably lacked a degree of cohesion, with no-one quite cutting loose except while Jacks and Phil Salt were briefly running riot in the powerplay.In the end it was ample – and it would have been a vastly more emphatic margin had it not been for a feisty tenth-wicket stand of 55 between Craig Young and Josh Little that again highlighted their opponents’ unavoidable naivety. But, for four agonising overs at the start of their reply, Ireland looked on course to exceed their successful 329-run chase at the Ageas Bowl in 2020, as Scrimshaw endured a bout of stage fright that brought to mind Scott Boswell’s attack of the yips in the 2001 C&G Trophy final.Scrimshaw’s troubles started from his very first delivery. Though he used his 6’7″ frame to pound out a tidy length with a hint of shape away from Andrew Balbirnie, he was pinged by the third umpire for a front-foot no-ball, then overstepped again with his third attempt, with Balbirnie crashing the resultant free hit hard over the covers for four.An anomaly was starting to look like a problem when Scrimshaw overstepped for the third time in the over, and matters reached crisis point when, having thought he’d escaped with no further damage, he was dragged back to bowl a tenth delivery having already taken his cap. Paul Stirling duly belted the ball back past his head for another four to leave Scrimshaw nursing a 17-run debut over, and Zak Crawley, England’s rookie captain, had a significant man-management issue on his hands.George Scrimshaw bagged his second as Lorcan Tucker holed out to midwicket•AFP/Getty Images

To Crawley’s credit, he trusted his bowler to go again, but Ireland sensed a weakness and set about probing it without mercy. With Scrimshaw’s legs turning to jelly, Stirling spanked two fours from his first four legal balls, then butchered an uppercut over extra cover for six as he overstepped for a sixth time in what should have been 11 balls.In between whiles, however, Scrimshaw’s natural attributes continued to pose awkward questions, and finally he got it all just right – a perfect off-stump line with extra bounce to Balbirnie which Ben Duckett scooped up low at slip, a position that a less attack-minded captain than Crawley might have already abandoned.Still there was an anxious wait for confirmation that the delivery was legal, but eventually the all-clear came from on high, and Scrimshaw looked as though he was about to vomit with relief, as even umpire Rod Tucker stepped across to England’s huddle for a congratulatory pat of his shoulder.Either way, his first two overs had still disappeared for 35 to give Ireland a flying start to their chase, but one ball later, Matthew Potts – exuding the air of an old sweat – produced an unplayable nipbacker to ping the top of Stirling’s middle stump, then followed up soon afterwards with the key scalp of Curtis Campher, Ireland’s new No.3.After a short break to collect his thoughts, Scrimshaw returned in the 11th over for a vastly more self-assured spell. He duly bagged his second of an eventful hour, courtesy of Duckett’s flying grab at midwicket as Lorcan Tucker mistimed a pull, and at 103 for 4, Ireland’s innings was on the slide.Thereafter it was over to Rehan, with a mesmeric mid-innings burst of googlies. Cunningly, he had held the delivery back during his wicketless first three overs, but the floodgates opened when Harry Tector miscued the first wrong’un he encountered and Jacks, at mid-off, clung onto a brilliant sprawling catch, running back towards the boundary.Andy McBrine was then done all ends up by a Rehan googly that straightened into his off stump from round the wicket, and one over later Mark Adair had no read on the delivery either, as Rehan pinned him on the knee-roll. Dockrell took some lumps out of his analysis with a brace of lusty sixes, but he too succumbed to the googly for a doughty 43 from 54, as Phil Salt swooped at long-on to make Rehan, at 19 years and 41 days, the youngest England bowler to claim four wickets in an ODI.Rehan Ahmed celebrates with his team-mates after dismissing Andy McBrine•AFP/Getty Images

Rehan’s performance was a reminder of the true value of this contest to England – a chance for the coming men to gain experience, and make their mark ahead of the inevitable rebuild that is looming after the likes of Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid have had their last dance at next month’s World Cup.And from the moment they were asked to bat first, England’s opening exchanges were dominated by two openers with clear designs on a more permanent ODI berth. Salt, somewhat outspoken last week about his place in the pecking order, opened his account with two fours in his first three balls; Jacks trumped that with three in his first four, and for a time thereafter, Ireland looked like being overwhelmed in a typical Trent Bridge-style blizzard of strokeplay.Young’s introduction, however, offered some much-needed order. After signs of swing in his first over, he lured Salt into a loose drive to short cover with the first ball of his second, then nipped one back into Crawley’s pads to trap him for a two-ball duck, the only dampener on his captaincy debut.Jacks then had a life on 44, when Tector at backward point couldn’t cling onto a low chance off McCarthy, but he quickly made Ireland pay with a magnificent launch for six over extra cover off the spin of McBrine, to bring up his fifty from 44 balls.Ireland seemed little more than passive observers as England sauntered through their middle overs at a run a ball, with Jacks and Duckett barely breaking sweat in a stand of 102. But Duckett then knelt into a trademark paddle over fine leg off Dockrell to lob a simple chance to backward square for 48, before Jacks – with a century at his mercy – tried to reach it with one mighty blow and instead found Balbirnie lurking inside the rope to traipse off for 94 from 88.And so it was over to Hain to guide England to the formidable total that their platform had promised. Having waited so long to make an impression, his opening gambit arguably reinforced the reasons why the selectors had tended to look elsewhere. He even played out a maiden from Adair in reaching 1 from his first 11 balls, and was then dropped at point while scuffing a cut off McCarthy.But finally he landed a solid thump for four through long-on to settle his nerves, and thereafter Hain was into his stride, more confident in his interception points as he skittered out of his crease for another pair of meaty blows down the ground, while rocking back for an authoritative cut through point.Brydon Carse, loftily placed at No. 7, kept Hain company in a 63-run stand for the sixth wicket that included a thump for six that sent an elderly gent sprawling for the crowd-catch, and after accelerating with purpose into the closing moments of his innings, a century was just about in Hain’s sights as he lined up for the last six balls of the innings from McCarthy, only for a leading edge to mid-off to end his hopes.Still, he had done the needful to put a hefty score on the board. And despite their stutters, England’s bowlers duly closed out the job – with Scrimshaw, perhaps fittingly putting the seal on the deal with his third wicket of the day, as Little’s run-a-ball 29 ended with a launch to long-on.

Promising young batter moves down the coast to Ageas Bowl for 2024 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2023Ali Orr has become the latest promising young Sussex cricketer to move on from Hove, after agreeing to join Hampshire ahead of the 2024 season, on a multi-year deal.Orr, 22, had been part of the Sussex set-up since the age of ten, and enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022 when he racked up more than 1500 runs in first-class and List A cricket combined, including three Championship centuries and a career-best 206 from 161 balls against Somerset at Taunton in the One-Day Cup.However, his opportunities were limited in 2023, in part due to a knee injury and a subsequent finger dislocation, and with Sussex missing out on promotion in the County Championship and as well as the knock-outs of both limited-overs tournaments, he has chosen to move on.”I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for Hampshire, it is a club I have always followed very closely,” Orr said. “I’m hoping I can contribute to the success of the club moving forward and can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire challenged for silverware across formats in 2023, reaching T20 Finals Day for a record tenth time before losing the One-Day Cup final by two runs to Leicestershire. The club also finished third in the County Championship after memorable victories over both title contenders, Essex and champions Surrey, in their final two games.Giles White, Hampshire Director of Cricket, added: “Ali has had an encouraging start to his career, he’s got a strong desire to win and I think he is an excellent fit for our squad.”During our discussions he impressed me with his determination to challenge himself and improve. He’s stepped outside of his comfort zone to join us and we are all looking forward to welcoming him to Hampshire.”Orr is the latest high-profile player to move on from Hove, following George Garton’s recent decision to quit his childhood club and link up with his former Sussex coach Mark Robinson at Warwickshire.”Sussex Cricket have agreed to the termination of Orr’s contract for him to make the move and will receive compensation from Hampshire for the switch,” a statement from the club read.”Orr had one year remaining on his contract and was seeking to renegotiate the terms with the Club, however with this not possible, he signalled his intentions to move elsewhere.”Everyone at Sussex Cricket would like to wish Ali all the best in his career moving forward.”