With his fifth century of the season – the most by a Gujarat batsman – Priyank Panchal dominated Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Nagpur01-Jan-2017
ScorecardPriyank Panchal is 151 runs shy of overtaking VVS Laxman’s record for most runs in a Ranji Trophy season•Sunny Shinde

On January 1, 2016, Priyank Panchal wrote in his diary – a habit he had inculcated at the age of 19 – “Need to learn to convert starts and not just be happy with 650-700 runs in a season.” On January 1, 2017 his entry could possibly read: “Aim to convert an unbeaten 144 into a double or possibly a triple-century and help Gujarat reach their first-ever Ranji Trophy final.”During the course of his fifth century of the season, the most by a Gujarat batsman, Panchal almost doubled his previous best aggregate of 665 runs in 2015-16. His innings had flair and grit in equal measure and helped Gujarat dominate on a green-tinged surface that belied expectations.As the day progressed, a wearing Jharkhand attack were ground down further by Parthiv Patel’s aggressive 62 in a third-wicket stand of 139 as Gujarat ended day one of the semi-final against Jharkhand on 283 for 3 at Nagpur’s old Civil Lines ground.During the course of his 252-ball vigil, Panchal also displaced Wasim Jaffer from fourth position in the list of highest run-getters in a Ranji season. With potentially another day’s batting and at least one more innings to come, the record books could have a fresh entry at the top. Panchal is only 151 runs short of VVS Laxman’s all-time record of 1415, achieved in 1999-2000.Jharkhand, without the injured Ashish Kumar, their best fast bowler this season, struggled for rhythm with the new ball. Waywardness in the first six overs, where six boundaries flowed, set the tone. Panchal began with two nonchalant flicks for four in the second over, off Vikash Singh, and his opening partner Samit Gohel, who made a record-breaking, unbeaten 359 in his previous innings, drove Ajay Yadav confidently at the other end.It took the introduction of Rahul Shukla, who impressed with deceptive pace and accuracy, to stall Gujarat. He hit Panchal on the box, induced an edge that flew past third slip and then beat him with a superb outswinger. Jharkhand finally broke through in the 19th over as Gohel jabbed at a length ball from Vikash to gully where Virat Singh completed a fine, low catch.Panchal, at the other end, was unaffected. So confident was he in his abilities that he played the cut shot even with two points in place. So good was his timing that he beat the man in the deep thrice. He got eight of his 21 fours with the cut shot. Panchal showed proper technique against the bouncers too – dropping his wrists and swaying out of the way or fully ducking under them with the bat nice and low. He did get in trouble when he stabbed at short balls away from the body and if Nagpur had provided a two-paced pitch, he may have been surprised by the one that reared up. But on this true-paced pitch, he was able to adjust. Still Jharkhand could have dismissed Panchal for 110 in the 59th over, but Ishank Jaggi gave him a reprieve.Gujarat’s No. 3 Bhargav Merai, as he’s often done this season, got off to a solid start but wasted it when he was caught behind off Vikash for 39. The delivery was good, but the catch even better – Ishan Kishan took a step or two to his right before diving full length to take the ball, one-handed and in front of first slip. Gujarat were 127 for 2 but with little support for Vikash from the other fast bowlers, Jharkhand’s hopes of building on that wicket were on left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who is also the season’s highest wicket-taker. However, there was hardly any turn for him on a surface where the ball slid on nicely. Parthiv’s swift footwork – both forward and back – made life even tougher for Nadeem, who toiled over 25 wicketless overs.Shortly before stumps Kaushal Singh, the part-time offspinner, got one to straighten from around the stumps to trap Parthiv lbw after a stylish half-century. But Manprit Juneja and Panchal saw off the final 45 minutes of play and Gujarat took the honours on New Year’s day.

England captain Eoin Morgan says his bowlers were badly let down by their batsmen after a collapse of 8 for 8 sealed a 75-run defeat to India in the third T20I at Bangalore

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore01-Feb-20171:30

‘We fell away terribly towards the end’ – Morgan

England lost 10 for 83 in the last innings in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. They lost 5 for 70 in the first innings in the third Test in Mohali. They lost 7 for 54 in their second innings in the fourth Test in Mumbai. The visitors then suffered a more cataclysmic fall in their second innings in the fifth Test in Chennai, losing 10 for 104 after piling on 477 in their first dig.The limited-overs players then roused the side from its gloom after Christmas, pushing India in 50-over cricket and proceeded to go 1-0 up in the subsequent T20 series. England were then at the receiving end of two incorrect umpiring decisions and lost the second T20. In the series decider in Bangalore, they unravelled dramatically against legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left to head home empty-handed.England experienced a fair share of collapses on this gruelling tour, but losing 8 for 8 on Wednesday night was as chaotic as it could get. Their breezy start to the chase – they were 119 for 2 in the 14th over in pursuit of 203 – starkly contrasted with what was to follow. The two set batsmen – Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan – were dismissed by Chahal in successive balls and England eventually suffered the second-worst eight-wicket collapse in international cricket to be rolled over for 127 with 21 balls to spare in their innings.England captain Eoin Morgan cut a sorry figure at the post-match press conference, but did not mince any words about his team’s batting performance.”It does hurt. Very disappointing,” Morgan said. “Maybe 60% of the game we were competitive and right in amongst it but fell away terribly in the end. Committed a cardinal sin of losing two in-players in one over and allowed India to build a little bit of pressure and we weren’t up to it at all.”So what really went wrong in the middle?”I can’t put a finger on it. We haven’t produced a batting performance as bad as that in two or two-and-a-half years,” Morgan said. “We pride ourselves on our batting, it has been a strong suit for a long time but this series our bowlers have outperformed our batsmen I think.”Morgan, who had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore for a season in the IPL in 2010, believed that England were on track to exploit the flat surface and the short boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at the halfway mark of the chase. Root bedded himself in, and Morgan himself hinted at hitting full tilt with three sixes from Suresh Raina’s part-time offbreaks in three balls during the 12th over.”I thought we were going quite well,” Morgan said. “A majority of the runs at this ground are always scored in the last 10 overs. Bangalore have done it extremely well for a long period of time and India did well today. So, I think we needed 110 [sic 117] off the last 10 maybe with eight wickets in the shed.”Morgan said that England could have chased the target down had he or Root kicked on with contributions from the lower-middle order.”If a better performance from either me or Joe – a 70 or 80 from me or him and if the two of us seeing off – and a couple of guys batting around us could have made a huge difference,” Morgan said.England’s sharp nosedive began with Morgan galloping down the track, fetching a slog-sweep from outside off and skying a wrong’un to deep midwicket. He backed his intent but blamed the execution for the dismissal.”It wasn’t necessarily a big shot,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t executed that well, I didn’t mean to hit it in the air. The ball – it was a googly – held up a little bit. I wanted to hit down the ground, but hit it squarer.”Morgan also conceded that losing a close ODI series “hurt” more than losing the T20 series, but was confident of recovering from the setbacks.”We had performances in the one-day series that were potentially worthy of winning,” he said. “In this series probably the last game [in Nagpur] hurt us more. The game got away from us, we should have won. Today we underperformed and we weren’t good enough.”I don’t think [there will be a lingering feeling]. If there was a consistent run of performances like that it would hurt to fail again. But like I said, our batting has been outstanding for a long time and tonight it wasn’t anywhere near as it should be.”

M Vijay, who missed the Bengaluru Test with a shoulder injury, kept his place in a 15-man squad chosen for the final two matches against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2017M Vijay, the India opener, has kept his place in the squad for the final two Tests against Australia. He had picked up an injury to his left shoulder while fielding in Pune and had to miss the Bengaluru Test, but with a week left until the start of the next one in Ranchi, he appears to have time to recover and become the 29th Indian to 50 Test caps.

India squad

Virat Kohli (capt), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav
Out: Hardik Pandya

Allrounder Hardik Pandya, who has shoulder troubles of his own, was the only player to be cut from the 16-man squad chosen at the start of the tour.Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami, who have recovered from protracted thigh and knee problems respectively, have played List A cricket over the past week but they are yet to prove their fitness over the course of a first-class match; that could perhaps be the reason they have not been picked here.Head coach Anil Kumble had stressed on a protocol by which first-choice picks could walk back into the XI after injury provided they play the same format in domestic cricket and prove their fitness. Rohit made 4 and 16 for Mumbai in one-day cricket while Shami picked up 0 for 36 for Bengal and practiced with the Indian team at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, though he mostly bowled off a short run-up.India retained Abhinav Mukund as the third opener despite his underwhelming returns in the second Test; he made 0 and 16 in his first international game in over five years. The extra opener is especially needed given the recent niggles for their top-order batsmen – apart from Vijay’s injury, Rahul’s left shoulder caused him some concern in Pune and Cheteshwar Pujara said he had to fight a sore neck during his match-winning 92 in Bengaluru.India’s bowling line-up was unchanged. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuneshwar Kumar were the seamers. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, both No. 1 on the ICC rankings for Test bowlers, led the spin department which also includes offspinner Jayant Yadav and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.The series is square at 1-1 and is set to resume on March 16 with the first Test ever to be played in Ranchi. Then Dharamsala makes its debut on March 25.

English legspinner Mason Crane and fast bowler Trent Copeland were also among the wickets for New South Wales on the opening day

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2017
ScorecardPat Cummins dismissed Sam Raphael and Jake Lehmann on the first day•Getty Images

Pat Cummins claimed two wickets for New South Wales in his first Sheffield Shield appearance since 2011 but Callum Ferguson held South Australia’s first innings together on a rain-blighted opening day at the SCG.Overcast skies and a green-tinged pitch expected to spin later made it a tricky decision at the toss and, after South Australia captain Travis Head chose to bat, Trent Copeland was quickly into rhythm to claim Jake Weatherald lbw in the second over of the morning.Cummins followed up by defeating Sam Raphael, and when Copeland accounted for Head, the Redbacks were in some trouble. However Ferguson formed a series of useful stands with Jake Lehmann, Tom Cooper and finally the wicketkeeper Alex Carey to frustrate the Blues, even as Cummins added a second wicket to his day.The English legspinner Mason Crane deceived Cooper to fetch a wicket on his debut for NSW. The hosts must win the match outright to remain in contention for the Shield final.

Titans won the Momentum One Day Cup in Centurion after amassing a score of 425 to hand Warriors a 236-run defeat in the final

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2017Emphatic centuries from Titans‘ openers Aiden Markram and Henry Davids handed Warriors a 236-run drubbing in the final of the Momentum One Day Cup at SuperSport Park in Centurion. A record opening stand of 212 propelled Titans to 425 for 5 – the highest total in the history of South African franchise cricket – before Warriors were bowled out in 31 overs.Having elected to bat, Titans raced to 100 in 16.2 overs, as Markram peppered eight fours and two sixes to bring up his century off 96 balls. In the next 27 deliveries he faced, the 22-year-old cleared the boundary five more times and clobbered three more fours to register his second-highest score in the tournament (161), after his 183 against Lions in Johannesburg. Davids, who finished the competition as the leading run-scorer with 673 runs at 84.12, joined in the run-fest with a fluent 98-ball 114 – studded with 13 fours and four sixes – in what was his third century and sixth 50-plus knock in eight innings.Once Warriors captain JJ Smuts broke the stand with Davids’ dismissal in the 30th over, wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen – a late replacement for AB de Villiers, who pulled out due to a back injury – sustained the onslaught with a 50-ball 60, before Chris Morris plundered six sixes and a four to inflict a final salvo with an unbeaten 47 off only 12 balls. Heino Kuhn and Morris added 52 for the sixth wicket in the final 2.2 overs, helping Titans post a total in excess of 400 for the third time this season.Of the eight bowlers used by Warriors, Smuts was the only one to leak less than seven runs an over. Anrich Nortje took the bulk of the beating, conceding 62 in six overs despite having picked up two wickets.The fate of Warriors’ massive chase depended heavily on strong starts from openers Smuts and Gihahn Clote – the side’s top two scorers in the tournament. But an early strike from Morris (2 for 41) set them back, as he bowled Cloete (3) in the second over of the innings. Lungi Ngidi’s subsequent double-strike off successive overs accounted for Colin Ingram (1) and Smuts (13), reducing the opposition to 22 for 3 in the fifth over. While Warriors failed to recover thereon, only Jerry Nqolo (40) offered any resistance before falling to Markram (1 for 7), who was named the Player of the Match. Junior Dala further dented Warriors’ chances with two wickets, taking his tournament tally to 16 – joint with Robbie Frylinck and Shadley van Schalkwyk at the top – before Tabraiz Shamsi’s treble closed out the game, skittling Warriors for 189.

Rising Pune Supergiant are a win away from securing a playoff berth, but they’ll have to do it without Imran Tahir

The Preview by Shashank Kishore11-May-2017

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Rising Pune Supergiant
New Delhi, May 12, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:41

Hogg: Zampa can match Tahir on economy, not wickets

Head to head

Rising Pune Supergiant lead 2-1, with both their wins coming last season. In their first exchange this season, Delhi Daredevils were powered by a maiden T20 hundred from Sanju Samson and a blistering unbeaten 38, off just nine balls, from Chris Morris that helped them win by 97 runs after scoring 205.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): beat Gujarat Lions by two wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 146 runs, beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets
Rising Pune Supergiant (third): beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Gujarat Lions by five wickets

In the news

Pune will be without Imran Tahir and Faf du Plessis. The pair left for a preparatory camp in South Africa ahead of a limited-overs series in England before the Champions Trophy. Adam Zampa, the Australia legspinner, is likely to slot in for Tahir.Daredevils have a quick turnaround of little under 48 hours since their game against Gujarat Lions. Already without Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Angelo Mathews, who have left for national duty, they are unlikely to tweak their XI barring injuries.

Qualification scenario

Pune are on 16 points, but aren’t entirely safe because of an inferior net run rate. They need to win at least one of their two remaining games to guarantee qualification to the playoffs. Should they lose both, and Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers win their remaining matches, Pune will be knocked out. Unless Kolkata Knight Riders lose their final game, Pune will need to win both their remaining games to finish in a coveted top-two spot.

The likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Zaheer Khan (capt)Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa

Strategy punt

Zampa has dismissed Samson twice in the two games he has played against Daredevils. Considering Samson’s strike rate drops to the 130s against spin as compared to 150 against pace, there’s perhaps a case of Pune opening with Zampa or even Washington Sundar, the offspinner.

Stats that matter

• Rahul Tripathi is the second-highest scorer in the Powerplays this season, just 12 runs behind David Warner’s tally of 264 runs. Tripathi has been striking at 170.27 in the first six overs.
• Among the 26 seamers who have bowled 20 or more overs this season, only two – Andrew Tye and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – have better economy rates than Christian’s 7.25.
• Prior to the ongoing season, Amit Mishra has an economy of 7.23. This season he has conceded 8.57 runs an over, his second-worst since 2014 when he went at 8.92.
• Daredevils are among three teams who have taken 66 wickets, the fewest this season. Their economy of 8.77 is the second-worst among all teams in IPL 2017.
• Tahir is he second-highest wicket-taker this season with 18 wickets at 20.50. He has bowled 47 overs in 12 games. Only Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have bowled more overs. Zampa, who could replace Tahir, has played just two games this season.

Both India and West Indies have had on- and off-field issues of late. The visitors are still favourites, provided their batsmen adjust to the slow, low Caribbean tracks

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro22-Jun-2017

Match Facts

June 23, 2017
Start time 0900 local (1300 GMT)

Big Picture

Take out India’s 20-7 win-loss record since the start of their home season last year, and you have a team on very shaky ground. Misunderstandings between captain and coach which led to the coach quitting even as the squad was mid-flight to the Caribbean, a thumping in a very high-profile global final just last weekend, and two middle-order superstars on the wane.West Indies, in the past few years, have seen coaches sacked and players banned. Successes have been scarce – they have won two of nine ODIs this year, and slumped to ninth on the ICC ODI rankings. Both teams’ mindset off the field must be rather similar. Except, they aren’t.The negative forces currently surrounding India are strong enough to destabilise any team, but winning is the most impactful nullifying factor in sports. Despite their issues, in terms of personnel, skills, confidence and form, India have the edge, no doubt. They just made the final of the Champions Trophy; West Indies did not qualify for the Champions Trophy, and while it was in progress they lost an ODI to Afghanistan at home.In the five-match series against West Indies, India’s biggest stumbling block could be the slow nature of the Caribbean pitches. Apart from the occasional turner, India have played their ODI cricket on predominantly high run-scoring surfaces. They last played an ODI in the West Indies four years ago. Here, hitting through the ball or swinging across the line may not be viable options. Instead, opening the face of the bat late and nudging accurate bowling into gaps could be the best alternatives. How effectively will India adapt?West Indies have honed their ODI cricket on such surfaces in the recent past. The lower the scores, the higher are West Indies’ chances. A series win against India is a must as they aim to climb the rankings and get direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
India LWWLW

In the spotlight

Spinning allrounders may be the most productive asset on low, slow pitches. West Indies picked Roston Chase for the series against Afghanistan, albeit on Test form. He didn’t quite deliver, but still has the best resume for the job. A quick, flat and accurate modus operandi with the ball is well supplemented by his boundary-hitting ability.Virat Kohli will be pleased to get back on the field, given the distractions off it. Fingers have been pointed and focus was temporarily shifted away from the game. All eyes will be on how Kohli leads his team in the wake of the biggest controversy of his captaincy tenure. He is also India’s best and most capable batsman in challenging conditions. A determined Kohli is not what West Indies will want to come up against.

Team news

With Shannon Gabriel unavailable due to injury, West Indies named an unchanged 13-man squad for the first two ODIs. Fast bowler Kesrick Williams and legspinner Devendra Bishoo may miss out.West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Jonathan Carter, 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Miguel CumminsRohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are the two exclusions from India’s squad from the Champions Trophy. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were picked in their place, but they may not make the XI initially. Ajinkya Rahane is likely to take Rohit’s opening spot, and Umesh Yadav could be brought in for Bumrah.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

In the three T20s played between West Indies and Pakistan at the Queen’s Park Oval – the venue for the first two ODIs – earlier this year, the highest score was 138 for 3 in a successful chase. Run-making is unlikely to get any easier, which could mean both teams’ batsmen face a trial of slow bowling. There is no rain forecast.

Stats and trivia

• The previous ODI played at Queen’s Park Oval was between India and Sri Lanka in 2013
• India have lost three of their last four away ODIs against West Indies

Quotes

“We see [Rahane] more powerful at the opening slot and that’s where he can play his game the best, so during the course of all these five games, Ajinkya will definitely open with Shikhar.”
Virat Kohli

South Africa wrapped up England’s innings midway through the afternoon session on the fourth day, leaving themselves a target of 331 to win the first Test

The Report by Alan Gardner09-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:15

‘Moeen at his best when he is aggressive’ – Root

Do you remember the first time? Joe Root certainly will after England swept South Africa aside to mark his captaincy debut with a crushing victory as 19 wickets fell in a day at Lord’s. Moeen Ali, taking full licence of the attacking brief given to him by Root, ran through a mesmerised South Africa batting order to claim 6 for 53 on the way to a maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests.Having been set 331 to win the first Test, with almost 150 overs in which to get them, South Africa were unable to even take the match into a fifth day. With the pitch offering appreciable assistance for the spin of Moeen and Liam Dawson, they subsided to 119 all out in 36.4 overs, with Temba Bavuma’s 41-ball 21 providing the most prolonged resistance. Faf du Plessis, looking on from the balcony having returned to lead the team at Trent Bridge next week, was left with much to ponder.

England unchanged for Trent Bridge

England have named an unchanged squad for Friday’s second Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge, in the wake of their 211-run victory at Lord’s.
“I didn’t know what to expect but what was pleasing was everything I asked of the lads they were very open to do and responded to it,” Joe Root, England’s captain, said.
“I wanted us to be proactive, to stay ahead of the game and when there was an opportunity, to take responsibility. Everyone at certain points did that and it can’t be a bad thing moving forward.”
Squad Joe Root (capt), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Toby Roland-Jones.

South Africa were in trouble early in their innings, going to tea on 25 for 3, with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock their main hope of giving Root and England a fright. Only once had a team chased as many in the fourth innings to win a Lord’s Test, though Root may have recalled for a moment the occasion when he filled in as Yorkshire captain in 2014 and saw Middlesex ease to a target of 472 three wickets down on this ground.That gained him the nickname “craptain” in the Yorkshire dressing room, but it looks like England will have to come up with something more generous. In truth, Root did not have to resort to much in the way of tactical genius, as his two spinners bowled in tandem for 24 overs to finish off South Africa with time to spare on another sun-drenched evening in north London. South Africa had not lost a Test at Lord’s since 1960 but they broke that record in style.It meant their fightback during the first half of the day, when they claimed England’s last nine wickets for the addition of 114 runs became a distant memory. It could have been better still but Jonny Bairstow, who scored a vital half-century, was dropped on 7 as South Africa replicated the mistakes that were so costly to their chances in the first innings.After James Anderson had made the initial breakthrough, Heino Kuhn removed via a fine, diving catch from Bairstow down the leg side, Moeen picked up his first wicket when he brilliantly held a reflex return catch off Dean Elgar. South Africa’s stand-in captain must have feared the worst at that moment, and their fortunes sunk further when JP Duminy pulled Mark Wood straight to midwicket on the brink of tea.Moeen Ali celebrates his five-wicket haul as South Africa are rolled aside at Lord’s•Getty Images

The selection of Dawson, who made a pair with the bat, was not widely lauded beforehand but he delivered for Root when he plucked out the key wicket of Amla shortly after the interval. Moeen’s first four overs were maidens, bottling up South Africa from the Nursery End, and Dawson then produced a ripping delivery that pitched on middle and leg, spun past the groping bat and hit the back leg in front of off; Amla reviewed but in vain.De Kock and Bavuma dug in for more than 10 overs, lifting the score from 28 for 4 with a 36-run stand, but an increasingly confident England had Mo-mentum on their side. When de Kock tried to relieve some of the pressure by pulling, he only succeeded in dragging the ball into his front leg, from where it fizzed back into his stumps.Bavuma also fell trying to force an attacking shot to break England’s chokehold, a precise delivery hitting the top of off, and Moeen then had Theunis de Bruyn caught at slip and Keshav Maharaj bowled off an inside edge to record his maiden Test ten-for. Having contributed 87 to the first-innings total of 458, he became the first England player to score a fifty and take ten wickets in a Test since Ian Botham in 1980.Botham-like heroics will help keep most Test captains feeling chipper and, following his first-innings 190, Root could reflect on a perfect start to his tenure. It had been a slightly bumpier beginning to the day, however, as England lost nine wickets in 36.1 overs – though the consolation for Root was that the procession of batsmen returning to join him in the dressing room could attest to the increasing difficulty of the pitch.Bairstow was last man out, stumped off Maharaj, the spinner’s four-wicket haul a harbinger of what was to come. At lunch, England’s lead had been 279 but Bairstow and Wood scraped together valuable extra runs during a brisk ninth-wicket stand of 45. Apart from Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance, who added 10 and 11 respectively to their overnight scores, no other England batsmen managed to get into double-figures on the day.Maharaj might have removed Bairstow right at the start of his innings, only for Vernon Philander, who was fit to bowl after injuring his hand batting on the third day, to drop a simple catch at long-off. Maharaj claimed three of the seven wickets to fall in the first session, amid increasing signs of the pitch breaking up. The dismissal of Cook for 69, caught at cover attempting to lift the scoring, precipitated an England collapse of 4 for 10 in 39 balls – which would have been 5 for 19 had Bairstow’s offering been held.The evidence of the first over of the morning was that the Lord’s baize was by now a little rumpled. At least two deliveries from Philander kept low before the last jumped to hit Ballance on the glove. When Maharaj came into the attack shortly before the hour mark, the first ball of his second over went directly to slip out of the rough; the same over concluded with Root being bowled by one that didn’t turn.Cook and Ballance picked up initially in much the same mood as they guided England to the close on the third evening, a couple of tugboats towing their barge along the Thames. They had added a boundary apiece, taking their partnership to 59, before Cook suddenly weighed anchor and drove aerially into the covers, where Bavuma snaffled a sharp, diving catch.Morne Morkel continued his impressive Test by having Ballance caught behind with another exacting delivery that straightened from round the wicket and England slide’s continued with the dismissal of Root for 5 in the following over. Having seen Maharaj spin the ball sharply, Root swept a boundary but was then caught playing back and got an inside-edge on to his stumps.Ben Stokes did not have much time for reconnaissance, pinned lbw for 1 by a delivery that shot through low from Rabada. Stokes started walking as soon as it hit him, while Rabada – suspended for the next Test due to his outburst after dismissing Stokes in the first innings – kept his counsel. That left England 149 for 5 and it ought to have been 158 for 6 when Bairstow lofted Maharaj towards Philander, only for the fielder to drop it on to the rope. He gestured towards the skies, seeming to suggest that Spidercam had distracted him – but little could excuse the scale of South Africa’s defeat.

The 27-year old has been diagnosed with pneumonia; Rangana Herath likely to lead

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2017Dinesh Chandimal, the newly-appointed Sri Lanka Test captain, will miss at least the first Test against India after contracting pneumonia. Rangana Herath, who captained Sri Lanka in four Tests in the 2016-17 season, will lead the side in Galle, in Chandimal’s stead.”We were actually only told late last night – the blood Test came a bit late. He’s got pneumonia,” Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka’s cricket manager, said of Chandimal on Friday. “He was admitted to hospital this morning at 9am, and he’s definitely out of the first Test.”The doctors have advised us this morning to say: ‘Finish the first Test’ and they’ll advise us afterwards. If they tell us he needs another week to recover, that’s it. We can’t do anything. He had started feeling unwell on Tuesday after the Zimbabwe Test, but we never suspected it would be anything like pneumonia.” Chandimal has, however, been cleared of dengue, which has been rife in Sri Lanka over the past few months.His absence is a significant blow to the team, not just because Chandimal is captain, but also as he is part of a relatively settled top order. In addition, Chandimal will have had fond memories of the most recent India Test in Galle, where his rapid 162 not out helped overturn a first-innings deficit of 193.Although limited-overs captain Upul Tharanga is in the side, Herath’s experience has landed him stand-in captaincy. Herath most recently led the Test side in the 1-1 draw against Bangladesh, in March.”Most probably the captain is going to be Rangana, because for now it’s just one Test, and he has done the job before,” Gurusinha said.The news is slightly better for Sri Lanka elsewhere on the injury front. Asela Gunaratne, who had experienced tightness in the hamstring during the Zimbabwe Test, is likely to be available for the match. “He’s good – we got the green light from the physio this morning, but we’ll still have to put him through his paces over the next few days,” Gurusinha said. “Asela is a very resilient guy. Very tough.”Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who had also missed the Zimbabwe Test also with a hamstring injury, has recovered sufficiently to be named in the squad Gurusinha confirmed. The full squad is expected to be announced late on Friday.

Jason Roy’s reputation is markedly higher than his red-ball average, but for once those worlds collided at Kia Oval in a tight London derby

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Kia Oval29-Aug-2017Jason Roy led Surrey’s response•Getty Images

A young Surrey side spurned the opportunity to run rings around a Middlesex XI that creaked in the field on day two of a match that is still anyone’s when it really should be theirs. It may be putting too fine a point on it, but what sprightly exuberance the hosts displayed on day one to fight for every run in the field was countered by a batting display that began well and lost concentration as it went on. The wise heads accompanying James Franklin in the field managed enough of the game to ensure it was rarely beyond them.Dismissing Middlesex inside 85-overs gave Surrey the luxury of batting at their own pace. Even with the loss of both openers, they began day two at their leisure: 69 runs scored in the entirety of the morning session, for the loss of just Scott Borthwick, edging Steven Finn behind, 10-minutes before lunch. The bulk of those runs came from Nightwatchman Stuart Meaker: booed for turning down runs the night before, was egged on after every boundary – three in a row were taken off Toby Roland-Jones – on his way to a more than useful 42.Time was the real currency, here. Surrey’s batting card had a club cricket quality to it: wiser heads dotted in and amongst the younger kids. Experienced spread about like policemen on street corners, making sure everyone ticked along nicely. When the peace needed to be disturbed, Surrey had just the men for it.An older ball in the second session was flayed around, as Jason Roy and Ben Foakes made use of a slow pitch and a frustrated Middlesex attack, helping to put on 149 between lunch and tea. Naturally, England thoughts crept in. It doesn’t take much at a county match for home fans to plug their own, especially when England are rattling through players like disposable razors.In Roy, Surrey have a player who seems to command a Test place in newspaper columns rather than in his work against the red ball. For 91 balls, those two worlds collided.In at four, he got off the mark with a cut off Finn through point. As scoring became tougher, he knuckled down, picking off singles at will. He didn’t have to battle, but he did have to grind. Then, when he was 36 from 48 balls, he decided it was time to kick things up a gear and smashed Ollie Rayner into the Pavilion two balls in a row to move to 48 from 50. The half-century came up eight balls later. Thing is, it was only his second half-century of the season – albeit a season in which he has been limited to just five innings so far through white ball commitments with the IPL and England.Once that was in the bag, Roy stepped aside for Foakes, who had played it cool for the most part, contributing 35 of their century partnership. Foakes was 33 from 82 balls before making his move: a brace of fours off Finn, one off Roland-Jones helping him to 50 from 94 balls.From this point on, it really should have been a tale of two men reaching their first Championship centuries of the season. Instead, the story to tell is of an advantage spurned. When Roy had a brain fade and failed to clear mid off against Adam Voges’ passable left-arm spin, and Foakes was trapped in front by James Franklin, it sent about a cascade of wickets that saw Surrey’s secure a first innings lead of just 33.The final four wickets would fall for just 49 runs, the last four with the new ball: Roland-Jones finishing with four for 66 and Tim Murtagh bagging his first two of the match. All the hard work of the fifth wicket stand between Roy and Foakes should have turned the match. In the end, it reads as a flashy 125 that simply got the game back to square one, with honours just about even.At stumps, brought about by bad light, Middlesex were just 18 behind, Sam Robson and Nick Compton still in tact, with weather expected to play some part on day three. For the second evening in a row, they leave the happier despite Surrey having controlled most of the preceding play.