Wicketkeeper proud of record stands with Mitchell, but admits team ‘haven’t been quite there’

Matt Roller26-Jun-2022Tom Blundell said that New Zealand have “got to fight” on the final day of the Headingley Test in their bid to avoid a 3-0 whitewash, but retains hope that the pitch deteriorating will help them create eight opportunities and bowl England out with only 113 more runs required to win.Blundell was unbeaten on 88 as New Zealand were bowled out for 326 in their second innings to set England 296, but an unbroken third-wicket stand of 132 runs in 26.5 overs between Ollie Pope and Joe Root has put them on back foot.”This team has been known to fight and we’ve got to come out there and do that tomorrow,” Blundell said. “You put a couple of wickets on there and you just never know. Obviously you’ve got two guys out there in good form but if we get one of those, who knows.”The wicket is deteriorating. A little bit of variable bounce, obviously with the spin as well. It’s quite hard to drive with that older ball. It looks like it’s going to deteriorate even more and hopefully we can utilise that tomorrow.”Blundell will finish the series with three fifties and a hundred to his name and an average of 76.60. He has consolidated his position as BJ Watling’s replacement and shared four century partnerships with Daryl Mitchell, but said that the tour had ultimately been “disappointing” after defeats in the first two Tests.”It’s obviously disappointing: as a group we probably haven’t been quite there,” he said. “Who knows tomorrow. On a personal note, it’s been fantastic to bat with Daryl and have those partnerships, it’s just unfortunate that a couple of results haven’t really gone our way.”Jack Leach, who took his second five-for of the match to complete the first ten-wicket haul of his career, said it had been “amazing to experience and be a part of” the England dressing room throughout the series since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes were appointed as coach and captain respectively.Related

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Leach was due to come in next if a wicket had fallen in the final 20 minutes of the fourth day and joked that Stokes had told him he would be used as a “night-pinch-hitter” rather than a nightwatchman.”It was the longest 20 minutes padded up as nightwatchman,” he told Sky Sports. “I stuck my head out the window and I said, ‘are we still going for this tonight if I get in?’ Stokesy said it’s a night-pinch-hitter now. But no, I would have been trying to survive [until] the morning and then have a swing.”It’s a challenging surface, it’s day four and things are happening, so the way Popey and Rooty especially played there was really good to watch. We’ve got to come back tomorrow and do the good things again but it’s just a positive mentality. You realise how many decisions in cricket are based maybe around negativity.”This new way, if you like, is extremely positive. It feels like in a lot of four or five-day games, you give up on the win quite early in the game, whereas [in this England team] it feels like you’re always pushing for that win. That’s obviously going to be tested – and is being tested now, because we need 100 more on a day-five wicket.”

Hardik Pandya moves to eighth in the allrounders’ list

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2022South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen has achieved his career-best third position in the ICC ODI rankings after his match-winning 134 against England in the first ODI. Van der Dussen now has 796 rating points, with only Babar Azam (892) and Imam-ul-Haq (815) placed higher than him.Among bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah has lost his top spot in ODI rankings to Trent Boult after sitting out of the final match against England with back spasms.Aiden Markram, who also contributed 77 in South Africa’s 62-run victory, jumped 15 places to be No. 61, while David Miller also moved up by one position to be 16th.

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Another batter who gained significantly in the rankings was Rishabh Pant, who scored an unbeaten 125 against England in the final ODI. The wicketkeeper-batter moved 25 slots to be placed 52nd. His team-mate Hardik Pandya, who hit a 55-ball 71 in the same match and picked up six wickets in the series, gained eight spots to occupy 42nd place in the batters’ list and 13 spots to move to eighth in the allrounders’ list. He also moved up 25 places to be 70th among bowlers.Bangladesh batters Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das climbed two spots each to be 17th and 30th, respectively, after Bangladesh’s 3-0 win over West Indies.On the bowling front, apart from Boult reclaiming his top place, his compatriot Matt Henry moved up by a place to be seventh, while Yuzvendra Chahal was up by four spots to be at 16th position. The legspinner ended with seven wickets in three ODIs against England.In the T20I rankings, Glenn Phillips of New Zealand gained five places to reach 30th position, having cracked an unbeaten 69 against Ireland in the first T20I at Belfast while his team-mate and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has climbed 25 slots to be at 40th following his 4 for 14.

“Even playing them in the nets, I can see an improvement. I think they’ll do the job”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jun-2022They may not be as good as Rangana Herath, but they’re better than what they showed against Bangladesh. This was what Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne had to say about his young spinners, on the eve of the first Test against Australia.In their most recent Test series, against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed a paltry three wickets between them. This was across the 196 overs they had delivered in two Tests.Related

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Despite this, Karunaratne suggested Sri Lanka are likely to field three frontline spinners in their XI, in addition to having the offspin of batter Dhananjaya de Silva on hand, for the first Test. Galle’s pitch is expected to turn more than the tracks in Chattogram and Dhaka. And the likes of left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, and offspinner Ramesh Mendis did find success on the surface last year, in the series against England and West Indies respectively.”Our spinners didn’t bowl that well in Bangladesh, but we looked ahead and looked at which series were coming up and prepared for them,” Karunaratne said. “Piyal Wijetunge, our spin-bowling coach, has been working hard with the spinners. Even playing them in the nets, I can see an improvement. I think they’ll do the job we’ll need them to do in the match.Sri Lanka’s success on Australia’s previous trip to the island had been driven by the prowess of Herath, who took 28 wickets at an average of 12.75 in a 3-0 whitewash. Australia had at times been woeful against spin in that series, but Karunaratne expects them to be much improved this time. Australia’s most recent taste of subcontinent conditions had been a three-match tour of Pakistan, which they won 1-0, albeit on flatter tracks than those expected in Galle.Sri Lanka’s young spinners will need to find ways to replicate Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera’s success in their absence•AFP/Getty Images

“Australia have improved a lot. They showed that in the series against Pakistan. In 2016 we had Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. We had experienced spinners. We’ve now got three pretty new spinners in the team. But we know what this pitch will do and how we need to bowl on it. If we do those basics well, we’ll be able to win. There are things we learned in the last series, and a lot of the same players are playing this one as well. I think some of those plans will work out here.”What Rangana did in that series is keep bowling in good areas and make trouble for the batters. If our spinners do that, we’ll be able to ask a lot of questions.”The series won’t be all about spin, however. Reverse-swing frequently plays a role in Galle Tests, and Mitchell Starc had weaponised it to outstanding effect in 2016, when he claimed 11 for 94. With Pat Cummins who is also an excellent reverse-swing operator, Sri Lanka’s batters have a substantial challenge ahead of them, particularly as the Test wears on and the square gets drier.”With the breeze here, reverse is definitely going to be a factor. Mitchell Starc in the previous series took a lot of wickets. We prepared well in the nets. We know we have to play spin well, but then there’s Starc and Pat Cummins as well.”Starc has done really well in these conditions and he knows how to use the crease as well. We have a few plans against him. Most of our players have played against him, so they have the confidence and the experience to play him.”

Davis opened up about his “lonely” experience but said a move to Auckland in the late 1990s helped

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2022Former New Zealand fast bowler Heath Davis has come out as gay. He is the first male international cricketer from his country to do so.In a documentary series for called “Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends”, Davis opened up about his sexuality and the “lonely” experience of living separate lives on and off the field until he moved from Wellington to Auckland.”The first tour to England [in 1994], I was starting to discover myself, was going to a few bars and things privately to see what life was… well, you are on the other side of the world, no one is going to know you,” he said. “I left that part of my life there. There was a lot of that, just keeping your personal life separate.”It was lonely. Going to saunas and seedy places to get sex because you didn’t want to be seen and that sort of stuff. I had systems and people in place where I could talk about these things but I didn’t feel comfortable.”Davis, renowned as one of the fastest bowlers New Zealand has ever produced, but who struggled for control, played five Tests and 11 ODIs between 1994 and 1997. After being dropped by New Zealand for the last time in 1997 following a tour of Australia, Davis opted to move to Auckland.”All the stars aligned to move,” he said. “Everyone in Auckland knew I was gay; in the team it didn’t seem to be that big an issue. Maybe some of the young ones if you’re sharing a room with them or something, but just petty s**t. Things I thought might have been issues weren’t really. I just felt free.”Davis moved to Brisbane in 2004 and in 2009 had to have part of his foot amputated after a forklift truck accident.Overall, in his Test career, he took 17 wickets in five matches with a best of 5 for 63 against Sri Lanka and claimed 11 wickets in ODIs.Former England wicketkeeper Steven Davies became the first male international cricketer to publicly come out as gay in early 2011.

Pollard reiterates demand for another T20 tournament, in addition to the CPL, to “unearth new talent” for West Indies

Deivarayan Muthu31-Aug-2022With Andre Russell joining Trinbago Knight Riders and Nicholas Pooran returning to the line-up, they are dripping with experience and pedigree. With captain Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Colin Munro also in the mix, Knight Riders can stake a claim for being the strongest T20 franchise side in the world. Pollard, though, refused to be drawn into comparisons with other T20 teams on the circuit, and pointed out that big names alone can’t guarantee success.”Yes, I’ve played for a lot of teams with a lot of great players, but obviously, when you look at the team on paper, we have world-class players and a lot of guys who have played around the world,” Pollard said. “Again, to say the strongest and go down that route, I don’t think we are looking at that.Related

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“We are looking at what we can achieve as a team and what we can do on the field as individuals, inclusive of what the team requires, and hopefully, with the experience of everyone, we can bind that together and show some sort of results when the time comes.”For the second time in less than a year, Pollard has called for a regional T20 tournament in addition to the CPL for identifying fresh talent. After West Indies had suffered an early exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Pollard had said that a domestic T20 tournament would help expand their talent pool.”I’ve been advocating it. I’ve said it after the last World Cup campaign as well. That is how a lot of cricketers have been unearthed in the Caribbean – through the local tournaments,” he said. “There is the CPL, which is great for the Caribbean players and great for the viewership as well and great for everybody, but in terms of the development – five overseas players coming and four can play at a time, which leaves seven locals. I don’t think that is enough to see the emerging talent. But, at the end of the day, the franchise owners and sponsors are putting in a lot of money to see good cricket. I don’t think they are just looking at development; they’re looking to be known on the global scene.”So, I’ve said [it before] and I’m going to say it again, yes, I think we need another tournament so we can continue to bridge the gap of getting our players through. 6ixty was a good start, but it’s only ten-over cricket, so guys have to go from ball one. We want to unearth new talent not only for T20 cricket, but for 50 overs and Test cricket as well, so that we can have longevity in the sport and compete at the highest level on a consistent basis.”St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are the defending CPL champions•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Bravo: ‘We can also be a dominant force in the CPL’
After winning CPL 2021 and the inaugural men’s 6ixty, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have now set their sights on defending their CPL title to do a three-peat and establish themselves as a dominant force in the region, their captain Dwayne Bravo said.”Yeah, I’m very excited. Last season I made the decision to leave TKR and try to challenge myself in a different way to keep myself motivated for the game and try and help others develop their game and their cricket,” Bravo said. “I think I made the right decision at the right time and luckily enough, we won the trophy last season, which gave St Kitts & Nevis Patriots their first-ever CPL title. Three days ago, we also won the first ever Universe Boss Trophy.”It’s a good foundation that we started to build, and we started to believe, as a franchise and as a team, that we can also be a dominant force in the CPL and that’s our challenge. That’s our aim and we’re looking forward to defending our title. Not only that, but we also look forward to playing a brand of cricket that entertains fans and makes our franchise owners and the island of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots proud.”Dominic Drakes, who has been Bravo’s project since last season, has grown in leaps and bounds as a T20 allrounder. Bravo is eager to give him the platform to take his game to the next level in the forthcoming CPL and also create a team environment that allows the other players to thrive.Dwayne Bravo played with Dwaine Pretorius in the IPL, and decided to bring him to the Patriots•BCCI

“I’m very impressed with him [Drakes] and very happy with his development in the last 12-18 months. It’s my responsibility to make sure that he doesn’t fall back and keep pushing him and encouraging him,” Bravo said. “Not only Dominic, but so many other players who are involved this season – I want to see Sherfane Rutherford be dominant again. I want to see Evin Lewis follow up from his last season – he was our best player with the bat. Young [Dewald] Brevis… want to calm him down a bit because he has so much talent but sometimes, I think, can be reckless.”Looking forward to seeing my brother [Darren Bravo] get back into some good form – it’s a move for him from TKR as well. I think that change might do well for his cricket and for his career.”Bravo also revealed how he played a role in bringing South Africa allrounder Dwaine Pretorius into the CPL after the IPL, where they played together for Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. Pretorius has a collection of slower balls in his repertoire and often fronts up to bowl the tough overs. Does Bravo see a bit of himself in Pretorius?”Yeah, when I was there in the IPL with him, I asked him if he would be interested in playing CPL and he said ‘yes’. And so straightaway I made a phone call and talked to the owners and got on to his agent and now happy to have him here,” Bravo said. “I’m looking forward to his season because he’s someone very experienced and he’s very eager to learn and obviously, he has international experience, so it’s a good combination to have someone like him who has the experience and is still willing to learn.”

To conduct an open trial in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit, and offer 22 women a one-year developmental contract

Umar Farooq15-Oct-2022Lahore Qalandars has expanded its Player Development Programme (PDP) to include women cricketers, in a bid to expand the playing base in Pakistan. The franchise is set to launch an open trial on October 18 in Lahore, with stints in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit as well, to pick a team of 22 women who will be offered a year-long contract with the aim of nurturing their talent.The model is similar to Qalandars’ men’s PDP, which has been in place since 2016, and has helped to create a production line of players for the PSL and the national circuit, with fast bowler Haris Rauf its biggest success story. For the women’s programme, the Sports Board of Punjab will work in partnership with Qalandars, providing boarding and lodging for the women based in Lahore.Related

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The non-Lahore venues for the trials have been picked specifically to tap into areas beyond the big cities, and areas where women might not easily be able to venture to another city for trials because of the often conservative cultural backgrounds they come from. Gilgit is known for producing Diana Baig a double-international, capped in both cricket and football for Pakistan.The players who are selected will get a one-year scholarship with access to Qalandars’ high-performance programme that takes in physical fitness, nutrition, and awareness of their rights, besides developing cricketing skills. Qalandars have a partnership with Australia’s Big Bash League that sees players who develop well enough through to the league, apart from helping build a player base for Pakistan’s own women’s league which will be inaugurated next March.The women’s game in Pakistan remains by and large in the developmental phase, although over the last few years a few more colleges and universities with grounds have started to play women’s teams. Acceptance for women cricketers has grown in the bigger cities like Lahore and Karachi, but in general there is a still a wider reluctance to let women play the game professionally.For women, the pathway to Pakistan’s senior women’s team had till recently now been unclear, with no lines going down to the grassroots level, meaning a pool of only 30-35 competitive cricketers at the senior level. Women cricketers had two tournaments: three teams each playing the National T20 and ODI Challenge Cups. But the PCB recently launched and conducted a successful Under-19 tournament, with an on the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa next year.

Vince and Billings put up a fight for England but a total of 280 felt very competitive on a surface that was not easy for scoring

Andrew McGlashan19-Nov-2022Steven Smith continued his prolific ODI form, Mitchell Starc gave a reminder of his first-over prowess and Adam Zampa scuttled England’s middle order as Australia wrapped up the series with a convincing 72-run victory in Sydney on Josh Hazlewood’s captaincy debut.Smith’s 94 from 114 balls was the major contribution in Australia’s innings alongside a fluent half-century from Marnus Labuschagne and a more hard-working effort from Mitchell Marsh. England never completely lost control with the ball, largely thanks to Adil Rashid’s three wickets, but a total of 280 felt very competitive on a surface that was not entirely easy for scoring.The target looked much more daunting after just five balls of England’s chase by which time Starc had two wickets to his name. Jason Roy’s struggles did not abate as he gloved down the leg side second ball then Starc produced rapid outswing to firstly beat Dawid Malan twice then take out the off stump with an unplayable delivery.Malan was looking to play to the leg side with an open face but having come off a fine century two days he had the right to feel positive and the ball shaped late and at pace to beat the edge. After Starc’s wicked delivery to remove Roy in Adelaide it was another strong response to his omission late in the T20 World Cup.When Phil Salt was cleaned up by Hazlewood for a counterpunching 23, England were 34 for 3 in the sixth over and in danger of falling away. However, in the latest example of their batting depth James Vince and Sam Billings, who took Ashton Agar for consecutive sixes, constructed excellent fifties in a fourth-wicket stand of 122 in 22 overs which put England back in a position where the target was attainable.But Vince swung across the line at Hazlewood for an umpire’s call lbw then the ever-consistent Zampa made the decisive breakthroughs in the middle order, including Billings for 71, as he claimed 3 for 0 in nine balls and England lost 7 for 52. This time, the batting depth was not enough.Mitchell Starc celebrates taking two in the first over•Getty Images

There had been a surprise before the game when Hazlewood appeared for the toss when Pat Cummins was rested one match into his captaincy tenure. It was a case of change all-round with Moeen Ali also leading England for the first time in ODIs as Jos Buttler took a well-deserved break.Smith and Labuschagne added 101 in 19 overs for the third wicket then Smith and Marsh put on 90 for the fifth after Rashid had knocked Australia back with two wickets in two balls.Smith was not as fluent as two days ago in Adelaide, after which he said it was the best he felt at the crease in six years, but moved into the 90s with a flick for six over backward square leg against Sam Curran. However, attempting to reach his century with another six he picked out long-off against Rashid in the 44th over.Australia’s openers had made a brisk start before Moeen struck with his second ball when David Warner swept to square leg. Travis Head followed three overs later when he fluffed a pull shot to midwicket against Chris Woakes to leave Australia 43 for 2.Labuschagne started positively when he skipped down the pitch to Moeen and lofted him over wide mid-on and generally scored more freely than Smith who struck his first boundary off his 14th ball but did not add another until his 65th when he clubbed David Willey over the leg side.Labuschagne went to a neat 47-ball fifty, which proved the most fluent batting of the innings, and was furious with himself when he toe-ended a sweep against Rashid which looped to mid-off. Rashid struck again next ball when Alex Carey played over the top of a sweep and Billings was very swift to remove the bails with Carey’s foot on the line.The hat-trick delivery was misdirected into Marsh’s pads and alongside Smith the pair rebuilt to give Australia a platform going into the final 10 overs but they were not able to fully capitalise.Marcus Stoinis couldn’t get going in a 14-ball 13 before missing a swing at Woakes and though Marsh, back in the side in place of the rested Cameron Green who had returned to Perth ahead of the Test summer, brought up a 58-ball half-century he couldn’t quite move through the gears. In the end, however, they had more than enough as Australia’s latest ODI captains claimed their first series.

League commissioner hopes the tournament will give more players exposure to the big stage and high-pressure games

Sruthi Ravindranath02-Dec-2022Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher are hopeful that the SA20, South Africa’s new franchise T20 league, will help the national team finally win a World Cup.”I actually thought we had a strong team in this World Cup in Australia, I thought we had a good chance,” Smith, the SA20 commissioner, said at an event in Mumbai. “But obviously disappointed with the way we finished. I think what we want to create in this league is that there’s so much talent – hope we can develop that talent to play under pressure on a global stage.”I know I keep talking about the IPL but you look at the amount of strong cricketers that have come through in the IPL,” Smith said. “Looking at trying to find 15 players, hopefully there’s 25-35 players in the next couple of years at a level where it makes the selectors jobs very, very difficult. Those that are used to playing big games, exposed to big games. Unfortunately South Africa has to deal with these questions all the time until they actually win a tournament.”Related

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South Africa have not won a men’s World Cup in 16 attempts – eight ODI World Cups and eight T20 World Cups. While they have come close in knockout games a number of times, they failed to make the semi-finals in five of the last six ICC white-ball events. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, South Africa lost their last group match to Netherlands and did not progress to the knockouts.Boucher, whose tenure as South Africa head coach ended after the T20 World Cup, said the IPL – where he will now be coaching Mumbai Indians – was one of the reasons for India’s success in world tournaments. India, however, have won just one World Cup – in 2011 – since the IPL began in 2008.”There’s reasons why you’ve got World Cups in your cabinets,” Boucher said, talking about India. “The reason is big stages, guys playing in finals and semi-finals. The more you play those games the better you get. This [SA20] is going to be on the big stage as well. You’re going to see youngsters. Guys are going to be put in situations they’re not used to and that’s going to be exciting to see who comes through. Then once that happens, our coaches and selectors can check and select the guys who are needed for the big moments and the big events.”South Africa’s direct qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup, however, hangs in the balance. They are currently at No. 11 in the Super League with only five matches to go, and need to win at least three to try and finish among the top eight teams that get direct qualification for next year’s World Cup.South Africa have won only five of their 16 Super League matches so far, having forfeited three ODIs in Australia to have all their top players available for the start of the SA20 in January.Graeme Smith, pictured here with Mark Boucher, Yuvraj Singh and Anil Kumble at the SA20 event in Mumbai, stressed on the importance of the league for South African cricket as a whole•PTI

Smith said South Africa had brought this situation upon themselves by playing “bad” cricket, and that CSA had no choice but to prioritise the SA20 at that point. CSA’s chief executive Pholetsi Moseki had also said previously that the board had taken a risk of withdrawing from the series against Australia with an eye on “securing the long-term sustainability of the game” in South Africa.”I think South Africa’s World Cup qualification was bad because they played bad. I mean, they had a lot of time to control that,” Smith said. “I think that this three-ODI cancellation, I actually feel for Cricket South Africa in many ways, because I know the effort that went in to move those three ODIs to open up a window for the league. The league will have a window free of international cricket in South Africa, like the IPL, for a period every year.”Australia never travel on Boxing Day or New Year’s. England are never away from home in their summer. It’s incredible that South African cricket still has decided that they’ll earn zero revenues this year because they’re going to Australia for three Test matches. So, I know that they went out of their way with Cricket Australia to find a way to make those three ODIs work, but it just wasn’t practical, and eventually South African cricket had to make a choice … it was going to start its own league and it needed to give it a chance and make a proper statement that it was going to make a success of it.”South Africa have not played a festive series in Australia since 2008, for the reasons Smith mentioned. Former CSA CEO Gerald Majola negotiated in previous FTPs that South Africa would only tour Australia outside of the Christmas-New Year period to maximise revenue at home. This series was decided in the 2019-2023 FTP, which was drafted in the post-Majola era. Cricket South Africa host only one incoming tour this season, against West Indies, but will launch the SA20 this summer.

He admitted that becoming a three-format player may have contributed to the injury issues

Alex Malcolm18-Dec-2022Injured Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is hoping to make himself available for selection for the Boxing Day Test against South Africa while admitting his repeated side injuries could be the cost of trying to be a three-format fast bowler.Hazlewood has missed Australia’s last two Test matches, including the first Test against South Africa in Brisbane, due to a side strain he suffered during the first Test against West Indies in Perth three weeks ago.Related

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The 31-year-old had a solid bowl in the nets on Sunday and said his chances of being available for Boxing Day were improving by the day.”[My chances are] much better after today’s session,” Hazlewood told . “Went very much according to plan and pushed upwards of 90% for a couple of deliveries. It’s all about the next three or four sessions before that [session on December] 24th and I can really tick it off. Everything is feeling really nice and I’m not noticing the side at all so fingers crossed.”I had a little bowl on Friday back in Sydney and started up off a few steps and pushed back to a half-run on Friday and today went really well. I pushed back to pretty much full run-up and around 85-90% intensity. Everything is ticking along nicely and going according to plan.”The Perth Test was Hazlewood’s first since March and just his third since January 2021. During last summer’s home Ashes series against England. Hazlewood suffered another side strain in the first Test in Brisbane, which was understood to be different from this current injury and missed the final four Tests of the series. He then played the first Test of the Pakistan tour but was left out of the final two Tests and Australia’s next two Tests in Sri Lanka in June and July when Australia selected two spinners.While not playing much Test cricket, Hazlewood has reached No.1 in the world in the T20I bowling rankings this year and become a highly sought-after player in the IPL.He admitted that becoming a three-format player, having dropped out of Australia’s white-ball calculations in 2019-20 before his re-emergence, may have contributed to the injury issues that have seen him play so little Test cricket in the last two years.”It’s been a bit of a frustrating period,” Hazlewood said. “Especially red ball. White ball has been going great. Maybe that’s the cost of playing all three formats and putting all your energy into every game you play. You don’t have that time to build your strength up or workloads up and get ready for a Test match. I might have to look at that and find a way around it somehow.”If he passes his fitness test at Australia’s main training session on December 24, Hazlewood’s availability creates a selection headache for Australia. Scott Boland has continued his outstanding form at Test level as Hazlewood’s replacement in Adelaide and Brisbane picking up seven wickets across the two games to maintain his staggering Test average at just 10.36. Boland will also be returning to his home ground at the MCG on Boxing Day where he has an extraordinary record in first-class cricket and took stunning figures 6 for 7 on Test debut last year against England.Hazlewood was chosen ahead of Boland for the first Test of the summer against West Indies when both men were fit and available and is seen by the selectors as a first-choice Test bowler when fit, given his career record.

Ben Stokes’ focus on “picking his moment” to make his own impact with the ball

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Feb-2023Stuart Broad will return to the England team for Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand after missing the series against Pakistan.Broad, on his fifth tour of New Zealand, sat out the three-match series at the end of 2022 for the birth of his first child, Annabella. With Olly Stone and Matthew Potts also hovering around selection, three seamers were vying for the final bowling spot in the lead-up to the day-night opener on Thursday.Speaking in Mount Maunganui after England’s training session on Tuesday, Ben Stokes confirmed the 36-year-old seamer will pick up his 160th cap.While the nature of the pink ball lent itself to flirting with a horse-for-course approach, with Stone’s extra pace attractive given the lack of sideways movement expected, the captain has gone with what he sees as his best XI.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The way in which we’ve gone about our selections and stuff like that, especially in England and in similarish conditions here, the team we pick – especially with the ball – has the bases all covered, especially in these type of conditions,” Stokes said.Broad will accompany fellow quicks James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, with Jack Leach offering the spin option. Outwardly, the bowling pack have been less than complimentary about the pink Kookaburra that will be used, which moves a little less and feels a little harder than the one they used in the 2021/22 Ashes series.

Stokes confirms bowling fitness

Short balls will have to be utilised during quieter moments, something which puts the onus on Stokes as the allrounder. The skipper did not take part in last week’s warm-up match in Hamilton, and did not bowl at training on Tuesday. However, he confirmed he will be able to play a full part in the match.”We’ve had really good preparation and build-up for this game and, even with the weather, we’ve still been able to train in the tent,” Stokes said. “Everything is good. Bowling-wise, it’s picking the right moment to bowl. I’ve had the last two days off bowling-wise, then will have a trundle tomorrow [Wednesday]. It’s just making sure I get in everything I need to before we start.”The bowling group have been great together. They have been discussing what they feel is working. People like Jimmy and Broady, who have played quite a few of these pink-ball matches, are still coming to terms with it. Some balls swing, some balls don’t, then they will try to bowl the same ball and it will react differently. They have bowled really well together and discussed how they feel is the best way to bowl with the pink ball. In terms of myself, it will be similar to Pakistan, picking the moment when it will be best to get my overs in.”Related

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This series marks the first time this new era team under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have come up against the same team. New Zealand got the first bitter taste of a “New England”, losing 3-0 at the start of the 2022 summer which sparked a run of nine wins out of 10.Though the team are further along in their development, Stokes called back to that series as one which showcased the team’s fighting spirit, beyond their destructive qualities.”That whole series, we were behind the game a lot but we managed to turn each game around completely on its head by the way we went out and did it. We know that we can be dominant but we also know that when we are behind in a game we can turn it around quickly.”New Zealand, meanwhile, were dealt a blow with the news that Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out for the foreseeable future with a suspected back stress-fracture, while Matt Henry will also miss the first Test at Bay Oval as he awaits the birth of his first child. The uncapped duo of Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn have been called into the squad as replacements.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson