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R Ashwin consolidates top spot in bowling rankings, while Ravindra Jadeja moves up to No. 7 on that list

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2023Following a century in the Dominica Test, India captain Rohit Sharma is back in the top ten of the ICC’s Test batting rankings. Rohit, who made 103 in India’s massive innings win over West Indies, is now the the highest ranked Indian on the table, having pushed his team-mate Rishabh Pant down a place into 11th. Pant has not played any cricket in 2023, as he is still recovering from the injuries sustained in a serious car accident on December 30.Virat Kohli remained static at No. 14 in the latest update to the rankings. Kane Williamson, himself recovering from knee surgery after rupturing his ACL ligament during the IPL in March, remains at the top of the Test batters’ list.Rohit’s Dominica century had come in an opening stand of 229 with debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 171 to be named Player of the Match. That performance saw Jaiswal enter the rankings at 73rd spot.On the bowling front, Ravindra Jadeja, who took five in the match, moved up three places to No. 7. He remains No. 1 in the allrounders’ rankings, while his spin partner R Ashwin firmed up his spot at No. 1 in the bowling list with a match haul of 12 for 131 (his fourth-best match figures overall).

South African batter available for both Championship and Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2022Middlesex have signed Pieter Malan, the South African top-order batter, as a replacement for Peter Handscomb, who left the club after their win against Durham.Malan, 32, played three Tests against England in 2019-20 and was part of Warwickshire’s County Championship-winning side last summer, averaging 37.66 across his six appearances for them.He will be available to play in the Championship and the Royal London Cup, with Jason Behrendroff, Chris Green and Mujeeb Ur Rahman splitting the club’s two overseas slots for the T20 Blast.”I’m very excited to be joining Middlesex,” Malan said. “They are without a doubt one of the most prestigious counties and being based at Lord’s makes this an incredible opportunity that I’m hoping to grab with both hands.”Related

• Can the Blast still thrive in the world of the Hundred?

• Wright captains ESPNcricinfo's all-time T20 Blast XI

• Roland-Jones claims six more as Middlesex defeat Durham

• Handscomb to leave Middlesex with immediate effect

• Behrendorff, Green join Middlesex as Shaheen, Mujeeb bow out

“We are thrilled to have secured Pieter’s signature for the rest of this season,” Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s head of performance, said. “He will add a huge amount of experience and quality to our batting ranks. As a batter he is vastly experienced, will be a real asset to the dressing room, and we can’t wait to welcome him into the club.”Handscomb left the club early in order to join up with the Australia A squad in Sri Lanka and will return home after on parental leave for the birth of his first child. Tim Murtagh will take over as captain in 50-over and four-day cricket.”I’m a little bit disappointed with how I’ve gone over here with the bat,” he told Middlesex’s YouTube channel. “I set high standards and it’s quite obvious that I didn’t quite make the runs that I wanted to make over here but it’s great to see the way they’re going about it.”

MPL’s deal will stretch up to December 2023, and include the BCCI’s men’s, women’s and Under-19 teams

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2020Nike’s 15-year association with the BCCI officially ended on Tuesday with the board awarding the kit sponsorship rights for the next three years to MPL Sports, an e-sports platform.MPL’s deal will stretch up to December 2023, during which the Indian teams are slated to feature in a total of three T20 World Cups (men’s and women’s), two 50-over World Cups (men’s and women’s), one Under-19 World Cup (men) and – if the men’s team qualifies for it – one ICC World Test Championship final, apart from regular bilateral cricket.The announcement came after Nike decided against renewing their deal worth INR 370 crore (US$ 50 million) a year, which they signed in 2016.Owing to the Covid-19-induced lockdown and absence of cricket, Nike is believed to have asked for an extension to its four-year contract or a renewal at a discounted price when their deal was up for renewal in September. Subsequently, the BCCI floated a fresh tender, reportedly in the interest of fairness to other prospective sponsors.During the pandemic, the BCCI has had to cut short South Africa’s tour of India and cancel the Asia Cup and tours to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for the men’s team. The women’s team hasn’t played international cricket since their appearance at the T20 World Cup final in March.As part of their deal, MPL Sports will design and manufacture jerseys worn by the men’s, women’s and Under-19 teams.MPL’s deal starts with India’s tour of Australia that begins with the first of three ODIs on November 27 in Sydney. India will then play three T20Is and four Tests, before returning home to host England for a full series.MPL made its first forays into cricket sponsorship this year as the main shirt sponsor for Ireland, Trinbago Knight Riders and Kolkata Knight Riders. It also partnered with Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2020.

Robinson presses England Lions claims with 6 for 63 but hosts lose early wickets and trail by 266 runs

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2019It is little wonder that Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson has been hoping for a call-up for the England Lions this summer. While the sensational Jofra Archer, his Sussex team-mate, has been capturing headlines, Robinson has been slowly building a reputation as one of the most consistent opening bowlers on the county circuit.When he took his fifth wicket on Sunday, on the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match against Northants, he had reached 200 first-class wickets in only his 50th match. He has now taken 110 Championship wickets since the beginning of last season. Last year he took 74 wickets at 18.66, and this summer he already has 36 at 18.77 as he spearheads his side’s bid for promotion.Robinson was not fully fit for last week’s disappointing defeat at home to Durham. But against Northants at Hove he was back to his best, achieving nasty bounce and away movement.He finished with figures of 6 for 63 as Northants were bowled out for 273 in 87 overs. But the away side were still happy with their score after winning the toss and sliding to 96 for 4 at lunch, and then 205 for 9.Northants have replaced Durham at the foot of the table and are still looking for their first Championship win of the season. Their hopes of making an impact were encouraged by the number of Sussex absentees. They were already without Archer and the injured Mir Hamza, and before this match all-rounder Chris Jordan pulled out with tonsillitis, along with Stiaan van Zyl, who has tennis elbow.Sussex were more in need of Robinson than ever before, and he didn’t disappoint. He broke through with the last ball of the opening over, when he had Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw for two. It was 29 for 2 when Rob Newton edged Robinson to keeper Ben Brown.Temba Bavuma got an inside edge to Brown, then Alex Wakely, on 36, was beaten by David Wiese and Laurie Evans took the catch at second slip.There didn’t look much chance of a recovery when Rob Keogh was lbw to Robinson with just one run added to the lunch score. And, in Robinson’s next over, Luke Procter edged and Luke Wells took an outstanding catch at third slip, moving his long arms very quickly to his left to take the chance two-handed.With Northants 99 for 6, captain Adam Rossington and Saif Zaib put on 51 for the seventh wicket and there was a last-wicket stand of 68 between Nathan Buck and Ben Sanderson before Robinson and Abi Sakande finished off the innings.Northants soon made an impact with the ball. Varun Chopra, signed on loan from Essex to stiffen their top-order batting, made just five and the returning Phil Salt a single.

The Titans completed their double this season, having previously won the RamSlam T20 Challenge. During a closely contested final round of fixtures over the weekend, they beat the Knights by four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2018The Titans completed their double this season with a Sunfoil Series four-day competition title, having previously won the RamSlam T20 Challenge. During a closely contested final round of fixtures over the weekend, they beat the Knights by four wickets in Centurion.Chasing 110, the Titans were rocked by Marchant de Lange’s three-for Heino Kuhn’s 43 and a 22-ball 29 from Farhaan Behardien steadied the innings. That they were 107 for 6 in 19.3 overs was abetted by Duanne Olivier’s two wickets. Chris Morris and Shaun von Berg subsequently warded off any further wobble and took the side home on the final day.Morris was adjudged Player of the Match for his seven-wicket game haul, including figures of 6 for 55 in the second innings. He ran through the Knights line-up with intermittent strikes, spanning the fourth ball to the penultimate over of the innings.Even though a 72-run fourth-wicket between David Miller and Rudi Second took Knights close to 90, the duo fell for 52 and 76 respectively, both off Morris. Second’s 136-ball innings, found support in Ryan McLaren’s 36 and Shadley van Shalwyk’s 29 could only take them to 209 in 62.4 overs.That the first two innings were limited to 40 overs a side was down to the loss of the first two days to rain. Impeding the fluency of Knight’s innings, despite Luthando Mnyanda’s 53 that steered the Knights to 169 for 7, Alfred Mothoa and Malusi Siboto shared five wickets between them while Morris took the solitary wicket of Miller, who fell for a 54-ball 34.In reply, Kuhn’s 86 and Klaasen’s unbeaten 84 handed Titans a 100-run lead, finishing on 269 for three wickets. Opening batsman Kuhn struck 13 fours and six during his 82-ball innings and was the third wicket to fall, having shepherded Knights close to the 200-run mark.The 16 match points earned via the victory at SuperSport Park helped Titans pip Warriors to the title by 1.52 points.

Sri Lanka need nothing less than a win to keep the three-match T20I series alive against South Africa while the hosts would look to continue their dominant run against the visitors

The Preview by Firdose Moonda21-Jan-2017

Match facts

January 22, 2017
Start time 1430 local (1230 GMT)Theunis de Bruyn was one of five debutants for South Africa in the rain-hit first T20I match in Centurion•Gallo Images

Big picture

A week ago, Sri Lanka were humiliated in Johannesburg, where they lost 16 wickets and succumbed to their biggest defeat of the three-Test series. It may be too soon for them to return but they will be pleasantly surprised at the transformation in conditions for limited-overs cricket. The green mamba will be tamed and should be far more batting-friendly, presenting the visitors a chance to exorcise the ghosts of the Test match. They need to take it because unless they win at the Wanderers, they will concede another cup before the final fixture. Considering that they regard the T20I series as their best chance of upsetting the hosts, this is their most important game of the tour.With such pressure on them, Sri Lanka will need to be calmly led by an increasingly frustrated-looking Angelo Mathews, who needs support from his team as much as he needs to step up. Mathews has tasked himself with the new ball and the No.3 spot in the batting line-up, and needs to deliver.South Africa do not seem to have the same problems. Rookie captain Farhaan Behardien took to the role well and, although it is difficult to analyse a team after a ten-over match, the new-look group has potential. In what was a hit-and-giggle jamboree, the batsmen relied on the experience of David Miller to build their total but all of the top six showed an ability to hit the ball hard and the bowling attack had plenty of young, exciting options. South Africa could have AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel back for the third match but if they win in Johannesburg, they will not need them to seal the series.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LLLLL
Angelo Mathews tasked himself with the No. 3 and the new ball in the first T20I•Associated Press

In the spotlight

Of South Africa’s new batsmen Theunis de Bruyn was the most impressive at SuperSport Park. He is a clean hitter of the ball and showed off some innovative strokeplay. With Rilee Rossouw having signed a Kolpak deal, there is a spot open in South Africa’s limited-overs squads and de Bruyn can make a strong case to be considered depending on his performance in the next two matches. There is also the possibility of de Villiers’ return for the final fixture and this is de Bruyn’s chance to ensure he does not miss out if that happens.Asela Gunaratne gave Sri Lanka their best chance of keeping South Africa quiet and did not concede a boundary in his two overs in the first match. He also struck a six-ball 10 in the chase and was probably the biggest positive for a beleaguered Sri Lankan outfit. Their T20 side is laden with allrounders and Gunaratne has shown the advantage that he can give. If he has a big game, Sri Lanka could lean on him to level the series.

Teams news

Johannesburg is not usually a venue for two specialist spinners so South Africa may bench Aaron Phangiso to give Dane Paterson a debut. Reeza Hendricks, the squad’s reserve batsman, may have to wait his turn after the incumbents all impressed at SuperSport Park.South Africa (probable) 1 Jon-Jon Smuts, 2 Heino Kuhn, 3 Theunis de Bruyn, 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Behardien (capt), 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Aaron Phangiso/Dane Paterson 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran TahirHaving played only one spinner in Centurion, Sri Lanka may look to go in with a similar make-up in their attack at the Wanderers. They have another fast-bowling option in left-armer Isuru Udana and could bring him into the mix on a surface that should suit him. They could also look at Danushka Gunathilaka to prop up a fragile batting order.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Niroshan Dickwella 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Angelo Mathews (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Thikshila de Silva, 6 Kusal Mendis 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Asela Gunaratne, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The Wanderers’ deck can be a batting paradise in limited-overs cricket and a run-fest can be expected if batsmen manage to cope with the bounce and carry. Without tempting fate, there is no rain forecast for Sunday afternoon but, as was evident from the first match, things change quickly on the Highveld.

Stats and trivia

• Angelo Mathews is seven runs away from 1,000 T20 international runs. He will become the fourth Sri Lanka batsman, after Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, to reach the milestone.
• Imran Tahir needs five more wickets to reach 50 T20 international scalps.

Quotes

“It’s a bit overwhelming because I have never had that many people ask for my autograph or to take pictures. Usually its the odd one or two but now there’s even more. It’s a bit overwhelming but I am going to get there eventually.”

Australia captain Steven Smith and R Ashwin ended 2015 as the top-ranked ICC Test batsman and bowler, the ICC announced after the rankings were updated after the Boxing Day Tests at the MCG and Durban

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-20151:39

A look at some of the astounding numbers R Ashwin notched up while on his way to finish on top of ICC Test bowling rankings

Australia captain Steven Smith and India offspinner R Ashwin have finished 2015 as the ICC’s top-ranked Test batsman and bowler respectively. Ashwin finished as the No. 1 ranked Test allrounder as well, for the second time in three years.While Smith leapfrogged Kane Williamson, Joe Root and AB de Villiers to the top, Ashwin achieved the No. 1 rank by unseating Dale Steyn, who could only bowl 3.5 overs in the second innings of the Durban Test against England.Smith was ranked No. 4 at the start of Australia’s Boxing Day Test against West Indies but surged to the top following unbeaten scores of 134 and 70. No one had more Test runs than him this year – 1474 from 24 innings at an average of 73.70 with six centuries and five fifties. He was also named the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year last week. Smith is the third Australian batsman in the last decade – after Ricky Ponting (2005, 2006) and Michael Clarke (2012) – to finish as the top-ranked batsman at the end of the year.Ashwin finished 2015 as top-wicket taker with 62 scalps in nine matches. He started the year ranked 15 but rich hauls on India’s tour to Sri Lanka (21 wickets in three matches) and in the home series against South Africa lifted him to the No. 1 spot. Of his 62 wickets, 31 came in the four-match Test series against South Africa, where his performance ensured India swept the series 3-0.Ashwin, who became the first Indian bowler since Bishan Singh Bedi in 1973 to finish the year at the top-ranked position, also chipped in with the bat, scoring 248 runs in 14 innings, with half-centuries against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa.”Replicating what Mr Bedi did is something I am very proud of,” Ashwin said in an ICC release. “The former India captain was a master at his craft and I am very humbled to follow in his footsteps.”I would like to thank my Test captain Virat Kohli, who has been a big influence, and, of course, the team management, my team-mates and the BCCI for their continued support.”Among other batsmen, Adam Voges (11), Usman Khawaja (39) and Dean Elgar (28) finished the year at career-best rankings following centuries in the two Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne and Durban.Stuart Broad ended the year as the second leading wicket-taker – 56 scalps in 14 Tests – and sits at No. 3 in the bowlers’ rankings. Nathan Lyon, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for his seven-wicket haul against West Indies in Melbourne finished at a career-best rank of 14, while Moeen Ali, Man of the Match against South Africa, finished the year ranked 23.

Max Sorensen completed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during the 16 overs possible before rain wiped out the second day against Australia A in Belfast

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2013
ScorecardMax Sorensen completed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during the 16 overs possible before rain wiped out the second day against Australia A in Belfast.The Australians reached 312 for 9 when the players were forced off and they did not return before play was called off at 4pm. Steve Smith and James Pattinson took their seventh-wicket stand to 157 while Sorensen and Trent Johnston shared the nine wickets to fall.As had been the case on the opening day the new ball did the damage. Smith had moved to 133 when he edged a delivery from Johnston that nipped away.Pattinson reached his half-century from 108 balls but three overs after Smith’s departure he edged Sorensen to give him his notable haul. Sorensen was also involved in the ninth wicket when he held the catch offered by Nathan Lyon and that was the last action of the day.The rain meant that the appearance of legspinner Fawad Ahmed was delayed but the forecast for the final two days is more settled.

James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been added to England’s Performance Squad after being left out of the initial 26-man selection

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2012James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been added to England’s Performance Squad after being left out of the initial 26-man selection.Taylor captained the Lions over the winter and despite apparently missing out on the 2012 EPS he led the side against the touring West Indians at Northampton, in the build up to the first Test, scoring a hundred from the middle order. The selectors are able to name up to 30 players and make additions at any point in the season, giving a clear indication of who is in their plans.

England Performance Squad 2012

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) Alastair Cook (Essex) Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire) James Anderson (Lancashire) Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire) Ian Bell (Warwickshire) Ravi Bopara (Essex) Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire) Danny Briggs (Hampshire) Jos Buttler (Somerset) Steven Davies (Surrey) Jade Dernbach (Surrey) Steven Finn (Middlesex) Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Stuart Meaker (Surrey) Graham Onions (Durham) Monty Panesar (Sussex) Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire) Kevin Pietersen (Surrey) Matt Prior (Sussex) Ben Stokes (Durham) Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire) James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) James Tredwell (Kent) Chris Tremlett (Surrey) Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

“James is a talented young player and we feel that his performances this season, including an impressive innings for England Lions last week, merit inclusion in the England Performance Squad,” Geoff Miller, the national selector, said. “The EPS is designed to allow the selectors to monitor the development of international players and better prepare them for the demands of the international game.”Taylor, who has played in one ODI for England, moved from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire over the winter but, despite making a hundred against Loughborough in his first appearance, he is yet to set Division One alight, with 225 Championship runs at 28.12 and a highest score of 46.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils in Dharamsala

The Preview by Sriram Veera14-May-2011

Match facts

Friday, May 15, Dharamsala
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can Adam Gilchrist thrill us again?•AFP

Big Picture

After Indore, it’s time for Dharamsala, which owns the most picturesque cricket ground in India, to make its IPL entry. Kings XI Punjab need to win all their remaining games to stay in the hunt for a place in the final four. Their captain, Adam Gilchrist, is familiar with this feeling. During his tenure as captain of Deccan Chargers, he had to lead his side out of the depths and take them to the semi-finals. He has to do it again. Back then, he was leading from front with the bat but he hasn’t been able to reproduce that kind of form this year. As he himself put it, in a lighter vein, reacting to being hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Lasith Malinga, “He has come of age; I have just aged.”You can’t rule him out yet but the onus shifts on to the other batsmen in the side to do the job – that might even allow Gilchrist to relax and re-discover some batting joy. There are couple of good signs for Punjab. Dinesh Karthik, who didn’t have a great time with the bat in the first half of the tournament, has found his mojo and Shaun Marsh continues to be consistent.Delhi struggled with Virender Sehwag and were absolutely listless without him. They are left with that eternal cliché in sport of ‘playing for pride’. Only time will tell whether they have any fuel left in them.

Form guide (most recent first)

Punjab: WWLLL (sixth in points table)
Delhi: LLWLW (ninth in points table)

Team talk

Under pressure, David Hussey hit an unbeaten 21 to lend the finishing touches to Punjab’s win over Kochi Tuskers. Will that knock give him some breathing space, or will Punjab consider David Miller or Ryan McLaren?Roelof van der Merwe could replace Colin Ingram in the Delhi XI.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.

In the spotlight

Venugopal Rao has always proved to be a valuable contributor with the bat. The crowd might not scream his name, the media might not shower their arc lights on him, the bowlers might not have sleepless nights thinking about him and yet, he has nearly always played the bit-part role really well.It’s amazing how consistent Shaun Marsh has been in Twenty20. He has ten fifties and one hundred from 26 games in the IPL. The technique is simple: he stays still on the leg-stump line, nearly always remains adjacent to the line and plays late. It has worked like a charm.

Prime numbers

• Shaun Marsh has the highest average (51.31) in IPL history. Michael Hussey (49.83) comes second. With 11 fifties, he ranks third in the list of batsmen with most fifties
• Adam Gilchrist comes third in the list of players with most matches as captain. He has played 51 matches as a leader; Dhoni is at the top with 55 games

The chatter

“It depends on the situation; I try and see the field – if I can get away with it, then I try all those silly shots.”