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Lanning’s absence from the ongoing Women’s Ashes meant she slipped from first to fourth place. Ellyse Perry and New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite occupy the second and third spots respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2017India’s ODI captain Mithali Raj superseded Meg Lanning to claim the top spot on the ICC rankings for batsmen in women’s ODIs. Lanning missed out on the ODI leg of the ongoing multi-format Women’s Ashes as part of her rehabilitation plan following her shoulder surgery and slipped from first to fourth position.After the conclusion of the World Cup, Raj trailed Lanning by 10 points and led Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry by 12. While India haven’t played international cricket since the final of the tournament on July 23, Lanning’s absence from the three-match ODI series, which is also Australia’s first ODI assignment in the second cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, meant she dropped three places. Perry and New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite climbed one place each to claim the second and third spots respectively.England wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor, too, made the move up, climbing two places to the 10th rank on the back of the 129 runs she scored in the series.Among ODI bowlers, Australia medium-pacer Megan Schutt moved 13 places to a career-best fourth position courtesy the 10 wickets – including two four-wicket hauls – she bagged in the series. England seamer Anya Shrubsole, who was adjudged Player of the Match in the World Cup final in July, gained one slot to reach a career-best sixth position.Australia’s 2-1 victory over world champions England helped them regain the top ranking after England had climbed to No. 1 after the annual update earlier in October. New Zealand, who finished fifth in the World Cup, are set to play their first ODI series since the global event, starting October 31 against Pakistan in the UAE. They are currently ranked third with 118 points, leading India by two points.

The costly drops and missed run-outs in the Galle Test have spurred West Indies to renew their focus on fielding in the approach to the second Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Oct-2015The costly drops and missed run-outs in the Galle Test have spurred West Indies to renew their focus on fielding in the approach to the second Test, captain Jason Holder said. The visitors had reprieved Sri Lanka batsmen on at least six occasions – the costliest of which was the drop off Dinesh Chandimal on 11. The batsman went on to hit 151.After that match, Holder had suggest Sri Lanka’s total of 484 would have been significantly reduced if his team had held their chances. It is the area they have focused primarily on, during the four-day gap between games, he said.”In the last few days we’ve done a lot of analysing – we’ve looked at a lot of footage. We’ve come in the practice sessions in the last few days and paid a lot of attention to our fielding.”From my point of view, I think practice does a lot for fielding. When you get in the habit of doing something repeatedly it becomes the norm. That’s something we try to stress in the dressing room – to practice properly and do it in a sense that fits a game scenario. We try to replicate a match scenario in our fielding drills. We’ve picked up the volume of our fielding over the last few days, so hopefully we’ll be in better stead for this game.”West Indies batting had also faltered in Galle, with only two batsmen passing fifty across two innings. The visitor’s first-innings performance had been particularly disappointing, partly because each of the top 10 moved into double figures, but only Darren Bravo went on to hit a half-century. Holder said his top order had been urged to improve their shot selection.”We’ve done a lot of talking in the dressing room and different of batsmen come up with different things. I think it boils down to guys just digging a little deeper. We saw that we all got starts. It’s an opportunity for guys to put their heads down and dig a little deeper. I think that’s needed in the second Test match.”I think we’ve got to be selective and just to play to your personal game plan. Just said to the guys, ‘Be positive, but be selective.’ Once you’re selective and you’re patient enough you will get runs. It’s all about occupying the crease and spending as much time as possible.”Among those who did not spend time at the crease was Marlon Samuels, who collected 11 and a first-ball duck from his two innings in Galle. Samuels was also reported for a suspect action after the Test. Holder said Samuels’ role as a top order batsman who bowls offspin does not change for this Test, and backed him to come good with the bat. All reported bowlers can bowl in internationals until their action is found to be illegal.”Marlon’s just had a bad game – that’s Test cricket,” Holder said. “What’s important is for Marlon to come back stronger. He’s one of the guys who digs deep when his back is against the wall. I’m not saying that his back is against the wall now, but he obviously got two low scores in the last Test match. He’s quite eager to get in this second Test match and get a score for the team.”Garfield Sobers has arrived in the country ahead of the second Test, and will attend the match alongside former Sri Lanka captain Michael Tissera. The series trophy is named for both men. Holder hoped Sobers’ presence would spur his side.”I personally saw Garfield Sobers yesterday in the hotel lobby. It was inspiring to see him come all this way just to watch the series. I’m sure most of the guys know of his presence and know that he’s here. I hope we can go ahead in this Test match and win it for him.”

Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad said he was happy with his consistency during the T20 series against Zimbabwe

Umar Farooq25-Aug-2013Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad said he was pleased with his consistency after helping Pakistan win the T20 series against Zimbabwe with a record knock. Shehzad, who is making his third comeback to the national side in four years, hit two successive half-centuries, including the highest ever international Twenty20 score by a Pakistan batsman, to lead the team to their second win in as many days at the Harare Sports Club.”It is important to be consistent and I tried very hard to remain so,” Shehzad said. “In the first few overs, I did not get much strike and could have panicked, but then as my confidence built up, I was able to get on strike more often and hit good shots. Zimbabwe played some good cricket and now we will be looking forward to playing them in the ODIs.”Shehzad, who hails from a street near the Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore, was among a crop of the most promising young cricketers in the Pakistan set-up in recent years, and played at the Under-19 level with the likes of Umar Akmal, Mohammad Amir, Umar Amin, Junaid Khan and Raza Hasan. In last 12 List A matches played between 2007 and 2009, before his debut for Pakistan, Ahmed racked up five fifties and his form caught the attention of the then chief selector, Abdul Qadir. His career, however, has been under scrutiny following discipline issues.On Saturday, Shehzad smashed an unbeaten 98, after scoring 70 in the first T20. He hit six sixes during his innings, but missed out on a historic century, scrambling for a single off the last ball of the innings. He had a slow start and hit just one six in his first 20 deliveries, off Prosper Utseya in the first over. However, he began to accelerate after the wicket of Nasir Jamshed in the sixth over, reaching his fifty in just 42 balls and scoring the next 48 off just 22 deliveries, to finish with a strike-rate of 153.12. The performances helped him move up 41 places on the ICC rankings for T20 batsmen and he is now ranked 18th.Even though the runs came against a 12th-ranked Zimbabwe team that has been overshadowed by off-field issues in recent weeks, Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s T20 captain, said that the batsman had fulfilled an important role for the side.”I am pleased to see Ahmed batting nicely throughout the series,” Hafeez said “We really need someone to hold the innings from the top and he is the one who gave us the result we wanted to achieve.”When Pakistan lost Jamshed for 23, they were 36 for 1 in 5.4 overs at a run-rate below seven. But Shehzad and Hafeez powered on, and shared an unbeaten 143-run partnership for the second wicket to give Zimbabwe a target of 180 runs, much to Hafeez’s delight.”We knew they (Zimbabwe) were very much capable of causing a set back for us, so every game was important for us,” Hafeez said. “We were thinking of getting around 150-160 runs on the board but Ahmed boosted our total and we knew we just had to bowl a disciplined line to clinch the match. The boys are very confident and have started trusting each other, which is something we’ve been trying to develop.”

Kings XI Punjab, slow starters in this IPL, broke through into the top half of the points table

The Report by Siddhartha Talya02-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nitin Saini made his maiden Twenty20 half-century•AFP

Kings XI Punjab, slow starters in this IPL, broke through into the top half of the points table with what should have been a comfortable win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, who fell significantly short of the formidable target they looked good to set. Kings XI scaled down 159 amid some late panic that produced three run-outs, taking the game to the penultimate ball when it deserved a swifter ending.The platform for a successful chase was laid by youngsters Mandeep Singh and Nitin Saini, who batted assuredly, and stand-in captain David Hussey took them close with a fiery cameo. In the end, Piyush Chawla’s match-sealing six apart, Kings XI’s bowlers made the difference, with Praveen Kumar’s excellent opening spell and Azhar Mahmood’s economy at the death combining to undermine another Chris Gayle special and Virat Kohli’s return to form.Kings XI had no business losing with 13 needed off the last four overs. Not even after Saini fell trying to finish things off, miscuing a catch after scoring a half-century. Just one run came off the 17th over, and Mahmood was caught short in the next by an accurate throw from KP Appanna in the deep. Hussey followed when six were needed off nine, his dive to complete a second run beaten by AB de Villiers’ superb collection of a throw on the half-volley. Abhishek Nayar went next ball, trying an impossible run.Vinay Kumar brought it down to five off four in the final over, and the game was on a knife’s edge with two needed off two. Then came a length ball, allowing Chawla to free his arms, and he thrashed Vinay over deep midwicket. It brought up Kings XI’s fourth away win of the season, they’ve won five in all.The manic end almost undid an impressive show by Kings XI’s two upcoming talents. Mandeep was occasionally scratchy but delivered the start his team needed, timing the ball beautifully and even displaying some spunk against the accomplished bowling of Zaheer Khan. He pulled over midwicket and whipped over square leg for six, and slashed Vinay through point. He took the lead in the chase, over the more experienced Shaun Marsh, and Saini consolidated the good start.Saini was less attacking but batted with maturity, picking off the singles and twos comfortably, interspersed with some lovely strokeplay of his own. He drove Andrew McDonald beautifully down the ground, cut well against medium pace and spin, and marched close to his half-century with a confident pull off Zaheer. Saini didn’t feel the urgency to open up, his job made easier by Hussey, who smashed the left-arm spin of Appanna for two massive sixes before delivering the same treatment to Asad Pathan. By then, the pair had added 73 in 43 balls and the game was as good as over. Or so we thought.The batting backed up a superior show with the ball by Kings XI. Praveen, who conceded just eight off his four overs, the most economical spell this season, was the beneficiary of some early swing after his team chose to field. Though he went wicketless, the batsmen had few answers against his exploitation of the conditions, which included good bounce. Praveen beat the bat often, squaring up Gayle, troubling Kohli with outswing, forcing the batsmen to look for an opening at the other end while playing him with caution.Having conceded just 48 off the first nine overs, Kings XI were ahead but the introduction of spin and stark decline in the quality of bowling sparked a turn in the tide. Gayle and Kohli feasted on Piyush Chawla’s long hops, collecting 11 off his first over, and then launching him for a six each in his next. Gayle – who was dropped on 39 – then targeted an erratic Parvinder Awana, taking 19 in an over that included a powerful, flat six over long-on. The pair tore into length balls from Abhishek Nayar the next over, dispatching them over the fence, and five overs had suddenly yielded 68 runs. Just as Royal Challengers looked set for a commanding score, the momentum changed hands again.Gayle holed out in the deep against Mahmood, Kohli was done in by a skidder from Chawla – the two had added 119 – and the batsmen who followed weren’t able to bat as freely. Andrew McDonald and de Villiers targeted Awana for 14 in an over but fell in a space off three deliveries in the final over from Mahmood, who conceded only four off it. He varied his pace, surprised the batsmen with the short ball and was on target with his yorkers, ensuring Kings XI walked back satisfied with the hope of chasing a gettable total.

New Zealand walked to an easy 97-run win over Canada in Mumbai and sealed their place in the quarter-finals

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill13-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A century stand between Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra was the highlight for Canada but they suffered another heavy defeat•Getty Images

New Zealand walked to an easy 97-run win over Canada in Mumbai and sealed their place in the quarter-finals. They romped unchallenged to 358 for 6 and then held Canada to 261 for 9 in reply. Brendon McCullum’s century, and a brutal late assault from Ross Taylor and the lower middle order, put the score well out of Canada’s reach. Ashish Bagai’s 84 and an unbeaten 70 from Jimmy Hansra ensured Canada at least reached their highest total of the tournament, but there was never even a hint that they would mount a challenge against New Zealand’s effort.Canada won the toss and Bagai chose to bowl, hoping to take advantage of any early-morning moisture on a pitch that had a typically reddish tinge to it. But after a reasonably disciplined start the bowlers’ lines started to waver and Brendon McCullum, in particular, took a heavy toll. He repeatedly rifled cuts and drives through or over the off side, and had entered the 30s at better than a-run-a-ball when New Zealand’s fifty came up in the ninth over.Canada struck through some dogged medium pace from Harvir Baidwan and a stellar piece of wicketkeeping from Bagai, who has greatly enhanced his reputation behind the stumps in the course of this tournament. He held onto a thick edge, standing up, to get rid of Martin Guptill.McCullum passed fifty and soon tired of accumulation when the field was set back, reverse-sweeping John Davison for the first boundary in six overs and then jumping down the track to swat legspinner Balaji Rao high over long-off. Jesse Ryder, who had tempered his usual aggression to reach 38 from 55 balls, looked to follow suit against Davison soon after but sliced across a flighted offspinner to present Henry Osinde with an easy catch at long-on.Taylor flicked Osinde twice to the leg-side boundary to kick-start his innings and partnered Brendon McCullum to his third ODI hundred in the 36th over. With New Zealand’s two most devastating batsmen at the crease, the batting Powerplay was called for immediately afterwards, but Brendon McCullum was its first victim when he slapped Baidwan straight to Ruvindu Gunasekara at extra cover.Though Rao picked up two wickets in the remaining overs, including that of Taylor for a 44-ball 74 that included four mighty sixes in the space of a single over, Canada completely unravelled in the field as the score went stratospheric. A whopping 74 runs came from the batting Powerplay, and 122 from the last 10 overs, including 31 from the final over of the innings during which Rizwan Cheema was removed from the attack for his second beamer of the innings.The signs were ominous for Canada when Ruvindu Gunasekara slashed at the first ball of Kyle Mills’ second over and Taylor timed his leap to perfection at first slip to pluck the ball out of the air one handed. The boundary had still not been reached when, two overs later, Zubin Surkari hung his bat out limply at another Mills outswinger to offer Taylor his second catch.Canada were 4 for 2 and sinking fast, but Bagai and Hiral Patel wasted no time in launching a spirited fightback. Their effort was no doubt helped by a premature end to Mills’ spell when he pulled up lame one ball after he had dismissed Surkari, clutching at his left knee in some pain and leaving the field straightaway.

Smart Stats

• New Zealand’s total of 358 is their second highest in World Cups behind the 363 they made against Canada in 2007. They have six scores above 300 in World Cups.

• Brendon McCullum’s century is his first in World Cups and his third overall in ODIs. His previous highest in World Cups was 76 against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad.

• New Zealand scored 74 runs in the batting Powerplay, the most by any team in this World Cup. Pakistan are second, with 70 runs against Kenya.

• Ross Taylor’s strike rate is the third highest for a New Zealand batsman for a fifty-plus score in World Cups.

• The 12 sixes hit in New Zealand’s innings is the second highest for them in an innings in World Cups. The overall record is 18, jointly held by India and South Africa.

• Rizwan Cheema’s economy rate of 13.24 is the fourth highest among all bowlers who have bowled at least four overs in an innings in a World Cup match.

• The 125-run stand between Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra is the third highest for Canada for the third wicket in ODIs and the second highest in World Cups.

• Bagai’s 84 is his 16th fifty in ODIs and his highest score in a World Cup match. He has scored two hundreds and 16 fifties at an average of 38.44 in ODIs.

• Canada’s 261 is their highest total in World Cups, going past the 249 they made against New Zealand in 2007.

After a nerveless, shotless start to his innings Patel took Tim Southee on in stirring fashion, targeting the off side in a series of imperious thumps. He reached a fluent 31 but was then undone by a well-directed bouncer from Jacob Oram that cramped him for room, a thin edge nestling safely in Brendon McCullum’s gloves.Their partnership had stretched to 46 at a good rate before it was broken, and Bagai’s contribution had been steady, composed accumulation. He went into the 30s with a classy loft over cover off Nathan McCullum and continued in much the same gear in Hansra’s company.The pair added 125 for the fourth wicket, a partnership dominated by ones and twos but punctuated by a couple of strong shots whenever a bad ball was bowled. Though there was no chance it could result in a win, there was still the achievement that it was Canada’s second-highest against a Test-playing nation, beaten only by Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff’s 177-run stand against Bangladesh at the 2007 World Cup.Bagai went to fifty by spanking a full toss from Kane Williamson to the cover boundary, but the searing heat of the Mumbai afternoon after he’d also kept wicket for the first half of the game began to take its toll. As cramps set in Bagai began to hit out in search of a century, but perished when a flashing drive resulted only in a thin edge behind.It was cramp that did for Hansra too, and he retired on 53 – his second half-century in successive games – soon after the batting Powerplay was taken in the 41st over. The match had long ceased to be a contest by that stage, the situation typified by Davison’s amateurish run-out, but Canada’s lower order did at least throw the bat around and Hansra returned to the crease after rehydrating to ensure they batted out the full 50 overs.They can at least take some comfort in the way they have improved as a team in the course of this tournament. For their part, the win means New Zealand now top the Group A points table.

Match Timeline

Will Porterfield joins Red Rose after spin specialist opts to pursue opportunities on T20 circuit

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2024Carl Crowe, Lancashire’s assistant coach, has left the club by mutual consent on the eve of the 2024 county season, in order to pursue new coaching opportunities. He is replaced on the staff by Will Porterfield, who has joined with immediate effect after leaving Gloucestershire.Crowe, 48, played 83 professional games between 1995 and 2009, and worked as a consultant coach with Lancashire’s spinners for the 2020 and 2021 seasons before taking up the assistant role on a full-time basis in late 2021.Previously he had built his reputation on the T20 franchise circuit, including through his extensive work with Sunil Narine.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Emirates Old Trafford, but I have decided the time is right in my coaching career to now move on and seek some exciting new opportunities,” Crowe said.
.”It was a pleasure to work for the Red Rose and I am sure that there are successful times ahead for this group. I would like to wish Dale [Benkenstein], Keaton [Jennings], the players and our Members and supporters all the very best for the future.”Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, added: “Carl has made the decision to pursue new opportunities in his coaching career and we fully respect his decision to do so. I would like to thank him for all his hard work since joining us permanently in 2021 and wish him the best of luck with what is to come.”The club has enjoyed a really strong and productive relationship with Carl during the past few years and we would certainly be open to working together again in the future in some way, should the right opportunity present itself.”The wheels are already in motion to make a new addition to the coaching staff and we will be making an announcement about this in due course.”

Porterfield reunites with Benkenstein at Lancashire

Will Porterfield captained Ireland across all three formats•Getty Images

Porterfield, the former Ireland captain who played for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, has moved to Old Trafford in order to link up with Benkenstein once again. Porterfield moved into coaching in 2022 after retiring as a player, spending two seasons under Benkenstein on the staff at Bristol.”I’m really pleased that Will has been able to join me at Emirates Old Trafford ahead of the new season and look forward to continuing our working relationship,” Benkenstein said. “Will and I worked together for two years in Bristol and I think that he will add real skill and experience to our coaching staff here at Lancashire, both from his playing days and first steps into coaching.”With Will and Craig White alongside me, I am really pleased to have my coaching team finalised as we head off on pre-season tour this week before the season gets underway in April.”Finally, I would also like to thank Carl Crowe for all of his efforts during our brief time working together here at Lancashire and I wish him all the best with his next steps.”

The qualifying tournament to be held in Zimbabwe in June-July is the final stepping stone for teams still in contention for the 2023 ODI World Cup

Firdose Moonda06-Apr-2023There will be no DRS system in place for this year’s 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June-July, but the ICC has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that there will be a third umpire monitoring run-outs.The absence of DRS mirrors the 2019 World Cup qualifiers, also held in Zimbabwe in March 2018, but is an improvement on the availability of a third umpire. In 2018, the third umpire was deployed in only 10 of the 34 matches – those that were televised. The 2023 edition will see a third umpire available for all games but there will be no other review tools, such as UltraEdge or ball-tracking, which may be a concern for teams considering how the 2018 tournament played out.Related

• Men's ODI World Cup 2023 – all teams set to have different captains from 2019

West Indies and Afghanistan advanced to the 2019 World Cup in England, but not without controversy. West Indies booked their places after beating Scotland by five runs in a rain-reduced encounter which saw Scotland’s face a reduced target of 131 in 32.5 overs. They were well-placed on 105 for 4 in the 32nd over when Richie Berrington was given out lbw to an Ashley Nurse delivery that looked to be sliding down leg. With no DRS, Berrington could not review.There was also no DRS at the just-concluded Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff in Windhoek, Namibia, where the standard of umpiring was under scrutiny in several games. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus responded to a Twitter user who commented on a decision made in the match between Jersey and the USA, saying associate teams were made to “eat last” when it came to officiating. Namibia finished third in the tournament and will not compete in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.