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Ngidi is still recovering from a lower back injury he suffered during the SA20

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2024Delhi Capitals have signed Australian top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk as replacement for Lungi Ngidi for IPL 2024.Ngidi is still recovering from the lower-back injury he suffered during the SA20 earlier in the year. Fraser-McGurk, who played three matches for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 this season, will join Delhi Capitals for his base price of INR 50 lakh. Fraser-McGurk was impressive in the ILT20, hitting 109 runs in his three innings, with a best of 54, at a strike rate of 213.72.Fraser-McGurk, who also bowls some legspin, was listed as an allrounder at the last IPL auction. So far, though, he has only bowled four overs in professional cricket – and just the one in T20s.Related

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• Australians at the IPL: Green's World Cup bid, Starc returns, Langer at Lucknow

• Brook withdraws from IPL 2024 following grandmother's death

• IPL debutants to watch out for

• Rishabh Pant leads star-studded list of IPL returnees

Touted by Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting as a potential all-format star for Australia, the 21-year-old Fraser-McGurk made his international debut last month, playing two ODIs at home against West Indies.He has played 37 T20s so far and strikes at 133.54.As for Ngidi, Delhi Capitals was his second team in a stop-start IPL career, which started with Chennai Super Kings in 2018. In 2022, he was acquired by Delhi Capitals at the auction. Overall, he has played 14 IPL games, picking up 25 wickets with an economy rate of 8.30.Ngidi being ruled out leaves Delhi with Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Jhye Richardson and Rasikh Salam in the fast-bowling department, while Mitchell Marsh is their fast-bowling allrounder.Earlier this week, England batter Harry Brook pulled out of IPL 2024 following the death of his grandmother in February. Delhi Capitals did not name a replacement for Brook.

South Africa were bowled out for 84 and conceded the contest by 10 wickets

Shashank Kishore09-Jul-2024The highs of two compelling batting performances in the T20Is gave way to a timid end during a tough all-format tour for South Africa in Chennai on Tuesday.On the same surface where they made 189 and 177, the visitors folded for 84 to all but concede the game at the halfway mark. India’s chase was a mere formality, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma building on Pooja Vastrakar’s great work – she picked up a career-best 4 for 13 – to complete a series-leveling win in just 10.5 overs.

South Africa stumble in powerplay

Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp were out early, trying to manufacture strokes in the powerplay after India elected to field. But Tazmin Brits, fresh off back-to-back fifties, appeared to have set herself in, picking up pace in the sixth over when she struck Shreyanka Patil for two boundaries. But in trying to push the pedal, she holed out to a brilliant catch by Harmapreet Kaur at mid-off to give Deepti Sharma a wicket. South Africa were 45 for 3 in 7.4 overs.

Vastrakar, Radha make a splash

Two balls after Brits fell, Deepti could’ve had a second wicket if she had held on to a return chance offered by Chloe Tryon. In the following over, the ninth of the innings, Tryon survived a close lbw shout off Arundhati Reddy as she played all around a full-blooded inswinger, only to be saved by the angle. Reddy would eventually win the head-to-head a few overs later with a hard-length delivery that Tryon skewed to point.Between the lbw reprieve and Tryon’s wicket, Vastrakar left her imprint on the game with a game-changing over as South Africa went from 57 for 3 in 10 overs to 61 for 5 in 11. She trapped Anneke Bosch lbw with a length ball that zipped in to trap in her front as she shuffled across. It was a sweet comeback after being threaded behind point for a boundary off the previous delivery. Two balls later, Vastrakar had Nadine de Klerk chop on with a fuller-length delivery.In all, South Africa lost 7 for 23 to fold for 84 in the 18th over. The end was hastened by Radha Yadav’s double-wicket maiden in the 17th over; she finished with 3 for 6 off her three overs.

Mandhana, Shafali finish it off

At no stage during India’s innings was there even a semblance of pressure on the openers. For this, much credit should go to Mandhana, who carried on her sparkling form in what was some of the most aesthetically pleasing hit-through-the-line batting.She began by taking Ayabonga Khaka for two fours in the very first over to lay down a marker, before a slice of luck came her way when she was beaten by a superb delivery from Kapp that hit the seam and nipped away to beat the outside edge.That was perhaps the only moment of uncertainty in a knock where Mandhana stamped her authority over both pace and spin. She hit eight fours and two sixes, including one that brought up her fifty and India’s victory off the same delivery.At the other end, Shafali showed shades of her dominating best by mercilessly pulling the seamers in front of square, playing her trademark slaps and shovels with no pressure to contend with. It couldn’t have been any easier.

Called in to replace the injured Sophie Molineux, Bekker dismissed Meg Lanning and gave away just nine runs in her four overs

AAP09-Nov-2024Local replacement player Charis Bekker went from the pub to centre stage as Melbourne Renegades posted a 15-run WBBL win over arch-rivals Melbourne Stars.Bekker was playing just her second WBBL game after being called into the squad to replace injured spinner Sophie Molineux (knee). The 20-year-old didn’t let the big stage of a Melbourne derby faze her, returning the miserly figures of 1 for 9 from her four overs to be named player of the match.”It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Bekker said. “I was at the pub a couple of days ago with my mates, and then got the call [to join the squad]. I played against the Scorchers which was really cool. And then hopped on a flight. It’s been really rushed.”Bekker’s maiden WBBL wicket was none other than superstar batter Meg Lanning.”Everyone was cheering me on, I was just trying to bowl my best ball, and it happened to be Meg Lanning, which was kind of awesome,” Bekker said.Deepti Sharma top-scored for Stars with 23. Georgia Wareham claimed the key wicket of captain Annabel Sutherland for 16. The result improved Renegades’ record to 3-3, while the Stars are now 2-3.Earlier, Renegades were struggling at 87 for 5 before Naomi Stalenberg (26 not out off 17 balls) and Nicole Faltum (29 off 23) added some handy runs to lift the total to 146 for 6.The Renegades were 54 for 2 after 10 overs when they took the power surge. Although Deandra Dottin fell for 7 shortly after, Renegades cracked 29 runs off the two overs. Alice Capsey and Wareham fell in quick succession before Stalenberg and Faltum steadied the ship with a 55-run stand.Stars’ run chase started slowly with the scoreboard reading 16 for 1 after five overs. Bhatia was lucky to still be there after being dropped by wicketkeeper Faltum in the first over when she was yet to score. The opener scored 22 off 26 balls, but the rest of her team-mates struggled for fluency as the required run rate ballooned out.Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored for Brisbane Heat•Getty Images

India starJemimah Rodrigues posted an impressive half-century as Brisbane Heat piled more misery on defending champions Adelaide Strikers in an eight-run win at the Gabba.Rodrigues anchored the Heat’s innings with 61 from 40 balls, belting seven fours and a six in her player-of-the-match performance. Opener Grace Harris (33 from 22) and captain Jess Jonassen (32 from 21) also provided handy knocks.In reply, Strikers were reduced to 16 for 3 in the fourth over before Bridget Patterson and Madeline Penna threatened to pull off a remarkable fightback. The unbeaten pair put on a 113-run stand for the fifth wicket – from just 62 balls – but weren’t quite able to drag their side over the line. It was the second-highest fifth-wicket stand in WBBL history.Strikers remain last on the table with a 1-4 record, while Heat (3-3) are right in the finals mix.

Markram hurt his right hamstring in the field against England and spent the rest of the match on the sidelines

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2025George Linde, the left-arm spin bowling allrounder, will join the South African squad as a traveling reserve as cover for Aiden Markram at the Champions Trophy. Markram injured his right hamstring in the field against England and spent the rest of the match on the sidelines. He will undergo a fitness test at training on Tuesday evening to determine his availability for the semi-final against New Zealand.Markram is the latest in a massive list of injured players. Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams – all fast bowlers – were ruled out even before the tournament started.Linde will join the South African camp on Tuesday evening but will not officially replace Markram in the squad unless he is ruled out and the ICC’s event technical committee confirms the swap. It is likely that South Africa added him to the group in the event that they qualify for a Dubai final against India, where conditions are drier and they need an extra spinner. They currently have two specialist spinners in the squad: Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, but only Maharaj has played in Pakistan. India played four spinners in their most recent match against New Zealand in Dubai.Related

• South Africa, New Zealand gear up for run-fest as even contest beckons

In the 2025 SA20, Linde played a key role in MI Cape Town winning their maiden title. In 11 games, Linde scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 153.33 and picked up 11 wickets at an economy of 6.29. More recently, playing for Western Province in the One-Day Challenge Division One, he scored 106 runs and took four wickets in five games.Left-arm fast bowler Kwena Maphaka is also with the squad as a traveling reserve. Meanwhile, Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have recovered from illness and will train this evening.

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka to all but lock up another semi-final with India while Allan Donald is issued a please explain from the BCB

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-20231:19

Harmison: All the pressure now on India for the semi against New Zealand

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Boult all but leads New Zealand into semi-finals; SL’s Champions Trophy hopes fade

New Zealand all but booked their place in the World Cup semi-final against India with a dominant five-wicket win – with 160 balls to spare – against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The result took them to ten points, and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.743, leaving Pakistan needing to beat England by 287 runs, while Afghanistan need an even more fantastical 438-run win over South Africa, if they are to surpass New Zealand’s NRR.If Pakistan were to chase, they would have no chance of qualifying.As for Sri Lanka, the margin of defeat against New Zealand left them languishing in ninth place, thus out of qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They now need one of England or Bangladesh to suffer defeats – while Netherlands also need to lose to India – to the extent that their respective NRRs drop below Sri Lanka’s.Click here for the full report

Match analysis: How Santner slows it up to get the drop on batters

Mitchell Santner is pumped up after snagging Angelo Mathews•Associated Press

It won’t go down as the ball of this World Cup. Or even the best ball bowled by a left-arm orthodox spinner at this World Cup. Or even the best ball bowled by Mitchell Santner at this World Cup – that honour, surely, will go to the pitch-leg, hit-off ripper he bowled to Mohammad Nabi in Chennai.This ball wasn’t that kind of ball, the kind that becomes instant social-media fodder. This was different, a ball less about its own magnificence than what it revealed about the bowler’s craft in totality. This was the kind of ball that made you wish you had paid more attention to every preceding ball this bowler had sent down, and resolve to pay extra attention to every subsequent ball.Read the full piece from Karthik Krishnaswamy

Must Watch: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown

2:35

Maharoof: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown

News headlines

• The BCB has sought an explanation from Allan Donald, the Bangladesh team’s fast bowling coach, for his comments on Angelo Mathews’ timed out dismissal following the World Cup match in Delhi on November 6. In an interview with CricBlog.net, conducted soon after the team returned to their hotel in Delhi, Donald had said “it was disappointing to see” that kind of a dismissal and he found it “really difficult to watch that unfold”.
• Ben Stokes never countenanced the possibility of leaving the World Cup early to bring his impending knee surgery forwards, despite England’s Test tour to India looming in two-and-a-half months’ time. Going home, he said, would have been “the easy way out”.

Match preview

Afghanistan vs South Africa, Ahmedabad (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)5:31

Harmison: Chance for SA to go into semi-finals with momentum

Afghanistan were so close to achieving their most important ODI win. Against Australia. For a shot at the World Cup semi-finals. Almost there. Before a Glenn Maxwell-sized meteorflattened them.They are now in Ahmedabad to play their final league game and will bow out of the World Cup at the largest cricket stadium in the world. Having only ever beaten Scotland once in 2015 and 2019, Afghanistan have beaten three former champions – England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan – this time, as well as Netherlands, but the 438-run victory they need against South Africa to push New Zealand out of fourth place on net run rate is impossible. An exit with ten points, as many as the team that qualifies fourth, however, will be a massive win in itself.
In all seriousness, England would be all too happy to walk away from this miserable campaign right now.Full preview

Feature: Clinical, risk-assessed, productive – Afghanistan’s batting evolution unlocks new highs

Ibrahim Zadran’s ramp against Australia would have been remembered as one of the shots of the World Cup on any other night•ICC/Getty Images

Do you still remember that shot? The shot before the shots that you’re not going to ever forget. The shot before Glenn Maxwell pulled off shots that even Glenn Maxwell might think were a little bit too much.That shot came off the bat of Ibrahim Zadran earlier in the game and on any other night, it would have been recognised and remembered as one of the shots of the tournament. A ramped dab – or was it a dabbed ramp? – dead straight over the wicketkeeper, off Pat Cummins, to the boundary on the bounce: written out like this, it sounds a little prosaic.Read the full piece from Osman Samiuddin

The six teams each in men’s and women’s categories are set to be decided based on the top-ranked team from each continent

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Jul-2025The ICC is set to approve a continental qualification system to decide the six participating teams in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That means that Full Members such as Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka among others, could miss out on cricket’s much-anticipated return to the Olympics after over a century.ESPNcricinfo understands that the board discussed a proposal at the recent AGM which allows for one team from each continent. Though some details still need to be finalised, in essence, the majority approval for a regional qualification system is in place, with a minority of members expressing dissent.Six teams each in the men’s and women’s categories will contest for Olympic medals between July 14 and 29 in 2028 after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed cricket to be added to the roster for the first time since the Paris 1900 Olympics. While the ICC’s initial thinking was that it would shortlist the top six-ranked teams at a pre-determined cut-off date, several Full Member countries believed such an approach wouldn’t allow for a wider representation of countries from across the globe.Related

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That has now changed to a one-country-per-continent qualification system, which is thought to be more in line with the Olympic participation ethos.Which countries are shortlisted will be based on the rankings on a set date. But if the ICC plan goes through, it could mean the Olympics may not have one of the most widely watched contests in global sport: India vs Pakistan. Based on the current ICC T20 rankings, in both men’s and women’s competitions, India will qualify from Asia, Australia from Oceania, England from Europe, with one between USA or one of the islands from the Caribbean from the Americas, while South Africa qualify from Africa. ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC is still discussing the participation of USA, who potentially get direct entry as hosts.But questions remain around the make-up of the USA men’s team, the majority of whom are US residents but not naturalised US citizens. The ICC is also concerned that the USA women’s team are not in the top 20-ranked teams at the moment. A final decision is likely to be taken at the ICC’s next quarterly meeting in October.The ECB, along with Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland, have formed Great Britain Cricket as an entity, which will help facilitate players from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to represent Great Britain at the Games.An artist impression of Brisbane Stadium in Victoria Park for Brisbane 2032 Olympics•Queensland Government

As for West Indies, CWI wrote to ICC in May, pitching two ideas that could allow one of the regional countries to represent the Caribbean in the Olympics. One suggestion was an internal qualifying tournament conducted among the Caribbean countries with the winner heading to the Olympics. The other involved conducting a global qualifying pathway that would pit countries in the five ICC development regions alongside regions in the West Indies.For the sixth team, the ICC is considering the option of a global qualifier, the structure for which is still being fine-tuned.Speaking on Thursday to BBC’s , ECB chairman Richard Thompson said that the IOC was keen on having a team from each continent which satisfies the Olympics charter. “The preference from the IOC is to work to the ‘five ring’ principle, which is teams from each of the continents represent their continent,” Thompson said.The ICC is also optimistic about increasing the number of participating teams in the next two Olympics – in 2032 in Brisbane and in 2036, the venue for which is yet to be finalised by IOC. Thompson said that with India expected to bid hard to host the 2036 Summer Games, cricket could receive a massive boost.”The hope is, when we get to Brisbane, we might be up to eight or ten teams, and in 2036, there’s a three-way shoot-out between Qatar, Saudi and India, and clearly the real hope is that India get in it 2036, in which case, cricket will be front and centre. Who knows? It could be ten or 12 teams by that stage.”At this stage, we are there by the invitation of the IOC and on that basis, you abide by their rules, and that is to play the geography of your game as opposed to necessarily the top six playing nations.”

David Warner was given a life from a simple chance, although it wasn’t as costly as it could have been

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2024

First Test, Perth

15.1 Aamer Jamal to Khawaja, FOUR, dropped! Short outside off, goes for the pull, gets a big top edge which loops over the cordon and Shafique, running back from first, never settles under it. Not a simple chance, but had time to get there

Second Test, Melbourne

2.6 Shaheen Shah Afridi to Warner, no run, Edged and dropped! Can you believe it? What have you done Abdullah Shafique! It was a regulation catch at first slip and once again Pakistan not taking their chances! That was an extraordinary delivery on a length and moved away just enough to scratch his outside edge, was a touch low and just burst out of his hands. They give Warner a big reprieve!15.1 No, no, no! Scurries in and hammers it on a length, gets it to zip away outside off and it’s that man again Abdullah Shafique who drops another soda in the slip cordon. This is unbelievable! Marsh gets a huge reprieve. Will he make the bowlers suffer?

Third Test, Sydney

13.2 Aamer Jamal to Warner, no run. Edged and dropped! Can you believe it? Saim Ayub, the culprit. Just burst out of his hands! That was a regulation catch! Lovely delivery a back of a length and it’s whooshing away in the corridor, a tentative poke at it and Pakistan nearly got their first breakthrough. This is poor from the young man.***For once, however, Warner didn’t pile on the runs and punish Pakistan too severely after his reprieve. Ten overs and 14 runs later, he would nick off to first slip again. This time, Babar was back in that position.24.3 Salman to Warner, OUT. Caught at slip! This rags from the surface! Salman should have been on sooner! What a delivery. Drifting into leg, Warner is playing back from the crease, closes the face, it bites and spins sharply across him to catch the shoulder of the bat and Babar takes a nice catch rolling to his left.

In the Asia Cup’s group of death, Bangladesh now face a must-win game against Afghanistan

Madushka Balasuriya31-Aug-20231:34

Mahroof: Pleased to see the planning from Samarawickrama and Asalanka

Fifties from Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama saw home a nervy chase in sluggish conditions, as Sri Lanka kicked off their Asia Cup campaign with an ultimately convincing five-wicket win over Bangladesh. The result means Sri Lanka have one foot in the Super 4 stage, while Bangladesh face a must-win tie against Afghanistan.Asalanka, who had come into this game in a lean stretch of form, ended unbeaten on 62 off 92 deliveries, just the kind of gritty knock that was needed on a two-paced Pallekele surface and against a Bangladesh bowling outfit that gave little away.Set a target of just 165, Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother at 43 for 3 when Asalanka joined Samarawickrama in the middle. Before that Dimuth Karanuratne had played all over a full in-ducker from Taskin Ahmed, while Kusal Mendis had been castled a Shakib Al Hasan arm ball. In between Pathum Nissanka had slashed and nicked a short, wide one from Shoriful Islam.Early wickets are crucial when defending a low total, and Bangladesh certainly felt they were in the game at that point, but in Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka had precisely the man they wanted in such a situation.Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama revived the chase after the loss of three early wickets•Getty Images

Batting at No. 4, Samarawickrama took it upon himself to keep the scoreboard ticking. Back-to-back boundaries against Taskin, including a sumptuous cover drive, showed his intent, but the loss of wickets forced him to play more of an accumulator’s role.Once Asalanka joined him, the pair was initially content to nudge around for singles and play out dot balls when necessary, with the scoreboard pressure non-existent. Still, if there was any pressure building up, Samarawickrama released it with a couple of fours off Shakib in the 19th over.The two grafted together 78 before Samarawickrama fell, stumped off Mahedi Hasan, though by this point the chase was well in hand. Dhananjaya de Silva had his stumps disturbed by Shakib a short while after to keep give rise to a few more Sri Lankan nerves, but Dasun Shanaka joined Asalanka at the crease to see home the chase.It was a result where Bangladesh would wonder what could have been, especially seeing as they had failed to bat out the full 50 overs. Only Najmul Hossain Shanto with his valiant 89 showed any resistance against Sri Lanka’s bowlers, who had the rest of the Bangladesh line-up in a stranglehold and bowled them out for 164.Matheesha Pathirana capped his Asia Cup debut with career-best figures of 4 for 32, while the always-excellent Maheesh Theekshana picked up a couple. But it was the pair of Dhananjaya and Dunith Wellalage that provided the platform for Sri Lanka’s strike bowlers to thrive, as the right-arm- and left-arm-spin combo rifled through the middle overs, never allowing the batters to score freely, and most importantly allowing skipper Shanaka to hold back on the reintroduction of both Theekshana and Pathirana.Matheesha Pathirana ended with career-best figures of 4 for 32•Getty Images

This was crucial, as in the absence of the injured Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka were one strike bowler short. But on this difficult surface, Sri Lanka’s bowlers stuck to good lines and lengths and never really allowed the Bangladesh batters to get on top for any significant length of time.After Theekshana and Dhananjaya had removed openers Tanzid Hasan and Mohammed Naim cheaply, Shakib gloved Pathirana behind in the 11th over to leave Bangladesh reeling at 36 for 3.It was at this point that Bangladesh finally looked to get a foot in the game, with Shanto and Towhid Hridoy putting on a stand of 59, but the pressure that was built up in the middle overs began to tell. Shanaka brought himself on and had an advancing Hridoy lbw, via DRS.Mushfiqur Rahim and Shanto then added 32 for the fifth wicket, but the former fell foul of a textbook ploy – a couple of full deliveries followed by a short one – to hole out to deep third.Once Mushfiqur departed, not a single other Bangladeshi batter was able to keep Shanto company for long as Pathirana and Theekshana ran through the lower order. Apart from Shanto, only Hridoy managed to reach 20, while only two other batters reached double digits.

Fast bowler to visit specialist in London after limited role for Lancashire this season

Matt Roller23-Jun-2023Saqib Mahmood will visit a specialist in London next week amid concerns that a stress reaction in his back could rule him out for the rest of the English summer.Mahmood, who has played for England in all three international formats, has only played five games for Lancashire this season, two in the County Championship and three in the T20 Blast.He has not played at all in the last month due to injury and ESPNcricinfo understands there is concern that he could miss the rest of the season, including Lancashire’s Blast and Championship campaigns and the Hundred, where he is under contract with Oval Invincibles.Lancashire anticipate that his consultation at the start of next week will provide a clearer indication on the exact nature of his injury and the timeframe for a potential return. The club declined to comment when contacted.Related

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• Saqib Mahmood happy to be back in the dirt after year of hurt

Another injury would be a cruel blow for Mahmood, who missed all but one game of the 2022 season with a lower-back stress fracture which was diagnosed weeks after he made his Test debut for England in the Caribbean.He made his competitive comeback for England Lions in Sri Lanka earlier this year, and was then part of the ODI squad on England’s tour to Bangladesh, returning figures of 0 for 41 from his nine overs in his only appearance.There is some positive injury news for Lancashire, with Richard Gleeson included in a matchday squad for the first time this season after a wrist injury ahead of Friday night’s fixture against Derbyshire. Steven Croft also returns following a calf injury.Lancashire sit fourth in the North Group of the Blast as the preliminary stages approach their climax, with a game in hand on third-placed Nottinghamshire. All three of their remaining fixtures are at Emirates Old Trafford, where they have a 100% record this season.