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Somerset 637 for 6 (Banton 344*, Rew 152) lead Worcestershire 154 by 483 runsTom Banton made history at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton as Somerset assumed a position of dominance on day two of the Rothesay County Championship First Division match against Worcestershire.The 26-year-old batter made the highest first-class score in the county’s history, his 344 surpassing the 342 made by Justin Langer against Surrey at Guildford in 2006. The right-hander faced 381 balls, struck 53 fours and a six and batted for just over eight hours. He became only the eighth Somerset player to register a triple-century and the first since James Hildreth in 2009.In a dramatic finale, Banton pulled Kashif Ali to the midwicket boundary off the penultimate ball of the day to break the record and make it a day to remember for all Somerset supporters.”It’s a weird feeling and I was a bit emotional up there in the dressing room,” Banton said. “This is the best day I’ve had in cricket and will probably be the best day I’ll ever have. It feels special and you cannot take it for granted. These days don’t come along very often and you have to make the most of them.”On a day when records tumbled, Banton and James Rew staged a mammoth stand of 371 in 86.3 overs as the home side amassed 637 for 6, a substantial first-innings lead of 468. Rew raised 152 from 275 balls, striking 14 fours and two sixes, he and Banton establishing the highest fifth–wicket partnership in Somerset history, eclipsing the 320 made by John Francis and Ian Blackwell against Durham UCCE at Taunton in 2005.It was a day to forget for Worcestershire, who toiled in the sun and now face a mammoth task if they are to save the game over the course of the next two days.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All notion of a Worcestershire fightback on day two was dispelled in a morning session that went altogether in Somerset’s favour, Banton and Rew extending their partnership to record-breaking proportions. Banton set the tone, moving from his overnight score of 84 to post his fourth first-class century in quick time from 124 balls, glancing Matt Taylor off his legs to raise that landmark with his 20th four.Worcestershire deployed seven different bowlers during the session, but Ben Allison was the only one to inconvenience the batsmen. When Rew, having advanced his score to 31, took on the seamer and top-edged a pull shot to deep mid-wicket, Tom Hinley contrived to drop a sitter.Thereafter, Worcestershire ambition unravelled with indecent haste. Ensuring the Pears were made to pay for their profligacy, Rew went to 50 from 102 balls, dispatching a short-pitched delivery from Allison through midwicket for his eighth boundary as Somerset’s lead entered three-figure territory. The hundred stand occupied 165 balls, while Banton clipped Adam Finch to fine leg to register his career-best first-class score, eclipsing the 133 he made against Kent at Taunton 11 months earlier.Rew lofted Hinley high over long-on for the first six of the match, Banton went to his maiden 150 from 173 balls and, in what seemed like no time at all, the pair established a new record Somerset stand for the fifth wicket in matches against Worcestershire, surpassing the 176 mustered by Australians Bill Alley and Colin McCool at New Road in 1959. Out of sorts with the ball and increasingly prone to errors in the field, Worcestershire conceded 131 runs in the session, Somerset reaching the interval on 318 for 4, a lead of 164.If Worcestershire hopes were invested in the new ball, which was taken shortly after lunch, they were sorely disappointed as the Banton and Rew show continued unabated, these extending their alliance to 200 from 298 deliveries.Rew may be just 21, but he has already established a reputation for consistency in excellence. There was almost a sense of inevitability that, having registered his 16th half century in first-class cricket, he would go on to achieve his ninth hundred in his 41st match. On this occasion, he brought up the landmark in 186 balls, pulling Taylor for his eleventh four to elicit a standing ovation from an audience of more than 1,500.They were on their feet again moments later, acknowledging Banton’s maiden double-hundred, a landmark attained from 241 balls with 33 fours. A breakthrough indeed for a player who, until recently, was typecast as a one-day specialist. It was fitting that Banton should then cut Taylor for four to establish a new Somerset record fifth wicket partnership with Rew.Having banked maximum batting bonus points, there was still time for Banton and Rew to extend their partnership to 300 from 413 balls before tea was taken with Somerset on 482 for 4, a substantial lead of 328.Ethan Brookes afforded Worcestershire overdue relief when taking a brilliant return catch to end Rew’s five and-a-half hour innings, after which Banton took centre stage during a dramatic final hour.”I won’t lie, I was pretty tired out there and I kept saying to myself ‘just keep batting, keep going’,” Banton said. “There were a few moments when I felt I wanted to be back in the dressing room, but I wanted to go for it (the record) tonight, so I tried to play my shots when possible.”It was also a great day for James Rew and it was special seeing him go about his work. But we cannot get too carried away, because this is a good pitch and we still have a game to win over the next two days.”

Pakistan have been handed a boost ahead of the Champions Trophy opener, with fast bowler Haris Rauf expected to be “fully fit” against New Zealand, according to their captain Mohammad Rizwan.”Haris bowled 6-8 overs a couple of days ago, and bowled a fair bit yesterday too,” Rizwan said at the captain’s press conference on the eve of the tournament. “He’s bowling with full rhythm today, too. He’s also putting work in the gym and isn’t complaining of any pains. We think he’s fully fit.”Rauf sustained a muscular sprain in his chest while bowling in the opening game of the tri-series against New Zealand on February 8, and was in a race against time to be fit for the start of the tournament. He did not play the remainder of the series, though ESPNcricinfo understands that was more out of an abundance of caution than an indicator of the injury’s severity.Related

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After the press conference, Rauf was seen bowling in the nets during Pakistan’s final practice session before the tournament at the National Stadium. It clears Pakistan up to play what they view as their first-choice bowling lineup, one that features Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Rauf. The three played together in an attack that ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a result against New Zealand in the opener of the tri-series. They play the same side tomorrow in the Champions Trophy curtain-raiser as Pakistan prepare to host their first ICC tournament since 1996.”We suffered for 10 years when no side came here,” Rizwan said. “But Pakistan still produced solid results. So we have no doubts about our ability.”However, it is hard to escape the idea that Pakistan go into their first game as relative underdogs. New Zealand beat them twice in the tri-series, going unbeaten across the tournament to lift the title. They went on to demonstrate their all-round ability, defending a total against Pakistan in one game before easing to two chases in games against South Africa and Pakistan. At the same time, they brushed aside injuries to fast bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, retaining their fast-bowling threat, while reigning Pakistan in through the middle overs with a varied array of spinners.”There are ups and downs and certain deficiencies in our side,” Rizwan said. “We are aware we need to bring about certain improvements in our professionalism and consistency.0:57

Urooj: Huge responsibility for Pakistan to defend the title at home

“We tried to learn from the tri-series, which is why we batted first in the final to work out where our weaknesses lie. We used that series as a training experience. We hope we’ve learned enough to cover for those weaknesses tomorrow.”But along with the usual cheery optimism, Rizwan’s statements were laced with a kind of naked hunger he has rarely let slip in the past. Wearing his religion on his sleeve, he tends to resign himself to “the will of Allah” as he often says. It can take the pressure off, a valuable skill for a Pakistan captain, but today, Rizwan seemed to teeter on the edge of fantasising how much he wanted to win an ICC event, and how good it would be to win this one at home.”We’ve come so close a few times,” he said. “We need to work out how to get that extra one per cent to win those big matches. No one can guarantee that success, and we’re still in search of that final step where we lose big games or tournaments.”Every player is desperate for this title. And we’re doing everything we can to work out how to win. I don’t think any country works as hard as we do.”It’s uncommon to hear Rizwan speak with that kind of edge. Soon enough, he was back to his usual gregarious self, talking about how “all 15 players were captains” and the value of team performances over individual brilliance. But then again, perhaps that is the “extra one per cent” Pakistan, and Rizwan, are so desperately hunting for.

There’s a fine line between maximum preparation and cluelessness, and Pakistan are trying to make sure they tread the right side of it. With less than 24 hours to go before the second Test, Pakistan have not yet named a final XI, wanting to glean as much information as possible about what the Newlands surface will do. However, the later, they leave it, the harder it is to make the case the visitors have a side they will be comfortable with heading into the game.The captain Shan Masood admitted balancing the team was “tricky”. “We’d like to have one final look at the pitch,” he said. “Looks a bit different, less grass cover. South Africa have had the luxury of having a training session earlier than us. We’d like to take our time and see what the best possible XI is.”The Newlands surface is under scrutiny following what happened in the previous Test played here. In the first Test for new groundsman Braam Mong, India beat South Africa in a game which lasted barely 100 overs. Fast bowlers dominated the game, with uneven bounce between bat and ball, with no spin bowled; the pitch was given an “unsatisfactory” rating.Related

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With this being the same groundsman’s second Test, interest in the nature of this strip is high on both sides, with Temba Bavuma half-joking he was told he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the pitch”. Over the last couple of days, the strip that will see the Test played has had a significant amount of grass removed from it, with heavy rollers going over the surface multiple times.Either way, South Africa have named their side, with spinner Keshav Maharaj coming in. But it’s a bit more complex for Pakistan. Masood pointed out one of South Africa’s strengths was their seam bowling allrounders and deep batting line-up, saying it went right down to “Rabada at 10″, following his heroics in the fourth innings in Centurion.If Pakistan are to play a specialist spinner, it will invariably come at the expense of a seam bowler. That leaves them with just three seamers, which Masood appeared reluctant to commit to.”South Africa still have four seamers playing,” Masood said. “They have the luxury of quite a lot of allrounders in the squad. Mulder, Jansen, Bosch, so they can afford to make those decisions. For us, it’ll be slightly trickier. We still feel pace will have a large role to play in these conditions. There was a pattern that was successful for us where [Salman] Agha bowled really well in Australia and take that forward with us. We’ll have to see and probably make a decision in the evening.Further complicating matters, Aamer Jamal, who played the least significant role among the quicks in Centurion for Pakistan, is their only allrounder, with Masood effectively confirming his place in the XI.”Aamer links the team together. He’s a very important player in the Test team going forward. That No. 8 position where you can bat as a very decent batter and bowl like a proper fast bowler. Unfortunately, the situation of the match was such apart from his first spell at Centurion he didn’t really get a go. He was brought on at a time where we just took a gamble to have something different, maybe hit the wicket and force Rabada or Jansen to do something else. That was the reason behind that. But we hope he’ll bowl more on this surface.”It means whichever way Pakistan go, there will be compromises one way or another. But Masood said Pakistan had been taking heart from the way they competed against the side that are “No. 1″ in Test cricket. But with Pakistan letting slip a number of dominant positions over the last nine Tests, seven of which Pakistan lost, he understands belief in a side or a system can fall apart if results to prop it up aren’t forthcoming.”You want to compete against the best, and win against the best,” he said. “It’s heartening to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential in that side, and if we’re not crossing the line, we’re not doing our talent and ability justice. That only comes from a place of care, and yes we all make mistakes and sometimes don’t cross this line, but I really believe this side has the ability, and people have seen there is a lot more to this side than the results suggest.”Moments after Pakistan finished training, the pitch was, unconventionally, given another heavy dose of watering under a hot sun. After that, the groundstaff threw a white sheet over the strip, and the two surrounding it. The secrets of this Newlands pitch remain concealed overnight, although, even when it stood exposed, few – especially in the Pakistan camp – seemed to really know what to expect from it.

Australia have a fresh injury concern ahead of the Ashes with Sophie Molineux ruled out of the women’s ODI tour of New Zealand with a knee injury.Already sweating on the fitness of captain Alyssa Healy and her sore knee, Australia suffered more bad news on Saturday in the form of Molineux’s injury.Related

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The finger-spinner has battled knee issues this summer, missing some WBBL games with the Melbourne Renegades to manage pain in the joint.She played in the last two of Australia’s 3-0 series sweep over India, but pulled up sore following the last victory in Perth on Wednesday.It means she will now skip all three ODIs against New Zealand this month, with bowling-allrounder Heather Graham to take her spot four weeks out from the Ashes.The games double as the team’s last before next month’s multi-format Ashes series, where Australia will aim to retain the trophy for a fifth straight time.”Sophie Molineux has been withdrawn from the NZ Series due to knee soreness,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “Heather Graham will join the squad in New Zealand on Tuesday, following Tasmania’s Women’s National Cricket League matches against New South Wales in Hobart.”Georgia Wareham would be the most likely player to come into Australia’s XI for the first ODI against New Zealand on Thursday, after she was left out of the final two games against India.In better news for Australia, Healy is at least a confirmed attendee on the New Zealand trip. Australia’s captain missed the three ODIs against India through her own knee injury, after also missing the end of the T20 World Cup with a foot issue.Healy’s return will create a potential headache for selectors given Georgia Voll’s impressive start to her international career against India.Voll made scores of 46 not out, 101 and 26 while deputising for Healy at the top of the order, after a breakthrough WBBL with the Sydney Thunder.But Voll is at risk of being squeezed out of the ODI side in New Zealand, with Healy expected to slot back into opening alongside Phoebe Litchfield.It means the only way Voll would remain in the first-choice XI is if selectors opt to bat her down the order and make the bold call of leaving out a more established player.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are unlikely to retain their title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer and star allrounder Andre Russell ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and uncapped fast bowler Harshit Rana are set to be the franchise’s four retained players.They are also unlikely to retain Mitchell Starc, who they had bought for the record price of INR 24.75 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. Starc had a poor league phase in IPL 2024 before playing vital roles – 3 for 34 and 2 for 14 – in KKR’s victories in Qualifier 1 and the final.There is also a possibility that KKR will retain a second uncapped player in Ramandeep Singh, an explosive batter in the lower middle order. If they do so, then they will have only one right-to-match option left to use at the auction on a capped player, in case they want to buy back either Iyer, Russell, or Starc.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their lists of retained players to the IPL. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Related

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While the individual amounts for each of KKR’s likely retentions are not yet known, they will lose at least INR 47 crore for four players (including one uncapped) or INR 51 crore for five players (including two uncapped).The big development in the KKR camp is the possible release of Iyer, their captain, and Russell, who has been with them since IPL 2014. Iyer was their most expensive purchase at the 2022 mega auction (INR 12.25 crore – $1.633 million approx. at the time) when KKR were on the hunt for a new captain. Russell had been retained for INR 12 crore ahead of that auction.Iyer led KKR to the IPL title in the 2024 season, scoring 351 runs at a strike rate of nearly 147, their first triumph since 2014. While he will be optimistic about attracting sizeable bids at the mega auction considering a few franchises might need a captain and a top Indian batter, Russell will also be a huge draw. He scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 last season and took 19 wickets, three of which came in the IPL final.Among the players retained, Narine, Rinku and Varun have all played vital roles for KKR over the last few seasons. Narine, who was retained for INR 6 crore ($722,000 approx. then) in 2022, was the Most Valuable Player in 2024 for his explosiveness at the top of the order and his 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.69. Varun, who joined the franchise in 2020 and was retained in 2022 for INR 8 crore ($1.066 million approx. then), has 41 wickets (8.09 economy) in the last two seasons, the most by any bowler. Rinku, whose IPL performances catapulted him into the India T20I team, has a strike rate of 207.97 since 2022.Rana is emerging as promising fast bowler and is part of India’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, while Ramandeep’s IPL and domestic performances earned him a spot in India’s squad for the recent Emerging Players Asia Cup in Oman.

Jos Buttler rampaged into form in his second innings back in charge of England’s T20I side, a brutal 83 off 45 balls helping to clinically ice a chase of 159 and give the tourists a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Batting once again at No. 3, Buttler followed up the good work of his bowling attack by peeling off the 26th 50-plus score of his career in T20 internationals, eight fours and six sixes ringing off his bat during a century stand with Will Jacks that saw England cruise to their requirement with more than five overs to spare.Having again won the toss and opted to bowl, England made good use of the conditions to leave West Indies three down in the powerplay, Saqib Mahmood striking twice to continue his prolific start to the series. Rovman Powell provided some ballast for West Indies with a 41-ball 43 but Romario Shepherd was the only other batter to reach 20 as Dan Mousley, in his second T20I, and Liam Livingstone shared four wickets.Although England then lost their centurion from Saturday’s successful chase of 183, Phil Salt, to the first ball of the reply, Buttler and Jacks dispelled West Indies’ hopes of making a game of it with a domineering stand of 129 from 72 balls. Both fell in the same Shepherd over but there was no reprieve forthcoming for West Indies.Hosein’s opening salvo
Only three times had a score of 150 or less been defended in T20Is at Kensington Oval – and none since 2010. West Indies clearly needed to make early inroads with the new ball, and they couldn’t have gone any better in that regard. Akeal Hosein gave his first ball some air, found a little turn, and Salt’s aggressive thump went straight to hand in the covers. Buttler was then late in jabbing down on Hosein’s fourth delivery, the ball deflecting off the toe of the bat before bouncing over the stumps. Might the pitch still be tricky to master?Buttler serves up a classic
The short answer was: no. Jacks did the early running, picking off boundaries against Matthew Forde and Hosein, with Buttler scoring just three runs off his first 10 balls. Back-to-back fours off Forde followed, before Jacks deposited Hosein over long-off. England were beginning to feel a little more comfortable as Shepherd came on to bowl the final over of the powerplay – and they were metaphorically in a deckchair sipping from a cold bottle of Banks by the end of it.Jacks again took the lead, clubbing four high over mid-off, before ceding the stage to Buttler. His first of three consecutive boundaries was something of an ungainly hack that spun away to the rope at deep backward point, but that was followed up by emphatically drilling Shepherd’s slower ball over the sightscreen, then walking across to the change of length and flipping four more over the head of short fine leg, as England reached the end of the powerplay on 56 for 1.Another bludgeon down the ground off Gudakesh Motie meant a replacement ball had to be sent for, and Buttler went to a 32-ball half-century by smashing Roston Chase into the crowd in the 10th over of the chase. Terrance Hinds, making his debut for West Indies, was collared for 15 runs as England brought up their 100 in the next, before Buttler went 6-6-4 against Chase. He fell in the next over, three balls after Jacks – and one ball after being dropped in the covers. But the finish line was already in sight for England, Livingstone creaming four boundaries in 11 balls and sealing the result with a six.Mahmood in the mood again
There was early evidence of some juice in the pitch, with Bridgetown having been lashed by rain during the morning, as Evin Lewis edged Jofra Archer fortuitously wide of slip while attempting to leave in the first over. Brandon King was in no mood for sighters, though, and tried to thrash his second ball from Mahmood over the top: the ball stood up just enough off the surface to send a spiralling leading edge to mid-off.Archer had Lewis prodding and poking in the channel, before producing a brute of a lifter to flick the glove through to Salt. And although Mahmood struggled at times to control the amount of movement on offer, conceding 10 wides in his opening three-over burst, he picked up his fifth powerplay wicket of the series when beating Chase on the inside to win an lbw decision that was backed up on DRS as umpire’s call. West Indies were 35 for 3 inside the fourth over – marginally better off than their start to the first T20I, but not by much.Powell powers the revival
West Indies needed a partnership and they got one from Powell and Nicholas Pooran – but it was not fluent. Pooran soon opted for seeing off the new-ball pair, given the movement on offer, while Powell was also circumspect, seeing off a maiden from Sam Curran in the eighth. The pair put on 35 from 43, with just a boundary apiece, before Pooran was lured from his ground by Livingstone, whose flighted offbreak left the West Indies No. 3 stranded.Powell had crabbed his way to 18 off 28 before he found his range, panning Livingstone over the midwicket rope for the first six. He lost another partner in Sherfane Rutherford, England reviewing successfully for lbw, and then somehow managed to muscle Rashid on to the rope at extra cover, despite aiming down the ground. Another boundary at the end of the over brought up West Indies’ 100; but just as Powell appeared set to unleash through the death overs, he was undone by Mousley’s 116kph/72mph yorker, which dipped under the bat to hit middle stump and give the 21-year-old his maiden international wicket.Windies tail wags
The hosts only managed three boundaries between the end of the powerplay and the start of the 15th over, but after Powell’s dismissal, the lower order heaved away to good effect. Motie made good use of the extra pace Mousley put on the ball to thrash two fours in three balls, before Shepherd took back-to-back boundaries off Archer and crunched Curran down the ground. Forde also found the ropes three times in six balls, all them sweetly struck, while Hinds hit his second ball in international cricket for four – Mousley’s final over costing 15, including five wides down the leg side.

Allrounder Samit Dravid, who had been sidelined from the three-match one-day series against Australia Under-19s in Puducherry, hasn’t recovered from a knee injury and will likely miss the upcoming four-dayers in Chennai as well, according to India Under-19s’ coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar.”As of now he’s at the NCA, recovering from his knee injury,” Kanitkar said of Dravid on the eve of India Under-19s first four-dayer against Australia Under-19s at Chepauk. “So, [I] don’t know yet. It looks unlikely.”Samit, the son of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, had earned his maiden call-up to the India Under-19s squad after featuring in the Maharaja T20 trophy, where he played for Mysuru Warriors, and the Cooch Behar Trophy, which Karnataka won.Related

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Samit, now 18, however, will not be eligible for the next Under-19 World Cup in 2026. As per the ICC’s regulations, any player who is eligible to feature in the Under-19 World Cup should be aged under 19 as of August 31, 2025. But Samit is set to turn 19 on October 11 and hence will not be able to meet the eligibility criteria for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup.VVS Laxman, the former India batter and NCA head, has said that they are prioritising giving the players exposure to grow over merely selecting a talent pool for the 2026 T20 World Cup.”So, now we are playing a series against Australia Under-19 and luckily a lot of the guys who may miss out on the next World Cup are part of this series,” Laxman said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new state-of-the-art National Cricket Academy which will be known as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Bengaluru.”So overall the exposure is there and they also are not only restricted or constrained only for the World Cup. We want them to evolve as cricketers and just because someone played India Under-19 or someone didn’t play India Under-19 doesn’t mean that they won’t progress in their career but if they play at the highest level, understand the pressures of a World Cup I think that will enhance their mental strength and also progress as cricketers.”VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy of India, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the head coach of India Under-19, have a chat•ICC/Getty Images

India Under-19 coach Kanitkar eager to test out his players in red-ball cricket

The first youth Test against Australia Under-19s, which will begin at Chepauk on Monday, will be India colts’ first four-dayer in more than five years. Kanitkar also talked up the exposure the Indian players would get, in red-ball cricket, against some Australian players who are on the fringes of Sheffield Shield selection.”I think it’s a great initiative to play Test games because red-ball [cricket] really tests you,” Kanitkar said. “There’s enough time for the bowlers to plan and [make] strategies. So, for both batters and bowlers and even fielders it’s the ideal challenge to see where you stand. I think to be able to play against a foreign side is a great thing. I know a lot of people, including myself who played Under-19 cricket against foreign teams and it really helped us a lot. So, I think it’s going to be magnificent for the players.”India Under-19s go into the four-dayers on the back of a 3-0 sweep in the one-dayers in Puducherry. Kanitkar was happy with the gains India Under-19s had made in those three games, but with Chennai receiving some spells of rain over the past week, to go with extremely high humidity, he was wary of the conditions at Chepauk.”They’re confident and we’ve had a good one-day series,” Kanitkar said. “Having said that, this is a different format altogether. Everything changes and the place is different. So, it’s better to take good things from that and leave the highs back and prepare again.”Pondicherry was hot as well. It’s very similar [in Chennai], so weather-wise, we’re fine. The pitch is obviously different and we will have a look again tomorrow morning. Let’s see if it rains overnight or not because it’s hot and humid.”

Birmingham Phoenix 126 for 7 (Livingstone 55) tied with Southern Brave 126 for 6 (Vince 43, Milne 3-18)
Super Five Southern Brave beat Birmingham Phoenix in a thrilling Super Five contest at the Kia Oval to book their place in the Hundred final at Lord’s.Chris Jordan was the match-winner in a nerve-shredding encounter, hitting 10 from three balls after Jofra Archer had limited Phoenix to a total of 7 from their Super Five.Liam Livingstone had looked set to take Phoenix to final with 55 off 34 balls, but when he fell in the final set of his side’s innings, Akeal Hosein defended three from three to bring around the first-ever Super Five in ghe Hundred.In the first innings of the match, James Vince made 43 for Southern Brave and Leus du Plooy 39. Jordan struck two sixes in the final set bowled by Sean Abbott which would ultimately prove crucial – a taste of things to come from the bat of the England allrounder.Phoenix’s run chase got off to a slow start but with contributions from captain Moeen Ali and Jacob Bethell the Birmingham side began to close in on the target.Livingstone was in full control – hitting Archer out of the ground – but his dismissal and some late drama saw the scores level at 126 apiece.Batting first in the five-balls-per-side contest, Livingstone was unable to atone for his late dismissal – falling first ball, flashing a full toss from Archer to backward point.Bethell smashed the second ball wide of long-on for four, but no more boundaries were forthcoming – leaving Jordan and Kieron Pollard needing to surpass 7 to make Lord’s.Jordan got a slice of luck to inside-edge his first delivery for four behind square on the leg side, and followed up with a two and a four to see Brave make the Hundred final for the second time.Meerkat Match Hero, Archer, said: “Just relieved to be honest, I thought I’d given it away in that second to last over.”On his last three deliveries, he said: “You’ve just got to commit to it. Some days it happens for you and some days it doesn’t and I’m just glad today is one of the days that it worked for me.”We’ve got 11 match-winners and the guys that are not in the XI are match-winners themselves, so the team has so much talent it doesn’t matter what team we put out there, I back the guys all the way.”

Danni Wyatt’s rapid half-century set England up for a commanding victory in the first of five T20Is with New Zealand in Southampton.Wyatt faced just 51 balls for her 76, which included 11 fours and a six, to lead England to an imposing total of 197 for 3 after the White Ferns had won the toss. She was well supported by a powerful 47 in 23 balls from Nat Sciver-Brunt and opening partner Maia Bouchier, who added 32 off 26. It was a class batting performance by England who manipulated the crease beautifully to time the ball and find gaps throughout their innings, producing their best T20I score against New Zealand and second-highest in the format on home soil.England experimented with four spinners and, between them, they took seven of the nine wickets to fall. The move worked not only from a result point of view as England wrapped up a 59-run win, but with their football side kicking off in a Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland at 5pm local time, they had only missed 26 minutes by the finish, with the score still 0-0. Legspinner Sarah Glenn finished with 3 for 16 and offspinner Charlie Dean took 2 for 28. Left-arm seamer Freya Kemp took a wicket with the last ball of the match in her return to bowling after battling a recurrence of a back injury.

Wyatt, Bouchier look nailed on

Captain Heather Knight said on match eve that England were keen to test potential T20 World Cup combinations and tactics during this series and they understandably stuck with an in-form Bouchier as opener alongside Wyatt. Bouchier enjoyed a breakout tour of New Zealand earlier this year and was Player of the Series in the home sweep of three ODIs.Wyatt crunched the first ball of the match, a short, wide one from Fran Jonas, through backward point for four and Bouchier chimed in three balls later with a sublime cut which rocketed through point. Wyatt struck two fours in three Sophie Devine deliveries to move England 52 without loss after six overs with both batters having already racked up five boundaries each. Bouchier threw her head back in frustration after she sidestepped to latch onto a Lea Tahuhu short ball but ended up picking out Georgia Plimmer at deep midwicket. But her efforts had helped England off to an excellent start in a 61-run opening stand with Wyatt, who forged on, hammering the first six of the day advancing to Eden Carson and sending the ball way over the rope at deep midwicket.

England get a little funky

If Wyatt and Bouchier looked nailed on at the top of the order, England played around with the middle order. Nat Sciver-Brunt, at No. 3, carried on the form she showed with an unbeaten 76 in the third and final ODI in Bristol on Wednesday. Sciver-Brunt struck back-to-back fours off Jess Kerr, pulled to the leg side and driven over extra cover, and three more in succession off Carson to take the partnership with Wyatt past 50, then 60 and keep England on track for a big total. Wyatt brought up her fifty off 36 balls with a single off Brooke Halliday. Carson couldn’t cling onto what would have been an outstanding catch at backward point when Wyatt was on 54, then Sciver-Brunt holed out to Amelia Kerr at midwicket off Carson.Freya Kemp, back in the side as an allrounder after playing as a batter only during a lengthy return from a back stress fracture, came in at No. 4 and made a valuable 26 from 17 balls. It wasn’t until Wyatt lofted Tahuhu’s slower ball high into the air and into the hands of Maddy Green just inside the boundary at deep square leg that Knight came to the crease. By that stage, Kemp was finding a nice rhythm and Knight simply played a supporting role as Kemp steered Amelia Kerr to the deep third boundary before lofting the same bowler effortlessly down the ground for a towering six, then drove Devine with authority through backward point.

NZ recover from shaky start

New Zealand were off to a disappointing start when Georgia Plimmer was run out for a third time on this tour, thanks to a pinpoint direct hit from Sciver-Brunt. Continuing their commitment to giving things a go with one eye on the World Cup, Linsey Smith, one of four specialist spinners in the England line-up, entered the attack in the third over. Despite being behind England at the end of the powerplay on 45 for 1, New Zealand held firm via Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr. They brought up their fifty partnership for the second wicket via a Kemp misfield at midwicket which went for four followed by a single from Bates, which Kemp stopped. But, no sooner had they done so than Amelia Kerr picked out Bouchier at long-on to give Dean her first wicket.

Spinners come to play

Bates fell three balls later attempting a reverse sweep off Glenn and dragging the ball directly onto her stumps. Glenn was on a hat-trick after bowling Green first ball, a straight one that went through the gate and crashed in to middle stump. Halliday survived the hat-trick ball but Devine started walking before the ball even started to drop into the hands of Bouchier at long-on to give Glenn a triple-wicket over in the 10th with New Zealand floundering at 64 for 5. Having been rested for the third ODI, spin attack leader Sophie Ecclestone had Izzy Gaze stumped first ball as New Zealand lost five wickets for four runs in the space of 14 balls.It could have been worse had Glenn held a sharp return catch off Jess Kerr in the next over. Glenn, who had bowled with excellent control, saw another catch go down at short cover, where Dean dived and thrust out her left hand but couldn’t cling on.Sciver-Brunt spilled a return catch off Halliday, on 12, but Dean bowled Halliday in the next over for 17, ending a 43-run stand. Jess Kerr played defiantly for 38 off 26 balls, her highest score at international level, to be New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer. Three more chances went begging in the penultimate over, bowled by Smith, the last quite blameless as Kemp did her best stumbling over the boundary rope but couldn’t parry it back to herself as she jumped back in. Smith finally had Jess Kerr out with her last delivery, caught by Sciver-Brunt at long-off.

Jonny Bairstow says he has no desire to revisit the controversial events of last summer’s Lord’s Test, as England and Australia prepare to do battle once more in the biggest contest to date of the T20 World Cup.Bairstow’s stumping at the hands of Alex Carey, on the final day of last summer’s second Test, is a central topic of the latest series of Australia’s fly-on-the-wall documentary “The Test”, which was released on Amazon Prime last month.The moment, which occurred during England’s final-day run-chase as Bairstow wandered out of his crease after ducking a bouncer from Cameron Green, sparked fury in the Lord’s pavilion, with some MCC members accosting the Australia players on their way up to the dressing-room as the teams left the field for lunch.The repercussions continued throughout a thrilling Ashes series, with England recovering from a 2-0 deficit after the Lord’s Test to square the series 2-2 thanks to nailbiting victories at Headingley and The Oval. And speaking on the eve of a crucial Group B clash in Barbados, Bairstow insisted that the incident had galvanised England into an on-field response.”I’ve not seen any of it to be quite honest with you,” he said, when asked if he’d been streaming any episodes of the documentary. “I’ve got other things that I watch on TV, I don’t need to sit and watch that in my hotel room.”You see enough cricket when you’re involved in it day to day and playing it. But I think that post that event, the way in which we as a side reacted to that was a real positive.”You look at the results after that thing that happened at Lord’s and I actually think that we finished that series a lot stronger than Australia did.Related

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“Look, I think the impact it had on us as a side, the Test side, was actually a very positive effect and you can make your own assumptions as to what effect it had on Australia and their individuals.”Mitchell Marsh, Australia’s T20 captain, was also involved in the latter stages of the Ashes, including a brilliant counterattacking hundred in the subsequent Test in Leeds. And as he recalled the febrile atmosphere at England’s grounds that summer, Marsh acknowledged that Australia’s reception in Barbados on Saturday might not be dissimilar.”I dare say this will be full and it’ll be mostly English fans, so it’ll be like playing at Headingley all over, or anywhere in England where you get sprayed,” he said.”But just the atmosphere, the vibe of the game, there’s always a lot riding on it. As a team we always want to challenge ourselves against the best. England have been exceptional in this format for a long period of time now, so there’s certainly going to be a lot on the game and we’re pumped.”The stakes for England in particular have been ramped up this week, following their washout against Scotland, which could leave their Super 8 qualification in jeopardy if Australia get the better of them on Saturday. Bairstow, however, wasn’t letting the permutations in Group B get the better of him.”It doesn’t derail us either way. We know we’ve got to win more games than we lose in tournament cricket,” he said. “A win puts you in a position in the group which is obviously more favourable but the other two games after this are must-win games anyway. But it would be good for momentum and confidence.”England versus Australia is always a great occasion. Two very good teams going toe-to-toe. It’s going to be an exciting spectacle. Hopefully it will be a fantastic atmosphere like it always is in Barbados and the best side will come out on top.”