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Essex claimed their second Twenty20 victory over Kent in the space of three days, this time by a margin of 62 runs

09-Jul-2013
ScorecardRavi Bopara joint top-scored for Essex before taking the first three Kent wickets to fall•Getty Images

Essex claimed their second Twenty20 victory over Kent in the space of three days, this time by a margin of 62 runs, when the sides met in their Friends Life t20 Group South match at Chelmsford. Replying to a total of 180 for 8, the visitors could only manage 118 all out in 17.3 overs, a failure that condemned them to their fifth successive defeat in this season’s competition.The Essex total was built on fluent rather than explosive batting, with their top six batsmen aside from Graham Napier all putting together useful contributions.Openers Mark Pettini and Hamish Rutherford shared in a partnership of 59 in five overs, the former gathering 33 from only 17 deliveries before giving a return catch to Mitchell Claydon. Napier fell first ball in the same manner while Rutherford became an lbw victim of James Tredwell for 27 made from 14 balls .That paved the way for Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah to gather 78 in just under 10 overs. Both made 39, Shah striking three sixes in his 32-ball effort while Bopara twice cleared the ropes in an innings spanning 30 deliveries. The pair were removed by the nagging accuracy of spinner Tredwell when they each holed out to Alex Blake at deep square leg.Ryan ten Doeschate weighed in with a useful 27 but Essex had looked set for a far bigger total after moving beyond 100 in the 11th over. Tredwell emerged with figures of 3 for 19 from his four overs but Bopara bettered that.He followed up his effort with the bat by taking 3 for 12 in three overs with his brisk medium-pace. He removed Rob Key, Sam Northeast and Sam Billings in the space of 10 balls at a personal cost of five runs and they were blows from which Kent never threatened to recover.Reece Topley saw to that as he went on to destroy the middle order with an impressive performance of left-arm pace that brought him figures of 4 for 26. In a sorry display, the visitors who were 73 for 2 at one stage then stumbled from one problem to another as their innings disintegrated in the face of accurate bowling backed up by superb work in the field.

Warwickshire failed to take full advantage of their strong position on day one at Edgbaston against Surrey

George Dobell at Edgbaston27-Jul-2012
ScorecardJim Troughton was unbeaten on 74•Getty Images

A glance at the scorecard might suggest that Warwickshire enjoyed a pretty good opening day against Surrey. Up to a point that was true, too: they have claimed three batting bonus points and have the power to add more on day two.But Warwickshire will also know that, from the platform they had established, they failed to take full advantage. They will know that, having won first use of a fine batting track, they might have squandered a chance to bat Surrey out of this game and that, despite all their admirable cricket so far this season, they could have made further progress towards their first championship title since 2004.At one stage here they were well placed on 130 without loss. Then they lost four wickets in the afternoon session before a fifth-wicket stand of 98 put them back on track only for Surrey to capture two more wickets before the close. It left Warwickshire with their noses in front, but it could have been far more.To increase Warwickshire’s frustration, they will know that several of their batsmen played more than a small part in their dismissals. Varun Chopra, who has the class to press for a position in the Test side in due course, compiled a typically elegant 60 before, partly through a lack of foot movement, played on as he reached to drive. For a man who had just been left out of the Lions squad, it was a frustrating dismissal. William Porterfield, who has scored only two championship centuries in his career and none in division one, then helped a legside longhop into the hands of the keeper. Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy both played fell playing across straight deliveries, before Richard Johnson’s admirable innings ended when he drove uppishly and Rikki Clarke was well held at point after thick-edging an attempted drive. Had Jim Troughton been held at short-leg on 23, a sharp chance to Rory Burns off the deserving Stuart Meaker, Warwickshire would have been 197 for five.Perhaps Chris Jordan deserves some credit. The 23-year-old fast bowling all-rounder, out of contract at the Oval and wanted at Hove, made the breakthrough in an expensive post-lunch spell of six overs for 45 runs. He forced Chopra on the back foot with a barrage of short balls and, while many of them were pulled to the boundary with disdainful ease and 14 more runs were donated from no-balls, perhaps his pace was responsible for Chopra’s reluctance to come forward to the full ball that dismissed him.But Meaker was, by some distance, the best of Surrey’s bowlers. Both openers were fortunate to survive leg before appeal in his first spell – he had Westwood on his hands and knees after digging out an inswinging yorker at one stage – and his pace and swing rendered him a tough proposition throughout the day.The Surrey attack was profligate, though. Their contribution of 43 extras – 22 of them no-balls – tells its own story. The bowlers were largely responsible for the large tally of no-balls, too, while Jordan’s surfeit of long-hops cannot have done his hopes of a new contract offer at the Oval much good.Having survived the opening spell, Chopra and Westwood batted well. While Chopra was the more pleasing, leaning into some delightful drives, cutting neatly and pulling with grace, Westwood also chipped the spin of Gareth Batty over mid on for a couple of boundaries and looked increasingly comfortable.He enjoyed one major let-off. On 10, Westwood clipped Murali Kartik’s first delivery straight to Burns at short-leg only to see the fielder, over eager to celebrate the catch, drop the ball in his excitement. The umpires conferred but agreed that Burns had not had the ball under his control.Warwickshire were grateful for the contribution of Troughton and Johnson. The latter, recalled from his loan spell at Derbyshire due to a thigh injury to Tim Ambrose, looked a well organised player in moving to the brink of his maiden championship 50 with a pulled six and six pleasing fours. Troughton, meanwhile, who registered only his second championship century since the start of 2010 in the previous game, appeared notably more solid than he had at the start of the season.There were some notable absentees. Chris Tremlett missed the game – and may not play again this season – after undergoing a scan to ascertain whether he required surgery on his right knee. Having managed just one game since his return from back surgery, such a reverse would represent a crushing blow.Chris Adams was also absent. Surrey’s director of cricket has, somewhat controversially, opted to take a quick holiday. While some will criticise his timing – there are, after all, many months out of season in which to take a holiday – it is worth remembering that Adams, like many of his team, has been through a great deal in recent weeks and that the bulk of his coaching work is done pre-season. Still, the timing seems slightly unusual. Ian Salisbury, who is first team coach, and Alec Stewart deputised.Warwickshire, meanwhile, rested Chris Wright and brought in Boyd Rankin for his first game of the season following a ‘stress reaction’ in his foot.

Nottinghamshire became the first team to qualify for the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals by clinching a 10-run victory over Worcestershire at New Road

05-Jul-2011
ScorecardNottinghamshire became the first team to qualify for the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals by clinching a 10-run victory over Worcestershire at New Road.With a crowd of little more than 1,000 in the ground on a gloomy evening, the hosts had looked on course to cause a surprise after dismissing the north group leaders for 152.This was Nottinghamshire’s lowest total in 10 attempts when batting first in T20 matches this summer, but it proved to be enough as the Royals stumbled after an eye-catching half-century in 35 balls by Moeen Ali.Samit Patel halted the flying start on his day release from England’s one-day squad. The alrounder had Jack Manuel stumped for 21 while conceding only 21 runs in four overs and then ran out Moeen for 51 after the opener had hit 10 boundaries.Manuel, deputising for the injured Vikram Solanki, and Moeen put on 69 by the ninth over, but Worcestershire’s challenge petered out when Alexei Kervezee (21) and Shakib Al Hasan (20) departed in the space of four balls from Andre Adams and Steven Mullaney.Nottinghamshire also lost momentum after a opening stand of 69 in eight overs by Tamim Iqbal (35) and Alex Hales (39). As soon as the first pair had fallen to Moeen’s off-spin – Tamim stumped by Ben Scott and Hales caught at deep midwicket – the innings went into gradual decline against Worcestershire’s trio of slow bowlers.Shakib’s dismissal of Adam Voges, the Australian trapped leg-before for 16, was the first of eight wickets to tumble for the addition of 50 runs in 46 balls. Saeed Ajmal continued to make an impact on the competition, bowling Patel for 11, and the Pakistan off-spinner went on to take three for 28, giving him 15 wickets in six games so far.Worcestershire’s fielding was strewn with errors at first but after Tamim and Hales had survived chances in the same over from Shakib, the home side lifted their levels in the rest of the innings. James Cameron held three well-judged catches in front of the pavilion and also ran out Adams with a smart return from deep extra cover to the bowler’s end.

While the majority of the franchises want all the players to go into the auction, Cricinfo has learnt that the BCCI, along with the Mumbai and Chennai franchises, would like the teams to retain seven players

Nagraj Gollapudi and Tariq Engineer24-Jun-2010Interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin might have his hands full over the issue of player retention ahead of next year’s tournament. While the majority of the franchises want all the players to go into the auction, Cricinfo has learnt that the BCCI, along with the Mumbai and Chennai franchises, would like the teams to retain seven players.According to one franchise official with knowledge of Thursday’s meeting between the BCCI and franchise owners, the board announced that seven players – four Indian and three foreign – would be retained by the teams. However, most of the franchises immediately objected to the decision, arguing that in an earlier meeting in Bangkok last year they made it clear they did not want any retention. Therefore the IPL couldn’t unilaterally go against the majority of the franchises. Chennai and Mumbai are in favour of retention because they apparently want to retain their respective icon players – MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar.The BCCI responded to the franchises concerns by saying it would review the situation and get back to them. If the teams were to retain seven players, the two new franchises would be at a big disadvantage as presumably the top 56 players would then be unavailable to them.

Champions League 2008 payments to be discussed

The issue of payment of roughly Rs 22 crores (US$4.75 million) to the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings following the cancellation of the 2008 Champions League T20 was also raised. The remaining franchises wanted to know why these two teams were paid such a huge sum for not playing. The other six franchises were also promised a share of US $1 million from the inaugural Champions League, but have apparently not received them. The BCCI has said they it will look into the matter.

The board also sought the teams’ opinions on the number of matches to be played because it is concerned about player fitness after India’s disastrous performance in the ICC World Twenty20. In this regard, the franchises were unanimously committed to retaining the present system where each team plays home and away against all the other teams. “The IPL is not cricket,” a franchise official said. “IPL is commerce. If the player is tired or unfit somebody else who is fit and fresher would play. You can’t play around the business model for that.”Another franchise official expressed the hope that the situation would be resolved in the next few days because the board understands these issues affect all the teams. Each franchise had one-on-one meetings with the three-member committee of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, which will then present the IPL governing council with its recommendations for the league.

Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable because of a groin injury, while Mohammed Shami had not yet regained full fitness

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-202411:45

‘Bold move to pick two youngsters in Reddy and Harshit’

India have named three uncapped players – opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, fast bowler Harshit Rana and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy – in their squad of 18 for the five-Test tour of Australia starting on November 22.Fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who hasn’t regained full fitness since his ankle surgery earlier this year, was not included while wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav was also not available for selection because of a “chronic left groin issue” according to a BCCI release. Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed are part of the travelling reserves.Rohit Sharma leads the squad with Jasprit Bumrah as his vice-captain. But with Rohit set to miss one of the first two Tests for personal reasons, it’s likely that Abhimanyu, 29, will make his Test debut on the tour. He has been part of India’s Test squad previously – in Bangladesh in 2022 – and has been in superb form this domestic season, scoring two hundreds in the Duleep Trophy, another century in the Irani Trophy, and beginning the Ranji Trophy season with a ton for Bengal.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India have picked three spin allrounders R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who marked his return to the Test team after more than three years with a ten-wicket haul against New Zealand in Pune. Reddy, 21, is the only seam-bowling allrounder in the squad for Australia. He will have extra time to acclimatise considering he is part of the India A team that will be playing two four-day games in Mackay and Melbourne. Reddy made his T20I debut against Bangladesh earlier this month and was a reserve player in the Test squad for the home series against New Zealand; he is already in Australia. He is seen by India’s selectors as a promising allrounder who could improve with more experience and exposure.Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Rana are the other fast bowlers in the squad apart from Bumrah. Prasidh, who has played two Tests previously, has just started playing again after recovering from a serious back injury, while 22-year-old Rana has played only nine first-class matches. Rana, who represents Delhi, took two four-wicket hauls for India D in the Duleep Trophy in September and has 36 wickets at an average of 24.75 in first-class cricket. With Khaleel in the reserves and no Yash Dayal, India don’t have a left-arm quick in the main squad.India begin their tour with a warm-up match against India A in Perth from November 15 to 17, after which they play the first Test against Australia at he Perth Stadium from November 22 to 26. They then travel to Canberra for a tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI on November 30 and December 1, before heading to Adelaide for the second Test, a day-night fixture from December 6 to 10. The third Test in Brisbane is from December 14 to 18, followed by the traditional Boxing Day Test in Melbourne starting December 26 and the New Year’s Test in Sydney from January 3.India are the holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and have won their two previous tours of Australia by a 2-1 margin, in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

India squad for tour of Australia

Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington SundarReserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed

“Coach and captain want me around, so as long as I am still hungry, want to put in the work then I will keep trying to give my best”

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2023James Anderson has insisted he has had “no thoughts about retirement” despite taking four wickets in his three Ashes Tests this summer.Anderson, who will turn 41 this week, admitted he has been “frustrated” not to have a bigger impact on the series, but said in his column: “I still feel like I’m bowling well.”He wrote: “I have certainly not had the returns I would have liked in this series. Everyone goes through a lean patch but you just don’t want it to be in the most high-profile series we play.Related

• Cummins: 'To go home winning the urn will be phenomenal'

• Warner quashes Oval retirement rumour, eyes Ashes victory

• Brook eyes century to close out Ashes ahead of Oval reunion

“Ten or 15 years ago the debate would be about whether I should be dropped. Now it is about my future. I understand that. It is The Oval, the end of a series and a time for speculation.”I keep talking to the coach and captain. They want me around, so as long as I am still hungry, want to put in the work then I will keep trying to give my best for the team. That is exactly where I am at the minute.”Anderson added that he still loves Test cricket “as much as I ever have” and that the last 14 months have been his favourite period as an England player. “There are no thoughts about retirement,” he wrote.”If I was bowling horrendously, with my pace down and hobbling around in the field I might be thinking differently. But the hunger is still there. I feel like I’m bowling well, that I can still offer something to the team. I felt like I bowled well at Old Trafford and if I get another chance this week, I will just keep trying the same stuff and hope my luck changes.So far, James Anderson has four wickets in three Tests this Ashes•Getty Images

“It is just one of those things. There are always one or two players who have a lean series. It can be a batter who gets good balls and then a bit of bad luck. It felt like that was my week in Manchester. I felt like I beat the bat plenty of times, but just didn’t take the wickets that you want as a bowler to help the team win.”There were a couple of times when I bowled a tight five-over spell then Woody [Mark Wood] came on and took a wicket straightaway. It feels like maybe I created the pressure, then Woody came on and let loose. It’s teamwork.”Anderson also declared himself available to play in the fifth Test at The Oval, which starts on Thursday.”I’ve chatted to a few of the guys because it is frustrating when you go through this,” he wrote. “You are frustrated and desperate to help the team, desperate to win games.”But unfortunately for me it was not to be this series. I’ve still got another game to go if I do get a chance and I will try and do the best I can.”

Both teams are likely to go in spin-heavy at a venue which hasn’t hosted a drawn game since 2015

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-May-2022

Big picture

On a flat Chattogram surface, neither Bangladesh nor Sri Lanka had the kind of superlative attack that would have swung the game decisively. The result being the first Test ending in a draw with not even three innings completed after five days. Although Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have both had their bowling stocks depleted – Sri Lanka unlikely to field Vishwa Fernando; Bangladesh having lost Nayeem Hasan to a finger injury and Shoriful Islam to a fractured hand – the Mirpur surface has very rarely hosted draws. Both squads are awash with spin options. Historically, Bangladesh have picked three slow bowlers and one seamer in Mirpur. The pitch, this time around too, is expected to take sharp turn.Bangladesh have won five of their last eight Tests here, but perhaps that stat is slightly misleading, because they are on a two-game losing streak in Mirpur. Last year, finger spinners Rahkeem Cornwall and Sajid Khan took them down, delivering wins for West Indies and Pakistan respectively.Related

• Mushfiqur becomes first Bangladesh batter to reach 5000 Test runs

• Nayeem to miss Dhaka Test because of finger injury

• Shoriful ruled out of Test series, likely to miss first WI Test as well

The problem for Sri Lanka, however, is that neither left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, nor offspinner Ramesh Mendis, were especially impressive in Chattogram, taking just 1 for 123 between them. They do have another frontline spinner in the squad though – slow left-armer Praveen Jayawickrama has already helped win a match against Bangladesh, when he took 11 wickets against them in Pallekele, last year.The batting order for both teams is in decent shape heading into this game. Oshada Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva continue to be short of big runs for Sri Lanka, but the other batters have made solid contributions. For Bangladesh, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim struck hundreds, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Liton Das made half-centuries in the first Test.Both teams have busy schedules coming up. While Bangladesh go to West Indies for another World Test Championship series post the Test, Sri Lanka host Australia, then Pakistan, at home. These teams are so far back on the Championship table that it seems unlikely either can make a serious run for that top two, but a victory here will at least help keep the dream alive.

Form guide

Sri Lanka DLLWW (completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh DLLLWMominul Haque hasn’t been in the best of form in 2022•Getty Images

In the spotlight

2, 5, 6, 2, 0, 37, 0 – so read the last six scores of Mominul Haque, despite him having started the year with an excellent performance in that spectacular Test win against New Zealand. This Bangladesh side has several past captains, and the captaincy seems to have weighed heavily on all of them. If Mominul can get himself to a big score in Dhaka, he will feel much better about his leadership.Now essentially a single-format player on the cusp of turning 35, Angelo Mathews’ international career may be entering its twilight. He will hope that in this format at least, there can be a late renaissance, perhaps put in motion by that Chattogram 199. With a tough couple of home series coming up, Sri Lanka need their most-experienced batter near his best in June and July.

Pitch and conditions

Some rain is forecast for the first two days in Mirpur, but then the clouds are expected to clear, and temperatures are expected to rise to as high as 39 degrees for the rest of the week. Even if there are rain interruptions, there tends to be a result on this spin-friendly surface.

Team news

Mosaddek Hossain’s offspin will be put to maximum use if he plays in place of Nayeem. Ebadot Hossain is likely to get his place back after Shoriful’s injury. Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Liton Das (wk), 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Mosaddek Hossain, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Khaled Ahmed, 11 Ebadot HossainSri Lanka will have to decide which of their seamers – Asitha Fernando or Kasun Rajitha – will play in Mirpur. Rajitha had come in as a concussion sub for Vishwa, and been the pick of the bowlers in Chattogram. But Asitha claimed three wickets himself. Jayawickrama is likely to come into the XI in place of the second seamer.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Oshada Fernando, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Praveen Jayawickrama, 11 Asitha Fernando/Kasun Rajitha

Stats and trivia

• Although he began the year with scores of 88 and 13* in Mount Maunganui, Mominul Haque averages 19.12 after nine innings in 2022. His average as captain is 33.44; he scores at 41.47 when not leading.
• Thanks largely to that 199, Angelo Mathews now averages 83.25 in Bangladesh. That was also his first century against this opposition in Test cricket. He is only missing hundreds against West Indies and South Africa out of teams he has played against in the format.
• There have been no draws in Mirpur since 2015.
• Sri Lanka have won each of their four previous series in Bangladesh, winning the last two series 1-0.

ECB doctor travels to Galle to ensure Moeen Ali’s wellbeing in isolation after positive test

George Dobell05-Jan-2021England’s touring party in Sri Lanka faces an anxious wait in their hotel rooms just as their preparations for the Test series should have begun in earnest.England were due to have their first training session of the tour in Hambantota on Tuesday. Instead, the squad was consigned to their rooms as they await the results of a further round of medical tests following the positive Covid-19 result revealed by Moeen Ali on Monday.Although they underwent both lateral flow and PCR tests on Tuesday, the results are not expected to be announced until Wednesday. Lateral flow tests typically return a result in little over 30-minutes, but are not as accurate. The PCR tests take longer to analyse but provide more certainty. While the ECB may gain an indication of the extent of the problem from the lateral flow tests on Tuesday, they will await the PCR results before making public comment. The squad are due to be tested again on Thursday.Related

• Moeen Ali tests Covid-positive as Eng arrive in SL

• Root: England prepared for positive tests

• Anderson: SL have 'slight advantage' ahead of series

While the entire party returned negative tests before flying, there will be understandable anxiety both from the England management and the Sri Lankan authorities over the prospect of further spread of the virus. Sri Lanka has managed to contain Covid-19 to a greater extent than the UK, which has just entered another lockdown and where positive cases have numbered over 50,000 in each of the last six days. A new strain of the virus, which is understood to be far more transmissible, is also spreading rapidly in England. The ECB say they do not know, at this stage, which strain of the virus Ali has contracted.There may be particular anxiety over the outcome of Chris Woakes’ test results. While the players observed social distancing protocols on their flights, the has revealed that Woakes travelled from Birmingham to Heathrow in the same car as Ali and has, as a result, been placed in quarantine for a week. After the vast amount of money spent on charter flights, testing and secure environments, it seems oddly penny pinching not to have provided a separate car for each player.Ali, meanwhile, is being driven to Galle today where he will be put up in private accommodation arranged for just such an eventuality. Nick Peirce, the ECB’s chief medical officer, will also travel to Galle in a separate car to ensure Ali is as comfortable as can be expected. As a frontline doctor, Peirce has already had at least one part of the vaccine (two jabs, provided at least two weeks apart, are required to maximise the efficacy of both vaccines currently in use in the UK), though it is unclear to what extent this will grant him immunity from the virus. Ali remains asymptomatic at this stage and is currently due out of isolation on January 13, the day before the first Test is scheduled to start. As a result, there would appear to be no chance of him playing.Indeed, his involvement in the series must be in doubt. The medical staff at Sri Lanka cricket advised players who tested positive during the LPL to avoid high-level sport for several weeks if they experienced even mild symptoms.With the ECB having benefited from the efforts of West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia in touring England in trying circumstances during 2020, there remains an understanding that the tour should proceed if at all possible. But, as all involved await the test results, it is hard to escape the conclusion the future of this tour is on a knife edge.

Jofra Archer, and England, held their nerve in the World Cup’s first Super Over finish to claim the trophy for the first time

The Report by Alan Gardner14-Jul-2019
Super over
As it happenedIt was never going to be easy, was it? Two teams without a World Cup title between them in 44 years of the men’s competition. After 100 overs, the last couple of which contained almost as much drama as a few previous finals in their entirety, nothing could separate England and New Zealand. For the first time in World Cup history, a Super Over was required to determine the winner.Asked to score 16 from six balls, Jimmy Neesham coolly struck Jofra Archer’s second legitimate delivery way back into the Mound Stand, making the equation seven off four. A brace of twos followed, before Archer’s bumper took Neesham off strike. Martin Guptill, at the end of a tournament of personal trial, needing to hit two more otherwise England would take the trophy on boundaries scored. Archer found a yorker, Guptill found deep midwicket and Jason Roy’s throw found Guptill short; Jos Buttler completed the run-out at full stretch to end all those years of hurt and an afternoon of exquisite agony.

What the playing conditions say

– In the event of a Super Over tie, the team that hit more boundaries (combined from the main match and the Super Over) shall be the winner

– If the number of boundaries hit by both teams is equal, the team whose batsmen scored more boundaries during its innings in the main match (ignoring the Super Over) shall be the winner

– If still equal, a count-back from the final ball of the Super Over will be conducted. The team with the higher scoring delivery shall be the winner. If a team loses two wickets during its over, then any unbowled deliveries will be counted as dot balls

England had only got close in their chase thanks to Buttler and Ben Stokes, whose 110-run stand lifted the home nation from peril at 86 for 4. The pair walked out again to scramble 15 from an over of Trent Boult: pressure back on New Zealand. They responded by sending out Neesham, a man who not so long ago was contemplating quitting the game, to face Archer, in his 14th ODI. Only one could finish a hero.That said, there were heroes aplenty on both sides. For the second game in succession, New Zealand put up a score in the region of 240 and defended it with every fibre of their Blackcapped beings. Just when they appeared to have the game won, a man born in Christchurch ripped it from their hands, in a manner at once extraordinary and unbelievable. Stokes finished unbeaten on 84, though like Guptil he too could not manage a two from the final ball of England’s innings to win the game in regulation time.New Zealand had gone into the final over believing that the trophy was in their grasp. England needed 15, Stokes carrying a country’s hopes – not to mention the almost unbearable weight of history – on his shoulders. The first two balls bowled by Boult were dots, before Stokes mowed the third for six into the crowd at midwicket. Then came an intervention that was either cruel or miraculous, depending on your perspective. Stokes, diving for his ground as he attempted to complete a second run, diverted Guptill’s throw off his bat – inadvertantly – past wicketkeeper Tom Latham and away to the rope for four more.Jos Buttler runs out Martin Guptill to crown England champions•Getty Images

Stokes immediately held up his hands in apology, but with no sign that he had changed the course of his run to intercept the throw, it went down as a second consecutive six. That left England needing three from two, though Boult kept his cool to twice run out the non-striker coming back for a second and send the game into a Super Over.The previous over, something almost as extraordinary had occurred: having caught Stokes on the boundary at wide long-on, Boult stepped on the rope before he could relay the ball back in to Guptill. Instead of Stokes departing for 63, with England needing 22 off eight and Nos. 9 and 10 at the crease, he was granted another shot at redemption. Instead of Kolkata Part II, this was to become his finest hour, Stokes ultimately crowned man of the match after leading England to victory in a World Cup final at the fourth time of asking.There is a new name on the cup, then, but they didn’t half keep the engravers waiting. England had built towards this competition for four years, planned for it, yearned for it – and when the moment came, the outburst was rapturous. Staid and stuffy Lord’s had become a cauldron of emotion long before that last passage of play.New Zealand deserved better than to end up the fall guys again. Their captain, Kane Williamson, orchestrated his men in the field to squeeze England’s chase until it became unbearable. First Buttler fell with 46 required from the last 31 balls, Lockie Ferguson delivering what seemed to be the killer blow. Stokes staggered on, even as the tail became expendable. Ultimately, the fact England had scored 24 boundaries in their innings, compared to New Zealand’s 16, was the decisive factor.That one of England’s fours was effectively an overthrow may always rankle, as well as a couple of the umpiring decisions that went the other way. Williamson, who made only 30 but captained with nerves of steel and was named man of the tournament, called the runs via Stokes’ deflection “a shame” but suggested that for New Zealand, beaten finalists for the second World Cup running, it was just not meant to be.The very first delivery of England’s chase gave an indication of how nerve-shredding a contest this would become. Boult produced a curving inswinger to hit Jason Roy squarely on the front pad and 4.8m primarily rugby-loving people went up in unison. Marais Erasmus shook his head and although New Zealand chose to review, it was Roy who benefited from the marginal nature of umpire’s call.Eoin Morgan holds the World Cup aloft•Getty Images

The opening exchanges were a blur of black and blue, with bruises on both sides, when Matt Henry finally located Roy’s outside edge. England’s opening partnership has been totemic and Roy had swaggered into this final, so the importance of his dismissal was twofold in that it both dented English confidence and deprived the chase of a man who might quickly reduce the odds in their favour.With Henry bowling a beautiful spell and Joe Root unable to find his rhythm, New Zealand clawed their way into the ascendency. The tension was enervating, Lord’s subdued. Colin de Grandhomme dropped Bairstow off his own bowling, a reaction chance to his midriff, as New Zealand strung together three maidens in a row. Root then cracked: hit on the pads and then beaten when he gave de Grandhomme the charge, he next threw his bat at a wide outswinger to be caught behind.In stultifying conditions, New Zealand applied a choke hold. Bairstow dragged on against the pace of Ferguson, who then brilliantly caught Eoin Morgan running in from deep point. Meanwhile de Grandhomme, playing the role of a latter-day Madan Lal, bowled ten overs off the reel.Nothing about this contest was straightforward, including the decision at the toss, which had been delayed by 15 minutes due to early morning rain. Williamson chose to bat, in keeping with the dominant trend at this tournament – runs on the board matter. While England bowled well enough, a Powerplay score of 33 for 1 left the teams circling each other warily; New Zealand happy to have only lost Guptill, England eager to send back Williamson, too, as quickly as possible.With Henry Nicholls providing the first half-century by a New Zealand opener since the opening game, they were able to establish a foothold. As in the group match between these two, Nicholls was given out lbw on zero by a Chris Woakes delivery that was going over the stumps; this time, on the biggest stage, he had the wherewithal to use New Zealand’s review.England thought they might have removed Guptill inside the first couple of overs, too, only for Erasmus to correctly adjudge that the ball from Archer had flicked the batsman’s trousers rather than outside edge. Guptill’s response was to try and hit a way out of his rut, ramping Archer for six and smashing another boundary back down the ground. But Woakes brought one back inside an expansive drive to hit the back leg, and Guptill’s wasted review was to have consequences later on.Nicholls and Williamson played sensibly to put on 74 but, whether it was the pitch or the occasion, the innings nevertheless began to enter a gentle tailspin from the moment Williamson was removed by Liam Plunkett – DRS again required to overturn the on-field call. Nicholls chopped on against another Plunkett cross-seamer four overs later, and then New Zealand were left to curse their luck when Ross Taylor was given out lbw, despite ball-tracking showing the ball going over the top of leg stump. It would not end up being the only talking point of the day.

After starting the tournament with three straight wins, Sunrisers are now coming on the back of two losses and may have to field a depleted side

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan23-Apr-20184:16

Manjrekar: Sunrisers batting looks fragile and over-dependent on Williamson

Big Picture

Mumbai Indians are in an interesting position: they have only one win from five matches but they also have a positive net run rate that’s better than at least three other teams. That means they are primed to do what they do best: beat teams late in the competition and edge them out.

Form guide (most recent matches first)

Mumbai Indians: lost to Rajasthan Royals by three wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 46 runs, lost to Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets
Sunrisers Hyderabad: lost to Chennai Super Kings by four runs, lost to Kings XI Punjab by 15 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 15 runs

Mumbai, however, would be justified in believing that their position isn’t an accurate reflection of their performance. In each of their four defeats, they have taken the game to the last over, and their only win, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, was by a huge margin. The less-heralded players – Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Mayank Markande – have been Mumbai’s engine room so far. It’s their gun players – Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, and Hardik Pandya – who have not clicked as often as they would have liked.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sunrisers Hyderabad cooled off after three successive wins, and now with Bhuvneshwar Kumar ruled out of the next match, and fitness concerns looming over both Shikhar Dhawan and Yusuf Pathan, recuperating from two successive losses won’t be easy. They are the best bowling side of the tournament, and their top order has been belligerent. But familiar woes in the middle order plague them. Manish Pandey, Yusuf and Deepak Hooda have shown no more than patches of form. An over-reliance on the top order is hurting their ability to finish strongly, as characterised by a run rate of 9.17 in the last five overs, which is sixth among the eight teams.

In the news

Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not travel with Sunrisers to Mumbai; ESPNcricinfo understands he has been rested and will be available for their next game. Sandeep Sharma will be a like-for-like replacement. Shikhar Dhawan, who had hurt his left elbow against Kings XI Punjab last week, stated on Twitter with a strapped elbow that it was not a fracture. He went to Wankhede on Monday evening for a hit in the nets and a fitness test, and a final call on him will be taken on Tuesday.Yusuf struggled with cramps while batting on Sunday night and Williamson “wasn’t 100% sure” but hoped Yusuf would be fine by Tuesday evening.

The likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Suryakumar Yadav, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Rohit Sharma (capt), 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Mitchell McClenaghan, 9 Mayank Markande, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan/Ricky Bhui, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Shakib Al Hasan/Alex Hales, 6 Yusuf Pathan/Bipul Sharma/Sachin Baby, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Billy Stanlake, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Siddarth Kaul

Strategy punt

In order to strengthen their batting, Sunrisers have an option of leaving out Billy Stanlake to bring in Alex Hales, especially if Dhawan does not recover in time. Hales could open in that case; with an average of 33.31 and a scoring rate of 8.60 in the Powerplays in T20s, Hales would be perfect for the job.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Stats that matter

• Sunrisers have bossed Mumbai in recent times, winning four of their last five encounters. Four of those five fixtures have also been won by the team batting second.
• Sunrisers, however, have never prevailed at the Wankhede, where they have lost on each of the three occasions they have played.
• Yusuf Pathan is one run away from completing 3000 career IPL runs.
• In T20s since 2015, Krunal Pandya has struck at 197.1 against legspin, and has lost his wicket only once in 10 innings. He has scord 138 runs off 70 balls during this period. Watch out, Rashid Khan.
• Mumbai have lost 16 wickets in the slog overs this IPL – the joint-highest alongside Rajasthan Royals. And their run rate of 8.88 in this phase is only better than Kings XI Punjab’s.
• Rashid has used the googly to varying success. While he goes at 5.60 per over against right-handers with this delivery and has picked up two wickets, against left-handers, the economy rate shoots up to 16.9.

Fantasy picks

Krunal Pandya has an excellent record at Wankhede. Among current Mumbai players to have bowled 10 overs or more at the venue, Krunal easily has the best economy rate: 6.30. That’s to go with a wicket every 15.9 deliveries, and 207 runs with the bat at a strike rate of 146.8.Shakib, along with Bhuvneshwar, is Sunrisers’ most successful bowler at Wankhede, with six wickets. He also has an economy rate of 6.6 and could also fetch runs in the middle order.

Quotes

“That’s T20 cricket and from our perspective it’s really important not to be to reactive, certainly focus on our plans, go back to those and we know that when we’re achivening those plans and building towards those, that gives ourseleves the best chance to win games.”
.”I think we’ve been in this situation before and I think Mumbai Indians is known to bounce back. So, we won’t lose hope. We’re going to bounce back and we’ll play our best cricket in the matches to come.”