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“I think we probably just felt that we were just going to get the runs easily,” says captain after 12-run defeat to Kings XI Punjab

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2020After a spectacular collapse in which Sunrisers Hyderabad went from needing 27 runs from 24 balls with seven wickets in hand to losing by 12 runs against Kings XI Punjab, David Warner said his batsmen had been “complacent” in the middle overs.The Sunrisers bowlers had restricted Kings XI to 126 for 7 on a slow, turning pitch in Dubai, and Warner himself provided a fast start in the chase, smashing 35 off 20. When he was the first wicket to fall after the powerplay, the Sunrisers needed 71 runs from 83 balls. But a middle-overs strangle meant they were eventually bowled out for 114 in 19.5 overs.”In regards to our batting, obviously very disappointed,” Warner said at the post-match press conference. “We didn’t get the job done. We were probably a bit complacent in the middle. We didn’t take the game on enough like we did the previous game (their victory against the Rajasthan Royals). I think we probably just felt that we were just going to get the runs easily, and then we sort of let the balls get ahead of the runs. That’s what happens in a game of cricket, if you give your opposition a sniff it can get taken away from you very fast.”Warner felt the batsmen should have assessed the conditions better and looked to play sensibly, especially with the required rate below six.He was fulsome in his praise for the bowlers, however, having pulled Kings XI back from their own brisk start.”I think our bowlers did an incredible job to bowl them out [restrict them] for under 130,” Warner said. “I felt that they did an exceptional job through the middle period to take wickets and to use the pitch to their advantage. I think in previous games we probably didn’t do that as well as we would have liked [with the ball], and today was a special day for them.”Warner himself adopted a changed approach while batting. In IPL 2020 so far, he had played more of an anchor role for the Sunrisers, averaging 37.22 before this game but at a strike rate of 124.07, well below his career strike rate. However, on Saturday he went hard at the bowling from the start, judging that it was the best time to score runs on this pitch.”Yeah, I was going back to my old-school days,” he said with a hint of a smile. “I was opening my front leg and just taking on the powerplay, something I haven’t done for a long time. It’s one of those things, where I felt that the best part of the powerplay was to try and go after it, go after their main bowler who swings the ball and is a very good bowler – [Mohammed] Shami. So I just tried to apply a little bit of pressure. And yeah, it’s fair to say that I’ve probably been quite reserved the last few years, so it was nice to open the front leg and show that I’ve still got that.”The Sunrisers have eight points with only three games in hand – and those are against the three teams currently at the top of the table: the Delhi Capitals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians. They will not only have to win those for a realistic shot at making the playoffs, but will also probably depend on net run rate to go through.”I would like to think that the team will do that, definitely,” Warner said. “We’ve got three challenging games coming up, one here and two in Sharjah. If you want to win the tournament, you’ve got to beat the top three teams and that’s what we face in our next assignment.”

How the teams reached the knockouts, the leading performers and injury news

Andrew McGlashan24-Nov-2020

Melbourne Stars (1st) v Perth Scorchers (4th)

How the group stage wentIt took the Stars three matches before they could complete a game as rain ruined the first week of the tournament, but once the sun came out (mostly) so did the Stars’ class. A run of seven wins on the bounce did most of the qualifying work before a brief hiccup in a Super Over defeat against the Renegades. The Stars followed that up with two more victories, but lost their last two group matches – against the Heat and Sixers – and the way they did not respond too well to Alyssa Healy’s onslaught (albeit there was nothing riding on the innings) and briefly Laura Kimmince the game before was perhaps a template for others. You can’t sit back against them.The Scorchers’ opening pair of Sophie Devine, who was named Player of the Tournament for the second consecutive year, and Beth Mooney are certainly in the form to apply that sort of pressure, although their group campaign was less consistent. But four wins in a row in the middle of the competition was where things came together, before just one win in the last four – two of the defeats coming when Devine was injured – left things a little tighter than they would have liked.When they met in the groupMelbourne Stars won by eight wickets – Devine and Mooney were dismissed in the Powerplay and it was rarely a contest from there
Melbourne Stars won by six runs – At 1 for 82 in the 11th over chase 150, the Scorchers were well place despite the absence of Devine but Sophie Day and Alana King took 5 for 31 between them.StatsMost runs:
Beth Mooney (524)
Meg Lanning (458)
Sophie Devine (448)Most wickets:
Nat Sciver (18)
Sarah Glenn (16)
Taneale Peschel (13)Injury-watchElyse Villani tweaked her hamstring against the Sydney Sixers and Annabel Sutherland suffered a knock to a finger, but both trained on Tuesday with the Stars hopeful they will be available. Erin Osborne also missed the end of the group stage with a hamstring niggle. For the Scorchers, Heather Graham picked up a knee injury over the weekend but scans have cleared of a major injury and she is in the squad.Where the game could be decidedAn awful lot appears to rest on the shoulders of Devine and Mooney for the Scorchers. They are capable of doing it on their own, but the Stars feel like the team with more bases covered and more routes to victory. Mignon du Preez has been the glue below their powerful opening pair while Alana King’s form has answered added depth with bat and ball.What they said“I love knockout cricket because everyone starts from scratch and it’s game on. It’s the best type of cricket to play, puts you under pressure and everything is on the line.”
Sophie Devine“They [Devine and Mooney] have been pretty crucial during the season, but they have other girls in the line-up – including my team-mate Amy Jones – so it’s not only about the opening pair but they are crucial wickets.”
Nat Sciver

Brisbane Heat (2nd) v Sydney Thunder (3rd)

Laura Kimmince has hit a stunning run of form•Getty Images

How the group stage wentA story of two halves for the Heat, who looked a long way short of challenging at the midway mark of the tournament with one win in seven matches. “If we get on the board next game, look out, because we could be on from there,” Grace Harris said. And she has been proved spot on. Seven wins on the bounce and they were safely into the knockouts before the last match. Laura Kimmince has become the ace in the pack when it comes to closing out innings and the spinners have come to the fore.The Thunder laid down an early marker with three strong wins after the rain had cleared, but that was followed by four defeats in five which left them in the tight mid-table. Despite a defeat in the derby against the Sixers they pulled it together in the hectic final week with three wins, the last spearheaded by the outstanding spell from Shabnim Ismail.When they met in the groupSydney Thunder won by 14 runs (DLS) – The chase was reduced to five overs and the Heat were 7 for 30 in pursuit of 45. Sam Bates bowled a double-wicket maiden in the second over
Brisbane Heat won by eight wickets – The win that started the run for the Heat, set up by Amelia Kerr’s 4 for 20.StatsMost runs:
Heather Knight (403)
Georgia Redmayne (332)
Rachael Haynes (268)
Most wickets:
Sammy-Jo Johnson (18)
Amelia Kerr (16)
Jess Jonassen (16)Injury-watchSam Bates left the field at the end of her third over against the Hobart Hurricanes in the last group match after landing awkwardly as she dived from her follow through. However, she trained fully on Tuesday so there is no concern about her availability.Where the game could be decidedThe Heat know how to win, but they will have to be careful in the batting Powerplay where they will face the excellent Ismail and Bates. How the Thunder deal with Kerr is likely to be a key part of the match. Laura Kimmince is the x-factor, a player who can swing the match in just a few deliveries.What they said“We knew we were still playing pretty good cricket, we just weren’t winning the one or two overs within the game that in T20 can win you those games. We knew our plans were right, we just had to keep backing ourselves. We’ve fought hard the last seven games but really tried to enjoy our cricket at the same time.”
Delissa Kimmince“It turned into a bit of tournament play for us, having to keep on winning to get to finals, and now we’ve got the opportunity to play in finals it’s another really good experience for this group to play in big games, under pressure, it’s the reason you play and train.”
Rachael Haynes

Playing more “back and across” a safer way for batsmen to succeed on the bouncy pitches in Australia, says the former India captain

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Dec-2020Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes several batsmen are getting concussed after being hit on the helmet because of the “front press” in their trigger movement. According to Gavaskar, one of the greatest Test openers, the best way to avoid getting hit on the head is to play on the back foot where the batsman can “ride” the bounce and has more options to respond with greater confidence.Ever since Australia batsman Phillip Hughes died in 2014 as a result of being felled by a bouncer, which he played too early, the dangers associated with concussion have been looked at more closely in cricket. In the last month itself however, there have been several instances of batsmen being hit on the head, some of them suffering concussions. That list includes Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja who was ruled out of the final two matches of the T20I series, having top-edged onto his helmet in the series opener. The following week, Victoria batsman Will Pucovski, who is just 22 years old, missed out on a potential Test debut against India in Adelaide, after suffering a concussion during a multi-day warm-up game, the ninth one in his career.By contrast, despite never wearing a helmet, Gavaskar said he was hit just one time on his head through his career – by the late West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall – during a Test match. “It’s more to do today with the fact that everybody has got this front press, where they are technically moving forward, which is a little bit difficult, which is the reason why on bouncy pitches you have [batsmen struggling],” Gavaskar said on Monday.Gavaskar was speaking on a show on host broadcaster Sony Sports Network, alongside former Australian captain Allan Border, while previewing the four-Test series between Australia and India which begins with the day-night Test in Adelaide on Thursday. “In Australia you want to ride the bounce, to get onto back foot so you are able to ride the bounce – which is not what a lot of people are doing today,” Gavaskar said. “They are so much onto their front foot, they are not able to transfer their weight and then get out of the way. As a batsman you tend to get a little bit locked.”According to Gavaskar, a safer way for batsmen to succeed on the bouncy pitches in Australia was to play more “back and across”.”See, Virat Kohli plays [the] bouncer so well. Why does he play the bouncer so well? Because he has got that back-and-across movement, so he is sort of waiting on the back foot for that short ball. Rahul Dravid, he used to wait on the back foot [to play] back-and-across. Sachin Tendulkar had a minimal front press, not a big front press. Therefore, he was still balanced when he played the short ball.”Playing back and across has a distinct advantage, as former Australian offspinner Ashley Mallett pointed out in his column for ESPNcricinfo in 2019. “Against fast bowling a back-and-across first movement allows the batsman to get in behind the line of flight,” Mallet wrote. “If the ball is wide he can allow it to pass, but he can hook a short ball that is passing over leg stump if he is back and across his stumps, with his head inside the line of flight. This technique is terrific because even if he makes a mistake and misses the ball, his head is inside the line and out of harm’s way.”Gavaskar underlined Mallet’s point. “It is just a little technical thing which is the reason why a lot of these people are getting hit on the helmet. Most of the times batsmen getting hit on the helmet are in between the crease: where their front foot is outside the crease and their back foot in the crease. You will very seldom find a batsman getting hit if both his feet are inside the crease, near the stumps, because it has given the batsman that extra yard to either duck under the ball or sway out of the way. But that is not what is happening and that is the reason I believe they are getting hit.”

“We’ve executed the gameplan brilliantly and to finish in the manner we have done today is really pleasing”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2021Joe Root has hailed the work ethic of his England side while warning that they must continue to improve after taking a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series in Chennai. England enjoyed a “fantastic five days” to inflict India’s first defeat at home since 2017, with Root leading from the front in his 100th Test, but he was keen to focus on maintaining the high standards after wrapping up victory with time to spare on the final afternoon.Root’s first-innings double-hundred set the tone, and there were contributions from Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes with the bat, and the bowlers then shared the wickets around in both innings to complete one of England’s most memorable overseas victories. Criticism of England’s indecisive approach with the bat after tea on day four melted away as they claimed five wickets in the morning session – led by an expert spell of reverse swing from James Anderson – on the way to their first win in India since 2012.Related

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“Fantastic five days, the way we’ve got about things, we’ve executed the gameplan brilliantly, and to finish in the manner we have done today is really pleasing. But we know there’s a huge amount of hard work ahead of us for the rest of the series,” Root said. “[There’s been] a lot of hard work from the guys, a willingness to learn and develop their games. We’ve said how we wanted to play our cricket, and we’ve managed to do consistently now. Can we turn up next week and do it again? Can we keep finding ways of getting better on surfaces and conditions we’re not used to? We’ve got some very adaptable young players that have come in and very quickly had to learn on the job, in the hardest environments.”Look at Dom Sibley, the last two games he’s played fantastically well off the back of a couple low scores. He’s figured out a way of playing in these conditions and that’s the attitude and mindset of the whole dressing room. Really important we don’t just stand still now, and be happy with what we’ve achieved, we try and go one more and find ways of being better in these conditions.”Root shrugged off questions about England’s approach in the second innings. Having taken a 241-run lead, they attempted to push for quick runs – Root himself scored 40 off 32 – before seeming to get stuck between mindsets after tea. Talk of a declaration was moot as they were eventually bowled out, leaving India a theoretical 107 overs in which to score 420.”More than anything, it was to try to make sure there were only two outcomes possible in the game,” Root said. “The idea was to get to 400 and try to speed things up a bit. It didn’t quite materialise like that. We also wanted to make sure that the ball was nice and firm when we turned up this morning, so we could exploit those lengths. Having spent more time that anyone else on that wicket, batted on it at different points, I thought the progression of how it deteriorated was significant and there would be plenty happening for us.”If there was only the two opportunities for a result in the game then that would play into our hands. I thought our bowlers delivered brilliantly today and we ended up with so much time in the game that it worked out perfectly.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He also had praise for his spinners, Dom Bess and Jack Leach, who claimed 11 wickets between in the match them despite each experiencing tough spells when India’s batsmen looked to get on top of them.”I think they’ve done a really good job for us, between them over the course of the two innings in putting some valuable contributions, four wickets apiece in either innings,” Root said. “A brilliant performance from the whole bowling group, that is going to be our key over here, not putting pressure on individuals to go and perform and deliver, or the spinners or the seamers, it’s collectively how are we going to take 20 wickets. I think we did that really well this game, and that’s going to be the challenge for the guys who get the responsibility in the next game as well.”England have talked up the possibility of rotating their bowlers in the subcontinent, and Root said that they would “take stock and see how everyone is” before considering the make-up of the XI for the second Chennai Test, starting on Saturday.The victory was Root’s 26th as Test captain, drawing him level with Michael Vaughan’s record for England. Of the achievement of scoring a double-hundred in his 100th Test, Root said he hoped that it would help set the tone for the rest of the series.”Certainly feels good, really special week for a number of different reasons,” he said. “To come here at the start of a very big series, and score big runs, more than anything setting the example for the rest of guys. It sets things up nicely for the rest of the tour, hopefully guys have seen that and it gives them confidence to go about how they’re going to make big contributions. We’re going to have to score big runs if we’re going to win again out here.”We’ve still got room for improvement, which is really exciting but we know India are a really good side, they’ve got a fantastic record and are a very proud team off the back of a famous win in Australia, so we expect them to come back at us and we’ll have to be at our best again. But what a position to be in already.”

“The way she acted during those difficult times was really appreciated by all Bangladeshis. She did a fantastic job.”

Mohammad Isam10-Mar-2021Bangladesh will play an intra-squad practice match on March 16, during their training camp in Queenstown, their ODI captain Tamim Iqbal said on Wednesday, adding that their spin-bowling coach Daniel Vettori will join the support staff in the city.The visitors ended their 14 days of quarantine in Christchurch that included seven days of room isolation, a first for the Bangladesh cricketers, although they did train in small groups last week.Related

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“[Vettori] is actually waiting for us in Queenstown,” Iqbal said at a press conference. “We have practice sessions and a practice game. We have been training in small groups during isolation, and from tomorrow we will be training as a team. Really looking forward to it.”[The quarantine] was a first-time experience for us. We have been in bubbles before but not in complete isolation. Honestly, the way New Zealand Cricket arranged everything, and the staff looked after us really well. We want to thank them, and although it was a difficult place to be, they made it as comfortable for us as possible.”Iqbal is among several cricketers from Bangladesh’s current squad who are in New Zealand for the first time since they inadvertently got caught up in the terrorist attack at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch in 2019. Iqbal remembered the role played by Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, in the aftermath of the attack.Bangladesh players at Christchurch airport to catch their flight to Dhaka after their 2019 tour was cut short•AFP

“It was a difficult time for all of us, especially the families who lost their own. We can pray for them and hope God makes it easy for their families. It wasn’t a great time but we have to look forward.”This is a beautiful country with very nice people. I have been here now four or five times. I should mention the prime minister, the way she acted during those difficult times was really appreciated by all Bangladeshis. She did a fantastic job. If I get a chance to meet her, I will personally thank her,” he said.Iqbal also thanked the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the smooth roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the country. Most members of the Bangladesh touring party in New Zealand were inoculated ahead of their departure from Dhaka. Iqbal said he would encourage others to take the vaccine too.”You probably have to take it at some stage. Our prime minister was well in advance of everything. She did a fantastic job. We are really lucky as a nation that not only us cricketers, but normal people have been getting the vaccination for free.”I am very proud of Bangladesh and I am sure other countries will follow. We all have to take it sooner or later. I have taken a dose. It wasn’t too bad,” he said.

Guardian of cricket’s Laws launches global consultation on short-pitched bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2021The MCC has announced a global consultation on the place of short-pitched bowling in the game. Cricket recently introduced allowances for concussion substitutions to be made, but now the guardians of the Laws will examine whether regulations governing bouncers should also be updated.The process will begin with an initial survey, to be distributed in March 2021, after which the data will be debated within the MCC. Any move to change the Laws would have to pass through the MCC Laws sub-committee, and be ratified by the MCC Cricket committee. The final proposal would likely be debated by the MCC committee in December, with any changes not coming into effect until 2022.Under the current MCC Laws, short-pitched deliveries over head height are called as no-balls. Certain playing conditions, such as those for Test or limited-overs international cricket, also limit the number of balls over shoulder height allowed per over.The focus on bouncers has increased in recent years. Australia’s Phillip Hughes died after being hit in the neck by a short-pitched ball in 2014, while the links between concussion and degenerative brain conditions have become a live topic in many contact sports. India’s recent tour of Australia saw several players removed from action after injuries sustained facing short bowling.The MCC said that it had a “duty to ensure that the Laws are applied in a safe manner”, and referenced the rising number of “helmet-strikes” within the game.The press release continued: “There are important aspects to consider in the consultation, namely the balance between bat and ball; whether or not concussion should be recognised as a different injury to any other sustained; changes which are specific to particular sectors of the game – e.g. junior cricket; and whether or not lower-order batsmen should be given further protection than the Laws currently allow.”MCC’s world cricket committee, which recently met via teleconference, discussed the possibility of changes to the Laws, but its members “were unanimous that short-pitched bowling is a core part of the game, particularly at elite level”. The committee, which is chaired by former England batsman Mike Gatting, agreed to provide feedback during the consultation.Any changes to the MCC Laws would likely trigger a similar discussion at ICC level about how to implement them within its playing conditions.

The rest of the players and support staffers will assemble in Lahore on March 18

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2021One of the players selected in Pakistan’s large travelling party to Africa for the games in South Africa and Zimbabwe has tested positive for Covid-19 and has not traveled to Lahore, where the rest of the players and support staffers will assemble on March 18. The cricketer in question is expected to isolate at his residence.The PCB had ensured that all players entering Lahore from other parts of the city carry negative test reports after the first round of testing on March 16. The second round of tests would be conducted on Thursday at the team hotel. Players, and others, who return negative results can start training at the Gaddafi Stadium after that.The player who has tested positive is also scheduled to have another test tomorrow at his residence. According to the PCB, he would be allowed to enter the team hotel only if he tests negative, but he has to complete an additional two-day isolation before taking another test, after which – if all is clear – he would be eligible to join the squad.Pakistan named a large squad for the assignments in Africa, where they will play three ODIs and four T20Is in South Africa before moving to Zimbabwe, where they will play two Test matches and three T20Is.The camp formally starts on March 19, with the larger pool of players expected to have a nets session, followed by two intra-squad 50-over matches on March 22 and 24.The white-ball squad will leave for Johannesburg on a charter plane on March 26. The Rest of the players, who will only play the Tests in Zimbabwe, will join the squad later after flying across on a commercial flight to South Africa before boarding a charter flight to Zimbabwe.This will be Pakistan’s first assignment after the PSL was postponed abruptly following seven positive Covid-19 cases.

Tom Fell, Riki Wessels post fifties but Worcestershire trail by 147 at end of second day

David Hopps16-Apr-2021As the mere sight of an English wrist spinner is liable to send innocent observers into raptures, it is advisable to regard the following statement with suspicion: Matt Critchley is a fast-improving batter/legspinner and is beginning to look as if he might have the makings of an England Test cricketer.On the scale of gullibility, anticipating great things for an English legspinner is up there with thinking you’ve just won a draw for an iPhone or that your National Insurance number has been locked and can only be released with immediate provision of your credit card details. Adil Rashid has done a lot to change that perception in the past decade, but it’s still a risky business.Critchley, though, appears to be maturing fast. His century on the first day against Worcestershire underlined the top-order batting credentials that one day might help to balance an England side. It was followed by three wickets on the second when he bowled with good flight, a hint of turn and the sort of control that figures of 3 for 56 in 22 overs suggest.Derbyshire is hardly the mythical land of England Test cricketers. They have had 24 in their history and none since Dominic Cork made a memorable, look-at-me debut came against the West Indies in 1995. Cork had some fine qualities, but he didn’t really need much promoting, as his boundless optimism attracted such instant attention on the field that he was his own walking, talking publicity unit.Cork’s Test debut came a few months after Derby County had won their last football league title and there has not been too much excitement in these parts since.Critchley is less attention grabbing, but no less worthy for that. Stuart MacGill, who took 208 Test wickets for Australia, has worked with most budding England legspinners and sees an England future. “This dude, 6ft 2ins, he can bowl,” he said last year.It is Critchley’s solidity that stands out. He warmed this increasingly sunny, but still markedly cool April with exemplary control and figures of 3 for 56 in 22 overs. But compared to the likes of Yorkshire and Surrey not many journalists pass this way and those who do are grounded in realism. Bandwagons are the sort of thing that Boyzone might have turned up on for one of the ground’s pop concerts; the only serious exposure he is likely to get when another bracing northerly sweeps across the ground.Indications were favourable for all that. Gareth Roderick and Brett D’Oliveira both fell in the afternoon session, D’Oliveira to the last ball before tea, as Critchley sustained Derbyshire’s advantage after they had logged 390 on first innings. Roderick, who has switched from Gloucestershire with expectations of a place in all formats, was beaten in the flight as he flicked back a return catch. D’Oliveira offered a comfortable catch to Wayne Madsen at first slip.At 217 for 5, Riki Wessels, with obdurate support from Ben Cox, promised to bat Worcestershire out of trouble, but Critchley’s unexpected switch to the Racecourse End late in the day brought further dividends as well as emphasising the belief that his captain, Billy Godleman, had in him. He ended Wessels’ 60 from 95 balls by bowling him with a googly that ran straight on and almost dismissed Ed Barnard, first ball, when he rather belly-flopped onto a low return catch, got both hands to it but could not hold.Cox then played on, attempting a leave, but Worcestershire’s eighth-wicket pair passed the follow-on shortly before the close. It is doubtful that Godleman would have enforced it and Derbyshire’s lead of 147 remains a sizeable advantage.David Griffin, Derbyshire’s heritage officer, photographer and statistician, is adamant that Derbyshire’s unfashionable image can work against them when it comes to England selection, although there are not many convincing examples in the past 25 years. Critchley’s career statistics also hardly make a persuasive case. A batting average of 30 and bowling average of 44 would be more convincing the other way round, but he took 17 wickets at 26 last year.Listening to Griffin, it was hard to imagine a better Championship legspinner in England only to discover on the journey home that Matt Parkinson had pitched leg and hit top of off at Old Trafford, leading Lancashire to compare his delivery to the most famous legspin delivery of all, from Shane Warne on the same ground. In which case, maybe they should pick him more often.Unlike Parkinson, Critchley’s three-for was not about to trend on Twitter, although it might have managed a mention in Eckington and Swadlincote. But he does have run-making ability in his favour. At 24, he has just started a new two-year contract and at his current rate of progress Derbyshire will struggle to retain him any longer.Derbyshire had rounded up Worcestershire’s openers by lunch. Jake Libby’s 12-hour resistance against the champions, Essex, at Chelmsford last week had made him a daunting proposition so a first-baller was beyond Derbyshire’s wildest expectations, a loud thud into Libby’s front pad bringing Sam Conners immediate success. Daryl Mitchell’s middle stump was sent cartwheeling by Fynn Hudson-Prentice.Conners, an Academy product, was the most serviceable of Derbyshire’s pace attack and a second lbw decision ended a lissom half-century by Tom Fell.

England batter doubtful for Sri Lanka T20Is after leaving ground in moon boot with coach fearing ligament damage

George Dobell16-Jun-2021The saying used to be ‘beware a limping Gordon Greenidge’, but on this evidence, it should be updated to warn about the dangers of a lame Jonny Bairstow.When Bairstow collapsed with a scream of pain in completing his 56th run, it seemed for all the world as if his evening was over. But, after a delay of around 10 minutes for treatment on his right ankle, he was able to continue with Adam Lyth as his runner.That was a surprise. Not only had Bairstow’s original collapse looked ominous, but he is expected to report for England duty at the weekend. Fitness permitting, he would be certain to play in the first T20I against Sri Lanka a week today.He was subsequently unable to keep wicket with the gloves instead taken by Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Bairstow is due to undergo a scan which will reveal if he is likely to be fit next week but the fact that he left the ground in a moon boot was not especially promising. “His ankle has blown up,” Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s coach, said. “Hopefully it’s not ligament damage.”But the injury didn’t appear to inhibit Bairstow’s strokemaking. After the injury, he struck 56 more runs from his next 17 deliveries, reaching his third T20 century (two for Yorkshire and one for Sunrisers Hyderabad) from 48 balls. His stand of 146 in 12 overs with Kohler-Cadmore was Yorkshire’s second highest stand in the history of T20 cricket.It sustained Bairstow’s outstanding form in the Vitality Blast season. He has top-scored in all four of the games in which he has played, is the top-scorer in the competition, and looks in the finest of form. He is currently averaging 73.75 in the Blast this season at a strike-rate of 175.59.