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Batter is asymptomatic and could feature in the latter half of the five-game assignment, provided he does not develop symptoms

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Feb-2022Kusal Mendis has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of Sri Lanka’s T20I series against Australia. He is asymptomatic, and because he has already had three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, he will only be required to undergo seven days of isolation. As such, Mendis could feature in the latter half of the series, provided he does not develop symptoms, SLC’s chief medical officer Dr Daminda Attanayake told ESPNcricinfo.”He has been put in isolation since Monday and all the protocols have been followed,” she said. “Since the players have had the booster, we have changed our protocols, and those who have been first contacts for him don’t have to go into isolation. But they will also continue to be tested.”Mendis’ seven-day isolation is due to end on Monday February 13 – the date of the second T20I, in Sydney. If he makes it into the XI, Sri Lanka will likely target his return for the third match, in Canberra, on February 15.Mendis’ Covid-positive status was indicated by a Rapid Antigen Test on February 7, before being confirmd by a PCR test.His absence from will mean Sri Lanka are without the Lanka Premier League’s top scorer for the start of this series. They do have options however, with Avishka Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, and Pathum Nissanka all in the squad, among others.The first match of the five-game series will be played in Sydney, on Friday.

He is understood to have hurt his hand during a first-division club game in Chennai last Sunday

Deivarayan Muthu15-Aug-2025Tamil Nadu captain R Sai Kishore will miss the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament with injury but is hopeful of recovering in time for the Duleep Trophy, which is set to begin in Bengaluru on August 28.It’s understood that Sai Kishore had hurt his hand while intercepting a drive from M Shahrukh Khan in his follow-through during a first-division club game at the Guru Nanak college ground in Chennai last Sunday.Related

• Prithvi Shaw set for Maharashtra debut in Buchi Babu Tournament

• Tilak Varma to lead South Zone in Duleep Trophy

Sai Kishore, 28, is part of the South Zone squad that will start its campaign on September 4 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.In the absence of Sai Kishore, Pradosh Ranjan Paul will take over as captain of the TNCA President’s XI in the Buchi Babu tournament, with C Andre Siddarth as his deputy. Paul had initially been named captain of the TNCA XI, but Shahrukh will now take charge of that side after the reshuffle.Sai Kishore’s injury has depleted Tamil Nadu’s spin stocks in the build-up to their domestic season. Fellow left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram, who was the third-highest wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Ranji season, is also injured while M Siddarth has been moved from the TNCA President’s XI to the TNCA XI due to personal commitments.Sai Kishore had tuned up for the red-ball domestic season by playing county cricket for Surrey and one match for his club team upon returning to Chennai. Last month, he took 11 wickets across two matches for Surrey, including a five-wicket haul against Durham, which helped his side take a key step towards their retention of the Rothesay County Championship.Seam-bowling allrounder RS Ambrish and fast bowler D Deepesh, who had played for India Under-19s in England, have also been named in the two Tamil Nadu Buchi Babu squads.The TNCA XI will face a Mumbai side featuring Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan and his brother Musheer from August 18 at the Gojan ground in the outskirts of Chennai.

Squads

TNCA President’s XI: Pradosh Ranjan Paul (capt), C Andre Siddarth (vice-capt), B Indrajith, Vijay Shankar, R Vimal Khumar, S Radhakrishnan, S Lokeshwar, G Ajitesh, J Hemchudeshan, RS Ambrish, CV Achyuth, H Trilok Nag, P Saravana Kumar, P Vidyuth and K Abhinav.TNCA XI: M Shahrukh Khan (capt), Boopathi Vaishna Kumar (vice-capt), B Sachin, M Siddharth, Tushar Raheja, Kiran Karthikeyan, S Mohamed Ali, S Rithik Easwaran, SR Athish, S Lakshay Jain, DT Chandrasekar, P Vignesh, R Sonu Yadav, D Deepesh, J Prem Kumar, A Esakkimuthu and TD Lokesh Raj

Opener’s 89 holds her side together before Katie Levick, Phoebe Turner defend modest total vs Thunder

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2023Northern Diamonds gave their chances of qualifying for the final stages of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy a massive boost with a comprehensive 48-run victory over cross-Pennines rivals Thunder at Sale Sports Club.Lauren Winfield-Hill continued her brilliant white-ball form for Diamonds with a barnstorming 89, before Katie Levick with four wickets and Phoebe Turner with three, sealed the win in a game which the hosts looked to be in control of at the interval after bowling out the visitors for a below-par 196.Diamonds got off to a quick start with Winfield-Hill beginning where she left off against Western Storm by hitting a trio of boundaries in the first few overs as the score raced along in the early morning sunshine.But Thunder hit back when Phoebe Graham produced a cracking delivery which nipped back and removed Sterre Kalis’s bails for eight.Winfield-Hill continued to dominate the bowling, hitting fours at will as Graham and fellow opening bowler Tara Norris proved expensive with the visitors reaching the end of the powerplay on 63 for 2.With Hollie Armitage departing just before that in the ninth over for nine, attempting to reverse sweep Hannah Jones, Diamonds gave a hint of the trouble that was to come as Thunder successfully introduced the spin of Jones, Fi Morris and Olivia Bell to brilliant effect.Jones had Emma Marlow trapped in front for nine before Bell ripped out Diamonds’ middle order with a succession of wickets which dragged the home side back into a game Winfield-Hill had threatened to take away from them.Rebecca Duckworth played well for her 27 off 54 balls as she and Winfield-Hill put on 46 runs for the fourth wicket before she was bowled by Bell leaving the former England opener struggling to find another partner of note.The pressure of carrying the innings eventually became too much for Winfield-Hill. who was bowled by the returning Norris for 89 off 90 balls including 14 fours. It was a superb knock but her departure hastened the end for Diamonds who quickly lost Leah Dobson and Turner to the rampant Bell before Levick became the Thunder off-spinner’s fourth wicket.By then the score was 169 for 8 and Naomi Dattani mopped up the tail’s dogged resistance with the wickets of Grace Hall and Jessica Woolston to leave Diamonds posting an underwhelming 196 all out off 46.4 overs.With both sides desperate for the win, nerves were jangling as Thunder began their innings with one delivery from Lizzie Scott’s first over going for five wides.Runs flowed for the first five overs until Liberty Heap was bowled by a fine delivery from Woolston for 14 to leave Thunder 27 for 1.Dattani looked to rebuild and the hosts passed 50 before she was brilliantly caught down the leg side by Winfield-Hill off Levick’s third ball with the spinner’s fourth ball trapping Morris in front without scoring to leave Thunder suddenly up against it at 54 for 3.A captain’s innings was required and Ellie Threlkeld looked up for the challenge as she and Seren Smale began to build a fourth-wicket partnership which slowly pulled Thunder back into the contest.A wicket looked vital for Diamonds and Turner obliged as she began a spell that would turn the match the visitor’s way with Smale top edging a delivery to depart for 33 before Threlkeld’s vigil ended slightly unluckily when she found Marlow on the leg side boundary for 31.With that the stuffing was knocked out of the Thunder reply and Turner took another one to claim Daisy Mullan without scoring with Levick accounting for Norris lbw for one.Graham quickly followed the same way to the same bowler for a third-ball duck and despite some resistance from Laura Delaney and Bell the game was up when the latter was run out for eight and Jones fell the same way as Thunder were dismissed for 148.

After having battled each other for Associate supremacy throughout the 2010s, the sides come together for their first meeting in a T20 World Cup proper

Peter Della Penna27-Oct-20224:54

O’Brien: ‘Huge game for Ireland after the England win’

Big picture

On geographical terms, Afghanistan and Ireland are perhaps two of the most peculiar rivals across cricket, but the intensity of this rivalry was borne out of a battle for Associate supremacy throughout the 2010s before both sides were elevated to Test status in 2017. Whether locked in a virtual dead heat in that era, or joined at the hip in the time since then as the fresh faces of the Full-Member society, these two sides know each other better than most at this tournament.Ireland and Afghanistan faced off in three consecutive tournament finals at the Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2010, 2012 and 2013, of which the men in green won the latter two. Those are part of the 23 times these sides have met before in the format since their first encounter in 2010. Remarkably though, this will be the first time they face off in a T20 World Cup proper.Barring those back-to-back wins in the finals of the qualifier, Afghanistan have dominated the rivalry, thanks in large part to Ireland’s inability to negotiate Rashid Khan. But the tide shifted this past summer in Belfast when Ireland took a five-match series by a 3-2 margin. Rashid only took one wicket in the three matches that Ireland won, highlighting a simple equation that has often determined the fate of the result over the years. Rashid takes wickets – Afghanistan wins. Ireland sees him off – Ireland wins.

Form guide

Afghanistan: LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent result first)
Ireland: WLWWL

In the spotlight

For most of his career, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie batted at No. 3. But since Kevin O’Brien was dropped following Ireland’s disastrous performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, Balbirnie has moved himself into the opening role and has justified the decision by doubling his prior career tally of four T20I half-centuries. The most recent of those came against England at the MCG, and he also served as a catalyst for the opening round win over West Indies that took them into the Super 12s with 37 off 23 balls.Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the best six-hitter in the Asia Cup, clearing the ropes on 12 occasions to make 152 runs at a strike rate of 163. It might take that kind of muscle to clear the ropes at the MCG. He was also one of only three players to score a half-century for Afghanistan during the five-match series held in Belfast in August.Rashid Khan vs Ireland batters could be a key contest at the MCG•ICC via Getty Images

Team news

George Dockrell has recovered from Covid-19 – he played anyway against England and Sri Lanka after testing positive – and should be fine to go against Afghanistan. It’s unlikely Ireland will change the winning combination that saw them beat England at the same ground.Ireland (probable): 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt.), 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Gareth Delany, 8 Mark Adair, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Fionn Hand, 11 Josh LittleAfghanistan too are likely to stick with the same combination that took the field five days earlier against England despite a losing effort.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Usman Ghani, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt.), 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

The MCG has favored seamers in this tournament and historically favors chasing sides with 10 out of 16 men’s T20I matches won by the team batting second. The decision to chase may be even more enhanced by the forecast for Friday. Following the rain that halted England’s chase against Ireland and forced Afghanistan’s match against New Zealand to be washed out entirely, an 80% chance of showers is forecast from 8 am until 8 pm on Friday.

Stats and trivia

• Hazratullah Zazai needs 33 runs to get to 1000 in T20Is. Nobody has more runs or a better average for Afghanistan against Ireland in T20Is than Zazai, who has made 466 at an average of 51.77, including a famous 162 not out off 62 balls at Dehradun in 2019.
• Paul Stirling has an equally enviable record at the top of the order in this rivalry, scoring nearly 20% (614) of his T20I career runs (3133) against Afghanistan. He’s saved his best for ICC tournaments against Afghanistan. Two of his four half-centuries in 22 innings against Afghanistan came in Player-of-the-Match performances to win the final of the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier.

Quotes

“I’ve seen a lot of rain in my time playing cricket, and I’ve never been happier to see that rain come down when it did.”
“We’re not just here to participate but here to win matches. We’ve got players and a squad that can do that.”

Kusal Mendis, too, has started the World Cup with two low scores, but John Lewis says both players are too good not to come right soon

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Bristol10-Jun-2019Angelo Mathews has batted 11 balls at this World Cup, and made a grand total of zero runs. Kusal Mendis has faced all of three deliveries, getting out to two of those, and hitting a streaky two past slip off the other. Together, the pair are supposed to comprise Sri Lanka’s middle-order engine room, but in both matches so far, they have hastened collapses, and copped criticism in vast volumes. But they are too good not to come right soon, insists batting coach Jon Lewis. Mathews knows how to get himself out of these funks. And young Mendis just needs a bit of love.ALSO READ: Nuwan Pradeep ruled out of Bangladesh game“I think with Angelo, you’ve got to have faith in the guy who has done as much as he has over such a long period of time, and he tells me that he’s in a good place,” Lewis said ahead of Sri Lanka’s match against Bangladesh. “He’s comfortable with his game. You know, at this stage I’ve got no reason to doubt that the runs will come for him. You can’t expect him to go on not producing big runs soon. It’s going to come for a player of his quality.””Kusal could do with a little bit of a confidence boost. For him it’s just a case of getting through those first 20 balls, because in the build up to the World Cup, in Scotland, he played very well. The two warm-up games against excellent bowling attacks, he was in good form. He only got 20s and 30s (24 and 37), which was a bit of a downer – it would have been a good opportunity to get a big score. But there was nothing about his form in those two games that suggested that there’s anything to worry about. He’s had two low scores, and yeah, it will be good if he had some more runs behind him. But he’s probably only 20 balls away.”Although a developing Test batsman, having hit 1000 runs in the longest format last year, Mendis, 24 now, hasn’t quite cracked ODIs. Late last year he went through a stretch when he made three consecutive one-day ducks, and then a five. A free-flowing player at his best, he has made only one ODI hundred, and averages 27.77 after 63 innings.”In Tests and T20s, Kusal’s numbers at the moment look good, but in 50-over cricket, his numbers aren’t where a player of his ability should be, yet,” Lewis said. “He’s still quite early in his career to be fair to him. I know he’s played a lot of games, but they do rack up quite quick. I think his conversion from 20s and 30s into 80s, 90s, hundreds is the big step forward he needs to make. He looked in really, really good touch in the warm-ups, but got 30-odd in both games, so those are the sorts of days when you’ve got to get a hundred because you know you can’t be in good touch every day.”It would give him a lot of confidence if he can get those big scores. He’s only got the one hundred so far in his career, and I think that was against Bangladesh. So maybe that’s a good omen, and he’ll get a second one tomorrow.”

Brendan Nash managed only 18 in his first game at the Gabba since being dropped by Queensland in 2006-07

Peter English at the Gabba27-Nov-2009Out walks Brendan Nash, the West Indies No. 6, for his first game at the Gabba since he was dropped by Queensland in 2006-07 and the man holding the ball is Mitchell Johnson. Nash’s former house-mate is a sensitive brute but was not being friendly.”They are booing you mate,” Johnson said sneakily before following up the verbal welcome with a slightly misguided bouncer. “It was always going to happen, bowling a short one first up,” Johnson said. “I think he expected it as well, but I probably wish it was a bit more towards his helmet.” Johnson is smiling but that doesn’t mean he won’t repeat the method again the next time he runs in. Nash knows it too.As Nash took guard Shane Watson, another former team-mate, was standing in the slips and Nathan Hauritz was hovering in the field. Nash and Hauritz, the offspinner, went to school together at Brisbane’s Nudgee College and played together for the Norths club. The reunion of the quartet is even stranger considering none of them live here anymore.Johnson and Watson followed their girlfriends interstate while Hauritz and Nash realised their cricketing lives lay elsewhere when squeezed out by Queensland. Hauritz followed the spin to New South Wales and Nash returned to his family roots in Jamaica, with both embarking on amazing journeys that earned them international status and a life of perks.All four achieved something on the second day of the first Test but the three Australians were in the better place. Johnson’s two wickets helped reduce West Indies to a wobbly 5 for 134 at stumps. Nash struck a couple of cut boundaries before edging Watson behind on 18 after Hauritz’s unbeaten 50, his maiden half-century, had pushed Australia to a formidable 8 for 480 declared.The brief battle of the housemates was the most fun. It’s always awkward when friends oppose each other and the bond between Nash and Johnson was strong during their lives sharing washing up duty and fighting for the best spot on the couch. Both were on the outer with their states and Johnson appeared to be in a lost battle with his fragile back. Nash, who was then working as a mortgage broker, was one of those who assisted Johnson on the journey from delivery driver to the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year.”I was walking back to the top of my mark and it was quite strange,” Johnson said. “The first couple of balls I was laughing on the inside to myself that I was bowling to him, but after he cut me I wasn’t too happy. I thought I have to get a bit more serious about this.”Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies vice-captain, felt Nash was more worried than usual as he went out to face his old team-mates in front of small group of supporters wearing “Team Nash” shirts. Nash’s parents still live in Brisbane and his wife Hannah grew up here too.”I’m sure he went out there today with a few nerves,” Ramdin said. “He hit a couple of boundaries there and I’m sure he wanted to press on and get some runs in front of his people and his fans. Unfortunately that’s cricket. Hopefully he gets another chance in the second innings.”

Captain says India team management was supportive of his decision to leave the Test squad and play the Ranji final

Sreshth Shah and Rajan Raj16-Feb-2023For Jaydev Unadkat, the decision to leave India’s Test squad in Delhi, and instead represent Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final was a no-brainer.”Saurashtra has played an important part in my comeback and success, and it was not difficult to make the decision for the final,” Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo after the first day of the Ranji Trophy final. “I had a chat with the India management, and they were also supportive of the decision. Playing a part in Saurashtra’s success is close to my heart.Unadkat made an impact right away in the final, winning the toss, inserting Bengal in and striking in the first over with Abhimanyu Easwaran’s wicket. In the same spell, he had Manoj Tiwary edging to gully from around the stumps and finished with 3 for 44, with Bengal folding for 174. It was the first time since the 2017-18 final that the team winning the toss chose to field, and Unadkat said his decision to risk batting last was due to the bowler-friendly conditions on day one in Kolkata.Related

• How Unadkat's Saurashtra became India's dominant first-class team

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“The green tinge on the pitch played a part in making the toss decision easier in a final,” Unadkat said. “But there were also skills at play from the other bowlers to get the early breakthroughs. We knew we had to maximise the early advantage in the surface because the pitch got flat as the day progressed. We knew that would happen, so it was crucial to get their big wickets while there was some moisture.”My attacking plan to a right-hander has often been from around the stumps, especially when the ball is swinging. For a right-hand batter, ball moving away from around the stumps can be tricky.”This is the first time “full DRS” is being used in a Ranji Trophy game. Saurashtra went for it twice, but neither review panned out, and the one time they chose not to go upstairs, they ended up giving a life to Shahbaz Ahmed. The Bengal allrounder was on 38 when the on-field umpire turned down an lbw shout only for replays to indicate it was out. Shahbaz would go on to score 31 more runs.Unadkat said that DRS in domestic games is new for many of his players, and therefore erroneous calls are part of the learning process. “Given how the first innings ended, it isn’t a big concern now,” he said. “It is also not often that domestic cricketers are playing with DRS in action, so it is new to them too. It happens on the field sometimes, but the introduction of DRS in itself is a big positive.”Abishek Porel and Shahbaz Ahmed rescued Bengal with a 101-run stand•PTI

Match not over yet – Bengal captain Tiwary

Even though Bengal are on the back foot in their pursuit of a Ranji Trophy title for the first time since 1989-90, their captain Tiwary retains hope of taking a lead.”The match is not over yet,” he told reporters. “There is still possibility that we bundle them out and take a lead. I say that because I feel the wicket tomorrow could be like today.”We have already discussed the areas of improvement. It’s about eight-wicket taking balls and we must ensure to not leak runs tomorrow.”Light fades quickly in the evenings in Kolkata so day matches here start half an hour early, which brings the bowlers into the game that little bit more. Bengal, whose lead now is a mere 93, are hoping to exploit that.Tiwary was happy with their response after Saurashtra raced away to 38 for 0 inside six overs. In the next 11 overs, Saurashtra scored only 45 more and lost two wickets to finish on 81 for 2. The difference in the two periods of play was a huddle called by Tiwary between the sixth and seventh over, when it appeared that the Bengal players were down on energy from the early assault off Harvik Desai’s bat.”Everyone had become quiet and their morale dropped after a few boundaries were hit,” Tiwary said. “So it was important to remind them that the match is far from over, and told them to bowl with [energy]. And you saw we got two wickets before stumps.”Cricket is a muscle memory game, sometimes you are not in rhythm. If you release late, you bowl short, if you release early, you bowl half volleys. All season, this was the worst start from our bowlers, but it is fine. We hope to improve tomorrow.”

The entire tour is likely to last only a fortnight and will take place in December 2019

Danyal Rasool26-Oct-2019Test match cricket is likely to make a return to Pakistan in December 2019 with the PCB putting forward Rawalpindi and Karachi as possible venues for the two-match series against Sri Lanka.ESPNcricinfo understands progress has been made with regards to ensuring the Test series takes place in Pakistan – the first of its kind since 2009 – with the board just awaiting the go-ahead from Sri Lanka Cricket. As for the players themselves, it is not yet clear which, if any, are reluctant to tour.As per the PCB’s proposed schedule, the Test series will last only a fortnight, roughly the same amount of time Sri Lanka were in the country for a limited-overs tour earlier this year. They played three ODIs in Karachi and two T20Is in Lahore between September 27 and October 10, and though several of their senior players pulled out, the fact it went off without a hitch, plus the better-than-expected results for what was called a second-string team, may have convinced some of them to travel to Pakistan again.The decision to schedule a Test in Rawalpindi, which last hosted five-day cricket when India toured in 2004, would represent the first expansion of cricket beyond the major hubs of Lahore and Karachi. That Lahore has been overlooked as a venue for the series is something of a surprise, though it is believed the lack of daylight hours and the high likelihood of seasonal smog were the major reasons for the PCB looking elsewhere.The last completed Test to be played in Pakistan took place in Karachi, which will host the second game of this series, should it go ahead. The last recorded Test in Pakistan was the one that was abandoned after two days in Lahore, following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

Tourists hold their nerve against spirited England bowling effort to take 1-0 series lead

The Report by Valkerie Baynes02-Jul-2019
Australia – led by the bowling of Ellyse Perry and the batting of Alyssa Healy – have claimed early Ashes honours, winning a tight opening contest by two wickets in the first one-dayer at Leicester.England never recovered from a top-order batting collapse, led by Perry’s three wickets, despite the best efforts of England spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who claimed 3-34 as the tourists wobbled in their modest run chase. They reached the target with 45 balls remaining on the back of Healy’s half-century but, in the face of some tense moments, the match was close, peppered with some poor shot selection, particularly from England, and nervy fielding on both sides.The loss ended England’s winning streak across all formats at 14 after they crumbled to 19 for 4. Player of the Match Perry had Amy Jones out attempting a pull which ballooned to Healy behind the stumps and accounted for Jones’s fellow opener, Tammy Beaumont, who chopped on a short time later.Megan Schutt bowled Sarah Taylor with an in-swinger and then Perry had Heather Knight out lbw for a duck, walking across her stumps.It became 44 for 5 for England when Fran Wilson was out to a dubious lbw decision to spinner Jess Jonassen. Replays showed Wilson clearly gloved the ball first but, with no DRS for this series, Wilson could do nothing but march off the field making no secret of her consternation.Natalie Sciver launched a salvage mission with a spirited 64 off 95 balls but when she and Katherine Brunt were out lbw, to Jonassen and Delissa Kimmince respectively, and Anya Shrubsole was caught brilliantly by a leaping Rachael Haynes at mid-off, it fell to Ecclestone to carry on the attempted fightback.Ecclestone showed fine touch, reaching 27 of as many deliveries, including five fours, but her cameo ended when she attempted to loft Ashleigh Gardner for a second four in a row but found Beth Mooney just inside the long-on boundary.Laura Marsh was left standing unbeaten on 24 off 52 when Schutt bowled Kate Cross with a beautiful leg-cutter which clattered into off-stump.Chasing just 178 for victory, Australia more than fancied their chances. Despite the early loss of Nicole Bolton, caught behind attempting to drive Shrubsole, the tourists were in control at 41 for 1 after the first Power Play.But Brunt, celebrating her 34th birthday and in the rare position of first-change bowler, made the breakthrough with the first ball of her second over when she had Meg Lanning out to a plumb leg-before decision.Sarah Taylor’s stunning glovework shone as usual with a leg-side stumping to dismiss Perry cheaply off the bowling of Sciver.The England bowlers kept the pressure on Australia by claiming wickets at fairly regular intervals, including that of the dangerous Healy – who reached 66 off 71 balls before holing out to Wilson off Marsh. By the time Marsh bowled Mooney, attempting a paddle-sweep, Australia were 150 for 7 and, while the run rate required was easily attainable, England were in with a sniff if they could just take the remaining wickets.Shrubsole put down what should have been a regulation caught-and-bowled off Kimmince, demonstrating the less-than-assertive fielding that had bothered both sides at times. Orthodox spinner Ecclestone gave England a glimmer of hope with her penultimate ball, when she tempted Jonassen into a stroke that went straight to Shrubsole at mid-on.Needing 11 runs off the last 10 overs, the Australians held their nerve, Kimmince struck a lofted four off Brunt which had everyone’s hearts in their mouths as it went just wide of star fielder Wilson and five wides off the next ball sealed a low-key end to a thrilling contest.Both sides admitted nerves were a factor, with England captain Knight putting the hosts’ batting collapse down to “maybe absorbing pressure a little bit more”.”Disappointed with the bat, we lost too many early wickets and that ultimately cost us,” Knight told Sky Sports. “I’m really proud of the way the girls managed to get us to a total, would have liked a few more, but not to be today. I don’t think it was particularly being too aggressive that cost us the wickets. It’s maybe a few soft dismissals instead.”Australian captain Lanning said her side would be looking to improve going into Thursday’s second ODI.”Our bowlers did really well to put England on the back foot early but England bowled well as well so it’s just nice to get over the line,” Lanning said. “Hopefully the quality improves over the series. It was a great contest and everyone fought really hard but we feel like we’ve got a little bit to work on, as probably England do as well.”The Ashes will be decided over three one-dayers, a four-day Test and three T20Is.

Attack leader has not played competitively since aggravating calf injury in August

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2019James Anderson is set to bowl in a match situation for the first time since August, after being declared “in a great place” by head coach, Chris Silverwood, ahead of England’s first warm-up match of their tour of South Africa.Anderson has not played competitively since aggravating a calf injury after bowling just four overs of the first Test against Australia at Edgbaston on August 1, a match that England went on to lose by 251 runs in his absence.However, he has been acclimatising at a fast-bowling camp in Potchefstroom for the past fortnight, having also worked with Manchester City’s training staff during the off-season, in a bid to overcome an issue that he first encountered while bowling for Lancashire in a county fixture in July.And, with the first Test against South Africa looming in Centurion on Boxing Day, Silverwood is increasingly confident that England’s attack leader will be fit to resume a Test career in which he has claimed 575 wickets in 149 matches to date.”Jimmy Anderson is absolutely flying at the moment, he’s in a great place,” Silverwood told reporters in Benoni, on the eve of a two-day non-first-class warm-up against a South Africa Invitational XI, in which several members of England’s squad will be given a chance to stretch their legs.That number, however, will not include the newly crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Ben Stokes, who is due to fly into Johannesburg after the match has begun, having attended Sunday night’s ceremony in Aberdeen.Nor will Mark Wood be put through his paces just yet. He too has been at the training camp in Potchefstroom, having missed the Ashes due to a side strain sustained while bowling in the World Cup final. But Silverwood warned that his comeback will be postponed until the New Year.”Woody, we’ve got to be a little bit patient with,” he said. “We are looking at somewhere around the third Test [at Port Elizabeth on January 16] but we’ll be guided by how his body pulls up as well.”England arrived in South Africa off the back of an arduous tour of New Zealand, in which their bowlers struggled for penetration in the two-Test series, claiming just 21 wickets all told in a 1-0 defeat.ALSO READ: Ben Stokes crowned as Sports Personality of the YearSilverwood, however, is optimistic that South Africa’s wickets will be better suited to his attack, including Jofra Archer, who claimed two wickets at 104.50 in New Zealand, but whom he insisted was fit and raring to go.”There’s a bit more bounce here,” Silverwood said. “A bit more pace in the wickets will suit our bowlers. But the bowlers as a unit have worked so hard on finding ways to get 20 wickets, it’s been a struggle at times but that’s something to work on.”It’s something we are working on constantly,” he added. “We really want to drive forward the Test team, and in New Zealand we were looking at new ways of doing things. It was a great learning curve in New Zealand and we’ll keep pushing on from that.”One man who did make a positive impression in New Zealand, albeit in the second Test, was the captain Joe Root, who had gone into the match under intense pressure – not least for his captaincy – but responded with a hard-earned innings of 226.”It certainly settled the form issue,” said Silverwood. “To get a double was great for him and great for us as a team, and obviously puts him on the front foot coming here, and from a captaincy point of view, he’s learning moving forward and doing well.”More generally, Silverwood had a simple formula for further success from England: “We need to get more first-innings runs, and as soon as we do that, we’ll be very hard to beat.”However, he promised no complacency going into the South Africa series, against an opposition who were beaten by Sri Lanka in their most recent home series, and were routed 3-0 by India in October.Off the field, CSA have been beset with controversy, but with Mark Boucher newly installed as head coach, Silverwood expects a side who prove very tough to break down.”[Boucher] was a fine player, and I’m looking forward to what’s going to be a very hard-fought contest,” he said. “South Africa are a proud nation, we’ve seen that in other sports, and I think it’s going to be a hard fought contest.”From our point of view, complacency is one thing we won’t have going forward, we expect South Africa to come back hard, in all departments and with hunger.”