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India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate says Sanju Samson is still adjusting to his role in the middle order

Shashank Kishore23-Sep-20253:50

Aaron wants India to save Bumrah for final overs

Jasprit Bumrah has taken only three wickets – with an economy rate of 8.36 – in three games in the 2025 Asia Cup, but the India team management is satisfied with his performances, considering the “exceptionally tough job” he’s been given in the UAE.Bumrah has bowled three overs in the powerplay – and his fourth at the death – in every game so far. Before India’s tournament opener against UAE, the previous time he bowled three out of the first six overs of a T20I was in 2019.”He’s doing a very tough task,” India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on the eve of the Super Four game against Bangladesh. “You don’t see many bowlers in this format bowling all three overs in the powerplay. So it’s quite strenuous as well. But we feel it’s the right amount of work going into the Test match [against West Indies] and obviously the importance of this competition as well.”Related

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After taking 1 for 19 against UAE and 2 for 28 in the group game against Pakistan, Bumrah went wicketless and conceded 45 in the Super Four game against Pakistan. “It wasn’t his most polished performance against Pakistan the other night,” ten Doeschate said. “But we also understand that he’s doing an exceptionally tough job to bowl the first three overs, the two [fielders] out, and the last over and the second last over where guys are going as well.”There’s going to be days where he doesn’t get wickets and he’s going to go for runs. But in terms of how we set up the team, obviously with two seamers and going spin-heavy, we feel at the moment that’s the best job.”Bumrah has bowled 11 overs in the Asia Cup so far – he was rested for India’s final group game against Oman – and is likely to bowl another 12 if India get to the final. Ten Doeschate indicated he was unlikely to be rested for another game in this tournament.”It’s very unlikely that you [India] go into the last game knowing you’ve qualified,” ten Doeschate said. “So I’d say it’s unlikely that he’ll get a rest. Also bearing in mind we have a Test match starting [next] Thursday. So it’s actually quite good preparation in terms of workload management … So if we have the luxury to have that option [of resting Bumrah] in the last game, we can look at it. But I’d say we’re going to pick our best team for every game. He obviously fits into that picture.”Sanju Samson is getting used to life at No.5•Associated Press

‘Samson still figuring out how to play at No. 5’

The other player with an unfamiliar role at the Asia Cup is Sanju Samson, who’s batting in the middle order despite having had most of his success for India – and in the IPL – in the top three.Samson didn’t get to bat in India’s first two matches. He was sent in at No. 3 in the dead rubber against Oman in Abu Dhabi, where he top-scored with 56 off 45 balls on a pitch that most Indian batters struggled to get going. He was back down at No. 5 in the Super Four game against Pakistan, and made 13 off 17 before he was bowled attempting to pull Haris Rauf.”There’s two outings now, two decent chances and he’s still figuring out how to play that role,” ten Doeschate said of Samson in the middle order. “I think the wicket was a little bit tired in the Pakistan game. But certainly with the way Shubman [Gill] and Abhi [Abhishek Sharma] are going at the top and you’ve got your captain batting at three and the way Tilak’s [Verma] played, we’re really looking for a No. 5. So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll figure out how to play that role in the future.”Ten Doeschate said the format of the Asia Cup with little room for error also meant there was little room for giving chances to the bench strength – Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh haven’t played a game yet. “The boys are doing excellent work with training and you probably have to look at bilateral series more realistically as a chance to get guys in to show what they can do and also to give guys a chance to show how flexible they are with their positions.”But certainly now with the format of this competition, four games, two wins doesn’t even guarantee you going through. So it’s not like you can take your foot off the pedal at any time and that’s been an unfortunate consequence of what we’re trying to achieve by trying guys in different positions.”India go into Wednesday’s game against Bangladesh as favourites. Both teams won their first Super Four game, and whoever picks up two points will be primed to make the final. “Our general principle is – respect everyone, fear no one,” ten Doeschate said. “It’s more about our process and what we’re trying to achieve. We actually thought we were a bit scrappy against Pakistan. We weren’t happy with that performance. We just had a team meeting now and as we always do, we try to address the things we feel we can be better at and more clinical at.”We respect Bangladesh. I think they’re a side on the rise. They’ve kind of adapted their cricket as well to the new style of T20. Some nice attacking players up front and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

England romp to first Test victory for ten years as wheels come off for SA in second innings

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2024England 395 for 9 dec and 236 (Knight 90, Mlaba 6-67) beat South Africa 281 (Wolvaardt 65, Kapp 57, Luus 56, Bell 4-49) and 64 (Bell 4-27, Ecclestone 2-7) by 286 runsEngland have won their first Test in 10 years and as many matches by beating South Africa by 286 runs in Bloemfontein. They dismissed South Africa for 64 in their second innings, their lowest Test total after setting them a target of 351.Lauren Bell, who registered a career-best 4 for 49 in the first innings, rewrote her own record and picked up 4 for 27 to finish with a player-of-the-match haul of 8 for 76. Lauren Filer and Sophie Ecclestone were also among the wickets as England bowled South Africa out in 19.4 overs to win inside three days.South Africa’s dismal batting overshadowed the good work they’d done with the ball, particularly the performance of left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. She became the first South African to take 10 wickets in a women’s Test and is now South Africa’s second-leading wicket-taker in the format. South Africa may have time to reflect on that once the dust has settled on their massive defeat. Theirs was the third-largest by runs in women’s Tests.England’s win was set up by a captain’s knock from Heather Knight, who scored her sixth Test half-century. She fell 10 short of a third hundred as she anchored an England innings in which most of the middle-order got starts but only she converted. Her most profitable partnership was a third-wicket stand of 67 with Nat Sciver-Brunt which was three runs more than South Africa’s second-innings total. They had only one partnership worth 20 and six in single figures, while only ten batters made it to the middle after Ayanda Hlubi was ruled out of the match with a torn hip flexor.By the time she would have been needed, all the damage was done. South Africa lost their openers in the 5.2 overs they faced before tea, both lbw. Laura Wolvaardt was caught on the back foot by a delivery that seamed in from Bell and, after being on the receiving end of a poor first-innings dismissal, she could not complain about this one.Anneke Bosch had slightly more reason to be unhappy. She was given out to Filer, to one that kept low and could have been missing leg. But the biggest talking point took place after the break when Bell appealed for a catch off Annerie Dercksen at short leg. It was not immediately given out and the umpires referred, despite the explicit absence of DRS for this contest, before Dercksen was sent on her way.Bell continued to find movement and bowled Sune Luus through the gate. Nadine de Klerk was run out for a pair, and when Chloe Tryon was lbw to an Ecclestone arm-ball, also for a duck, England were into the tail. South Africa’s starts with Sinalo Jafta at No.8 and she too went without scoring, pinned on the pads by Bell’s inswinger, to leave the innings in tatters at 44 for 7. Three overs later, Marizanne Kapp, their last remaining batter, was wonderfully scooped up by Beaumont at silly point without addition, and the end came quickly.Earlier, South Africa would have been fairly pleased with their work with ball in hand. De Klerk and Tumi Sekhukhune started well and were disciplined upfront. They gave away only 12 runs in the first six overs, with Sekhukhune removing Beaumont for 12, lbw to an inswinger. On this occasion, the absence of DRS proved no problem as she looked out, and was given.Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed the first ten-for by a South African in women’s Tests•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Sekhukhune was replaced by Dercksen, but then South Africa went for double spin with Mlaba at one end and Tryon at the other. Given the turn on offer and amount Mlaba gets, she was expected to be a threat and should have had a wicket in her fourth over when Sciver-Brunt edged as she lunged forward to block but Jafta could not hold on to the chance. Sciver-Brunt, on 19 at the time, went on to hit Mlaba for three fours in the over and the floodgates opened.Mlaba got Sciver-Brunt when she chopped on after a delivery kept low, but that only brought Danni Wyatt-Hodge to the crease, with her penchant for finding runs behind square on the off side. She rattled along to a run-a-ball 23, before slicing Sekhukhune to the fielder at deep third. Amy Jones then partnered Knight, who had reached her fifty off 99 balls, to lunch, to end a successful session. Despite England’s slow start to the morning session, they scored a total of 136 runs in the 27 overs bowled before lunch, at a rate of just over five runs to the over.Mlaba switched ends post lunch and had success from the Willows End. Amy Jones got a leading edge to Wolvaardt in the covers, minutes before it was announced that the South African skipper had earned a demerit point for expressing “excessive disappointment” when she was given out lbw in the first innings.She had reason to keep being pleased in the field though. Mlaba picked up a third when Charlie Dean flicked her to short mid-wicket, and though Knight moved into the 80s with a strong sweep off Sune Luus, that shot would prove her undoing. One over after Sophie Ecclestone had fallen in the same fashion to Mlaba, Knight was beaten by a ball that turned into her and struck her on the pad. Of course, she could not review.Ryana MacDonald-Gay was bowled through the bat-pad gap to become Mlaba’s 10th wicket. England’s innings ended with half an hour to go before the tea break. They only needed 69 minutes after that interval to end the match.

Spinners Crane and Imad complete 40-run victory in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025Half-centuries from 21-year-olds Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe propelled Glamorgan to a 40-run Vitality Blast South Group win over Gloucestershire at Bristol, leaving the trophy holders without a victory in five matches.The visitors posted 189 for six after winning the toss, Kellaway hitting a career-best 53 and Tribe a scintillating 63 not out off 28 balls, with five sixes and five fours. Ajeet Singh Dale claimed three for 17 from four overs.In reply, Gloucestershire stumbled to 149 for nine, Cameron Bancroft making 52 and D’Arcy Short 34. Leg-spinner Mason Crane finished with a career-best four for 20 as the Welsh county secured a fourth group success.Batting at number three, Kellaway found himself facing only the third ball of the game after Will Smale had been bowled by David Payne. It was 27 for two in the fourth over when Kiran Carlson miscued a pull shot off Singh Dale to be pouched at mid-wicket.Kellaway had still moved to 34 by the time the six-over powerplay ended with his side 48 for two. Colin Ingram increased the scoring rate with a straight six off Short’s first delivery and claimed another maximum by smacking Tom Smith over long-off.A pulled six took Kellaway to his maiden T20 fifty off 30 balls, with nine fours, but he fell in the next over advancing down the pitch to off-spinner Ollie Price to present wicketkeeper Bancroft with a simple stumping and Ingram went for 38, taken at fine-leg off Singh Dale.Chris Cooke and Dan Douthwaite fell cheaply, the former superbly caught one-handed by Price at long-on. But Tribe ensured Glamorgan of a competitive total with a late blitz that saw 22 come off the 19th over, bowled by Smith and a further 19 off the last, sent down by Payne.Glamorgan opted to take pace off the ball as early as the second over of Gloucestershire’s reply, delivered by left-arm spinner Imad Wasim. Bancroft got the scoreboard ticking with a four and a six off the first two balls of the third over, bowled by Timm van der Gugten.Miles Hammond fell for a ten-ball duck, sweeping a catch to deep mid-wicket off Imad, and by the end of the powerplay Gloucestershire were anchored on 30 for one. Bancroft and Short put together a stand of 63 without ever cutting loose and when Short top-edged a sweep off Crane to be caught at short fine leg the hosts were 76 for two in the 12th over.Price fell lbw to a full delivery from Crane and Jack Taylor was caught at fine leg by Ingram off Ned Leonard before Ben Charlesworth suffered a second successive first ball duck when driving a catch to long-off to give Crane his third wicket.Bancroft had taken 43 balls over his half-century and when he top- edged a reverse sweep of Crane to be caught at short fine-leg the outcome was beyond doubt, despite a late assault by Graeme van Burren, which brought him 32 runs off 14 balls.

Chamindu Wickramasinghe has retained his place in both ODI and T20I squads

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Nov-2024Kusal Perera has been included in Sri Lanka ODI squad to play New Zealand, as has seamer Mohamed Shiraz.Kusal Perera has not played an ODI in almost a year, but has made this squad on the strength of his 55 not out in a T20I against West Indies. Shiraz, 29, has been an excellent domestic performer, taking 84 wickets at 18.75 in List A cricket, but has so far bowled only four overs in internationals.On the T20I front, Sri Lanka have retained the exact squad they had had for the series against West Indies, which they won 2-1. Newcomer Chamindu Wickramasinghe – an allrounder – has kept his place in both squads.Dinesh Chandimal has also retained his place in the T20I squad. He hasn’t played any international white-ball cricket since 2022, but has been impressive in domestic competitions since.The core of Sri Lanka’s batting group remains unchanged, the likes of Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, and Asalanka himself likely to be part of the top five. In T20Is, Sri Lanka have a middle-order hitter in Bhanuka Rajapaksa. In ODIs, they have more of an accumulating batter in Janith Liyanage, who can also contribute with his seam bowling.The spin contingent also consist of the regulars, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, with Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage also making both squads.There are differences on the seam-bowling front, however. Slingers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara are only in the T20I squad, as is Binura Fernando. Left-armer Dilshan Madushanka and Shiraz are ODI bowlers who don’t make the T20 outfit. Asitha Fernando is in both.Four of the matches – three T20Is and one ODI – will be played in Dambulla. The other two ODIs will be in Pallekele. The series begins on November 9.T20I squad: Charith Asalanka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Asitha FernandoODI squad: Charith Asalanka (capt.), Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nishan Madushka, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohamed Shiraz

Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock

ECB Media28-Jul-2024England star Alice Capsey followed up her opening-day 51 with a well-made 59 as Oval Invincibles defeated Welsh Fire by six wickets at Cardiff.Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock before she was brilliantly caught at long-on by Hayley Matthews off Freya Davies with 27 runs still required.All-rounders Marizanne Kapp (26*) and Mady Villiers (11*) then took the reins to extinguish any Welsh Fire hopes, guiding Invincibles home with 12 balls to spare.The Invincibles’ chase got off to a far from ideal start as they lost Lauren Winfield-Hill on the second ball of the innings, caught at cover by Tammy Beaumont off Shabnim Ismail for a duck.Paige Schofield (11) and Capsey didn’t let this early loss faze them, playing fluently to move the score along to 37 for 1 after 20 balls, the latter crucially being dropped at long-on by Ismail off Jess Jonassen two runs later.Capsey overturned an lbw decision on 43 off the bowling of Jonassen and went on to bring up her fifty from 42 balls.Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bat, losing Beaumont for four to the eighth ball of the innings, an outswinger from Kapp which drew an edge behind to Winfield-Hill.After 25 balls, Welsh Fire had laboured to 17 for 1 and they soon found themselves 20 for 2 when Amanda-Jade Wellington struck first ball to remove the dangerous Matthews for just 6, caught brilliantly by Kapp running in from the cover boundary.Sophia Dunkley made 35 from 26 balls before skying Wellington to Ryana MacDonald-Gay at long-on and Jonassen, who took over Dunkley’s role as aggressor, played enterprisingly for 32 not out from 22 balls as Welsh Fire closed their innings on a below-par 116 for 5.Meerkat Match Hero Capsey, said: “Pace on was really nice, so capitalising on that up the top in the powerplay. When it got a bit harder, they were bowling really well with change-ups and bowling a bit slower, me and Kappy built a partnership and knew the longer it went on, the easier it would get for the others coming in at the back end.”I’ve been feeling in really good nick but I think the most pleasing thing for me is my calmness. I think last year I was a bit frantic. So, it’s nice to be back in this space where I can contribute to team wins.”