Fast bowler insists Test cricket is “still at the hearts of West Indian cricketers”

Andrew McGlashan23-Jan-2024Kemar Roach has encouraged Shamar Joseph to “build his own legacy” after bursting onto the Test scene last week in Adelaide but knows there will be distractions for him along the way.Joseph struck with his first ball in Test cricket when he removed Steven Smith, then finished with 5 for 94 and also showed his prowess with the bat to suggest he won’t be staying at No. 11 for long.His rise to Test cricket has been remarkable on the back of just five first-class games, having grown up in the village of Baracara in Guyana, which could only be reached by boat. He has now shot to global prominence and is being talked about as part of West Indies’ future as they look to rebuild their Test cricket, but Joseph already has an ILT20 deal and more such offers are unlikely to be far away.Related

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“The best advice I can give him is to build his own legacy,” Roach said. “Understand what you want from cricket. That’s up to him to determine, if it’s monetary, or if it’s just stats and statistics or whatever. There’s going to be a lot of distractions… he’s a hot commodity right now. So he needs to choose what he really wants and what he thinks is best for his career going forward. So it’s up to him, as a young man, but I definitely give him that advice.”Roach, the senior figure in West Indies’ attack with 80 caps to his name, is happy to take on a mentor role having had similar players to feed off early in his career.”I had that when I started. Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards [were] some guys around to help me when I started my career,” he said. “I took knowledge and learning from it. So obviously for me now, it’s all about passing on the mantle now to the youngsters. He’s got a very good career ahead of him. At this stage, he’s willing to learn. We have a lot of conversations. So, I think once he keeps doing that, not just coming from me but anyone who he thinks can help him in his career, he can take a lot of knowledge on board and become a better cricketer.”Roach himself is towards the latter stages of his career but has put no end point on his Test career. “Day by day,” he said with a smile, “let’s see how it goes.” He made a big impression on his first tour of Australia when he forced Ricky Ponting to retire hurt in Perth but has found the country the toughest place to take wickets with 10 at 77.90 from eight matches.”As a bowler coming to Australia you are bowling against some of the best batters in the world so there is always a good challenge,” he said. “I love a good challenge. I have lived for that my whole career so for me coming here is just about expressing yourself, enjoying and relishing the moment and giving it a good go. Be confident in yourself and your skills and let’s see how the day goes for you.”Kemar Roach has the fifth-most wickets (267) in Tests for West Indies, but averages 77.90 with only ten wickets in Australia•Associated Press

Roach only briefly dipped his toe into the franchise world of T20 – his last game in the format was in 2018 – although that did include a stint with Brisbane Heat, who will play the BBL final against Sydney Sixers on Wednesday. The last time Heat won the BBL was in 2012-13, when Roach claimed 3 for 18 against Perth Scorchers at the WACA. “I saw my picture on the wall, so good memories,” he said of his return to the Gabba, the home ground of Heat.Test cricket, where he ranks fifth among West Indies’ all-time wicket-takers, has remained his No. 1 priority and Roach firmly believes that is the case among many young players in the Caribbean.”I love Test cricket,” he said. “Honestly, I love the red-ball format. I’ve played one-dayers and the T20 format as well but I think my heart was always a part of the red ball. I just wanted to be a part of those mega cricketers back in the days. The Joel Garners, the Malcolm Marshalls, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, I just want to be a part of those names.”And I think for me, obviously, I didn’t grow up much in the franchise era. So I had Test cricket at heart, and it has stuck with me throughout. I just think it is different times now. So for me, it’s just about these youngsters, what they want to achieve from it. And they make the right decisions and they go forward [in their] careers.”The franchises are a big distraction,” he added. “But guys still want to relish red-ball cricket. Test cricket is still at the hearts of West Indian cricketers at home. It’s just about us to provide support around it. To keep those guys interested in red-ball cricket. Discussions will be had. I’m not part of it. They take Tests very seriously still. They are very proud to be a part of the red-ball team for the West Indies.”

Conway and Ravindra lifted New Zealand to an imposing 215, but the bowlers failed to defend in Wellington

Tristan Lavalette21-Feb-20241:34

Finch: Australia need to bed down their World Cup XI

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh produced a powerful all-round performance before Tim David batted superbly at the death to complete a last-ball win over New Zealand in a high-scoring series opener in Wellington.Chasing 216 after Devon Conway emerged from a form slump with a half-century, Australia appeared on the brink of defeat despite Marsh’s effort. But David took over with 31 off 10 balls punctuated by a boundary through the leg-side off Tim Southee to seal Australia’s remarkable heist.Australia drew first blood in the fight for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, which had previously only been awarded to the winner of bilateral ODI series between the teams. With the T20 World Cup just over three months away, the three-match series is vital preparation for both teams.

Marsh, David star in huge chase

There was no room for Steven Smith in Australia’s batting order, with Travis Head returning after missing the West Indies series. He opened alongside David Warner for the first time in T20Is. But neither could capitalise on starts. Warner was booed off the ground by the partisan crowd and responded by giving them a wave.Mitchell Marsh’s 44-ball unbeaten 72 held the Australia chase together•Getty Images

It was left to Marsh, who obliged with typically belligerent batting. Anything in his hitting zone was handled with disdain as he motored to his half-century off 29 balls. But Marsh lacked support as Australia fell away and needed a seemingly improbable 32 runs off nine balls to win. But David took over with a boundary off Adam Milne before launching consecutive sixes to reduce Australia’s target to 16 runs off the final over.Southee bowled well at the start of the final over by bowling a few yorkers, but David again showed his prowess at finishing with a six over the leg-side off the full-tossed fourth delivery of the 20th over. Two balls later, his swat through wide long on with two fielders converging went for four, and underlined a remarkable chase that showcased their firepower. It also illustrated that there may not be room for Smith at the T20 World Cup.

Ferguson sizzles, sloppy fielding proves costly

Milne and Lockie Ferguson were only playing their 10th T20I together. They menaced with prodigious swing at rapid pace with Ferguson reaching speeds of 150 kmph.Milne claimed the much-needed first wicket after a flier from Head, while Ferguson chimed in by getting through Glenn Maxwell to halt Australia’s momentum.Ferguson was superb throughout and bowled accurate yorkers under pressure in a brilliant 18th over that appeared to put New Zealand in the box seat. But New Zealand ultimately rued sloppy fielding, most notably Glenn Phillips missing a chance on the boundary when Marsh was on 36.Mitchell Starc celebrates the wicket of Finn Allen•Getty Images

Australia’s frontline quicks return, Marsh impresses with ball

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who had both rested for the past three weeks since the Test summer ended, played their first T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup as Australia unveiled a full-strength attack.Starc was on the money immediately as he angled a delivery past Finn Allen on the first delivery of an excellent first over. He returned in the sixth over to pick up Allen having not let him have any width to hit.Starc was the pick of the bowlers until he was thrashed for 16 runs in the penultimate over of the innings. Cummins had also mostly defied the onslaught with his canny array of slower deliveries before being dispatched for 15 runs in the last over.After recording the worst-ever figures by an Australian bowler in T20Is in their last match against West Indies, legspinner Adam Zampa copped another flogging with 0 for 42 from three overs. Australia, who sloppily conceded 15 extras, became the first team ever to concede four straight 200-plus totals in T20I cricket.In better news for Australia, Marsh utilised slower deliveries effectively and claimed the wicket of Conway to finish with 1 for 21 off three. Marsh didn’t use himself against West Indies but stepped up here with Marcus Stoinis missing from the series.

Conway returns to form, Ravindra impresses

Conway entered the series finding himself in his career’s first prolonged form slump. Conway got out of it by perhaps channelling the last time he batted against Australia in a T20 match when he made an unbeaten 92 to launch the 2022 T20 World Cup.It was deja vu with Conway and Allen again monstering a half-century inside four overs just like they did at the SCG. Conway relished a surface that was fast with a consistent bounce to notch his first international half-century since last year’s ODI World Cup. His knock was marked by superb back-foot play as he continually whacked shorter deliveries in a confidence-boosting innings.After Allen fell just before the end of the powerplay, Conway combined with Rachin Ravindra, who was sluggish early and was halted initially by Cummins’ nagging line and length. But Ravindra eventually found his groove and pummelled Zampa for a trio of sixes in the 15th over.Ravindra raced to his second T20I half-century off just 29 balls to make the most of his opportunity with skipper Kane Williamson not playing due to the birth of his third child. The top-order batting, plus the finishing touches by Phillips and Mark Chapman, meant big-hitting debutant Josh Clarkson was not required.

Cameron Steel, Tom Lawes both take three wickets to take control in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Dom Sibley hit an unbeaten 87 as Surrey dominated Kent on day two of their Vitality County Championship derby at Canterbury, reaching 185 for one at stumps in reply to Kent’s 244 all out.Cameron Steel and Tom Lawes both took three wickets apiece as Surrey limited Kent to 244 and although night-watcher George Garrett outshone his batting partners with a career-best 48, any hopes that might look competitive vanished as Sibley and Rory Burns put on 147 for the opening wicket.Garrett eventually got Burns for 69, but Sibley and Dan Lawrence batted through to stumps, at which point Surrey were just 59 behind.It was so cold at the Spitfire Ground that even the Nackington Road Grumblers abandoned their usual seats and took refuge in the more sheltered Cowdrey Stand. Garrett’s unexpected resistance aside, there was plenty for them to grumble about.Kent were 111 for three overnight and Kemar Roach had Jack Leaning plumb lbw to the third delivery of the morning, removing him for 30.Garrett pulled Lawes for successive fours as he overtook his previous highest first-class score of 24, but the remaining specialist batters all squandered promising starts.Joe Denly was bowled for 32 when he chased a wide one from Steel and played on and Harry Finch hit two impressive boundaries as he steered Kent to 192 for five at lunch but he was caught for nine in the slips by Sibley off Jordan Clark soon after the resumption.Garrett fell two short of his half-century when he edged Steel behind and Steel then had Matt Parkinson stumped by Ben Foakes for a duck. Kent’s last recognised batter went when Foakes then sprang to his right to catch Joey Evison off Lawes for 30.Jas Singh also made his highest first-class score, but when he was lbw to Lawes for 15 Kent were still six short of a batting point.Surrey’s response rapidly began to look ominous. Kent created few chances and when Sibley nicked Arafat Bhuiyan he was put down by Finch.Burns flicked Matt Parkinson for a single to reach 50 and compared to last season, when he took 578 minutes to make 140 at this venue, Sibley was batting like Virat Kohli, reaching his half-century from 86 balls with a single off Arafat.Burns fell to Garrett when Zak Crawley took a smart slip catch, but it was an isolated moment of hope for the home fans during a protracted evening session.

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost seven out of eight home games last season. Will they start with a win this year?

Abhimanyu Bose26-Mar-2024

Match details

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)
Hyderabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Bumrah vs Klaasen

Over the last couple of years, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen has developed into one of the most fearsome hitters in T20 cricket. He was their top-scorer in IPL 2023 – 448 at a strike rate of 177 – and has begun 2024 with a ferocious display at Eden Gardens, where his 63 off 29 balls nearly upstaged Andre Russell. While all of the other SRH batters got starts against Kolkata Knight Riders, Klaasen was the sole reason they stayed in the chase as long as they did.On Wednesday, against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad, Klaasen could face a brand-new challenge. Well almost. His head-to-head battle with Jasprit Bumrah is only one-ball old, and he scored one run off it. In ODIs, he’s faced 20 deliveries from Bumrah and scored 18 runs for one dismissal. Amid the glut of international and franchise cricket, the prospect of a new match-up between two players on top of their game is a rarity.Given Klaasen’s importance to Sunrisers, Mumbai could well keep the majority of Bumrah’s overs for when he’s in the middle. They will certainly minimise bowling spin to Klaasen – since the start of 2023 he averages 148.5 and has a strike rate of 193 against spin in T20 cricket. But Klaasen’s no mug against pace either. He has a career strike rate of 148.45 against the quicks, and dispatched Mitchell Starc for three sixes in an over on Saturday.Bumrah, though, is usually in a league of his own. After missing IPL 2023 with a back injury, he made his comeback to the league with a spell of 3 for 14 in Mumbai’s season opener against Gujarat Titans despite two of his overs coming at the death. All of which sets up the prospect of a tantalising battle with Klaasen, as both Mumbai and Sunrisers gun for their first points of IPL 2024.The match is especially significant for the Sunrisers, who lost six out of seven home games last season, and would love a winning start in Hyderabad this year.

In the spotlight – Hardik Pandya and Aiden Markram

In his first match as Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik Pandya travelled to the home of the team he first led in the IPL, and found himself booed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He was also the subject of much vitriol on social media, especially for asking Rohit Sharma to field on the boundary. Some of Hardik’s other captaincy decisions also came under scrutiny, like opening the bowling himself and bringing on Bumrah only in the fourth over of the Titans innings, and batting at No. 7 below Tim David. Will Hyderabad be kinder to Hardik Pandya?Aiden Markram led the Sunrisers franchise in the SA20 – Eastern Cape – to back to back titles but his stock has dropped in Hyderabad and he was replaced as captain by Pat Cummins ahead of this season. Markram was picked for SRH’s opening game in Kolkata and made 18 off 13 balls. After a poor IPL 2023 – 248 runs at a strike rate of 126 – he needs to find form quickly this year to stay ahead of Travis Head and Glenn Phillips in the overseas pecking order.Hardik Pandya had a tough start as Mumbai Indians captain in Ahmedabad•BCCI

Team news and impact player strategy

Sunrisers HyderabadLegspinner Wanindu Hasaranga is yet to join the Sunrisers squad and is expected to be unavailable for at least another week as he consults doctors overseas about chronic pain in his left heel. The question for Sunrisers is whether to persist with Marco Jansen, who was expensive against KKR, as their overseas bowling option for a while longer.In terms of Impact Player strategy, SRH swapped out fast bowler T Natarajan after bowling at Eden Gardens and brought in opener Abhishek Sharma for the chase.Probable XII: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 , 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Marco Jansen/Fazalhaq Farooqi, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Mayank Markande, 12 Mumbai IndiansSuryakumar Yadav continues to be unavailable for Mumbai Indians as he recovers from ankle surgery at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He is also unlikely to be fit for Mumbai’s first home game on April 1.Mumbai named only three overseas players in their XI when bowling first against Titans, swapping out fast bowler Luke Wood and bringing in middle-order batter Dewald Brevis for the chase.Probable XII: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Naman Dhir, 4 , 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Tim David, 8. Shams Mulani, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12

Stats that matter

• Mumbai Indians have won four of their last five matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad
• Jasprit Bumrah has 16 wickets in 13 matches against Sunrisers
• Pat Cummins averages 40 with the bat against Mumbai Indians, striking at 181.81 against them

Quotes

“I feel the team is exactly the same. We still have goals and the team environment is really great. Rohit is still an amazing leader and I still learn from him every day, as well as Hardik. I learn from him. I feel the team environment is really in a good place and we are ready for whatever lies ahead for us as a team”

Retirement of legendary pairing in consecutive home Tests will leave huge gulf in bowling ranks

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2024Stuart Broad has warned that England’s onus on blooding a new generation of fast bowlers in the wake of James Anderson’s retirement could leave Ben Stokes with a “quite scary” lack of experience for the forthcoming Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.Anderson is set to play against West Indies at Lord’s on July 10 before calling time on his legendary 188-match, 21-year Test career, and with Broad himself having stood down from England duty against Australia at The Oval last summer, it means that the Test team will have lost more than 1,300 wickets and 354 matches-worth of experience in consecutive home games.And while Broad, speaking on Sky Sports’ Cricket Podcast, acknowledged there was a pressing need for a new generation of bowlers to bed into their roles in good time for the next Ashes tour in 2025-26, the team risks being “exposed” in the short term, not least by a West Indies team that recently beat Australia at the Gabba and who, in the words of their attack leader Kemar Roach, are itching to “ruin” Anderson’s farewell.Related

• Key, McCullum, Stokes told Anderson: It's time to move on

• Stuart Broad retires

• Anderson to retire after Lord's Test against West Indies

• The magician who became a puritan, James Anderson faces final curtain

• Kemar Roach calls on West Indies to 'ruin' James Anderson's retirement Test

“You could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group couldn’t you?” Broad told Sky Sports. “There’s going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into. And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, and on certain pitches and certain times of Test matches.”Ultimately, you don’t learn that unless you’re thrown in. But it’s not just about throwing caps away and saying ‘have a go’, you need to pick a bowling unit that can win on that particular pitch.”The logic of Anderson’s enforced retirement could equally be applied to Chris Woakes, another outstanding performer in English conditions, and the current holder of the Compton-Miller Medal after his series-turning performances in last summer’s Ashes. However, at the age of 35, he is another player with no realistic chance of featuring in Australia, especially given his recognised shortcomings in overseas conditions – in which his average (51.88 in 20 Tests) is exactly 30 points higher than on home soil (21.88 in 28).Ben Stokes faces a ‘scary’ lack of experience in his bowling ranks•BCCI

“Woakes’ last Test match, he finished Man of the Series,” Broad said. “But was very aware that he wouldn’t be going [on the Test tour to] India, even while playing that series. There’s not many better bowlers than him in English conditions, but if the mindset is, ‘we’re focusing on who can bowl with the Kookaburra in two winters’ time’, does Woakesy fall into that category as well?””If you don’t play Woakes and Mark Wood is having a rest… you could have three seamers and a spinner potentially out there with 20 caps between them. And that’s quite scary, as a Test captain, I’d have thought.”That could leave you a bit exposed. But there’s only one way to find out with bowlers, and that’s to give them a go, encourage them to communicate out there, encourage them to solve their problems live in a Test match. I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important because there’s talent out there.”The candidates for selection this summer include the Durham seamer, Matthew Potts, who impressed in the 2022 summer before slipping down the pecking order, as well as the Surrey pairing of Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, whose recent injury is preventing him from staking a claim for the T20 World Cup squad. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have also had intermittent opportunities in recent seasons, while Essex’s Sam Cook continues to make a strong case with his prolific form in the County Championship.None of them, however, can come close to filling the experience void left by Anderson’s retirement.”With the style of play that they’ve been operating with, and the quality of player that England have got, there’s no doubt that England’s goal will be to win all six Test matches this summer,” Broad added. “And if you set that goal, then you need to pick a bowling attack that you think can take 20 wickets as well.”First things first, however, England’s focus will be to win that Lord’s Test, and give Anderson the send-off that his service deserves.”Jimmy won’t see it like that. He’ll just want to take wickets and win the game at Lord’s,” Broad said. “But us cricket fans and friends of his will be able to see it as a bit of a celebration and have a great time. It’s very difficult when you do hang up the boots, it’s a very difficult decision to make, but he can’t achieve anymore. There’s nothing in the game that he’s not done.”He’s been the ultimate bowler and the best we’ve ever produced. So he won’t leave the game with any anguish of probably wanting to play anymore. I think deep down, he knows that he agrees with the decision.”