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The death overs battle between the top two teams is likely to be especially exciting

Alagappan Muthu10-Oct-20207:30

Should Mumbai promote Pollard to counter Capitals’ spin threat?

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This is the game everyone’s been waiting for. The two best teams in the tournament square off and there are match-winners right down the line-ups.Come for Prithvi Shaw’s rasping back foot shots. Stay for Rohit Sharma’s languid sixes. Scream for Jasprit Bumrah’s searing yorkers. Gasp at Kagiso Rabada’s endless skill. Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals. Two of the most talented and tactical teams take to the field in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night and it is going to be glorious.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 James Pattinson, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit BumrahDelhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Anrich Nortje

Strategy punts

• There is always a case for Kieron Pollard to be promoted up the Mumbai order and it is extra strong here. He has been obliterating spin this season; 10 of his 12 sixes and 90 of his 160 runs have come against them. Strike rate of 250. Capitals have been the strongest spin attack in IPL 2020 (13 wickets at an economy rate of 6) but even they are likely to have trouble. If things go bad, they will have to turn to Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje and that could mean their two express pacers have fewer overs to bowl at the death.
• Rohit Sharma is having an excellent tournament. He’s already hit two fifties – which is all he managed over the entire course of each of the 2018 and 2019 IPLs – and he looks set for more, especially since he returns to a ground where he’s been 49 and striking at 150. But the Capitals have several favourable match-ups against the Mumbai captain. Rabada: 34 balls, 39 runs, one dismissal, Axar Patel: 28 balls, 21 runs, one dismissal and Harshal Patel: 19 balls, 24 runs, two dismissals.

Stats that matter

• Mumbai have been the best hitters between overs 16 and 20 (strike rate 235).
• And yet Capitals won’t be fazed because they have a set of bowlers who have completely taken control of the back end of every single game. (economy rate 9.5)
• Rabada, for example, has taken more death-overs wickets (11) than the entire Rajasthan Royals team (8).
• Capitals aren’t short of power either. They have Marcus Stoinis, who has a balls per boundary rate of 3.8 this season. Only Pollard has gone better.
• Away from the spotlight, Rahul Chahar is rapidly becoming one of Mumbai’s most dependable performers. So good has he been that he needs only two wickets – currently on seven from six games – to go past Rashid Khan and become IPL 2020’s most successful spinner.
• Axar Patel has an economy rate of 4.5 after five matches played. It is the best by anyone who has bowled a minimum of 12 deliveries in the tournament. He is yet to concede a six.

New Zealand captain says key to their victory was in identifying 240-250, and not 300, as a competitive total

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Old Trafford10-Jul-2019Be honest. At the end of New Zealand’s innings, played over two days, who thought their 239 for 8 was enough to keep India out of the final?Perhaps not many outside their dressing room. But apparently New Zealand themselves did. Reasons? The pitch was a little tacky. Stroke-making was difficult. Boundaries, it turned out, were difficult to come by, for both teams.”I think guys slept pretty well,” captain Kane Williamson said, of New Zealand’s overnight position. “We were focussing on what we needed to achieve in those last four overs. And at 211 for 5 we felt we were there or thereabouts on target with what we wanted to try and achieve to be competitive on that surface.WATCH on Hotstar (India only): How the India wickets fell”It wasn’t the sort of wicket that a good score was 300, it was very much mid-200s and we were aware of that. So it was trying to get to that 240-250 stage against a formidable India bowling attack.”New Zealand’s opening bowlers were outstanding, reducing India to 24 for 4 inside the first Powerplay, but so was their sole spinner – Mitchell Santner – whose first eight overs brought two wickets, and yielded only 15 runs, with two maidens in the reckoning.His figures were made worse by Ravindra Jadeja’s hitting later in the innings, but he was nevertheless instrumental in helping New Zealand take the match by the collar. Jadeja had himself earlier bowled well on this Old Trafford deck.”It was an outstanding spell from Santner on a surface that no doubt was offering something to the slower bowlers,” Williamson said. “We saw in our innings as well, the amount of spin that the Indian spinners got, and Mitch is a world-class bowler, so we expected he would operate well.”But to put up a performance like that was very special, in a period of play that was very, very important. There were so many contributions throughout the match – with bat, ball, and in the field. They were vital for us to get across the line today.”New Zealand had come into the semi-finals on the back of three losses – a worse run of results than any team has ever come into a World Cup knockouts stage with. And yet, they found a way through.”We saw a number of results where sides ranked lower beat sides ranked higher. But I think everybody knew that anybody can beat anybody,” he said. “So when that is the nature of it, it seems unlikely that you’re going to win every game.”There’s so much more to winning and losing, and I think it’s really, really important that as a side you identify parts of matches where you may have not done things that well, and parts that were out of your control that went the way of the opposition. You try and look at it for what it is, and move away from that game with a bit of clarity, so that you’re not too scarred from just what the result was.”And a couple of those games that we lost, I think we were able to look at them like that throughout this tournament. The surfaces have been challenging. They have been variable throughout the game and at times have changed within the 100 overs that are available for a match.”

The duo was named in a 15-member squad that will play ODIs against England and Ireland apart from a T20 tri-series involving New Zealand, England and South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2018Jess Watkin, the 19-year old Central Districts allrounder, and Bernadine Bezuidenhout, the former South African international, have been called up to the New Zealand women squad for their upcoming tour of England and Ireland. The duo was included in a 15-member squad that will play ODIs against England and Ireland, as well as a T20 tri-series featuring New Zealand, England and South Africa.”Jess and Bernadine are tremendous talents with lots of potential,” Kirsty Bond, the national selector, said. “They’re aggressive players who possess a broad skillset and that allows them to adapt to changing game situations quickly.”Watkin, who smashed a 123-ball double-century for Central Districts against Wellington at the National Women’s Under-21 tournament in December, has won the Central Hinds’ young-player-of-the-year award in successive seasons.”Jess is a special player who we’ve been keeping an eye on since she debuted domestically in 2013,” Bond said. “She’s an explosive batter who hits the ball hard, and is a more than useful offspin option, so she offers us great versatility. We’ve also been impressed by the work she’s done on her fitness and physical conditioning over the past season.”Bezuidenhout, who switched camp from South Africa following her relocation to Christchurch in 2015, became eligible for selection after the expiration of a two-year residential stand-down in August 2017. In a six-month international career for South Africa, she played four ODIs and seven T20Is.”Bernadine’s an exciting player and proved her talent by topping the women’s domestic T20 runs table this season,” Bond said. “She’s an innovative player with a wide skillset, and, like Jess, plays that aggressive style of cricket which we believe we need going forward. Bernadine’s also an excellent athlete who’s good in the park, and that aligns with our intention to build a multi-faceted team unit, particularly for T20 cricket.”The squad will get together for a training camp in Lincoln from May 12 to 15 before departing for Dublin on June 1. The tour will begin with a one-off T20I against Ireland. The teams will then face off in three ODIs, which will be followed by the T20 tri-series. The tour will then conclude with a three-match ODI series against England in July.New Zealand women squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Kate Ebrahim, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

England have withdrawn fast bowler Mark Wood from the Lions’ one-day series against Sri Lanka A next month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2017England have withdrawn fast bowler Mark Wood from the Lions’ one-day series against Sri Lanka A next month, a move that will raise concerns about his ability to return from a third round of ankle surgery.The ECB has suggested that his recovery remains on track following an operation on a severed bone in his left ankle last year. He bowled flat out for the first time with the England Pace Programme in Potchefstroom in January and it is hoped he will make his comeback in the North-South series in the second half of March.He was only added to the Lions squad a few weeks ago but ECB medical staff have now decided that he would be better served by continuing his rehabilitation over the next few weeks at home. The North-South series takes place in the UAE from March 17.Discussing his rehabilitation, Wood recently admitted he had doubts he would “ever be the same bowler” but said he was working on making minor adjustments to his action while building up to match fitness.”Last year I got in the habits of putting my game-time first and neglected the training side a little bit,” he said. “I now need to get my action solid as a rock, like it was when I made my debut for England.”Wood played four ODIs towards the end of last season, having broken down on the tour of the UAE in 2015, but he then suffered a different injury while bowling for Durham in a Championship match.With question marks over the effectiveness of England’s white-ball pace attack, Wood’s ability to bowl at 90mph would likely see him come into contention for the Champions Trophy – if he can prove his fitness. His last Test appearance came in 2015 but England may still harbour hopes of taking him on the Ashes tour of Australia next winter.No replacement has been named for the Lions, with the squad already featuring seamers Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Craig Overton, James Fuller and Tom Helm. The first unofficial ODI takes place in Dambulla on March 2.

Australia’s assistant coach Craig McDermott has opted not to renew his contract, which expires in May 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2016Australia’s assistant coach Craig McDermott has opted not to renew his contract, which expires in May 2016. Instead, he will focus on his cricket academy, which has centres throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. This means that the World T20 in India, starting on March 8, will be McDermott’s last assignment with Australia.”Looking ahead I’ve decided that the time is right to really focus on my academy business which is continuing to grow, as well as pursuing some other business opportunities I have away from the game,” McDermott explained. “And if time permits, I’ll also look at some coaching consultancy work in various competitions around the world.”I will certainly miss the Australian team, and wish the players and coaches every success in the future.”McDermott’s exit follows that of batting coach Michael Di Venuto, who recently joined Surrey as their new head coach. McDermott’s first stint with Australia began in May 2011, when he replaced Troy Cooley as Australia’s bowling coach, following their 3-1 Ashes defeat at home. Citing heavy workload and packed schedules, however, McDermott stepped down from the post after 12 months. He was later roped in for the same role on the eve of the home Ashes in 2013-14, which Australia swept 5-0.Later, in May 2014, he signed a two-year deal as the assistant coach in a role that increased his remit to cover major tours across formats. McDermott was instrumental in the ascent of Australia’s pace battery, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.McDermott, who guided the bowling attack to Ashes glory, a Test series win in South Africa and a World Cup title, hoped that he would sign off by helping Australia clinch their maiden World T20 title.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time working for Cricket Australia, starting at what was then the Centre of Excellence many years ago, then working with the Australian men’s team,” McDermott said.”It’s been a thrill to have been able to help the players reach their potential, and to see them achieve such feats as the 5-0 Ashes win at home, defeating South Africa in South Africa and winning last year’s World Cup. I’d love nothing more than to finish this stint with victory in the World T20 in India.”Australia coach Darren Lehmann paid tribute to his right-hand man McDermott. “Craig has made a fantastic contribution to the success of the Australian team,” Lehmann said.”Our bowlers have benefited enormously from his experience and insight and they are all better cricketers thanks to his coaching and hard work. In particular he has played a key role in developing our young group of fast bowlers including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile. While he leaves big shoes to fill, we respect his decision to spend more time working with his academy which he has a great passion for. We wish him the best of luck and thank him for his contribution to the Australian team.”

Lancashire’s bowlers strengthened their grip on this contest during a day of injudicious batting

Graham Hardcastle at Grace Road03-Aug-2013
ScorecardSimon Kerrigan chipped out two quick wickets•Getty Images

Lancashire’s bowlers strengthened their grip on this contest during a day of injudicious batting. A loss of three top order wickets for only 13 runs in four and a half overs during the early afternoon and two more just before close hurt Leicestershire, who now have a job on to save this match should the weather not intervene over the next two days.The second day at Grace Road started with Lancashire losing lower order wickets at some rate to put the kibosh on their chances of reaching 400, something which seemed certain for the vast majority of their innings. In the grand scheme of things, it may not be an issue for them, but seamer Ollie Freckingham added the wickets of Gareth Cross, Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan to finish with 4 for 85.They actually lost their last four wickets for 13 to slip from 367 for 6 after a positive start to the day, led by Luke Procter’s fluent 67, had seen them pick up a fourth batting bonus point with some positive stroke play.Even though they lost Tom Smith to the second ball of the day from Matthew Hoggard, they picked up the 47 runs they needed to get to 350 within 10 overs.Cross and Chapple then both fell caught at short extra cover off Freckingham as the innings was wrapped up to leave Leicestershire with a tricky 25 minutes of batting before lunch, which they reached at 20 for 1 from seven overs. Greg Smith fell to Kyle Hogg after Michael Thornely had been dropped twice in two balls in the slips off Hogg and Chapple.Further drama came early in the afternoon session. Chapple and Smith, who extracted extra bounce from the Pavilion End, bowled 45 consecutive dots balls – including six maidens – from the second ball of the eleventh over as Thornely and Ned Eckersley were stuck on 33 for 1 and then 33 for 2 when the former edged Smith to Luis Reece at wide third slip.Eckersley thought he had broken the shackles by pulling Chapple over midwicket for four, but he and captain Matt Boyce were soon on their way to left-arm spinner Kerrigan in only his second over and his first of the session to leave the score at 46 for 4.The loss of Shiv Thakor, who justified his elevation up to No.4 with a determined 34 off 130 balls, was a huge blow as the score slipped to 127 for 6 in the last 10 minutes of play. He had shared a secure partnership of 65 inside 26 overs for the fifth wicket with Niall O’Brien, who posted 41 off 79 either side of an hour and a half’s break for rain.O’Brien will be furious with the manner of his dismissal – bowled off the inside edge as he aimed an expansive drive at Chapple from round the wicket – to leave the score at 111 for 5. There was only one slip of concentration from highly-rated Thakor, but it proved to be crucial.He was not distracted by the introduction of a leg slip by Chapple when he had the ball in his hand, and was only once tempted out of his shell when he edged Kerrigan to Ashwell Prince at slip. Hogg then added his second wicket, the seventh in all, by trapping Tom Wells lbw in the penultimate over of the day. Leicestershire, 253 behind, still need 104 to avoid the follow-on. It looks a long way away.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq put up a solid resistance against the Sri Lankan seamers but the hosts retained the edge at tea, having broken that partnership after inflicting significant damage in the pre-lunch session

The Report by Siddhartha Talya08-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Junaid Khan’s double-wicket spell boosted Pakistan in the last session•Getty Images

The SSC and Pallekele could well be on two different continents, such was the contrast in the nature of their pitches. After the highway at the SSC last week, the moisture in the Pallekele pitch – increased by the rain before the Test – and a hint of grass gave Sri Lanka’s attack early encouragement that lasted into the final session, justifying the home team’s decision to bowl first. The new ball was a powerful weapon, employed expertly by Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara, who also stood out for their stamina and helped their team have the better of most of the first day.But it was used even more menacingly by Pakistan’s fast bowlers, whose extra pace and difficult angles produced wickets and plenty of nervous moments for the batsmen. Pakistan’s 226 may be below-par, but an incisive spell in the final hour led by Junaid Khan revived their spirits and boosted hopes of a strong comeback.Sri Lanka are without their centurion from the first two Tests, Tillakaratne Dilshan, on leave to be with his unwell children. The openers Dinesh Chandimal and Tharanga Paranavitana were given a working over by Junaid and Umar Gul, who moved it both ways, beat the edge and struck them repeatedly on the pads. Junaid was more lethal when he went round the wicket in the sixth over, angling it in and then nipping it away from the right-hander. Chandimal was fooled when he was trapped in front with one that held its line.Kumar Sangakkara, fresh from missing two double-centuries in a row, was consigned to a duck the same over – done in by movement inward off the pitch, beaten through the gate twice, one an lbw not given and the other pegging back off stump. Gul should have had Paranavitana lbw, a close call that was turned down, but when Mahela Jayawardene failed to get his bat down to a Mohammad Sami yorker in the day’s last over – after the batsmen’s delaying tactics failed to meet their desired objective – Pakistan were back in it.Among their batsmen, only Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq put up any significant resistance; the others were out-thought by Sri Lanka’s bowlers, armed with movement, swing and discipline. Perera and Kulasekara bowling spells of nine and 10 overs respectively in the first session, in which the bulk of the damage was inflicted.The first sign of hope for the seamers appeared on the first ball, when Kulasekara swung one prodigiously and moved it further towards the batsman off the pitch. Perera mostly moved the ball the other way, and bowled fuller, creating more chances. It helped that the Pakistan openers also batted positively, though were edgy against deliveries bowled in the channel outside off.Taufeeq Umar was the luckier of the two. Kulasekara attacked with three slips, a gully and a short leg, and removed the option of Taufeeq walking down the track to counter the swing as he had done at the SSC, by having the keeper standing up to the stumps. As he moved it away, Taufeeq was dropped at first slip, and then had an edge fly past gully.In the eighth over, Perera beat Mohammad Hafeez with one that held its line before inducing a leading edge when he tried to work it square. Perera had his reward shortly after, as he slipped in a fuller delivery, had Hafeez playing forward and slightly away from his body, not expecting the ball to swing and then dart back in to clean him up through the gate. In his next over, Perera targeted Azhar Ali, unsettling him with an inswinger, then beating him completely with the away-going delivery and having him driving straight to gully off the next ball.Kulasekara dislodged Younis Khan in similar fashion, following up an indipper with one in the corridor that prompted Younis to feather a low catch to the keeper. When Taufeeq played down the wrong line, trying to force Perera through midwicket to be trapped in front, an ardous task lay ahead for Misbah and the middle order to rebuild.Misbah and Shafiq were reasonably adept against the spin of Rangana Herath and a shorter length bowled by the other two seamers – Dilhara Fernando, on his 17th comeback to the Test side, and Angelo Mathews. Under a good spell of sunshine, the Pakistan pair batted determinedly, leaving several deliveries outside off while at the same time capitalising on width as the swing disappeared and movement receded.Shafiq drove well but was more confident against the short balls, with Fernando providing a healthy supply. Both batsmen used their feet to Herath, Misbah charging down the wicket twice to dispatch him through midwicket, and Shafiq pinching the singles while also collecting boundaries through point. When Perera returned for a new spell, they opened the face and played the ball down past the slips and gully. Misbah, though,hung his bat out to a much wider delivery that left him, edging a catch to Prasanna Jayawardene after an 85-run stand, giving Perera his best Test figures.Harsh on width and elegant with balls pitched on the pads, Shafiq scored heavily square of the wicket, the flick and the cut – despite a deep point – producing the bulk of his boundaries. Support was lacking at the other end, however. Adnan Akmal was struck on the ring finger of his left hand by Fernando after warming up with a couple of fours, had to retire hurt and the pain would have been playing on his mind when he returned. He threw his wicket away, bowled trying an audacious sweep against Herath, who also got the ball to bite off the track. One such delivery accounted for Shafiq, who edged behind, and stopped Pakistan’s recovery short of what they had hoped. That’s before Junaid, yet again, reinforced the impact of Pakistan’s biggest strength, fast bowling – never in short supply from his country.

South Africa stalwarts Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher have both left the Warriors franchise and will re-join Cobras

Firdose Moonda21-Jun-2011South Africa stalwarts Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher have both left the Warriors franchise and will re-join Cobras. The pair, who live in Cape Town, both want to spend more time at home and cite that as the main reason for the move.Kallis played most of his cricket in Cape Town and moved to Warriors in 2008-09 after a dispute with the Cobras management. Boucher, who grew up in East London and played for Warriors throughout his career, had a stint with Cobras in the 2007-08 season and then went back to the province of his birth, following the same dispute. Boucher will now return to Cape Town, where he has lived for the past few years.”For me Warriors is one of the best-run franchises in the country. It was a huge and difficult decision for me to leave,” Boucher said. “Cape Town is my home and I do need to be based there, to explore business opportunities for my future.”Boucher’s departure means that Warriors captain Davy Jacobs will have to take on the responsibility of keeping all the time. Jacobs, who played for Mumbai Indians in the recently concluded IPL, did not keep for Warriors during their Pro20 campaign last season because Boucher was available for the full tournament.The Warriors squad includes six nationally contracted players: Johan Botha, Colin Ingram, Wayne Parnell, Ashwell Prince, Rusty Theron and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. They have awarded 14 franchise contracts, two of which have gone to former internationals Makhaya Ntini and Nicky Boje. Warriors regulars Andrew Birch, Bevan Bennett, Garnett Kruger, Lyall Meyer, Jon-Jon and Kelly Smuts, and Craig Thyssen all received contracts.Two semi-professional contracts were given to up-and coming-players, right-arm medium-fast bowler Aya Gqamame and Eastern Province Player of the Year Athi Dyili. “It is a very good sign that the newly-contracted players are youngsters that are truly homegrown,” Chris Nenzani, the Eastern Cape Cricket chairman, said.Warriors won their first two trophies since the franchise system was implemented in the 2009-10 season, when they claimed the MTN40 and Standard Bank Pro20 crowns, but failed to defend their titles last season. Their head coach, Russell Domingo, has been appointed assistant coach of the national team and Warriors have not yet announced his replacement.

Derbyshire revived their Friends Provident t20 hopes with a five-wicket win over Lancashire Lightning in a low-scoring match at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield

04-Jul-2010

ScorecardDerbyshire revived their Friends Provident t20 hopes with a five-wicket win over Lancashire Lightning in a low-scoring match at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield. Tim Groenewald took three wickets for 18 runs as the Lightning lost half their batsmen for 22 before an unbeaten 65 from 51 balls by Gareth Cross – his highest score for nearly three years – lifted the visitors to 132 for 7.The Falcons slipped to 12 for 2 but 50 from 44 balls by Garry Park saw them to a fifth win in the North Group with 11 balls to spare and condemned the Lightning to a fourth defeat. Lancashire had been on the back foot from the start as Groenewald wrecked the top order by taking a wicket in each of his first three overs and the innings was in tatters at 22 for 5 in the sixth over.Stephen Moore lost his middle stump to the third ball of the match, Steven Croft pulled a short ball to mid-wicket and Paul Horton was lbw playing across one from Charl Langeveldt. Mark Chilton chipped Groenewald tamely to midwicket and when Tom Smith was caught behind driving at Steffan Jones’ first ball, the Lightning were facing humiliation.But Cross hit back with the help of Nathan McCullum and Glen Chapple and a dropped return catch by Robin Peterson in the 14th over when he was on 21. McCullum had been caught at long-off for 14 in Peterson’s previous over and if the South African had held Cross’s low drive, the Lightning would have been 68 for 7.It allowed Cross to make his best Twenty20 score and share a stand of 63 in eight overs with Chapple, who chipped in with 21 off 24 balls before he top-edged a pull to square leg in the last over. Cross had already swept Peterson for six and he signed off in style by pulling the last ball of the innings out of the park as the normally accurate Langeveldt went for 18 from the final over.The Lightning needed early wickets to put pressure on the Falcons and they claimed two in the first three overs with big-hitters Loots Bosman and Wes Durston both failing. Durston was bowled for three pulling Simon Kerrigan and Bosman was stumped for nine giving McCullum the charge with the total on 12.Another quick wicket would have caused some jitters in the home camp but skipper Greg Smith and Park added 47 in seven overs although Tom Smith thought he had Park caught behind on nine off what was signalled a wide by Vanburn Holder.Smith drove Stephen Parry to long-off in the 10th over but Park and Peterson took the Falcons to within sight of victory by adding 55 in seven overs.Although Peterson was needlessly run out for 29 attempting a second and Park sliced a drive to backward point, John Sadler ended the Lightning’s hopes of a late comeback by lifting Parry for six over midwicket before Jon Clare cut Chapple for the winning boundary.

The West Indies allrounder comes in as a pre-draft signing with the hope of improving on last season

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2024West Indies captain Hayley Matthews will return to Melbourne Renegades after the club secured her as a pre-draft signing on a one-year deal.Matthews joined amid much fanfare last season when taken as the third pick in the draft having produced some stunning performance for West Indies including her spectacular innings against Australia at North Sydney Oval.However, she struggled to replicate that with 255 runs at 19.61 and a strike-rate of 114.34 in a forgettable season for Renegades, who finished bottom with just two wins, although she did finish as their joint-leading wicket-taker with 14 at 27.64.Renegades’ prospects for the 2024-25 season will be boosted by the availability of Sophie Molineux after injury. Tayla Vlaeminck also missed the full campaign and is currently off contract.”We haven’t achieved what we’ve wanted to the last couple of years but with some key members back and some new additions cooking up as well, I’m confident we can go out there and put it all together,” Matthews said.Matthews is the fourth overseas player to be signed ahead of the WBBL draft following Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers), Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat) and Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars).Meanwhile, in domestic moves the two Sydney clubs have bolstered their pace attacks. Courtney Sippel, who is part of the Australia A squad to face India A next month, has signed a three-deal with Sixers to move from Heat while Taneale Peschel has moved to Thunder from Perth Scorchers.”At the Scorchers, I’ve been given…every opportunity, but I felt like I’d been stagnant for the last season or two,” Peschel said. “I always play the safe card and I’ve always stayed in WA and thought, okay, I’m still getting opportunity, I’ll stay here. I think just this year, something clicked.”I thought, I’ve got to try something else. I’ve got to stop playing a safe card. Who knows what something like a change to another team can offer my career.”Peschel, 29, was talked out of retirement earlier in her career by Lisa Keightley, the former Western Australia and Scorchers coach, who is now in charge of Thunder.”Taneale was playing club cricket, and she was the fastest bowler there, the best bowler there, and I just thought she had the potential to give it another crack at a higher level,” Keightley said.”Taneale is a highly skilled bowler and has pace that not many have. It’s what we are after to compliment our medium pacers. She has bowled at key times for the Scorchers, in the power play and at the death and done really well.”