Stuart Broad’s double strike and a captain’s contribution from Ben Stokes saw England seize control on the second morning of the first Ashes Test, before Usman Khawaja led Australia’s fightback at Edgbaston.
England were on the hunt for wickets after Stokes’ surprise declaration at 393 for eight on Friday evening and claimed three in a stirring opening session.
Broad raised the roof when he dismissed old rival David Warner and world number one batter Marnus Labuschagne with successive deliveries, with Stokes defying injury concerns over his left knee to trap dangerman Steve Smith lbw.
But Khawaja batted with care and control for more than four hours as his 84 not out took the tourists to 188 for four at tea.
Moeen Ali, bowling with a red ball for the first time since reversing his Test retirement, had Travis Head caught for an attacking 50 and should have had Cameron Green for a duck.
The all-rounder charged his second ball and was beaten all ends up but Jonny Bairstow, who had taken a fine diving catch off Labuschagne, fluffed the stumping.
Australia began by blocking out three maidens in a row, one more than England allowed in their entire innings on day one, in further evidence of the growing culture clash between the sides.
It took just over half-an-hour for England to make their move and it was Broad, preferred to Mark Wood for his experience and big game mentality, who made it happen.
Warner, who was tortured by Broad in the 2019 series, attempted to pound him through the vacant cover region but only succeeded in losing his balance and dragged down his stumps. It was the 15th time Warner had been dismissed by Broad, a stranglehold that the seamer refuses to let go.
Next up was Labuschagne, who spent longer trying to move a policeman standing beside the sight-screen than he did in the thick of the action.
Broad spoke earlier in the season about developing an outswinger designed with Labuschagne in mind and his plan worked a treat as his next ball shaped away, took the outside edge and was superbly taken by Bairstow tumbling low in front of first slip.
Stokes had earlier pulled his latest unconventional gambit when he deployed the very occasional medium pace of Harry Brook for a solitary over at Smith. That did not break Smith’s famed concentration and it seemed as though he and Khawaja were both in it for the long haul.
Stokes eventually decided to take matters into his own hands, ending speculation over whether or not he would be fit to bowl by entering the fray from the Pavilion End. Showing no obvious signs of discomfort from his troublesome left knee he struck gold with the last ball of his second over.
Skidding the ball through and beating Smith’s indeterminate defensive prod, he flung both arms into the air and implored Marais Erasmus to raise his finger. After pondering for several seconds the umpire obliged sparking joyous celebrations, which resumed after he unsuccessfully called for DRS.
Smith has been a constant thorn in England’s side for several years and, after scoring twin centuries at this ground in the corresponding Test four years ago, departed for a slow-going 16 represented a major win.
Australia decided to lift the tempo in the afternoon session, scoring 110 runs for the loss of one wicket. The man to go was Head, who bristled with intent as he attempted to put the pressure back on England.
Both he and Khawaja attacked Moeen, who sustained multiple blows over the top as Stokes refused to send his fielders back.
Moeen was given licence to keep attacking and got his reward when Head flicked uppishly to midwicket and was caught by Zak Crawley.
Had Bairstow taken the ball cleanly when new man Green had a rush of blood immediately after arriving in the middle, England would have been in a dominant position.
But Khawaja, who hit Moeen for four fours and two sixes, kept his side in the hunt as he guided Green in a stand of 40.
Pooran's unbeaten 48 in vain as Head, Sharma lead Sunrisers to dazzling 10-wicket win over Super Giants
Sunrisers Hyderabad hammered Lucknow Super Giants by 10 wickets with more than 10 overs to spare in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head struck an unbeaten 167 from the opening partnership to move SRH third in the points table, with LSG unable to come up with any answers to defend their own haul of 165-4.
Head plundered 89 from 30 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes, while Sharma's 75 from 28 had eight fours and six maximums, in an explosive batting display that saw the duo hit 100 inside the powerplay.
Earlier, Lucknow struggled to get going in their innings, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-12) conceding only singles and shutting down LSG's top order, who scored just 66 in the first 11.2 overs.
Former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran continued his fine build up to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup with an unbeaten 26-ball 48, as he crafted a 99-run fifth-wicket stand with Ayush Badoni, who was also unbeaten on 55.
Pooran struck six fours and a solitary six, while Badoni's 30-ball knock had nine fours, as the two gave Lucknow a chance, but in the end, it was nowhere near enough.
Data Debrief: Sunrisers pounce again in the powerplay
Sunrisers scored 107 runs in the powerplay. In all of T20 cricket, there have only been seven instances of a team scoring 100 runs or more in the powerplay – SRH have the two top scores, with both coming this year.
Pooran and Badoni's 99-run partnership was LSG's highest for the fifth wicket in IPL, surpassing the previous record of 87 between Deepak Hooda and Badoni. However, it proved fruitless.
CPL's Russell urges greater collab between franchise leagues to avoid frequent schedule overlap
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)'s CEO believes scheduling arrangements through collaboration by the various T20 leagues should be routine to avoid the frequent tournament clashes, which forces players to fly from one tournament to another in a short window.
Russell’s suggestion came during an interview with ESPNcricinfo, as he called for regular meetings among franchise leagues owners and administrators to solve cricket's global scheduling crisis. This, as CPL and the Hundred have overlapped in the past, but will avoid a clash this season, following dialogue with England Cricket Board (ECB) earlier this year.
“[The ECB] have a defined window that they have to play in, and it happened that we could move everything out to ensure that we didn't clash [with the Hundred]. It makes absolutely zero sense if you've got [Sunil] Narine and [Andre] Russell having to fly back the day before the final of the Hundred. That's in no one's interests, and certainly not the Hundred's,” Russell declared.
"I hope that [collaboration] continues. It's not rocket science; it's what should happen with all leagues. It's just nonsense that we've got all this overlap when it just needs to be worked through. Scheduling is a challenge, I know, but it can't be that you have two leagues going at each other at the same time. To my mind, it doesn't make any sense,” he added.
While there is a precedent for leagues negotiating to manage potential clashes as shown by the PSL and ILT20, there were a number of leagues that ran simultaneously earlier in the year. Australia's Big Bash and New Zealand's Super Smash finished in mid-January; South Africa's SA20 and the UAE's ILT20 started in January and ran into February; the Bangladesh Premier League started in January and finished in March; and the Pakistan Super League ran from mid-February to mid-March.
With the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled for a return next year February, it is expected to further complicate the schedule where franchise leagues are concerned. It is for that reason why the general consensus among players worldwide is for global scheduling windows for franchise leagues and international cricket, to limit overlapping between the two.
While representatives of national governing bodies meet regularly at ICC level - most of whom control their own leagues - there is no specific forum for the owners and administrators of franchise leagues to discuss scheduling.
"It's the logical way to go - because we're all maturing, and we're all getting to a point where we are sustainable. They are generally regarded now as being part of the domestic calendar, wherever they are played,” Russell said.
“I think it is a case of, 'OK, let's have that group of people and say how do you figure out the schedule to the benefit of everyone. I think it's workable. Others might think it's not, but I just think the conversations at least need to take place, just to make sure [there's no clash],” he opined.
Russell used the recent release of Major League Cricket (MLC)'s 2024 fixture list –two months before the tournament starts – as evidence of a shortage of "joined-up thinking" among administrators. MLC is scheduled to begin on July 5 and, as such, is on a six-day overlapping course with the Hundred.
"They've only just come out with their schedule. Why does it take leagues so long to put a schedule together? We have all year to figure it out,” he noted.
That said, Russell also encouraged administrators to find a solution to the perverse incentives that emerged for players earlier this year.
"It can't be right. I saw the other day that where leagues were overlapping, a player who got knocked out before the semi-finals or finals could actually make more money by going to another league. That shouldn't be a thing,” he stated.
Barbados to welcome Oman early for preparation camp ahead of T20 World Cup
As the much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup draws closer, Barbados will welcome West Asian team Oman to the island for their pre-tournament camp ahead of the global showpiece to be hosted jointly in the Caribbean and United States.
While in Barbados, Oman’s camp, scheduled for May 14-24, will also include three T20 matches – two against a Barbados Select XI, and one match against University of the West Indies –as they fine tune preparations for the June 1-29 World Cup.
The camp is being organised by former England batsman and West Indies Senior Men’s Selector Roland Butcher, who saw it fit to assist Oman in getting acclimatised to the Eastern Caribbean Island, which will host a number of games throughout the tournament, including the final.
“It is great that the Oman team will be coming out to Barbados early for their pre-tournament camp. They will use the period to get acclimatised to the conditions, as quick as possible. We are delighted to have them in Barbados – this country is the ideal place to start their preparations,” Butcher said.
“We believe the time spent here will be hugely beneficial towards them putting on a good showing in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” he added.
Duleep Mendis, the former Sri Lanka captain and Oman’s Head Coach expressed his team’s delight and anticipation ahead of their arrival in Barbados.
“It is one of the cricket locations which we all dream of visiting and we want to make the most of our time as we prepare. We have high ambitions in this tournament, and we want to focus on our plans from the moment we touch down in a country which is known for its cricket culture and heroes,” Mendis shared.
Oman recently named their World Cup squad, which will be led by all-rounder Aqib Ilyas, who takes the reins from Zeeshan Maqsood. This year’s World Cup will mark Oman’s third appearance in the last four editions of the tournament, which underlines their success and consistency in performing at the global level.
Oman enjoyed a dazzling 2023 campaign, as they copped the Gulf Cricket Cup, followed by an unbeaten run in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers, which secured their spot in the upcoming tournament. They were also runners-up in this year’s ACC Premier Cup.
The West Asian team, drawn in Group B alongside Australia, England, Scotland, and Namibia, will open their T20 World Cup campaign against the latter, in Barbados, on June 2.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
