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London Spirit won a low-scoring contest against Welsh Fire by three wickets to secure their first win of The Hundred men’s competition at Lord’s.Liam Dawson and Nathan Ellis claimed three wickets apiece as Fire could manage just 94 for nine, with Dan Worrell’s first 10 balls of the game all dots to set the tone.Matt Henry claimed three quick wickets to give Fire hope, but Dan Lawrence kept a cool head in a nervy chase with an unbeaten 29 which enabled Shimron Hetmyer to freedom muscle an unbeaten 30 and steer the hosts home with 13 balls remaining.Tom Kohler-Cadmore was unable to score off Worrall’s opening 10 balls and departed soon after when Andre Russell held a good catch running backwards off Olly Stone.Worrall got his reward to remove Luke Wells, who hit the only two sixes of the innings, and Dawson bowled Joe Clarke as Jonny Bairstow could only watch on as he faced just two of the first 35 balls.The England man got away a couple of boundaries when he finally got the strike but was bowled swiping against the line to give Ellis his first wicket.From there Ellis and Dawson put on the squeeze, conceding just 26 from their 40 balls combined. World Cup winner Dawson showed all his skill on the two-paced surface, returning three for 10, as Fire limped to a score that was never likely to be enough.The Welsh side needed early wickets and Henry provided them prising out Michael Pepper, Ollie Pope and Adam Rossington to leave Spirit 25 for three.Haris Rauf, who would later be on a hat-trick, had Ravi Bopara caught behind before Lawrence and Hetmyer settled home nerves in a 46-run stand.After doing the heavy lifting Lawrence skied a catch off Rauf, who bowled Russell next ball, and Hetmyer rode his luck after being dropped while Bairstow missed a tough stumping.The West Indian remained and crunched a six to finish the game and get the Spirit’s campaign up and running.Meerkat Match Hero Dawson said: “Tonight was a very big game for us after losing the first two. To get over the line will give us a huge amount of confidence. I have started nicely – it was a nice pitch to bowl on to put the ball in the right area and let the pitch do the work. It got a little bit tight in the end.”Spirit captain Lawrence said: “Hopefully we can get a roll now and keep performing like that. The mistake I made was trying to get the game done as soon as possible. I was just trying to stay in and take calculated risks.”

South Africa survived an almighty scare to to maintain a 100% win-record at the T20 World Cup 2024, and in New York, where they chose to bat first in their final fixture at Eisenhower Park. On a used wicket, Aiden Markram decided to put a total on the board, and it almost looked like a mistake. South Africa were 23 for 4, but a record 79-run fifth-wicket stand between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller took them to 113, which they scrapped hard to defend.Bangladesh’s start was not ideal. They were 50 for 4 after ten overs, but Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah put on 44 for the fifth wicket and got them back on track. They almost also got them over the line and will look back on one incident which could have forced a Super Over. In the 17th over, Mahmudullah missed a flick off Ottneil Baartman, which hit his front pad and deflected to the boundary for what looked like four leg byes. But he was given out off that ball, which made it dead at the point of impact, and reviewed the decision. Ball-tracking showed Mahmudullah was not out, but because he had been given out, the four runs did not count, as outlined by the ICC’s protocols on DRS (3.7.1) in the playing conditions for T20Is.In the end. Bangladesh fell short by four runs. That, and their inability to capitalise on Keshav Maharaj bowling the final over for the first time in T20Is and sending down three full tosses, cost them the game.Maharaj was tasked with the final over after Markram bowled the seamers out earlier. It seemed a miscalculation, but he got two wickets as Bangladesh sought to clear the boundary though neither Jaker Ali nor Mahmudullah could. Mahmudullah was out on the penultimate ball – off a full toss – to a well-timed running catch by Markram from long-on, which all but ended Bangladesh’s hopes.0:59

Morkel: South Africa held their nerve defending a low total

South Africa leave the USA with three wins from three matches, and will move to St. Vincent to play Nepal in their last group match. They are in pole position to qualify for the Super 8s. Bangladesh also head to the West Indies, and will play Netherlands and Nepal, with the Super 8s still in sight.

Top-three troubles

For all the talk about the power of their batting line-up, South Africa’s top three have underperformed thus far, albeit on tough batting surfaces. Collectively, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram have scored 61 runs in nine trips to the crease at an average of 6.77. Of teams that have played at least two matches at the tournament, only Uganda and PNG average lower.The biggest concern will be Hendricks, whose scores of 4, 3 and 0 are the lowest of the trio, and whose methods of dismissal appear to show a technical deficiency. Twice in two games, Hendricks has been stuck in his crease and then played down the wrong line. He’ll be looking over his shoulder knowing fellow opener Ryan Rickelton is waiting on the bench, and could get an opportunity in the next match.Things got even worse when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed for a duck in the fifth over. South Africa have only lost their first four wickets by end of the fifth over on five occasions in men’s T20Is, and two of them came in this competition. Happily for them, they had Klaasen and Miller on hand to shore up the mid-section of the innings.

Three overs: 13 runs

After Tanzim Hasan (3 for 18) set the tone with wickets upfront, Taskin Ahmed took charge of the latter stages, helped by Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. Between them, the trio gave away just 13 runs in the last three overs of South Africa’s innings, and removed both danger batters Klaasen and Miller in a clutch display of death bowling. Klaasen was dismissed halfway through the 18th over, when he slogged across the line but was early on his shot, and the low bounce took the ball onto leg stump. Taskin only conceded three singles off the rest of that over to finish with 2 for 19 from his four overs.It may have been a gamble to use legspinner Rishad for the penultimate over, especially when his previous three cost 28 runs, but he knocked Miller out with a topspinner second ball, and Maharaj could not get him away. Rishad’s final over cost just four. Then came the Fizz, who took the ball away from Maharaj for four consecutive dots before a fifth went wide and was called as such. The batters scored three runs off the last two balls and were frustrated by their inability to score any boundaries in the last three overs.1:24

Morkel: Miller and Klaasen showed maturity against spinners

Happy Birthday David Miller

On his 35th birthday, Miller was given a gift when he edged the first ball Mahmudullah bowled. But Litton Das, who was standing up to the stumps, was unable to react quickly enough to take the catch. Miller was on 13 at the time and went on to more than double his score and finish on 29. But that wasn’t the end of the presents for him. He was stationed at extra cover when Maharaj was brought on to bowl the first over after the powerplay, and Litton, not content with what he had already given Miller, slapped the ball straight to him. Miller made no mistake, and Bangladesh were 29 for 2 in the seventh over.

Three overs: 15 runs

Bangladesh had to get 20 runs off the last 18 balls, and after putting on the squeeze in that period would have expected it to be difficult but perhaps not difficult. Kagiso Rabada bowled the 18th over, despite not being his best at the tournament so far. He only half-appealed when Hridoy missed an attempted clip to the leg side but was rewarded with a wicket first up. Rabada went on to concede only one more run in an over of hard lengths.Then Baartman stepped up for the 19th, and stuck to a slightly fuller length which neither Mahmudullah nor Jaker could get away. He conceded seven runs. The test was when Maharaj, who has never done this job before, was left with the final six balls. He started with a wide. His second legal ball was a low full toss that Mahmudullah hit hard down the ground, but the slow outfield stopped it from getting to the rope. Jaker tried to send the next one over the rope but couldn’t clear long-on, and then Rishad managed a leg bye.But the last two balls were both full tosses that should have been dispatched over the rope. However, Mahmdullah’s effort found Markram, while Taskin could only hit the final ball to cover to give South Africa a nervy anti-choke win.

Durham 194 for 9 (Bedingham 63, Garton 3-41) beat Birmingham Bears 168 (Bethell 50, Davies 47, Raine 5-21) by 26 runsDurham completed a highly productive Vitality Blast raid on the Midlands with a 26-run victory over Birmingham Bears to follow their vanquishing of Leicestershire Foxes the previous evening.The visitors amassed an imposing 194 for nine at Edgbaston as David Bedingham continued his fine form with a scintillating 63 from 27 balls. Dan Mousley underlined his England white-ball credentials with a steel-nerved 4-0-23-2 while George Garton took three for 41.The Bears reply then fell short at 168 all out from 18.4 overs after Ben Raine (3.4-0-21-5) bowled beautifully to take important wickets at important times. Jake Bethell struck 50 (32), his maiden T20 half-century, but the chase petered out as wickets fell too regularly.The result keeps the North Division table very tight with both sides having won two and lost two. Momentum is very much with Durham after successive wins, however, while the Bears nurse back-to-back defeats.After choosing to bat, Durham lost a wicket second ball when Graham Clark chipped Garton to mid-wicket but the early strike worked against the Bears as it brought Bedingham to the crease. The South African smashed Garton for 18 in four balls and thundered to 50 in 21, reaching his half-century with six over mid-wicket in an Aamer Jamal over that went for 25.Alex Lees, the previous evening’s matchwinner at Leicester, contributed just eight to a stand of 60 before missing a slog-sweep at Mousley and falling lbw. Bedingham welcomed Jake Lintott into the attack with six into the pavilion but the wrist spinner’s revenge arrived three balls later when Rob Yates took a stinging catch at extra cover.Lintott also ended Ollie Robinson’s punchy cameo at 25, caught by Bethell at deep mid-wicket. Mousley cramped Raine’s desire to seek out the short leg-side boundary and bowled him. Ashton Turner improvised effectively for 33 (24) before top-edging a swipe at Garton and the Bears reined in the scoring during the closing overs. Just one four arrived in six overs before Matty Potts socked Garton for a six and a four in the last.Callum Parkinson trapped Yates lbw with the first legitimate ball of the Bears’ reply but Alex Davies (47,30) and Mousley (35, 20) gave their side a sound foundation with a stand of 80 in 46 balls. They fell in the space of three balls, however, when Raine won an lbw verdict to even up his personal duel with Mousley and Davies was emphatically stumped off Turner’s first ball.Sam Hain lifted Nathan Sowter to long off before Raine cranked up the pressure with a clever over which cost just five and then bowled Chris Benjamin and Jamal with the first two balls of his next.Bethell reached 50 in 31 balls but sliced to deep backward point off Potts and Hasan Ali hoisted the next to deep mid-wicket. Raine returned to bowl Lintott and then complete the win in glorious style by knocking out Garton’s middle stump.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is hopeful of a resolution with PCB and Asian Cricket Concil (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi over the Asia Cup trophy dispute after the “ice has been broken” between the two boards during the recent ICC meeting in Dubai.”I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI. “It was really good to start the process of negotiation.”Both sides will work out something to solve the issue at the earliest. The ice has been broken now, so various options will be worked out. There will be options from the other side as well and we will also give options on how to settle this issue and come to an amicable solution.”Related

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• India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after beating Pakistan in the final on September 28. There was a standoff at the presentation ceremony with India refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC and PCB chair who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, following the cross-border skirmish between the two countries in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam in April.India and Pakistan played each other three times during the Asia Cup – in the group stage, the Super Fours, and the final – with all the fixtures fraught with tension that began with India’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players in their first meeting on September 14. The matches were ill-tempered with Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan all receiving penalties of varying severity from the ICC for their comments or on-field actions.After the final, the presentation ceremony was delayed by more than 90 minutes while Naqvi remained insistent that he be the person handing over the trophy to India, who did not budge from their stance. Eventually the trophy was taken away from the stage and the team has not received it to date.

The long Test drought between Australia and Zimbabwe is set to continue, but the countries will contest a three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe next year ahead of the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa.Before their Test and ODI tour of South Africa, earmarked for September-October 2026, Australia will have a brief stopover in Zimbabwe for a trio of ODIs, a development first reported by and likely to be officially announced in the coming weeks.The series is to be played in Harare, and possibly Bulawayo, with the flagship 10,000-seat stadium at Victoria Falls unlikely to be ready by then.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Zimbabwe Cricket had been pushing for a one-off Test match to be included in what would have been a showpiece of the tour. But it will not eventuate with Australia to undergo a heavy Test schedule, playing at least 19 Tests from mid-2026 to the Ashes tour of 2027. An ODI series also looms as important preparation for Australia with Zimbabwe to co-host the next 50-over World Cup along with South Africa and Namibia.Zimbabwe and Australia have only played three Tests against each other with the last two being in October 2003 in a short series best remembered for Matthew Hayden briefly setting a world record score of 380 in the first Test at the WACA.The only Test in Zimbabwe was played in 1999 when a Steve Waugh-led Australia won by 10 wickets in what proved to be wicketkeeper Ian Healy’s last Test match.The ODI series will end an eight-year absence for Australia in Zimbabwe. Australia were part of a T20 tri-series, also involving Pakistan, in 2018 while they last played the 50-over format there in 2014.While Test cricket between the nations remains on pause, Zimbabwe power brokers are confident that England will visit for a one-off Test match as an extension of their tour to South Africa in late 2026-early ’27. It is hoped the match will be played at Victoria Falls, named the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium.England and Zimbabwe in May ended a 22-year Test drought with a four-day match at Trent Bridge. The countries have played just seven Test matches against each other, with only two in Zimbabwe – a 0-0 drawn series in December 1996.ZC have been actively trying to encourage countries to stopover en route to neighbouring South Africa and long circled late 2026 as opportunities to negotiate rare fixtures with Australia and England.”We are a Test nation, so playing the top countries like Australia and England at home will go a long way to making this format popular in Zimbabwe,” ZC chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told ESPNcricinfo.”Playing against the best teams will help our players develop their skills in Test cricket. Understandably Australia wants to prepare for the World Cup, but hopefully we can play them in Test cricket in the future.”As ESPNcricinfo reported earlier this month, the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division.It means teams will have more incentive to play Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland, who aren’t part of the current nine-team WTC. If the 12-team, one division WTC eventuates as expected – a final decision is likely at the ICC meetings in March – it has been widely assumed that those teams will mostly host one-off matches. No extra funding is expected to be available for hosting Tests.But Zimbabwe plans to host longer series in the next WTC, doubling down on their commitment to Test cricket. “Some countries might just play a minimum number of Tests, but we are hoping to play more,” Mukuhlani said. “We will aim to stage two or more Test match series against the likes of Australia and England.”

USA Cricket (USAC) has described the ICC’s decision to suspend it as “one of the most difficult moments” in its history and “difficult to comprehend”. In a statement on Friday, USAC said it remains committed to navigating this “challenging” period and will hold elections in line with the timeline agreed upon with the ICC.The statement came after the board filed for bankruptcy on October 1. Calling the suspension “aggressive”, USAC stressed that the financial restructuring was necessary to secure the organisation’s future.USAC’s decision to file for bankruptcy came as a surprise to the ICC as it was after the ICC had moved to suspend the organisation on September 23. The statement on Friday, USAC pointed out, was part of a “series of communications” it would share to explain its decision-making in recent weeks.”The recent suspension of USA Cricket by the International Cricket Council has been one of the most difficult moments in our history,” the statement said. “It has caused uncertainty and disappointment for players, members, volunteers, and supporters. Yet this moment must not be mistaken for dysfunction. It is the result of difficult but necessary decisions taken to protect the game, the organization, and the future of cricket in the United States.”Related

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• USA cricket crisis worsens as USAC files for bankruptcy

• ICC suspends USA Cricket board

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• ICC proposes USA Cricket Board resign as part of roadmap for Olympics certification

At its annual general meeting in July, the ICC said USAC would continue to be “on notice” but asked the latter to conduct elections within three months and carry out governance reforms.In August, USAC terminated its long-term contract with American Cricket Enterprise (ACE), its principal commercial partner and owner of Major League Cricket (MLC). This was followed by the move to initiate the financial restructuring. ICC chairman Jay Shah had warned USAC, in the suspension letter, to “not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC’s work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games”.On Friday, USAC said the ICC decision was difficult to comprehend because the ACE termination was taken “to protect integrity and independence rather than to harm it”. USAC chair Venu Pisike reiterated the same, saying the ACE contract was “one-sided” and the stand should not be seen as a “defiance” of ICC. “We chose principle over convenience. Our decisions were driven by the need to safeguard the game’s future, not to surrender its control,” Pisike said. Tensions between USAC and ACE have simmered almost since the two parties signed a 50-year commercial agreement in 2019, which included current chair Pisike. As part of the deal, ACE committed to providing USAC with a minimum of US$1.2 million annually to fund national team contracts, including those of the support staff. However, USAC has since said the deal undervalued the national team’s commercial rights, which it claims are worth over US$5 million per year.In a section titled “Years of strain and commercial overreach”, USAC said it had “operated under immense pressure” from ACE and its ownership group. Despite never managing to create a “balanced, long-form” agreement”, USAC said ACE never met its financial and operational targets while “attempting to control” the organisation’s “governance, operations, and programs”.Despite the divide with ACE, USAC said it tried to comply with the ICC requirement, including the “directive” issued in August (following the ICC’s annual general meeting) to conduct the elections by October 20 this year.USAC also accused ACE of “continuous acts of intimidation and interference” stretching from grassroots cricket to the USAC Board. The statement on Friday alleged that ACE “attempted to pressure” the national selectors “into choosing players aligned with their interests, displacing home-grown talent and threatening participants who sought to participate in non-MLC tournaments”.It also alleged that ACE had “imported” over 100 overseas players “under the guise” of involvement in cricket in the country, but many of those players were left unsupported and there were “promises left unfulfilled”. USAC also alleged that ACE had attempted to influence its board members by promising them team owner or other roles in associated leagues. USAC said it was legally challenging ACE’s conduct.The decision to file for bankruptcy was taken after the USAC Board met on September 30 with nine directors including Pisike in attendance. However, it is learned those four directors – Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar – left the meeting in protest, with one saying the members were being “muted” by Pisike before being able to complete what they wanted to say.In a statement on Saturday, ACE blamed the remaining five directors and alleged that they had “hijacked” the USAC Board, which resulted in ICC suspension. “USA Cricket was put on notice by the ICC in July 2024, so they have had plenty of time to address ICC’s legitimate governance concerns,” ACE said. “Five directors appear to have hijacked the Board and refused to comply with the ICC’s and USOPC’s six-step roadmap for reform. Not only have the acts of these five directors resulted in the suspension of USA Cricket by the ICC for clear governance and management failures, they have also placed the organisation in bankruptcy court.”ACE also said the USAC statement issued on Friday was “false” and “inaccurate”. “ACE considers this a thinly veiled attempt to avoid being answerable for their actions in a court of law. ACE strongly refutes all the allegations made in the recent false and inaccurate statement by USAC. USAC continues to show zero regard for the best interests of cricket and its players, and is only motivated by politics and the personal agendas of these five directors.”These developments come even as the ICC has been working closely with the US Olympics and Paralympics Committee (USOPC) to help USAC secure national governing body (NGB) status from USOPC, which is mandatory for all sports that are a part of the LA28 Games. As part of that process, the ICC has sent a six-step “roadmap” to USAC to “restore the integrity and credibility” of the board.The statement on Friday, USAC said, was being issued “not in blame, but in belief, the belief that American cricket can emerge stronger, fairer, and more inclusive”. It said that it was taking a “principled path” to ensure “control of cricket in the USA remained with the USAC as well as the local cricket community and not outside commercial interests”.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to miss the two-match home Test series against West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad from October 2.India’s selection meeting for the series is scheduled for September 24. ESPNcricinfo has learned the Ajit Agarkar-led panel will pick 15 players, which is two fewer than the squad for the New Zealand Tests last October, the last home series India played.Pant, who was India’s vice-captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England this year, suffered a fractured left foot during the fourth Test in Manchester. While he limped out to bat in the first innings, he was replaced by N Jagadeesan in the squad for the final Test at the Oval. Pant is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.It is learned that Pant has been undergoing strength and conditioning and is awaiting further updates from the BCCI medical team before he can resume batting and keeping. There is no firm timeline drawn for his return. India are scheduled to play a white-ball series in Australia from October 19, after the West Indies series.In Pant’s absence, Dhruv Jurel is expected to be India’s wicketkeeper during the West Indies series. Jurel, who is currently in Lucknow playing against Australia A, kept wicket in the final two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Jagadeesan, who opened in the first match against Australia A as well as swapped keeping duties with Jurel, could be the back-up in case the selectors opt for a second specialist wicketkeeper for the West Indies series.It is also understood that the selectors are likely to consider Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal for the Test series. Padikkal, who made 150 for India A against Australia A in the first four-day game in Lucknow, has played two Tests so far. He was part of the Perth Test against Australia last year, when he made scores of 0 and 25 from No. 3.Reddy was also part of that series, as well as the England Tests that followed, and has played a total of seven Tests so far. Reddy, who was supposed to make a comeback from the knee injury he suffered in England in the first four-day game against Australia A, did not make the XI. Both players are in the squad for the second four-day game which begins on Tuesday.The India-West Indies Tests are part of the World Test Championship (WTC). India are currently third on the WTC table, after drawing the five-match England series 2-2. West Indies are sixth after three losses in three games.

Zak Crawley has revealed that he “loved” his role in the timewasting row at Lord’s and sensed “a good chance” to rile India by playing pantomime villain after his 84 laid the foundations for England’s strong response in Manchester.Crawley was told to “grow some f***ing balls” by Shubman Gill, India’s captain, as he successfully ran the clock down on the third evening at Lord’s, and the pair later pointed fingers at one another in a heated exchange. Gill attempted to reignite the tension between the sides by accusing England of breaching “the spirit of the game”, a charge which Crawley shrugged off.”I’ve always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you’re batting,” he said. “There’s two of you against eleven and they’re desperate to get you out, and they’re chirping you.”Most of the time, I’d probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it’s a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No-one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it.”Related

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Asked whether he had intentionally arrived at the crease late, as Gill suggested, Crawley said: “No, no. Not at all. I sit in my spot [in the dressing room] until the umpires go out. I saw the umpires go, and I walked out. I wasn’t aware that we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough.”Crawley’s 84 on Thursday was his second half-century of the series and came after scores of 19, 0, 18 and 22 in the second and third Tests. He hit 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May, but this was his highest score against a World Test Championship opposition since his 189 against Australia two years ago, also at Emirates Old Trafford.”I have high standards for myself, and I work very hard in my game,” he said. “I always want more for myself, and I’ve certainly wanted more for myself than I’ve got in the last year or so. That’s just an internal thing. I don’t feel that pressure from anyone else.”I just feel like I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. Days like today make the practice and the tougher times worth it a bit more. Obviously, I wanted more runs today, but I feel like I’ve worked hard and earned those runs.”2:17

Crawley: ‘Owe it to myself to have a few good performances’

Crawley said that he had worked hard on trying to stay “relaxed” at the crease after a series of “half-hearted” dismissals in the series. “Sometimes you’re looking for something a little bit too much… It looks too aggressive, but in my mind, actually, I was like, ‘Too half-hearted.’ I was pleased today that when it was there to hit, I put my hands through it.”He explained that he had taken deep breaths before facing up several times throughout his innings to “take the tension out” of his body, conscious of his poor recent form. “It’s hard: the big crowds, haven’t had loads of runs of late, you get a bit tense. I always play my best when I’m really relaxed,” Crawley said.”There are little things, little triggers that you have in the middle that make you feel relaxed, whether it be walking slower or anything like that… I certainly didn’t do it as well at Edgbaston. I was absolutely knackered when we were batting there, so it was pretty hard to feel sharp. But I did it much better today, and I was happy about that.”Crawley eventually fell to Ravindra Jadeja, well caught by KL Rahul at slip, after adding 166 for the first wicket with Ben Duckett. It was their fifth 100-plus stand as an opening pair and the second of the series, and Crawley said that he was more than happy to let Duckett – who made 94 – be “the leader” of their partnership.”He’s a phenomenal player and he takes a lot of pressure off me,” Crawley said. “He scores at a run-a-ball effortlessly, and it allows you to go about your business. We talk a lot in the middle about how we want to go about it, and obviously our height difference – and being left-right-hand – probably makes it quite hard for the bowlers at times, when we’re both going well at either end.”

Pakistan international Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb, classy 159, his highest List A score to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road.Imam, 29, averages 47.04 across a 75-match ODI career, with nine hundreds, but has been overlooked for Pakistan’s three-match series against West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, which starts on Friday night. His 159 was a reminder of his talent to their selectors.His innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374 for 5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five short of their highest against any first-class county. It also helped inflict the highest ever home defeat on Northamptonshire by any team in List A cricket.Facing 130 balls, Imam hit 20 fours and two sixes, passing 5,000 career List A runs and beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019. It follows his half-century to steer Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.While Imam cashed in against a frequently wayward Northamptonshire seam attack, his innings was full of delicate timing, perfect placement and silky cover drives before growing more aggressive. He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from just 33 balls, his highest List A score. Liam Guthrie’s bowling figures suffered in the run-fest but he picked up 3 for 87.In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, a tight spell from Yorkshire opening bowlers Matt Milnes and Ben Cliff setting the tone. While the hosts will count themselves unlucky to have lost two early wickets, they scored at just 4.4 an over throughout the innings. While George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising partnership of 49 in eight overs, no-one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 38.Earlier, Guthrie struck quickly when Adam Lyth slashed straight to cover, but Northamptonshire’s seamers strayed in line and length, allowing Yorkshire to rattle along at over six runs an over, Luxton driving consecutive wide deliveries from Guthrie for boundaries.Imam played a beautiful straight drive and a couple of stylish backfoot punches, but Northamptonshire missed a chance to remove Luxton when Luke Procter dropped a sharp catch at point.Bowling in tandem, spinners Rob Keogh and Yuzvendra Chahal stemmed the flow of runs but the breakthrough came via a mix-up between the batters. Imam cut square and started to run before sending Luxton back, Bartlett and Keogh affecting the runout.Imam reached 50 off 58 balls before playing two silky cover drives off Dom Leech to take Yorkshire to 142 for 2 at the halfway stage. A pull off Leech perfectly bisected the field as he moved into the nineties before reaching 100 off 95 balls.Dan Moriarty (file photo) was the pick of the Yorkshire attack•Getty Images

At the other end Wharton grew becalmed, his first boundary not arriving until the 53rd ball he faced when he hooked Guthrie for six. Shackles released, he made up for lost time, powering Guthrie down the ground, while Imam went through the gears too, slog-sweeping Chahal for six. Chahal finally broke the stand, tossing one wide, Wharton reaching for it and slicing to cover.Imam targeted Leech, taking 15 off one over including six down the ground. Revis was severe on former Yorkshire bowler Leech too, garnering two legside boundaries off short balls and swinging Procter for six.Imam’s long innings finally ended thanks to a stunning bit of boundary fielding off Guthrie when Tim Robinson held a brilliant boundary catch, throwing it up before he crossed the rope and holding on as stepped back in.Revis tucked into Guthrie, smashing two sixes over the infield before carving square for six more. His wicket was scant consolation for Guthrie when he holed out in the deep.Northamptonshire’s first powerplay was positively sedate, just six boundaries shared equally between Ricardo Vasconcelos (23) and Lewis McManus (25) as they reached 41 after 10 overs.The hosts then lost two wickets in an over as McManus was adjudged caught behind off the inside edge off Ben Cliff, although the ball looked to have hit his pads. Next Aadi Sharma’s List A debut ended in a runout at the non-strikers’ end, Cliff deflecting the ball onto the stumps in his delivery stride.Yorkshire picked up a third when Moriarty beat Vasconcelos, bowling him as he advanced down the pitch, attempting to force the pace. George Hill then nipped one back sharply to knock back Robinson’s stumps.With the required rate above 10, Bartlett and Broad looked to score against the spinners, Bartlett striking a straight six off Dom Bess. But the drinks break brought two wickets, Broad chipping Bess to Revis at mid-on after the resumption, before Bartlett skied Moriarty to long-on.Rob Keogh and Luke Procter both made starts, but after Procter was bowled by Bess, Moriarty had both Leech and Guthrie caught in the deep, while Keogh (23) was bowled by Cliff.

Big picture: Road to the Ashes World Cup

Very rarely does the international schedule seem to fit together in any logical way, but the next two weeks of bilateral white-ball competition should suit both England and New Zealand down to a tee (and not just because of the plentiful opportunities for golf).It’s true that for England, this tour comes hard on the heels of a long home summer and with a much-anticipated Ashes campaign looming in the background. But having already done their team-bonding thing down in Queenstown, the prospect of easing into the southern summer with some guilt-free tonking around some of world cricket’s more scenic venues should be right up their street – not least because of the local knowhow provided by Brendon McCullum, Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee.New Zealand, meanwhile, can look forward to bumper crowds – Saturday’s first T20I at Hagley Oval is already sold out – for what is otherwise an off-peak time of the season; so early in spring that the domestic programme hasn’t even got underway yet. Having made a bit of a false start against Australia earlier in the month, it’s also a good opportunity to try to get back on track with their T20 World Cup preparations.Related

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On that front, Mitch Santner returns after abdominal surgery and will retake the reins from Michael Bracewell. New Zealand are unbeaten in bilateral series since Santner was made permanent white-ball captain last December, and have plenty of T20I cricket to come – including five-game match-ups against West Indies (at home) and India (away) as they build into the World Cup.England are also led by a new-ish captain, with Harry Brook back from a mini-break (during which he also got engaged) that saw him miss last month’s trip to Ireland. No one in the touring party can avoid the pre-Ashes rumbling – Brook is fully aware of priorities for the winter – but this series will provide vital game time for a T20I side that is still coming together, with a three-match series in Sri Lanka their only other outing before the World Cup. Never mind whether Jacob Bethell can stake a claim for the Test No. 3 spot, Tom Banton has a T20 finisher role to nail down.Somehow, for the next three games, we have both context aplenty and the sense that this is a bit of a free hit. What’s not to like?

Form guide

New Zealand LLWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WWWLWHarry Brook takes part in a traditional welcoming ceremony•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Jacob Duffy and Phil Salt

Jacob Duffy has had a phenomenal 12 months in T20I cricket for New Zealand, taking 30 wickets at an average of 12.76, and rising to the top of the ICC bowler standings (he currently sits in fifth). A tall right-arm seamer who is fast enough and has all the tools you need, 31-year-old Duffy is the epitome of under-the-radar New Zealand excellence. Alongside Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, he could provide the sort of Test-match examination in seamer-friendly conditions that may start English minds casting ahead to the Ashes (perish the thought).Phil Salt has proven over and again that he is a T20 gun, ending the English summer in record-breaking form (having begun it out of the side while on paternity leave). His fourth T20I hundred underpinned England’s mahoosive 304 for 2 against South Africa last month, and there is every chance that he could cause similar havoc on his first outing in New Zealand, where the boundaries tend to be small and the wind a useful aid to hitting. After all, the man is bound to have done his research.

Team news: Santner and Ravindra fit

New Zealand have confirmed the return of both Santner and Rachin Ravindra to the XI after both missed the Australia series with injury. Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes and Bevon Jacobs are the squad members to sit this one out.New Zealand: 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Tim Robinson, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob DuffyEngland named their team more than 48 hours in advance, with Brook back and Jordan Cox dropping down to take on a finisher role in the absence of Will Jacks. The presence of Sam Curran and Bethell in the top seven means England can call on three seamers and three spinners. Zak Crawley is with the squad but must wait for a T20I debut.England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jordan Cox, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood

Pitch and conditions: Wrap up warm

Conditions are likely to be fresh this early in the New Zealand spring, with extra layers needed for a game under floodlights. Seamers have tended to prosper at Hagley Oval – Santner termed it a “spinners’ graveyard”. As well as a chilly breeze, there might also be some rain around to contend with.

Stats and trivia

• England have previously played three bilateral T20I series in New Zealand, and won all of them.
• Their last trip came a few months after the 2019 ODI World Cup final and featured a tied game at Eden Park, with England again winning the Super Over.
• Since the last T20 World Cup, New Zealand have won 12 and lost five – their only series defeat a 2-0 loss to Australia earlier this month.
• Jos Buttler is 164 runs away from becoming the fourth man to score 4000 in T20Is.
• Brook is 84 shy of 1000 T20I runs; Jimmy Neesham needs another 20.

Quotes

“Some wins would be nice. It’s the start of a bit of a nice build-up for us: England, West Indies, India away before the World Cup. But first things first we want to win a series in front of our own fans here in Christchurch.”
“We’ve got a great opportunity here against a very strong side to go out there and try and capitalise on the momentum we’ve already made. The last game we played together as a full group, we got 300.”