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They need to win the two ODIs to give themselves the best chance of qualifying directly for the World Cup in India

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2023Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada have been selected in a full-strength South Africa squad to play two crucial ODIs against Netherlands on March 31 in Benoni and April 1 in Johannesburg. Both fast bowlers were rested from the recent ODI series against West Indies, which was drawn 1-1 with one match washed out.This series will be the first time South Africa are facing Netherlands since they lost to them and were eliminated from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. If South Africa win both ODIs without over-rate penalties, they will qualify directly for the World Cup in India this year if Ireland lose at least one ODI against Bangladesh in a three-match series in May.South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma will have a fitness test on Tuesday to make sure he has recovered from the hamstring niggle he picked up during his hundred in the second ODI against West Indies on March 18.”We have named our strongest possible squad for these games given the importance of these matches in the context of qualifying for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup,” South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter said. “We have a job to do and I am confident that with this group of players we can get the job done.”With the second ODI on April 2, Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants), Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Heinrich Klaasen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Sisanda Magala (Chennai Super Kings), Aiden Markram (Sunrisers Hyderabad), David Miller (Gujarat Titans), Lungi Ngidi (Delhi Capitals), Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals), and Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings) will be able to join their IPL franchises only on April 3 at the earliest.South Africa squad for Netherlands ODIs: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen

In just his second Test, left-arm seamer Sam Curran made mark against India by taking out India’s top three on the second day

Andrew McGlashan02-Aug-20181:54

Roland-Jones: Curran gives England reason for excitement

Curran…there’s another of those, isn’t there?Yes, indeed. Sam’s brother Tom, who also plays for Surrey, made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne and has also featured in the one-day and T20 sides. There is another brother as well, Ben, who is involved in the Surrey set-up and is very highly rated. Their father, Kevin, played 11 ODIs for Zimbabwe and had a long career in county cricket with Northamptonshire.Has it been a rapid rise for Sam?In a way as he’s only 20 – which is young for an international cricketer in England – but he’s been on the radar for a few years. He made his Surrey Championship debut as a 17-year-old in 2015, taking eight wickets in the match against Kent and by the end of the following season was already in the England Lions set-up. His Test claims were given a significant leg up early this summer when he took ten wickets in the Championship match against Yorkshire – a side that featured Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Cheteshwar Pujara (who he removed twice).How did his Test debut go?He was the seventh youngest man – at 19 years and 363 days – to debut in Tests for England. There were obviously a few nerves against Pakistan at Headingley – Stuart Broad said Curran struggled a little with the slope of the ground – and Curran joked that having his first Test wicket, Shadab Khan, caught at deep midwicket wasn’t quite how he’d dreamt it. But he was more comfortable in the second innings.He looked pretty solid with the bat as wellHe is certainly classed as an allrounder at first-class level and his batting ability is one of the reasons he was first called up and kept his place in this match ahead of Jamie Porter. There is even a school of thought that he could develop into more of a batting allrounder – he has spoken of his desire to bat higher up the order for Surrey and he already has 11 half-centuries in 42 first-class matches.He’s quite short for a fast bowler. Will that be a problem?It has been one of the debates raised about his long-term prospects of being an international pace bowler. There’s nothing he can do about his height, he just has to make the best of the natural skills he has which, as was on show at Edgbaston this morning, is making the ball swing. It’s true that there haven’t been too many successful short pace bowlers at the top level, but Curran will be about his all-round package. And, of course, there’s the variation he brings of being a left-arm which is something Trevor Bayliss has been keen on having in the Test side.

The two quicks picked up three wickets each before fifties from Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen steered South Africa home

The Report by Liam Brickhill06-Oct-2018AFP

Reeza Hendricks added to his debut hundred with an assured 66 and Heinrich Klaasen registered his maiden ODI fifty as South Africa chased down Zimbabwe’s 228 with four overs to spare in Paarl. On the best pitch so far seen in the series, South Africa’s frontline bowlers shared the spoils to bowl Zimbabwe out three balls short of a full innings. An inexperienced batting line-up then put in their best performance of the series as South Africa strolled to a four-wicket win.Dale Steyn’s successful return to ODI cricket continued and he led the charge with 3 for 29 in the afternoon, once again bowling with menacing pace. South Africa’s opening pair of Hendricks and Aiden Markram then shared in an opening stand of 75, setting the platform for Klaasen’s 59 and the unbeaten 25 from Khaya Zondo that guided South Africa to a 3-0 series victory.While Klaasen marshalled the latter end of South Africa’s chase, Hendricks and Markram were in complete control throughout the Powerplay, aided by erratic lines from Zimbabwe with the new ball. Tendai Chatara fed Markram’s whips through the leg side and then overcorrected on the off to leak five boundaries in his first two overs.Hamilton Masakadza cycled through his seamers and then turned to his spinners as early as the eighth over. But on a benign pitch the visiting attack lost their bite. There was accuracy, but not deception from Sean Williams and Brandon Mavuta tried to do a little too much with his variations of legspin, losing control of his length. Hendricks swatted boundaries whenever the young legspinner erred, while Markram skipped out to hit Williams twice down the ground before he was unluckily given out lbw for 42 – there is no DRS in this series, and Umpire Chris Gaffaney missed an inside edge.Faf du Plessis, returning to action after recovering from the shoulder injury he picked up in the field against Sri Lanka in August, eased himself in with a couple of confident strokes off the front foot but then picked out Craig Ervine at midwicket, pulling at a Mavuta half-tracker.The dismissal of the South African captain in the 20th over allowed Zimbabwe to build a little pressure in the field, and they might have had an opening when Hendricks was trapped in front of his stumps by Donald Tiripano for 66. Klaasen made sure they didn’t. Playing the pull with particular power, he raced to fifty from 59 balls and added 66 with Zondo to put South Africa within a couple of shots of victory.Klaasen laced two of fours off Kyle Jarvis, but fell attempting a third. Phehlukwayo then fell for a nine-ball duck as Zimbabwe delayed the inevitable, only for Steyn to arrive at the crease and thump the third ball he faced down the ground to end the match. On a pitch not dissimilar from those South Africa might expect to find at the World Cup in England next year, the hosts had finally flexed their batting bench strength a little.They also got the chance to try out an exciting combination with the ball, with Steyn and Imran Tahir sharing the new ball duties. While there was very little turn for Tahir, his variations of wrist and pace kept the Zimbabwean openers guessing, and soon did for Solomon Mire.When Craig Ervine feathered his third ball, from Steyn, through to Klaasen and Rabada set Masakadza up with a reverse three-card trick that went yorker, yorker, bouncer Zimbabwe were once again three down in close proximity to the Powerplay. Another low total loomed, but Williams and Taylor went on the counterattack in style.They added 73 for the fourth wicket, Taylor reaching a significant milestone in the process as he became the third Zimbabwean to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs, after the Flower brothers. Some brilliantly sharp keeping from Klaasen had Taylor stumped for 40, but Williams continued to attack and raced past his previous best of 55 against South Africa.He eventually played too early to be caught and bowled by Rabada for 69, and with Peter Moor and Elton Chigumbura falling cheaply it was left to Donald Tiripano and Mavuta to boost the score beyond 200. Zimbabwe didn’t have quite enough left in the tank to bat through their innings, Tiripano falling for 29 in the pursuit of quick runs with three balls to go. They did at least offer South Africa a reasonable target to chase under lights, and the hosts’ top order responded with their most compelling performance of a 3-0 whitewash.

Champions Nottinghamshire completed a second successive victory, with a bowling attack that showed its experience as the Outlaws beat East Midland neighbours Leicestershire by 19 runs at the Fischer County Ground

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2018
ScorecardChampions Nottinghamshire completed a second successive victory, with a bowling attack that showed its experience as the Outlaws beat East Midland neighbours Leicestershire by 19 runs at the Fischer County Ground.”They strangled us well in the middle overs,” Foxes’ captain Colin Ackermann said, after seeing his side collapse from 80 for 2 to 102 for 6 when in pursuit of a target that did not look unattainable on a good wicket and with a lightning quick outfield.Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel said his side had completed a “convincing” win. “The intent we showed when we batted was good, Tom [Moores] and I managed a good partnership, and we accelerated nicely. Then we bowled to our plans and got wickets at the right time, because it’s always tough chasing ten an over.”The visitors’ total was based on a partnership of 97 for the third wicket between Patel and Moores. Coming together when Riki Wessels’ attempt to pull a quick delivery from Zak Chappell gave Mohammad Abbas a simple catch at mid-on, leaving the visitors on 17 for 2, both batsmen made half-centuries, albeit in contrasting styles.Patel, all wristy flicks, timing and placement, reached his fifty first, off 26 balls with ten fours, before holing out to long-on off Callum Parkinson. The young left-arm spinner picked up the wicket of Moores in the same over. Moores had just reached his fifty with a bludgeoned six over midwicket before his attempt to repeat the shot was well held by Raine.Captain Dan Christian, while unable to repeat his heroics of Friday evening, when he hit a century off 37 balls at Northampton, ensured his side would get close to 200 by thumping 47 from 29.Leicestershire’s reply began solidly enough, Cameron Delport and Neil Dexter compiling an opening partnership of 51 before Luke Fletcher yorked Delport for 33 in the final over of the Powerplay.Mark Cosgrove’s immediate dismissal for a duck, brilliantly caught by Steven Mullaney, one handed high to his right at midwicket, was a hammer blow to the Foxes’ chances, but the clatter of wickets that followed the loss of Dexter did not make for pretty viewing for the sizeable home crowd.Lewis Hill was caught slog-sweeping at deep backward square, Ackermann and Raine at deep midwicket, and although Mohammad Nabi, and in the final over, Abbas, hit out to good effect, there was never a sense that the Outlaws’ score was under any real pressure.”That we got quite close without looking likely to chase it down was frustsrating,” Ackermann said. “We’ve had a few decent knocks, but nothing really substantial and match-winning in the last two matches.”

Cheteshwar Pujara’s failure will be a cause of worry, but on the positive side, the visiting side can take heart from four half-centuries by the batsmen

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Jul-20181:03

How Essex’s Walter and Coles got Kohli and Dhawan

Four half-centuries and a modest total. Those were the couple of positive takeaways for the Indians who got to bat first against an Essex second XI. The pitch was lime green, something coach Ravi Shastri had said India were not shy of confronting.Even before the crowd took their seats, Shikhar Dhawan had edged his way back to the dressing room. And by the time the fans were settled in, Cheteshwar Pujara too walked back disappointed, also edging behind the wicket. But as a scorching sun blazed, India prospered.Here are the gleanings from first day’s play.India’s top order wobblesCheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan both fell cheaply•BCCI

In the limited overs-leg of the UK tour, Dhawan lost his way after strong starts by running himself out twice. Today, even before he got his eye in, he inside edged the third ball of the match, which Essex wicketkeeper James Foster collected neatly. Foster cashed in on another opportunity when Pujara offered a thick edge as he was opened up by Matt Coles.With India opting to shorten this match to a three-day affair, the duo can only hope that they get another opportunity in the game. Of the two, Pujara would be the one more concerned. Despite being the most experienced batsman in English conditions due to his various county stints, the questions are piling up for Pujara.Vijay shows characterHis only error of judgement cost M Vijay his wicket. He had attempted to drive left-arm seamer Paul Walter away from his body, but the ball took out off stump instead. Still, Vijay had done a good job. He was out early in both innings in the India A match against England Lions last week in Worcester, but today, Vijay was solid and patient.Early on, Matthew Quinn used his height to extract good bounce and movement. In the third over after the first hour, Quinn consistently drew Vijay forward with length deliveries that seamed away. One of those induced an outside edge and nearly carried to Varun Chopra at first slip. Vijay, however, remained calm in the face of this early examination. He left the ball confidently and punched fluent drives on the off side to record a patient half-century. He will know that stiffer challenges lie ahead, when the ball comes at a faster pace repeatedly from James Anderson and Stuart Broad over the next month.Rahul fluentIf you look at purely the numbers, KL Rahul might have already won the race against Pujara for the No. 3 spot. Pujara got 1. Rahul got 68. But Pujara walked in against the new ball on a fresh greentop. By the time Rahul arrived, the pitch had dried out. The ball was old. The bowlers had lost a bit of energy. On the other hand, Rahul had walked in when India had lost two settled batsmen in Vijay and Virat Kohli, in the span of four overs, and the total hadn’t even reached 200.It took him a while to find his rhythm, but once he had it, Rahul was convincing. When Matt Dixon bounced him, Rahul was proactive and pulled him for an easy four over midwicket. When Aron Nijjar maintained an outside off stump line, Rahul moved outside the line of the ball to execute a lovely flick that raced past the ropes. Despite being dropped from the final ODI of the England series for reasons he said even he was not aware of, Rahul today showed good composure.But just like all the other men who had 50s today, Rahul too fell when he was going strong. Attempting a premeditated charge against Nijjar, Rahul lofted the ball into the hands of Dixon at mid-off.Kohli survives ‘the Anderson’Virat Kohli taps the ball down the ground•Getty Images

Ajinkya Rahane had walked in as No.4. Having just played the India A match, the think-tank would have wanted to give Rahane enough match time to get mentally ready for the Test series. Although Rahane did get a start, he was scratchy and was beaten a few times too many. Against one of those deliveries, from Quinn, he edged behind the wicket to help Foster pouch his third victim.Kohli did not let that affect him. India were 29 for 2 after the first hour in which 14 overs were bowled, and then 44 for 3. Immediately Kohli upped the intensity. He stood tall on his toes to unleash a powerful square cut against Dixon for his first four.But even though he was settled and nearing a half-century, Kohli faced a stern test from Quinn. On 41 Kohli received an Anderson ball: pitched on a length on off stump, drawn forward to play, bat left hanging, ball almost kissing the outside edge on the way to the keeper. Quinn used the same length and the same ball to beat Kohli thrice in a row. But no sooner did Quinn push the length by an inch, on the last ball of the same over, Kohli pounced on it to drive through cover for four. Kohli would still be annoyed at himself for trying to fetch the ball and edging a fuller one, which Paul Walter had angled towards the fourth stump, to second slip.Karthik cashes inWith Dinesh Karthik, you can never predict what you’ll get. No one, including the man himself, possibly expected to walk back raising his bat, undefeated, as the top run-maker on the day. Karthik played and missed and nearly edged frequently against the seamers. But one thing he did not miss was putting away the bad balls, of which there were many.With Hardik Pandya struggling against the moving delivery and spin, Karthik’s role at No. 6 is vital for India’s lower order. Karthik will be happy he could play his range of strokes despite some edgy moments.

BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary says the Committee of Administrators is against divergent opinions

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Mar-20184:23

Ugra: CoA’s approval of player contracts first step in this transfer of power

A day after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) annulled all the powers of the BCCI’s office bearers, the board’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary has challenged the decision, questioning whether the committee had the legal powers to issue such directives. In an email sent on Friday, Choudhary has accused the CoA of attempting to “gag” the office bearers of their fundamental rights while granting itself “cardinal” rights to “supplant” the board’s administrators.Choudhary said it was “praiseworthy” of the CoA to list excerpts from the court order “purportedly” concerning its appointment on January 30, 2016, on reasons why it was equipped with powers to issue the fresh directives on Thursday. The CoA promptly responded to Choudhary, saying it would stick to the directives issued two days back.Choudhary said, as per his reading of the twin court orders from last January, that it was clear that the CoA was appointed to carry on an “expeditious” implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations and hence had been assigned supervisory powers of the management and administration of the board.”The supervision part was only for the interim period and what is cardinal to the whole scheme is that the Hon’ble Apex Court was clear that the office bearers not only existed while you thought and believed they did not, they must discharge their responsibilities,” Choudhary said in his email.According to Choudhary, when it appointed the committee, the court was clear that the CoA had a “very limited and defined” role while the BCCI would “function” through its office bearers. Choudhary chided the CoA, saying it was attempting to “undermine” the role of the office bearers despite the court having blocked such a move in the past.”The scheme does not even remotely suggest that the CoA could supplant the office bearers or the General Body of the BCCI. Yet right from day one, as has been demonstrated, the entire effort seems to be directed at ousting the office bearers, preventing the office bearers from functioning and repeatedly enjoining the court to do away with them which further strengthens the view that rather than implementation of the reforms your interest lies elsewhere.”One of the directives issued by the CoA was that the office bearers could not utilise board money to pay for individual petitions in the court concerning the ongoing hearing on the BCCI implementing a new constitution which would include the reforms finalised by the Lodha Committee.By “suppressing” the office bearers, the CoA, Choudhary said, was only wanting to eliminate all contrary opinion in the BCCI. The timing of the CoA’s latest diktat also bothered Choudhary, considering the court is likely to resume the hearing soon.”There is now a further confirmation of your long standing effort to continue to run down the office bearers by going so far as even preventing them from appearing in Court through their counsels effectively gagging even their fundamental rights and ensuring that there is no contrary viewpoint before the Hon’ble Court,” the email read.PTI

The relationship between the CoA and the three office bearers comprising CK Khanna (acting BCCI president), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) and Choudhary has always been tense. The differences have been so entrenched that the CoA has already twice asked the court to remove the office bearers in its seven status reports. In the latest report, the CoA told the court that the tenure of all three office bearers had expired on March 2 as per the existing constitution of the board and they should be replaced with immediate effect.In the past month both Choudhary and the CoA have been involved in a bitter to-and-fro. The CoA chairman Vinod Rai took strong exception to Choudhary initiating a dialogue on India playing their inaugural day-night Test, potentially during the home series against West Indies later this year. Rai asked why the CoA was bypassed and placed the issue on hold until further deliberations were held between all stakeholders.Last week Choudhary challenged the CoA’s decision to approve the new player contracts despite not having the consent of the board’s finance committee, the primary authority as per the board’s rules. Choudhary said the office bearers had not been taken into confidence during the process of finalising the contracts.Choudhary said in its attempt to take “ownership” of the board, the CoA had even ignored the general body, which so far had been the main decision-making body in the BCCI, while taking several decisions which could have huge financial implications. “The clear thought of the COA is of having ownership of the organisation with its assets and liabilities dehors (foreign to) the members who actually form the Board,” Chaudhary said in his email. “Several decisions having huge financial implications on the BCCI, which under the rules and regulations of the BCCI can be taken only by the general body of the BCCI have been taken by the CoA and thus in effect the CoA has even supplanted the general body of the BCCI.”The player contracts and the media rights for Indian cricket, which are set to be sold via an e-auction for the first time, were among the examples Choudhary cited in his email of the CoA taking unilateral decisions without consulting the office bearers and while bypassing the BCCI general body. “Revision of salary of the BCCI staff, grant of increments to the staff even before they were due, new categorisation of players and finalising the players contracts, change of procedure for auction of media rights, are only of few of such decisions which were entirely within the domain of the general body of the board.”