WTC final | BJ Watling dislocates finger, but carries on wicketkeeping on final day of Test career

Inside out | Rohit Sharma's Southampton return had a little less flair and a lot more substance

Rohit Sharma is the most improved batsman in the current Indian Test team. The fans of Ravindra Jadeja won’t agree and it is a point worth arguing, but improvement in Rohit’s batting has been exemplary, and second to none. Before the fans will get enraged by such a high rating of him, just ask any Indian cricket fan one question. What were they fearing the most when New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and asked India to bat first in the extreme conditions heavily stacked against batting. The memory of the ODI World Cup semifinal two years back against the Kiwis are fresh in their memories and the situation was all but similar at the Hampshire Bowl in an equally, if not much bigger contest on the line. There was one more similarity apart from the bowling-friendly conditions and impressive Kiwi bowlers, and it was Rohit, who now has claimed the position of an opener since that horrendous World Cup in 2019. But, Rohit of now is an improved batsman, who is aware of his off stump and what he does not have to do while batting in tough conditions. The way he shaped up to play the perpetually threatening new-ball duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult was an emblem of him finally coming of age in the longest format. He was mobile on his feet but in different ways against Boult and Southee. Against the left-armer Boult, his feet were not right down the pitch of the ball but around the leg stump to have open access for the bat to stop a whooping inswinger finding him in front of the stumps. Against Southee, he played so late that balls would have barely believed they came to strike against the Rohit’s bat. He did not achieve all that difference in batting and technique by compromising on the dominating shots that make him a batsman to watch out for. When Kiwis switched to the military medium of Colin de Grandhomme, he was aware of the rare run-scoring opportunities to capitalise on and reward himself with some easy runs. It has not been easy for openers in the last few years to put on big partnerships and add to it the magnitude of challenges New Zealand pacers prested against the pair of Rohit and Shubman Gill, and the opening partnership between them was a breath of fresh air to Indian cricket. Since the 2011 ODI World Cup, it has not been even one series where the Indian top order does not face scrutiny and more often than not, the team management has been forced to launch musical chairs between openers. From the time of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir along with Abhinav Mukund and Rahul Dravid to the phase of Murali Vijay- Shikhar Dhawan-KL Rahul trio, India never had a settled top order and the cracks start opening up right from the first game itself. Hence, even if India don’t win or secure a draw in the World Test Championship final, there is no doubt that Shubman Gill and Rohit will walk out to open the innings against England in August. Remember, it was the continuous rotation of openers due to poor form and lack of consistency by KL Rahul in the period after the world cup and the absence of Prithvi Shaw that had tempted MSK Prasad to try Rohit as an opener. He had always excelled in the home Tests and hence his rollicking performances against South Africa did not come as a revelation and it was always argued if Rohit will be able to weather storms and pile on the runs in overseas conditions. Injuries came to halt his progress as he missed the entire Test series against New Zealand and the first two Tests of the series against Australia late last year. The lack of match practise due to hard quarantine norms in Australia and a series in the backdrop of an IPL season meant he came back in the side purely based on his ‘talent’ and ‘experience’ as Virat Kohli was returning home for the birth of his first child. Rohit was on the top of his game and never looked like a fish out of deep water while opening the batting against the trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. He could not convert his hard-earned starts into something big and match-winning just like the two innings in the World Test Championship final, but all of those innings have been substantial in allowing the Indian batting lineup to breathe easily back in the change room. He did falter in those innings and fiddled at one so far away from his body in the first innings against Kyle Jamieson but he is only a batsman and not a robot designed to give up on the temptation of run-scoring, and Jamieson is a bloody good bowler to be feeling shameful on getting out. He was done in by the guile of Tim Southee who set him up with big outswingers before using the natural variation to straighten one towards his pads. But, the hard work he did against the new ball when Boult and Southee tested his aptitude was exemplary and the lead of 32 runs which could well have been decisive on the fifth day evening itself was crossed over seamlessly. For a batsman, who was at the heart of India’s dismal run of performance in the 2014 tour of England after MS Dhoni decided to include him as a defensive move to stop England from snatching away the momentum after a historic win at Lord’s to becoming a batsman who laid the foundation of stronger Indian batting performances, the life of Rohit, the Test cricketer, has come a full circle. He had thrown his wicket away off Moeen Ali just minutes before the tea break and when Alastair Cook had opted to rotate his pacers. Until then, India were strolling on the third day of the third Test at the same venue where the WTC final is being played at and the shot was so poor that it earned him a public rebuke from MS Dhoni, who was known to not give up on his players so easily. In the six innings so far on overseas soil as an opener, Rohit has not been able to hit any significantly big scores, but out of the two tasks an opener is assigned with, he has done the duty of preserving the batsmen lower down the order perfectly. He combatted 68 balls against the quartet of Southee, Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner on a cold and demanding day on the second day in Southampton and followed it up with another calm presence at the crease for 81 balls. The lack of big runs on the big tours will come back to haunt his Test career but the investment that the team management started in 2019 to bring experience to the side has not been an unsuccessful one. The opening pair of Rohit and Gill has established India’s fortitude against the new ball and the Test series against England would be another milestone to make or break Rohit Sharma, the Test opener, and a batsman.

Cricket West Indies appoints Daren Sammy as independent, non-member director

T20 world cup winning skipper Daren Sammy has been appointed as an independent non-member director of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) board for a period of two years. Calling his appointment as an honour, Sammy said that a place on the CWI board will provide him with another opportunity to help the game and the board in a ‘new way’ where he will put all his ‘local, regional and international’ experiences to good effect. "It is an honour to be appointed as a CWI Director; this is another great opportunity for me to give my best to West Indies cricket in a new way, off the field," Sammy said in a CWI media release. "All my local, regional and international experiences have prepared me to make a significant ongoing impact in West Indies cricket. I am excited and thankful for the chance to serve and look forward to giving back to the sport and region that I love so much." Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt said that he expects Sammy to bring modern-day perspective into the board’s governance ask some tough questions pertaining to the state of the game as an independent, and non-memebr director. "I am delighted to welcome Daren Sammy as an independent, non-member Director whose role will be to ensure that all the right questions are being asked while contributing to the shaping of new ideas and solutions,” Skerritt said. "Daren's fairly recent experience as a two-time World Cup-winning captain will bring with him a much needed modern-day cricketer's perspective which should add valuable insights to Board discussions and decision-making. His appointment is testament to our commitment to strengthen CWI's governance, and to utilise expertise from across all stakeholder groups." This will be the third leadership role for Sammy after he took on the leadership role with St. Lucia Zoulks and Peshawar Zalmi, teams led by him in the past, just like the West Indies.

England Women name 16 member squad for ODIs vs India; Sophia Dunkley ready for ODI debut

After an impressive outing with the bat in her debut Test last week, Sophia Dunkley has been named in the England Women ODI squad as well for their series against India Women beginning June 27. Dunkley had scored an unbeaten 72 in the first innings of the Bristol Test to take England to 396-9 before the declaration. As things stand, the 22-year-old Dunkley, who bowls more than useful leg-spin and has so far played 5 T20Is, might make her much-awaited ODI debut in the series as well. Much of the team remains the same as the one which played the Test. However, Freya Davies and Sarah Glenn, who did not feature in the Tests have been recalled to the squad from their Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy duties. The first of the three ODIs take place at the County Ground in Bristol, the same venue where the thrilling four day Test was completed. The Indian side squad remain the same as it was for the one-off Test. England Women's Squad for Royal London ODI Series Heather Knight (captain), Emily Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (Wicket- Keeper), Nat Sciver (vice-captain), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill

PSL 2021 | Eliminator 2: Hazratullah Zazai butchers Islamabad to send Zalmi to their 4th Final

There are days when a certain batsman takes a whole team out, for Hazratullah Zazai, there isn’t just one day, it’s every day. Right after slaughtering Karachi Kings in the first Eliminator on June 22, the Afghan international came back a day later to butcher Islamabad out of the Pakistan Super League’s title race as well. With this eight-wicket win, the Zalmi confirmed their fourth entry into a PSL Final. They would now face first-time finalists Multan Sultans at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on June 24. Playing only his fourth match in the league, the left-hander showed maturity and instead of getting bogged down by the controlled Islamabad bowling at the start of the chase. Once settled, he started his usual carnage, hitting sixes and fours at will. In his knock of 66 from 44 balls, the 23-year-old hit six fours and four humungous sixes on the grass banks in the stadium. For such blistering innings to survive, chances are important and Zazai too was offered a chance when United wicketkeeper Mohammad Akhlaq spilt a straightforward catch off the bowling of Hasan Ali in only the third over of the innings. The southpaw was batting at just seven then. Zazai won his third Man of the Match in the tournament in just his fourth appearance. He was partnered well by debutant Jonathan Wells from Australia. He came on after Kamran Akmal chopped one on to his stumps in the very first over of the innings. The duo added 126 in just 81 balls to simplify the 175 run chase for their team. The Adelaide Striker’s veteran was into his element right from the beginning, just after negotiating a horrific mixup on the very first ball that he faced. Wells made a well compiled 55 off 43 balls and remained unbeaten alongside Shoaib Malik to see his team home. Reacting after the two losses and on being forced to bow out of the tournament even after being the best team till the league stage, skipper Shadab Khan was disappointed but vowed to come back strong next year and win the title for the United fans. “We didn't put in the kind of performances (in the playoffs) that we were doing earlier. In these pressure games, it's important to have a grip on your nerves. Other teams played better than us, credit to them,” said the 22-year-old captain. “..that catch of Zazai, if it had been taken, things could have been different. Lots of positives this season, hopefully, we will come back even stronger next year and try to make Islamabad a champion,” Shadab added. Earlier in the evening, after winning the toss, Zalmi skipper invited Islamabad to bat first. United had a horrific start as its most in-form batsman, Usman Khawaja was run out in the most unfortunate of the manners when the ball driven straight by Colin Munro, ricochet from bowler Malik’s shoelaces to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Munro tried his level best to get Islamabad out of that early shock with his 29 balls 44. But his dismissal, in which he was given out after a thin edge was reviewed Wahab on wicket-keeper Akmal’s request, put the red brigade in a lot of discomforts. All their batsmen failed one by one including the star layers like Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed. At 110-8 in the 17th over, the maximum that Islamabad were looking for or could hope to get to was 140. But Hasan Ali had other plans as the bowler went berserk with the bat, hitting five fours and three sixes to reach 45 off just 15 balls before being run out on the penultimate delivery of the 20th over. Mohammad Wasim Jr. stood alongside him to score 17 off 11 balls to push Islamabad to a more than a defendable total of 175. From Zalmi’s point of view inclusion of both Wells and Amad Butt for this game was successful as Butt was the pick of the bowlers for his team, going for just 26 runs in his four overs and picking up the wicket of dangerous-looking Brandon Kings. Skipper Wahab was impressed with the team’s attitude and hope that they could carry the same to the final in a day. He also thanked the Zalmi fans for their support throughout the campaign. “There is no fear. They [players] are playing very good cricket, so I'll just say the pressure is on them [Multan Sultans] again. Let's see if they can handle it. The way my boys have played, they deserve the day off. They need to relax and prepare for the final,” he said. “The fans supported us, prayed for us. It was a difficult route we took to the final but it's a great feeling,” added the 36-year-old veteran.