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MS Dhoni has stepped down as captain of India’s limited-overs teams ahead of the ODIs and T20Is against England in January. He will still be available for selection as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the series, though, the BCCI said on Wednesday evening.The selectors are meeting to pick the ODI and T20I squads on January 6 in Mumbai. The BCCI did not immediately name a successor for the matches against England, though Virat Kohli, who leads India in Test cricket, is the frontrunner for the job.It is understood Dhoni, 35, communicated his decision to chairman of selectors MSK Prasad in Nagpur, where the Jharkhand side that is being mentored by Dhoni was playing Gujarat in the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy. Dhoni was seen having a long conversation with Prasad during the tea break. “We all know his sense of integrity and patriotism, and he has got high clarity in thinking,” Prasad told ESPNcricinfo. “Probably he felt that is the best decision, so let us respect it.”Dhoni’s manager Arun Pandey said the decision had not been impulsive. “You don’t take a decision like this overnight. It was well thought out. Dhoni thought this was the right time to step aside and continuing playing as wicketkeeper-batsman,” Pandey told PTI. “His thinking was that he has built the crux of the team now and it is the right time to give up captaincy. He is not someone who would cling on to something. For him, the team’s interests are first and foremost.”Dhoni had given up the Test captaincy in December 2014, when he retired from the format after the Melbourne Test. However, he stayed on as ODI and T20 international captain after having taken on those roles in 2007.

Tendulkar pays tribute

“Congratulations to MSD on a wonderful career as a captain, leading India to success in both T20 and ODI World Cups. Have seen him emerge from an aggressive player to a steady and decisive captain. It’s a day to celebrate his successful captaincy and respect his decision. Wish MSD the very best as he continues entertaining us on the field with his exploits.”

He was India’s most successful captain, leading the team to victory in the 2007 World T20 in South Africa, the 2011 World Cup in India, and the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. Dhoni captained India in 199 ODIs, of which he won 110 and lost 74. He was captain in 72 T20Is, of which India won 41 and lost 28. He was also India’s most successful Test captain, with 27 wins, 18 defeats and 15 draws.Dhoni is also the only captain to have led India to ODI and T20I series wins in Australia, and an ODI series win in New Zealand.He made 6633 ODI runs as captain at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 86. As captain in T20Is, Dhoni scored 1112 runs at a strike rate of 122.60. In Test cricket, he made 3454 runs at an average of 40.63.”On the behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats,” BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri said. “Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA shattering spell of reverse swing by Tom Curran foiled Australia’s chase of a modest England total and in turn silenced a West Australian record crowd of 53,781 in the first ODI to be played at Perth’s new stadium. A trio of players from out west – Mitchell Marsh, AJ Tye and Marcus Stoinis – had prospered earlier in the match, but it was the effervescent Curran who had the final say, years after he had been childhood friends with Marsh when growing up in Zimbabwe.Australia seemed to be travelling comfortably in pursuit of 260 for victory, after England’s batsmen had squandered a series of starts, when Stoinis fell within sight of a hundred upon his promotion to No. 3 in the home side’s batting order. Having earlier ended a poor series for David Warner with a lively yorker, Curran was called back by Eoin Morgan and had his second ball curling back to confound the recalled Glenn Maxwell.Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Tim Paine followed, leaving England 4-1 victors in the 50-over series and underlining the fact that Australia are currently a long way from putting together a strong limited overs combination, less than 18 months away from next year’s World Cup. England were also well served by David Willey, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, while Jake Ball overcame considerable physical distress to complete his 10 overs. Winning the match without Mark Wood, Chris Woakes or Liam Plunkett was testament to the depth of the England ODI squad.The visitors had seemed headed for a tall total when Jason Roy was hitting the ball with plenty of power early on, but he, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales all failed to go on from promising starts to leave Joe Root more or less stranded with the England tail. In the game after taking his first international wickets, Tye used his vast array of pace variations to scoop five, reaping the rewards of some earlier good work by Marsh and also Zampa, who delivered his best spell of the series.Warner again departed cheaply, but his exit provided the chance for Stoinis to demonstrate his combination of poise and power in a way that will put him very much in the mix to be a more permanent fixture at No. 3. A promising stand with Travis Head, again looking comfortable as an opener, was ended by Morgan’s direct hit run out, which found the left-hander to be fractionally short of his ground.Smith has looked out of sorts all series, and did little to change that impression by being nearly stumped off Rashid and then comfortably stumped off Moeen, who drifted one away from Australia’s captain before sliding it past the outside edge and into Buttler’s gloves. Marsh was victim to a simply outstanding return catch from Moeen, who thrust out his right hand and plucked a fiercely struck straight drive just as the umpire was ducking for cover.For a time it appeared that Stoinis and Maxwell would take the Australians home, leaving the hosts needing just 70 from 97 balls with six wickets in hand. But when Stoinis failed to clear long-on when electing to loft Rashid, he opened up an end for Curran, who made the most of it, turning figures of 1 for 23 after five overs into a match-winning 5 for 35 after 9.2.Smith admitted that his decision to bowl first was based largely on unknowns about the stadium’s drop-in pitch, which offered an odd-looking mosaic of dry grass and greener areas. But it played well from the moment Roy flicked Starc’s first ball of the match through square leg, the vast square boundaries for a stadium devised primarily for football matches allowing an all-run four.Having begun the series with a whirlwind 180 at the MCG, Roy seemed intent on ending it in a similar manner, driving powerfully down the ground and through cover across a fast outfield. The ball after hitting Starc back over his head for six, he edged a ball angling across him through to Paine, only to be reprieved by the detection of a no-ball on replays after the event. Starc beat Roy for pace with the subsequent free-hit, but the no-ball looked likely to be costly as England strode to 44 in the first five overs.Some tighter bowling from the West Australian duo of Marsh and Tye forced Roy’s scoring rate to slacken, and ultimately drew his wicket when trying to force the pace once more – beaten by one of Tye’s slower ball variations and skying to mid-on. Bairstow then took it upon himself to drive the scoreboard forward, but he too was dismissed after making a start, dragging an indeterminate prod at Starc onto the stumps after Smith brought back his No. 1 strike bowler.Marsh, who bowled with notable economy, also ensured Hales would not go on from his own start by coaxing a top edge from a short ball, and Morgan swiped unsuccessfully at another ball banged into the pitch, taken by Stoinis running in from deep point. Buttler briefly threatened to go on the offensive before he too was fooled by Tye’s subtle changes in pace, leaving Root to try to lift the tally with the bowlers.He paid a price in pain when one of Tye’s deliveries came through slower than expected, Root through the shot and struck a painful blow in the ribs that he took some time to recover from. None of Moeen, Rashid or Willey could endure, and when Root found Warner at long on, the end was Tye’s. Australia went to the interval with confidence, but they were to be humbugged by Curran, much as they have been by a more focused and tactically alert England throughout this series.

Getty Images

West Indies, looking to finish top of their World Cup Qualifier group and carry maximum points into the Super six stage, ran into some trouble against Ireland, falling to 83 for 5 after being sent in to bat. Enter Rovman Powell. After a cautious and at times edgy beginning – he was 9 off 34 balls at one stage and enjoyed some luck – he exploded to compile a run-a-ball hundred and lift his side to 257 for 8.That proved beyond Ireland’s reach, despite a controlled half-century from Ed Joyce, who put on useful stands with the O’Brien brothers and kept them in the game for a significant period.There was a sense of Ireland building up a proper head of steam too. The stand of 64 between Joyce and Niall O’Brien came at a run rate of 4.46, as the fourth-wicket pair rebuilt after their team had slipped to 32 for 3; Joyce and Kevin O’Brien then added 70 off 69 balls. At one stage, Ireland needed 92 off 83 balls with six wickets in hand.Kemar Roach, however, dismissed both Joyce and the younger O’Brien in the same over, dealing a body blow to Ireland’s hopes. They were eventually bowled out for 205 in the 47th over of their innings. Roach, who also took the key wickets of Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie early on, finished with figures of 4 for 27. There were four wickets for Kesrick Williams as well, and two for the captain Jason Holder.Powell’s was the first instance of a century coming from No. 7 or lower for West Indies in ODIs. He was ably assisted by his captain Jason Holder, who made his second-successive 50-plus score of the tournament.Ireland made excellent use of bowling first in conditions that suited their fast bowlers early on. There had been overnight rain in Harare and the pitch retained a tinge of green when the West Indian openers walked out to bat. Chris Gayle was repeatedly beaten on the outside edge before it was eventually taken. Evin Lewis was surprised by extra bounce, spooning a catch to point. Marlon Samuels got a jaffa that angled into him and straightened to flick his glove through to the keeper.The man doing much of the damage was Tim Murtagh, the 36-year-old seamer whose control more than made up for his lack of pace. And, in any case, it was Boyd Rankin’s job to hustle the batsmen, his 6’7″ frame coming in more than handy as he banged the ball into the pitch.The spinners Andy McBrine and George Dockrell took over in the middle overs, assisted by a pitch that revealed itself to be a slow turner once the early moisture dissipated. Holder and Powell battled hard to keep West Indies afloat; their 86-run partnership almost exclusively comprised of singles between the 18th and 26th overs before the West Indies captain began dictating terms.Holder finished with 54 off 71 balls, the landmark achieved with a monstrous six over wide long-on. He could, however, have been dismissed for 17 if Paul Stirling had held on to a return catch generated by his part-time offbreaks. Eleven runs later, he survived a run-out chance with his partner indulging in a last-minute change of mind about a single to square leg.Powell enjoyed a couple of lives as well: he was on 18 when a leading edge off the bowling of Dockrell was shelled by Gary Wilson running back and to his left from mid-off. On 39, he top-edged a pull that went straight up but the keeper was unable to catch up with the ball, which landed harmlessly near the middle of the pitch.Powell needed to take such risks, though, with time running out. He pulled Rankin down the ground with stinging disdain and later hit him over the top. West Indies lost a lot of firepower when Carlos Brathwaite ran himself out in the 45th over but Powell persisted until the end, doing exactly what his team needed off him.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has been sacked due to “differences in culture and strategic approach”, the WICB has confirmed.Simmons, who moved into the role after the 2015 World Cup following a spell with Ireland, was informed about the termination of his contract on Tuesday by WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead shortly before the West Indies T20 squad was due to fly to the UAE to play Pakistan. The sacking came just six months after West Indies had won the World T20 in India.

Sammy’s reaction on Facebook

“If the blind leads the blind they are bound to fall in a pit,” former West Indies captain Darren Sammy said. He also called the WICB’s recent symposium of players and administrators in Florida a “publicity stunt”.
“So after the publicity stunt in Fort Lauderdale the first so call plan to move West Indies Cricket forward is to fire the coach just two days before a tour… just prove to me what I already knew. If the blind leads the blind they are bound to fall in a pit.”

For the Pakistan series, the WICB said the team would be under the supervision of former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, who is the team manager. He will work alongside the pair of assistant coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick.Despite the sudden nature of the announcement, the WICB said the decision to drop Simmons was taken at the board of directors meeting last weekend. The board confirmed the news of Simmons’ departure shortly after it was revealed by ESPNcricinfo.As for the reason behind the sacking, the WICB statement did not go into specifics. “In recent times, based on the public pronouncements of the coach and the approach internally, we have identified differences in culture and strategic approach. The WICB would therefore like to thank the coach for his contribution and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.”The lack of common ground between the parties had been clear for some time. Simmons’ journey as West Indies coach was never smooth once he made his thoughts public soon after not being allowed to pick what he felt was the best squad for the ODI series in Sri Lanka last year. Consequently the WICB suspended him before allowing him back to his role once both parties resolved to sort out matters amicably.In September last year, when the issue of selection reared its head again, Simmons had said: “The disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad and it’s disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life … [people would use] their position to get people into a squad; or in this case, get people left out of a squad. It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the selection of the ODI team.”His reinstatement, the WICB said, was “conditioned upon” two criteria: “issuance to him of a letter of reprimand for his inappropriate public comments”, and his “making a public apology to the WICB and persons whom he may have offended.”The recent home Test series against India finished in a 2-0 defeat and under Simmons, West Indies won only one of 14 Tests, though that win was enough to draw a series against England last year. They showed glimpses of promise against India but ultimately fell to two heavy defeats – three of the nine losses while Simmons was coach were by an innings, two more by nine wickets, and two by more than 150 runs.It was suggested that former West Indies captain and current Kent coach Jimmy Adams was the replacement the WICB wanted, but sources close to Adams told ESPNcricinfo he was not interested.In less than six months since West Indies won their second World T20 title, the WICB has parted ways with three influential members of the team management, with Simmons following the pair of former captain Darren Sammy and bowling consultant Curtly Ambrose.Immediately after the World T20, the WICB relieved Ambrose from his role, which caught him by surprise. Then ahead of the two T20Is against India in Florida, the new selection panel led by Courtney Browne decided to remove Sammy as captain and replace him with Carlos Brathwaite.

ScorecardLuke Fletcher was among the wickets as Gloucestershire folded•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire seized the initiative on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge.The unbeaten Division Two leaders reached 430 for 9 before declaring and then unleashing their potent attack upon the visitors.With Luke Fletcher taking 3 for 32, and England’s Stuart Broad bagging 3 for 40, Gloucestershire were skittled out for only 149 in just 44.1 overs.For the third match in a row Notts enforced the follow-on and reduced Gloucestershire to 37 for one in their second innings, still 244 runs behind.The morning had begun with Nottinghamshire resuming their first innings on 375 for 5 and the home county quickly sped to maximum batting points as Chris Read and Riki Wessels plundered 55 runs from the first 13 overs of the day.Read was dropped on 29 as Graeme van Buuren spilled a regulation offering at backward point as the Nottinghamshire skipper sliced Chris Liddle to backward point.Gloucestershire’s second bowling point was gifted to them as Wessels miscued Matt Taylor high to mid-off for 37. A decent short delivery from the same bowler then accounted for Read, who had made 36.The batsman had been hurried into taking evasive action but the ball brushed the bat face and carried through to the diving Phil Mustard.Craig Miles, who claimed 4 for 123, picked up his last wicket as an ugly swish from Brett Hutton ballooned straight up in the air for a regulation caught and bowled.Broad made just 5 and the declaration came moments after he’d sliced Kieran Noema-Barnett high to point.Gloucestershire’s hopes of a solid foundation were torn to shreds as Fletcher’s second delivery had Cameron Bancroft caught behind, giving Read his 900th first class catch for his county and an eventful first session was brought to a premature close as Broad bellowed a successful lbw appeal against Will Tavare.The first full over of the afternoon session brought the downfall of Chris Dent as the left-hander nicked Fletcher behind, for just a single.Bowling with good rhythm, despite the gusty conditions, Fletcher then reduced the visitors to 43 for four as he knocked over van Buuren’s middle and off stumps for 15.George Hankins also reached 15 before falling to Harry Gurney, with Read snaffling up his third catch of the innings.Phil Mustard, playing his 200th first class match, had a life on 17 when Wessels, at first slip, grassed an edge off Gurney.The Gloucestershire skipper advanced to 53 but then mistimed a pull off Broad and saw Fletcher take a fine diving catch at mid-on.Steven Mullaney enhanced his reputation as a partnership breaker by snaring two quick wickets. Noema-Barnett assisted the bowler by shouldering arms and losing his off stump for 14 and then Miles was caught behind for four.Chris Liddle was the last man to depart, slashing wildly at Broad and seeing the ball sail all the way into the hands of Cheteshwar Pujara at third man.Batting for a second time, in gloomy conditions with the floodlights burning brightly, Notts could afford to spill Dent on nought before Fletcher removed him for 2.The third stoppage of the day, at around 6.10pm, brought proceedings to a halt, with 15.3 overs still remaining.

It will take something incredibly special for Danni Wyatt to out-do her last innings in an England shirt – an astonishing 56-ball century against Australia at Canberra in November. But, she says, she’s got a secret weapon as England’s women prepare to take on India and Australia in a T20 tri-series later this month.”I’m using Virat Kohli’s bat now,” she says, grinning.The bat was a gift, given when the pair met at Derby during India’s tour of England in 2014. It was a somewhat awkward encounter. Earlier that year, having watched Kohli make 72 in the WT20 against South Africa, Wyatt had taken to Twitter with a now-infamous proposal: ‘Kholi [sic] marry me!'”Ten minutes later,” she recalls, “I picked my phone up and I’ve got 1000s of favourites and retweets, it’s all over Indian news, they’re emailing my dad at home.”When we met, he said to me: ‘You can’t do things like that on Twitter! They take things seriously!’ I was like, ‘okay. Sorry!'”Nonetheless, aware of what a big fan Wyatt was, Kohli handed over one of his own bats – Wyatt describes it as “a beast”. And now, for the first time, she is preparing to use it when she opens for England in this month’s T20 tri-series.”The bat I hit the century with broke not long ago,” she explains. “So now I’ll be using Virat’s.”That century, the first by an England women’s cricketer in T20s, was a stunning performance that enabled England to square the Ashes rubber at eight points all, even though Australia had confirmed they would hold onto the trophy following their victory in the second T20 two days earlier.Victory had seemed an unlikely prospect when England slumped to 30 for 3 in reply to Australia’s hefty 178 for 2. But Wyatt, promoted to the opening slot, responded with an onslaught of boundaries – 19 fours and a six – as England raced to victory with an over to spare.Virat Kohli celebrates his 35th ODI hundred•BCCI

For Wyatt, the hundred was the last thing on her mind that day. “I felt really ill,” she says. “I had a really bad cold, so I’d been training and going straight back to bed. I remember face-timing my Mum and Dad back home and I was like, ‘I’m so ill! But I’ve got to get up for tomorrow!'””On the day I didn’t even think about it – I just went out and batted. And everything just started going my way. I couldn’t really hit the ball cleanly until I was on about 30-odd, and then all the boundaries started flowing. And before we knew it, we only needed 10 to win.””Ellyse Perry came on, and I was like ‘please don’t bowl straight!’ because I was so nervous at that point. And then she bowled me a wide one outside off, and I don’t know what shot it was, I just stuck my bat out there and managed to get a bat on it!”England won the match, were triumphant in the T20 leg of the series, and drew the multi-format points series overall 8-8. While Australia retained the Ashes, the final scoreline provided an element of satisfaction for the England players: “It dampened the Aussie celebrations,” says Wyatt.Overall it was, truly, a coming-of-age series for a player who has oodles of talent but had somehow never managed to translate that onto the pitch when wearing an England shirt. Starting off batting at number 7 for England back in 2010, she has been moved up and down the order, as well as being dropped from the side on multiple occasions. In 70 T20 internationals prior to the women’s Ashes she averaged just 12.It was only last November that something seemed to click for her. In the first match of the Ashes T20 series she hit her first international half-century. Two matches later, she went one better and hit the hundred.What has changed? Like so many of the players, she attributes her recent success to coach Mark Robinson, as well as batting coach Ali Maiden. “To know that Mark and Ali believe in me helps me believe in myself,” she says. “I can go out there and smash it.”In my career I’d come in and been a pinch-hitter and got myself out, so it was also about being a little bit smarter.” One key technical change has been a focus on playing much straighter: “Before I had a tendency to fall across and then I’d get out bowled or lbw, so now I’m working more straight and hitting the sight screens – there’s no fielders there!”Another thing that seems to have changed is the hardening of Wyatt’s ambition. “Before, as long as I was playing, I wasn’t that bothered about where I was batting,” she says. “Maybe I should have been a bit more selfish.” Now, her aim in the tri-series is to help answer Robinson’s call for a solid opening partnership, ahead of the WWT20 in the Caribbean in November. “Now is my chance to nail down that opening spot.”She firmly believes that England, following on from their triumph at Lord’s last summer, can do the double and add the WWT20 trophy to their collection. But, having missed out on the 2017 World Cup final – she was 12th man – her personal ambition is also apparent: she wants to be the one opening for England in that final.Has she cracked it as a player now? “There’s always things to improve on,” she concedes, “but I’ve shown the world what I can do now. I’m ready to go out there and score another hundred.”England supporters will be hoping that Virat Kohli’s bat can do the trick.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

McGlashan: NZ batting beginning to look a little flaky

AB de Villiers had called on his batsmen to take responsibility for an innings and he showed the way in Wellington as South Africa surged to a crushing 159-run victory. De Villiers’ controlled 85, during which he became the fastest player to 9000 ODI runs, turned the tables after a middle-order slide, then the pace bowlers combined with unnerving accuracy to dismantle New Zealand for 112 in the 33rd over.

Another Latham duck

6 Number of lower scores at home for New Zealand than the 112 they made against South Africa. This was also New Zealand’s lowest score against South Africa in ODIs. The previous lowest was 134 at Newlands in 1994.
3 Ducks scored by Tom Latham in his last four innings. Latham has scored 13 runs in this period.
5 Consecutive fifties for Quinton de Kock in ODIs. He equaled the record for most consecutive fifties for South Africa joining Jonty Rhodes. The overall record for most consecutive fifties is held by Javed Miandad who made nine such scores in 1987.

On a slower-than-normal pitch that offered assistance for seamers, especially in the evening, South Africa’s 271 for 8 – bolstered by a seventh-wicket stand of 84 in 10.4 overs between de Villiers and Wayne Parnell – had the makings of a demanding chase and it soon proved that way.Kagiso Rabada, back in the side after missing Christchurch, set the tone with an exemplary new-ball spell. He was followed by Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius who removed the cream of New Zealand’s batting by nabbing Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the space of five deliveries. The pair bowled nine overs between them in their first spells, returning figures of 4 for 16, in the sort of seam-friendly conditions that could be on show in the Champions Trophy. Pretorius finished with 3 for 5 from 5.2 overs.New Zealand had entered this match buoyed by their batting performance at Hagley Oval, but this display will raise a few concerns as they fell in a heap in a manner not often seen. Tom Latham collected his third duck in four ODI innings and there was another failure for Neil Broom.They had made one change, replacing legspinner Ish Sodhi with the pace of Lockie Ferguson and may ponder if that was correct after he went for 71 in his 10 overs – the most expensive bowling performance of the day.Quinton de Kock, with his fifth 50-plus ODI score in a row, and Faf du Plessis led South Africa to 114 for 1 in the 23rd over but then followed a collapse of 5 for 66. Colin de Grandhomme gave New Zealand the control they strived for, claiming two wickets in four deliveries and bowling his 10 overs straight through, while Mitchell Santner produced another impressive performance of left-arm spin.De Grandhomme removed du Plessis who riffled a drive low to mid-off, then in what is becoming a habit on this tour, de Kock picked out the leg-side field having set himself for a century. He hung his head and could barely drag himself off.De Villiers was greeted by a hostile delivery from Ferguson which rammed into his gloves but quickly ticked off the five runs he needed to jump past Sourav Ganguly to top the 9000 list. However, senior batsmen came and went. JP Duminy, who had struggled for fluency, was run out by a direct hit from Tim Southee at backward point and David Miller chipped a low catch to midwicket which was upheld by the third umpire.AB de Villiers scored his 51st ODI half-century•AFP

In each of the three matches in this series, someone from the lower order has stepped forward for South Africa. It wasn’t Pretorius this time – he was bowled by Ferguson – but Parnell helped de Villiers stop New Zealand in their tracks.De Villiers had been above a run-a-ball early in his innings, but bided his time as he lost partners for the closing overs. Back-to-back boundaries off Ferguson, rasping shots through midwicket and cover, hustled him through the 40s and the half-century came from 59 deliveries. He went from 39 off 51 balls to 85 off 80; it was not one of de Villiers’ more explosive innings, but it was a masterclass in repairing damage, judging conditions and not overreaching.And his efforts were soon put into context. Latham middled a square drive but picked out point. Dean Brownlie then feathered to the keeper off Rabada who found considered seam movement and proceeded to work over Williamson.Williamson was dropped at slip on 4 by Hashim Amla off Parnell and alongside Taylor weathered the new balls for a period although scoring was always hard work and the pressure did not relent.Phehlukwayo had conceded just four runs into his third over when Williamson, trying to dab the ball to third man, played into his stumps and in the next over, Taylor fell across a full, straight delivery from Pretorius. He was not far off walking for the lbw decision. The stuffing had been knocked out of New Zealand’s innings and there was precious little else on offer. Broom’s poke outside off against Phehlukwayo was a poor shot and Pretorius’ miserly spell, as he nipped the ball around off the seam under the lights, also accounted for Mitchell Santner.New Zealand’s total was their lowest completed innings at home since being bowled out for 73 by Sri Lanka, in Auckland in 2007, and the result their heaviest runs defeat to South Africa.

The Marylebone Cricket Club has approved the decision to introduce honours boards for both men’s and women’s cricketers at Lord’s following England medium-pacer Anya Shrubsole’s match-winning six-for at the Women’s World Cup final. At the moment, the honours boards at the venue are earmarked only for five-wicket hauls and centuries in Tests.MCC’s chief executive, Derek Brewer, told the that the club is planning to add the new board to recognise the exemplary feats of cricketers in the 50-over format. “We are looking into an honours board in one-day cricket for everybody,” he said. “There are some practical issues we have to address first, such as where it will be situated and how long back in time we go, but it is certainly on our minds and an ODI honours board for both men and women would be the way forward.”Lord’s, which gave admittance to women as members only after 1999, hosted a sell-out crowd on Sunday as India’s dramatic collapse handed England their fourth World Cup title. Following the success of the widely watched final, Gerald Corbett, the club’s chairman, told that “Lord’s is changing”.”We are much more open than we were. As the game changes we have to be at the heart of all those changes, whether it is T20, one day or women’s cricket because we are the home of cricket.”

Shardul Thakur and Dinesh Karthik have made their way back into the ODI squad for the three matches against New Zealand starting October 22 in Mumbai. Shikhar Dhawan, who had sought leave for the Australia ODIs to be with his ill wife, also returned to the 15-man squad.KL Rahul, who was in the squad for the ODIs against Australia, was left out. India’s frontline spinners in Tests – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – were also not part of the squad which meant the spin trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel was retained. Jadeja had earlier been named a replacement for Axar, who had sprained his left ankle, for the first three ODIs against Australia but could not find a place in the XI given the performances of Kuldeep and Chahal, before Axar returned for the last two ODIs.In the pace department, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami were left out from the squad after both of them played only the fourth ODI against Australia in Bengaluru. While Umesh picked four wickets for 71, Shami went wicketless and conceded at more than six runs per over as Australia amassed 334 runs. Their omission means Thakur joins Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among the quicks.Karthik’s selection, according to a BCCI official, was a reward for his consistent performances lately. In his most recent international games – a T20I and an ODI against West Indies in July – he scored 48 and 50* respectively. Karthik also finished with the second-highest aggregate in the Duleep Trophy behind Priyank Panchal, with 291 runs at an average of 72.75, including two centuries. Karthik is currently a part of the Tamil Nadu side that is playing Tripura in the Ranji Trophy.With Rishabh Pant not among the runs recently – he had an underwhelming series with the India A team in South Africa and didn’t exactly set the stage ablaze in the Duleep Trophy – Karthik has jumped ahead of him in the queue. In fact, Karthik, who plays as a specialist middle-order batsman for India in limited-overs cricket, was also preferred to Rahul, who didn’t get a game against Australia after a poor tour of Sri Lanka.”Karthik’s inclusion is a reward for the runs he has been scoring,” the official told ESPNcricinfo. “There is no particular reason [behind Rahul’s omission] because Ajinkya [Rahane] has done well as an opener. He (Rahul) will play Board President’s XI or the Ranji Trophy. What’s the point in him just being in the squad and not playing? We will see how it goes [as far as his batting position is concerned]. Because, as of now, this is the best combination.”We are trying to rotate everybody. We are open to different combinations and options. DK instead of Rahul in the middle order is also a part of the process.”The official also said Pant would be better equipped to succeed once he found some form with the bat. “When somebody comes into the team, if he comes with a lot of runs, he will come with better confidence and will have a better chance of doing well,” he said.Thakur’s selection, too, appears to be a part of the selectors’ rotation policy. After having been a part of the India squad on a few occasions, Thakur made his international debut during the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August. While he picked up only one wicket from two games, he bowled well for the most part and didn’t do much wrong. Thakur also picked up six wickets from the two four-day matches he played against New Zealand A and finished with two wickets in the 50-overs leg.Meanwhile, an ODI call-up continues to elude Shreyas Iyer despite his impressive run of form. While he racked up scores of 140*, 90 and 37 in his most recent List A games against South Africa A and New Zealand A, he has also scored two fifties and a century in his last four first-class innings against the same opponents. With several middle-order contenders like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Karthik, Iyer might have to wait a little longer.Squad Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur.

Angelo Mathews will be out of action for at least two weeks with the hamstring strain he sustained on Friday – another chapter in his long-standing woes with leg injuries.Mathews pulled up injured as he ran in to deliver the third ball of his third over in the T20 in Indore. He left the field without completing that over, and did not return to bat. Sri Lanka’s team management has since confirmed the presence of a grade one strain – an injury that will not only rule him out of the third T20 against India on Sunday, but will also put him in doubt for the start of the forthcoming Bangladesh tour. The official word is that Mathews may be fit again in two weeks, but his recoveries have often taken longer than expected.Though it is calf injuries that have given Mathews most grief over the past 18 months, hamstrings have also been problematic throughout his career. Since the middle of 2015, he has missed a full tour of Zimbabwe, come home early from a tour of South Africa, missed Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka, and missed a full tour of the UAE – all because of various leg injuries.The team management had already decided not to deploy Mathews’ bowling in Tests, in order to minimise risk of further complaints, but this latest injury also raises doubts over whether his body can sustain even a limited-overs workload.There is also the issue of his batting form. The stuttered nature of his international involvement over the past two years has coincided with a long lean stretch. He had just begun to produce runs again when this injury was sustained.*This article had originally said Mathews had sustained a tear in his hamstring. However, he has merely strained it – a less serious injury.