All posts by csb10.top

Fifties from Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, and a finishing kick from Jitesh Sharma took Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB) to 221 as they looked for their first win at Wankhede Stadium in 10 years. However, Mumbai Indians would be optimistic as the pitch was an absolute batting beauty with the small Wankhede boundaries to boot. Kohli, though, said that the pitch was not as straightforward as they made it look.Coming off 29 balls, this was Kohli’s fastest T20 fifty since 2019, and his first sub-30-ball fifty in the IPL since 2018. Kohli’s aggressive intent allowed Patidar to get a look at his first 10 balls but then he went from 8 off 10 to 64 off 32. Jitesh ended up with an unbeaten 40 off 19 to make sure RCB didn’t lose momentum in the end.Jasprit Bumrah made a successful return to competitive cricket with analysis of 4-0-29-0 even as others around him went for a plenty. Notable was Trent Boult’s most expensive analysis in the IPL: 4-0-57-2. He did get a first-over wicket for the 31st time, but that failed to dent RCB’s intent.Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal took 73 in the powerplay but left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur took Padikkal out for 37 off 22. A crucial spell of play was Hardik Pandya’s wide lines that not only defended the leg-side boundary but also resulted in the wickets of Kohli and Liam Livingstone. However, Patidar got the better of his counterpart with ramps, shots across the line and straight hits. He scored 33 off 12 Hardik deliveries; his other 12 balls went for 12 and brought two wickets.While the batters took apart Boult at the death, but this is when Bumrah bowled the 18th and the 20th over for six and eight runs to keep RCB from getting completely out of MI’s reach.

Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann said he had “never doubted” his bowling action despite being reported following the Test series in Sri Lanka; he was cleared following ICC testing on Wednesday.The outcome of the testing process was confirmed and Kuhnemann was given the green light to continue bowling in international cricket. Commenting for the first time since the Test series where he took 16 wickets in two matches, Kuhnemann thanked those who had supported him and added he felt the process had been fairly handled.”I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and team-mates, and to Cricket Australia who stood by me throughout the process,” he said in a statement issued through Cricket Australia. “It was a disappointing way to finish what was such a successful Test series for Australia. I’ve never doubted my bowling action throughout my career and I’m always looking to improve the art of spin bowling in different conditions.Related

• Morris set for rare back-to-back Shield games as WA press for another final

• Australia emerge from Test season with flying colours and new options

• 'It will always be there' – Botha warns Kuhnemann after suspect action report

• Kuhnemann cleared of suspect bowling action by ICC

“I thought the process itself was quite fair and I appreciated the professional manner in which testing was explained to me and then conducted.”Kuhnemann, who had never previously had his action questioned in a career dating back to 2017, could have continued to play domestic cricket while the testing process took place but sat out the previous round of the Sheffield Shield to manage the thumb injury he bowled with through the Sri Lanka series. But he suggested he could return before the end of the season with two rounds of the Shield remaining.”I’m looking forward to finishing the season with Tasmania once my thumb has fully healed and then getting into my off-field preparations,” he said.Kuhnemann is a likely inclusion for the three-match Test series in the West Indies in June-July where conditions at some of the venues may be conducive to two spinners, and he shapes as a key figure for Australia’s next subcontinent Test series, against India in early 2027.Matt Kuhnemann is still recovering from the thumb injury he carried through Sri Lanka•AFP via Getty Images

“We are pleased for Matt that this matter is now resolved,” Ben Oliver, CA executive general manager national teams, said. “It has been a challenging period for Matt, however he has carried himself exceptionally well.”He has had the full support of Australian cricket and he can now move forward to the next phase of his international career with great confidence.”During the series in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann was termed Australia’s best bowler by Nathan Lyon, while stand-in captain Steven Smith had voiced his surprise at Kuhnemann having been reported.India spinner R Ashwin has previously spoken about how Kuhnemann’s wrist action when he delivers can create an optical illusion about the action.”An interesting feature of his action is his loading,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel during Kuhnemann’s debut Test series against India in 2023. “For Kuhnemann, his wrist breaks during his loading. So sometimes it will look like there is an elbow extension. There is nothing like that in his action. But there is wrist involvement, for sure.”

Matthew Kuhnemann says his surgically repaired right thumb is almost pain-free after bowling, batting and fielding in Brisbane on Thursday. He now awaits official clearance to fly to Sri Lanka to join Australia’s Test squad just a week after suffering a compound dislocation and fracture while playing in the BBL.The left-arm orthodox spinner is a key part of Australia’s plans for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, with both Tests in Galle, but his tour looked in severe jeopardy when he was struck on the thumb during Brisbane Heat’s five-wicket loss to Hobart Hurricanes last Thursday.Kuhnemann, 28, was driven to the hospital that night by Heat team-mate Daniel Drew where he had the dislocation put back into place before having surgery the following morning to put a pin in the fracture.Related

• Smith feared significant elbow injury after outfield throw

• 'It doesn't look great': Kuhnemann's Sri Lanka tour in jeopardy after thumb injury

• Smith's assist in Connolly's selection, ten years on from childhood photo

Kuhnemann’s recovery, though, has been rapid and he is hopeful he can fly to Sri Lanka after bowling eight overs at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Thursday. Kuhnemann also batted, facing throw downs from Heat and Queensland bowling coach Andy Bichel. He also took a few catches during the session that was overseen by Heat’s team physio Adam Smith.Speaking to reporters, Kuhnemann said he was feeling good but needed to consult Australia’s medical staff in Dubai via a conference call on Thursday evening, where the squad are holding a pre-tour training camp, before being cleared to join them when they fly to Sri Lanka in the next few days.”Nothing’s official yet,” Kuhnemann said. “I think it was more about just ticking off the boxes each day this week, and so far it’s gone to plan. I’m hoping so, but nothing’s come out yet. I’ll probably speak to the medical team this afternoon. My bowling, batting and fielding has gone excellent so far. So I’ll just relay that message. There’s a bit of a time zone difference and hopefully, I can get on the plane over there.”I’m feeling really good, really grateful with how it sort of progressed in the last week. It’s healed really well, and the surgery went excellent. Very fortunate and lucky so far that I’m sort of in a position to be able to bowl and bat and catch a few balls. Everything’s gone to plan so far. There’s not much pain at all any more, and no pain bowling and batting.”Kuhnemann has had a plastic thumb splint made to protect his right thumb and can wear it in games without needing to remove it as it is on his non-bowling hand. He has worn a similar splint in the past having previously broken the same thumb. He is confident that if a ball is hit back at him with power again, his thumb will withstand any blow.Matt Kuhnemann could yet feature in the Sri Lanka Tests•BCCI

“This is a conversation I had with the surgeons and doctors and it’s really stable now,” Kuhnemann said. “It’s probably more stable than it was beforehand. I’ve broken that thumb before and now I’ve got surgery on it, it’s probably in a better state.”I’ve played cricket with splints on and I’m very confident, it doesn’t affect my bowling or batting and fielding. If anything, I’m probably more confident in the field, because you’ve got something on your finger.”He said he would have no fear if a ball came at him in the field. “No, not at all,” Kuhnemann said. “That’s cricket in general. Balls have been hit back at me a lot harder, and I’ve been fine. So this is one of those freak incidents that it’s hit probably the exact spot it had to for it to cause some damage. I’ve already caught some balls. Andy Bichel’s already thrown some balls back at me straight away, so there’s no problem with that.”Kuhnemann was a very strong chance of playing in the first Test in Galle prior to the injury. He played three Tests in India in 2023 as part of a three-man spin attack alongside offspinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy. But the selectors have been clear in their desire to have a left-arm orthodox in the attack to complement Lyon, which meant Kuhnemann was in line to play if only two spinners were selected in the XI.Even if he is cleared to join the squad, a decision will still need to be made about his fitness to play. “I think everyone will have a bit of a say,” Kuhnemann said. “I think it’d be a good discussion.”I’ll just be honest with them, I think. So far, it’s tracking really well, so I’m confident. But there’s obviously protocols you’ve got to go through.”

India took a massive step towards leaving Brisbane with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy still level, as their last-wicket pair put on a rousing, unbroken 39 to steer their team past the follow-on mark. With only one day’s play remaining, Australia’s chances of winning this third Test have taken a big hit, particularly as they contend with the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out of this Test match and possibly the rest of the series with a calf strain.In Hazlewood’s absence, his two great fast-bowling buddies took on a massive workload, sending down 60% of the 74.5 overs of India’s innings, with Pat Cummins picking up four wickets and Mitchell Starc three.Related

• Australia ahead in the Test, but India win the contest within the contest

• Hazlewood likely to miss rest of India series with calf strain

Their efforts, however, couldn’t stop India from getting past the magic figure of 246. KL Rahul survived a dropped chance off the first ball of the day – a portent of Australia’s fortunes – and went on to score 84, and Ravindra Jadeja contributed 77 brilliantly controlled runs, taking full toll of facing a depleted attack using an old ball on a predominantly new-ball pitch. When Cummins dismissed Jadeja with a well-directed short ball, however, India were still 33 short of making Australia bat again.It was then that Akash Deep joined Jasprit Bumrah, in a partnership of extraordinary assurance – Bumrah ended the day with a control percentage of 86 and Akash 90 – that reflected Australia’s straitened circumstances. It also reflected the duo’s skill and resilience with the bat. Bumrah hooked Cummins for six on his way to 10 off 27 balls, while Akash hit two fours and a six to finish on 27 off 31.It was Akash who moved India past the follow-on mark, slashing Cummins over a leaping gully fielder. Two balls later, he cleared his front leg and launched him for a massive six over wide long-on. That was the last scoring shot of the day with the umpires calling the players off the field for bad light after one more ball.It was another stop-start day at the Gabba, though not to the extent that it was on day three, and if it helped Australia’s depleted attack stave off exhaustion, it also ate away more time from the match. Only 57.5 overs were possible through the day.Pat Cummins ended the day with four wickets to his name•AFP/Getty Images

By the end of it, Australia were left ruing events at its very beginning. Cummins got the first ball of the day to rear at Rahul in the corridor, and he fended it straight to Steven Smith at second slip. Smith is one of the world’s great slip fielders – he went on to demonstrate this later in the day – but this time the ball simply bounced off the heels of his hands.Cummins struck soon after, removing Rohit Sharma with a terrific one-two. First, he zipped a short ball past his ribcage, not allowing him to connect with a pull. Then he shifted the ball full and outside off stump. Rohit didn’t get far enough forward to play this ball safely – and with his front shoulder too open – and ended up edging his attempted drive to the keeper.India were 74 for 4 at this stage, and had only faced 23.3 overs. Jadeja’s entry, however, calmed them down, and he settled into an innings where his control percentage hovered in the mid-90s throughout. It helped that Hazlewood went off the field soon after Jadeja walked in, after bowling just one over, and it helped that the ball stopped seaming and bouncing quite as awkwardly as it had done when it was new, but Jadeja batted with an organised gameplan that ensured he made the best of his circumstances.His wagon wheel against the fast bowlers gave a clear idea of it: plenty of checked drives down the ground with a vertical bat and a full face, plenty of flicks off his legs, but hardly anything through the covers with an angled bat. He also faced a lot of bowling from Lyon, so often his nemesis back home, but where Jadeja’s method of defending with bat and pad close together makes him an lbw candidate on Indian pitches, it was far less of an issue on this bouncy Gabba surface. He also brought out the sweep, a shot he isn’t known for, and picked up two fours and three singles with it.Steven Smith’s catch to send KL Rahul back was arguably the moment of the day•AFP/Getty Images

With Rahul looking increasingly solid at the other end and putting away a number of sweet off-side drives, India began to carve chunks out of their deficit. Then Smith made up spectacularly for his earlier error, stepping to his right in anticipation as Rahul shaped for the back-cut off Lyon, and dived to his right to grab the thick edge one-handed. Jadeja and Rahul had put on 67.It brought together India’s allrounders with 105 still needed to avoid the follow-on. The selection of both Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy may have left India’s bowling lacking depth, and may have contributed to their concession of 445. Now, though, it gave them the batting to try and save this Test match. Reddy continued his impressive showing in this series, this time when he was asked not to counterattack but bat normally and show the defensive side of his game. The seventh-wicket pair put on 53, before Cummins struck with a nearly 60-over-old ball, getting his Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate Reddy to inside-edge onto his stumps.India now needed 55 with three wickets remaining, and it soon became 33 with one wicket remaining as Starc and Cummins, running on fumes, took out Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja, the latter bounced out cleverly while trying to farm the strike. Australia were nearly there, but, as Bumrah and Akash Deep proved, not quite.

West Indies levelled the T20I series in style, with captain Hayley Matthews at the forefront of a robust batting performance in a nine-wicket thrashing. Matthews hit an unbeaten 85, courtesy 17 fours, just four less than India’s 21, to help West Indies break a sequence of nine straight T20I losses to India.Matthews’ brilliance helped cover for a shoddy fielding display in which Qiana Joseph, who also fuelled the chase with 38, put down India’s stand-in captain Smriti Mandhanaonce, one of three lives she got on the night. However, India’s 159 for 9, in the face of dew and some serious batting muscle in the opposition, was never going to be enough.

Chetry, debutant Bist fall cheaply

India’s inexperienced top order left them wobbling. Deandra Dottin castled Uma Chetry with an in-ducker for 4. Afy Fletcher, who went for 39 in her four overs two nights ago, had debutant Raghvi Bist lbw for 5. In between these two strikes, Jemimah Rodrigues fell attempting to get inside the line and paddle. At 48 for 3 in the ninth over, West Indies had India on the ropes.Smriti Mandhana was dropped thrice before she completed her fifty•BCCI

Dropped catches let Mandhana off the hook

India received a massive fillip thanks to some West Indian generosity; they dropped Mandhana three times – twice by Chinelle Henry – between overs 11 to 14. Mandhana would soon run out of luck, though, in the 14th over, but not before raising a second straight half-century, off 37 balls. Between those dropped catches, India hit six fours and a six in a two-over period that fetched 36, going from 72 for 3 in 12 overs to 108 for 4 in 14.

Dottin brilliance helps West Indies pull things back

If overs 12 to 14 produced boundaries, the next two applied the skids as West Indies removed Deepti and S Sajana. But Richa Ghosh cut, pulled and flat-batted the spinners to race to 32 off 16. Just as she raised hopes of a sparkling half-century, she was sent back by a flying Shemaine Campbelle behind the stumps, caught as she attempted to scythe Dottin’s yorker.Then, in the final over, Dottin showed off her athleticism in running at least 20 yards around the long-on fence to pull off a stunning catch on the move to dismiss Radha Yadav.Hayley Matthews got to a fifty off 31 balls•BCCI

Joseph sets it up

Joseph made up for her fielding lapses by laying into rookie Titas Sadhu to kickstart the chase. Her fast hands and clean slogging brought her three fours and a six in an 18-run second over. Renuka Singh then came in for punishment as Joseph muscled a monstrous six in a 14-run over. The openers brought up a half-century opening stand inside five overs. Saima Thakor picked up her first T20I wicket when she deceived Joseph with a back-of-the-hand slower ball in the seventh over, but by then the base had been laid with a 66-run stand.

Matthews finishes it in style

That was to be India’s only moment of comfort on the field as Matthews quickly took charge to raise a 31-ball half-century in an over when she despatched left-armer Radha Yadav for four back-to-back fours. India managed 21 fours and a six in their entire innings. West Indies had matched that boundary count by the 13th over itself to make it one-way traffic. The series couldn’t have been levelled with a more emphatic chase.

Marcus Harris added 52 to his first-innings century to continue to build his case for a Test match recall but both sides bemoaned a lifeless Junction Oval surface as Victoria and Tasmania dawdled to a draw on day four in Melbourne.Harris made 52 off 70 balls in the second innings, after scoring 143 in the first, as Victoria cruised to 120 for 2 off 52 overs in their second innings on the fourth day after Tasmania had declared overnight with a 99-run lead. But given the surface had so little life in it, there was no prospect of Tasmania taking 10 wickets with time left to chase a target and the captains agreed to call the game off just before tea on the final day.Related

• Harris and Handscomb make statements with twin hundreds

• Timely centuries from Webster and Hope give Tasmania the lead

Harris played with similar fluency to his first innings, striking eight boundaries in his 52 before nicking a very full delivery from Kieran Elliott to potentially cost himself a chance at twin hundreds in the match.Ash Chandrasinghe was challenged by left-arm orthodox of Matt Kuhnemann, who tried to extract something from the footmarks outside the left-hander’s off stump. Chandrasinghe made 44 from 128 before Kuhnemann finally got one to bite from the dust to bowl him through the gate.Campbell Kellaway and Peter Handscomb blunted the bowling thereafter to thwart any chance of a collapse. Jordan Silk even tried himself for an over before the game was called off.Despite the flat nature of the pitch, player of the match Harris was pleased with his return. He had a brief conversation with Australia selector Tony Dodemaide on the ground after the match and revealed he looks set to play for Australia A against India A in a few weeks time.”He asked if I wanted to bat six and bowl seam up in the Test side,” Harris joked. “He was just talking about the Aussie A stuff. I think that’ll come out the next few days.”Australia A play two four-day matches against India A in Mackay and Melbourne before the Test season. Cameron Green’s likely absence from the XI opens the door for Harris to win a place in the side through performance, especially if Steven Smith moves back to No. 4 as expected.”It probably wouldn’t hurt if you made runs in it,” Harris said. “I’ve been in the situation a few times now where I’ve played those games. It’s not like it’s going to be the first time I’ve ever played for Australia A before a Test series. There’s obviously always a bit of attention around those games. Pressure wise, I’m not going to be trying to put the same pressure on myself as I had before. It will just be a great opportunity.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers and Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan were left frustrated that a result was not possible. Silk and Handscomb had held discussions on the third day about trying to manufacture a result but could not find common ground, which both coaches stated was understandable given it was the first game of the season.There was no blame placed on the curator at the Junction Oval given the weather in the lead-in, but Rogers did not sugarcoat the result.”That’s not great for cricket and anyone involved,” he said. “We have a bit of a history here early on in the season of just having wickets that we we try different things, but we can’t seem to get anything out of it. So it’s frustrating.”Vaughan did not have an answer as to how to avoid these early season results, particularly in the two most southern states of Victoria and Tasmania.”I’ll feel for curators in that regards, because it is darn hard at this time of year to get high-quality result wickets,” Vaughan said.

The South East Stars are through to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final, after a thrilling fightback against the Southern Vipers in their semi-final at Beckenham.The Vipers had posted 220 for 9 from their 50 overs, Nancy Harman their top scorer with 38 and Tilly Corteen-Coleman taking 3 for 33 and the Stars looked dead and buried at 131 for 7 until a partnership of 90 from 86 balls between Alice Davidson-Richards and Kalea Moore turned the contest on its head.There were seven balls remaining when Davidson-Richards hit Alice Monagan for a single to send the Stars through to the final. Davidson-Richards, who was dropped on 31, finished on 90, while Moore was unbeaten on 52 and the Stars will now face the Sunrisers in Saturday’s final at Grace Road.The Vipers won the toss and chose to bat but lost Ella McCaughan in the third over for 2, caught behind off Corteen-Coleman.Rhianna Southby made a quickfire 20, but she swatted a bouncer from Alexa Stonehouse to Emma Jones and visibly remonstrated with the umpires before heading back to the pavilion.Phoebe Franklin then produced a superb forward diving catch at midwicket to get Naomi Dattani off Stonehouse for 9.Danni Gregory got Georgia Elwiss for 34 with a rank ball she pulled straight to Jones and Emily Windsor then tried to cut Gregory and was bowled for 30.Abi Norgrove was bowled by Kalea Moore for 25 before Nancy Harman and Alice Monaghan put on a useful 48 for the seventh wicket, although there was confusion at the end of the 36th over when the former hit a four and retained the strike. A single was also missed and as the scorers and analysts tried to work out what happened, Corteen-Coleman had Monaghan caught on the long-on boundary by Davidson-Richards for 26.The same duo removed Harman, this time as Davidson-Richards sprinted round the boundary, before Freya Davies was run out by Franklin off the last ball of the innings for 7, leaving Ava Lee unbeaten on 14.At the halfway point the Stars looked favourites but they lost Stonehouse for 10 when she skied Davies and Dattani took a steepling catch and Franklin then top-edged Davies and was snared by Lee for 7.Elwiss then took two wickets in as many balls when she sent Chloe Hill’s off stump flying then bowled Kira Chathli, leaving Aylish Cranstone to block out the hat-trick ball.The pivotal moment came when Davidson-Richards offered the simplest of caught-and-bowled chances to Lee and she was punching the air in anger when Lee somehow dropped her.When Cranstone was caught and bowled in the next over from the Beckenham End, by Rebecca Tyson for 27, the Stars were in trouble on 94 for 5 and things looked bleaker still for the hosts when Emma Jones drove Dattani to cover and was caught by Elwiss for 7.Priyanaz Chatterji was on 9 when Elwiss couldn’t cling on to a difficult return catch off her own bowling, but she couldn’t cash in as she drove Elwiss to Windsor having only added a single.Moore, however, re-injected some belief into the chase and kept the Stars ticking over at a run a ball until 18 were needed from the last three.Dattani bowled the 48th and it went for 14, effectively ending the contest and leaving Davidson-Richardson to hit the winning single.

A career-best 6 for 35 by Fi Morris for Lancashire Thunder was countered by a List A best for The Blaze of 4 for 23 by Grace Ballinger as the visitors ran out winners by 24 runs at Sale to keep their hopes alive in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Defeat for Thunder ends their hopes of making the knockout stages of the competition.In a low-scoring contest, The Blaze – having started well – were pegged back to 197 all out at the hands of Morris once the spinner was introduced into the Thunder attack in the 30th over.By contrast Ballinger did significant early damage by taking the first four Thunder wickets but the rest of The Blaze attack combined to bowl Thunder out for 173 in the 46th over despite a hard hitting unbeaten 53 by Tara Norris to clinch a vital victory.The Blaze made a good start after being put in to bat with Sarah Bryce and Michaela Kirk laying a good foundation of 66 runs off 87 balls. But both openers fell in quick succession. Sarah Bryce was caught at mid-off for 34 trying to hit Darcey Carter, making her Thunder debut, over the top with Kirk bowled for 29 by Hannah Jones’ second delivery.And The Blaze were pegged back further when Marie Kelly edged behind for 7 off the first ball of Phoebe Graham’s second spell to leave the visitors 101 for 3 in the 24th over.Kathryn Bryce and Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast rallied with a 34-run alliance off 45 balls before the introduction of Morris transformed the innings as wickets tumbled.The Thunder off-spinner struck with a 17-ball sequence of 3 for 6 that began with her fourth delivery that Kathryn Bryce cut to Norris at gully for 31.Having made an attractive 29 off 34 balls, Prendergast fell lbw sweeping at Morris, as did Lucy Higham for 4.Hannah Jones returned to take her competition-leading 22nd wicket when Kirstie Gordon drove to Eve Jones at extra cover for 4 before Morris ran through the rest of The Blaze line-up in spectacular style bowling Ella Claridge for 6, having Grace Ballinger lbw for 6 and Cassidy McCarthy caught for 8 with The Blaze losing their last seven wickets for 62 runs.It was Ballinger who did the early damage with an impressive spell of left-arm swing that returned figures of 4 for 13 to destroy the Thunder top order, having Eve Jones caught at mid-off for 0, Alice Clarke caught at cover for 8 followed by Morris (10) and Dani Collins (0) bowled in the space of three deliveries.But having completed seven overs Ballinger limped off injured to be replaced by Prendergast who struck immediately with her sixth delivery which Seren Smale cut savagely but straight to Kirk at point for 13 with the Thunder innings in disarray at 41 for 5 after 15 overs.Ellie Threlkeld pulled a short ball from Prendergast to Higham at deep backward square for 10, Carter was bowled by McCarthy for 11 before Grace Johnson holed out to Kirk off Groves for 27 as Thunder continued to struggle.Ballinger returned in time to see Groves trap Graham lbw for 5 but a defiant last-wicket partnership of 50 – the highest of the Thunder innings – between Norris, who hit three sixes in a List A career-best 53 not out off 56 balls, and Hannah Jones, who finally fell to Kathryn Bryce for 17, held up The Blaze who eventually wrapped up victory with 26 balls to spare.

James Vince completed his fourth Vitality County Championship double-century before Hampshire’s bowlers cemented the host’s advantage on day two.Hampshire captain Vince showcased the very best of his aesthetically pleasing batting to go from 149 overnight to 211. He was able to declare on 505 for 8, following attacking duo James Fuller’s 41 and Keith Barker’s 43, before Barker, Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott chipped away with wickets.Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning bagged contrasting fifties for the visitors but they ended the day still 299 runs behind on 206 for 6.Vince had turned the shape of day one with a mesmerising century, and came out for a swaggering encore. He reached 150 with the third ball of the day via the first of eight cover drives, each caressing the middle of the bat and whistling to the boundary.It was the kind of Vince innings which had it taken place a decade ago would have created a clamour for an England call-up. But despite 1000 runs last season and back-to-back hundreds, his Test days appear behind him.Ben Brown took his partnership with Vince to 259 – Hampshire’s all-time best against Kent for the fourth wicket – before inside edging onto his pads to loop to second slip, before Liam Dawson was bowled by Joey Evison.Despite Vince’s prowess, this was the first time since 2018 that he had scored two Championship centuries in a season, and he continued to smash the ball around Utilita Bowl. His 200 came up in 262 balls, with only Phil Mead, Gordon Greenidge and Jimmy Adams scoring more doubles for Hampshire.Vince was only quelled on 211 when the tireless Grant Stewart found a trampoline on a length to take the shoulder of the bat through to second slip.James Fuller and Keith Barker took on Vince’s mantel and further upped the run-rate with some aggressive batting either side of lunch. The pair put on an entertaining 69 with both crashing scores in the 40s to keep Kent’s bowlers in the dirt. Both were bowled before Vince called Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott in after an unbroken 35 partnership to declare on 508 for 8.Feroze Khushi, on loan from Essex, was eye-catching in reply. Whether it was the shot a ball, having the ball thrown at him by Mohammad Abbas – who was docked five penalty runs – or insisting that a ball hadn’t carried to third slip.The piece de resistance was a see-it-to-believe-it whipped six over square leg on his way to a 38-ball fifty.But wickets kept falling. Ben Compton was leg before in the third over to Barker while Abbas ended his first four overs having gone for 31 but hit back with a snorter to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind in a wicket maiden.Khushi fell over a full Barker delivery, Evison edged Abbas behind before Barker picked up his third when Tawanda Muyeye dangled to Ben Brown. But throughout, Leaning bedded in and found little problem to slowly take his side away from a complete collapse. His fifty coming in 89 balls and ended the day unbeaten on 73.Harry Finch was sharply caught and bowled by Abbott off the final delivery of the day with Kent miles from avoiding the follow-on.

Joe Root begins a ninth stint at the top of the Test batters’ rankings beckons with the England batter leapfrogging Kane Williamson to the top of the ICC rankings. Root rose to the summit with his match-winning 87 in the first innings of the Birmingham Test against West Indies. He was the only one of the top six to score more than 20, although England did rake in the runs down the order with Jamie Smith almost scoring a century. The rookie wicketkeeper-batter was also among the big movers in the rankings, going up 31 places to No. 64.Root’s rise is the most significant of the latest update and he ticked off an arguably bigger landmark during the Test itself when he went past Brian Lara’s Test match tally of 11,953 to become the seventh highest run-getter in the format’s history. At 12,207, Root has the most runs among active Test cricketers with Steven Smith (9685) and Virat Kohli (8848) behind him. His first time at the top of the Test batting rankings was August 2015 and he was last there in June 2023, after a fine performance in the opening match of the Ashes series.England fast bowler Mark Wood’s Player-of-the-Match performance of 7 for 92 lifted him into the top 20 of the bowling rankings for the first time in his career.In the men’s T20I Rankings, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is back at No. 4 after aggregating 80 runs at a strike rate of 178 in the three-match series against Sri Lanka which his side won 3-0.Shubman Gill moved up 16 places to a career-best 21st position. The series two highest scorers, the Sri Lankan pair of Pathum Nissanka (up 11 places to 15th) and Kusal Perera (up 40 places to joint-63rd) are the others to move up the batting rankings. India legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who has been ranked No. 1 T20I bowler in the past, is back in the top 10.For the latest ICC player rankings, across formats, click here. For team rankings, click here.