The team that plays spin the best will win the women's World Cup: McMillan
'We've brought ten players over with the focus being on playing spin bowling, because that's going to be a major emphasis during the World Cup. It's an opportunity to try and upskill the girls as quickly as we can,' he said at the CSK HPC ground on Saturday.
Five of the ten players - Brooke Halliday, Jess Kerr, Georgia Plimmer, Maddy Green, and Isabella Gaze - played against India in the three-match ODI series in Ahmedabad in October.
On New Zealand's chances of winning the World Cup, he said: 'It's going to be a tough World Cup. There are a number of good teams. India, obviously, will go in as favourites with the team they have and their performance in England recently. The team that plays spin the best is probably going to be the team that goes on to win the World Cup. It's going to be a big factor.'
Speaking about Shubman Gill's captaincy in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendlukar Trophy, he said: 'To me, he looks like he's gonna be a good captain. He will get better with experience. And he's the future. So, India will invest in him.
'He will get to know his team's game, which I think is really important - the style of play. How does India want to play? Under Virat Kohli, everyone knew how India played. They were aggressive. They were at the opposition. That might be a little bit different because of his personality for Gill. But he's got to work that out for himself with the coach and decide what sort of style India wants to play.'
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Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
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Wallabies stun Springboks at Ellis Park from 22-0 down in Rugby Championship
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Australia toppled South Africa at Ellis Park for the first time in 62 years with a sensational 38-22 comeback win from 22-0 down in the Rugby Championship opener on Saturday. HT Image The Wallabies scored a remarkable six straight tries against the double world champion and Rugby Championship titleholder to earn one of their greatest wins in the professional era. Australia came to the highveld battle-hardened from the narrow home series loss to the British and Irish Lions, but its record in South Africa made it an obvious underdog. It hadn't won in South Africa since 2011 or at Ellis Park since 1963. The Springboks underlined their credentials by sprinting to 22-0 in 17 minutes with three well-made tries. But they never scored again. Australia didn't panic, absorbed the blows, tightened its defense and watched a Springboks side packed with 18 World Cup winners surprisingly wobble as the pressure was returned. The Wallabies, down 22-5 at halftime, didn't go ahead until the 64th minute through captain Harry Wilson's second try and last act of the match. They added two more tries to finish the stronger team at an altitude in which they have traditionally struggled for decades. This was only their second ever win over the Boks at their spiritual home in 92 years. 'At 22-0 down, there was real courage again from the players,' Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt told broadcaster SuperSport. "We were forced to take a few risks and there were a few lucky bounces for us, so we are not going to get too carried away. 'At the same time I am incredibly proud of the group. I am realistic about getting a little bit of luck, but delighted we came back. Nineteen-sixty-three was a long time ago so the players are delighted.' Following the heaviest defeat by the Springboks since Rassie Erasmus took charge in 2018, the coach admitted he was embarrassed to go to the press conference. "We were really awful,' he said. "They beat us in most departments. We didn't scrum them, they beat us in the lineouts, and they bullied us at the breakdown after Siya Kolisi went off and Marco van Staden had to go off for an HIA. "Tactically, we totally overplayed every time we thought something was on. I don't think they tactically outsmarted us but they physically dominated us, and the interesting thing is that the longer the game went on they were supposed to struggle but it just shows what Joe Schmidt is building there.' Wilson opened the second half scoring a soft try from replacement prop Angus Bell's pass into a gap 25 meters out. Len Ikitau limped off and Australia patched the midfield with Andrew Kellaway, and put flyhalf backup Tane Edmed on the wing for the injured Dylan Pietsch. Australia blew two consecutive attacking lineouts to narrow the 22-12 gap, and managed it only when rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i intercepted flyhalf Manie Libbok from 55 meters out for his first test try. They finally hit the front when fullback Tom Wright set up Wilson, who appeared to be cramping as he crossed the try-line for a second time. Wilson left. Two minutes later, a giant double miss-out pass by James O'Connor released right wing Max Jorgensen to score another long-range try. The fourth goalkick by O'Connor, the fourth-choice flyhalf playing his first test in three years at age 35, sent Australia 33-22 ahead with 14 minutes left. South Africa and its renowned 'bomb squad' of replacements couldn't break the inspired Wallabies. The coup was completed with five to go. Just outside the Australia 22, Jesse Kriel's overhead inside pass to Andre Esterhuizen was knocked on straight to Wright, who cantered to the other end. The Springboks feasted on Italy and Georgia last month but Erasmus gathered them for the Australia game a week earlier than scheduled, a compliment to the Wallabies' resurgent effort against the Lions. The decision paid off early. Wing Kurt-Lee Arendse jogged in for the opening try inside two minutes. Libbok converted, added a penalty, then hit the post when he tried to convert a long-range try finished by center Esterhuizen. Five minutes later, captain Kolisi was over. At 22-0 after 17 minutes, the lack of tension prompted the crowd of 51,300 to do a Mexican wave. Ruck penalties against South Africa gave Australia momentum, and Ikitau looped around O'Connor to free left wing Pietsch for Australia's first points after a half-hour. But Pietsch walked off soon after, clutching his jaw after tackling Kolisi's shoulder. Pietsch and Wilson are doubts for the second round in Cape Town next Saturday. ___ AP rugby:
NDTV
an hour ago
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Sanju Samson To Play At No 5? Ex-India Star On Asia Cup Squad Combinations
As Team India grapples with several selection questions leading up to T20 Asia Cup, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that if Shubman Gill is selected to play in the tournament, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, enjoying a rich vein of form as an opener, could play at number five which would not be a "good story". Team India faces a lot of selection questions ahead of the Asia Cup, starting from September 9. The biggest question is how Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal could be fit into a well-settled top-order consisting of Abhishek Sharma, Samson, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav if they are to be selected. Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Aakash stressed the importance of a third opener, saying, "I do not think anyone needs to go out. It is important that you keep another opener with you. India did not pick a third opener (in the T20I series against England). They were not even thinking about who would open if either Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson loses form. If you do not keep the third opener here, you will have to keep him in the World Cup," Chopra said. "However, if Shubman Gill is the third opener, do you want to make him sit on the bench? If you don't do that and play him in the XI, in whose place will you play him? If that player's name is Sanju Samson, who will keep? That is the problem. You do not see Sanju Samson batting in the middle order. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma will play at number three and number four. Sanju at No. 5? That would not be a good story," he added. Samson has played at the number five spot, scoring just 62 runs in five innings, with the best score of 30*. Chopra also said that if a third opener is included in the playing XI, he "cannot" play instead of Abhishek, who was in fine form against England in T20Is this year, topping the charts with 279 runs in five Tests at an average of 55.80, with a strike rate of 219.68, a century and fifty each. "If the third opener plays, he cannot play in place of Abhishek Sharma. He will play in place of Sanju Samson, and you won't see Sanju Samson playing in the middle order. Then you will start feeling that you wasted the investment you made in the last 12 matches. Suddenly, from being the opener, he is out," he said. Chopra said that getting out to short balls repeatedly during the England T20Is, in which he could score just 51 across five innings, with the best score of 26. "What goes agaisnt Shubman? If you want to make a destructive team, can Shubman Gill become a part of that DNA? That is the big question. Yashasvi Jaiswal can definitely become a part of that DNA, but are they thinking about Yashasvi?" Chopra observed. After the T20 WC, Gill led a second-string Indian side to series win in Zimbabwe, and July 2024 was the last time he played T20Is for India. He ended the year 2024 with 266 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 38.00, strike rate of 133 and two fifties from the Zimbabwe series, improving his stats overall to 578 runs in 21 matches and innings at an average of 30.42, with a strike rate of over 139, a century and three fifties following an inconsistent string of scores in the start of his T20I career. Gill was appointed as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy for the T20I series in July, and as Test cricket took priority, Gill was not picked for T20Is, with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma emerging as India's new top three. Gill missed the T20Is against Bangladesh in October, the T20Is in South Africa in November, and the home T20Is against England in January this year, as per ESPNCricinfo. After the Zimbabwe and SL series, Gill improved his T20I stats to 578 runs in 21 matches and innings at an average of 30.42, with a strike rate of over 139, a century and three fifties following an inconsistent string of scores at the start of his T20I career. The T20Is in January were scheduled soon after a dismal Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in March was priority for the youngster as he was picked for England ODIs, with all-rounder Axar Patel given the T20I vice-captaincy for this whole run of T20Is. The scheduling is still extremely tough as after the Asia Cup final on September 28, the home Tests against West Indies will kickstart from October 2. Selectors will have to choose their best squad for the Asia Cup with an eye on defending the T20 World Cup at home and Sri Lanka next year. Since their T20 WC win, India has been absolutely crushing in bilateral series, winning 17 out of 20 such series. In Gill's absence, Abhishek solidified his spot with a 279-run series (at SR of 220) against England, including a blistering 135 in 54 balls at Wankhede. While Sanju's scores were low, he had smashed three centuries in five innings during the series against Bangladesh at home and in South Africa away. Since the last T20 WC win, among all top order options, Abhishek has been the top scorer and the most tempting one, given his strokeplay and strike rate. In 42 matches across India/IPL/domestic fixtures, he has scored 1,363 runs in 40 innings at an average of 34.94, with a strike rate of over 198, four centuries and six fifties. His best score is 141. Across all of T20 since the last T20 WC, Tilak has scored 1,200 runs in 36 matches and 32 innings at an average of 50.00, with a strike rate of 153.84, with three centuries and five fifties. His best score is 151. Two of these centuries came during the South Africa tour last year. Samson also delivered solid returns and found a new lease of life as an opener for Indian side alongside Abhishek. Since the last T20 WC, in 31 T20s and 30 innings, he has scored 908 runs at an average of 33.62, with a strike rate of 157.09, with three centuries and three fifties. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav has scored 1,107 runs in all of T20S at an average of 36.90, with a strike rate of 161.13 and eight fifties. His best score is 75 after the T20 WC win. However, his international form saw a steep decline. Since last year's T20 WC, Gill has scored 893 runs in 22 matches at an average of 47.00, with a strike rate of over 147 and eight fifties. His best score is 93*.So, with the presence of Abhishek, Samson and Tilak and captain Surya being around, the top order is too cramped for Gill to fit in. Just like Gill, Jaiswal played his last T20I in July 2024, with India utilising his Test abilities during the home season and away assignments in Australia and England, where he scored 391 and 411 runs respectively in a series. Jaiswal was the back-up opener ahead of Gill for the T20 World Cup last year. He was the backup as India wanted to open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Having made 723 runs in 23 T20Is with a century and five fifties at a strike rate of over 164, Jaiswal's 559-run season (in 14 matches with six fifties at SR of almost 160), brought back the leftie into T20I conversations.
