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Business Standard
a day ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
South Africa will bring fight to Australia in WTC 2025 final: Nathan Lyon
As Australia prepare to defend their ICC World Test Championship title, seasoned spinner Nathan Lyon has acknowledged that facing South Africa at Lord's on 11 June will be a far greater test than many might expect. While the Aussies are riding high after a string of ICC triumphs—including the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups, 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2023 WTC final win—Lyon said experience alone won't be enough. The veteran off-spinner noted that the challenge will be compounded by unfamiliar conditions in England and the use of the Dukes ball, which offers more swing and seam than the Kookaburra typically used in Australia. Despite Australia's winning pedigree, Lyon made it clear that the Proteas bring their own strengths to the table. Past experience counts, but only to an extent Lyon said the presence of players who've won multiple global titles gives Australia a mental edge, especially in high-pressure scenarios, but warned that past achievements won't count once the first ball is bowled. 'Yes, we have that experience, but that doesn't guarantee anything. You've still got to perform on the day,' he said. Conditions and Dukes ball will level the playing field The switch to Dukes balls and English conditions presents a new test, especially for Australia's batters. 'It's going to be two world-class bowling attacks going at each other, and the Dukes ball makes it even more interesting,' Lyon said, highlighting that adapting to conditions quickly will be key. South Africa's batting arsenal gets Lyon's attention Lyon has kept a close eye on South Africa's recent performances. Calling Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton 'class players', he also singled out David Bedingham, whom he faced in county cricket, as a special talent. He believes the Proteas line-up won't shy away from the big stage. Injury-free and ready to go Lyon also confirmed he's back to full fitness following a hip injury sustained during the home series against India. 'I've been bowling for over five weeks now, and everything feels exactly where it should be,' he said. With that, Australia's spin spearhead is ready for another crack at the WTC title.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
WTC Final: Nathan Lyon sounds caution ahead of South Africa clash; calls Proteas top order ‘class players'
Nathan Lyon (Photo by) Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes facing South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's on June 11 will present unique challenges despite Australia's experience in winning ICC trophies, citing foreign conditions and Duke balls as key factors. Australia enters the match as defending champions with players who have won multiple ICC tournaments including the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and 2021 T20 World Cup. The Australian team's experience in high-pressure situations gives them an advantage, but Lyon acknowledges this may not matter on match day. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Having the experience of the guys who have won three (50-over) World Cups and T20 World Cups and obviously the World Test Championship final a couple of years ago, that experience and that pressure in those higher games, it's going to be, it's on our side, isn't it, but it doesn't mean anything when you come to the game," Lyon said. The English conditions differ significantly from Australian pitches, offering swing to bowlers rather than bounce, while the Duke balls behave differently from the Kookaburra balls used in Australia. Arshdeep Singh: The Poet Who Bowls Thunder | Stories from His Father & Coach "It's going to be different challenge and with foreign conditions and the Dukes ball. It's going to be two best bowling attacks going at each other which is another exciting thing so it's going to be a good challenge for all batters," Lyon explained. Lyon has been closely monitoring South African players' performances, particularly in their recent tour against Zimbabwe. "I'm a cricket nuffie, so I've watched a fair amount of cricket and even tuned into their game at the moment against Zimbabwe," Lyon said. "They've got some class players as I said with the likes of Aiden Markram, Rickelton at the top of the order there, they're class players, there's no point in hiding behind that fact either." Quiz: Who's that IPL player? The spinner specifically mentioned his experience facing David Bedingham in County cricket. "I played against Bedingham last year here in County cricket and he's a special player, so at the end of the day it's going to be guys who do the basics…and enjoy the pressure moments," he stated. Lyon confirmed his recovery from a hip injury sustained during the home Test series against India. "I had a little break after Sri Lanka to try and get my hip right and now that's all good to go," Lyon said. "I honestly haven't stopped training since the end of Sri Lanka and bowling wise I've been probably going for a good five to six weeks now." He expressed satisfaction with his current form and preparation. "My numbers and where I'm at workload and all that stuff is where we want it and skill wise and how the ball is coming out of my hand is exactly the way I want at the moment," Lyon concluded.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
England appoint Tim Southee Specialist Skills Consultant ahead of India series
With the India series coming up next month, the England cricket team on Thursday appointed former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee as a Specialist Skills Consultant till the conclusion of the five-match Test series. The tour will start with the first Test at Leeds on June 20, and the tour will conclude with the July 31-August 4 fifth Test at the Oval. 'With his vast experience of playing in a wide range of conditions around the world and across all formats, he brings valuable insight and knowledge to the players. Following his consultancy stint, he will resume playing duties in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix,' the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement. 'Following his consultancy stint, he will resume playing duties in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix,' it added. Last year, Southee announced his retirement and finished his career with 391 wickets in 203 innings, and has also contributed with the bat over time. He has seven half centuries to his name, highest being 77*, and in his last match, equalled Chris Gayle in his tally of 98 sixes. Our new Specialist Skills Consultant 😍 We're delighted to announce that Tim Southee, New Zealand's all-time leading wicket-taker, is joining us on a short-term basis. Read more 👇 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 15, 2025 The right-arm seamer who made his international debut in 2008 holds the distinction of being the only pacer to play 100 matches in each of the three formats. Southee is also the only bowler to bag 300 Test, 200 ODI and 100 T20I wickets. Before retiring, Southee had relinquished his Test captaincy before New Zealand whitewashed India 3-0 at home under Tom Latham. He featured in four ODI World Cups, seven T20I World Cups, two Champions Trophy events. Southee was integral to New Zealand's WTC final triumph in the inaugural edition in 2021 over India, picking five wickets in the summit clash. The Kiwi will link up with the squad ahead of England's opening fixture of the international season, a one-off Test against Zimbabwe that gets underway at Trent Bridge next Thursday.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
India set for bid to stage World Test Championship final in 2027
India want to stage the final of the World Test Championship in 2027 with a formal proposal to be made to the International Cricket Council this summer. An Indian bid for the WTC final would have major implications for England's summer scheduling and could create logistical problems for the ICC given the country's relations with Pakistan, which have deteriorated further following this week's air strikes in Kashmir. Advertisement Related: India captain Rohit Sharma retires from Test cricket before England series The two previous WTC finals have been held in England – the first at Hampshire's Rose Bowl in 2021 before it moved to the Oval in 2023 – while this year's showpiece between Australia and South Africa will take place at Lord's next month. The Guardian has learned that India expressed their intention to bid for the 2027 final at a meeting of the ICC's chief executives committee in Zimbabwe last month. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is represented by its chief executive, Arun Singh Dhumal, on the ICC Committee, while his predecessor Jay Shah is chair of the ICC, so a formal Indian bid would be regarded as a fait accompli. While the England and Wales Cricker Board had not assumed it would host the WTC final in perpetuity, the English summer and a strong domestic ticket market regardless of which teams qualify makes it a natural venue. The ECB is understood to be pushing for a quick decision, as it will need time to arrange an additional home Test match for England in 2027 if the WTC final is taken elsewhere. Advertisement The ICC has concerns about taking the WTC final to India however, chiefly the prospect of poor ticket sales should India fail to qualify. Next month's final at Lord's is sold out for the first four days, while the 2023 final at the Oval was also sold out despite England not being involved. The tension between India and Pakistan brings another complication following Tuesday's air strikes which India launched in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, which claimed 26 lives. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series against each other since January 2013 because of political tensions, but they do face each other in men's and women's T20 and ODI World Cups, on the condition they meet at neutral venues. The Indian government refused permission for their team to travel to Pakistan for this year's Champions Trophy which meant that India played all their games – including the final which they won – in Dubai. India will host the Women's World Cup this autumn, with Pakistan among the teams due to take part, although where they will play their games has yet to be determined. The dizzying ascent of the Somerset wicketkeeper-batter James Rew has managed another acceleration with the 21-year-old being called into the England Test squad for the first time after Jordan Cox was ruled out of this month's game against Zimbabwe through injury. Advertisement Confirmation that the abdominal muscle strain Cox sustained while playing for Essex against Somerset in the County Championship this week would delay his red-ball international debut feels particularly cruel given that the 24-year-old had been slated to play in the Test series against New Zealand that started last November only for him to break a thumb in training. Cox had just completed a century when he sustained the injury during Essex's second innings at Taunton, forcing him to retire hurt. Rew later scored 116, his second century of the summer and the 10th of his first-class career – making him the youngest Englishman to do reach a double-figure tally of first-class tons since Denis Compton in 1939 – to win the game for Somerset. The left-hander was named the Professional Cricketers' Association's young player of the year in 2023 after a breakout season that saw him score 1,086 first-class runs at an average of 57.15, with five centuries. That summer he was described by Jason Kerr, Somerset's head coach, as ' ridiculously good': 'I think it's important we don't get carried away, but I've never seen a young player start their career so well,' Kerr said. Last season was a comparative disappointment, with two centuries, 771 runs and an average of 36.71, but he started this summer by scoring 152 against Worcestershire and is currently averaging 54.71. Advertisement Rew bats at No 6 for Somerset but has spoken of his willingness to move up the order and may need to do so to break into the England team, with the captain, Ben Stokes, having claimed his favoured position and Jamie Smith likely to bat at No7 and keep wicket. Since top-scoring with 95 in the final of the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, which England lost to India, Rew has struggled to replicate his county form in an England shirt: he has toured with England Lions in each of the last three winters and averages 18 for them, in 18 innings and with a high score of 56 not out. Simon Burnton Following this year's Champions Trophy standoff the ICC reached an agreement that until 2027 all matches involving India in an event hosted in Pakistan would be played at a neutral venue, with all matches involving Pakistan in an event hosted by India also to be moved. In addition to this year's women's World Cup this agreement also covers the 2026 men's T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. While a similar agreement for a late venue-switch could be reached in the event of Pakistan qualifying for the WTC final, India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, this week raised the prospect of halting all matches between the two countries. Advertisement Asked whether India should continue to face Pakistan in global tournaments, Gambhir said: 'My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Until all this stops, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan. No cricket match or Bollywood or other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens.' The ICC has not confirmed any outcomes from last month's meetings in Zimbabwe, but as previously reported by the Guardian proposals to divide Test cricket into two divisions were put on hold. The 2025-2027 WTC will therefore continue with the current nine-team, single division format. The next WTC begins with England's five-Test home series against India on 20 June, five days after the conclusion of the final between Australia and South Africa.
Telegraph
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
India confirmed as world's best – but Champions Trophy comes with unnecessary asterisk
Comfortably the finest white-ball international side in the world are now reigning champions in two of the three global tournaments. India's four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Dubai underscored their standing in the world game. Their win in the Champions Trophy final was all the more notable for coming without any meaningful contribution from their two most celebrated players. Jasprit Bumrah, perhaps the most lethal limited-overs bowler of all time, missed the entire tournament through injury. And, when chasing 252 in Dubai, Virat Kohli was dismissed second ball as India stumbled in the middle of the innings. Their depth is such that they were still able to triumph with an over to spare. Across the three ICC events in the past two years – the 2023 ODI World Cup, last year's T20 World Cup and this Champions Trophy – India have won 23 games out of 24. Their status as one of the greatest white-ball sides in history is beyond doubt. Yet the lingering sense remains that unprecedented advantages abetted this Champions Trophy triumph. Hosting a tournament is meant to give sides major benefits: three of the last four ODI World Cups, after all, were won by the primary hosts. Across major tournaments in all sports, never has a non-host country enjoyed the treatment that India were afforded during the Champions Trophy. Pakistan were announced as hosts of the Champions Trophy back in 2021, and awarded all 15 matches by the International Cricket Council. At the time, no provisions were made for India's matches being played in a different country. Since the terrorist atrocities in Mumbai in 2008, India's government has refused to allow the team to play in Pakistan. Without a relaxation of this stance, the International Cricket Council devised a hybrid arrangement for this tournament. While the other seven competing nations would be based in Pakistan, India would play all their games on the same ground in Dubai. 'It is certainly helping us. We know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch,' Mohammed Shami admitted before the final. 'It is certainly an advantage to play all the matches at one venue.' New Zealand, their opponents in the final, played in four different venues over the competition, flying over 1200km in the process. India were able to set up camp in Dubai, with complete certainty over where all their games would be played. Before the semi-finals, absurdly, South Africa flew to Dubai in vain - remaining there for 18 hours until returning to Pakistan once they learnt that they would not be playing India. Playing in Dubai, at a time of year when the pitches offer notable turn, also liberated India to pack their squad with spin. In both the semi-final and final, India select four frontline spinners. One of those, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, was not in India's original squad, but subsequently replaced opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. In Dubai, Chakravarthy produced one of the decisive moments of the final – a googly to clean bowl Rachin Ravindra, who had given New Zealand a fine start with a dashing 37. After the side had scored 69 in the opening ten overs, Ravindra's dismissal marked the start of New Zealand's asphyxiation by spin. India's spin quartet combined for 5-144 from 38 overs, the wrist spin of Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav complementing the relentless accuracy of left-arm finger spinners Jadeja and Axar Patel. Until Michael Bracewell plundered a 39-ball half-century, a strange sense of inertia marked New Zealand's innings. With Daryl Mitchell misplacing his usual liveliness against spin, New Zealand went 81 balls without hitting a boundary. As India white-ball captain, Rohit Sharma's great achievement has been liberating his side to play with greater aggression. Once again, he embraced this approach in knockout cricket, thrashing a supreme 76 to get India ahead of the required rate. Sharma, like his teammates, would have been grateful for the absence of Matt Henry, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with injury. For all New Zealand's wiles to haul themselves back into the game after Sharma had led his side to 106-0, India are a remarkably adaptable side. While other teams must make compromises with the bat, ball or both, India's abundance of multi-skilled players means that they simultaneously have six frontline bowlers and field Ravindra Jadeja, who has a Test average of 35, at number eight. It fell to Jadeja to pull the winning runs to great jubilation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Led by Santner, varying his pace with his customary craft, New Zealand's spin quartet returned combined figures of 5-152 from 35 overs, coming close to matching India's more-vaunted foursome. But Will O'Rourke and Nathan Smith leaked a combined 78 runs from nine overs. Though Glenn Phillips added to his magisterial collection of catches this tournament by leaping one-handed to dismiss Shubman Gill from extra cover, Daryl Mitchell and Kyle Jamieson missed chances off Gill and Shreyas Iyer. And so, while New Zealand have now reached four of the last nine ICC white-ball finals, stretching back to 2015, they have now lost them all. GLENN PHILLIPS DOES IT AGAIN! 🤯 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 9, 2025 As KL Rahul calmly guided India to victory, there could be no doubt that the world's best team had secured another trophy. India, you suspect, could have won without any extra advantages.
