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Whirlwind Phillips knock seals thrilling series win for NZ against Pakistan
NZ register first ODI series victory in the sub-continent since 2008 after snatching win from Pakistan's grasp
New Zealand 281 for 8 (Phillips 63*, Williamson 53, Conway 52, Salman 2-42) beat Pakistan 280 for 9 (Fakhar 101, Rizwan 77, Southee 3-56) by two wickets
Glenn Phillips produced a counterattacking masterclass to snatch the game - and with it, the series - from Pakistan's grasp, clattering an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls to see New Zealand through in their chase of 281. The hosts had one hand on the series trophy when the visitors required another 76 from 71 deliveries with only four wickets in hand. Phillips, already on 16 off 8 balls at the time after pumping two sixes, sealed New Zealand's first ODI series win of at least two matches against Pakistan on their own soil with 11 balls to spare.
Despite an upset stomach, Phillips cracked four fours and sixes each to dramatically turn the match in a matter of a few overs. New Zealand required 75 off the last 69 balls when he chipped Mohammad Wasim over mid-on for four, before swinging Haris Rauf for six over deep midwicket next over. And when Wasim tried the slower ball soon after, it was deposited wide of long-on for six more.
As a result, New Zealand needed less than a run a ball with nine overs left, at which point Phillips belted Rauf through extra cover for four more. He brought up his fifty off 28 deliveries - New Zealand's second-fastest against Pakistan in ODIs - in the 43rd over. And as if to stamp out the very last bit of hope Pakistan had, Mohammad Rizwan dropped Phillips next ball, failing to hold on as a short one from Usama Mir turned away and took the outside edge.
Had that been taken, New Zealand would have been left in a tricky situation, with only Mitchell Santner and the tail to get 35 runs from seven overs with three wickets in hand. The feeling of what-could-have-been may well have lingered in the opposition's mind as they watched Phillips hit the winning runs.
New Zealand had collapsed from 160 for 2 to 205 for 6, giving Pakistan a sniff. Their chase had been set up by fifties from Kane Williamson and Devon Conway, who added 75 for the second wicket. Conway fell for 52 after slicing to point off Agha Salman, who also had Daryl Mitchell caught in the 31st over. Williamson getting run-out for 53, and Bracewell and Tom Latham chopping on happened in quick succession, as New Zealand lost their way.
Fakhar hundred, Rizwan fifty in vain
Earlier in the day, it was an innings of three parts from Pakistan: reduced to 21 for 2, they needed Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan to bail them out with a partnership of 153, before Salman took charge in the death. Fakhar hit 101 in an innings not typically associated with him, taking 122 deliveries to get to the mark, while Rizwan fell for a quick 77 from 74 balls. Those remained the only notable contributions from the top five, before Salman hit four fours and a six in an enterprising innings of 45. When Ish Sodhi cleaned Rizwan up with a googly in the 34th over, at least 300 looked possible but regular wickets kept the hosts in check on a surface where the ball didn't turn.
Pakistan had lost Shan Masood - playing his first ODI since March 2019 - and Babar Azam early, when Williamson reviewed a not-out decision against Masood and Latham stumped Babar for the third time in as many matches. Williamson seemed to be the only one who believed Masood had edged behind, before Babar played for the turn and lost his balance in the crease.
That meant Fakhar and Rizwan had to start from scratch. Williamson had introduced spin as early as the fifth over, with Fakhar deciding to break the shackles when he tickled and punched Santner for fours in the tenth. Overall though, the left-hander was happy just to nudge it around while Rizwan was busier at the crease.
And once Rizwan fell in the 34th over, New Zealand's substitute fielders played a part in nearly all of the wickets to fall from there on: Henry Nicholls ran Fakhar and Haris Sohail out, and caught Mir at deep midwicket and Doug Bracewell sent Salman back 45 when the batter holed out to deep square leg. As if to return the favour, it was Pakistan's substitute Tayyab Tahir, who ran Finn Allen out to give his side a breakthrough.
But eventually, Phillips would have the final say, putting into oblivion Fakhar's century, Rizwan's attacking knock and perhaps everything else that had happened on the tour.
Renegades take Melbourne derby thriller as Stars bottle chase
Stars needed 21 off 25 balls with seven wickets in hand but somehow couldn't get over the line
Melbourne Renegades 162 for 7 (Harper 51, Wells 44) beat Melbourne Stars 156 for 7 (Clarke 59) by six runs
Melbourne Renegades conjured a rousing comeback victory to seriously dent crosstown rival Melbourne Stars' already slim finals chances in a tense contest at a roofed Marvel Stadium.
Chasing 163, Stars were cruising after an 88-run opening partnership between Joe Clarke and Tom Rogers. They still appeared well in the box seat needing 21 runs off 25 balls with seven wickets in hand before crumbling under pressure.
With Stars requiring 12 runs off the final over, seamer Will Sutherland held his nerve and ran out Luke Wood on the fourth delivery. But Nick Larkin then hit a boundary and needed a six off the last delivery to force a super over.
A composed Sutherland landed a wide yorker as Renegades again claimed the bragging rights in the Melbourne Derby after prevailing in a controversial contest at the MCG on January 3.
Renegades seamer Kane Richardson finished with 2 for 17 in his 100th BBL game, as bottom-placed Stars' finals chances have virtually been extinguished.
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Fawad turns back the clock in Renegades return
Veteran spinner Fawad Ahmed's last appearance with Renegades was eight years ago, but the 40-year-old returned as an injury replacement for experienced batter Shaun Marsh.
He came into the attack in the sixth over, but was hit for six by Rogers. As he so often has done over his career, Fawad fought back and dismissed Rogers after Sutherland claimed a superb juggling catch around the boundary rope.
With Stars starting to wobble, Fawad bowled a maiden in the 13th over and then came back in a pivotal 17th over where he conceded just four runs to ensure a tight finish. Fawad finished with 1 for 20 from his four overs but left the field in the dying overs with an apparent knee injury. Renegades will hope it is not serious after Fawad proved he has something left in the tank.
Stars fail to cash in on good fortune
Marvel Stadium's roof was closed after oppressive weather in Melbourne with temperatures hitting 37 degrees Celsius when the match started.
Off to a flier, Clarke received fortune when he hit the roof off a delivery from Sutherland to end the third over. Under the BBL's playing conditions, a ball hitting the roof is deemed a six having once been a dead ball under old rules.
Had there been no roof, Clarke probably would have provided a catching opportunity and he cashed in to plunder Renegades' attack with a blistering half-century. Stars had more good fortune in the 16th over when Beau Webster hit a delivery straight up in the air before hitting the roof. But he couldn't capitalise and holed out shortly later as Stars spiralled much like their infamous defeat against Renegades in the BBL grand final in 2019.
The heartbreaking defeat has almost surely ended their finals chances in what has been another disappointing season for Stars.
Finch might need to move up the order
Aaron Finch has batted almost exclusively at No. 4 this season much like the role he had slotted into for Australia. He had batted quite well with a couple of half-centuries before going off the boil with three straight single digits heading into this match.
Coming to the crease in the sixth over, Finch started aggressively in contrast to his fairly sedate batting this season, where he has been intent on being the glue of the innings. He smashed three boundaries in his first five deliveries capped by smacking legspinner Adam Zampa down the ground. But on the next delivery he was deceived by a slower delivery to hole out to long-on.
Finch might need to return to opening, where he has had so much success during his long career. Renegades' batting has been a mishmash this season and held together at the moment by Sam Harper, who smashed his third straight half-century in a purple patch. A late flurry from Jonathan Wells, who hit 44 off 24 balls, powered Renegades to a competitive total that looked beyond them.
Quieter derby for Zampa
During the last Melbourne Derby, chaos ensued when Stars skipper Zampa attempted to run out Renegades batter Tom Rogers at the non-striker's end.
Zampa was jeered by some of the 38,5000 fans at the MCG and the incident sparked global debate. It was a low-key outing this time around for Zampa, who led a shorthanded Stars attack without quick Nathan Coulter-Nile and allrounder Marcus Stoinis.
He juggled his bowlers around with young seamer Brody Couch snaring the wickets of Martin Guptill and Rogers although he was expensive in his season debut. After missing out on Australia's upcoming Test tour of India, Zampa had a point to prove and he claimed the key wicket of counterpart Finch through trademark guile.
Rishabh Pant expected to be out of action for most of 2023
He has torn three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks
Rishabh Pant is unlikely to play any cricket for most of 2023 and is set to miss a slew of marquee tournaments including the IPL. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the medical update given to the BCCI on Pant, who survived a car crash on December 30, says the wicket-keeper batter has torn all three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks.
As a consequence, Pant is in danger of being sidelined for at least six months, which could also potentially affect his chances of being fit for selection for the ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October-November.
Last week, Pant underwent knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in the accident that occurred when he was driving from Delhi to meet his family in Roorkee. As one of India's top contracted players, Pant was airlifted from Dehradun at the BCCI's behest and flown to Mumbai last week to be put under the supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the specialist surgeons contracted by the board.
The BCCI issued three medical bulletins since the accident and the surgery, including one that stated Pant had also injured his right ankle. ESPNcricinfo has learned that all three ligaments in the knee - anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, which are necessary for movement and stability - have been torn in Pant's case. It is understood that in the surgery conducted recently, both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed. Pant will need to undergo another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.
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Rishabh Pant undergoes knee ligament surgery in Mumbai hospital
There is no definitive timeline given by the doctors yet on how long it would take Pant to resume training, but both the BCCI and the selectors have concluded that the wicketkeeper-batter would be out for a minimum of six months.
Pant, who last featured in the away series in Bangladesh in December, was rested for the home series against Sri Lanka. On Monday he was absent from the squads announced for the New Zealalnd series followed by the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Pant, who is Delhi Capitals' captain, will also miss the IPL, which begins on April 1. Another key match Pant will be absent from is the World Test Championship final in June in case India make it to the summit clash.
The selectors have named KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper options in Pant's absence for the first half of the Australia Test series. Bharat and Kishan will also contest the keeper's role in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.
Rohit and Kohli left out of squad for T20Is against New Zealand
Prithvi Shaw is back in the T20I squad, while KS Bharat gets a maiden call-up to the ODI squad
India have left Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli out of their T20I squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. KL Rahul is also not in the squad, and while the BCCI put his absence - and that of Axar Patel, from both the ODI and T20I legs of the series - down to family commitments, it gave no specific reason for Rohit, India's regular all-format captain, and Kohli missing the series.
As a result, India's first-choice top three from their last two T20 World Cups are now missing successive T20I series.
This may not yet have a major bearing on India's long-term future in the format, however. Ahead of the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rohit said the selectors and team management had made it clear to a number of senior players that they would not be able to play all three formats over the next few months for workload-management reasons, with India building up towards the 50-overs World Cup later this year.
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Hardik Pandya, who captained India in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka earlier this month, will continue to lead the side in the T20I series, which will be played in Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad from January 27 to February 1, with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.
Rohit and Kohli are part of the squad for the ODI series that will take place before the T20Is, from January 18 to 24 in Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore.
Prithvi Shaw in, Harshal Patel out
The T20I squad is also notable for the return of opener Prithvi Shaw, who last played for India in July 2021, and whose absence from subsequent squads - particularly in the T20 format - has been a constant source of debate, given his rare ability to provide rapid starts in the powerplay. Shaw forced himself into the reckoning earlier this week by scoring 379 off 383 balls - the second-highest first-class score by an Indian batter - for Mumbai against Assam in the Ranji Trophy.
Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took a Player-of-the-Match-winning 3 for 51 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Thursday, is also back in the T20I squad, having last featured for India in that format in August 2022. He is one of two wristspinners in the squad along with Yuzvendra Chahal.
Sanju Samson, who was ruled out midway through the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, remains out of the squad - the BCCI release did not provide an update on his fitness. Jitesh Sharma, who replaced him, remains in the squad as one of two wicketkeeping options alongside Ishan Kishan.
Fast bowler Harshal Patel, who played only the first T20I against Sri Lanka, has been left out of the squad.
KS Bharat called up to ODI squad
With Rahul sitting out the ODIs, India have called up the uncapped KS Bharat as a second wicketkeeper alongside Kishan. Bharat is also part of India's squad for the first two Tests against Australia in February - he is expected to contest the lead wicketkeeper role with Kishan in the absence of regular keeper Rishabh Pant, who has undergone knee ligament surgery after suffering a serious car crash in late December.
In Axar's absence, meanwhile, the selectors have called on a like-for-like replacement in Shahbaz Ahmed - both are allrounders who bat left-handed and bowl left-arm spin. Shahbaz has been part of the white-ball mix in recent months, and has played three ODIs, most recently in December on the tour of Bangladesh.
Also back in the squad is fast-bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, who was left out of the series against Sri Lanka. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, who was part of the ODI squad against Sri Lanka but didn't get a chance in the starting XI, misses out - he remains part of the T20I squad, however.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was initially named in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka before pulling out before the start of the series - he is on the road to recovery from a long-term back injury - is not part of either white-ball squad or the squad for the first two Tests against Australia.
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