Even as sporting authorities worldwide are permitting athletes to participate in events despite testing positive for Covid-19 over the last year, the IPL has decided to stick to its 2022 policy of asking players with the virus to go through a week-long isolation period before rejoining their teams.While the season will no longer need to operate out of a bio-secure bubble, which had been mandatory for the three years since the pandemic, the IPL has said it wants to be “careful” and players testing positive will not be allowed to participate in a match or in training until they return consecutive negative tests, the earliest of which can be taken on day five of recovery.”While there has been a decline in the number of Covid-19 cases in India we still have to be careful of the emerging strains which are becoming a concern at regular intervals,” the IPL’s medical guidelines, which were distributed to franchises this week, say. “Positive cases must be isolated for maximum seven days. Positive cases will not be allowed to participate in any match or any form of activity/event during the period of isolation.”From day five, they can undergo a RT-PCR, provided they must be must be asymptomatic without any medication for 24 hours. Once the first result is negative the 2nd test must be done 24 hours apart. Only after obtaining two negative RT-PCR tests 24 hours apart i.e. day five and day six, can they rejoin the group.”The IPL pointed out that testing will be carried out only for those actually showing signs of Covid-19, not for those who are asymptomatic. Any participant continuing to test positive even after day seven would need to present two negative tests 12 hours apart before rejoining the group.This is in contrast to the loosening of restrictions in dealing with Covid-19 cases in global sport including international cricket. Last August, Australian allrounder Tahlia McGrath became the first cricketer to play a match despite testing positive for Covid-19 in the Commonwealth Games T20 final against India.A few months later, at the men’s T20 World Cup, Mathew Wade, who had tested positive, was named part of the Australian team in the league match against England which was eventually washed out. In January, Australian opener Matt Renshwaw reported Covid-19 symptoms on the first morning of the New Year’s Test against South Africa in Sydney, tested positive before toss, but went on to play the match.The ICC has allowed players to participate in matches at global events including the CWG in England and the T20 World Cup in Australia last year. It remains to be seen, though, whether it will retain the same process during the ODI World Cup in India later this year.

CSA has taken the step because South Africa need to beat Netherlands in the series to directly qualify for the 2023 World Cup

Firdose Moonda and Nagraj Gollapudi08-Mar-2023

Majority of South African players including Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, David Miller and Aiden Markram will join their respective IPL teams in India only on April 3, four days after the tournament begins on March 31. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Cricket South Africa (CSA) informed the BCCI that it wants all its top players available for the two-match home ODI series against the Netherlands starting late March.CSA has taken the step because South Africa need to beat Netherlands in the series to directly qualify for the 2023 World Cup later this year in India. Netherlands this week announced a strong squad for the series in Zimbabwe followed by the ODIs in South Africa. Both those series are part of the ODI Super League with the South Africa games scheduled on March 31 and April 2 in Benoni and Johannesburg respectively.Related

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Miller 'certainly not bitter' about not being named South Africa's T20I captain

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Royal Challengers' Will Jacks ruled out of IPL 2023 due to injury

As many as six of the 10 IPL franchises will be affected by the development. Sunrisers Hyderabad (Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen), Delhi Capitals (Nortje, Lungi Ngidi), Mumbai Indians (Tristan Stubbs, possibly Dewald Brevis), defending champions Gujarat Titans (Miller), Lucknow Super Giants (Quinton de Kock), Punjab Kings (Rabada) have South Africa players in the side.Last December, a day before the IPL auction, the BCCI, in a note to the franchises on overseas players’ availability, had informed that contracted South African players would be available from March 29, two days prior to the IPL opener. However, CSA’s chief executive officer Pholetsi Moseki told ESPNcricinfo that BCCI has been given an explanation as to why it was mandatory for South African contracted players to feature in the Netherlands series.The top eight teams in the ODI Super League automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup while the bottom five will have to play the World Cup Qualifiers along with five Associate teams. South Africa, currently at No. 9, are in a race along with West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland to book a direct World Cup entry. “The BCCI understands the importance of the Netherlands series to us automatically qualifying for the 2023 World Cup,” Moseki said.This is not the first time CSA has had to deal with the IPL clashing with a home bilateral series. Last March, South Africa’s Test series against Bangladesh clashed with the start of the tournament, but CSA had then asked the players to take the call on whether to stay back or head to India. The players chose to be fully available for the IPL, but this time CSA was left with no choice but to field the best team as the World Cup berth is at stake.

Warwickshire 17 for 2 trail Essex 126 (Westley 47, Hannon-Dalby 4-21, Rushworth 4-26) by 109 runs Chris Rushworth continued his stunning start to his Warwickshire career with another four wickets as Essex’s batting imploded on a rain-affected opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.Former Durham seamer Rushworth went into this game, his fifth for Warwickshire, with 22 wickets at 15.27 apiece and enhanced those figures further with four for 28 as Essex folded to 126 all out.Rushworth delivered a triple-wicket maiden in the last over before tea to reduce Essex from a relatively healthy 76 for two to 76 for five. Olly Hannon-Dalby followed up in the final session with four for 21, taking him past 450 wickets in all formats.Warwickshire then encountered turbulence of their own as they reached 17 for two at the close of a day which provided abundant drama and entertainment despite play not starting until 3pm due to rain.After Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes won the toss for the first time this season, Essex’s batters found life difficult in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Only skipper Tom Westley (47, 94 balls) lasted more than an hour.Both Essex openers fell to the new ball. Rushworth, fresh from his dazzling seven for 38 in Southampton last week, sent an inswinger into Alastair Cook’s pads to win an lbw decision. Hassan Ali, recalled in place of the rested Chris Woakes, struck with his fifth ball when Nick Browne feathered a leg glance and wicketkeeper Michael Burgess took a fine catch, one-handed and at full stretch.Westley and Dan Lawrence added 52 in 12 overs before Rushworth’s brilliant over sent the innings into ruin. Lawrence chipped the first ball to extra over. Matt Critchley narrowly survived the second and third then edged the fourth to Rob Yates at slip. Michael Pepper fell lbw to the sixth. It was bowling of a level of control, intelligence and potency which would not look out of place in an Ashes series.Control, intelligence and potency are attributes which Hannon-Dalby’s work consistently displays and he heightened Essex’s distress in the last session with a burst of four for ten in 28 balls. Simon Harmer’s obdurate 39-ball resistance for three was ended by a spectacular rearrangement of furniture, Doug Bracewell edged to slip and Westley was caught at extra cover.After Hassan Ali returned to trap Sam Cook lbw and Hannon-Dalby hit Shane Snater’s off stump the last eight wickets had fallen for 50 runs in 19.2 overs. Who needs Chris Woakes?Essex inflicted immediate damage upon Warwickshire’s reply when Jamie Porter’s first ball trapped Yates in front. Porter added a second wicket with the day’s final ball when Alex Davies edged to third slip to leave the visitors still right in the game despite their paltry first innings total.

Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to chair committee that also includes heads of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies

Umar Farooq08-Jul-2023

The prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has set up a committee of ministers to help determine whether Pakistan will travel to India for the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023. The group will be headed by foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.The committee’s main task will be to make recommendations about Pakistan’s travel plans to India. Based on that, the Pakistan prime minister will sign off on the country’s participation.This is a response to PCB’s letter from last week to the government seeking advice on whether the team is allowed to travel to India, and, if so, if there are any reservations about any of the five venues. That letter had also asked the government if it wanted to send a security delegation to India.Among the main points that the committee will decide upon is whether Pakistan will travel to Ahmedabad for their third league-stage game against India on October 15. Apart from that, the committee will also make recommendations over Pakistan’s tour of the other four Indian cities they are scheduled to play in.As it stands, Pakistan play Netherlands and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, India in Ahmedabad, Australia and New Zealand in Bengaluru, Bangladesh and England in Kolkata, and Afghanistan and South Africa in Chennai.Apart from foreign minister Zardari, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and law and justice minister Azam Nazeer Tarar are some high-profile names on the committee. It will also consist of Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari, Maryam Aurangzeb, Asad Mehmood, Aminul Haque, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Tariq Fatemi, the special assistant on foreign affairs to the PM.The committee, which also includes heads of the intelligence agencies and the foreign secretary, has representation from across different political parties. That is a likely buffer against a change in government – the incumbent government has another 34 days left of its electoral term and cross-party representation on the committee is meant to ensure that decision-making is not affected by a change.This is thought to be the first time such a high-profile committee of ministers has been set up for this purpose. Usually the PCB has consulted with the foreign ministry before travel to India, however the range of ministers in this instance is testament to the higher stakes leading up to the ODI World Cup in India. Like it is with any ICC tournament – but especially when it comes to travelling to India – Pakistan’s participation is subject to government approval.

Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland has posed a question for supporters as the striker celebrates his 25th birthday.

• Haaland celebrating turning 25
• Sends out message on social media
• Grealish wishes his good friend well

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Haaland is celebrating his birthday and enjoying some well-earned time off after a hectic season that culminated at the Club World Cup in the United States. Pep Guardiola's side made it through the group phase but then crashed out in the knockout stage in a surprise defeat to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Manchester City have been rebuilding over the summer, bringing in players including Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders, while waving goodbye to club legend Kevin De Bruyne. Jack Grealish is also expected to move on, after being left out of the City's Club World Cup squad, in a move that left Haaland pining for his close friend. The two enjoy a strong bond, with Grealish showing his affection for the striker as he celebrates turning 25.

• WHAT HAALAND SAID

  Haaland posted on social media: "Half way to 50! Before you come for my hair, take a moment in front of the mirror and ask yourself—am I truly qualified to judge hair that looks better than mine?"

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  Good friend and team-mate Grealish was quick to wish Haaland a happy birthday. He posted a message on Instagram that read: "Happy birthday bruvaaaa. One of the best humans."

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The reason behind Douglas Luis not yet marking his return to Premier League has been revealed, with Juventus set to reprimand the midfielder.

Luiz in demandHas barely played for JuvePremier League clubs interested Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After enduring 12 nightmarish months in Italy, the relationship between Luiz and Juventus has completely collapsed, with the midfielder failing to report for training on Thursday. Reports have stated that the former Aston Villa star is eager to return to the Premier League, but he has turned down advances from three outfits. The reason has now been revealed.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE EXPLANATION

According to reports from , Luiz has rejected proposals from Everton, West Ham United, and Nottingham Forest, as he isn't interested in playing for any of the trio. Luiz prefers to move to a 'big' club, which has caused further complications for Juventus in their pursuit of parting ways with the player. Manchester United have been linked with the player, but no movement has taken place. It has been suggested that the Old Lady will not sell the player unless a team matches the €40 million (£35m/$47m) valuation. However, the Serie A giants are open to sending Luiz on loan with a mandatory option to purchase the player for the same fee at the end of the loan.

DID YOU KNOW?

Luiz will have to suffer the consequences of not turning up at Continassa for pre-season training earlier this week. As per , the Turin outfit are set to sanction the Brazilian, who will be asked to pay a fine of around five to 15 per cent of his weekly wages, which amounts to €40,000 to €120,000. The player and the club's relationship might be at an all-time low, but the two sides have reached middle ground. Indeed, Luiz is set to report to training next week, with an eye on resolving his future sooner rather than later.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The interest from Premier League could yet tempt Luiz into making a decision at the earliest. Despite his preference to sign for a club with comparatively more prestige and a bigger history, he could give the green signal for signing for Forest, who will offer European football next season. What's more, he has also been linked to newly-promoted Leeds United. On the other hand, the Bianconeri have already started searching the market for replacements. Tottenham's Yves Bissouma is one name speculated with a move to Turin, while Franck Kessie, currently playing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, has also been earmarked for a return to Serie A.

The former Australia captain believes Fraser-McGurk should be fast-tracked into international cricket across formats

Alex Malcolm07-Feb-20240:50

Finch: Players like Fraser-McGurk ‘don’t come around every day’

Ricky Ponting believes young sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk can be a Test match player for Australia and thinks he needs to be exposed to international cricket as much as possible to help fast-track his development as a three-format cricketer.Fraser-McGurk made a statement in his second ODI on Tuesday smashing 41 from just 18 balls with five fours and three sixes as the home side mowed down West Indies’ target of just 87 inside seven overs in Canberra.Ponting, who was speaking on Wednesday after being unveiled as Washington Freedom’s new MLC coach, was in no doubt that Fraser-McGurk can play Test cricket for Australia despite averaging just 22.39 in his first 13 first-class matches.”Absolutely,” Ponting told reporters in Melbourne. “Just because of the talent that he’s got. And we’ve seen with other players in the past, even like a Shahid Afridi or something like that, that came on the stage as an ultra-talented ball-striking 17-year-old that can bowl legspin and before you know it, he’s probably played [27] Test matches.”When you’ve got that sort of talent you need to be exposed to cricket at the highest level to work it out. And I think Jake can do that yet. I’m definitely backing one day to play Test cricket.”Ponting compared Fraser-McGurk to David Warner in terms of his talent and was adamant that he should be fast-tracked similarly to what Warner was.”I was on record at the start of the summer saying I think he’s someone that can be well and truly fast-tracked through the Australian system,” Ponting said. “Because the natural talent that he’s got reminds me a bit of David Warner’s introduction into Australian cricket. When we saw [Warner] at the start, I think everyone doubted whether he was going to be good enough to play Test cricket technically.”But with the talent and the skill that he had, which I think Jake has got as much talent as what Davey had coming through, then I think the earlier they can get him into the system and get him playing and let him work out for himself the best way to have success in all the different formats, I think it will be great for Australian cricket.”Ricky Ponting believes Jake Fraser-McGurk has as much talent as David Warner•BCCI

There are some differences between the journeys that Warner and Fraser-McGurk have had in progressing through the Australian cricket pathway.Warner famously played T20I and ODI cricket for Australia before he played a first-class game. His T20I, ODI and first-class debuts all came after his 22nd birthday.Warner then made 960 runs at an average of 60 in his first 11 first-class matches, including two Sheffield Shield centuries for New South Wales and a 211 for Australia A against a Zimbabwe XI before making his Test debut at 25.Fraser-McGurk made his first-class debut at 17 for Victoria but struggled in his early years in domestic cricket before a move to South Australia this season re-ignited his career, making a List A world-record 29-ball century and his first first-class century before lighting up the BBL for Melbourne Renegades.But Ponting believes Fraser-McGurk has already made huge leaps in his game and is ready to tackle international cricket.”I’m not sure he had a real clear plan or idea of what the best version of himself was and how he needed to play [with Victoria],” Ponting said. “But what I’ve seen since he’s moved to South Australia in Shield cricket and one-day cricket for them and then what he brought to the Renegades this year, I think it’s pretty clear now the way that he wants to go about it and play his cricket.Jake Fraser-McGurk brought out a full array of shots in Canberra•Getty Images

“Now he might have to temper that and change that here and there at different times in different situations and in different formats of the game. But I think when you’ve got that talent, I think he can do that. So he’s a really exciting young bloke that I’m looking forward to seeing him develop over the next couple of years.”Fraser-McGurk was not named in Australia’s T20I squads for the upcoming series’ against West Indies and New Zealand, with those six games the last they will play before the T20 World Cup in June. Ponting did not believe Fraser-McGurk should be parachuted into the T20 World Cup squad but thinks it is in Australian cricket’s interest to have him playing sooner rather than later.”Obviously, there’s only so many people you can pick in the World Cup squad, isn’t there,” Ponting said. “He’ll get other opportunities. But the more he can get the earlier he can get them at a younger age, the better it will be.”I’m not saying at all that he should have been picked in the World Cup squad because they’ve put together a really good squad anyway, and one that on paper will look as good as probably any team going there. He’ll have to bide his time. But as we saw yesterday, he looks pretty keen to make the most of the opportunities that he gets.”

Seifert’s half-century and Clarkson’s late push for an unlikely win proved futile for New Zealand

Danyal Rasool27-Apr-2024

It got a little hairy at the death, but Pakistan just about managed to salvage some pride in this series, scraping to a 9-run win to level the T20I series 2-2. Babar Azam’s 43-ball 69 and late fireworks from Fakhar Zaman saw Pakistan post 178, the third successive time that has been the first innings total this series.But New Zealand were looking like they would make short work of the chase despite the early loss of Tom Blundell, but Pakistan’s bowlers hit back hard in the second half of that chase, with 4-30 from Shaheen Shah Afridi and crucial middle-overs strikes from Usama Mir derailing a chase that had looked on course until the eight-over mark. Josh Clarkson’s unbeaten 26-ball 38 kept New Zealand’s interest alive right till the death, but he would run out of partners with a pair of frenetic final-over run-outs as Pakistan edged through in a tight contest.Babar Azam stamps his authorityIt may not solve any of Pakistan’s problems or address the underlying causes of criticism Babar receives, but there’s little doubt the impact the Pakistan captain’s knock had on Pakistan today was decisively positive. Saim Ayub has struggled for runs this series, and his early dismissal shunted Babar into a position of even greater prominence in this Powerplay, and he marked the moment by taking the attack to Zak Foulkes and Ben Sears, racing to 30 off 15.Babar Azam powered Pakistan’s fast start•AFP/Getty Images

Crucially, there wasn’t a pronounced post-Powerplay slump as Babar held one end up while keeping the runs ticking over, and looking in great touch in the process. A huge six off Ish Sodhi as Fakhar Zaman took his time to bed in ensured the visitors couldn’t build too much pressure on Pakistan, and by the time Sears cleaned him up with a stunning yorker, the infrastructure that allowed Pakistan to lift off had been constructed.Fakhar tees off after good fortuneShould Fakhar have been dismissed before the most explosive phase of his innings got underway? Tim Seifert certainly thought so. Fakhar was beaten by a slower delivery as he tried to heave it towards midwicket, and was casual as he regained his shape, with his bat hanging loosely behind him as it tipped the bails off.New Zealand appealed and the umpire referred it upstairs, but the third umpire deemed the ball to be dead by then. New Zealand’s frustration was compounded as Fakhar plundered 14 off the next three balls to set Pakistan up for a big finish. Shadab joined in as well as the hosts took 39 off the last three overs, as well as some of the momentum going in at the halfway stage.Tim Seifert, Powerplay fireworksPakistan have spent much of this series engaged in a familiar debate about how best to utilise the Powerplay. Two days ago, New Zealand opener Tim Robinson gave them a glimpse into how to go about it. Today, his replacement, another Tim – Seifert – illustrated it just about perfectly once more.Pakistan had kept things tight the first three overs, but by the time Mohammad Amir came in to bowl, Seifert launched. He picked the leg cutter early and clobbered it over long-on for a colossal six, before following it up with a pair of boundaries that got the visitors going. Abbas Afridi, too, saw his first ball launched out of the ground, and another loose delivery clipped around fine leg. Amir would return for more punishment as Seifert smashed him for three boundaries off the back foot to race along to a 30-ball half-century. It wasn’t until he was dismissed that the game began to turn; by then, New Zealand had raced along to 81 in eight overs.Spin strikes backUsama had a torrid fourth game and with a surfeit of legspin options for Pakistan, time to impress was fast running out. He’d laid a solid platform, conceding just three in the first over as runs rained all around him, but this was his moment to shine. Seifert lost his shape as he tried to slog it over the onside and found his furniture disturbed in the process. It would end up being a wicket maiden that changed the course of the game as Mir cleaned up Chapman in his following over. Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim got in on the act with wickets in the following two overs as Pakistan burrowed deep into the New Zealand lower order.Shaheen would have his say to effectively kill the game off with two wickets in two balls as New Zealand lost 6-40 in 39 balls. They would never recover from that barrage of body blows, and Pakistan would salvage a series draw despite Clarkson’s best late efforts.

The fifth edition of the Lanka Premier League will be played from July 1 to July 21 this year, according to an SLC release. This means the tournament will clash with Major League Cricket and the T20 Blast.The second season of MLC starts on July 4 and the final likely on July 28, while the T20 Blast will run from May 30 to September 14. There was a similar overlap last year as well, which meant the LPL struggled to attract foreign talent, given the money on offer. But it has nevertheless enjoyed some popularity among local fans.The 2024 season will again feature five teams, as it has from its inception. There will be 24 matches in all. The teams will play each other twice in the league stage, which will consist of 20 matches. There will then be a qualifier, an eliminator and a second eliminator, and the final – the same as with the IPL. Four of the five teams qualify for the playoffs, as they have done for the last three seasons.The LPL has seen substantial turnover in franchise ownership, with last year’s owners a completely different set from those that had run teams in the inaugural edition, in 2020.The first three editions were won by teams bearing the Jaffna name (Stallions in the first season, Kings in seasons two and three), all captained by Thisara Perera. In 2023, B-Love Kandy, led by Wanindu Hasaranga (except for the final when he was injured), were victorious.

They took down a target of 197 against Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-20241:51

Moody: Rashid is very difficult to bowl to

“Thank you. When GT is playing, don’t think that, eh?”Gujarat Titans are the kings of the chase, certainly in IPL cricket. They have won 16 of 22 matches batting second and often enough they have come from out of nowhere to claim victory. Wednesday night was one such occasion and in the sweet afterglow their new captain Shubman Gill couldn’t help but indulge in that throwaway line about writing them off.Titans had given up 196 runs on a pitch that looked a little tough to score runs on. The Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson mentioned there was no dew and the bounce of the ball was on the lower side as well, which means it tends to be that much harder to get under the ball and hit the big shots. He said the par score was around 180.”We were targeting 45 in three overs and that is very much gettable,” Gill said, as he broke down the way he and his team go about a T20 chase. “Fifteen runs per over [means] you just need two hits in the over and that was the mindset at that time. Mathematically, both batsmen need to score nine-ball 22 runs and if you think like that, okay, its three hits in nine balls and if one of the batsmen goes berserk, you’ll see the match getting over in two three balls. [Impact sub] definitely makes a difference, if you have an extra batter there. But it’s just the mindset [thinking of 45 in three overs as needing just two hits an over] to make things more easy, more simple.”Shubman Gill played his part in a stunning chase for Titans•Getty ImagesGill himself contributed 72 off 44 balls. It was a stunning innings, especially how he went after R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal who are the Royals’ bankers in the middle overs. The Titans captain looked set to do it all on his own when he fell trying to hit a third boundary in three balls against Chahal in the 16th over and left the field smashing his bat into the turf. Titans, who came into this match with only two wins in five, needed 64 off 28 balls at that point.”I would have loved to finish the game [myself],” Gill said, “But very happy with the way Rashid [Khan] and Rahul [Tewatia] finished the game for us. In the past couple of matches as well, I thought we dominated more than 50% of the game and the bad phase was we played really bad cricket and that’s why we lost. This game, we were there and thereabouts, we were a little bit behind the game and then winning the game on the last ball is always a great feeling.”This was the fourth time (out of eight tries) that Titans have chased down 15 or more runs in the final over in the IPL. Having done so, they left the opposition captain lost for words.”To be honest it’s very hard to speak at the moment actually,” Samson, who scored an unbeaten 68 off 38, said. “It’s the hardest job in the tournament when the captain loses the game and he is supposed to tell where we lost actually. When the emotion calms down a bit, after few hours, I might tell you where exactly we lost.”You have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans, the way they bowled, the way the batted, the way they fought. When I was batting I thought something around 180 was a fighting score. I think the way Shimron Hetmyer dominated at the end of the innings and we got 196, I thought that was a winning score on this wicket. I think there was no dew. The wicket was a bit dry and low and with our bowling line-up we should have done it.”