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Durham 119 for 6 (Bates 34, Heath 29) beat Hampshire 33 for 2 by one run (DLS)Grace Thompson bowled an exemplary over just before it hosed it down to give Durham a dramatic one-run victory by DLS over Hampshire Hawks in the Women’s Vitality Blast.Durham had scored 119 on a slow track, thanks to Suzie Bates’ 34 and Bess Heath’s 29 – with Freya Davies and Bex Tyson each picking up two wickets.With heavy rain forecast, the race was on to bowl the five overs needed to constitute a match, Maia Bouchier got Hampshire ahead of the rate, but Trudy Johnson made sure the scores level on DLS at the five-over mark.Thompson, however, only conceded three runs in the following over before the rain got too heavy and umpires Ant Harris and Julia Jarvis took the players off – with Hawks two runs shy of a winning score.It handed Durham their first Blast victory and Hawks back-to-back defeats.On the same pitch that South Africa played Zimbabwe in preparation for their World Test Championship final, Hawks chose to bowl first – an obvious choice with heavy rain forecasted.Bates began with a crushing four, but it didn’t set a precedent for regular boundary hitting as the pitch didn’t offer a great deal of pace.Durham’s batting was summed by starts, regular wickets, and very little offside play; only 23 of the 119 runs not struck on the onside.Katherine Fraser was the first of six wickets to fall when she picked up to deep midwicket, with Freya Davies also bowling Emma Marlow to return figures of two for 20.Bates, the scorer of half the eight fours in the innings in her 34, was the first of two to get stumped off Bex Tyson, with Abi Glen following suit later in the innings.Hollie Armitage scored 18 before she was bowled by Mary Taylor and Mady Villiers powered to long on.Heath whacked a six over deep midwicket in a useful unbeaten 29 to take Durham to a challenging score.Hampshire knew they needed 23 runs if they didn’t lose a wicket in the five overs that were needed to constitute a match.But Mady Villiers ended Ella McCaughan’s three-match half-century run by getting her to chip to mid-off, before Charli Knott was bowled going back to Katie Levick.That upped the five over target to 30, which thanks to Bouchier hitting both Villiers and Trudy Johnson for back-to-back fours put the hosts in control.Hampshire were on exactly 30 at five overs – Johnson ending with two dots – so a tie would have been a result with the rain starting to come down, but it wasn’t enough to end proceedings.Thompson tied Freya Kemp and Bouchier up to only allow three runs in the sixth over, when five were required to win before the heavens truly opened and there was no argument that no further play was possible.

Toss Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Ahmedabad.”Leading into the playoffs, we want momentum on our side,” GT captain Shubman Gill said. “For that, these two games are very important.”GT fielded an unchanged side. If they win tonight, they will take a big step towards confirming a top-two finish.”We would have also bowled first,” LSG captain Rishabh Pant said. “We know where we stand but we will try to pick up things for the next season.”Related

• LSG's Rathi suspended for one game after Abhishek incident

LSG made multiple changes. To start with, Himmat Singh and Shahbaz Ahmed were part of the batting XI. Pant also said Akash Singh was part of the side. Currently, he is one of the Impact Player options and could play a part in the second innings.Digvesh Rathi, who is serving a one-match ban after accumulating five demerit points for excessive celebration, missed out.The match is being played on a black-soil pitch with an even covering of grass. It’s expected to be a high-scoring pitch. One square boundary is 61 metres, the other 67. The straight boundary is slightly longer, 70 metres.Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sherfane Rutherford, 4 M Shahrukh Khan, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Rashid Khan, 7 Kagiso Rabada, 8 Arshad Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh KrishnaImpact Player options: B Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Dasun ShanakaLucknow Super Giants: 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Himmat Singh, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Will O’RourkeImpact Player options: Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, M Siddarth, Arshin Kulkarni, David Miller

Surrey 253 (Sibley 100*, Wheal 4-65) and 136 for 1 (Pope 56*, Sibley 55*) lead Hampshire 219 (Prest 44, Gubbins 43, Worrall 3-37) by 170 runsYou can get caught out on Saturdays like these at the Kia Oval.The sun shines scorchingly bright to start, enticing you to take it easy, as you lounge through the opening hours without a care in the world. And then, without warning or even a goodbye, it ducks out leaving you exposed to the chill, scrabbling for the security of layers to cover up that newly acquired farmers’ tan.Of course, many of the 4,132 who started their weekend here will have been wise to all that, taking jumpers and nothing for granted. But 11 not included in that tally – who all happened to be donning a Rose and Crown crest – were given a stark reminder of how sharply things can shift against you on an April day in south London, even when the odds had started in your favour.At about 12.04pm, Hampshire were coasting at 84 for 1, Mark Stoneman and Nick Gubbins steady and unperturbed, even if they were still 169 behind Surrey’s first innings. By 6.26pm, when the floodlights were doing too much of the illuminating, the visitors were now trailing by 170, Surrey’s second innings not just going, but flying.Over six hours of play, and Hampshire were more or less back where they had begun, with far less control. If anything sums up the kind of folly the County Championship can occasionally throw up, this was it. But there were no cricketing gods to curse, and not even the early lure of the sun could be blamed. The lack of progress was very much on Hampshire.Their confusingly slow morning of 42 runs in 29 overs played into Surrey’s hands, particularly given a wicketless first half of day two’s opening session. Then came a collapse of three for six that laid waste to Hampshire’s drudgery, as unnecessary as it may have been. The error of their ways was eventually shoved all the way down their throats by a 36-over evening session in which Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope skipped along to half-centuries with Surrey closing on 136 for 1.The risk of Hampshire’s impasse was clear for all to see. This is a Surrey attack that does not let up. Even Matthew Fisher, freshly down south, got in on the squeeze, straddling midday with an impressive six-over spell – four of them maidens – that went for just seven runs, occasionally beating the edge of both Stoneman and Gubbins.It was while Fisher was operating from the Vauxhall End that Dan Lawrence profited in front of the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion. Gubbins inexplicably guided a delivery from wide on the crease around the corner to leg slip, having survived an appeal for an identical dismissal the ball before.Gubbins’ misjudgement turned the focus on the preceding 64 minutes, in which he and Stoneman added just 29 runs. Three overs later, Stoneman had been trapped in front by a suitably rested Dan Worrall, tagging back in for Fisher, before a torturous 1 off 27 from Toby Albert was ended by Jordan Clark to make it 90 for 4.With the top four back in the changing-room, and the innings moored, the onus was back on Tom Prest to take the initiative, as he had done last week with 57 in the successful chase against Yorkshire. A flashed edge over third slip ahead of the lunch break – Hampshire’s first boundary in 26 overs – at least hinted at impetus to come after the interval.The 22-year-old ended the first over of the afternoon session with back-to-back straight drives for four. And when Dawson responded with successive fours of his own – driven through cover, then flicked around the corner – Hampshire had already bettered the morning boundary count (three) in the space of six deliveries.Greater ambition came with greater risk, of course, though Dawson felt aggrieved when given out lbw, seemingly certain of an inside-edge. However contentious, it was a deserved first wicket at the Kia Oval for Fisher. Skipper Ben Brown followed him back not long after with a nine-ball duck that included a life when Sibley shelled a simple chase at first slip.It was from this point that Prest was backed up by Brett Hampton for the best part of 10 overs. The New Zealander was happy to play the aggressor, swinging his huge forearms at anything and everything in his half, bringing about one novel boundary in front of square leg when he was aiming for cover.The only plus point for Hampshire was their first innings seemed in terminal decline when Hampton and Prest were seen off in the space of 11 deliveries, particularly given the modes. The former squeezed out a Clark inducker between bat and pad, stifling the ensuing lbw appeal, but inadvertently sending the ball towards Pope at first slip. England’s vice-captain broke forward and flung himself low to complete the catch. Prest, having negotiated the best part of Worrall’s bumper spell against him, aimed a lazy flinch at one that did not get up as much and found Ryan Patel at short leg for 44.Then came Abbott’s late dash to 37, 13 of them taken off Fisher’s 16th and final over, as a short-ball ploy was met with three step-away-and-carves through the off side, which also happened to be the shorter hit. By the time Abbott was done – bowled by Lawrence defending down the wrong line – Hampshire had closed the first-innings gap to 34.With a bumper 42-session to come after tea, there was an opportunity for wickets to turn this match into a second-innings shootout. But Abbott was the only bowler to register a dismissal, nailing Rory Burns in front, only after he and Sibley had brought up 56 between them in the 13th over. Having carried his bat the day before, Sibley went on, for another 55 unbeaten runs, with the only point of alarm coming when he almost ran himself out on 47.Pope best exemplified the shifting scenario, contorting it further with a breezy half-century brought up with consecutive sixes off Sonny Baker – the first carved over point, the second uppercut over third. No other side have been as chastened by Pope’s shot-making as Hampshire, and this was a ninth fifty-plus score against them in 11 first-class matches against them.They had kept him quiet in five previous innings, including seeing him off for 14 on Friday. But his average against them has ticked back up to 96.30, and it is not unreasonable to expect that to be higher by the time he and Surrey finish batting.Few sides are quite so ruthless as the defending champions when in such a commanding position. And while Hampshire will learn from how this match has been switched upon them by their own apprehensive approach, maybe they should have been wiser given how relentless their opponents have been over the last three years.

It is not often that Jemimah Rodrigues is a far cry from her cheerful self. Alice Capsey and Shafali Verma also seldom shy away from a laugh. But as the Delhi Capitals dragged themselves towards the presentation area, the dejection loomed large. A few hundred fans who were cheering Rodrigues, Shafali, Shikha Pandey and the others only got a nod with heads bowed down in response. The players were desperately searching for a shoulder to lean on. For someone to console them, to tell them it was a bad dream.DC had now lost a third-straight WPL final. In each season, they topped the league stage and earned a direct entry to the title clash. Their margins of defeat in the finals of WPL 2023 and 2024 were seven wickets and eight wickets respectively; but Saturday’s defeat was a mere eight runs.A narrow defeat in the final notwithstanding, Jonathan Batty brought his funny side out in the press conference. He was facing the media after overseeing a third successive runners-up finish as DC’s head coach. Was there a common theme to each of their three finals’ losses? “The opposition got more runs than we did!”Related

• Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet seal second WPL title for Mumbai Indians

• Stats – Another WPL final, another defeat for DC

• Harmanpreet hails Sciver-Brunt and Ismail after MI make 150 look 'like 180'

• A Harmanpreet masterpiece blows Delhi Capitals away

In the first two seasons, despite having Jasia Akhter and Laura Harris, they couldn’t find the right gear to finish the innings. They lacked lower-order firepower with wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia batting only five times in 18 matches across the first two seasons. She batted at No. 11 in the WPL 2024 final. But with Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce in the squad this time, DC could field five overseas players. Despite primarily being a top-order bat, a strike rate of 150 while batting at No. 7 points towards a job well done.Which is why this defeat would stink DC most. They found a weak link, filled the gap and still ended up at the same spot. Such was the depth that India internationals Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav featured in only four and two games respectively. But Batty was not reading much into it and conceded that MI played better on another important night.”It will take time to think through what went wrong,” Batty said. “Two great quality teams going head-to-head and it was such a tight game. To lose by eight runs, which is two boundaries, we lost it by two balls in the end. That game can go either way from there. I don’t think there was a common denominator. You always have a side that wins and a side that loses, and we have been on the losing side three times unfortunately.”To finish top of the table three years running, we have played some amazing cricket. You don’t get over the line until [you win] the final. Everyone’s hurting a huge amount at the moment. I think 99% of the time you back yourself to chase 150 on that wicket there. Big match finals, maybe the occasion got to the players.”Twice DC opted to set a target in the finals, twice they crumbled to a below-par score. So Meg Lanning hesitated little in choosing to chase after a third direct final entry. In WPL 2025, teams batting first – dew or no dew – had won all three matches before the final at the Brabourne Stadium. A fresh surface was in use for the final with the square boundaries nearly equidistant. None of that perhaps mattered to Lanning.Harmanpreet Kaur rescued Mumbai Indians after coming in at 14 for 2•BCCI

But for a third title-clash in a row, DC’s batting failed to live up to expectation. The top order caved in to the pressure Mumbai mounted. At most times, DC’s scores were more than Mumbai’s at the corresponding stage. But it couldn’t cover up for the early stutter that saw DC – chasing 150 – slip to 17 for 2, 44 for 4, 66 for 5 and 83 for 6. Marizanne Kapp briefly rekindled their effusive dream by scoring 40 off 26. But MI held their nerve to concede just 14 off the last two overs and win their second WPL title.”I don’t think it is a mental block at all,” Batty said. “You look at how we performed with the ball and in the field in the first half to keep them to 149 on that wicket. You see what’s happened through the week, with the eliminator and the other games here, we were expecting probably 180 to be par score, so we were really pleased with that. The players were up for it, they were fine and I think there was no mental block at all. But it’s just full credit to the opposition, they outplayed us and deserved to win the game.”Chasing 150, you expect the batting unit to play positive, aggressive cricket, and you should, nine times out of ten, win that game at a bit of a canter – I think 180 was par on that wicket. Full credit to Mumbai Indians, they never let us get ahead of the run rate.”Kapp bowled an opening spell that made Lanning’s toss call seem right. It looked as if a side batting first in a WPL final would end up with a low score again. Harmanpreet Kaur’s middle-overs assault was menacing, but the score was not beyond DC at any stage. And despite Mumbai scoring 25 off the last two overs, figures of 2 for 37 at the death was not a blemish on DC’s bowling.”I thought Harmanpreet took the attack to us,” Batty said. “I thought we bowled pretty well and she took a few risks and got away with it, she backed herself to do that. Coming out of the powerplay, we were in charge of the game. There was always going to be a partnership at some point. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur’s partnership was the pivotal one for them, it has been the whole season. To break through that and then reduce the total we were chasing in the end was a really good effort. We held our nerve fantastically through that partnership.”It was a case of being so near yet so far once again for DC. Batty’s humour can alleviate their pain only so much.

Big Picture: Contrasting batting units meet

At first glance, it’s hard to believe that Gujarat Titans (GT) have been more explosive than Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025. GT have thrived on consistent contributions from B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, who has seamlessly slotted in at No. 3. In contrast, SRH have continued to struggle in the powerplay, unlike last year when they were the trendsetters.Travishek haven’t made the same impact, and the in-form Ishan Kishan has failed to build on an excellent initiation with his new franchise, having begun with a century. This has put too much pressure on the middle order of Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and young Aniket Verma. Abhishek Sharma has struggled to replicate his explosive batting that saw him make his T20I debut for India. The real test is now to see if they can continue to keep up with the methods that brought them rich rewards last year. SRH have five 50-plus partnerships so far but they only average 21.68 per partnership, which is the lowest among all teams this season.Their troubles aren’t just restricted to batting. Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins haven’t been incisive and have conceded runs at an economy of 10 and 12.30 respectively and picked up three wickets apiece. They have tried different overseas options in Adam Zampa and Wiaan Mulder but neither of them has managed to impress. SRH average under five wickets per game and have the highest economy rate among all teams this season. They have an economy rate over ten per over in each phase, and are especially bad in the last four overs, where they concede at close to 17 per over.Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill have given Gujarat Titans a strong start•BCCI

In comparison, GT’s top order has been leading them to robust starts. It has meant their undercooked middle order hasn’t had to step in yet. They are coming off two back-to-back wins, the last one against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in particular was dominating from their batting standpoint. They also nearly chased down 244 in their season opener and scored 196 on a slower home surface against Mumbai Indians.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad LLL
Gujarat Titans WWL

New loyalties

Shami, the purple cap holder when he played for GT in 2023, is now part of SRH’s pace attack, as is Abhinav Manohar, who was previously part of GT’s lower-middle order. GT’s bench has two former SRH players – allrounders Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar, both of whom are yet to play.2:36

A case for GT to play Phillips vs SRH?

Team news and likely XII

Simarjeet Singh has an economy rate of 13.44 across the nine overs he has bowled in three games so far. Jaydev Unadkat could probably get a look-in for his first game this season. Zeeshan Ansari’s impressive performances could mean he continues as the Impact Player.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Reddy, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Aniket Verma, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Simarjeet Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Zeeshan AnsariKagiso Rabada missed the game against RCB and has since flown home for personal reasons. This could possibly mean a debut for Phillips although GT played only three overseas players in their last outing.Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Sai Sudharsan, 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Glenn Phillips/Arshad Khan, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Ishant Sharma

In the spotlight: Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill

Abhishek Sharma made a seamless transition from the IPL to the Indian team after an outstanding run in IPL 2024, where he set the tone alongside Travis Head. However, he has struggled this season with three single-digit scores in four games. Will this challenging start alter his approach as he looks to bounce back?Abhishek Sharma has had a tough start to IPL 2025•Associated Press

Shubman Gill, Abhishek’s closest friend, has slipped down India’s pecking order in T20Is. Unlike Abhishek, Gill has been in sparkling form but hasn’t yet converted his starts into big scores. Hyderabad must elicit happy memories for Gill, who hit an ODI double-century here against New Zealand.

Pitch and conditions

Pitches in Hyderabad have been a belter since IPL 2024. The average first-innings score is 213. This is just the third game in Uppal this season, with pitches still fresh. SRH would welcome a return to home climes, where they hit 286 in their first outing.

Stats and trivia

• SRH have lost ten wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2025, the most by a team.
• SRH’s death-overs economy rate of 16.89 is the worst this season.
• Mohammed Siraj is two short of 100 wickets in the IPL; Unadkat needs one more.
  

  Quotes

  “Three losses in a row, I know everyone’s affected by it, but that doesn’t take anything away from how good a team we are. We’ve still got to keep believing that our style will come off, and we’ll get that win and we’ll get on a roll.”
  “Sometimes we expect and ask a lot of young cricketers, and somebody that has achieved as much as Siraj has, sometimes we are very quick to judge one or two performances. He is exceptional since he joined us.”

A patient Sam Konstas was dismissed for just three before his New South Wales captain Jack Edwards launched a stirring fightback in the Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland at the Gabba.Queensland started day two well placed at 307 for 5, but lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 387.NSW were in all sorts of trouble at 39 for 5 in reply, but big knocks from Edwards (104 not out) and Matthew Gilkes (66) ensured the visitors went to stumps at a more respectable 237 for 7.Related

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• McAndrew's 7 for 11 blows WA away for 66 in five session game

Konstas set tongues wagging in his Test debut when he unleashed an array of ramps and other audacious strokes on the way to 60 off 65 balls against the Jasprit Bumrah-led India on Boxing Day.The 19-year-old flew back to Australia last week after missing out on a spot in the XI for Australia’s second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, with selectors keen for him to get red-ball experience at the Gabba.Keen to prove he’s not just a one-tricky pony, Konstas put away his ramps and slashes against Queensland in a bid to dig in as wickets tumbled around him.The rising star took 27 deliveries to get off the mark, producing a nice drive through covers to score three runs. But it would prove to be his only joy, with Konstas out for three off 33 balls when he feathered Xavier Bartlett behind.Nic Maddinson and Kurtis Petterson had already fallen by that stage, and Oliver Davies and Josh Philippe were quick to follow as the star-studded NSW line-up crumbled.But a 143-run partnership between Edwards and Gilkes thrust NSW back into the contest. Edwards brought up his century late in the day with a single off Mitchell Swepson to exit the nervous 90s.Earlier, Queensland’s Jack Clayton was only able to add one run to his overnight score before falling at the hands of spinner Chris Green.Allrounder Michael Neser scored 43, but Liam Hatcher was able to clean up the tail before any major damage was inflicted.

The Ashes are within touching distance for Australia after Ashleigh Gardner’s maiden international century turned a stuttering innings into a comprehensive 86-run victory in Hobart to leave them 6-0 up and requiring just two points for retention.Gardner’s run-a-ball century rescued Australia from 59 for 4 in conjunction with Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath, the latter made a 38-ball fifty, then they were launched over 300 by a late onslaught from the recalled Georgia Wareham.In the chase, Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt made half-centuries but both fell to Wareham in what became a starring return to the side. Then just as Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones were raising hopes of a dramatic push towards the target, Phoebe Litchfield produced a stunning diving catch running back from cover to remove Wyatt-Hodge.After that, England faded quickly, losing 6 for 22 with Alana King taking a career-best 5 for 46 to make it nine wickets in the last two matches, and once again there was daylight between the sides. To cap her day, Gardner took one of the more remarkable boundary catches when she was able to toss the ball back at deep midwicket as she went over the rope, then dive full-length forward to grab the rebound.It all meant that England were left needing to win all three T20Is and the Test to reclaim the Ashes for the first time since 2014.To chase over 300, they needed someone to replicate Gardner’s superbly-paced century that had come up from 100 balls after she had sped through the 90s with consecutive boundaries off Sciver-Brunt. It was only the second ODI century ever to come from No. 6 or below.Ash Gardner took a spectacular juggling catch on the rope•Getty Images

McGrath’s role was also vital with Australia’s innings still in the balance at 154 for 5 when she joined Gardner. Her form has come under scrutiny in recent times, as she has shifted down the order to No. 7, so this was a timely performance from the vice-captain.In all, 104 runs came off the final 10 overs in a formidable display of Australia’s batting depth. Sophie Ecclestone, who went for 17 off the last, finished with the second-most expensive figures of her ODI career with the top three all against Australia.In a frenetic start to the game, England called on the DRS three times inside the first four overs, burning both reviews but getting the call right when Litchfield gloved a pull down the leg side after she had made a positive start with three crisp boundaries.Shortly after they used up their reviews by going upstairs for a caught behind appeal against Ellyse Perry, she flicked a delivery off her pads straight to Lauren Filer at short fine leg with Lauren Bell’s muted celebration acknowledging it was more fortune than a plan.Alyssa Healy had not been able to go through the gears during the powerplay and fell shortly before the restrictions ended when she pulled Sciver-Brunt to deep midwicket. Australia’s situation became more precarious when Annabel Sutherland completed a lean one-day series as she drove to mid-off, a similar dismissal to the second game in Melbourne.The mantra of the Australian side is never to take a backward step even when faced with difficulties, and Gardner responded by lofting Ecclestone straight down the ground for six. Mooney then took two boundaries in three deliveries off Charlie Dean.Alana King took her maiden ODI five-for•Getty Images

Gardner brought up her half-century from 53 balls and Mooney from 63. However, Mooney couldn’t convert when she tried to clear the off side against Dean and could only sky into the ring. But what was an opening for England was soon closed off by the skill and power of the Gardner-McGrath alliance in what were the best batting conditions of the series.Megan Schutt struck in the first over of the chase when Maia Bouchier lofted to mid-off and England’s reply took a huge dent when Heather Knight edged behind with Healy taking a sharp chance standing up to the stumps.Beaumont and Sciver-Brunt rebuilt through a stand of 89 in 18 overs but with such a hefty total to chase the run-rate pressure was always mounting. Beaumont upped her strike rate with three boundaries in six balls to reach fifty but was bowled off her pads in Wareham’s first over in ODIs since last March.Not for the first time, Sciver-Brunt stood as the key figure. She went to a 53-ball fifty but couldn’t convert, beaten by a delivery from Wareham that skidded on into the stumps.While the required rate hovered around eight an over it was not out of sight for England and four boundaries in four balls between Wyatt-Hodge and Jones suggested they, like Australia, may be able to make hay in the closing overs.But then Wyatt-Hodge aimed to lift King over the off side, Litchfield ran back from cover, dived full length and held the catch as it came over her shoulder. Once again, Australia had seized a vital moment and with it were a step closer to seizing the Ashes.

Rohit Sharma has said the “door is very much open” for Mohammed Shami to join India’s Test squad in Australia, but reiterated caution over his fitness.Speaking after India’s ten-wicket loss in the second Test in Adelaide, Rohit said: “We are just monitoring him because while playing Syed Mushtaq Ali, he got some swelling in his knee, which hampers his preparation to come and play a Test match. We want to be very careful, we don’t want to bring him here, he pulls up sore or something happens.”We want to be more than 100% sure with him because it has been a long time. We don’t want to put pressure on him to come here and do the job for the team. There are some professionals monitoring, we will take a call based on what those guys feel. They are the ones watching him every game, how he pulls up after the game, after bowling four overs, standing for 20 overs. But the door is open for him to come and play anytime.”Shami has not played for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup final in November last year, after which he had surgery in February for an ankle injury. After suffering a few setbacks during his recovery process, Shami finally returned to action in November this year, taking seven wickets for Bengal in a Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh.Since then Shami has played seven games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, taking eight wickets in 27.3 overs. While there has been no official confirmation that he has been given the go-ahead to fly to Australia, it is expected that he will join the squad at some stage if there are no further setbacks.

Quick bowler Lance Morris has suffered an injury setback having picked up a quad strain in training although it is hoped the layoff will be brief with the aim to return before the end of the month.Morris, who faced South Australia in Sydney in late September as part of a carefully managed return to action after another winter recovering from back problems, will miss Western Australia’s one-day game against Queensland on Sunday but is targeting the October 25 clash with Tasmania at the WACA as a return.Related

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• Morris hopeful of early Shield return despite 'frustrating' injury issues

• McAndrew five-for inspires SA to stunning victory against WA

A fully fit Morris, who made his international debut against West Indies last season, would be in contention for the Australia A four-day or Australia ODI squads which are due to be named early next week. He was a regular around the Test squad last season.Speaking last month, Morris had hoped to play Sheffield Shield cricket in the early part of the season but now won’t be in contention to face Tasmania from October 20. After that, WA’s next Shield match starts against Tasmania on November 1 which overlaps with the first Australia A game against India A and the start of the ODI series against Pakistan.”Frustrating to have to stop for a couple of months. I’m at that stage in my career with a Cricket Australia contract…. it’s a transition into a 12-month cricketer,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But the silver lining is I’ve stayed fit and I feel stronger than ever. Whereas if I ignored it and cracked on with things, there’s every likelihood that I would spend 12 months on the sidelines.”Meanwhile, Mahli Beardman is in line for his first game of the season following the shock call-up to Australia’s squad in England last month. Beardman, who has only played one professional game for WA, was never officially added to the touring party having been brought in as cover amid a list of injuries to the fast bowlers.Western Australia squad Ashton Turner (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Hilton Cartwright, Josh Inglis, Bryce Jackson, Jhye Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Andrew Tye, Sam WhitemanQueensland squad Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Tom Straker, Mitch Swepson, Tom Whitney, Jack Wildermuth

Victoria’s seamers steamrolled a strong New South Wales line-up to claim a 141-run victory at the MCG but both sides were left in no doubt that Mitchell Starc is primed for a big Test summer after he claimed seven wickets in the match.Victoria cruised to victory before lunch on the fourth day with Sam Elliott claiming the final four wickets they required including Josh Philippe for an excellent 88. Elliott finished with 4 for 44 while Fergus O’Neill was named player of the match for his figures of 4 for 29, 1 for 28 and two vital lower order contributions of 28 and 33.Related

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Elliott broke a stubborn 63-run stand between Philippe and Starc when the wicketkeeper got a thin edge trying to thrash a cut behind point to fall 12 short of a deserved century. Philippe finished with scores of 45 not and 88 for the match. Starc fell for 18 top edging an attempted pull shot. Nathan Lyon also fell to the pull shot, miscuing to a catching man who was placed not far behind the square leg umpire. Elliott cleaned bowled Jackson Bird shortly after to finish the game.While all eyes had been on the performances of two Test hopefuls in Marcus Harris and Sam Konstas, the buzz from both rooms post-match was how well Starc had bowled after taking 1 for 35 and 6 for 81 in 36.5 overs across the match, including Harris in both innings. NSW coach Greg Shipperd believes India will face a stiff challenge from Starc if conditions are similar to the pitch that was offered at the MCG.”His pace, his rhythm, all of those things that go to engineering the sort of pace he was dealing with,” Shipperd said. “He did change the game once he decided to go short and really change the dynamic of the match. And second innings again, we thought perhaps he’d done enough, but he kept coming. And so that’s a good sign for Australia and troubles ahead, perhaps, on the right wicket for India.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers was thrilled with the contributions of his batting group in tough conditions, singling out the first innings partnership between Campbell Kellaway and Peter Handscomb and the second innings stand between Sam Harper and Tom Rogers as match-winning in the face of Starc’s barrage.”Against a very good bowling attack for a 21-year-old kid [Kellaway] to get 50, along with Pete, I said to Pete, that’s right up there with some of the best batting I’ve seen him do,” Rogers said. “To put on that 100, if you look back now, you probably say that that was pretty critical in us winning the game and having a first innings lead.”And in the second innings, when they had us four for not many and Mitch Starc’s got his tail up, we needed a couple of people to stand up, and two guys who were making names for themselves in Sammy Harper and Tommy Rogers played absolutely out of their skins, and that 130-run partnership, that was as good as I’ve seen from a partnership for a long time. Just absolutely fantastic.”