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Steven Smith became the equal-second fastest Test batsman to 6000 runs, and now has the chance to make his fourth century of this Ashes series

Daniel Brettig at Sydney05-Jan-2018Australia’s captain Steven Smith has left his team-mates in awe after becoming the equal-second fastest batsman to 6000 runs in Tests behind Sir Donald Bradman and alongside Sir Garfield Sobers, and now has the chance to make his fourth century of this Ashes series – another achievement that would place him in Bradman territory.”It’s pretty crazy, I think at one stage they put up all those numbers on the board for biggest Ashes series by an Australian player and I think he might’ve been six or seven on the list but he’s batted two or three times less than some of those guys at the top,” Pat Cummins said. “Those big innings he’s played as well, they’ve all been really important. In Brisbane and Perth they were match-winning and in Melbourne it was match-saving, so it’s just incredible and I think he’s been the real difference between the two sides.””As bowlers we’re stoked he’s on our team so we don’t have to bowl at him. It’s crazy, he prepares the way most other guys do, sit down, get the gear on and watching the game, but he just goes out there and from ball one he looks like he’s been batting for three hours already. No obvious weakness, no obvious time it takes him to build into his innings, he just looks from ball one like he knows his game so well, so confident and in great touch. It’s great, you lose a couple of wickets but he walks to the crease.”Cummins said that when bowling to Smith in the nets he created unique problems for bowlers with his pre-delivery movements opening up different parts of the field. “He’s very different to pretty much every other batsman,” Cummins said of Smith. “He moves so much so it’s harder to find your target. A normal, fourth-stump ball to anyone else he can hit to the leg side as though it’s a leg-stump ball, then the next one you might bowl the same ball and he doesn’t move as far and hits a full-blooded cover drive.”So I think he’s just a really hard batter to get a rhythm to, and I think the best batsmen in the world are always the most proactive, they find a way to get off strike, find a way to not let you settle in as a bowler, and I think that’s what he’s done. He’s a seriously smart batsman, he knows what he’s doing and how to have one over the bowler.”England’s debutant legspinner Mason Crane said the visitors had to keep reminding themselves that Smith was a batsman with flaws and the capability for mistakes like everyone else. “He’s played really well and scored a lot of runs but he’s only human as well,” Crane said. “It’s awesome to be bowling to some of the best players in the world, that’s why I play the game.”He’s got out I think four times this series so he’s not [immune]. He’s playing very well, obviously seeing it well, but like I said he’s only human, so we’ll keep plugging away. He’s a key player for them, I feel like if we can get him out and take two or three then we can hopefully get a first-innings lead.”

The IPL auction will begin on January 27 with 16 marquee players going up for bidding, including Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Joe Root, Ajinkya Rahane and Shakib Al Hasan

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jan-20181:29

Dasgupta: ‘I see quite a few marquee players going unsold in the first round’

Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan and Glenn Maxwell are part of two sets of marquee players that will kick-off the IPL auction, which begins on January 27 in Bangalore. The auction will be a two-day exercise with a total of 578 players featuring in the player pool for the eight franchises to choose from.On Saturday the IPL announced the final auction pool, having pruned the original 1122-strong longlist by half. The auction pool has been divided into different sets based on the area of expertise of the player. The auction will begin with the two sets of maquee players going up for bidding.It is not entirely clear how the IPL filtered the marquee players. Ten out of 16 marquee players are over 30 years old while six are Indians. In addition to the above names, the other players featuring in the marquee sets include Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan Singh, Joe Root, Shakib Al Hasan, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo and Kane Williamson.The marquee players will be followed by the first sets of capped players: batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners in that order. In a marked changed from the past auctions, the IPL has decided to feature the uncapped players on the first day of the auction.In the past the uncapped category would come up towards the end once all the sets of capped players were exhausted. But this time the IPL has opted to mix both categories, keeping in mind the wide interest among franchises for uncapped Indian players including Baroda allrounder Krunal Pandya, who has been listed 85th in the shortlist.Krunal, who played for Mumbai Indians until last season, was the player of the final as Mumbai won the title for the third time. Krunal is a favourite to be retained by the defending IPL champions through the right-to-match card option. Mumbai still have two right-to-match cards available to them, which they might use for Krunal and Pollard, who has been with the franchise since 2009.Incidentally, Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, will only come up for bidding during the latter half of the first day of the auction. Rashid is part of the seventh set of players, which could possibly help Sunrisers as they could buy him through the right-to-match card option for a potentially lower price, in case other franchises spend big money on players from the previous sets.India fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who went unsold last season before joining Kings XI Punjab as a replacement player, is part of the first set of fast bowlers. Ishant has listed his base price at INR 75 lakh. Also featuring in this set are the Indian fast-bowling pair of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson (all Australia), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan (both New Zealand) and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka).The South African fast-bowling pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are also part of this set. Neither featured in the IPL last season, with Steyn recovering from a shoulder injury and Morkel preserving himself to stay fit for Test cricket.Also in the final list is the 17-year-old Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. He was one of the nine players to have been requested by the franchises after the longlist was announced recently. The others in the list include Hamza Tariq (Canada), Samit Patel (England), Mohammed Asaduddin (Hyderabad), Midhun S (Kerala), Abhinav Manohar (Karnataka), Ben Wheeler (New Zealand), Mohsin Khan (Uttar Pradesh) and Javon Searles (West Indies)

The South Africa coach rued his side’s clumsy errors, which ultimately cost them a series

Firdose Moonda25-Feb-20182:00

‘Fielding cost us the game tonight’

Not only did India win twice as many matches as South Africa during this tour, with the final scoreline reading 8-4, but they also out-fielded a home side that has made its name on athleticism. At Newlands, where India won the deciding T20 by seven runs, the quality of the teams’ groundwork was noticeably different. The hosts put down two chances and made several other clumsy errors that ultimately cost them the series, while the visitors barely put a foot wrong in the field.”The difference would have been fielding. The fumbles would have cost us the game,” Ottis Gibson, South Africa’s coach admitted, after the match.Shikhar Dhawan was let off twice by Tabraiz Shamsi on 9 and 34, and South Africa paid dearly for it. He went on to top-score with 47 and laid the platform for India to finish on 172.While stand-in captain Rohit Sharma thought the total was “maybe 15 runs,” short, history suggested it could be enough. Only once had a target higher than that been successfully chased down in a T20 at this venue – by Australia, who hunted down 179 two years ago. Suresh Raina, who partnered Dhawan in a second-wicket stand of 65, believed India had enough. “With 170 when you have Bhuvi, Bumrah, Hardik, you can easily win, with a good fielding unit,” Raina said.India’s effort was not perfect – the first boundary hit by Reeza Hendricks threatened to graze the fingertips of Axar Patel at backward point – and a misfield in the penultimate over allowed Christiaan Jonker to take a second run when things were getting tight, but they were much better than South Africa in all aspects. “We bowled well with good variations,” Raina said. “When you are chasing 170, you need to have a good first six overs.”South Africa were only allowed to score 25 runs in the Powerplay and their required run rate shot up past 10 runs an over. In particular, the seamers’ use of the knuckle ball got the better of South Africa’s batsmen, who are used to pace. Across formats, India’s pacemen have impressed, be it by exploiting what South Africa hoped would be home advantage in the Tests, adjusting to surfaces that seemed subcontinental in nature at times at SuperSport Park, or just playing with lengths with the white-ball.The result was India’s best performance in South Africa, something they will use to lay the foundations for future tours. “We showed what we can achieve as a team in South Africa. No team has ever done it before,” Raina said. “That confidence in the dressing room gave us a lot of licence to express ourselves.”Raina was only part of the T20 squad and hoped to use these matches to make a case to play the 2019 World Cup. “I worked really hard for the last two years and I’ve been hoping I would play for India again,” Raina said. “I have worked really hard on my game and my mental toughness.”Overall, every member of the Indian side displayed a resilience South Africa may not have been expecting, and some have suggested the only thing that stood between India and all three trophies was team selection. Ajinkya Rahane was not included in the XI until the third Test, which India won, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was left out of the Centurion Test, where he may have made a difference.”We don’t want to be too greedy. We are happy with two trophies,” Bhuvneshwar said. “Hopefully next time we come, it will be all three.”

Once he overcame the early nervousness, Abdur Razzak got into the sort of groove he has become accustomed to in the domestic circuit off late and finished with 4 for 63 on his Test comeback

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur08-Feb-2018Abdur Razzak was understandably nervous before delivering his first ball on the first morning of the Dhaka Test against Sri Lanka, but it wasn’t as bad as his ODI or Test debut more than 10 years ago. Once he overcame the early nervousness, Razzak got into the sort of groove he has become accustomed to in the domestic circuit off late.Razzak removed Dimuth Karunaratne in his first spell of five overs before starting his second with two wickets off successive deliveries. Danushka Gunathilaka got out to a poor shot, giving a catch to mid-off before Razzak ripped a beautiful delivery past Dinesh Chandimal to hit the off stump. He soon removed Kusal Mendis with a similar delivery, as he made his comeback after missing 22 Bangladesh Tests a memorable one.”Obviously, international cricket is at a different level compared to domestic tournaments so there was a bit of nerve at the start but it slowly went away,” Razzak said. “The heart was beating quite fast but not like earlier in my career. There’s always excitement, from the time I got selected to marking my run-up. Since you are playing for your country, you think differently.”Razzak, who played only 12 Tests between 2006 and 2014, took 244 wickets in first-class matches since being dropped four years ago. During this period, the second-highest wicket-taker, Sunzamul Islam, was 93 wickets behind him. Razzak took four 10-wicket hauls and was the highest wicket-taker in the calendar years 2015, 2016 and 2017 in the Bangladesh first-class circuit.He said that the big haul of wickets in the last four years of domestic first-class cricket helped him transform into a better bowler in the format. Razzak also credited those who picked him at this stage of his career, which he said offered hope to many senior players like him.”The biggest thing is performance, at whichever level, your confidence starts to go up,” he said. “The more you play first-class cricket, you get into the habit of being in the longer-format game.”I definitely feel that in the current climate in our cricket, when fitness is so important, I must thank the BCB for giving me the chance now. It means that nobody should ever give up. Everyone’s chances remain alive.”

Wagner said that playing at Eden Park gives him “goosebumps” as he prepares to face England win the day-night Test

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland20-Mar-2018Neil Wagner will put friendships aside when he takes the field against England. The paceman has forged some strong links through his spells with Essex and Lancashire but for ten days of Test, cricket mateship will be shelved.Wagner has built a reputation as New Zealand’s bouncer-merchant with considerable success: in his last 18 Tests, he has taken 86 wickets at 23.41, a period which included him becoming the second-fastest New Zealand bowler to 100 wickets.He also has a County Championship medal on his CV having taken 31 wickets in Essex’s triumphant campaign last season, during which he played alongside Alastair Cook, and will return to the county for the 2018 campaign.”He’s a great lad, loved spending time with him in the Essex changing room,” he said of Cook. “He’s a top man and I’m looking forward to going back. There has been some funny banter between myself and him even before this series got close so I look forward to playing against him. It will be quite an interesting battle then afterwards we can sit down, have a laugh and talk about it.”That’s the nice part about cricket. Going around the world and playing with these guys and then against them. You make some good friends and then you have to put that aside, have a good battle and have a beer afterwards again.”Earlier this season, Wagner took a career-best 7 for 39 against West Indies in Wellington with six of them coming from the short delivery. England struggled with the short ball at times during the Ashes, especially the lower order, so they can expect some more this series although Wagner was playing his cards close his chest.”It’s summing up conditions, if the wicket allows it and if the ball doesn’t swing you’ve got to try and find a way of getting modes of dismissal or create something,” he said. “We’ll look at some scouting footage in the next few days and plan accordingly.”For Wagner, this will be his first day-night Test having not played against Australia in Adelaide three years ago. He certainly isn’t getting too wound up by the different colour ball although finds it a bit trickier to see in the field. “It is a bit harder to catch under lights at night, seems to hit your hands a little sooner than you think, so the test will come with that but we’ll try to take a few more catches under lights tonight.”The prospect of walking out at Eden Park again is also a tantalising prospect. “A lot of guys find it odd being a rugby ground with short dimensions, but the history there, knowing Richie McCaw and those guys ran out there and won a World Cup. It’s a pretty special place. You get goosebumps. The two Tests matches I’ve had there – the England one was probably the most exciting Test I’ve been involved with and hopefully this can come close.”New Zealand trained in the evening at Eden Park on Tuesday, netting under lights, with Ross Taylor being put through his paces to test out his recovery from the thigh strain he suffered in ODIs. He worked with the physio on the outfield before having a net with coach Mike Hesson paying close attention. The New Zealand camp are confident he will be fit for the Test.

Fast bowler named as stand-in for Dawid Malan, who is expected to be on England duty

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2018Steven Finn is set to take charge of Middlesex’s Royal London campaign this summer, after being announced as Dawid Malan’s official stand-in for a tournament that clashes with the forthcoming two-Test series against Pakistan.Malan is a near-certainty to be named in England’s Test squad on May 15, the first to be convening by the new national selector Ed Smith, after impressing during England’s winter tours of Australia and New Zealand, and making his maiden Test hundred in the third Test at Perth in December.Finn himself could be an outside bet for a call-up, having been named as a replacement for Ben Stokes during the Ashes only to be forced to withdraw with a knee injury after the first day of training.He has, however, a wealth of white-ball experience under his belt, having made his List-A debut for Middlesex back in 2007 against Glamorgan.He has gone on to make 49 List A appearances for the county, as well as featuring in 69 ODIs, in which he has claimed 102 wickets at 29.67.”I am delighted to have been asked to captain the side in Dawid’s absence,” said Finn. “Having played at Middlesex since the age of 15, I am extremely proud to have been given this opportunity and we can hopefully move the side forward in white ball cricket and achieve success in this year’s competition.””Steven is at the stage in his career where he is very keen to take on greater responsibility,” said Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket. “With the expected absence of Dawid Malan with England, he is highly likely to get the opportunity to guide the club through most of our Royal London One-Day Cup group games.John Simpson, the wicketkeeper-batsman, will be Finn’s vice-captain throughout the competition.”John is in a similar position to Steven and the pair will have the brain and experience of Eoin Morgan to help guide them,” said Fraser. “These opportunities are great for the development of both players and I look forward to watching them at work.”

Karunaratne, who was ruled out of the ongoing tour of the West Indies with a broken finger, will return to action with the Sri Lanka A squad, which also features Dasun Shanaka, Lahiru Thirimanne and Lakshan Sandakan

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jun-2018Dimuth Karunaratne will return to competitive cricket with two four-day matches for Sri Lanka A in the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh. He had fractured his index finger in early May, effectively ruling him out of the ongoing tour of the West Indies, but has now begun training, and will aim to have matches under his belt ahead of July’s home Tests against South Africa.Sri Lanka A are set to play three four-dayers in Bangladesh, but because the third of those matches clashes with the start of the first Test against South Africa, Karunaratne is expected to play only the first two. Nevertheless, he has been named captain of the Sri Lanka A side – which also features Dasun Shanaka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lakshan Sandakan and Danushka Gunathilaka, all of whom have played Tests for Sri Lanka over the past year. Fast bowler Shehan Madushanka has also been named in the squad, after his recovery from injury.Sri Lanka A’s first two four-dayers will be played in Cox’s Bazar, before the teams move to Sylhet for the third match. A three-match one-day series is to follow in Sylhet, for which the selectors are expected to name a separate squad.Sri Lanka A squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt., first two four-dayers only), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Shammu Ashan, Manoj Sarathchandra, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan, Nishan Peiris, Shehan Madushanka, Nisala Tharaka, Dilesh Gunaratne.

ESPNcricinfo understands that talks have been held between the ECB and the owner of the inaugural T10 league in the UAE

George Dobell and Umar Farooq21-Jul-2018The ECB has considered introducing 10-over cricket to the English domestic game, after it emerged that talks have taken place between high-level ECB officials and the owner of the inaugural T10 league in the UAE.ESPNcricinfo understands that a meeting took place in March between Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, and Shaji Ul Mulk, the founder of the T10 league, at which the possibility of bringing the format to England was discussed.There is no suggestion at this stage that T10 cricket is being lined up to replace the existing plans for “The Hundred”, despite the outspoken criticism of the proposed new competition in recent days.However, given an already crowded domestic calendar that features first-class and 50-over cricket as well as the planned continuation of the T20 Blast, the introduction of a fifth format of the game would doubtless raise eyebrows.Instead, it is thought that the format could be under consideration as an extension of the ECB’s wide-ranging participation remit, to be treated as a separate entity, much like Rugby Sevens, with a view to bridging the gap between the recreational and professional games.It has also been suggested that the meeting, which took place in Dubai, may have been part of an ECB fact-finding mission, with the board keen to leave no stone unturned as they formulate their vision for the game from 2020 onwards. Women’s softball is understood to be another sport from which officials have recently sought learnings.Neither the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) nor the ECB’s own working party examining the future structure of the game appear to have had any prior knowledge of the meeting.The inaugural T10 competition, run by the Emirates Cricket Board, took place in Sharjah last December, with several English players receiving no-objections certificates to take part – not least the limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, and Alex Hales, for whom the competition marked a return to action after he missed the end of the 2017 season due to his involvement in the Ben Stokes incident in Bristol.That tournament, which was won by Kerala Kings, was enough of a success for the format to be expanded from six teams to eight for the 2018 edition, with the next event to be played out over ten days instead of four.The status of the ECB’s new city-based competition is currently up in the air, with the original proposal for The Hundred – 15 six-ball overs and a solitary ten-ball over – being scrapped following opposition from the PCA.Recent reports suggest that the concept could be tweaked to 20 five-ball overs, with the option of a single bowler completing ten balls in a row if the match situation warranted it.Were it to be considered as a direct replacement for the Hundred, T10 would at least retain cricket’s traditional parameters. Also, given that the ECB’s own findings suggest that the length of matches is the most off-putting aspect of the sport as it stands, the move from 120 balls in an innings to 60 would presumably meet the criteria for attracting a new audience.

That the visitors failed in their quest can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season

Paul Edwards at Tunbridge Wells23-Jun-20182:01

Kent squash Warwickshire’s hopes of record chase

ScorecardIf you are attempting to beat a 93-year-old record which was set, in part, by the future Baron Aberdare of Duffryn, your efforts could have no finer setting than Tunbridge Wells. Hosting county cricket at the Nevill Ground appears not to be a priority for its owners, the local council, but this sacred field has long been ennobled by cricket lovers. And when they gathered, on a morning of high clouds and sweet scents, spectators wondered if they might see Warwickshire score 519, thus achieving the highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in the history of the County Championship, a mark set when Middlesex scored 502 to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1925.That the visitors failed in their quest, albeit by only 73 runs, can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season. And perhaps that determination should now be matched by the executives responsible for keeping four-day county cricket at Tunbridge Wells. If the will is strong enough, the aim can invariably be achieved.Such longer-term considerations must of necessity be far from the minds of the Kent players as they reflect on their fourth Championship win in six games, a victory which leaves them only eight points shy of Warwickshire at the top of the table. But the will of Joe Denly’s players needed to be very strong indeed on a Saturday when the growing humidity reflected the match’s progress towards its climax. Not until Denly ended the game by taking three wickets in six balls, the first two of them lbws, did wickets fall in clumps; and until Adam Hose was ninth out for 65,  his team retained a sliver of hope.That hope was rather stronger at the start of the day, when Warwickshire resumed needing 290 to win with nine wickets in hand. But a game we had expected might be decided by one of its matinee idols eventually starred a cricketer who has served his time in repertory. While on Middlesex’s books, Harry Podmore went out on loan to both Derbyshire and Glamorgan. They are both fine counties but they were not places where Podmore could hang his hat. Now at Kent, the seamer  is hoping to play in next Saturday’s Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s and has probably helped his chances by returning career-best match figures of 8 for 110 in this gameHarry Podmore made key breakthroughs•Getty Images

Podmore took the two wickets to fall in the morning session and both were significant. Having made his first century of a tough season, Dominic Sibley nicked him straight to Heino Kuhn at slip and departed for 112. Two overs later Jonathan Trott edged the same bowler to Adam Rouse, whose delight when he hurled the ball into the air probably reflected his relief that his dropping of Ian Bell on 148 an over or so earlier might not be too expensive in the broader sweep of things.Ah yes, Ian Bell at Tunbridge Wells. Sometimes this game writes its own poetry. Even in a first half hour marked by nothing more than diligent accumulation and the odd alarm. Bell was as easy on the eye as one remembered from his great seasons. Few players invest a forward defensive shot with quite so much grace and precision. The ECB can negotiate broadcasting deals until their flipcharts fall off the walls but if England’s middle-order comprised Bell, James Vince and James Hildreth, BBC4 would cover Test matches.And thus it was when Bell was leg before to Ivan Thomas in the seventh over of the afternoon that Warwickshire’s chances diminished markedly. Bell had batted for a minute over six hours and stroked 24 fours in his 172 runs. But the ball jagged back and pinned him; and in that moment the game turned. Perhaps Kent’s players knew it, for their joy was illimited.Warwickshire lost three more batsmen in the afternoon session and took tea on 414 for 7. Five overs after Bell’s dismissal Tim Ambrose had his off stump knocked askew by a fine ball from that Stakhanovite labourer, Matt Henry. In the next hour Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel fell to slip catches. At no stage did Warwickshire crumple but their grip on the game was loosening.Less than an hour after tea and just when some spectators were pondering the time and overs left in the game, Denly deployed his legspin. He bowled 19 balls and three of them took wickets. Middlesex’s record was safe. One hopes the future of county cricket at Tunbridge Wells is even safer.

Jamaica Tallawahs can’t wait to get on the first plane out of Fort Lauderdale after their disastrous three-game ‘home’ stretch in Florida ended with yet another defeat

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill23-Aug-2018Steven Smith made a half-century before getting out in bizarre fashion•Peter Della Penna

Jamaica Tallawahs can’t wait to get on the first plane out of Fort Lauderdale after their disastrous three-game ‘home’ stretch in Florida ended with yet another defeat. Steven Smith was the architect of their woes, striking a half-century to lead Barbados Tridents to a total of 156 and following it up with a match-winning spell of 2 for 19 in three overs.Tallawahs appeared well on course at 80 for 0 in nine overs, but Smith pierced the opening stand, removing both Johnson Charles and Glenn Phillips in the space of five balls. The former Australia captain has now modelled his bowling action on Shahid Afridi, and early indications are that it’s totally working.Though they lost only three wickets in the whole innings, Tallawahs couldn’t score quickly enough in the final few overs, with Andre Russell never making it to the batting crease. All that meant Tridents felt immense relief. They had dropped five catches in the innings but somehow pulled off a coup to move up to fourth place on the CPL table.From Boca with loveSmith got warm receptions in King City while suiting up for the Toronto Nationals at the Global T20 Canada. The reaction wasn’t too much different south of the border in the USA on Wednesday night in Lauderhill.Of the 13 CPL matches held in Lauderhill since 2016, the Tallawahs v Tridents showdown was by far the least attended with only about 700 fans at the ground. Among them were five Australians who moved from Sydney to Boca Raton last year and drove 20 miles south to Lauderhill carrying a sign with painted on message, “Go Steve Smith Aussie Aussie Aussie!”Tim and Jane Anderson came with their three young kids – Bella, 9; Will, 7; and Maddie, 5. When Will was asked who his favorite player was he didn’t hesitate to shout, “Steve Smith!” then yelled “David Warner!” was his number two, showing Sandpaper-gate hasn’t scandalised every young cricket fan.The Anderson family’s drive was made all the more worthwhile as Smith looked in vintage form while making 63 off 44 balls, his best score since Sandpaper gate. He clubbed five fours and three sixes in his knock, with the pick of the lot a wristy scoop over point for six off Russell’s bowling in the 18th over.Smith lost his wicket in equally eye-catching fashion, his backswing knocking the bails off to be hit-wicket while his shot found its way into the hands of Rovman Powell at long-on.Double, double, toil and troubleTridents fielding was abysmal with Ashley Nurse and Raymon Reifer dropping two catches each. Nurse was his own worst enemy in the sixth over after he couldn’t hang onto a firm drive from Charles, who was on 28 at the time and eventually went on to make 42. Worse was to come in the 12th and 13th overs when Reifer and Nurse dropped three chances in the space of eight balls.Smith had just taken two wickets in his previous over – Charles caught by Martin Guptill at deep midwicket and Phillips on a dubious caught behind decision for 36 – when Kennar Lewis, on 2 off 7 balls at the time, skied a slog between Guptill and Reifer at long-on. Guptill was approaching in position to take the catch but was waved off by Reifer, who then got his hands into an awkward position and parried the ball over the rope.Early in the next over, Lewis was on 9 when he sliced a delivery from Mohammad Irfan towards the third man boundary but Reifer was slow to react, his last-ditch dive not enough to convert the chance. Lewis took two runs off the drop, then skied a drive off the next delivery toward Nurse at long-on, who fumbled it so badly it went for six. Fourteen runs came off those three balls, but Lewis’ luck ran out soon after with Irfan having him caught behind.Reifer’s redemptionTallawahs had plenty of wickets in hand, but were not exactly coasting to victory as 29 from 18 become 20 from 12 with Taylor and Miller at the crease. Tridents had a golden chance to break the stand in the 19th over when Miller, on 20, top-edged a pull off Wahab Riaz to Shai Hope running in from deep midwicket. Hope was there in plenty of time, but shelled a simple chance.Nine runs were needed off the final over and Reifer was given the ball rather than captain Jason Holder keeping it for himself. The decision was justified as the left-arm quick kept nailing his yorkers and denying the Tallawahs. Russell, their leader and one of the best finishers in T20 cricket, could only watch from beyond the boundary.