Legendary quick and hard-hitting batter played seven Tests before South Africa’s sporting isolation

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2024
Mike Procter, South Africa’s legendary allrounder and their first coach of the post-Apartheid era, has died at the age of 77, following complications during heart surgery.Widely renowned as one of his country’s greatest players, Procter’s international career was cut short due to South Africa’s sporting isolation in the 1970s and 1980s, and he was limited to just seven Tests, all of which came against Australia in 1966-67 and 1969-70.In those, however, he claimed 41 wickets at 15.02, bowling high-class seam and swing famously “off the wrong foot” – an inimitable chest-on action that involved him releasing the ball early in his delivery stride, at high pace and often from unconventional angles, wide on the crease or from round the wicket.He helped South Africa to victory in six of his seven Tests, the other being a draw, with his best figures of 6 for 73 coming in the second innings of his final appearance at Port Elizabeth, to seal a crushing 323-run victory.Procter was a formidable ball-striker too – he averaged 34.83 in the second of his two Test series, a memorable 4-0 whitewash of Bill Lawry’s Australia in 1969-70, alongside fellow members of South Africa’s lost generation, including Barry Richards, Graeme and Peter Pollock and captain Ali Bacher.Thereafter, however, his greatest performances were limited to domestic cricket, for Natal initially and then Rhodesia in the Currie Cup, and perhaps most famously for Gloucestershire, where he was a stalwart for 14 seasons between 1968 and 1981.In that time he made 259 first-class appearances for Gloucestershire, scoring 14,441 runs at 36.19 with 32 centuries and a best of 209 against Essex in 1978, and claiming 833 wickets at 19.56, including his career-best haul of 8 for 30 against Worcestershire at New Road in 1979.One of his most memorable feats, however, was his haul of four wickets in five balls in the Benson & Hedges Cup semi-final at Southampton in 1977, when he ripped through the cream of Hampshire’s batting, including their legendary opening pairing of Gordon Greenidge and his fellow South African Richards.That performance set Gloucestershire on their way to Lord’s, where they surged to victory over Kent, although he had already helped the club to secure their first silverware of the 20th century in the Gillette Cup final of 1973, when his mighty allround return of 94 and 2 for 27 had seen off Sussex.He was named as one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 1970, after a 103-wicket season for Gloucestershire in 1969, and at Taunton in August 1979, he secured another niche entry in the record books by slamming Somerset’s Dennis Breakwell for six consecutive sixes, albeit not in the same over.Back in South Africa, he emulated Don Bradman and CB Fry in scoring six centuries in consecutive innings, starting with 174 from 203 balls against North Eastern Transvaal on New Year’s Day 1971, and encompassing a career-best 254 against West Province.After South Africa’s readmission to international cricket, Procter was named as the team’s head coach, overseeing their famous return to Test cricket against West Indies in Bridgetown, as well as their 1992 World Cup campaign, in which he guided the side to the semi-finals before falling foul of the tournament’s infamous rain rules in defeat to England in Sydney.He later served as an ICC match referee between 2002 and 2008, and was also South Africa’s convenor of selectors. He died in hospital near his home in Durban, and is survived by his wife Maryne and two daughters.

Responding to Middlesex’s first-innings 203, the home side advanced to 271 for 6, a lead of 68

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2024Gloucestershire 271 for 6 (Hammond 81, van Buuren 75) lead Middlesex 203 by 68 runsMiles Hammond and Graeme van Buuren registered half-centuries as Gloucestershire assumed a position of strength on day two of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match against Middlesex at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.Responding to the visitors’ first-innings 203, the home side advanced their score to 271 for 6, a first-innings lead of 68, on a day when 45 overs were lost to rain and bad light. Hammond batted with authority to top-score with an assured 81, while skipper van Buuren contributed a season’s best 75, the fifth wicket pair staging a meaningful alliance of 118 in 27 overs to afford Gloucestershire a potentially crucial advantage.Ben Charlesworth and Zaman Akhter then served up further defiance in an unbroken partnership of 38 for the seventh wicket as the home side made the most of the 52 overs available to improve their position after the first session had been washed out.Ethan Bamber and Tom Helm have taken two wickets apiece so far and, with more poor weather forecast for the third day, Middlesex will be heavily dependent upon these two when the new ball is taken in the morning.When Gloucestershire eventually resumed their first innings on 82 for 3 beneath leaden skies, the ball was still doing enough to keep the Middlesex seam quartet interested. Like Marchant de Lange on the first day, Helm used his height to extract additional bounce and movement off the pitch, finding James Bracey’s outside edge and providing the opportunity for Ryan Higgins to take a fine diving catch at third slip with the score on 113.Bracey departed for 16 and, with Charlesworth inconvenienced by an ankle injury and forced to drop down the order, the home side suddenly appeared vulnerable. Forced temporarily onto the back foot, Hammond and new batsman van Buuren were subjected to a test of their technique and temperament as Helm, Bamber and Higgins strained every sinew in an attempt to build upon their early breakthrough.But Gloucestershire’s fifth wicket pair proved obdurate, combining stoical defiance with deft placement and quick running between the wickets to see off the threat and keep the scoreboard turning. As overhead conditions eased, the ball softened and the pitch flattened out, so Hammond and van Buuren became more assertive.Hammond was first to 50, the 28-year-old left-hander going to that landmark from 67 balls with his eighth boundary, a handsome cover drive at the expense of Helm. Having posted two half centuries in the last match against Sussex at Hove without managing to convert either into a truly substantial score, Hammond appeared determined to stamp his authority on this occasion. With the exception of a loose drive off Josh de Caires, which fell just short of mid-on, he did not give the bowlers a sniff of a chance during a productive afternoon session.Playing more fluently following an uncertain start, van Buuren posted a statement of intent when hoisting Bamber for six over backward square before pulling the same bowler for four to go to his half century from 56 balls. Hammond pulled Helm over deep mid-wicket for six as he warmed to his task and his burgeoning partnership with his captain was worth 118 as Gloucestershire reached the tea interval handily-placed on 231 for 4, a lead of 28.Staring down the barrel of a potentially damaging first-innings deficit, Middlesex then received an unexpected double helping hand at the start of the final session, Hammond and van Buuren succumbing to soft dismissals and departing within the space of nine balls.Within sight of his fourth first-class hundred, Hammond suffered a loss of concentration, driving at a wide-ish deliver from Bamber and nicking the first ball after tea to Leus du Plooy at second slip. It was an anti-climactic end to an innings that had yielded 81 runs from 111 balls with nine fours and a six. Middlesex could scarcely believe their good fortune when, in the very next over, van Buuren mis-judged the length of a ball from De Caires and was bowled in the act of pulling, departing the scene for a 103-ball 75.Their expectations necessarily tempered and with two new batters at the crease, Gloucestershire’s earlier authority had been undermined. But Akhter and Charlesworth, the latter batting with Ollie Price as a runner, frustrated Middlesex in surviving for 15.3 overs and adding 38 runs for the seventh wicket before bad light forced the players off.More comfortable playing off the back foot, the injured Charlesworth plundered three boundaries to advance his score to 21 not out, while Akhter, emboldened by a career-best unbeaten 45 against Sussex last time out, reached 16 as Gloucestershire progressed their score to 271-6.If De Caires kept things reasonably tight and one end, fellow spinner du Plooy proved expensive when conceding 10 runs off one over as the light began to fail. Not surprisingly, when skipper du Plooy opted to take the new ball and press his frontline seamers back into action, umpires Neil Pratt and Surendiran Shanmugam decided to call a premature halt to proceedings with 25 overs remaining.

Keeper recognises need to be more proactive alongside lower-order, but focussed on volume of runs

Matt Roller30-Mar-2024Ben Foakes will continue to bat in the top six for Surrey in the early stages of the County Championship season, despite conceding that he is learning on the job while batting at No. 7 in England’s Test team.Twenty-five Tests into his England career, Foakes has batted exclusively at No. 7 or 8 and has often struggled to adjust to batting alongside tailenders. He made 205 runs in 10 innings during their recent 4-1 series defeat in India, with a top score of 47, during which time his career average dropped below 30.”I felt like I kept pretty well; my keeping felt good,” Foakes said, reflecting on his performances in India. “To start off, I didn’t feel amazing with the bat and then, yeah, disappointed in a couple of innings that I didn’t kick on. Again, that role of batting lower down, batting with the tail – the more I do it, the more I look at it as: ‘How many times can I impact [the game]?”Because in some series you might not get an opportunity to go big, for example, so it is very crucial when you do get a chance to try and really kick on, so I was disappointed in the fourth Test [in Ranchi] where I could have kicked on and didn’t. I felt alright with the bat. I’m still evolving and trying to learn [how to bat] with the tail and how to manage those sorts of situations.”Foakes under-performed with the bat during the India series•Associated Press

Foakes has been happy to play second fiddle in big partnerships with frontline batters, including his series-turning century alongside Ben Stokes against South Africa in 2022, but has found it harder to find the right tempo when batting with England’s bowlers. Those struggles were perhaps best exemplified during a ninth-wicket stand worth 12 runs in 12.2 overs with Shoaib Bashir in the second innings at Ranchi.”Naturally, batting higher up is preferable for me,” Foakes said. “Obviously, when you play for England, that will not always happen and it is understandable. But it naturally suits my game more to be higher. Over the period of time I’ve played for Surrey, there are not that many instances where you come in, face five or 10 balls, and you’re batting with the lower order when you have to play a different game.”Yet Foakes does not intend to slide down the order in the Championship in order to gain more experience in that role. Instead, he believes that his hopes for retention in the England side ahead of their next Test against West Indies on July 10 will be best served by him scoring as many runs as possible from the middle order.Related

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“It’s tricky,” he said. “I’ve been in and out of England, but it’s always been about trying to get runs to get back in the England team. Here [at The Oval] I’ve found a pretty good spot at No. 5. I’ve been pretty successful for a few years, and for me, it is about always working on my game so I feel like I can do a decent job if that situation does arise.”There was definitely a period where all my focus and all my training was just to bat and bat and bat, and trying to grind big scores. For me, it is more about trying to score big runs for Surrey but then also working on that [batting with the tail] as more of an add-on than just the odd session… to maybe have a gameplan where I can take someone down rather than just bat against them.”Foakes has grown accustomed to coming in and out of the England side, and goes into the 2024 summer with a familiar lack of clarity around his status in the Test set-up. “I haven’t been told anything,” he said. “The more years I’ve got into my career and the more I’ve been in and out, I’ve almost come to an acceptance that it has been the case.”I try not to worry about it, try not to stress too much about getting a long run or external stuff. India, first and foremost, I took as just trying to really enjoy it. The more times you get dropped, the more you realise you don’t know how long you’ve got left… while you’re out there, rather than stress too much about the game or think ‘this might be my last chance’, just enjoy the fact you are playing and you don’t know how long for, essentially.”England are due to play a dozen Tests in the second half of 2024, so Foakes is considering missing an early-season Championship game in order to manage his workload. “It depends what they’re looking at. [It depends] whether I am likely to play or not likely to play, and then [I will] reassess.”

The provisional squad for the World Cup includes six players of colour, of which just one – Kagiso Rabada – is black African

Firdose Moonda14-May-2024South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad has “failed to meet the [transformation] targets set by CSA”, resulting in the board’s admission that “various initiatives that have been pursued over the years have not yielded the desired results, especially in terms of producing Black African cricketers at the highest levels”.But this will not, according to a board spokesperson, extend to interference in selection.The 15-player provisional squad includes six players of colour, of which just one – Kagiso Rabada – is black African. CSA’s current target requires the national squad to field – on average over the course of a season – six players of colour in an XI, of which at least two must be black African. They will have the opportunity to improve on the average over the 2024-25 summer but even if Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rabada and Ottniel Baartman play every game, South Africa will still miss the target of two black African players at the T20 World Cup, which has caused concern in some quarters.Related

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Speaking on the national broadcaster, SABC, former CSA and ICC president Ray Mali criticised cricket for going “backwards” and “betraying the people who asked us to negotiate unity”, while former sports minister Fikile Mbalula, the secretary general of the ruling African National Congress, called it a “reversal of the gains of transformation”.Mali was particularly severe in his assessment of how the squad is selected and said the “system of giving a team for one person to select is not going to work in a country like ours”, while advocating for the return of a selection panel.South Africa no longer have a committee of selectors, with the decision-making power in the hands of the head coaches: Shukri Conrad (in Tests) and Rob Walter (white-ball cricket). Both coaches make the final decision in consultation with the director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe. Despite that, South Africa has missed their targets recently, particularly as not enough top black African players have been available.Walter was questioned over the squad composition when it was announced last month and at the time said his “number one imperative is to create a winning team”.He blamed the domestic system for not providing enough depth to pick a more diverse squad. “The system needs to really up the ante so that in six months, 12 months, or two years’ time, and in particular when we reach the 2027 [ODI] World Cup at home, that the demographics and the representation in our team starts to look a bit different.”CSA has, in essence, agreed with Walter by admitting that there is a lack of black African talent at the highest level and has committed to an acceleration programme for unearthing and developing players. Nkwe “presented to the Board plans for the acceleration of Black African batting talent and a plan to ensure a more representative group of players ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup on home soil,” a board representative said. “The Board endorsed these plans.”South Africa have no black African batters in the T20 World Cup squad and realistically only had one other black African player who could have been included: Lungi Ngidi. He will travel as a reserve player, with Anrich Nortje preferred because, according to Walter, he offers “raw pace”. Nortje returned from a nine-month absence at the IPL after sustaining a lower back stress fracture, and has taken seven wickets in six games while conceding 13.36 runs per over. Ngidi missed the IPL because of a hamstring injury but played for Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge, where he took eight wickets in eight matches and gave away 8.30 runs an over.The CSA board has not insisted on Ngidi’s selection in the final 15-player squad, and will not influence Walter’s choice on final XI, unlike what it has done in the past. Most notably, at the 2015 World Cup, then CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat reminded then coach Russell Domingo to choose the semi-final XI with transformation targets in mind. At the time, CSA did not have a black African quota in place but required XIs to field at least four players of colour. South Africa had started the tournament with five players of colour in the XI but that dipped to three as the tournament went on. For the semi-final, Vernon Philander was selected for the match against New Zealand ahead of Kyle Abbott.

Several familiar family connections in squad for three-match white-ball series

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Jun-2024Rocky Flintoff, the son of former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff, has been called up to England men’s Under-19 squad for their three-match youth ODI series against Sri Lanka later this month.Despite being just 16, Flintoff has impressed for Lancashire 2nd XI this season. He made his debut two days after his 16th birthday and scored a maiden century in April against Warwickshire 2nd XI at Edgbaston. His father, Andrew, is currently out in the Caribbean as part of the England coaching staff for the T20 World Cup.The U19 squad has plenty of other family connections throughout. They will be captained by Essex allrounder Luc Benkenstein, son of former South Africa batter and current Lancashire head coach Dale Benkenstein.Offspinner Farhan Ahmed, younger brother of England international Rehan Ahmed, is also included, having signed his first professional contract at Nottinghamshire this week. Durham wicketkeeper Haydon Mustard, whose father Phil earned 12 white-ball caps with England, has also been selected alongside Somerset’s Thomas Rew, another keeper batter and the younger brother of the highly touted James Rew.The 16-man squad includes nine players who played in the U19 World Cup earlier this year in South Africa. England failed to make the knockout stages, eventually placing sixth overall.Related

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Ben McKinney, who captained the team at the World Cup, and Hamza Shaikh were not considered for selection as they are likely to appear for a County Select XI in a three-day match against West Indies. That fixture, which will be played at Beckenham from July 3, will be West Indies’ sole warm-up match ahead of their three-match Test series against England, which begins at Lord’s on July 10.The squad for the two-match Youth Test series with Sri Lanka is due to be announced later this month.England Men Under-19s coach, Mike Yardy, said: “We have selected an exciting squad for the series, with a blend of some players who are currently playing in the Vitality Blast and some younger players for whom it will be their first time in an Under-19s squad.”As always, it’s a great opportunity for the players to perform in an England Under-19 shirt and to experience international cricket.”England Men U19s squad: Luc Benkenstein (Essex – captain), Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Tazeem Ali (Warwickshire), Charlie Allison (Essex), Noah Cornwell (Middlesex), Rocky Flintoff (Lancashire), Keshana Fonseka (Lancashire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Dom Kelly (Hampshire), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Haydon Mustard (Durham), Thomas Rew (Somerset), Noah Thain (Essex), Raphael Weatherall (Northamptonshire), Theo Wylie (Warwickshire).

Sam Northeast continues incredible season with 187 in incredible contest at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2024Glamorgan narrowly missed out on making history on the final day of a thrilling Vitality County Championship Second Division match against Gloucestershire which ended in a remarkable tie at Cheltenham.Charged with the task of pursuing what would have been a world-record run-chase of 593, the Welsh county dramatically levelled the scores, leaving last man Jamie McIlroy requiring just a single off the final ball of the match to achieve a historic win.But he edged Ajeet Singh Dale’s last delivery and was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper James Bracey, who claimed his tenth victim of a memorable contest, to spark scenes of mayhem among delighted home supporters at the famous old College Ground.Skipper Sam Northeast top-scored with a brilliant 187 and overseas star Marnus Labuschagne made 119 to put Glamorgan in with a chance of eclipsing the highest run chase of all time, the 536 successfully pursued by West Zone in a Duleep Trophy match against South Zone in India in February 2010.But Gloucestershire’s bowlers held their nerve under extreme pressure and Matt Taylor took 3 for 120, including the crucial wicket of Northeast, leaving the visitors to score 32 off 10 overs. Mason Crane played supremely well to raise 43 not out, but Singh Dale demonstrated nerves of steel to frustrate the visitors at the death.The first tied game in English county cricket in six years earned the two sides 11 points apiece, with Glamorgan registering the highest fourth innings score in any first class game played in England and the third highest of all time anywhere in the world.When they resumed their second innings with seven wickets standing, Glamorgan’s hopes of chasing down a World record target rested, in large part, upon the broad shoulders of Labuschagne and Northeast. Certainly, the home side had to exercise patience, the first hour passing without a sniff of a chance as the fourth wicket pair knuckled down to the task of batting time. They also took advantage of a quick-scoring ground to keep the scoreboard ticking over, Northeast going to his 50 from 70 balls and then bringing up the 100 partnership in 24 overs.Having reined himself in and played responsibly, Labuschagne fairly rushed to three figures, the Australian plundering three boundaries in a rare wayward over from Marchant de Lange. The last of these was a pull shot to the mid-wicket boundary, which brought up his hundred via 148 balls.

Archie Vaughan – son of Michael – takes first senior wicket before Andy Umeed leads cruise home

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2024Andy Umeed struck a commanding, clinical 63 as Somerset made short work of Northamptonshire Steelbacks, chasing down 156 to win this Metro Bank One Day Cup clash at Wantage Road with 148 balls to spare.Umeed faced 66 balls, blasting six fours and two sixes and combined with George Thomas (28) to get Somerset’s run chase off to a rapid start, the pair racing to 50 off just 31 balls in a blaze of boundaries. While Umeed fell with just 21 needed for victory, James Rew and Sean Dickson saw them home by seven wickets.In a match reduced to 49 overs a side due to rain, Saif Zaib cut a lone figure with 57 as Northamptonshire were bundled out for 155 inside 38 overs. Josh Davey claimed two early wickets before Zaib rebuilt, finding support from Ricardo Vasconcelos (29) and Lewis McManus (20).But hopes the Steelbacks might post more than 200 were soon dashed as the lower order collapsed, the last four wickets falling for seven runs in four overs, all seven Somerset bowlers taking at least one wicket. Somerset’s victory will give them extra confidence heading into next month’s Vitality Blast T20 quarter final between these two sides.Somerset made a crucial early breakthrough to remove their nemesis Prithvi Shaw, who plundered 244 off their attack in last season’s corresponding fixture. Shaw started positively, taking two boundaries off the opening over before he was caught behind off Alfie Ogborne.Davey then struck in consecutive overs, spearing one back in to clean bowl former Somerset teammate George Bartlett before James Sales played inside the line of a straight ball which hit the top of off-stump to leave Northamptonshire 33 for three at the end of the powerplay.Vasconcelos pulled Ogborne for two boundaries and helped take Northamptonshire past 50. But after sweeping a wide ball from Archie Vaughan for four, he attempted the same shot to a straight one and was was adjudged lbw, giving the offspinner his first senior wicket.Archie Vaughan – pictured being presented with his Somerset cap – took his first senior wicket•Getty Images

Zaib and McManus rebuilt, putting on 46 in 10.2 overs. Zaib smashed Vaughan down the ground for six and pulled Thomas from outside off-stump for another maximum. McManus too cleared the ropes when he dispatched Vaughan over long-on.But the break for drinks brought two quick wickets as first McManus had his off stump uprooted and next over Gus Miller was bowled by a Jack Leach delivery which straightened.Zaib duly scooped Leach for four to bring up his half-century off 62 deliveries, but that was where Northamptonshire’s celebrations ended as their lower order imploded.Zaib was first to go, caught in the deep when he attempted to muscle Lewis Goldsworthy over long-off for six. Michael Finan was bowled when he heaved at one from Riley Meredith and missed, Ben Sanderson chipped a return catch back to Goldsworthy, and Freddie Heldreich was caught behind off Ogborne. Justin Broad provided some late resistance, finishing 19 not out.In the run chase, Thomas took on Sanderson, who unusually failed to hit his trademark metronomic form. Thomas drove fluently and punched Sanderson through midwicket and flicked him over midwicket for six.Umeed meanwhile was unfurling textbook cover drives off Finan and played some attacking shots in the air, carving a Sanderson free hit behind square for four and flicking the same bowler over deep square leg for six.Thomas’ downfall came courtesy of an excellent diving catch from Vasconcelos at short midwicket off Broad, but next batter Goldsworthy (20) was soon into his stride. He got off the mark by cover driving Finan for four and leant into a wide delivery from Broad to square drive him to the ropes.Broad picked up his second wicket though when he pinned Goldsworthy in front lbw with Somerset 88 for 2.Umeed meanwhile was motoring, pulling Sales nonchalantly for four to bring up his half-century and clubbing Heldreich over deep midwicket for a huge six. He was ultimately unable to see his side over the line, edging a catch behind off Sales, leaving Rew and Dickson to wrap up the win.

Luke Wells and Glenn Phillips propelled Fire to their highest ever total, but rain saved Brave’s blushes

ECB Media14-Aug-2024Southern Brave secured their place in the Hundred Eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday thanks to rain intervening at Utilita Bowl against an already-eliminated Welsh Fire.The Brave came into the match knowing that a point would guarantee their presence in Saturday’s showdown but at the halfway stage, with 181 posted by the Fire, they would have feared losing control of their destiny.Two quick wickets – Alex Davies for a duck and then James Vince for 19 – further set the Brave back. But on the stroke of Vince’s dismissal, with rain falling steadily, the umpires took the players off.The rain never abated, and with just 16 balls having been bowled of the Brave’s innings – a minimum of 25 balls are required to deliver a result – the game was duly abandoned.”Bowling first, things probably got away from us a bit,” Vince said. “We were sloppy. Some good players got going and we weren’t able to shut them down, so it was always going to be a tough ask to chase that down.”We had a few messages saying the weather might be on its way so it we had a few discussions about how to approach those first 25 balls; thankfully the rain came just in time.”On the whole, across the tournament, the bowling group gets a lot of credit. They’re quality, experienced bowlers. Our batting goes under the radar a bit. We’d like a few more guys in form, but on the whole we’ve been reasonably consistent.”Luke Wells struck 53 from 30•Getty Images

It was a bitter pill for the Fire to swallow. With the bat they were irrepressible, with Luke Wells and Glenn Phillips especially destructive, sharing a 76-run partnership from just 30 balls to propel the Fire to their highest-ever score in the tournament’s history.Wells, registering just his second fifty in the competition, took just 28 balls to reach the milestone, while Phillips was spectacular, clubbing five sixes – including one hit over square-leg against Jofra Archer that sailed 102 metres – from just 19 balls. In all, 10 sixes were struck across the Fire’s innings.For the Brave, only Akeal Hosein escaped punishment, the West Indian left-armer conceding just 21 from his 20-ball quota.Ultimately, it was immaterial. Brave are through to face either Northern Superchargers or Birmingham Phoenix, with the latter’s game against Manchester Originals tomorrow determining the final placings at the top.

He was Player of the Series against Australia and led England to victory in Cardiff

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2024Liam Livingstone has become the No.1-ranked men’s T20I allrounder following his Player of the Series performances against Australia.He has toppled Marcus Stoinis by climbing seven places on the back of 124 runs and five wickets in the two matches which took place with the decider at Old Trafford washed out.Related

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The series saw Livingstone move up England’s order to No. 4 having been used as a finisher during the T20 World Cup earlier this year and he enjoyed the chance to build an innings, leading England to a series-levelling victory with a powerful 87 off 47 balls in Cardiff.”It’s up to me to make sure I try to do as well as I can and give them a bit of a headache for the next series,” he said after the first T20I where he made 37 and took 3 for 22 in defeat. “I don’t think you’ll see anybody that wants to bat lower down the order.”I want that responsibility. I want to try to win games of cricket for England, and the higher up the order, the more chance you have of doing that. There’s less people that can play that role [at No. 6] and sometimes you’ve got to take it on the chin… [but] this is a chance for me to stake my claim.”His bowling proved equally important as he formed a key spin pairing with Adil Rashid which twice saw England claw back rapid Australia starts.Livingstone’s form has seen him earn a recall to the ODI squad for the five-match series against Australia as a replacement for the injured Jos Buttler.Elsewhere Travis Head cemented his spot at No. 1 in the batting rankings with 90 runs off just 37 balls across two innings in the series. Adam Zampa moved up one spot in the bowling rankings meaning the top six places are filled by spinners.Click here for the full ICC player rankings or the ICC team rankings