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In his farewell Test, Mahmudullah was named Player of the Match as Zimbabwe lost by 220 runs

Mohammad Isam11-Jul-2021Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in the one-off Test in Harare, the visitors’ patience paying off after the hosts’ nightwatchman Donald Tiripano led a rearguard action with his 144-ball 52. Zimbabwe’s last three wickets took up 34.4 overs, but they had lost four wickets in 19 balls in the day’s first session.The win – Bangladesh’s fifth overseas victory overall – capped off a fine farewell for Player of the Match Mahmudullah, who announced his retirement from Tests on the third day of the game. At the start of play on Sunday, Bangladesh gave Mahmudullah a guard of honour, and captain Mominul Haque let him lead the team out onto the ground. After being a last-minute inclusion in the XI, Mahmudullah rescued Bangladesh with a first-innings 150 at No 8. He added 191 runs for the ninth wicket with Taskin Ahmed, who made a career-best 75.Related

• Mominul Haque admits Bangladesh 'got away' thanks to long batting line-up

• Donald Tiripano disappointed Zimbabwe let early advantage slip

• The strange silence on Mahmudullah's last day of Test cricket

• Mahmudullah makes shock decision to retire from Test cricket

The eventuality of the Test was decided when Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed Richard Ngarava to finish with match figures of 9 for 148, the best returns in an overseas Test by a Bangladeshi bowler. Taskin also took his career-best innings figures of 4 for 82 in Bangladesh’s second dig.The win – Bangladesh’s first one on foreign soil since 2017, having lost ten out of eleven of those matches – didn’t come easy for them on the final day. Dion Myers and Tiripano put up a resistance that lasted 17 overs, but the visitors bounced back with a four-wicket burst that signaled a swifter finish to the Test match.Tiripano found willing allies in Victor Nyauchi and Blessing Muzarabani, who had a hilarious duel with Taskin, giving back the little jig that the Bangladeshi had done on him on the second day. Nuyachi was caught at slip, fending a Taskin bouncer while Ebadot Hossain removed Tiripano for his only wicket in the match.Bangladesh could have finished matters much earlier had they held on to three chances. Myers was dropped by wicketkeeper Liton Das and first-slip Shakib off Miraz’s bowling, while Taskin grassed Tiripano off his own bowling. Shakib dropped a second chance when Muzarabani edged to him off Miraz.Miraz, however, eventually removed Myers and Timycen Maruma in the same over before Taskin took the wickets of Roy Kaia and Regis Chakabva as Zimbabwe’s middle-order collapsed.Bangladesh had staged a spirited fightback in the first innings, before Shakib and Miraz ensured a big lead with their combined nine-wicket haul. The visitors batted better in the second innings, with Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto struck hundreds.Brendan Taylor made 81 and 92 in a line-up that had none of their experienced batters. Takudzwanashe Kaitano, one of three debutants, made 87 in the first innings. The visitors would have a few things to work on, most notably their bowling against the Zimbabwean lower order that performed admirably.

A thriller on paper looks a touch less impressive on close inspection, as 716 spectators attest

George Dobell29-Jul-2021Warwickshire 303 for 6 (Lamb 119*, Yates 72, Brookes 63) beat Leicestershire 296 for 9 (Patel 118, Swindells 69) by 7 runsA few years ago, before Andy Murray, it seemed that if you owned a pair of trainers and a tennis racket, there was a fair chance you’d be ranked in the British top ten and given a wildcard to Wimbledon.It’s probably a bit unfair to suggest the same thing is currently happening in county cricket. But it does seem fair to observe that some young cricketers who, a few weeks ago looked nowhere near their county first teams, are winning opportunities in the Royal London One-Day Cup.Opportunity is a funny word. On the surface, it looks like an unmitigated positive thing. But it sometimes comes in fancy dress: ‘we’d like you to consider opportunities elsewhere’, for example. Or ‘how would you like an opportunity to be single?’; ‘how about you give me your wallet?’ That sort of thing.And it’s true that, in recent days, some young players at Scarborough or Guildford or Taunton (among other places) have taken an opportunity to show what they can do. That has to be celebrated.They’ll have benefited from the chance, too. To see Matt Lamb (the third Warwickshire player to record a maiden List A century in successive games) and Rishi Patel register their first List A centuries was to see talents blossoming. There’s a lot to like about that.But too much ‘opportunity’ can also pose a threat. And as you looked at the team lists from this match, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that this was dangerously close to a second XI match masquerading as first-team cricket. It was hard not to wonder whether spectators will continue to pay; sponsors will continue to invest and even whether List A statistics should still be appropriate. It’s not so long since university cricket lost its first-class status, is it? These things can happen.Related

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Take Warwickshire’s opening attack, for example: it consisted of Jordan Bulpitt and Karl Carver. Both of whom have been signed by the club for a few weeks to provide cover for a club suffering from a spate of absentees. The rest of the attack included a 17-year-old, a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old playing his third List A game. One member of the playing staff missed this match because he was cramming for his A Levels, which are almost a year away. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. It’s probably very sensible. But it does underline the view that this has become a developmental competition sometimes featuring players who, in other circumstances, might still be playing for their clubs and schools.That’s not meant to sound harsh. Many of those on show here (not least Rehan Ahmed, who is just 16 years of age) are talented youngsters who could have a future in the sport. But it’s entirely possible to hold both views – to celebrate the opportunity provided here but worry for the repercussions – concurrently. This was a fun game. But you do worry what value preparation it will provide for facing Mitchell Starc in a World Cup semi-final. And if the premier domestic 50-over competition isn’t doing that, isn’t it struggling to justify its role?Perhaps this is why only 716 spectators made it to Edgbaston on Thursday. For a ground with a capacity of somewhere around 25,000, it at least ensured few difficulties with social distancing. Maybe there is a lesson here. On smaller grounds, the likes of Guildford, a crowd of 3,000 can provide the feel of a vibrant festival. Perhaps there is a case for looking at hosting such games on outgrounds.As it happened, this game developed into something of a slow-burning classic. Despite seeming to have it won twice, Leicestershire somehow managed to fall short by seven runs. Their head coach, Paul Nixon, described himself as “distraught”; he looked it, too.The short story is this: requiring 87 more for victory, with eight wickets and more than 15 overs in hand, Leicestershire capitulated. Inexperience played its part, no doubt, but from the moment Patel hit a long-hop into the hands of deep midwicket, Leicestershire lost seven wickets for 70 runs. On an outstanding batting track and against an attack greener than the outfield, it felt like a missed opportunity.There were heroes in the Warwickshire side, of course. Will Rhodes, their captain, showed the benefit of his experience with a career-best spell of bowling that at least forced Leicestershire to search for runs, while keeper Michael Burgess, sometimes standing up to even the seamers, ensured they felt the pressure and pulled off a couple of nice catches.But Leicestershire will know that too many of their batters, not least Arron Lilley (batting at No. 6 despite a career-average of 11) and George Rhodes played unnecessarily aggressive strokes when a calm head might have been more appropriate. The wicket of Marcus Harris – run-out after dawdling for the first half of a sharp single – was also completely unnecessary, while Patel, for all his excellence, will know he should have seen his side home. George Garrett picked up two wickets when tailenders tried to scoop him; there had to be an easier way.One of those, Dieter Klein, suffered what appeared to be a significant hamstring injury attempting a sharp run. While he continued with a runner after treatment, he was bowled next ball. For a 32-year-old who is out of contract at the end of the season, it was a worrying setback.”Words fail me,” Nixon said. “They were soft dismissals. We had the game won and we’ve thrown it away. Every middle-order player has had a soft dismissal. It was unprofessional and it was soft. I’m devastated.”The other opportunity Leicestershire had to seal this match came when Warwickshire, despite another impressive contribution from Rob Yates at the top of the order, slipped to 121 for 5 in the 24th over of their innings. Such a precarious foundation forced Lamb and Ethan Brookes to take a cautious approach to the start of their stand but, over time, they prospered to the extent that their sixth-wicket stand of 153 represents a record for Warwickshire in List A cricket. Lamb, in particular, played some impressive shots but Brookes, who took 28 balls over his first 11 runs, also became markedly more fluent and took Warwickshire to a total that might be considered only a little below par.Patel and Harry Swindells appeared to have put Leicestershire will on the road to success with an opening stand of 159 in 25 overs. But when Swindells missed a long-hop and Patel seemed to lose concentration once his century was achieved, nobody else could contribute more than 16. Kids, eh?

Hosts West Indies to face Australia in U-19 World Cup opener

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021New Zealand have withdrawn from the 2022 men’s Under-19 World Cup, owing to “extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions for minors on their return home”. Scotland, who initially missed qualification in the Europe qualifiers, became the 16th team to participate in New Zealand’s absence.The World Cup will be held in the Caribbean between January 14 and February 5. The 14th edition of the 50-over competition will see 16 teams in four groups vying for the title across 10 venues in Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.Uganda, who made their debut in the 2004 edition of the tournament, have been pooled alongside India, South Africa and Ireland in Group B. Defending champions Bangladesh are in Group A with England, Canada and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Group C comprises Papua New Guinea (PNG), Afghanistan, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, while Group D is made up of Australia, Sri Lanka, Scotland and hosts West Indies.All you need to know about the 2022 U-19 men’s World Cup•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The 48-match tournament will begin with West Indies taking on Australia and Sri Lanka facing Scotland on January 14.Test venues such as the Queens Park Oval and Warner Park will host group-stage games. The main knockouts are slated to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, with the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium staging the first semi-final on February 1, and the Coolidge Cricket Ground hosting the second on February 2. The final will also be played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, on February 5.Sixteen warm-up matches will be held between January 9 and 12 in St Kitts and Nevis, and Guyana.Like in the past few editions, the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super League knockouts, but those who don’t qualify will earn crucial playing time in the Plate competition for positions nine to 16 that runs concurrently with the main tournament. It effectively means every team will play the same number of games in this competition designed for rising cricketers.Ten of the 16 teams qualified directly for the world tournament. One place went to Scotland after missing out outright initially, while the last five spots went to the teams that won their regional qualifying events. Canada represent the Americas, having pipped USA, Argentina and Bermuda to the spot. PNG, who missed the previous edition after missing their 2019 regional qualifier final over “internal disciplinary issues” have qualified from East Asia-Pacific. Uganda became first-time qualifiers after beating sides like Namibia and Nigeria in the Africa qualifiers while Ireland, who beat Scotland in the Europe qualifiers, complete the line-up.West Indies have won the Under-19 World Cup once, Australia thrice, Pakistan twice while England, South Africa and Bangladesh have won it once each. India have been crowned champions four times.

Allardice says it’s “a balance between the risk of catching the virus versus the freedom that young people are going to be looking for”

Sreshth Shah13-Jan-2022Despite Covid-19 causing disruptions in international cricket as recently as this week – with the T20I series between West Indies and Ireland in Jamaica being called off and two ODIs being rescheduled – ICC CEO Geoff Allardice has said that the bio-bubble at the Under-19 World Cup starting January 14 in the West Indies will work in such a way that players can enjoy what is probably their very first international competition in the environment.Allardice instead used the phrase “managed-event environment” to describe the robust precautions in place from the ICC for the smooth conduct of the event after considering the young age of the participating players and from lessons learnt from the Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman last year.Related

• 'Don't let the mind wander' – staying in the moment key for India at Under-19 World Cup

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He said that the ICC’s main challenge will be to juggle keeping players safe while also providing them with an experience to cherish. Given the lengthy nature of the tournament – 23 days of competition in addition to the pre-tournament quarantine requirements and warm-up games – Allardice said that it was important for ICC to make the tournament “memorable” for players from all 16 countries.One strategic decision to mitigate the concerns of Covid-19 infections possibly ravaging the tournament is the ICC’s choice to host the event across four islands in the West Indies, namely Antigua, Guyana, St Kitts, and Trinidad and Tobago. This strategy is vastly different from the main competition of the T20 World Cup last year, which was held between three cities that were close to each other in the UAE.This plan will allow the ICC to move games to one of the other three venues and complete the tournament in case infection cases rise in any one location. “It’s a balance between the risk of catching and passing on the virus versus the freedom that young people are going to be looking for and allow them to enjoy the experience of being involved in an Under-19 World Cup as well,” Allardice said on Thursday. “I think the management of that environment over the next few weeks is probably the challenge and being able to react to whatever gets thrown our way.”Another way the ICC has looked to protect their players is to ensure they play their group-stage games in quick succession rather than over a long period.”We are following a similar model to the Men’s T20 World Cup in the way that we manage the type of accommodation that we are using and the [Covid] testing frequency,” Allardice said. “They play their matches at a reasonable frequency. So you go to the cricket ground, you play your match, you go back to the hotel accommodation, recover, and then a day or two later, you are back again.”At the Men’s T20 World Cup last year, the ICC had kept a 24×7 mental-health and wellness service around for the players to use to deal with the complications of staying in a strict bio-bubble. As part of ICC’s “managed-event environment” plans, the same processes will be in place for the teenagers taking part in the West Indies too.With the majority of players vaccinated, Allardice said that the risk of illness is going to be low, but said that the ICC remained committed to completing the 14th edition of the Under-19 World Cup while making sure that the players compete in a “positive environment.”The tournament will kick off in Guyana with hosts West Indies taking on Australia in Providence on Friday, with a concurrent second game between Sri Lanka and Scotland taking place in Georgetown.

An all-star batting effort from the New Zealand middle-order helps them pull off the second-highest successful chase in women’s ODIs

S Sudarshanan17-Feb-2022Lauren Down’s unbeaten 64, and her 76-run partnership with Katey Martin for the seventh wicket, and Frances Mackay’s cameo down the order helped New Zealand beat India by three wickets in the third ODI and seal the five-match series with two matches to spare in Queenstown on Friday.When Lea Tahuhu, who went off the field towards the end of the Indian innings because of a hamstring strain, holed out at deep midwicket in the 35th over, New Zealand looked down for the count at 171 for 6, chasing 280. However, Down, who replaced Brooke Halliday in the XI, and Martin kept New Zealand on course with their alliance and tilt the balance.When the win was sealed, Down hitting Deepti Sharma for a six over the bowler’s head first ball of the final over, it became the second-highest successful chase in all women’s ODI cricket. It also extended India’s losing streak in ODIs while batting first to ten, the last win having come in November 2019.New Zealand were rocked early in their chase by Jhulan Goswami, who returned to the XI after missing the previous match. She first trapped Sophie Devine in front of the stumps in the first over, before cleaning up her opening partner Suzie Bates in her next.But Amy Satterthwaite then got going with Amelia Kerr to bring New Zealand back on track. The two found the ropes regularly as New Zealand got to 58 for 2 after the powerplay. They were also helped by a couple of dropped chances – Deepti and S Meghana spilt chances off Satterthwaite, while Deepti also let go of a tough chance from Kerr and wore it on her foot.The introduction of spin led to Satterthwaite employing the sweep, often playing the shot to deliveries well outside off. She brought up her 26th ODI fifty in some style and looked unstoppable, until she gave Mithali Raj catching practice at mid-on off Goswami’s bowling. That ended the 103-run stand between Satterthwaite and Kerr.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kerr, who had scored an unbeaten century in the second match, took over after that with her sweeps and cuts. There was hardly a dot ball as Kerr and Maddy Green moved quickly, and Kerr brought up her third ODI fifty soon after.However, with the required rate creeping up, Kerr looked to take on birthday girl Sneh Rana and holed out at long-on when on 67. And then, debutant Renuka Singh Thakur, one of five changes India made on the day, knocked Green’s stumps back for her maiden wicket in ODIs.India had a chance at that stage, but Down, Martin and Mackay ensured the result went New Zealand’s way.Earlier, India, again without Smriti Mandhana – she has finished her quarantine but “MIQ rules,” coach Ramesh Powar said, kept her out – were asked to bat first and were given a fast start by openers Meghana and Shafali Verma. The pair added 100 for the opening wicket in just 13 overs.Meghana brought up her maiden international half-century, while Verma got to her second in the format. New Zealand’s butter-fingered fielding helped them along.Meghana was unafraid to play over the infield and hit the first six of the match off Hannah Rowe, who was taken for 16 runs in the fourth over of the game. Verma, on the other hand, played second fiddle but not without some big hits of her own. She was happy to cash in on any width provided either by Tahuhu or Rowe, and was patient in ducking and leaving balls that caused her discomfort.But Rosemary Mair bounced Meghana out and then did the same to Yastika Bhatia.Soon, Verma was dismissed by Kerr for a well-made 51. When Harmanpreet Kaur and Raj also fell with India yet to reach 190, the visitors’ hopes of a tall score faded.But Deepti chipped in with an attacking 69. She peppered the on-side boundary at will, using Rowe and Mair’s angle into her from around the stumps to explore the arc between midwicket and fine leg. She also used the sweep to good effect against Mackay and Satterthwaite, as India made 279, their highest ODI score in the last four years and second-best since the Women’s World Cup, back in 2017.

Conditions have been tricky, but unlike Australia the visitors have not been able to find a way

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2022Across all the England cricket teams that have visited Australia this season they are currently 13-0 down with one match, the final ODI of the multi-format women’s Ashes, left to play.It has been a season of batting collapses for the visiting sides, the latest of which on Sunday saw Australia win the Ashes at a canter in Melbourne. Heading into the ODI World Cup in New Zealand it is a concern for Heather Knight’s team.England twice had it within their grasp to keep the series alive but fluffed their lines: they lost 6 for 26 in the second innings of a one-day style chase in the Test match, having played outstandingly to engineer a winning position, and in the first ODI could not hunt down 206 albeit on a tricky surface in Canberra.On Sunday, they produced their worst batting display of the tour as they subsided to 129 all out on what, again, was a pitch with some assistance but as Ellyse Perry later showed was possible to overcome with application.Related

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Earlier in the tour, there were caveats after a very difficult build-up, then two of the T20Is being washed out, but as Knight noted after the ODI loss in Canberra the team has had long enough to shake off the rust now.”One of our top five or six needs to take responsibility a bit more often and make sure you are there at the end of the innings,” Nat Sciver said on Sunday.Alyssa Healy noted how batting conditions throughout the Australian summer have been tricky, but one of England’s better performances – in the first T20I in Adelaide – was not enough as the home side won with three overs to spare and Australia’s batters have been able to find a way in the first two ODIs.”The wickets here have been really conducive to seam bowling all summer,” Healy said. “Hasn’t felt like we’ve had a real flat track. The most pleasing thing for me personally has been getting ourselves out of a corner.”We’ve won games that we haven’t looked like we’ve been able to win…so the fact we are able to fight and scrap and work our way back into fixtures to win games with our backs against the wall has been really impressive. Leading into a World Cup it’s hugely important and will give us great confidence knowing that we can back our skills under pressure.”There were concerns about England’s batting raised at the end of the last home season when they were twice bowled out for under 200 against New Zealand although they rebounded to finish the series with 347 for 5. But there remain holes in the order. In 11 innings since the start of last year, Lauren Winfield-Hill is averaging 25.63 and has not reached fifty in ODIs since 2016. Wicketkeeper Amy Jones, while a useful contributor in the middle order, averages 27.40 since the start of 2021. The fact Sophie Ecclestone has twice shown up some of the top order is not ideal.There were also batting problems for the England A side in their concurrent series against Australia A with them bowled out in all three matches for 219, 132 and 211.So while the Ashes have been lost, the final ODI shapes as an important match for England as they try to find some batting confidence although with the game being played on the same pitch at Junction Oval that may not be easy. It’s also the last chance for an England cricket team to secure a victory this season.

Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim dropped from Test squad; Khaled Ahmed in ODI squad

Mohammad Isam03-Mar-2022Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have returned to Bangladesh’s Test squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa. Tamim missed the Test leg of the New Zealand tour due to multiple thumb injuries while Shakib skipped the trip for personal reasons.Shakib’s comeback into the Test fold comes after BCB president Nazmul Hasan had said that the 34-year-old would tour South Africa even though he had initially planned to skip Test cricket for six months.”Now that he is not going to the IPL, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t play the Test series in South Africa,” Hassan had said last Monday.” So forget about it. This is no longer in my mind. The IPL was preventing him from playing [the two Test series], but now he will play [both series].”However, Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim have been dropped from the Test squad. Fazle had previously earned his place in the side on the back of chart-topping numbers in domestic first-class cricket while Naim was a left-field pick as he is more of a T20 specialist. Naim had made his debut in the second Test in Christchurch, but didn’t make much of an impression.Bangladesh stuck with the ODI squad that recently beat Afghanistan 2-0 at home. Fast bowler Khaled Ahmed, who is uncapped in ODI cricket, is the only addition to the squad. The 29-year-old has played three Tests so far, managing just one wicket.Bangladesh will play three ODIs, part of the World Cup Super League, on March 18, 20 and 23, while the two Tests, part of the World Test Championship, will start from March 31 and April 8.Test squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Nurul HasanODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Khaled Ahmed

“The character and the resilience to turn it around after those first three games shows volumes about this group,” Knight said

Valkerie Baynes03-Apr-2022Nat Sciver had carried the disappointment of scoring an unbeaten century in a losing cause against Australia throughout the World Cup. So, given the chance to put that right, she’d be damned if she was going to let it slip again.That’s how she played a remarkable innings in the final which might have left the most optimistic of England fans daring to dream and, by Meg Lanning’s own admission, made the Australia captain “nervous”. The problem was, just as in their first encounter on March 5, Sciver’s knock was only the second-best of the day.Related

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Upstaged by Alyssa Healy’s record-breaking 170 off 138 balls, Sciver’s unbeaten 148 from 121 could not stop the Australian juggernaut that succeeded in a five-year quest to take the trophy from England, winning by 71 runs after posting a mammoth total of 356 for 5.Sciver was on a hiding to nothing after England’s bowlers were toothless against Healy and fellow opener Rachael Haynes, with whom she shared a 160-run opening partnership, not to mention Beth Mooney’s rapid half-century.Then there was England’s top-order collapse that reduced the defending champions to 38 for 2 and 86 for 3, leading to the inevitability that Sciver would run out of partners, notwithstanding a fifth-wicket stand with Sophia Dunkley worth 50 and the 65 she put on for the ninth wicket with rookie offspinner Charlie Dean.”After the first match, getting so close, I guess the disappointment was something that stuck with me,” Sciver said. “Getting a century against the top-ranked team was really special as well, so it’s weird how it’s worked out, how it’s been against Australia.”With my batting over this tournament, I felt pretty confident and I’d probably not done as well as I had expected having felt that way, so it’s nice to end with a good score, but it would have been nicer to have the trophy.”Australia won their group game by 12 runs after Haynes’ 130 put England’s target of 311 just out of reach, despite Sciver’s 109 not out. And Sciver was left wondering what might have been had those two half-century stands in the final – not to mention the 48 she shared with captain Heather Knight – gone bigger.”When Charlie Dean was there, we had a really good chat,” Sciver said. “If we were there with two or three overs to spare, we knew that it would be a big ask but there would be a chance we could get over the line.”You could tell that the Australians were really keen on taking our wicket and changing the momentum again, because we did have a bit of momentum, I guess.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As it happened, Dunkley fell for a run-a-ball 22 and Dean for a confident 21 off 24 to Alana King and Jess Jonassen, respectively, as the Australian spinners claimed three wickets apiece.And while Healy had hoped her innings would be seen as “brave” in that she played her way, regardless of the occasion, Sciver could perhaps take some solace from the fact that she had done the same.”When you’re chasing 350-odd, there’s only really one way you can play it,” Sciver said of her boundary-laden innings that featured the only six of the match, a pull off King over deep midwicket. “When you’re chasing, the mentality of scoring runs takes care of itself. You know that you need to be out there for a long time but also pick up boundaries where you can. Luckily, that seemed to come naturally, but it just got a bit too much at the end.”Knight said it had been a “50-50″ call when she put Australia in upon winning the toss but, in hindsight, she wouldn’t have changed it.”Something Australia do really well as a batting unit is when they get a partnership together they really make it a match-defining partnership,” Knight said. “They’re really ruthless with that and they extend those big partnerships, and I think it’s something we can certainly do a little bit better as a side.”Tonight, Nat had an outstanding innings, but we have someone else with her and with the potential of chasing that score – although we let them get a few too many with the ball.”I’m very disappointed but really proud of Nat and the fight she put on to give us a chance of winning. We, unfortunately, didn’t have anyone with her to be able to really maximise two set batters. We can take a lot of pride in what we’ve done as a group, the way we fought throughout the competition to be in this position and the way we fought tonight.”Lanning was also full of praise for Sciver.”There were a few nervous moments, there’s no doubt about that,” Lanning said. “She also played an incredible innings, Nat Sciver, that was something really special, and on another day, that wins your team the game, so we always felt under the pump a little bit while she was at the crease in particular.”But we were able to get wickets at the right time – whenever they were able to build a partnership we felt like we were able to break it. Chasing that total, you have to keep going the whole time, so we knew that if we could stick to our guns and just keep it really simple, it should have been enough, but absolutely, there were some nerves there.”The key feature of England’s campaign was that they bounced back from a three-match losing streak at the start of the tournament to win their next five games and earn the right to defend their title against an Australian side building a reputation as the best in women’s cricketing history. As a result, Knight said there were “a lot of positives” to take away.”The character and the resilience in the group to turn it around after those first three games when obviously we were in a pretty tough situation shows volumes about this group and the people that we’ve got in it and the staff we’ve got as well to get here with a chance of winning,” Knight said.”In terms of things we need to do differently, it will take a little bit of time to digest what went wrong and I think also, it’s fair to say, credit to Australia they’ve outplayed us tonight.”

Duckett shows fine touch with twin fifties as Broad bags four second-innings wickets against Worcestershire

David Hopps30-Apr-2022Normal service has been resumed as Nottinghamshire, beaten in their first home match of the season by Glamorgan, made it six wins in seven at Trent Bridge with a five-wicket defeat of Worcestershire.The prospect of a lengthy rain delay on the final day heightened their anxiety to chase down a target of 233 in 56 overs by the close and they timed it to perfection as Joe Clarke on-drove the winning boundary from the last ball to leave recourse to an extra half-hour unnecessary.The choicest innings came from Ben Duckett, whose 78 from 85 balls had almost but not quite broken the chase when he hacked at a ball from Charlie Morris and was caught at the wicket, a puff of dust from the surface offering him an alibi for his error.Duckett can be an exhilarating watch, a figure of barrel-shaped invention. That barrel could be full of real ale, frothing and intoxicating, blissful in its belief that anything was possible, unaware of the potential for disaster. Josh Baker, an 18-year-old left-arm spinner playing only his eighth first-class match, has probably faced no more untameable opponent, enduring cuts, sweeps and reverse sweeps from a batter who is addicted to adventure whenever a spinner comes on.In such a frame of mind, it is possible to understand what England saw when they chose Duckett, then at Northants, for the 2016 tour of India. The gamble failed – “I got worked over by one of the best spinners the game has ever seen” he once said of his agonies against Ravi Ashwin. He has rarely entered England’s thoughts since and he is unlikely to enter them again soon as the pressing need is at the top of the order, but he now has a century and four fifties from his last five innings and is arguably in his best touch since those heady days.Batting is often something of an escapade for Notts, who can be careless with their talent. They are awash with character, alive with strokeplay and their flaws are always lurking just below the surface. They are not the sort of side to look at an iffy weather forecast, mutter “you can only control the controllables” and leave their run chase to Sunday and hours of peering at leaden skies from dressing room windows. They are all the more welcome for that.Worcestershire, spearheaded by the admirable Ed Barnard, fought valiantly, but ultimately, they were found wanting. They deserved better luck than to be a man down because of an injury to Dillon Pennington. A Baker’s dozen would normally have been too many, but he had to bowl 19 overs and went for 90, recovering his poise a little after Duckett’s dismissal, although Jack Haynes did not welcome his half-tracker which meant he took a painful blow from Clarke at short leg.Worcestershire needed new-ball wickets and they managed one with their fourth ball when Morris had Ben Slater caught low at first slip. The indefatigable Barnard, who followed up more than five hours at the crease with 15 overs, squeezed one past Haseeb Hameed’s outside edge to clip off stump, took a fine catch at slip to intercept Lyndon James’ reverse sweep (note to James: don’t reverse-lap when the man who can do no wrong is stood at slip) and he was still passing the outside edge on occasions as Clarke assembled his first half-century of the season to guide Notts home.Neither had Barnard quite finished with Nottinghamshire with the bat. His unbeaten 101 on the second day had organised Worcestershire resistance that few expected, and he extended that to a career-best 163 from 310 balls, unconquered to the last as Worcestershire’s innings finally came to grief on 339. The target felt very achievable but with the potential to be messed up.Barnard did not give a chance, although he did pack an over’s worth of misjudgements into a single one from Dane Paterson, on 120, when his thought processes briefly went haywire.Stuart Broad finished up bowling 27 overs, which was probably a heavier workload than he would have preferred in his first of three matches designed to win back his England place. Figures of 4 for 72 in 27 overs will do him no harm. He quickly dislodged Jamie Cox with an excellent ball that bounced and left him before resorting to a succession of wicket-taking theories and unconventional fields which owed something to the nature of the surface, but also a little perhaps to his own impatience.”To be impatient is to be hooked on the future,” said the American psychiatrist, Gerald Jampolsky, which seems appropriate to Broad, whose priority is to be in mint condition for the Lord’s Test. That said, he doesn’t appear to be the sort who gives much credence to Californian self-help books.

AJ Tye’s five-for in vain as teenage legspinner runs through Durham after Wiaan Mulder’s fifty

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2022Leicestershire 157 for 9 (Mulder 54, Tye 5-38) beat Durham 106 (Coughlin 22, Ahmed 4-22, Parkinson 3-16) by 51 runsRehan Ahmed notched career-best figures as Leicestershire Foxes gave their Vitality Blast campaign a vital boost with a 51-run win over Durham in their clash at Seat Unique Riverside.Wiaan Mulder was the key man with the bat for the Foxes, scoring 54 from 33 balls after the visitors appeared to be in danger at 80 for 6. The South African timed the ball to perfection with four boundaries and two sixes to elevate his team to a defendable total of 154 for 9 from their 20 overs.Durham struggled throughout their chase and were always behind the rate, increasing the pressure in the middle. Ahmed tormented the home side with wrist-spin on a slow surface with figures of 4 for 22, while Callum Parkinson (3-16) and Mulder (2-16) were also on point to bowl their side to a victory that keeps the Foxes’ hopes alive in the North Group.After winning the toss, the Leicestershire innings began poorly with a miscommunication between Nick Welch and Harry Swindells that resulted in the latter being run out without facing a ball. AJ Tye put down Welch at square leg and then received treatment from Rishi Patel in his first two balls, being struck for a four then a six over long-on. However, the Aussie responded by dismissing Patel before Liam Trevaskis bowled Arron Lilly to reduce the Foxes to 42 for 3 at the end of the powerplay.Welch upped the ante for the visitors, dispatching Nathan Sowter and Scott Borthwick for sixes in successive overs. But, Welch soon fell for 37 trying to turn Borthwick into the leg-side, offering a simple return catch. Tye kept up the pressure at the other end, removing Colin Ackermann and Lewis Hill, leaving the Foxes in trouble at 80 for 6 in the 13th over.A stand of 44 from Mulder and Ben Mike rebuilt the Foxes’ innings and pushed them towards a competitive total. Mulder produced an outstanding knock to score his fifth T20 half-century, drilling Tye for back-to-back sixes in the final over before being caught on the fence going for a third maximum in a row. Tye picked up his fifth wicket when Parkinson was caught on the fence, becoming only the sixth player to take a five-wicket haul for Durham in T20 cricket.Durham lost Michael Jones early in their chase after being bowled through the gate by Parkinson, which would set the tone for the innings. Graham Clark and Ollie Robinson struggled to time the ball mustering only 35 in the powerplay. Ahmed’s introduction brought about the end of Robinson from his first ball, with a return catch at the second attempt.The leg-spinner prised out Clark, who could only pick out Mike on the fence from a full toss, before bowling Ned Eckersley first ball, putting the hosts into a world of trouble at 47 for 4. Durham needed a response from their skipper, and Ashton Turner tried to knock the ball around the pitch, but overbalanced attempting a sweep against Parkinson and was stumped by Swindells for 12.Mulder then removed Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin, effectively ending the game. Ahmed returned to secure his fourth wicket by bowling Tye, completing a fine road performance to secure a comfortable win for the Foxes.