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Durham pile on monster total in wake of Rachin Ravindra double-hundred

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Borthwick, Bushnell help pile on the runs against Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2022Worcestershire 140 for 3 (Ali 45, Haynes 44*) trail Durham 672 for 7 dec (Ravindra 217, Raine 103*, Coughlin 100*, Borthwick 96, Bushnell 66) by 502 runsDurham mustered their third-highest first-class total of 642 for 7 to take control of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Worcestershire at Seat Unique Riverside.Rachin Ravindra continued his fine debut for the home side scoring his maiden first-class double-hundred, notching 217 before he was finally dismissed for the second-highest score made by a Durham debutant. Paul Coughlin and Ben Raine also became centurions for the first time, sharing a record-breaking stand for Durham’s eighth wicket worth 213 to leave their side in a dominant position.Raine got the better of the visitors once more this time with the ball, claiming the wickets of Jake Libby and Azhar Ali to reduce Worcestershire to 140 for 3 at stumps, trailing Durham by 502 runs ahead of day three.Resuming on 178 not out, Ravindra wasted no time in pushing his score towards 200 with three early boundaries. The left-hander slipped through the gears and reached his double-century with a gentle nudge into the leg-side before saluting his new team-mates, becoming only the third Durham player to score over 200 on their debut. Jonathan Bushnell failed to kick on from his overnight score of 61, adding only five further runs before Dillon Pennington prised him out.Ben Gibbon was given a rough ride by Ravindra after being dispatched for back-to-back boundaries down the ground, but he earned a semblance of revenge by removing the New Zealander, who was out in a tame manner caught behind from a leg glance for 217.The Worcestershire left-armer completed a double-wicket maiden by sending Liam Trevaskis on his way before Ned Eckersley continued the procession, losing three wickets for four runs. Durham’s wobble threatened to prevent them from capitalising on a flat wicket.However, Raine and Coughlin allowed the hosts to regain their stranglehold of the contest, taking a defeat out of the question, with a record-breaking stand for the eighth wicket. Raine was first to pass fifty from 72 balls before Coughlin soon caught up with a flurry of boundaries, including two sixes over cow corner, for his first half-century of the campaign.The milestones kept coming for the hosts as Coughlin and Raine surpassed the 200-run mark for the eighth wicket before both men became first-class centurions for the first time. Coughlin had a straightforward path to three figures, nurdling a single into the leg-side to reach his ton from 117 balls. Raine followed in the same over, although his heart would have been in his mouth as his sweep off Libby just had enough elevation to beat mid-on to reach his maiden hundred.Durham declared on their third-highest first-class total and the pressure was on the visitors from the off as Chris Rushworth removed debutant Taylor Cornall from his second delivery with one that kept low. Libby survived an outside edge that travelled between the slips to deny Rushworth a second wicket, and the opener worked with Ali to see off the new ball with a partnership of 58.Raine continued his impressive day to break the stand as Libby edged to Scott Borthwick at second slip. Ali and Jack Haynes settled in on a flat wicket with another solid partnership worth 69 to edge the visitors towards the close, but Raine again was the man for the hosts as he returned after a stoppage for bad light and dismissed Ali for 45, inside edging onto his own stumps, to leave Durham in command.

Josh Bohannon rediscovers form to put Lancashire within reach of victory

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Facing 278 target, his unbeaten 92 leaves them needing 86 more with five wickets in hand

David Hopps21-Jul-2022Lancashire 132 (White 5-14) and 192 for 5 (Bohannon 92*, Croft 47, Sanderson 3-46) need a further 86 runs to beat Northamptonshire 235 (Sundar 5-76) and 175 (Rickleton 59*, Kerrigan 43, Williams 5-41, Bailey 4-65)Lancashire endured a day of fluctuating emotions as the realisation dawned that only victory against Northamptonshire would keep their Championship challenge alive. They lunched like kings, took tea like paupers, and by the time the third day closed with the pavilion clock showing five to eight, they were in such a mental whirl they would only have taken their seat at a banquet in the hope that they might be lucky enough to get the wishbone.Facing a target of 278 for victory, the largest score of the match, there was no better time for Josh Bohannon to rediscover form with an unbeaten 92 from 151 balls. Roughly half his Championship runs had been made this season in a single match against Gloucestershire at Old Trafford, 231 of them which brought excited Red Rose predictions that he had underlined his England credentials. But then the season went all Ctrl+U on him and the underlining vanished as his season never really took hold. A matchwinning hundred would go a long way to addressing that.With the top two, Surrey and Hampshire, both poised for wins of their own, Lancashire probably need five victories in a row, including this one, to have a realistic chance of making a successful title surge. If they can just stay in touch, they finish the season with Surrey’s visit to Old Trafford. But that’s for then, this is now – and the first task is to find a further 86 runs on the final day in Northampton with five wickets remaining. It will not be easy because there is some seam and spin to be had on a slow but dusty surface. Bohannon is unlikely to sleep easily.Ben Sanderson gave Northants a slight edge as the shadows began to lengthen, bowling both Steven Croft and Dane Vilas, the latter inhibited by a finger injury which has kept him off the field for much of the match. They were identical deliveries as he brought the ball back to bowl them on the back foot, Lewis McManus’ decision to stand up to the stumps a contributory factor. The nightwatchman, Matt Parkinson, asked to survive 5.4 overs, made nought, and a second nightwatchman duly appeared.Both Lancashire opening batters had left the crease in the belief that they had got a nick on the balls that resulted in them being ruled lbw. Keaton Jennings departed after the politest of pauses whereas Luke Wells indulged in a bit of a bat-juggling episode which will doubtless find disfavour. Replays did not provide conclusive evidence in their favour. If there was bat involved, it appeared to come second. When Croft out to bat, he had not even marked his crease before the umpires engaged him in meaningful conversation.Bohannon was imbued with positive intent from the outset, his willingness to drive the new ball unaffected by several play-and-misses. This time, fortune favoured him and he quickly grew in authority, finding Rob Keogh’s offspin particularly inviting. Lancashire’s late crash of wickets forced him to close the shutters for the final half-hour.Lancashire have been up against it ever since they were dismissed for 132 first time around and conceded a first-innings lead of 103. But an overcast morning had brought rich rewards as Northants lost six wickets for 50 to reach lunch at 75 for 7.Tom Bailey got the fifth ball of the morning to nip back sharply and dismiss Will Young lbw, and later added Luke Procter as he edged another seaming delivery to first slip. Emilio Gay, tall yet virtually strokeless, clung on for two hours in making 17 before Luke Wood’s inswinging yorker struck him on the boot. Bailey returned for a second spell before lunch, knocking out Lewis McManus’ off and middle stumps and then entirely befuddling Tom Taylor who imagined himself charging down the wicket to devastating effect only to fall prey to an excellent slower ball.Tom Bailey successfully appeals to the umpire for the wicket of Will Young•Getty Images

Northants then struck back with a vengeance. Lancashire’s three pace bowlers were tiring, the short-term India signing, Washington Sundar, found limited turn and the leg-spin of Matt Parkinson, which had been thrashed for 38 in five overs in the first innings, was not trusted by Croft, Lancashire’s stand-in captain, even though there was turn to be had. The continued absence of Vilas because of a damaged finger also had a detrimental effect for Lancashire as the substitute fielder, George Lavelle, took the gloves with mixed success.Simon Kerrigan, who began his career with Lancashire, was dropped on eight by Lavelle off Will Williams, and then endured a short-pitched assault from Luke Wood who struck him on both hands as he made room to the leg side. Some plucky carves over the slips followed, but at least Lancashire could console themselves that later he might not be able to spin it. When Lavelle palmed aside another chance from Kerrigan, it proved only to cost the four runs that accrued as from the next ball Luke Wells held a catch at first slip that had been knocked on to him by Rob Jones at second.Ryan Rickleton was left unbeaten on 59. Not a well-known name on the overseas player roster but so far a mightily effective one. The South African was only signed by Northants for two Championship matches and made hundreds in each of them, against Warwickshire and Kent, but he negotiated an extended stay and this was another assured innings. The best county overseas signings are often among the least celebrated.

Surrey maintain a brave face as Pujara and Clark hundreds prey on ECB-approved weaknesses

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Old allegiances under strain in a plastic marketing-led world, writes Paul Edwards

Paul Edwards14-Aug-2022Even the most one-sided match involves two teams. Look at the scorecard for this game and surely the narrative is plain. A world-class batsman and one of Sussex’s brightest young cricketers amass a total that overwhelms opponents, some of whom are barely known outside the Surrey Championship. All this is true. Cheteshwar Pujara’s 174 ravaged Surrey’s attack in a fashion unknown to those who have only seen him solder an Indian innings together in a Test match. And Ari Karvelas’s four wickets with a new white ball made certain the result of this match was known long before Ali Orr’s running catch on the Palmeira Avenue side of the ground satisfied the fact-checkers. More than 18 overs were left in the game when that last wicket fell and the informal games now taking place on the Hove outfield have an air of celebration about them, as though suggesting that if Surrey’s cricketers couldn’t provide more entertainment, the home spectators will make their own.But let us look more closely. No county’s staff has been ransacked for players quite as brutally as Surrey’s. At the current count – things may have altered in the last half-hour – 14 players had been called up for The Hundred. But one can argue that the county’s supporters have been blessed by such pillaging. A second Championship in four years is simmering gently and instead of watching players they know well, they have had the chance to see cricketers hardly any of us outside the county knew at all before this competition began. Six of Ben Geddes’ team have made their List A debuts in the past fortnight, nine of this team were under 24, and they are being coached by Alec Stewart, the “gaffer” having found the Oval Invincibles’ call utterly resistible.Many people felt similarly at Hove this Sunday morning when the white roofs in Cow Corner were whipped to a point like meringues and there was a silver shimmer on the Channel’s waves as though the sea was suddenly molten. And at the Cromwell Road End there were – wouldn’t you know it? – those blue and white deckchairs, rows of the rascals and most of them occupied by supporters who have kept the faith through fat and lean summers at Hove. One or two may have been here on the July morning in 1966 when a young lad called Greig made his debut against Cambridge University; some were certainly around when that first title arrived in 2003. Loyalties pledged early are often pledged deep.Such fidelity was rewarded abundantly on a day when Surrey’s young players discovered that their education will frequently be merciless. And the truth, though no one can acknowledge it, is that some of them will not establish themselves as professional cricketers. So Stewart will have been watching carefully in the first half of today’s cricket as his bowlers and fielders were savaged by Tom Clark and Pujara in their 205-run third-wicket stand, the highest for Sussex against Surrey in List A cricket. Who stood up? Who wilted? Who kept their discipline in the field as Pujara turned up the heat in the last third of the innings, going from 100 to 150 in 20 balls before he skied Connor McKerr and was eventually caught by Geddes at mid-off for his List A best score of 174 off 131 balls. When he was out, the Surrey cricketers he had terrorised queued up to shake his hand. The respect was obvious but maybe they thought something might rub off.Related

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Yet the morning had begun so well for Surrey. Orr was caught at the wicket by Josh Blake off Tom Lawes in the third over of the day and Harrison Ward followed four balls later, bowled off the inside edge for five by Matt Dunn. Thereafter, though, the morning and early afternoon belonged to Sussex, first to Clark, who timed the ball beautifully from the moment he drove Dunn through backward point in the sixth over of the morning and reached his maiden List A century off 104 balls with a single off Amar Virdi.None of this will have pleased the Surrey supporters who boarded the 8.14 from Victoria but they were fully aware that their green team might have a hard day. But they supported them anyway and one rejoiced in their faithfulness. In truth, no member of Geddes’ attack will look back on Sussex’s innings with much delight for there were times when Pujara had no truck with any bowler. There were three successive fours off McKerr, four on the trot off Yousef Majid and five sixes, a couple of which sailed into the prosecco parties in Cow Corner.But if this Royal London Cup campaign is giving Surrey’s young players some sense of the granite reality of their brutal trade, it is also offering 28-year-old Aristides Karvelas further opportunities to show what he might achieve for Sussex if his month’s trial is converted into a full contract. Karvelas bowls at a brisk fast-medium and if the first few strides of his run-up suggest the lumber of Angus Fraser, the end product is altogether more athletic. Low bounce may have helped him to take his first wicket when he bowled Geddes but his other successes were mostly his own work, although Nico Reifer cannot look back with much pleasure on the limp, hanging bat that edged a catch to Tom Alsop.Karvelas’s first seven overs settled Surrey’s hash. Ryan Patel, one of the few Surrey’s players with proper first-team experience, played well for his 65 and the innings lasted long enough to allow Lawes to pick up his maiden Surrey fifty. The game was long gone by then, though, and Delray Rawlins’ three cheap wickets merely allowed Surrey’s supporters to enjoy a pint of Harvey’s in Hope Place or catch an early train back to the city. And at least they, like their Sussex counterparts, had been watching cricketers who represented a geographical area in which most of them had learned their cricket and to which they owed allegiance. It is worth treasuring such things in a month when the plastic creations of marketing men are blindly worshipped and there are vandals at the gates of the city.

Seventeen years later, England make their return to Pakistan

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Hales recall may mark start of new era for England, as Pakistan look to bounce back from Asia Cup

Andrew Miller19-Sep-2022

Big picture

Seventeen long years ago, in the cold of a misty December night, England’s cricketers made their way off the field at Rawalpindi after a consolation victory in the fifth and final ODI. It was the final act of a tour in which little had gone right for England in either red- or white-ball format, not least for their all-conquering 2005 Ashes team, which had collapsed to a 2-0 defeat earlier in the month, to mark the beginning of the end of Michael Vaughan’s reign.Even amid the heightened post-9/11 security that that trip had entailed, however, few could have imagined that England’s next visit would be put in abeyance for the best part of two decades. The sides have met on neutral soil in the UAE for three tours in the intervening years, most recently in 2015, but for many years – particularly after the events outside the Gaddafi Stadium in March 2009 – a return to actual cricket on Pakistani soil seemed inconceivable.Related

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  • Alex Hales' strained relationship with Ben Stokes no barrier to T20 World Cup bid – Matthew Mott

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  • How the PSL helped bring about England's return to Pakistan

  • Alex Hales: 'I thought my chance would never come again'

Slowly but surely, however, the groundwork has been laid – first through the path-finding efforts of the Pakistan Super League, which was founded in exile in the UAE in 2016 before holding its knockouts and final on home soil the following year: the start of an inexorable process of myth-busting, not least for the numerous England white-ball players in this current squad who have long since been persuaded of the country’s warmth and hospitality.In fact, it was telling – even before a ball had been bowled in this series – quite how cordial the relations are between the England and Pakistan players on show. Footage shared by the PCB on Monday showed the likes of Alex Hales and Shan Masood bantering about the English summer just gone, while Mohammad Haris – a probable debutant behind the stumps – coyly introduced himself to Jos Buttler as the two squads mingled freely.Previous tours might have been tinged by suspicion at best and open hostility at worst, thanks to the legacy of mistrust that had existed between the two teams down the years, from rows about umpiring and ball-tampering in the 1980s and 1990s, through the spot-fixing crisis of 2010 and beyond.

But things are different now, partly because of the crossover between dressing-rooms – not simply the Englishmen in the PSL, but also the huge influx of Pakistanis into county cricket – but also due to the sheer ubiquity of England vs Pakistan contests in recent times. Remarkably, the summer just gone was the first since 2015 in which a Pakistan team had not played a single international fixture on English soil – a fact which serves only to deepen the sense in which this current visit is overdue – but that familiarity has undoubtedly deadened the contempt.Moreover, England arrive in Pakistan with a debt of gratitude to pay, not to mention an apology hanging in the air. Pakistan’s own willingness to travel to England in the Covid-stricken summer of 2020, and to tolerate the huge impositions of that bio-secure summer, effectively kept the ECB solvent during an unprecedented crisis for the sport, and so when last year’s goodwill return visit was cancelled with no plausible excuse, the outrage was palpable and justified.Seven T20Is is this year’s upshot – the most protracted bilateral T20I series ever arranged – but with a T20 World Cup looming in Australia next month, it comes at an opportune juncture in the development of two teams who were beaten semi-finalists in last year’s event in the UAE.The hosts may still be smarting from their defeat in the recent Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, but with nine wins in their previous 11 games until the final stages of that competition, Pakistan remain one of the pre-eminent teams in the format. Even without the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose rehab from a knee injury has been an ongoing saga, they possess a formidable and multi-faceted attack in which Naseem Shah is fast emerging as a star in his own right.Pakistan captain Babar Azam at a floodlit training session•Getty Images

As for England, this tour might come to be seen, for better or for worse, as the true start of the Jos Buttler-Matthew Mott era. Not that Buttler is likely to be involved on the field for a while yet, as he continues to manage the calf injury that ended his Hundred campaign, but given the abrupt handover this summer, with Eoin Morgan deciding enough was enough midway through their tour of the Netherlands, this extended trip is a first opportunity for the new management to put some distance between the two regimes – no easy feat, given how fondly the Morgan era will be recalled.Central to that, you suspect, is the recall of Hales – the designated cautionary tale of the Morgan era, a man whose banishment for crimes against team etiquette served to reinforce exactly where the boundaries of that etiquette lay. His return drives a coach and horses through any remaining cosiness that England’s class of 2019 might have been tempted to retain as they look to a new beginning. And the fact that he’ll be fronting up where Jason Roy, arguably the poster-boy of the Morgan ethos, once resided, will be lost on no one either.Fundamentally, though, such internal considerations will be of secondary importance at the National Stadium on Tuesday night, when the pageantry of England’s return to Pakistan will be front and centre of everyone’s attentions. About 2000 remaining tickets were selling rapidly as of Monday morning, which means that sell-outs are anticipated for all seven matches.

Form guide

Pakistan LLWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
England LLWWL

In the spotlight

With a top score of 6 in four previous ODIs against West Indies and Netherlands this year, Haris might have been forgiven for thinking he’d blown his chance, especially with the World Cup looming large. But the selectors haven’t lost faith in the attributes that made him one of the breakout stars of PSL 2022, and with Mohammad Rizwan sitting out, he is likely to get his shot near the top of the order. At the age of 20, he racked up 166 runs in five innings at 33.20 and strike-rate of nearly 187 for Peshawar Zalmi, including a match-winning 49 off 27 balls on debut against Karachi Kings. He also performed well in the 50-over Pakistan Cup last year, scoring 289 runs in eight innings at an average of 41.28 and strike rate of over 100, during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s run to the title.Alex Hales prepares to bat during an England nets session in Karachi•Getty Images

It may have taken an extraordinary toppling of dominos, beginning with Morgan’s retirement and culminating in Jonny Bairstow’s slip on that Harrogate golf course, but the upshot is that Hales is back, at the age of 33, for an opportunity he himself believed would never come again. In a strictly sporting sense, this chance is entirely on merit. Since his banishment on the eve of the 2019 World Cup, Hales has become one of the pre-eminent T20 batters in the world, a fixture at franchise tournaments around the world – not least the PSL and the BBL, two competitions that make his recall for this World Cup winter all the more apposite. But with Hales, of course, the cricket has never really been the issue – and as Mott conceded earlier this week, the dynamic with his “former friend” Ben Stokes is unlikely to develop much warmth in the interim. And yet, for a post-Morgan team that, during a trophy-less home summer, was beginning to drift without an identity, the optics of Hales’ recall may have far more long-term implications than his own contributions. It’s a sign from Mott and Jos Buttler that they are willing to break down a champion side in order to build it back up again.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the National Stadium looks very hard, although the England players who have featured here in the PSL say it is likely to skid through. The weather is set to be hot and humid, and the crowd is set to be packed.

Team news

Masood is set to make his T20I debut in place of the injured Fakhar Zaman, having relaunched his credentials across formats in a stellar season for Derbyshire, while Rizwan is expected to be rested after his exertions at the Asia Cup. Haris is the stand-in keeper, and could slot in at No.3 to allow the rest of the line-up to retain their usual batting positions.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Shan Masood, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Iftikhar Ahmed, 5 Khushdil Shah, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad HasnainButtler, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood won’t come into contention until the Lahore leg of the tour as they continue their respective returns from injury. Reece Topley will miss the start of the series with an ankle niggle. Phil Salt is set to keep in international cricket for the first time, and will open alongside the recalled Hales. England’s batting order is likely to be flexible depending on favourable match-ups.England: (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali (capt), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Olly Stone, 11 Richard Gleeson

Stats and trivia

  • Pakistan have won six of their previous 20 completed T20Is against England, with 13 losses and a solitary tie in Sharjah in 2015 (in which England won the Super Over).
  • The two teams last met in the summer of 2021, when England came from behind to win the three-match series 2-1, after Shaheen and Babar Azam had combined to win the series opener at Trent Bridge.
  • Only one active international cricketer took part in England’s most recent match in Pakistan in December 2005 – James Anderson, who hasn’t played white-ball cricket since 2015, but was the matchwinner on that occasion with 4 for 48. Shoaib Malik – who last featured for Pakistan in November 2021 – also played in that match.
  • England played (and lost) a solitary ODI in Karachi on their 2005 tour – and, amid presidential levels of security, were in and out of the city within 24 hours. This is their first protracted return to the city since the 2000-01 tour, when Nasser Hussain’s men famously sealed the Test series in near darkness.
  • The teams will observe a minute’s silence before the first T20I, in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and victims of the floods in Pakistan.

Quotes

“Naseem, in some ways, reminds me of myself when I was a younger cricketer. He’s free-spirited, but – and I wasn’t – he’s quite intelligent. He’s been a breeze to work with. You’ve all seen his natural ability and his skill with the new ball, especially, is as good as it gets in the world.”
“The only person that’s not here is Ben Stokes from the guys who could be. We still have a very good side. I don’t see it at all as a second-string team. It’s not through selection, it’s more through unfortunate injuries, but it gives opportunities for new players to come in.”

Simmons quits as West Indies coach after 'unfathomable' World Cup exit

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His last assignment will be the two Tests in Australia which start late next month

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-20221:41

Phil Simmons: Batters did not show up and need to look at themselves

Phil Simmons has resigned as West Indies coach after his team crashed out in the first round of the T20 World Cup in Australia, an outcome he described as “unfathomable”.West Indies were eliminated after finishing bottom of their group in Hobart, beating Zimbabwe in their second game but losing to Scotland and Ireland either side.”I acknowledge that it’s not just the team that is hurting but the proud nations we represent as well,” Simmons said in a statement released by CWI on Monday night. “It’s disappointing and heart-wrenching but we just didn’t turn up.”We weren’t good enough and we now have to watch a tournament play-out without our involvement. It’s unfathomable and for that I deeply apologise to our fans and followers.”Related

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Simmons’ second spell in the job started in October 2019, after an initial 18-month tenure in which he helped steer West Indies to the 2016 T20 World Cup, uniting a squad of big personalities and encouraging a pioneering batting approach focused on six-hitting.The Test team’s results have gradually improved during that time, with series wins over England and Bangladesh earlier this year. But T20Is have been a different story and they have suffered early exits at the last two World Cups, losing four games out of five in 2021 and two out of three in Australia last week.Phil Simmons will finish with the two Tests against Australia•Peter Della Penna

Simmons will remain in charge for the upcoming two-Test series against Australia, which starts on November 30 at Optus Stadium in Perth. He said that he would also participate in CWI’s postmortem into the World Cup exit.Simmons added that he had been considering his position before the tournament. “From a personal perspective this is not a knee-jerk reaction, but a move I have been considering for some time, he said. “Now is the time to make public that I will step down as West Indies head coach at the end of the Test series against Australia.”It is earlier than hoped for, but I will now focus my energies in Australia on continuing to build on the excellent progress the Test team has made. Of course, as the president has pointed out, we will also carry out the necessary review into our World Cup campaign.”I must say I have enjoyed aspects of the unique challenge that being West Indies head coach provides and the unwavering support of my management team. There remain some exceptional individuals within CWI who I firmly believe will continue to work in the best interests of West Indies cricket.”Ricky Skerritt, the president of CWI, said: “On behalf of CWI, I want to thank Phil for his hard work and dedication to West Indies cricket, most recently in his role as head coach. Phil is a proud West Indian, with high ideals and has never lacked motivation in guiding our younger players on and off the field of play.”He brought valuable experience and stability at a very important period of transformation, including the most challenging environment of the Covid-19 pandemic. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Azeem Rafiq, Andrew Gale among five cricketers reprimanded for historic social-media posts

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Jack Brooks, Danni Wyatt and Eve Jones also found to have made prejudicial posts

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2022Azeem Rafiq says that his reprimand from the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) is “deserved” and that he will “fully accept” the panel’s judgement, after he and four other cricketers were punished for historic and prejudicial social media posts.Rafiq, along with former Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale, Somerset seamer Jack Brooks and prominent women’s players Danni Wyatt and Eve Jones were charged earlier this year for respective breaches of ECB Directive 3.3 which pertains to bringing the game of cricket into disrepute.Brooks, Jones and Wyatt also admitted a breach of ECB Directive 3.4, which requires that all players abide by the ECB Anti-Discrimination Code. However, the CDC Adjudicator, Chris Tickle, decided that a reprimand would suffice in all five cases.Related

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  • Azeem Rafiq 'ashamed' after historic anti-Semitic exchange comes to light

The cases came to light in the midst of the racism scandal that beset English cricket last year, and Rafiq – whose revelations of an institutionally racist culture at Yorkshire ultimately led to him testifying before a parliamentary select committee – reiterated after the CDC’s decision that he was “ashamed and embarrassed” for his own anti-Semitic actions in a social media exchange dating back to 2011.In a Facebook exchange, reproduced in full in the CDC judgement, Rafiq and his former England Under-19 team-mate Ateeq Javid joked about how a third, unnamed, team-mate was a “jew” for failing to pay his share of a bill at a restaurant.The messages were first published in the Times on November 18, 2021, leading to a same-day apology from Rafiq on social media, and confirmation that they had subsequently been deleted from his profile.”This summer, I unequivocally accepted a charge from the ECB regarding my antisemitic social media post from 2011,” Rafiq wrote in the wake of the judgement.”You will hear no complaint from me about the CDC’s decision today. It is deserved and I fully accept this reprimand. I want to repeat my apology to the Jewish community. I remain ashamed and embarrassed.”Rafiq met with Holocaust survivors after the incident, including on this year’s March of the Living at Auschwitz.”I hope I have demonstrated over the past 10-11 months that I am trying to educate myself about the horrors and prejudice the Jewish community has historically – and continues – to face,” he added.”I will keep trying and I thank the Jewish community for the forgiveness and kindness that has been shown to me so far.”Gale, who has said that he is “moving on with his life” and will “not engage” with the ECB’s disciplinary process, after being sacked by Yorkshire at the height of the racism scandal, was found in November 2021 to have used an anti-Semitic slur in a Twitter exchange with Paul Dews, the then-head of media relations at Leeds United.Wyatt and Jones were photographed in “blackface” at a Caribbean-themed party dating back to 2013, while Brooks was found to have used a racially offensive term in two tweets from 2012 during an exchange with the England fast bowler Tymal Mills and Stewart Laudat, who played minor counties cricket for Oxfordshire.Following their disclosure, Brooks confirmed in a statement that he “deeply regretted” using the term and apologised “wholeheartedly”.

Guptill, Boult left out of New Zealand's white-ball squads for India series

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Head coach Stead has, however, said that the “door is certainly not closed to” the duo with a “lot of international cricket ahead”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2022Martin Guptill and Trent Boult have been left out of New Zealand’s T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming home series against India, which is scheduled to begin on November 18 in Wellington. Hard-hitting opener Finn Allen finds a spot in both squads, while fast bowler Adam Milne returns to the ODI squad having last played in the format in 2017.Head coach Gary Stead has, however, said that the “door is certainly not closed to” Boult and Guptill with “a lot of international cricket ahead”. Boult had opted out of the NZC central contract, although he recently stated his ambition of playing in next year’s ODI World Cup. Guptill was part of the recently concluded T20 World Cup in Australia, but he did not play a game with New Zealand opting for Devon Conway and Allen at the top of the order.Related

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Allen has had a promising start to his career, having hit 564 runs in 23 T20Is, including two half-centuries and a century. In ODIs, he has accumulated 308 runs in eight matches.”The emergence and success of Finn at the top of the order in white-ball cricket means a guy of the class of Martin Guptill misses out – that’s just the nature of a high-performance sport,” Stead said in an NZC release.”With the 50-over World Cup less than a year away we’re keen to give Finn every opportunity to keep gaining ODI experience, especially against quality opposition such as India. The message to both those players is that there’s a lot of international cricket ahead and the door is certainly not closed to them.”When Trent opted out of his NZC contract in August, we indicated that priority would be given to those players with either central or domestic contracts, and that’s been the case here. We’re all aware of Trent’s world-class ability, but at this time – as we build towards more global events, we want to give opportunities and experiences to others.”Allrounder James Neesham will not be part of the third ODI in Christchurch as he prepares for his wedding, with Henry Nicholls replacing him for the match. According to the release, Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson were not considered for selection due to back injuries.With Boult being dropped from the squads, the pace department now has Tim Southee, Matt Henry (ODIs only), Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner and Milne.The tour begins with the T20I in Wellington before the teams move to Tauranga and Napier for the second and third T20Is on November 20 and 22. The ODI leg commences on November 25 in Auckland, with the second match in Hamilton on November 27 and the final in Christchurch on November 30.ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Tom Latham (wk), Matt Henry. T20I squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner.

Australia crush South Africa by innings and 182 runs to secure series

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Mitchell Starc continued to battle through injury while the visitors donated further run outs

Firdose Moonda29-Dec-20221:20

Elgar: “The negatives outweigh the positives, it was a pretty weak performance”

Australia 575 for 8 dec (Warner 200, Carey 111, Smith 85, Green 51*, Head 51) beat South Africa 189 (Jansen 59, Verreynne 52, Green 5-27) & 204 (Bavuma 65) by an innings and 182 runs Australia claimed a first home series win against South Africa since the 2005-06 summer with a crushing triumph in the Boxing Day Test. The result meant South Africa’s streak of three successive series victories in Australia cannot become four and they go to Sydney with their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes hanging by a thread. They must win the final match of the series to stay in contention for the final.On the evidence of their batting so far, that seems a long shot. They avoided being dismissed for under 200 for an eighth successive Test innings but were bowled out inside 69 overs in the second innings at the MCG. Temba Bavuma was the only batter to reach a half-century and his 63-run fifth wicket stand with Kyle Verreynne was the only partnership that grew to over 50. No other South African scored more than Verreynne’s 33.Nathan Lyon enjoyed the most success among the Australian attack and finished with 3 for 58. Scott Boland was among the wickets against and finished two but mention must be made of Pat Cummins’ strangling effort – he bowled 16 overs and only conceded 20 runs – and his use of the DRS. Australia reviewed the decisions to remove Sarel Erwee and Marco Jansen successfully, which proved crucial in hastening the final outcome.So too, a word for Mitchell Starc’s bravery. Starc bowled with a damaged middle finger and repeatedly had to mop up blood from his opening wound. As a result and despite being without Cameron Green, Australia only required two overs from Steven Smith’s part-time legspin. It was he who finished the match, bowling Lungi Ngidi, to end the Shane Warne Test in fitting style.South Africa would be particularly disappointed with their two run-outs and the number of soft dismissals. Even to the uncritical eye, there were several batters who could have made better choices in shot selections or stance and the means by which they were removed suggests the deep-set problems in technique and mindset in the line-up remain.Dean Elgar was the first to be dismissed, on the third evening, when he chased a Cummins delivery off his hip down leg and edged behind. That was the second time in the series Elgar had been dismissed in the same fashion.Sarel Erwee has also been guilty of going out the same way: most often by driving loosely outside the off stump but appeared tighter in the second innings. He worked his way to his highest score of the series – 21 – before he was hit on the toe by a Starc yorker in front of middle and leg. Cummins reviewed and ball-tracking confirmed the delivery would go on to hit the stumps which gave them their first wicket of the morning.Scott Boland appeals successfully for the wicket of Kyle Verreynne•Getty Images

At the other end, Theunis de Bruyn was unconvincing as the new No. 3. He inside-edged Cummins short of Alex Carey, outside-edged Starc short of Smith at second slip and nicked Boland short of third slip. His luck ran out when he slashed Boland over the slips before his luck ran out. He was kept on the back foot and edged a back of a length Boland delivery to second slip, where Smith took the catch despite Marnus Labuschagne diving across him.It was up to Bavuma and Khaya Zondo to rebuild but they struggled to get going and frustration got the better of their stand. They scored just three runs from 29 balls between them when Bavuma called Zondo through for a single after pushing Cummins to mid-off. Zondo responded but Travis Head’s throw to the striker’s end was quick and accurate and found him well short of his ground.South Africa’s last recognised batting pair – Bavuma and Verreynne – took them to lunch and presented the best opportunity to push back. Verreynne brought out his shots immediately and was off the mark with a reverse sweep off Lyon while Bavuma was strong on the cover drive and the sweep. Australia could have removed Bavuma in the over after lunch when he edged Cummins short of first slip but instead got rid of Verreynne in the next over. He was hit on the knee roll by a Boland ball that nipped back into him and was given out lbw, only to review in vain.Jansen was also dismissed lbw when he missed a Lyon ball and was hit on the back pad and it took a well-judged review by Cummins to confirm the ball would go on to hit the top of leg stump.With only the lower-order to bat with, Bavuma was involved in another mix-up when he and Keshav Maharaj attempted to run three off a Starc delivery that Maharaj pushed into the covers. Bavuma was hesitant to take the third run but Maharaj was committed and was halfway down the track when Starc fired in a throw at the non-striker’s end to run him out. In the next over, Bavuma slog swept Lyon to the right mid-wicket where Marcus Harris, the substitute fielder, took a simple catch. If there was a shot that served as a metaphor for South Africa throwing in the towel, that was it.Kagiso Rabada also fell to a slog, when he hit Lyon to mid-on. Ngidi had a bit of fun and slammed his first six in Test cricket when he smoked Lyon over midwicket and then brought up the South African 200 when he found the gap past long-on. While he and Anrich Nortje pushed South Africa into an extended three tea session, they were never going to last too long and Ngidi was bowled five minutes before the interval would have been taken.

Josh Little ruled out of PSL with hamstring niggle

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He is targeting Ireland’s ODI series in Bangladesh next month and expects to play in the IPL thereafter

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2023Ireland’s left-arm quick Josh Little will miss the Pakistan Super League (PSL) through injury and has returned home for treatment.Little, 23, was due to play for Multan Sultans in the PSL. He experienced hamstring tightness while representing Pretoria Capitals in the SA20, and Cricket Ireland said that he had returned home “out of an abundance of caution”.Defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans had signed Little for INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx) at December’s auction, making him the first active Ireland player purchased in the competition.He is expected to return to fitness in time to fulfil his contract, and is targeting Ireland’s three-match ODI series in Bangladesh next month as a possible return.Mark Rausa, Ireland’s head of sport science, physiotherapy and medical services, said: “Josh reported experiencing some tightness in his hamstring towards the end of his time in the SA20 League.”After reporting this to medical staff at Pretoria Capitals, he was sent for an ultrasound scan that was inconclusive. Out of an abundance of caution, Josh decided to return home for further tests and treatment with the Cricket Ireland medical team.”An MRI scan showed no significant injury in the hamstring, but he will remain in Dublin to complete a course of rehab, strength and conditioning and bowling workload management in preparation for the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning the end of March, and a subsequent busy period of International cricket for Ireland.”Ireland’s ODI series in Bangladesh will begin on March 18, followed by the T20Is that will go on till March 31, the same day the IPL kicks off with Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad.

Grace Harris leaves it till late before pulling off thrilling win for UP Warriorz

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Gujarat Giants suffer second loss in two days after final-over drama, heightened by DRS and wides

Abhimanyu Bose05-Mar-20235:37

WPL: A double-header Sunday that did not disappoint

In the first two games of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), the team batting first scored more than 200 and the chasing side failed to challenge the total. On Sunday night, Grace Harris bucked the trend to help deliver the tournament its first proper thriller.Harris starred for UP Warriorz with the kind of devastating knock that has brought her back to the top level and made her a mainstay in the Australian team. A day after going down by 143 runs to Mumbai Indians and losing their captain Beth Mooney to injury, Gujarat Giants recovered from 76 for 4 in ten overs to put up 169 for 6. Then they had Warriorz down at 105 for 7, but not out. With 65 needed off 26 balls, Harris stole Warriorz a win out of nowhere.Related

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Harris predominantly targeted the leg side but was also happy to go down the ground or over the covers, and even played a lap shot as she clobbered 59 off 26 deliveries.But the win didn’t come without its fair share of drama, which peaked in the final over of the game bowled by Annabel Sutherland, and it centred on the new provision that allows teams to use DRS for wide and no-ball decisions.Giants tried to get a wide overturned on review after the first legal ball and failed. Two balls later, the TV umpire upheld Harris’ review for a delivery that was not called a wide on the field. It was a marginal call leading to an equation that could have been 6 off 2 balls, but became 5 off 3.By then, the crowd was entirely in Harris’ corner, and when the wide was awarded, there were loud cheers all around. There were cheers in the UP Warriorz dugout, too, though captain Alyssa Healy said later that it was a lucky break for her team.”What a bizarre rule that’s been brought into WPL but it paid off tonight for us,” Healy said at the press conference after the game. “It felt very dirty cheering a wide. I think our dugout felt a little bit dirty about cheering an opposition wide but, at the end of the day, it helped us, the review system. I guess that’s what it’s there for.””Hopefully it doesn’t come down to the last over a lot so it has to be used. Tonight it fell in our favour but in two nights’ time, it might go in someone else’s favour.”3:15

Player reviews for wides and no-balls: yay or nay?

While the wide was being reviewed, Healy was gesturing to Harris, who was in the zone, from the dugout.”I was just trying to tell her to calm down. She was obviously very excited, in the moment. More than anything, I didn’t want her to get in trouble by the umpires,” Healy said. “I was just trying to keep her calm, keep her in the moment and focus on getting the job done and she did just that.”Harris walked out when Deepti Sharma fell, and having faced just two deliveries, saw Kim Garth dismiss half-centurion Kiran Navgire and Simran Shaikh off consecutive deliveries to complete her five-wicket haul.Just seven deliveries, and Harris was on her way, hitting her first boundary. But two balls after she hit her second, Devika Vaidya fell to Sutherland. With Sophie Ecclestone for company, Harris let loose, hitting left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar for a six off the last ball of the 17th over. When she returned to the strike in the next over, she took down Garth, Gujarat’s best bowler on the night, for three consecutive boundaries.”I can tell you I’ve not seen anyone hit the ball like Grace Harris,” Garth said after the match. “When we were with Australia in the nets, nobody wants to bowl to her because you just have balls flying back at you.”Only one boundary came in the next over – a six from Ecclestone – and left Warriorz needing 19 off the last over. Harris ensured it was achieved.1:27

Knight: Being able to have the option of reviewing wides is a good thing

“A very special cricketer, Grace. I think you saw Grace’s personality out there on the field,” Healy said. “I think she batted through the whole innings in the sidelines, before she even went out there. That’s exactly why she’s in our side, to do something as special as that.””I started poorly and I thought I was fluffing around,” Harris said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award on the official broadcast. “You need to get the conditions of the wicket and I was thankful that Sophie also motored along.”I knew what I wanted to do. I was getting antsy when there were so many breaks in the DRS. I was able to compose myself, but I was psyched to get to bat and score. I love batting with freedom. The coach [Jon Lewis] is supportive and tells me to be free.”Earlier in the day, Giants had put in a much-improved batting display, with Harleen Deol anchoring the innings. She made 46 off 32 deliveries and found support from Ashleigh Gardner (25 off 19) and D Hemalatha (21* off 13). The highlight for Deol was when she hit Vaidya for four consecutive boundaries in the 17th over.Giants had a great start to their defence as well, as Garth took three wickets in her second over to leave UP stuttering at 20 for 3. With Garth generating some away swing, which led to Healy getting a leading edge back to the bowler and Shweta Sehrawat slicing the ball to short third, stand-in captain Sneh Rana brought in a slip for Tahlia McGrath. The move paid immediate dividends as McGrath edged her first legal delivery to Hemalatha at first slip.Navgire and Deepti put on 66 runs for the fourth wicket, with Navgire going on to score a half-century off 40 deliveries. In the same over – the 12th – Mansi Joshi knocked Deepti over with one that tailed back into the left-hander.Garth came back into the attack immediately and had Navgire gloving a short ball behind to Sushma Verma and she then castled Simran Shaikh with a yorker. When Sutherland had Vaidya caught at mid-on in the 16th over, it looked like the end of the contest. It turned out to be a new beginning.

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