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Nottinghamshire new-ball pair share nine as visitors skittled for 85 on final day

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2023Five wickets for Dane Paterson and four for Brett Hutton consigned Kent to a rapid and damaging defeat in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge, where they were bowled out for 85 to drop into the bottom two in Division One with only three matches to play.Paterson finished with 5 for 41 in 10 overs, while Hutton’s 4 for 44 allowed him to celebrate a 50-wicket season for the first time in his first-class career, giving him 52 so far. Kent skipper Jack Leaning’s 21 was a paltry top score as Kent, theoretically chasing 407 to win from 72 overs, were dismissed in just 21.3 overs.Earlier, Will Young and Ben Slater had both made 87 and Joe Clarke 73 before Nottinghamshire declared their second innings on 372 some 40 minutes or so before lunch.The result gives Nottinghamshire 22 points, which is probably enough to ensure they remain in Division One for another season after being promoted in 2022.Slater, his eyes on a second hundred in the match, fell to the fifth ball of the day, unable to add to his overnight score, but otherwise Nottinghamshire’s plans on how to set up a run chase could not have gone better.If anything, they went too well, the scoreboard turning so rapidly that skipper Steven Mullaney might well have had to think again about when to declare given the overs left in the match. When he did decide the moment was right, some 196 runs had been added in just 78 minutes following Nottinghamshire’s resumption on 176 for 1.Of those, 114 came off just 77 balls in a blistering third-wicket stand between New Zealand’s Young, who made 87 in the last innings of his brief attachment to the county, and Clarke, whose 73 from 40 balls would have felt like the perfect preparation for his upcoming stint with Welsh Fire in the Hundred.Clarke hit three sixes, matching Young’s tally of maximums in half the number of balls, and there were a couple each for Mullaney and Lyndon James, who hammered 42 in 18 balls for the sixth wicket before Mullaney’s dismissal, bowled aiming to inflict more damage in an Arafat Bhuiyan over that had already gone for 20, prompted the declaration.Eventually caught at deep midwicket, Clarke should have gone for 26 but Arshdeep Singh, in his final outing for Kent, dropped a regulation catch at mid-off. Joey Evison, the disappointed bowler and Clarke’s former Trent Bridge team-mate, was only too aware of how costly that mistake might be.Like Clarke, Young and Tom Moores were caught in the deep going for big returns as Nottinghamshire ultimately pushed the Kent target beyond 400, which was never likely to be a realistic ask of a side lacking so many front-line batters through injuries and international calls.Yet draw still looked within their capabilities and the rapid unravelling of that possibility came as a surprise.In the eight overs before lunch, their top three all departed. Toby Albert copped a beauty from Hutton to fall for a fourth-ball duck, Ben Geddes fell victim to a fine, rapid-reaction catch by Slater at short leg off Paterson and Ben Compton was leg before to a swinging ball as the South African celebrated his second success.Lunch did nothing to stiffen Kent’s resolve, with Harry Finch soon leg before as Hutton claimed his 50th of the season, before Leaning was caught behind off a bottom edge to make it 59 for 5.Paterson had Evison caught low down at third slip and Matt Quinn on the boundary as a merrily brief innings ended with a top-edged pull. Alex Blake knew his fate immediately as he saw Mullaney readying himself for the catch as he heaved Hutton over midwicket and Arshdeep, having launched Paterson for six over the leg side, perished next ball, well caught by a diving Hutton at deep backward square attempting a repeat.The two pacemen each took a breather after 10 overs, but Kent’s demise was quickly completed as Bhuiyan gave Haseeb Hameed’s legbreaks a maiden first-class wicket.

CSK can inch closer to the playoffs with a win, while Capitals will join the mid-table huddle if they can add two points to their kitty

Ashish Pant09-May-20235:40

Is Ruturaj doing the job for CSK as an opener?

Big picture: Can Delhi Capitals breach Chepauk fortress?

A campaign that seemed to have fizzled out even before taking off has suddenly found life. Delhi Capitals lost their first five games on the bounce, but have won four of five games after that and are now in with a shot of joining the mid-table jam in IPL 2023. Capitals are still placed last on the points table, but as things stand, there is only a three-point difference between them and third-placed Lucknow Super Giants.To keep their chances alive, though, Capitals must first get past Chennai Super Kings, something they have failed to do more often than they have over the years. Capitals have beaten CSK in Chennai only on two occasions in eight attempts, the last being in 2010, and the head-to-head record is also skewed in CSK’s favour: they have won 17 of the 27 games over the years. CSK’s run at Chepauk this year, though, has been patchy. They have won three and lost two so far.Related

• Aman, Ishant and the story of a Capital jailbreak

• There's a new slinga in town, spooking batters at the death

Both sides come into his game on the back of confident wins. While CSK steamrolled Mumbai Indians by six wickets on Saturday evening, Capitals took down a 188-run target against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 16.4 overs the same night.A big reason behind Capitals’ revival has been their spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, mainly – who have restricted the opposition to sub-140 totals in three of their last five matches. Their spinners have been the most economical amongst all teams in the competition going at 6.9 an over, which might come in handy on a Chepauk surface that showed signs of slowing down last time around.It won’t, however, be easy against a rampaging CSK top order, led by, Devon Conway (458 runs at a strike rate of 139.20), Ruturaj Gaikwad (384 at 148.26), Shivam Dube (290 at 156.75) and Ajinkya Rahane (245 at 181.48). They have the joint-best powerplay scoring rate of 9.5 this season, and have recorded 50-plus scores in eight out of ten innings in that phase this IPL.CSK currently sit second on the points table with 13 points, and a win will push them closer to a playoff spot.

Team news: Will CSK field Stokes even if he’s fit?

Ben Stokes has been batting and bowling in the nets, but even if he is fit, it will be tough for CSK to slot him, considering their overseas players – Conway, Moeen Ali, Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana/Mitchell Santner – have been doing well. “I’m pretty sure Stokes is available for selection but it comes down to the balance of the squad” Mike Hussey, the CSK batting coach, said on the subject on the eve of the game.And guess who has the best average and best strike rate of the CSK batters? Yup, MS Dhoni has 76 runs in 38 balls this season, his average is 76.00 (one dismissal in seven innings) and strike rate is 200.00.Anrich Nortje had to fly back to South Africa following a personal emergency and missed Capitals’ last game. He is unavailable for the game against CSK as well on Wednesday. Shane Watson, Capitals’ assistant coach, expects Nortje to return to the IPL for the back end of the tournament.

The big question

Form guide: Capitals look to make it three in three

Chennai Super Kings WNRLLW
Delhi Capitals WWLWW

Impact Player strategy

Ambati Rayudu has consistently been CSK’s Impact Player this season, replacing one of the bowlers when they chase, and that trend is likely to continue. If they bat first, Rayudu will likely start, with Tushar Deshpande or Theekshana coming in as the sub in the second innings.CSK probable XII: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 , 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 Capitals have followed a straightforward batter-for-bowler swap as far as the impact-sub rule is concerned. If they bat first, Ripal Patel or Sarfaraz Khan will likely start, with Ishant Sharma coming in the second innings, and vice-versa. Depending on the surface, Capitals might also look to bring in offspinner Lalit Yadav into the mix for a quick.Capitals probable XII: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 David Warner (capt), 3 Mitchell Marsh 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Aman Hakim Khan, 6 Manish Pandey, 7 Axar Patel, 8 , 9 Khaleel Ahmed/Lalit Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mukesh Kumar 12 1:10

Ruturaj: I don’t want to face Pathirana in the nets

Numbers that matter: Warner vs Theekshana

• Kuldeep should be kept away from Conway and Moeen. While Conway strikes at 268.42 against Kuldeep in T20s, Moeen has a strike rate of 287.5 against him.
• David Warner and Axar have never fallen to Ravindra Jadeja in T20s. Warner has struck Jadeja for 92 runs in 55 balls across seven innings, while Axar has scored 66 off 38 in nine innings.
• But Warner has fallen to Theekshana three times in six innings and averages 18.66 against him.
• Capitals have hit the least number of sixes in the tournament so far – 42.

Pitch and conditions

Scores of 200 have been breached four times this season in Chennai in ten innings. The surface did show signs of slowing down last time, but there was not much turn on offer for the spinners. The surface should be better for batters in the night game and dew might also come into play. It has been cloudy in Chennai for the last few days, but rain isn’t forecast for Wednesday.

Visitors bowled out for 92 in a session to confirm crushing 399-run defeat

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2023James Rew notched his fourth LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season to help Somerset complete a 399-run rout of Nottinghamshire inside three days at Taunton.The 19-year-old wicketkeeper hit a career-best 123 not out as his side ran up 514 for 8 declared in their second innings to set their opponents an unlikely victory target of 492. George Bartlett, unbeaten on 109 overnight, fell for 134, just three short of his career-best score, while Kasey Aldridge weighed in with 50. Lyndon James had the best bowling figures for Notts with 2 for 64 from 18 overs.The visitors then slumped to 92 all out in their second innings, Josh Davey taking 4 for 17, to suffer the heaviest Championship defeat by a margin of runs in their history. They took three points from the game, while their opponents claimed 19.Somerset began the day on 268 for 4, knowing that the second new ball was just an over away. Any hopes Notts had of using it to reestablish their first day advantage soon disappeared.Bartlett and Rew, who set out on 17, batted confidently through the opening hour, taking few risks and eliminating the errors that had cost Somerset dear in their first innings. They had taken their fifth-wicket stand to 89 and the total to 320 when Bartlett, who had begun his innings with his team 43 for 2, was bowled by Dane Paterson, having faced 265 balls and hit 14 fours and a six.Rew has demonstrated a passion for batting long in red-ball cricket since first breaking into Somerset’s side last season. The young left-hander reached a typically unflurried fifty off 105 deliveries and played through the morning session without alarm.By lunch, he had moved to 60 and the lead was 342. Aldridge was on 17 and the afternoon session saw the pair build another substantial stand. Rew unleashed sixes over long-on and midwicket off Matt Carter, whose offspin posed as little threat as the seamers on what was looking a very flat pitch.Aldridge took the lead past 400 with a cover-driven boundary off Brett Hutton before Rew brought up the fifth first-class hundred of his short career off 172 balls, with 10 fours and 2 sixes.Aldridge has grown in confidence with the bat this season. He went to fifty off 88 balls, but was then bowled by James, having hit 5 fours. By then Somerset had posted 447 for 6 and their lead had grown to 424.It was then just a case of when skipper Tom Abell would choose to declare. By the time he did, Craig Overton and Matt Henry had warmed up for their bowling duties with some lusty blows, Henry clearing the ropes twice, while the ever-vigilant Rew had extended his rock solid innings to span 216 balls and just over four-and-three-quarter hours.Tea was taken before Notts began their mammoth task. It became even more mountainous when Haseeb Hammed was run out without scoring, sent back attempting a single to backward point and undone by Bartlett’s direct hit.It was 2 for 2 when Henry, bowling around the wicket, jagged one into left-hander Ben Slater’s pads to pin him lbw and 10 for 3 when Matthew Montgomery edged a defensive shot off Overton to Aldridge at second slip.Notts captain Steven Mullaney found himself walking to the crease at 14 for 4 after Joe Clarke had been snapped up at second slip by Overton to give Henry his eighth wicket of the match.The extra pace of Somerset’s opening bowlers was making the pitch look very different. And when Josh Davey replaced Overton, his first over saw James edge a drive to Tom Lammonby at third slip. Henry, whose bowling on the second morning had changed the course of the game took a rest having taken 2 for 19 from eight overs and his replacement, Aldridge, soon had Mullaney caught behind for 23 to make it 62 for 6.Hutton sportingly walked when inside-edging Davey to wicketkeeper Rew, who claimed another victim when Tom Moores, on 24, nicked a ball from Aldridge. Davey then cleaned up Jake Ball and Dane Paterson to spark joyous celebrations among home supporters.

England are in the process of rebuilding their T20I team, while Bangladesh, in what isn’t their favourite format, have made a whole host of changes

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2023

Big picture – England favourites despite missing stars

England will hope to keep their white-ball juggernaut rolling in the first of three T20Is against Bangladesh, to be played in Chattogram on Thursday. This is England’s first time out in their T20I strip since becoming world champions. Up against them are Bangladesh, who are pretty good in ODIs – though they just lost the series 2-1 to England – but quite a way behind in T20Is. So Bangladesh will start as the underdogs if one considers recent records and overall quality of personnel.Keeping that in mind, Bangladesh have made a lot of changes to their squad, bringing in five players including newcomer Towhid Hridoy. Shamim Hossain has come in after two years and Rony Talukdar after eight years. While Talukdar has done consistently well in domestic cricket – he was the BPL’s second-highest scorer this season – Shamim’s return was probably based on one good knock in this season’s BPL, the 51-ball 71 for Rangpur Riders against Fortune Barishal.Related

• How might England line up for their World Cup defence?

• Bangladesh determined to develop big-hitting skills

Bangladesh have also included fast bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja and left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, perhaps as reward for their BPL performances. Tanvir was the top wicket-taker in the competition with 17 wickets in 12 games at an economy rate of 6.36, while Rejaur picked up 13 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 8.41.England have a T20I squad similar to their ODI set-up, with Ben Duckett and Chris Jordan coming in to add firepower. They are, however, without Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Alex Hales and Liam Livingstone, a development that prompted Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha to call it an “experimental” squad.But he was quick to point out that he would take notes from how England rebuild their team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, to be player next year. That’s how good England are at the moment.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLWLW
England WWWWL

In the spotlight

Rony Talukdar has made his international comeback after eight years, when, in 2015, he played a solitary T20I against South Africa. It’s a rare occurrence in Bangladesh, where once a player is dropped, it is usually the end for him. Talukdar has scored consistently in domestic cricket, and capped it with a strong run at the BPL this season. He scored 425 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 129.17, often giving Riders fast starts.England would be hoping for Phil Salt to start the T20I series with a big score. He managed only 54 runs in the three ODIs, and that came after he had scored just 37 in two ODIs against Australia in November. His last big show in international cricket was against Pakistan, in a T20I in Lahore in September last year, when he made an unbeaten 88 in 41 balls. It’s time to get some runs.

Team news

Hridoy and Talukdar are likely to be in Bangladesh’s playing XI, and they are leaning towards three fast bowlers. They usually don’t use spinners at the death in T20Is.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Rony Talukdar, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Mustafizur RahmanEngland don’t have too many players to choose from because of injuries. It is likely that Reece Topley, who is nursing a slight niggle, and Mark Wood will miss out from the first game.England (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra ArcherEngland have not played a T20I since winning the World Cup last year•Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

The first T20I will be played on the same pitch where the third ODI was played earlier in the week. So expect a slow pitch and no real lateral movement. The weather will be dry.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first bilateral T20I series between Bangladesh and England. They have played each other only once before in the format, at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, where England won by eight wickets.
• Bangladesh have played 106 T20Is since Talukdar’s solitary appearance in 2015. If he plays on Thursday, he will have the longest gap between T20I appearances, beating Adil Rashid’s 92 missed matches between 2009 and 2015.
• If picked, Rehan Ahmed will become England’s youngest men’s player in T20Is as well. He has already set the same record in Tests and ODIs. The previous youngest for England in T20Is was Stuart Broad at 20 years and 65 days.
  

  Quotes

  “[England] have a very settled 50-over team. They are experimenting with the T20 team. I don’t think the team that won the 2022 World Cup will play in 2024 World Cup. That’s why they are trying new players. They are systematically building the team towards that. We can keep an eye on how they do it, as well.”
  “It’s a great opportunity for us to hopefully lay down a marker again as world champions. We haven’t played a series since we won that World Cup so it’s a challenge for us in these conditions but it’s exciting to play here against obviously a very good Bangladesh side.”

More than 700 runs were scored at Trent Bridge as Australia took another big step towards the semi-finals

The Report by Daniel Brettig20-Jun-2019Crowds of people left Trent Bridge. They think it’s all over, and it probably is now. Australia battered Bangladesh with the bat and then squeezed them slowly but surely with the ball to complete a victory that more or less settled the top four places for the World Cup semi-finals, with near enough to three more weeks of qualifying games remaining.Alongside England, India and New Zealand, Australia are firmly ensconced in the semi-final placings, seeing off a Bangladesh team who, by dint of their sparkling displays against South Africa and the West Indies, had been the last of the genuine challengers from outside the top quartet.There was plenty to like about the day’s cricket in Nottingham, from a powerful century by David Warner, nifty support from Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, a brief but spectacular display by Glenn Maxwell, and plenty of doughtiness about the chase for a distant target, earning Mushfiqur Rahim an unbeaten century and Bangladesh their highest ever ODI total. But there was not quite the sting in the finish of this match, nor now the tournament entire, that any global event should have.This is not to say that Australia should feel bad about putting on their most consistent batting display of the Cup so far. Granted a strong batting platform, they went another step further in mid and late innings acceleration than they had managed in successive games against Pakistan and then Sri Lanka, although still with enough room for improvement to occupy the coach Justin Langer and his assistant Ricky Ponting.Australia’s fielding, too, was not always their sharpest, although the return of Marcus Stoinis from injury added balance to the bowling attack and agility in the field even though there were occasional signs that he is still not exactly 100% fit after a side strain.Bangladesh will bemoan a couple of injury enforced changes on match morning, and then the early drop of Warner by Sabbir Rahman in the gully, the same place West Indies had picked him up on this ground earlier in the competition. On a friendly pitch and fast outfield they were left looking defenseless at times, but resolved in the afternoon to fight the contest out – much to the credit of Mushfiqur’s rearguard. A gap in sixes hit – 10 for Australia, four for Bangladesh – formed part of the wider picture.WATCH – David Warner’s scintillating 166 on Hotstar (India only)Finch was overdue to win a toss and this was a good one to get, the sun shining over Nottingham and the pitch looking slow and dry without undue moisture. With Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa back in the side, balance looked a little more prevalent in Australia’s combination, although Nathan Lyon must wonder whether it is time to start brandishing the red Dukes ball in training ahead of the Ashes.Precious little seam or swing was on offer early for Bangladesh’s seamers, and they were to rue spurning the only chance offered early, a Warner slice through the hands of gully. Anything dropping short or floating too full was pounced on by Finch and Warner – a lusty carve over cover by the captain and a hook shot by the left-hander reaping the first sixes of the morning.Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates his century•Getty Images

If Warner was still struggling for his best timing, Finch did his best to dissuade his partner from too much frustration, an effort in terms of mid-pitch support that would reap handsome rewards later. Finch himself appeared eager to accelerate sooner rather than later, moving around on the crease and sizing up the shorter of Trent Bridge’s boundaries, but just as he and Warner seemed ready to launch, Soumya got a shortish delivery to pop a fraction, causing Finch to bunt a catch to short third man.His frustration at being dismissed was added to apparent confusion about who was to come in to bat next, as Khawaja rather than Smith or Maxwell walked to the middle. For a time, Khawaja and Warner left themselves open to criticism for hastening a little too slowly, but once Warner had his hundred and Khawaja his bearings, the runs grew from a stream to a flow and then a torrent. Warner mixed perseverance with brutality, while Khawaja’s timing and placement were at times reminiscent of no less a left-hander than Brian Lara himself.With 16 centuries, Warner is now level with Adam Gilchrist on Australia’s all-time ODI list, and trailing only Mark Waugh (18) and Ponting (30). His role in this tournament has at times been difficult to decipher, given his evident struggles for timing and placement, but his determination to succeed cannot be doubted, nor the appreciation his run-making has drawn out of team-mates who had only recently been reacquainted with him.The treatment was meted out evenly across the Bangladesh attack, leaving Mashrafe Mortaza with few safe options including himself. Warner’s emulation of Finch in passing 150 at this tournament signalled further acceleration, and his exit after an innings that had been both platform and launch served only to bring Maxwell to the middle. Helped by a Rubel Hossain no-ball that allowed him a free-hit from which to unfurl an otherworldly back foot/front foot inside/outside drive over long off for six, Maxwell was rapidly in full destruction mode.WATCH – Maxwell’s blistering 32 on Hotstar (India only)Momentarily anything looked possible, capping a seven-over stretch from 40 to 46 in which the Australians ransacked 109 runs. But Khawaja’s acceptance then refusal of a quick single left Maxwell stranded in mid-pitch, and his evident anger at the manner of his run-out hastened a miniature collapse of 3 for 8 in seven balls, as Khawaja (caught behind, hooking) and Steven smith (lbw to a full toss) also exited. Rain delayed the final over for 23 minutes, but Stoinis found the boundary twice to lift Australia beyond 380.If this seemed a lot, Bangladesh had the knowledge they had been on course to run down a target even loftier in their beating of West Indies in Taunton, and for a time while Tamim and Shakib were together, anything looked possible. Soumya’s stay had been ended by a Finch direct hit when Bangladesh’s openers also became mixed up between the wickets, but the Australians were starting to look a little apprehensive when Stoinis’ off-break slower ball coaxed a front edge from Shakib and a simple catch for Warner at mid off.Sensing blood, Finch brought Starc back and was rewarded when Tamim dragged a 146kph projectile onto his stumps, before Liton Das was welcomed with a bouncer that struck his helmet and forced a replacement. Another promising union between Mushfiqur and Liton was scuppered when Zampa fizzed a quicker ball through to pin the latter lbw on the crease, and though Mushfiqur kept grinding out the runs with the hard-hitting aid of Mahmudullah, the asking rate grew evermore prohibitive, and ultimately impossible.Mashrafe’s late blow took his men to a bigger tally than any Bangladesh team before them, a fitting marker for the fight they had shown, but there could be only one winner.

“I’d be saying to all players, former players and coaches, if you stay behind the line you don’t have this conversation.”

Andrew McGlashan06-Jan-2023The chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association has called for the term ‘Mankad’ to be removed from the sport’s language and said that the players have a key role in removing the stigma around the dismissal.The mode of dismissal – which ESPNcricinfo now refers to as run out backing up – has been back in the headlines in recent days after Adam Zampa’s failed attempt against Tom Rogers in the BBL at the MCG. A few days earlier, Mitchell Starc had given Theunis de Bruyn a warning for backing up during the Boxing Day Test.Related

• Starc on de Bruyn's backing up: 'Absolutely taking the mickey'

• Drama at MCG as Adam Zampa's run-out attempt against Tom Rogers is turned down

“I don’t think it’s a debate, think it’s very black and white, it shouldn’t be the word Mankad,” Todd Greenberg told SEN radio during the Sydney Test. “I agree the players have a role in eradicating that term, it’s a run out at the non-striker’s end.”In a game played where centimetres, even millimetres, make the difference, if the onus and responsibility is on the bowler to stay behind the line at the point of delivery then the onus and responsibility should be on the batter to do similar.”Greenberg added it was vital for players in the professional game to lead the way so that those involved at lower levels, and youngsters coming up, could see them setting the example.”Players have a huge opportunity to change language and tone,” he said. “And that correlates right down through participation because this is not just an issue at the elite level, it will be an issue in an Under-12s game on a Saturday and it will put parents and volunteers under huge pressure if they don’t see what’s happening at the elite level. The kids at that level replicate what happens on the field.”In the aftermath of Zampa’s run-out attempt, there appeared to be a divide in the Melbourne Stars team with coach David Hussey saying it was not the way to play the game but Zampa largely standing by his actions. Greenberg acknowledged that getting all players and those involved in the game at a senior level on the same page would be a challenge.”Sometimes we have to have hard conversations and sometimes you have to square up players and say this is what’s better for the game,” he said. “I’d be saying to all players, former players and coaches, if you stay behind the line you don’t have this conversation.”The MCC has attempted to remove the stigma attached to the dismissal by moving it from unfair play to run out in the Laws of the game. There remains some debate about whether the wording of the Law is clear enough, particularly around the element of a bowlers’ point of release, which was key in the recent Zampa example.

The series was long-since won, but the most thrilling passage of play was left for the end as an incredible innings unfolded at Old Trafford

George Dobell at Old Trafford24-Jun-20182:03

Great to win games you might not deserve to – Buttler

Jos Buttler has been hailed as “the best white-ball wicketkeeper batsman in the world” in the aftermath of England’s dramatic victory at Old Trafford.Buttler helped England recover from an apparently hopeless position of 114 for 8 to secure a one-wicket victory and, with it, a first 5-0 whitewash over Australia in ODI cricket. He finished unbeaten on 110. Nobody else in the England side passed 20.He also completed a smart stumping to account for Shaun Marsh – pouncing when the batsman lifted his back foot for a moment – and running out Tim Paine with a wonderful direct hit from a lightening fast pick-up and throw.That left Australian captain – and fellow wicketkeeper batsman – Paine full of praise for Buttler and admitting his own side’s batsman could learn plenty from watching him.”He’s good; he’s very good,” Paine said of Buttler. “Right now, at the moment, he’d have to be the best white-ball wicket-keeper batsman in the world. I don’t think there’s too many guys to challenge him. MS Dhoni is pretty good, but right at this moment, Jos is at the absolute peak of his powers. He understands his one-day game so well and knows his strengths inside out and just doesn’t go away from him.”He’s someone for our batters to watch and see first hand. Those experiences are going to be really good for D’Arcy Short or Travis Head to see him and Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy at their best.”While Buttler has often provided example of his extravagant stroke-making ability in the past – he made a 46-ball century against Pakistan in 2015 – it was more his clear head and game awareness that impressed here. So while his 50 – which occupied 74 balls – was slower than four of his ODI centuries, it was so well-paced that he never allowed the run-rate to get out of control always seemed to be able to produce the shot required to release the pressure.He did make one miscalculation, however. Finally left with just Jake Ball – the only real tailender in the side – for company, Buttler told his new partner they would only run if they could be sure Buttler could get back on strike. “But then I smashed it to long-off,” Buttler said, “didn’t see the guy and just ran. It was a poor decision from me.”That left Ball to see out a nerve-wracking over from Ashton Agar – “He was fighting his instincts,” Buttler joked later, “I think he wanted to run down the pitch and smack it” – before Buttler, back on strike, was able to ease a Marcus Stoinis delivery to the cover boundary to seal the victory.”It was pure elation,” Buttler said of the moment that followed. “You’ll probably never match that. I knew I had to be there at the end. Then plucking it from nowhere with one wicket left when we didn’t really have the right to win the game… it was very enjoyable. Winning games when you didn’t deserve to, they’re almost the more enjoyable ones.”While accepting there were areas that needed attention in England’s batting display, in particular, England’s captain, Eoin Morgan felt the ability to win from an almost hopeless position would serve England well.”When he plays like that he creates a lot of belief in the changing room that rubs off,” Morgan said. “He’s used all his experience and he’s somehow managed to get us over the line. It’s outstanding.”Could anybody else in the side have done it? Probably not. But it shows the fight and the character we have in the locker when we need it.”

As West Indies persisted, their bowlers delivering tight lines and testing lengths long after the morning’s swing had disappeared, Sri Lanka’s first innings crashed and burned after lunch

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-2018Stumps Jason Holder celebrates Niroshan Dickwella’s wickets with his team-mates•AFP

Sri Lanka’s first innings crashed and burned in the face of sprightly bowling, before the West Indies top order turned a commanding lead into a near-unassailable position late on day three. Having dismissed Sri Lanka for 185, West Indies finished the day 360 runs ahead, and with six second-innings wickets in hand. The track had begun to take a little turn, but with Sri Lanka so far back in the game, not even Rangana Herath may be able to bail them out. With two days left to play, rain seems the visitors’ biggest hope.As has been the case throughout this game, the West Indies cause had several important contributors. Kemar Roach made the tone-setting early breakthrough in the third over of the day, uprooting the leg stump of the in-form Roshen Silva with a full delivery. Late in that session, Shannon Gabriel took another important wicket, having Dinesh Chandimal caught at backward point. In the afternoon Miguel Cummins wiped out the tail with a short-ball barrage. Herath, Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara were all out top-edging pulls off Cummins. Then, when West Indies went in to bat on a lead of 229, Kieran Powell held firm for the hosts, secure in defense, and elegant on the offside, as he breezed to 64 off 80 balls.Sri Lanka, though, will blame themselves for the errors that have landed them in such a dire position. Chandimal had looked good for a big score, timing the ball nicely after the early morning’s swing had disappeared. But then, just as he began to free his arms, a rush of blood cost him his wicket. He had earlier slashed Gabriel over point for four, but when he attempted the shot again in the approach to lunch, he could not manage a good enough connection – the ball too close to his body for the stroke. He ended up only miscuing the shot to Roston Chase, to took it easily above his head. Chandimal would turn out to be the innings’ top scorer, with 44.The man he had built a promising 68-run stand with – Niroshan Dickwella – was perhaps even more culpable for his dismissal. Having resisted intelligently for the first 77 balls of his innings, Dickwella struck a ball towards mid on and began to amble a single. There was a little miscommunication with non-striker Dilruwan Perera, but even after both batsmen had agreed to the run, Dickwella only jogged through to the other end. Suddenly, he discovered that Kraigg Brathwaite had run down this ball, had turned, and thrown at the stumps in one fluid motion. Dickwella hastily reached for the crease, but it was too late – he was found almost thirty centimetres short by the direct hit. Were it not for his complacency, it should have been an easy single.Where West Indies’ lower order had scrapped, lifting the team from 147 for 5 to 414 for 8, Sri Lanka’s wilted under the heat. With Cummins aiming bowling with hostility, the last four wickets fell in the space of nine overs. All up, Sri Lanka had lost 4 for 43 at the top of their innings, and 6 for 64 at the back end – the Chandimal-Dickwella stand the only period of real resistance.Jason Holder opted not to enforce the follow-on, with his bowlers having been in the field for more than 55 overs. So good was their position, even a few early wickets did not really dent West Indies’ chances in the game. Devon Smith was bowled twice in two balls by Suranga Lakmal, the first of those having come off a no-ball. Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope then edged Lahiru Kumara behind – the former snaffled by a diving Niroshan Dickwellla, and the latter caught athletically by Kusal Mendis, who snatched a sharp overhead chance from second slip.But no matter. Thanks to Powell, the hosts surged ahead. His boundaries came mainly on the offside – cover drives off Lakmal and Herath especially pleasing to the eye. He went to fifty with a straight six, off Dilruwan Perera, having come down the track. West Indies were bossing the game, and Powell was having a little fun.

Bangladesh captain refuses to blame conditions for their tense defeat in a rain-hit game

Sidharth Monga02-Nov-2022Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has refused to complain about resuming the game too early, and instead said that they panicked while chasing the DLS-adjusted target, which he felt most teams would have done.Bangladesh had India rattled in a chase of 185, thanks to a stunning assault from opener Litton Das who had raced away to 59 off 26 when rain interrupted their charge. Their 66 for 0 in seven overs was 17 ahead of the DLS par score. When play resumed, Das slipped twice when running on the first two balls. The second of those cost him his wicket after which Bangladesh fell six short of the required 85 in nine overs.”Nobody in our dressing room talked about fair or unfair,” Shakib said about the resumption of play. “We wanted to play. We wanted to win. Everyone tried their best, but we came short.”Related

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Shakib was asked looking at how the initial conditions were slippery did he wish they had started 10-15 minutes later? “That is the decision umpires make,” Shakib said. “We don’t make that decision. We are there to play cricket. Both teams wanted to play full 20 overs. Unfortunately rain interrupted. I am happy the way both teams played. It was played in the right spirit. Both teams played really well, we were very close like the 2016 World Cup, but not close enough.”So were the conditions slippery when they resumed? “It was a little slippery the amount of rain it had had,” Shakib said. “But normally that suits the batting side rather than the bowling side. We should not make that an excuse.”Shakib even said Das could have shown better awareness after he slipped for the first time, and that he should perhaps have run on the edge of the pitch and not the grass. While taking the second, Das slipped but didn’t fall like the first time when he even injured his wrist. However, the time he lost was enough for a KL Rahul direct hit from the deep to catch him short.Litton Das’ run-out for 60 turned the game in Adelaide•ICC/Getty Images

“It was unfortunate that Litton slipped, but I don’t know if he ran on the pitch or in the grass between the pitches,” Shakib said. “If he had run on the grass, he should have been careful and run on the pitch the next time.”Shakib was asked if it was lack of experience or an emotional response that they played too many shots immediately after resumption. “Combination of both lack of experience and panicking,” Shakib said. “We were pretty relaxed in the dressing room. We knew what was coming our way. When we got the target of 85 runs in nine overs, we [said we] will take that. With wickets in hand. Bhuvi was almost done too [Bhuvneshwar Kumar had bowled three overs by then]. You take that challenge, and chase that down. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it.”It was down to 52 required off five overs with eight wickets in hand, a walk in park for most teams. “Most teams would have got those 52 runs,” Shakib said. “We should have chased it down. I thought we were capable. It didn’t happen unfortunately. Maybe we panicked in the middle order, playing too many shots. We lost the momentum big time in two-three overs. Nurul [Hasan] and Taskin [Ahmed] almost brought us back into contention later on. T20 matches change every over. If you look at the last two overs, many teams can now get 30 in the last two overs. We couldn’t do it, but we can take a lot of positives from this game.”

Only 52.2 overs possible on rain-hit day at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2022Sam Cook reached 200 first-class career wickets in record-breaking fashion as Essex bowled Yorkshire out for 134 during a bowler-friendly opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Headingley.In returning an excellent 3 for 31 from 15 overs, the 25-year-old England Lions seamer became the first English bowler in more than half a century to bring up the double hundred at an average under 20.Cook, whose 201 wickets have came at 19.56 apiece, achieved a feat last secured by Derbyshire’s Alan Ward in 1971 and took advantage of helpful conditions to vindicate captain Tom Westley’s decision to bowl first at the start of the two counties’ 12th match of 14 in Division One.He was ably backed up by fellow seamer Shane Snater’s 3 for 39, while Jamie Porter and Ben Allison claimed two wickets apiece as the hosts were bowled out just before tea, including George Hill’s top score of 36.There was no play possible beyond tea, taken at 3pm, due to rain, with Essex’s innings not starting and 43 overs cut from the day’s allotted 96.Play was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and the national anthem, while both teams wore black armbands.While Essex are bidding to end the season with a top-three finish in Division One – they started this round 30 points behind Lancashire with a game in hand – Yorkshire are still not clear of relegation danger. They are 25 points clear of second-bottom Warwickshire.Cook has been in outstanding recent form. He has taken 23 wickets in his last six appearances both in the Championship and for the Trent Rockets in the Hundred, including a crucial 10 for the match in Essex’s victory over Kent last week.A bowler who is affectionately known as Little Chef at Chelmsford, owing to the presence of the Alastair Cook in their squad, Sam Cook is without express pace. He is not as quick as new-ball partner Jamie Porter, for example, but he rarely lets batters settle with his accuracy and skill. Many see him as the ideal replacement for James Anderson in England’s Test team when needs be.He made the initial breakthrough by getting Fin Bean caught behind for a duck one-handed by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who also had an impressive day. It was the first of four catches for the ex-Northamptonshire man.That left Yorkshire, batting under floodlights all day, at 4 for 1 in the fourth over before Tom Kohler-Cadmore edged to third slip for Cook’s milestone wicket and Hill feathered behind. When the latter fell in the afternoon’s second over, Yorkshire were 64 for 5 in the 30th.After an early Porter strike, getting the other opener Adam Lyth caught behind, Snater matched Cook’s contribution as Essex pressed ahead.Snater’s first wicket was Will Fraine bowled for a duck shortly before lunch. Afterwards, he had Matthew Revis caught behind off the inside edge and also bowled Jonny Tattersall for a hard-working 32 as Yorkshire fell to 100 for 7 in the 41st over.Allison then added his two wickets, including bowling Ben Coad with a vicious bouncer which he could only fend onto his stumps, before Porter wrapped up the innings by trapping Jack Shutt lbw in the 53rd over.New Yorkshire loan signing Ben Mike, the all-rounder who has joined early from Leicestershire ahead of a three-year contract starting this winter, has not been selected and must wait at least a week for his debut.