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England’s first win on the India tour came by a margin of only five runs as they staved off a fightback from Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav, who scored 90 and came close to winning the match for India

The Report by Andrew Miller22-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:42

Agarkar: Need more pitches like at Eden Gardens

Chris Woakes pulled off the Kolkata grandstand finish that had eluded his team-mate, Ben Stokes, in last year’s World T20 final, as he held his nerve in the face of a supreme onslaught from India’s man of the moment, Kedar Jadhav, and delivered for England their first victory in India in eight matches and more than 10 weeks of touring.The end, when it came, was anticlimactic to all but the 11 relieved Englishmen in the outfield, and their nerve-shredded dressing room. With 16 runs to defend, Woakes recovered from being slammed for six and four in the first two deliveries of the game’s final over to chalk up four consecutive dot-balls, including the vital scalp of Jadhav for 90 from 75 balls, to seal a consolation win in the three-match ODI series.It was a supremely hard-earned victory at the end of an extraordinary series that has featured a grand total of 2090 runs in six innings – a record for a three-match rubber. And England’s effort was all the more impressive given that they lost the toss (and with it the chance to pace their innings against a measurable end-point) as well as one of their frontline seamers, David Willey, who had to withdraw from the attack with a shoulder injury after two overs.However, thanks to another tapestry of hard-hitting cameos all down the order – from Jason Roy against the new ball to Woakes and Stokes at the death – England ended up with just enough runs on the board. And when 321 for 8 on a sporty seamer’s surface equals “just enough”, you know the format has entered a new dimension.The foundations of England’s victory were laid by the opening pair of Roy and Sam Billings, who was playing in his first match of the series after Alex Hales’ withdrawal with a broken hand. From the outset, India’s seamers found bounce and movement from a probing line and length outside off stump to force a naturally aggressive duo to sit tight for their opportunities.Jonny Bairstow struck a brisk 56 to guide England’s innings•AFP

To both men’s credit, they did just that. Roy once again took the lead with his third fifty of the series while Billings played the holding role, contributing 35 to a 98-run stand that was only broken by the advent of the first drinks break.Bairstow, a late replacement for Joe Root, made 56 from 64 balls to keep England ticking along in the middle over, while Morgan, a centurion in Cuttack, showed once again that he’s rediscovered that pocket-battleship power that once set him apart among England one-day batsmen.The return of Hardik Pandya threatened another decisive momentum swing, as he picked off both set batsmen, plus a slightly subdued Jos Buttler, in a brilliant six-over spell that proved both incisive and restrictive. England, however, no longer know how to stop attacking in the closing overs, and Stokes in particular served notice of his intention to banish the memories of his last visit to Kolkata. He finished unbeaten on 57 from 39 balls, with Woakes chipping in with 34 from 19, as England posted a total that would have counted as formidable in any series.Nevertheless, having demonstrated the potency with the new-ball in defeat at Pune and Cuttack, the onus was on England’s seamers to strike hard and strike fast in the most favourable conditions they had encountered all winter. And they should, by rights, have done so with the very first delivery, when Woakes was shown on replay to have grazed Ajinkya Rahane’s glove with an off-stump lifter, but nobody thought to appeal.Rahane, however, did not detain them for long. He had been brought in as a replacement for the out-of-sorts Shikhar Dhawan, but managed just 1 from six balls before being bowled by a big inswinger from the left-arm seam of David Willey. Willey, however, struggled with his line, conceding five wides in two overs before clutching at his shoulder and leaving the field for treatment, never to return.His departure could have been a devastating blow for England in less conducive conditions, but fortunately their remaining four seamers closed ranks to good effect, allowing the spinner Moeen Ali to get through an impressive eight-over spell of Jadeja-esque pace and purpose that covered off Willey’s remaining workload.But India just kept coming. KL Rahul took a block-or-blast approach against the new ball, slotting a monstrous six over the covers in Woakes’ first over before falling to a similarly aggressive wallop when Jake Ball entered the attack as Willey’s replacement in the sixth.Virat Kohli calibrated the conditions in his inimitably forensic fashion, and set about pacing the chase with his second half-century of the series. On 35, Ball at deep backward square dropped a clanger as Plunkett banged in a bouncer – a terrible miss from a fielder who clearly had too long to think about the stature of the man who had launched the ball his way – but for once such a let-off wasn’t overly costly.Kedar Jadhav camped on the back foot and waited for England to bang the ball halfway down the track•AFP

Unlike Pune and Cuttack, Kolkata kept on giving if the seamers were willing to bend their backs. And, in the 20th over, Stokes struck the big blow, luring Kohli into the drive with a bit of width outside off, for Buttler to complete a high take to his right as the ball kicked off the outside edge.Yuvraj Singh kept India’s innings ticking along for a while, climbing into a rare Moeen long-hop to batter a huge six over midwicket. But, on 45, he aimed in the same direction off the extra pace of Plunkett, and could only pick out Billings on the edge of the rope.MS Dhoni, too, was a victim of that extra spring in the pitch, as he climbed into a drive against Ball to snick another flying edge to Buttler. However, before his departure, he had demonstrated that Plunkett’s pace and bounce could work in India’s favour too, when he top-edged a pull that sailed over the keeper’s head for six. And Jadhav was in the mood to take that tactic and run with it.With Pandya a slap-happy accomplice, India’s sixth-wicket pair camped themselves on the back foot and waited for England to bang the ball half-way down the track. From a dicey scoreline of 173 for 5, they carved 104 runs from the next 83 balls, with a fusillade of boundaries to keep an asking rate of nine an over in constant sight.Jadhav smashed Woakes for back-to-back fours in his eighth over before bringing up his fifty with a stunning back-foot smash over long-on off Stokes from 46 balls, but Pandya was the revelation on this occasion – connecting with ferocity regularly, not least with a duck-and-pull six over fine-leg off Plunkett that brought up his maiden ODI fifty from 38 balls.A change of plan was needed as India brought the requirement down below fifty with five overs remaining, and Stokes once again delivered, finding a fuller inswinging length to beat Pandya’s ambitious wipe across the line and bowl him for 56 from 43 balls. One over later, Jadeja was gone as well, caught in the deep by Bairstow, but not before he had slaughtered Woakes’ fuller length for two of the hardest-hit boundaries of the night.Jadhav toasted Woakes’ final delivery straight down the ground, making it 16 off the over, and leaving India needing a very gettable 27 from the final three overs. Morgan responded by turning back to Stokes – the man whose death skills had deserted him so fatefully on his previous appearance at this venue, in last year’s World T20 final.This time, Stokes responded with skill and nerve, limiting India to four singles – one of them a harshy judged wide – in an over that also included the scalp of Ravi Ashwin, caught off a steepling top-edge as he tried, but failed, to take on the length ball just as Carlos Brathwaite had so triumphantly achieved nine months earlier.Still Jadhav wasn’t done, inside-edging another four past the keeper to keep India within reach, but a diet of low full-tosses from Ball kept his more aggressive intentions at arm’s length to leave Woakes defending 16 runs from the final over of the night.Cue Jadhav’s most outrageous stroke of the night – an open-shouldered slam for six over wide long-off, to reduce the requirement to 10 from five, and revive agonising memories of Stokes’ own implosion nine months earlier. When Jadhav followed up one ball later with another flat-bat for four over mid-off, Eden Gardens was ready for lift-off.But Woakes and his captain Morgan weren’t done yet, knowing full well that, at eight-down, one good delivery could still derail the chase. Instead, Woakes offered four, finding a consistently awkward length outside off that forced Jadhav to reach for his strokes. He reached, fatefully, with a drive into Billings’ midriff at long-off, and with him went the game.

A round-up of the Group C matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy played on March 4, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2017Harpreet Singh Bhatia continued his excellent form with 109 off 134 balls, but Madhya Pradesh fell short against Bengal in a chase of 271 in Chennai. MP were well placed at 234 for 5 in the 44th over, but they lost their last five wickets for only 22 runs. Earlier half centuries from Sudip Chatterjee (91 off 101 balls) and Manoj Tiwary (59 off 73 balls) led Bengal’s progress.Chatterjee and Tiwary added 127 runs for the third wicket and set their team up for a strong finish. However, a string of late wickets kept them to 270 for 8. Ultimately, it turned out to be enough. This was Bengal’s fifth win in five matches.Rohit Sharma managed only 16 on return from injury, but Mumbai‘s bowlers strangled Andhra‘s batsmen to secure a 43-run victory in Chennai.Seamer Shivam Dubey led the attack with three wickets while Pravin Tambe, Shardul Thakur, and Dhawal Kulkarni, also returning from injury, took two wickets each. Opener Srikar Bharat top-scored for Andhra with 64 off 46 balls in a chase of 232, but he lacked substantial support from the other batsmen. The next best score in the chase was Hanuma Vihari’s 33 off 68 balls.Dubey was at it with the bat as well, hitting 41 off 32 balls, including three sixes and a four. Half-centuries from Aditya Tare and Siddhesh Lad also added to Mumbai’s 231 for 8. Seamer Girinath Reddy picked up three wickets for Andhra, including that of Rohit.An unbroken 120-run partnership between teenagers Salman Khan (61 off 79 balls) and Mahipal Lomror (73 off 65 balls) propelled Rajasthan to a seven-wicket win against Goa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They joined forces at 94 for 3 in a chase of 212 and ensured Rajasthan cantered home with nearly 10 overs to spare.Earlier, Goa put up 211 for 8 with opener Prathamesh Gawas top-scoring with 66 off 107 balls on List A debut. Suyash Prabhudessai contributed with 41 from the middle order, but tight bowling from Nathu Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Tajinder Singh restricted Goa.

South Africa coach Russell Domingo believes Seddon Park will offer a good wicket, and has pointed out that the dryness will bring reverse-swing into play in the third Test

Firdose Moonda22-Mar-2017One member of the South African touring party strode out to the Seddon Park square and lifted a blanket-like grey cover from the surface it was covering. He pulled a face as though he had just smelled something odd. As he walked back, he muttered, “That isn’t even prepared,” to another member of the South African touring party, who also examined the bit under the blanket. He pulled an even worse face.In the minutes that followed, a few more away players had been to the same spot, where the cover had been removed to reveal a patchy brown strip. Strangely, they were all smiling. The mottled pitch where they first thought the third Test would be played on was not the battleground after all; the green-one next to it was.”That doesn’t look like a dust bowl, it looks a good wicket,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach said.The Test pitch looks more like the wickets New Zealand played on earlier this summer and less like the spinners’ deck they were set to prepare. Without a doubt, it will change in colour and grass covering as the match draws closer and it may yet prove spin-friendly, especially as it is on the slower side of the block. But for now, South Africa are fairly happy with what they see. They know Hamilton is a crafty venue that way. There are two blocks, one which has fast pitches, and one with slower ones. New Zealand decide which block they play on. Then the groundstaff get to preparing the surface – the team doesn’t intervene.For the Pakistan Test in November, New Zealand opted to play on the faster side and asked for a green top. They were put in and scored a respectable 271 before dismissing Pakistan for 216 and then 230, after setting them a target of 369.For the ODI against Australia, matters moved to a slower surface. So much so that New Zealand included Ish Sodhi in their squad in anticipation – they didn’t play him though. They scored 281 for 9 and bowled Australia out for 257 to win the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.New Zealand moved back to the faster side for the first ODI against South Africa last month although the highlights reel may not reveal that. In a rain-reduced 34-over affair, the ball turned significantly in what de Villiers called the “toughest conditions I have ever played in”, but groundsman Karl Johnson explained that was an anomaly, mostly caused by wet weather in the lead-up to the match.Hamilton was given the fourth ODI as well because Napier’s McLean Park was in urgent need of remedial work and by the time the series reached that stage, New Zealand needed to win to stay alive. They opted to take grass off the pitch to favour spin, brought Jeetan Patel back into the XI and restricted South Africa to 279 for 8 before Martin Guptill’s 180 took the game away. Mission accomplished.This Test will be the fifth international played at the venue this season and Domingo expects that the wear and tear, rather than testing South Africa against spin, could favour them in another department. “The main thing is that reverse swing is going to come into the game. It looks pretty dry – the square. They have played a lot of cricket here and there are a lot of used pitches which assist reverse-swing, we’ve got some good exponents of [reverse swing],” he said.Morne Morkel has been the latest to make use of reverse-swing and South Africa even managed to find some in damp Dunedin. The threat of rain through this Test won’t play too much on their minds, except that if conditions remain muggy, they may also be able to turn to conventional swing.Then there is the prospect of Vernon Philander, who took 10 wickets the last time South Africa were in Hamilton. Philander has flown under the radar in this series because he has not collected bags of wickets, but the strangling role he has played has been important to the team.”When Vernon hasn’t been playing in our side, he is probably the bowler that’s been the most sorely missed because of the control he brings,” Domingo said. “He is a very skillful cricketer. He has contributed in every single game. It might not be showing in the column with the wickets but in terms of controlling the game and building pressure, he has been our leader,” Domingo said.Which is why South Africa will be looking for something similar from Philander this time. Apart from securing a series win, South Africa have some added incentive to ensure they don’t go down to New Zealand in Hamilton. As long as they draw or win the Test, and if Australia lose in Dharamsala, they will go up to No.2 on the rankings, a remarkable turnaround from the No.7 spot they started at in August. No matter how much they say all that matters is the next game, there’s no doubt their slide stung and the prospect of pushing for the mace again beckons.”It’s something we want to get to but our focus is on this game. We want to get up the rankings again. We know what it’s like to be at No.7, we were there only a few months ago. We find ourselves at No.3 now so we are a work in progress,” Domingo said.

Delhi Daredevils went through 47 deliveries without a boundary in the middle overs to end up with 160, a target Knight Riders easily knocked off

The Report by Sidharth Monga28-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
3:47

Bangar: Knight Riders not showing any complacency

How long is 20 overs? Ask Delhi Daredevils’ batsmen, who once again found time to wander aimlessly in the middle overs and then stumble at the end. In a repeat of their first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Daredevils got off to a flier – 53 in the Powerplay in both matches – but lived up to their well-earned reputation of being the slowest in middle overs and couldn’t manage a finishing kick to boot. The most prolific pair this IPL – Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir – then made light of the 161-run target.In what was the first signs of this being Groundhog Day, the captains walked out for a toss that was purely academic. Daredevils wanted to defend because they don’t want their inexperienced batting active in decisive moments, Knight Riders wanted to chase because they last lost chasing at Eden Gardens in 2012. Sanju Samson then continued his schizophrenic IPL: bomb the quicks, go comatose against spin, and then find yourself under pressure and either kick on or fail. Failure is likelier if you keep putting yourself under that pressure, and it didn’t help that Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant and Corey Anderson couldn’t do much either.Narine pulls them back
Samson once again displayed his outrageous talent of clean striking and raced away to 25 off nine balls. Then came Sunil Narine with a record of 56 balls against Samson, Karun Nair and Anderson for just 49 runs and three wickets. On cue he produced his first Powerplay wicket this season: Karun Nair, out sweeping. Daredevils 48 for 1 in the fifth over.Slow bowlers, slower battingSamson has scored just 81 runs off 76 balls of spin this season. Against pace he has looted 203 off 119. It was a mild surprise Narine was not introduced sooner. Brakes came on immediately with either Narine or Kuldeep Yadav manning one end in the middle overs. The result was a partnership between Shreyas Iyer and Samson that reached 50 in 7.3 overs. Forty-six legal deliveries went without a hit to the fence. Every such delivery meant one fewer for the big hitters to face.When Samson scored his hundred this season, he went through a similar pattern: a flying start of 35 off 19, then only 13 off the next 19, and then the final kick. Against Knight Riders in Delhi, he did the same, going from 27 off 12 to just 13 off the next 13 balls. Here, too, he put himself under pressure of going big in the end. Like in Delhi, he failed to kick on here, scoring just 35 off the last 29 balls he faced, despite two late sixes.Iyer’s innings was more damaging. He found himself in a desperate situation after scoring 18 off the first 21 balls he faced. They both tried to go hard the moment Colin de Grandhomme was introduced in the 13th over, but Daredevils needed something big from them or from Morris, Pant and Anderson to salvage the situation.Pace stifles DaredevilsUmesh Yadav got Samson lbw with one that swung back in. Needing quick runs Samson was caught playing a low-percentage flick to square leg. The came back Nathan Coulter-Nile to eliminate the big threat of Pant with a straight near-yorker. Iyer again took high risk in the same over and perished. Corey Anderson was dropped twice, but Morris ran him out. Chris Woakes and Coulter-Nile then finished off for Knight Riders with just one boundary coming in the last four overs. Coulter-Nile has taken two or more wickets in each of the four matches he has played.The leaveWhen Daredevils scored an underwhelming 168 in their last match against Knight Riders, the quality in their bowling made Gambhir’s side sweat over the chase. Daredevils are one of the sides that can be backed to do something with small defences. Even though Zaheer Khan walked off with what looked like a pulled hamstring in his second over, Daredevils got off to a heartening start. Kagiso Rabada burst through Narine’s defence, and soon had Uthappa top-edging. The ball fell near the square leg umpire with ample time for at least three fielders to converge. Samson and Mishra came the closest. Neither of them called. Neither of them went for it. Had the catch been taken, Knight Riders would have been reduced to 37 for 2 in the sixth over, with Gambhir still going at a strike rate of 100.The endgameA long one at that. Gambhir, still one of the best players of spin in India, welcomed Mishra with two boundaries in his first over. Uthappa tore into Morris at the other end. In eight overs, Knight Riders had knocked off half the runs. If Daredevils had seven boundary-less overs after the quick start, there were only two middle overs in the Knight Riders innings that didn’t feature a boundary. When Gambhir pulled an innocuous short ball from Anderson for a four in the 13th over, the asking rate dropped under a run a ball. The game was over long ago.

Adam Griffith, the former Tasmania fast bowler, has been named as the state’s new head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2017Adam Griffith, the former Tasmania fast bowler, has been named as the state’s new head coach. Griffith has spent six years as an assistant coach at Western Australia and in returning to his home state will replace Daniel Marsh, who was sacked as head coach in February.Griffith faces a significant challenge to lift Tasmania’s performance after a string of disappointing seasons: in 2016-17 they finished last on the Sheffield Shield points table, having finished second-last in the previous two summers. Like Marsh, Griffith was a member of the 2006-07 team that won Tasmania’s inaugural Shield title.”It’s a privilege to have been given this opportunity by Cricket Tasmania,” Griffith said. “I have really enjoyed my time at the WACA and sincerely thank them for giving me my start in coaching and helping me develop as a coach.”I am now looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and I will be working hard to bring success to the Tasmanian Tigers as well as working towards more national representation.”Cricket Tasmania chief executive Nick Cummins said: “Adam impressed the panel with his clear vision around the direction he would like to take the Tigers and how he can positively influence the entire high performance pathway from youth to senior players.”In working for Justin Langer for the past five seasons, we believe that he has had the opportunity to learn from one of Australia’s best state coaches and experience first-hand the transformation that the WACA has undergone over that period.”While Adam is originally from Tasmania, this did not figure in our reckoning when considering the best candidate, and we feel his experience, philosophy and approach set him apart from the other candidates.”During his playing career, Griffith collected 169 wickets at 34.31 in 50 first-class matches. As well as working at the WACA since retirement, he has also spent time in the Australian setup as stand-in bowling coach.

A round-up of the WCL Division Three matches from Kampala held on May 27, 2017

Peter Della Penna in Kampala27-May-20171:35

We didn’t panic after quick wickets in middle overs – Kumar

Canada firmed their case for promotion to Division Two by bouncing back from Friday’s shock loss to Malaysia to thump USA by 96 runs at Kyambogo Oval.USA opted to put Canada in, persuaded by overcast conditions but by the time the first ball was bowled the sun had come out and the seamers found little assistance from the pitch. Batsman Dhanuka Pathirana made the most of favourable conditions, top-scoring with 87 off 94 balls, a remarkable innings in which he took 21 balls to get off the mark.Pathirana’s innings pushed Canada to 256 for 8. The foundation for that total was built by captain Nitish Kumar and 17-year old Bhavindu Adhihetty, who added 74 for the first wicket. But USA left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige broke the stand, having Kumar caught at backward point for 30 in the 16th over and then bowled Navneet Dhaliwal for 3 in the 18th to wrap up a wicket-maiden.Pathirana and Adhihetty – who made his first half-century for Canada – took the team past the wobble but their partnership – 64 runs in 14.4 overs – was broken by left-arm spinning allrounder Mrunal Patel. It was the first of his three wickets, the third of particular importance since he toppled the explosive Rizwan Cheema for a second-ball duck. Canada were 157 for 5 with the best part of 12 overs left.USA had the momentum, but they let it slip as a result of a rather poor fielding effort. They leaked 97 runs in the last 11 overs including two missed chances off Pathirana. The first, to long-off on 71, resulted in a four when Akeem Dodson came in off the rope only to have the ball go over his head and bounce over the rope. Pathirana was eventually dismissed lbw attempting a switch hit in the 46th over but not before he was gifted a six the previous ball when Nicholas Standford fumbled a catch over the boundary at deep extra cover.USA’s chase was doomed from the start when captain Steven Taylor fell on the third ball, beaten for pace attempting an expansive drive against Satsimranjit Dhindsa. Fellow opener Akeem Dodson ran himself out for 5 in the next over, looking for a risky single to mid-off that was denied by a direct hit from Jimmy Hansra, to make it 6 for 2.Ibrahim Khaleel and Camilus Alexander kept USA afloat with a half-century stand but Cheema made up for his first-innings duck with three wickets in eight balls to reduce USA to 61 for 5 and they never recovered, eventually being bowled out for 160. Canada now have a 3-1 record in the tournament and its best net run-rate as well. A return to Division Two beckons.File photo – Bilal Khan finished with figures of 5 for 19 as Singapore were bundled out for 100 against Oman in Entebbe•Getty Images

Oman moved one step closer to their third consecutive promotion with a dominant five-wicket win over Singapore in Entebbe. After Singapore were sent in to bat on a sticky wicket, left-arm pacer Bilal Khan took two wickets with the new ball, before returning to clean up the tail and finish with 5 for 19 as Singapore were bowled out for 100 in 37.1 overs.After Bilal’s opening burst, Ajay Lalcheta struck a key blow when he had Arjun Mutreja stumped for 4, a day after the Singapore batsman had scored a match-winning century against USA. Singapore recovered briefly through their captain Chetan Suryawanshi’s 30, and his 48-run fourth-wicket stand with Anish Paraam, who top-scored with 34. But Paraam’s dismissal to medium pacer Mohammad Nadeem triggered a collapse as Singapore lost their last seven wickets for 17 runs.Oman stumbled out of the gate in reply, with both openers dismissed without scoring. But Lalcheta’s 37, and his 63-run partnership with his captain Sultan Ahmed (32) got Oman back on course. Aqib Ilyas then struck five boundaries in a rapid 22 not out, off 15 balls, to record victory with 25.4 overs to spare, giving Oman a dramatic net run rate boost.Uganda kept their slim promotion hopes alive with a four-wicket win over Malaysia at Lugogo Stadium. Offspinning allrounder Mohammed Irfan (108*) blazed a century off 67 balls to speed Uganda past the target of 190 in 36.2 overs. Irfan, whose nickname is “Afridi” in local circles and is a nephew of the former Pakistan captain, impersonated his uncle by striking seven fours and 10 sixes in his knock.Veteran offspinner Frank Nsubuga helped set up a chaseable total by claiming 4 for 43 after taking the new ball. Left-arm spinner Henry Ssenyondo provided good support with 3 for 30.

Promotion and relegation standings

The final day of round-robin matches begins on Monday. Canada play Singapore at Kyambogo while Oman play Malaysia at Lugogo. Wins for Canada and Oman will guarantee promotion while they can still advance in spite of losses depending on each team’s net run-rate. Singapore would need a sizable win over Canada, to move into one of the top two slots via net run-rate. A loss would not only cost them a shot at promotion but could also see them relegated depending on other results.Uganda play USA at Entebbe with the hosts needing a win by a significant margin and then hope for heavy losses for either Canada or Oman to have a shot at promotion. A loss for Uganda would see them fall behind USA on net run-rate and put them at risk of relegation. USA and Malaysia both require wins to avoid relegation but are out of the race for promotion.

Sri Lanka managed only 300 for 6 after looking to post in excess of 350 at one stage. That Zimbabwe have only 301 to chase, in a bid to save the series, was courtesy a strong bowling effort in the death overs that included regular wickets

The Report by Shashank Kishore08-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCraig Ervine hit eight fours and one six in his unbeaten 55-ball 69•AFP

Craig Ervine’s experience and Malcolm Waller’s composure blended well as Zimbabwe overcame rain, pressure and fading light to clinch a steep chase and take the series into the decider. The four-wicket win (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method) in Hambantota was as much a result of their good work with the ball in the last 15 overs – they conceded only 92 to restrict Sri Lanka to 300 for 6 – as it was with the bat. This after Sri Lanka looked set for 350 at one stage, given the platform Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka set with an opening partnership of 209. They became the first pair in ODI history to score back-to-back double-century stands.Zimbabwe lost two quick wickets in their chase, but not before the openers had added 67 in nearly 10 overs, helped along by Solomon Mire’s 30-ball 43. When rain stopped play after the 21st over, Zimbabwe were 139 for 3, nine runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.There was a brief scare when the rains arrived too, with Zimbabwe needing to bat out one over to constitute a game. Sensing the possibility of going off, Angelo Mathews reintroduced Lasith Malinga. The first two balls took three minutes even as the drizzle picked up, leaving umpire Nigel Llong to have a chat with Mathews to speed up proceedings. Malinga eventually finished the over and a relieved Zimbabwe played out one more over from Gunathilaka before they went off.One hour and 36 minutes later, Zimbabwe’s target was a much steeper 219 off 31 overs. Eight balls after resumption, they lost Sean Williams as he waltzed down the pitch to swing through, only to be stumped. Then, Wanindu Hasaranga, the 19-year old legspinner, picked up his third wicket with a sensational return catch to dismiss Sikandar Raza. Zimbabwe were trembling, the ball was suddenly keeping low. The equation read 47 off 34.

Zimbabwe penalized for slow over rate

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer has been fined 20% of his match fee, while his team-mates have been fined 10%, for maintaining a slow over rate during the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe were found to be one over short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. No formal hearing was held, as Cremer pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction. Another minor over-rate breach as Zimbabwe captain in the next 12 months by Cremer could lead to a suspension.

But Ervine stood firm, sweeping and reverse-sweeping his way to a half-century to keep Zimbabwe alive. Waller did his bit with three fours in a 13-ball 20, and the pair added 43 off 23 balls. When Waller was dismissed, Zimbabwe needed 4 off 11 deliveries and it was Ervine, who fittingly polished the match off with a delicate reverse paddle. Ervine’s solidity was key before the rain interruption, too, helping Zimbabwe ride out a wobble after Hasaranga had got rid of Mire and Hamilton Masakadza in consecutive overs. Prior to this series, Zimbabwe had never won an ODI in Sri Lanka. On this tour alone, they have two wins, both emphatic.The win meant that Sri Lanka’s solid opening partnership and Dickwella’s second consecutive ODI hundred were in vain. Dickwella’s 116 made him the eighth Sri Lanka batsman to score successive ODI centuries while Gunathilaka, who curbed his aggressive style of play for a large part of the innings, contributed 87. Sri Lanka’s total may have seemed enough on most days, but not against a young and unheralded batting line-up that came out and attacked with intent, seemingly unperturbed by the spin threat or the big boundaries.That Sri Lanka found themselves behind in the second innings was because of a slowdown in their end overs. The inability of the middle order to come in and strike right from the outset gave Zimbabwe an outside chance, which they converted. The openers started cautiously before Dickwella signaled a change of intent by hitting Chris Mpofu for successive boundaries in the fifth over. Sri Lanka motored to 54 without loss in eight overs when captain Graeme Cremer introduced spin, bringing on Sikandar Raza. The move pushed both Sri Lanka batsmen into a slightly cautious approach, but their degree of control stood out. Dickwella brought up his half-century off 48 deliveries.Gunathilaka also had some luck when Cremer put down a tough return catch with the batsman on 44. However, Gunathilaka accelerated soon after bringing up his half-century, even as Zimbabwe’s bowlers persisted with the plan to contain the opposition. With 18 overs left, Sri Lanka were cruising at 193 without loss. Zimbabwe compounded their problems by reprieving both batsmen after they had crossed the 200-run mark but those errors did not turn out to be too costly as Waller accounted for both with his whippy offspin. Waller eventually finished with 2 for 44. While Mathews made a 40-ball 42, the lower order failed to kick on and Sri Lanka managed only 37 off the last five overs.

Glamorgan bowler Don Shepherd, who took 2218 wickets in a first-class career spanning 22 years, has died at the age of 90

David Hopps19-Aug-2017Don Shepherd, a giant of Glamorgan cricket and widely regarded as one of the best county cricketers never to play for England, has died, aged 90.Shepherd was one of the great servants of county cricket, a source of huge pride for all cricket-lovers in Wales, as he totted up 668 first-class matches between 1950 and 1972. Born in Port Eynon on the Gower Peninsula, he began life as a fast-medium bowler but in his vintage years was highly respected for his slow-medium offcutters.He died only a week after celebrating his 90th birthday after complications set in following a heart operation.John Arlott, the great broadcaster and cricket writer, termed it “inexplicable” that Shepherd never played for England, and, especially on responsive pitches, he would doubtless have made the grade. But he was never seriously considered and was up against some fine practitioners – the Surrey pair of Jim Laker and Tony Lock in the fifties, and by the likes of Raymond Illingworth and Fred Titmus later in his career.At the end of it all, he had 2218 first-class wickets, all of them genially claimed, and the most ever taken by a player who failed to represent England. It left him 22nd on the all-time list. He was a shrewd analyst of a batsman, with deceptive changes of pace and flight and his contentment in his work made him a captain’s dream.The lack of England recognition did not overly bother him. In a BBC interview to mark his 90th birthday, Shepherd recalled: “It never worried me. There were so many terrific offspinners around towards the end – Fred Titmus, David Allen, John Mortimore, Ray Illingworth – and they could bat, while I was a bit of a slogger. I was happy enough doing what I did and what happened to me through my life.”Glamorgan endured many lean years during his career, but there was achievement, too, in the winning of the 1969 county championship, which they finished unbeaten. Shepherd took the final wicket, and, to add to the happy coincidence, had taken his 2,000th first-class wicket earlier in the game. He took five or more wickets in an innings on 123 occasions.Victory against the 1964 Australians at Swansea, when he took 9 for 93 in the match, was quite a turn-up for the tourists who had only lost to one county side, Surrey, since 1912. To swell the outpouring of Welsh pride, the national Eisteddfod – a traditional Welsh festival of music, literature and performance arts – was being held a mile down the road and both teams accepted an invitation to attend one evening. Shepherd and Jim Pressdee, who between them had bowled out the Australians in the first innings on a rain-freshened pitch, were given a huge ovation.Shepherd later recalled: “After going up on the stage, we were so full of that there was no way we were going to lose that match.”Glamorgan followed up with another defeat of the tourists in 1968, this time with Shepherd standing in as skipper for Tony Lewis. Some put the victory down to Shep’s “guile and cunning”, a tribute he would treat with characteristic modesty. No wonder Australia always regarded him highly.He had few pretensions as a batsman, and called himself “a walking wicket”, although his rustic hitting brought much pleasure, and said he was able to empty “bar and beer tent in five seconds flat”. There was nothing better than his 51 in 11 scoring shots against Australia at Swansea in 1961.Glamorgan had collapsed to 94 for 8, undone by the legspin of Richie Benaud and left-arm wristspinner Lindsay Kline, who both benefited from a dry and dusty surface, tailor-made for Shepherd. His 50 came in 15 minutes and off 21 balls, equalling the world record. Famously, Benaud termed it “the greatest bit of sustained hitting that I have ever seen in my life”.Shepherd would often reflect: “Most things used to happen at Swansea”, and, as his home town, that made things all the more pleasurable.As a fast-medium bowler, he took 155 wickets in 1952, winning his county cap, but he lost his form in the mid-1950s, and, after advice from senior players including wicketkeeper Haydn Davies, converted to bowling offcutters as a result. In the first season of this change – 1956 – he took 168 wickets, and he exceeded 100 wickets 12 times in all. Lean and crinkly-haired, canny and persevering, he became one of the county game’s most reliable figures.The nearest he got to an England call-up was a match for MCC against the West Indians at Lord’s in 1957 and a tour of Ceylon and Far East with MCC in 1969-70. He was named one of ‘s Cricketers of the Year in 1970, a tribute he marked by taking 106 first-class wickets that summer, more than any other player in first-class cricket.He was a hugely popular figure on Glamorgan grounds after his retirement, a shrewd and respected bowling coach who acted as a mentor for many years for Robert Croft, a Glamorgan offspinner who go on to play for England.He was also a genial commentator on BBC Radio Wales, where his melodious and affable judgments were much prized, and where his double act with fellow commentator Eddie Bevan was the very essence of cricket in Wales. After the broadcast was over, he would generally lean against the bar and chat about the game some more, in generous and forgiving tones which made him a wonderful representative of the game he cherished.

Essex’s gaze now turns to Taunton where Lancashire must beat Somerset to take the Division One title race into the penultimate week

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-20171:31

County Championship Round-up: Essex on the brink of glory

Essex virtually sealed their seventh Specsavers County Championship title by completing an innings-and-56-runs victory over relegation-bound Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Trailing by 168 on first innings, the home side was bowled out for 112 to suffer their second thumping of the season at the hands of Essex who hammered them by an innings and 164 runs at Chelmsford in June.With second-placed Lancashire on the back foot against Somerset at Taunton, the title is all but Essex’s after they totalled outplayed Warwickshire. The post-match mood in the two dressing-rooms at Edgbaston could not have been contrasting – while Essex will begin the 2018 season as defending champions, Warwickshire will be in Division Two, their nine-year stay in the top flight having come to a bruising end.Warwickshire resumed on third morning on nine without loss and any hopes harboured by their supporters of seeing some rediscovered resilience from their team evaporated in minutes. Within ten overs, the Bears lurched to 25 for four.Jamie Porter removed openers Dominic Sibley, caught at first slip, and Sam Hain, lbw, in the space of nine balls. Former England pair Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell were uprooted by Sam Cook, who induced the former to play on and had the latter caught behind, inside-edging a superb delivery.Chris Woakes diverted spinner Simon Harmer’s tenth ball to leg slip and the arrival of rain just before and during the lunch interval merely delayed the procession.From 55 for 5 at lunch, Warwickshire lost another wicket before acquiring another run as Alex Mellor edged to slip off Harmer to provide the spinner’s 20th championship wicket against Warwickshire this season. Porter then meted out a pair to Keith Barker when the left-hander edged to wicketkeeper James Foster.Sam Cook celebrates one of three Essex wickets•Getty Images

Edgbaston academy product Matt Lamb showed his ability with some solid resistance for the second time in the game but, on 35 (66 balls, four fours), lofted Harmer to Dan Lawrence on the midwicket boundary.Lawrence took another fine catch, running round from gully, to remove Jeetan Patel off Cook, leaving last pair Henry Brookes and Ryan Sidebottom with 63 to find to make Essex bat again. They managed seven of them before Brookes edged Harmer to slip.

He has bowled 334.5 overs across formats in 2017, playing all four of Australia’s most recent Tests and acting head coach David Saker was not averse to the possibility of rotating him out of the XI during the limited-overs series in India

Daniel Brettig14-Sep-2017In 2013, Australia played India in an ODI series before a home Ashes encounter – same again in 2017. In 2013, Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann skipped the tour in order to prepare for the England challenge – same again in 2017. In 2013, Mitchell Johnson played a key role as the ODI spearhead before flying home early to prepare for England – Pat Cummins is in that boat in 2017.Further strengthening the case for Cummins to be spared from full duty in India is the fact that both Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are currently recovering from injury in the hope that they will be fit to take part in a trio of Sheffield Shield matches that prelude the Ashes. Given his high pace and steep bounce, Cummins stands some chance of having the sort of impact Johnson did four years ago, provided he is well looked after. He has bowled 334.5 overs across formats in 2017, playing all four of Australia’s most recent Tests, and the IPL as well.David Saker, the assistant coach responsible for the pacemen who is deputising for Lehmann in India, did not shy away from the prospect of Cummins being rested at some point during the limited-overs series due to begin on September 17.”At this stage we’re planning for him to play all the games,” Saker said. “We’ll look at [resting him], it’s obviously been brought up between all of us. We know that his workloads are up there, but we know it’s an important series. It’s Australia v India, you don’t get any bigger than that. He’s really determined to play well over here. It’ll be game-by-game basis, we’ll play it by ear.”In discussing Hazlewood and Starc, Saker revealed there was uncertainty about exactly when the pair would be ready to play for New South Wales, with the former recuperating from a side strain while the latter is in the final stages of his own recovery from a foot problem that reared its head during the India Tests earlier this year.”We’re hoping they’ll be ready before the first Shield game or second Shield game and that will give them good preparation,” Saker said. “We’ve probably got a bit of a blessing that we’ve got three Shield games before the first Test of the Ashes and it’s probably as good a build-up as you’d want for an Ashes.”So in that sense as long as they’re ready to go by the first Test in Brisbane [on November 23] and ready to play and perform, I’ll be really happy. This time last year, we were in South Africa and it was the same thing, Hazlewood and Starc were rested for that tour. And they got through a really heavy workload in the summer, got through all the Tests. It’s not such a bad thing that they’re not here, as long as they’re ready to go for that first Test in Brisbane.”The bowlers subbing in during the ODI series in India are Nathan Coulter-Nile – himself an unused Ashes squad member in 2013-14 – and Kane Richardson. Other pace bowling options are provided by the allrounders James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis, who are among the players in contention to occupy the No. 6 spot in the batting order during the Ashes.