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Virat Kohli cedes his top spot one week after gaining it, slipping below the suspended Steven Smith

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2018James Anderson has become the first England bowler since Ian Botham in 1980 to break through the 900-point mark in the world rankings, following his match figures of 9 for 43 against India at Lord’s.Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has conceded the top batting ranking a week after his outstanding performance at Edgbaston lifted him above Steven Smith.During the course of the second Test, Anderson passed 100 wickets at Lord’s – the first pace bowler to take a century at a single Test venue – became the leading wicket-taker in England-India contests, and saw his average dip below 27 for the first time since his fifth Test in 2003.With 903 rating points, Anderson becomes the seventh England bowler to reach the 900-point mark after Sydney Barnes (932), George Lohmann (931), Tony Lock (912), Botham (911), Derek Underwood (907) and Alec Bedser (903).Anderson became the first England bowler to reach 500 Test wickets last year against West Indies and is now closing in on Glenn McGrath’s haul (563) to become the most prolific pace bowler of all time.James Anderson breaches the 900-point mark in Test rankings for bowlers•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Against India at Lord’s, his success started early when he removed M Vijay in the first over of the Test and proceeded to take 5 for 20 in the first innings. He then claimed Vijay for a pair in India’s second innings, although he couldn’t quite manage his first 10-wicket haul at Lord’s.”He’s a special, special commodity, isn’t he?” England captain Joe Root said. “He’s something that doesn’t come along very often and we’ve got to enjoy him while he’s around. There’s been chat about his longevity but, at the minute, he’s bowling better than he ever has before. Even though the conditions suited him, you’ve still got to put the ball in the right area and ask the right questions of the batters.”One wicket that has eluded Anderson so far in the series has been Kohli although the pair have enjoyed an absorbing contest. At Lord’s, Kohli fell to Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad and his return of 40 runs in the two innings has seen him slip back below the suspended Smith in the batting chart.

ECB disciplinary committee issues another final warning as it warns Somerset they “are treading a very fine line”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2018Somerset have escaped a points penalty by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Committee after a full-scale investigation accepted the initial verdict that the pitch should be marked as “below average.”But the county, which received a final warning for a surface prepared against Middlesex almost a year ago, have now received a final, final warning.The CDC report concluded: “Somerset CCC’s pitch preparation will continue to be monitored very closely. The club should expect any proven breach of ECB’s pitch regulations in future to result in a points deduction.”A carefully measured statement indicated that the ECB had not taken action because of lack of evidence and they warned Somerset that they were “treading a very fine line”.The match against Lancashire ended in a tie with Lancashire’s director of cricket Paul Allott fuming that, in his view, Somerset had not tried to create the best possible pitch, as regulations, for the game.Somerset’s defeat at Hampshire effectively ended their Championship challenge, but they will go into 2019 knowing that they cannot afford to incur the wrath of those in high places.Dean Cosker, the Cricket Liaison Officer at Taunton, rated the pitch ‘Below Average’ on the grounds of excessive turn. An investigation was then carried out by a second CLO with support from the ECB Pitch Consultant Chris Wood.The CDC considered whether there were any factors relating to the preparation of the pitch that were beyond Somerset CCC’s control and whether they intended to prepare the best quality pitch they could.The investigation concluded: “All parties agreed that the pitch was under prepared. There were various explanations for this and while the reasons given by Somerset may be regarded as satisfactory, the fact is that they cannot be considered as any more than that.”The Somerset groundsman stated that he sought to prepare the best possible pitch but heavy rain cost a day of preparation time.”Some of the factors which might indicate intent in the way the pitch was prepared were absent. This is significant. These would include over-aggressive scarification of the ends to accentuate wear, or use of a sand ameliorant dressing to enhance friction / grip. There was no evidence that this had occurred.”This lack of evidence means that CDC cannot, on balance, direct ECB to charge Somerset CCC with a breach of regulation. ECB would simply not be able to make the case that action, or inaction by Somerset CCC constituted a breach of the regulation requiring them to seek to prepare the best quality pitch.”CDC notes Somerset’s practice of preparing pitches to assist their spinners. This may be regarded as making use of home advantage, and CDC notes that ECB is keen to support opportunities for all disciplines in the game. However, they must take care that it is in the right degree. They are treading a very fine line.”

A round-up of the best performers and results in the National Cricket League

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-2018All four matches in this round of the National Cricket League were drawn, with the fixtures in Barisal and Cox’s Bazar heavily affected by rain. ESPNcricinfo looks at how the teams performed.Best batsmen
Tushar Imran became the first batsman in Bangladesh domestic cricket to score seven hundreds in a year. The seventh, 103 against Rangpur Division, was also his third in the 2018-19 season. He overtook Mosaddek Hossain (2015) and Naeem Islam (2017) who had made six centuries in a year. Tushar struck eight fours in his 176-ball innings.Tushar has now scored 1161 runs this year at an average of 82.92. Having last played Tests more than 11 years ago, he is likely to be a big talking point in the selection meeting ahead of the series against Zimbabwe in November.Shahriar Nafees struck his first hundred of the year when he made 102 against Rajshahi Division in Barisal. He struck 12 fours and three sixes in his 161-ball effort, in a game where the bowlers dominated.Tasamul Haque also scored his first century this season, making 116 off 185 balls with 13 fours and two sixes against Dhaka Metropolis in Bogra.Elsewhere, Ziaur Rahman continued his batting form with fifties in each innings against Rangpur Division while Jahid Jabed hit a pair of 64s against Khulna Division in the same game.Best bowlers
Young offspinner Nayeem Hasan took his first five-wicket haul in Chittagong Division’s game against Dhaka Metro. He took 6-119 in the second innings to go with the three wickets he took in the first innings.While Nayeem is only playing his second season, Taskin Ahmed got his maiden five-wicket haul in the seventh year of playing at this level. He took 5 for 67 in the Chittagong-Dhaka Metro game after returning without playing a match in the APL in UAE.
Left-arm quick Sajedul took 6 for 81 against Khulna in a first-innings performance that must get the attention of selectors. He removed the in-form Tushar Imran, Nurul Hasan and Soumya Sarkar, and also took Anamul Haque’s wicket in the second innings.Players to watch
Ahead of the Zimbabwe series, three international players also stood out. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took five wickets in the rain-affected Rajshahi-Barisal match while young batsman Zakir Hasan struck 88 against Dhaka.But it was Soumya Sarkar’s all-round show that stood out against Rangpur. He made 76 and 71, apart from taking his maiden five-wicket haul. Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes has said he has been keeping an eye on Soumya.Points to note
Rajshahi moved to the top of the Tier-1 points table with 12.98 points, three ahead of defending champions Khulna. Dhaka Metro are five points clear of their closest Tier-2 rivals Dhaka Division, who are on 13.5 points.

The 15-member squad will take on Pakistan in three T20Is in Malaysia before heading to the Caribbean for the World T20

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2018Opener Nicole Bolton and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen have been included in the 15-member Australia squad for the Women’s World T20 that will run from November 9 to 25 in the West Indies.Bolton has played just two T20Is in her four-year international career, and her last game was back in September 2016 against Sri Lanka. She was impressive in the last Women’s Big Bash League season, where she made 482 runs in 16 games to finish third on the runs table. She was also among the top run-scorers in the Women’s Super League in August.

Australia’s squads

T20I squad for World T20 and Pakistan series: Meg Lanning (capt), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen (subject to fitness), Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
ODI squad for Pakistan series: Meg Lanning (capt), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

“Nicole Bolton has been a real revelation I think in T20 in the last 12 months,” head coach Matthew Mott said. “She was traditionally more of a one-day player but she’s reinvented herself, playing some different shots and putting bowlers under pressure. And she’s also one of the best fielders in the world at the moment.”Jonassen, who had undergone a minor surgery on her left knee after injuring herself during a warm-up, had missed the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. Mott said her recovery was ahead of schedule, but the selectors have added a “subject to fitness” rider to her inclusion.”Jess was always going to come back in, being one of the best T20 bowlers in the world,” Mott said. “We’re still waiting, she’s doing some more rehab but it’s all been good. She’s excited about the progress that’s been made and it’s ahead of schedule.”Jonasssen and Bolton are the only additions to the squad that completed a T20I whitewash over New Zealand on Friday.The selectors also named a 14-player squad for the upcoming ODIs against Pakistan. The T20I squad will play three matches against Pakistan in Malaysia after the ODIs, which will serve as a final tune-up ahead of the World T20.Meg Lanning, the captain, said her squad was in good shape, and the new tactics they had implemented, such as going in with the quicker scorers at the top, had paid off. “We’ve looked at our strike rates in the last couple of years and really tried to reward players with 130-plus strike-rates and maximise their time in the Powerplay,” Lanning said. “We haven’t had that success in the last two World Cups [World T20 2016 and Women’s World Cup 2017], so we’re very determined to make sure we get the result that we want.”Australia finished runners-up in the 2016 World T20, losing to West Indies in the final. Ahead of the tournament, they will play two warm-up matches in the West Indies, against England and South Africa. They are placed in Group B for the World T20, which includes India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland, with all their matches taking place at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.

He also said attacking Rohit Sharma upfront will be crucial for New Zealand when they host India for five ODIs early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018Containing Virat Kohli in the first 15 deliveries and attacking Rohit straight up will be key to New Zealand gaining advantage over India, when the teams contest in a five-match ODI series in February next year, according to former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson.India’s top-order has shown superiority in the shorter formats, and they proved it again during the recently-concluded home series against West Indies. Kohli and Rohit in particular have been instrumental in setting up and chasing down big targets over the last few years, especially at home.However, Hesson felt both batsmen could be challenged in swinging conditions in New Zealand, although the host bowlers will have to work hard, especially against Kohli. “The key thing is if you can contain Virat Kohli in the first 10-15 balls where he has to take some risks to get his innings underway then that will provide opportunities,” Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. “How you do that is dependent on the surface. But, if we found a magic formula, I’m sure it would be circulated all around the world very quickly.”Hesson also warned that New Zealand would need to have plans for Rohit. “Rohit Sharma is in incredibly good form at the moment and has been for a long time. The thing with Rohit is that once he is in, once he gets himself set, he generally dictates the outcome of the game. It’s making sure that the new-ball bowlers can attack Rohit early on whether it’ll be with swing or with some other variations wide outside the crease or whatever.”New Zealand had blanked out India 4-0 at home in 2014 in an ODI series, which also featured a tie in Auckland. Hesson, the then coach, predicted a 3-2 series score in favour of the home team for the upcoming series. “I think it was 4-0 last time with a tie. I think it’ll be 3-2 [this time]… it’s going to be tight… I think Black Caps 3-2.”New Zealand are currently the third-ranked ODI side, one behind India, but Hesson pointed out that Kane Williamson’s men would need to quickly sort out a couple of key issues for them to arrive at next year’s World Cup as favourites.”I think there are a couple pieces of the puzzle the Black Caps would be keen to find out before the World Cup. Who is the allrounder? Who provides that balance? A lot of options there. From a bowling point of view, who’s going to take wickets in the middle overs when it’s flat? I think if they can get that sorted then the side’s looking very good.”

Hashim Amla was forced to retire hurt as South Africa ticked off the 41 runs required for victory

The Report by Andrew Miller06-Jan-2019Hashim Amla was forced to retire hurt with a bruised bicep as South Africa battled through the vagaries of an increasingly uneven surface on the fourth morning at Newlands, and ticked off the 41 runs required for a victory that sealed the series against Pakistan.Their mainstay in 9.5 overs of action was Dean Elgar – no stranger to putting his body on the line in awkward conditions. He did take the precaution of pinching Amla’s armguard as his team-mate left the field, but stood firm thereafter, sealing the win with back-to-back boundaries off the part-time seam of Azhar Ali.Azhar’s introduction to the attack with six runs to win was an admission from Pakistan that the game was up, as they instead turned their sights to next week’s Johannesburg Test. But up until that point, Mohammads Abbas and Amir had launched a full-blooded defence of their meagre total.The man who had most to gain – and to lose – in this mini-passage of play was Theunis de Bruyn, who was promoted to open in the place of Aiden Markram, who bruised his thigh in the field, and had an opportunity for a morale-boosting red-inker after an under-productive series.Instead he was caught behind off an Abbas bouncer for 4, having clipped one sweet boundary off his toes. His place for the Johannesburg Test may depend on Markram’s fitness, and indeed that of Amla, who appeared to be left with a dead arm after Amir thudded a vicious lifter into the underside of his bicep as he looked to shoulder arms. Ottis Gibson, South Africa’s coach, confirmed after the match that he had suffered bruising but played down any long-term concerns.Amir’s pace and intensity wasn’t entirely beneficial to Pakistan’s cause, as he served up a quarter of the target in the space of three erratic deliveries, a wild leg-side wide that eluded Sarfraz to fizz to the boundary, and a sizzling bouncer that also flew from a good length, and was called no-ball due to the number of short balls he’d already bowled in the over.”Definitely, not enough runs in the first innings,” said Pakistan’s captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, during the post-match presentations. “Maybe closer to 250-300 would have been good. The way our batsmen batted in the second innings showed our courage.””Our bowlers always enjoy coming here,” said Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s captain. “And there are runs to be had if you bat properly.”Du Plessis admitted South Africa would have preferred to wrap the match up on the third evening, when Vernon Philander’s no-ball prevented them from ending Pakistan’s innings with enough time to hunt down the runs.”We wanted to finish last night, but unfortunately that no-ball happened,” he said. Instead it took less than an hour on the fourth day, as South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series, extending their unbeaten run at home.

Afghan spinner is first signing made by Stuart Law, Middlesex’s new coach, since his arrival at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghanistan’s teenage spinner, has been signed by Middlesex for this season’s Vitality Blast campaign.Mujeeb, 17, is the first signing made by Stuart Law, Middlesex’s new coach, since he arrived at Lord’s in January, and comes in the wake of his impressive displays for Brisbane Heat in this season’s Big Bash in Australia, where he has picked up 12 wickets with a best of 3 for 16.He has so far claimed 54 international wickets in all formats, having made his Afghanistan debut at the age of 16, and in February last year he became the youngest bowler in ODI history to claim a five-wicket haul, against Zimbabwe in Sharjah.In the course of his international baptism, Mujeeb has formed a burgeoning spin partnership with his team-mate Rashid Khan, and in T20Is, his economy rate in is an impressive 5.07.”It is with great pleasure to say that Mujeeb has agreed to play for Middlesex in the Vitality Blast,” said Law. “His unique style of spin has proven to be difficult to play against and his record is outstanding in this format.”I’m sure the staff and players at Middlesex are looking forward to working with him this season.”Mujeeb will be available for the entire Vitality Blast campaign, and will join up with the Middlesex squad in early July to prepare for the tournament.”I’m very pleased to sign for Middlesex for the Vitality Blast and it will be very exciting to play at Lord’s again,” said Mujeeb. “I hope we can be successful as a team.”

Zalmi paid for a conservative approach through the early and middle parts of their innings, which meant Kamran Akmal’s quickfire fifty went in vain

Peter Della Penna04-Mar-2019
How the game played outShane Watson’s sizzling unbeaten 91 moved him to the top of the PSL 2019 run charts and helped Quetta Gladiators become the first team to seal a playoff spot this season. Watson added 129 for the second wicket with Ahmed Shehzad to ensure that chasing the target of 166 set by Peshawar Zalmi turned out to be a cinch.Zalmi paid for a conservative approach through the early and middle parts of their innings after being sent in to bat. Openers Andre Fletcher and Imam-ul-Haq took up just over a third of the available deliveries in the innings, scoring at an identical strike rate of under a run a ball, providing weak support for Kamran Akmal during his 72 off 50 balls.It wasn’t until Kieron Pollard arrived with one ball to go in the 14th over that Zalmi went on the attack. Pollard struck two fours and a six off Dwayne Bravo in the 18th, then started the 19th with a trio of fours off Sohail Tanvir, but Bravo’s magnificent 20th over in which he conceded just three runs wiped out all of Zalmi’s momentum. Watson then made the most of a few chances early in the chase to bully Zalmi’s bowlers over the course of 90 minutes.Turning points

• Zalmi were 162 for 3 heading into the final over of the first innings with Pollard humming on 43 off 19 balls. But he only faced two balls as Bravo produced a masterclass in death bowling, his yorkers and slower balls undoing Darren Sammy and costing just three singles.
• Pollard had a chance to run Watson out on 19 in the fourth over of the chase when Shehzad drove Sameen Gul to mid-on. His diving stop denied four initially, but after getting to his feet, with the stumps at the non-strikers’ end about 20 yards away, he missed his target.
• Not only did PSL’s leading wicket-taker Hasan Ali go wicketless, he spilled both Watson and Shehzad. Watson’s chance was a difficult one, on 26 in the fifth over driving at mid-on where Hasan got fingertips to it as the ball burst through for four. Liam Dawson’s first ball of the day in the eighth over offered an easier chance, with Shehzad on 22, but Hasan couldn’t get hold of the top-edged sweep.

Star of the dayWatson was imperious through much of his knock but two shots in particular stood out. On the last ball of the seventh over, Umaid Asif attempted a slower ball that landed a touch short outside off stump as Watson slapped him over cover for six. A more mind-boggling maximum came off Wahab Riaz two balls into the 18th when he carved out a wide yorker over the ropes at backward point.The big missThere were a handful of them by Zalmi in the field, but Pollard’s shy at the stumps with Watson vulnerable in the fourth over began a snowball effect of poor fielding.Where the teams standGladiators now sit alone in first place on 12 points. Zalmi are two points behind them alone in second place, two ahead of Islamabad United.

While Bangladesh believe leaving the short ball alone might be the best way to deal with it, New Zealand’s Neil Wagner thinks that tactic plays to his strengths

Mohammad Isam in Wellington10-Mar-2019There is little doubt that the New Zealand fast bowlers, particularly Neil Wagner, will use the short ball against the Bangladesh batsmen throughout the Test series, and the major talking point on the tour now centers around the visiting batsmen’s plans to cope with it.Having tried it successfully in Hamilton, Wagner brought out the short-length attack once more in Wellington, where play finally began on the third day, and the left-arm quick had first-innings returns of 4 for 28 off 13 overs. So far, across the two Tests, only Tamim Iqbal has tackled the short ball well, while Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar confronted it properly only on the fourth day in Hamilton. In Wellington, however, all three batsmen fell while trying to attack the short ball. Wagner dismissed Tamim and Mahmudullah, although neither delivery rose too high.Bangladesh wicketkeeper Liton Das, who made 33 off 49 balls, said he preferred to generally leave the short ball, as there is very little he could do about it.”We get out despite knowing what the swinging new ball will do,” Liton said. “We still nick it sometimes while trying to play forward. Similarly, we know that [Wagner] will bowl short and against that you have very little to do. Sometimes the only way to tackle him is by leaving the deliveries. If we can focus more against him and leave him more, it might help us.”Wagner, on the other hand, preferred the batsmen ducking or leaving the short ball, stating that when Bangladesh attacked his short deliveries, there was greater chance of runs being scored fairly quickly.”It opens up a lot of opportunities to go for runs as well. If they do play it well they can get away so you don’t want to leak runs,” Wagner said. “If you want to do it you’ve got to be patient and consistent, and ask tough questions, while creating that doubt in their footwork and making them think about it.”If they start ducking or swaying out of it I think I’ve got a chance, and if they do play it well like they did in the second innings [in Hamilton] then you don’t want to leak runs and it becomes quite costly. It all depends on conditions and it all depends on what we do as a team, what our decision is.”Getty Images

Bangladesh were most successful against the short ball on the fourth day during the Hamilton Test, but that happened when they mixed caution with aggression. Mahmudullah and Soumya ducked and weaved away from the line of the short ball for most of the first hour, but when they did play the pull shot, inside the line mostly, it was hard to stop them from scoring runs.Both ended up scoring hundreds, after pushing Kane Williamson to move his fielders around from catching to run-saving positions.
Wagner, however, said that if the Bangladesh batsmen kept being aggressive, New Zealand could get lucky with shots hit in the air going to fielders rather than falling in gaps.”They showed in the whole series that they’re going to be aggressive, so there’s sometimes a bit of luck that comes into that as well,” he said. “There were a couple of balls that went through, edges that went through the slip cordon or gully sort of area, which on any other day can go to a fielder’s hand as well.”We were a little bit unlucky with things like that, and that can sometimes get away on you. Just with the way they played, they came out positive and so you’re going to go for a couple of runs but I thought we pulled it back nicely at the end of the day.”Wagner said he ignored criticism about his style of bowling, and questions on New Zealand’s use of the short-ball tactic.”I don’t really care about that, to be honest. I don’t think about it too much,” he said. “I’ve got a role to do for the team and for me it’s to contribute for the team and do what I need to and whatever comes on the days, what’s asked of me to do I just do to the best of my ability.”

Worcestershire comfortable at Leicestershire, thanks to centuries

ECB Reporters Network11-Apr-2019
Centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Hamish Rutherford put Worcestershire in a dominant position after the visitors against Leicestershire on the opening day of their County Championship match at the Fischer County ground.Leicestershire’s decision to put Worcestershire in was based on the overhead conditions, rather than the pale, hard, re-laid pitch, and it quickly looked to have backfired on them as Mitchell and Tom Fell put together a stand of 59 for the first wicket.The ball did swing, but the pitch played well, and it was something of a surprise when Will Davis beat Fell’s defence with a delivery that came back to hit the top of middle stump.Ben Mike then picked up the wicket of Brett D’Oliveira, Colin Ackermann taking a sharp low catch to his left after the batsman edged an out-swinger, and Leicestershire might have felt the balance of the morning’s play had swung their way after they were convinced Rutherford, on 15, had edged a catch behind off Tom Taylor.The appeal was turned down, however, and with the clouds having cleared, the New Zealand international, making his championship debut for Worcestershire, began to play with increasing assurance, reaching his half-century shortly before tea.Mitchell too looked in prime form, taking full toll of some loose bowling from the change Leicestershire seamers. The experienced opener accelerated as he approached his century, which came off 169 balls and included 16 fours.By tea his third-wicket partnership with Rutherford was worth 166, but that was the extent of it. On the third ball after tea, an off-spinner delivered around the wicket by Colin Ackermann found the edge of his bat before being caught by Paul Horton at first slip.Rikki Wessels, like Rutherford making his first-class debut for Worcestershire, hit 43 before being given out leg before on the back foot to Chris Wright, but Rutherford continued calmly on his way, reaching his century off 182 balls. He enjoyed some good fortune against the second new ball, and especially the bowling of Taylor, who moved the ball away from the left-hander off the pitch, but he remained unbeaten at the close.”That was a really good day for us,” Rutherford said. “It could quite easily have gone the other way because the ball was moving around in the first hour especially, but the openers put in a really great shift.”Then the partnership between myself and Daryl was pretty special, and has put us in a great position moving on. There’s still a little bit there for the bowlers, so the first half hour or so tomorrow morning will be important – we’ll look to re-establish ourselves and then really kick on.”