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Fast bowler admits age may be slowing his recovery after recurrence of knee issue

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025Mark Wood has cast doubt on his availability for the third Ashes Test and admitted concerns that, at 35, his body is no longer coping with the rigours of bowling 90mph/145kph.Wood had surgery on his left knee after hobbling out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign in February, and the series opener in Perth was his first Test match in 15 months. He bowled 11 wicketless overs across the match but was sent to a specialist after reporting more pain and has been wearing a knee brace since arriving in Brisbane.Speaking to Channel 7 at the tea break during the second Test at the Gabba, Wood suggested he was unlikely to be in contention for the Adelaide Test, which starts on December 17: “I think there’s a chance there, but more realistically, it’s probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that… I need to get out of this [brace] first to get moving around.”Related

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Wood said that he has had painkilling injections in his knee since the first Test, and suggested that age is catching up with him. “Throughout my career, I’ve tried to show resilience and keep coming back and keep trying to push it where I can bowl faster and faster, but I’m getting older now.”I don’t know if my body’s not coping with it as well [as it used to] but I’ll keep trying. That’s something I pride myself on, to keep running in for the team and be a good team man. I’m hoping I can get this right and can charge in again.”I’m trying to just get through day-to-day at the minute. Later in the series is what I’m aiming for, but I can’t do that much at the minute. I’ve had a couple of injections, resting up, and slowly but surely, running [will] start soon, then back into bowling.”It’s more mentally difficult than physically. You’ve got to try and build it back up and come back again, and that’s probably the more difficult thing.”Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said on the eve of the Brisbane Test that Wood would do “everything” possible to remain in contention for selection in this series: “We’ve got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we’ll just see how things play out with that.”

An ECB statement said that he is expected to bowl in the fourth innings, but it is unclear whether he will be fit to bat

Matt Roller13-Jul-2025England are sweating on the fitness of their offspinner Shoaib Bashir after he damaged the little finger on his left hand on the third day of the Lord’s Test against India.Bashir sustained the injury when bowling to Ravindra Jadeja, who hit a powerful low drive straight back at him. While technically a caught-and-bowled chance, Bashir was struck firmly on the hand and immediately signalled up to the home dressing room that he had been injured, sustaining what appeared to be a dislocation. Joe Root completed his over.The England camp were initially hopeful that Bashir would be available to bowl in the evening session, but he instead sat along with their substitute fielders and did not take the field. He bowled on a practice strip ahead of the fourth day’s play, with heavy strapping on his fourth and fifth fingers, but it is unclear whether he will be fit to bat.An England statement on the fourth morning said: “Following his left little finger injury, Shoaib Bashir continues to be monitored and is expected to bowl in the fourth innings of this Test. A decision on whether he will bat in the third innings will be made in due course. His involvement in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford will be assessed at the end of the match.”Bashir has taken nine wickets at 59.44 in this series, including the wicket of KL Rahul on the third day at Lord’s. If he is not deemed fit to play in Manchester, England’s alternative spin options include Liam Dawson, Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed; Brendon McCullum has confirmed that Jacob Bethell is seen as a spare batter rather than a potential No. 8.

In Chattogram, South Zone and North Zone played out a draw

Mohammad Isam03-Feb-2020Tamim Iqbal’s record-breaking triple century handed East Zone an innings win over Central Zone at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.On his way to an unbeaten 334, Tamim recorded the highest individual score in first-class cricket by a Bangladeshi.East Zone declared on 555 for 2 in reply to Central’s 213 in the first innings, as Tamim put on partnerships worth 62 with Pinak Ghosh for the first wicket, 296 for the second wicket with Mominul Haque and 197 for the unbroken third wicket with Yasir Ali. Tamim struck 42 fours and three sixes in an innings that spanned nearly ten hours, while Mominul made 111 as East Zone put on a mammoth 555-2 in their first innings.Nayeem Hasan took six wickets to bowl Central Zone out for 333 runs in their second innings, with Mohammad Mithun top-scoring with 83.At the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, South Zone and North Zone played out a draw. South Zone took a 55-run first-innings lead after being bowled out for 262.Fazle Mahmud had made 125 for South Zone in the first innings, while Shafiul Islam impressed with the ball. He took six wickets, four of which came in an incredible first over in North Zone’s innings when he removed Liton Das, Junaid Siddique, Mizanur Rahman and Naeem Islam.South Zone then racked up 398 for 3 dec, with Shahriar Nafees (111), Shasmur Rahman (109) and Mahmudullah (100*) hitting centuries and setting a 454-run target. Liton hit an unbeaten 103 for the North Zone as the teams settled for a draw.

The allrounder explains what “keg ball” is and how he hopes to add runs to his wickets

Firdose Moonda20-Jun-2021Not only did Wiaan Mulder finish the second day of the second Test against West with South Africa’s best bowling figures, but he also picked up a very expensive bar bill. Mulder called “keg ball” on the first delivery of the West Indies’ innings, when Kagiso Rabada had West Indies’ captain Kraigg Brathwaite caught off the glove and now owes his team-mates a round of drinks, as per a fun, spirit-building South African policy.”A keg ball is when you buy a round of drinks for the team. We called a couple this game. I called one the first ball of this game, so unlucky me, but it’s good for the team,” Mulder explained. “It brings a little bit of spirit. When you feel your x-factor coming through and your instinct tells you there’s going to be a wicket, or something is going to happen, that’s when you call a keg ball. There were three or four in this innings and a couple in the last innings.”The term was first explained on the host broadcaster when the commentary team explained why South Africa were more cock-a-hoop than usual when they dismissed Jermaine Blackwood in the second innings of the first Test. Rassie van der Dussen took a low catch at short extra cover after Blackwood attempted a drive off Kagiso Rabada. After van der Dussen completed the catch, he pointed towards Keshav Maharaj, who called “keg ball” on that occasion and picked up the tab.Related

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“It’s an expensive ball, that,” Mulder said. “It creates a little bit of (spirit), a bit of banter while you’re on the field. It’s quite a nice thing when you call keg ball and everybody goes crazy because they know they’ve got free drinks.”This time it will fall to Mulder to provide the post-match refreshments and he expects the drink of choice to fit the venue. “Apparently in this place, there’s a drink called the rum punch,” he said, before quickly clarifying that he won’t be buying many. “But generally the guys don’t drink that much, so it’s just to create a bit of .”

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But before South Africa get to the celebrations, they still have a series to close out. They have a 149-run lead and, with three days left in the match, will fancy their chances of batting West Indies out of the game with a strong second-innings showing before bowling them out to win the series. For Mulder, who has been selected as a batting allrounder, it’s the former discipline he wants to get right after scores of 25 and 8 on this tour so far.”I feel like I am doing all the right things. I am training very hard and spending a lot of time at the crease but I feel like on this wicket every now and then, there’s one ball that’s got your name on it,” he said. “I had a long chat with Aiden [Markram] earlier. I was a little bit (hopeless) and he said you are doing all the right things and at some stage your luck will change. Hopefully I can keep pushing on now and get some runs in the second innings.”

Ashwin strikes early to make New Zealand’s final-day task tougher

Hemant Brar28-Nov-20211:30

Jaffer: Iyer backs his game, whatever the situation

Stumps Debutant Shreyas Iyer followed up his 105 in the first innings with 65 to help India set New Zealand a target of 284 in the first Test in Kanpur. He was well-supported by Wriddhiman Saha, who struck an unbeaten 61 after being off the field with a stiff neck on day three.In the morning session, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Ajaz Patel had reduced India to 51 for 5, but Iyer and R Ashwin eased the hosts’ nerves with a 52-run stand for the sixth wicket. Then, Iyer and Saha added 64 for the seventh wicket to take India’s lead past 200.

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Iyer was caught down the leg side off Southee in the last over before tea but Saha and Axar Patel dashed any hopes New Zealand might have had of keeping the target under 250. The two added 67 in 20.4 overs in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand without showing any urgency until the very end.India finally declared on 234 for 7, and in the four overs possible before bad light forced stumps, Ashwin dismissed Will Young lbw with the one that kept low. Had Young opted for the review in time, he would have survived as replays showed the ball was spinning past leg stump.Saha kept wickets at the start of New Zealand’s second innings but was substituted by KS Bharat after only two overs.Earlier, it was surprising to see Kane Williamson starting with batting allrounder Rachin Ravindra after lunch with India placed precariously on 84 for 5. To his credit, Ravindra was tidy but didn’t pose much of a threat. From the other end, Southee’s short-ball ploy against Ashwin didn’t quite come off either.It was Jamieson who eventually broke the stand with Ashwin chopping one onto his stumps, but by then India’s lead had crossed 150.Meanwhile, Iyer showed great maturity, playing the ball late on a slow pitch and picking up the majority of his runs in the third man region. He brought up his half-century off 109 balls, becoming the first India batter – and 16th overall – to score a hundred and a fifty in his first Test.Saha stuck around with Iyer and even hit William Somerville for a four and a six off successive deliveries, the first of those shots bursting through Henry Nicholls’ fingers at midwicket.Iyer looked to bat more freely after his half-century. While he couldn’t add too many to his tally, his knock had put India in a comfortable position.Wriddhiman Saha struck an unbeaten 61 after being off the field with a stiff neck on day three•BCCI

With India starting the day on 14 for 1, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal were offered some freebies on the pads as Jamieson and Southee bowled straight with a catching short midwicket in place. While Agarwal struggled, Pujara made good use of the opportunities and moved to 22 off 32 balls.However, Jameison then banged one short, and even though the ball was angling down the leg side, Pujara ended up fending at it and gloved it to the wicketkeeper. The on-field umpire ruled it not out but New Zealand got the decision overturned on review.Ajinkya Rahane had scored a valuable 35 in the first innings but on Sunday he didn’t look comfortable at the crease. He opened his account off his 14th ball with a four off Ajaz but the left-arm spinner trapped him lbw on the very next ball with the one that went on with the arm.Coming back for his second spell of the day, Southee drew the outside edge of Iyer’s bat straightaway, but the ball went for four through the gap between the wicketkeeper and a wide first slip. That prompted New Zealand to have a more conventional slip cordon, and soon there was another opportunity. In Southee’s next over, Agarwal edged an outswinger to second slip, where Tom Latham took a tumbling catch to his left.Two balls later, Southee jolted India further by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja lbw from around the wicket. With half the side back in the pavilion and it not being clear then if Saha would bat, India’s lead of 100 looked paltry.Iyer and Ashwin, though, eased some of the pressure by hitting four fours in the next three overs and played out the rest of the first session without further damage.

Find out a bit more about the man who has been a late call up to New Zealand’s World Cup squad

Deivarayan Muthu02-Apr-20192:03

Blundell picked because of his superior keeping – Stead

Tom Blundell, who?

A dashing wicketkeeper-batsman, Blundell was part of New Zealand’s Under-19 World Cup squad alongside two other wicketkeepers Dane Cleaver (Kane Williamson’s cousin) and Latham in 2010. Blundell got only one match in the tournament and played as a specialist batsman much like Latham, with Cleaver keeping wicket. Later in 2012, he honed his skills at the Essex League in England before making his Plunket Shield debut for Wellington in 2013.He enjoyed his breakout Plunket Shield season in 2016-17, amassing 656 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.66. He then gradually established himself as a reliable wicketkeeper, and claimed 10 catches in a tense Plunket Shield game against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve in November 2017. Weeks later an injury to first-choice Test keeper BJ Watling paved the way for Blundell’s Test debut at the Basin Reserve, which is just a stone’s throw away from his school.Tom Blundell in action at training•Getty Images

How did he fare on Test debut?

He became only the fourth wicketkeeper – after Brendon Kuruppu, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Matt Prior – to hit a century on Test debut, in front of his family and friends. After leaving the ball cautiously in his early exchanges, he rolled out a variety of cross-batted strokes to ping the leg-side boundaries. He put on 148 for the seventh wicket at a run rate of six with Colin de Grandhomme to hoist New Zealand to a match-winning first-innings lead of 386.”He was very calm, confident and chill and he made it a lot easier out there for me too” – that was de Grandhomme’s assessment of Blundell.And after New Zealand secured an innings win, Blundell, who was still in playing gear, opted to causally walk home but was caught by his team-mates, who were taking a more conventional route away from the ground.

Tell me about his limited-overs credentials?

In addition to punchy cuts and pulls, Blundell has a variety of sweeps in his repertoire and strikes at 78.88 and 124.83 in List A and T20 cricket respectively. He rattled off 243 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of 134.25 in Wellington’s run to the Super Smash title in 2016-17.A day after winning the Super Smash, Blundell won his maiden international cap in a T20I against Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui. He has only played only two more T20Is since. In the most recent Super Smash season, he provided muscle to the middle and lower order with eight sixes. Only Michael Bracewell had struck more sixes for Wellington in the past season.

What’s his recent one-day form like?

Not too encouraging. Blundell missed the Ford Trophy one-day competition and has played just one List A game since February 2018, for New Zealand A against Pakistan. Seifert, meanwhile, was at his explosive best in the T20I series against India earlier this year and even prompted commentator Ian Smith to liken him to Brendon McCullum, but an untimely injury, and some reservations about Seifert’s glovework, has helped Blundell sneak into New Zealand’s World Cup plans.

Any New Zealanders who have made their ODI debut at a World Cup?

Eight, including Danny Morrison and Andrew Jones, but none since 1987. Some of the high-profile names who have made their ODI debut at a World Cup include Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Imran Tahir and Ajay Jadeja.

Kemar Roach is smaller than the great West Indian bowlers of the past but faster than he looks

Peter English19-Nov-2009Kemar Roach is smaller than the great West Indian bowlers of the past but faster than he looks. Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Corey Collymore were Roach’s childhood heroes and he would like to carry on the tradition by leading the side in the three-Test series against Australia starting next week.Standing at well under six feet, Roach is a 21-year-old with a reasonably gentle run-up before he explodes through the crease and his slippery deliveries surprised the local batsmen. He regularly hurried Nick Kruger, who carried a headache after being struck on the helmet during his 172, and collected Ryan Broad’s edge with a lifting delivery before lunch.While Roach’s 1 for 67 off 23 overs came in the Bulls’ hefty total of 4 for 384, he gained frequent plays and misses and was frustrated not to win a couple more calls from the umpires. “That’s what cricket is all about – hard days and long days,” he said. “I know to work hard to get wickets and I’ll bowl all day if I have to. It was tiring but I was accustomed to that, I’m accustomed to bowling a long time. It’s not a problem for me.”Roach, who was clocked at 94.5mph [152kph] during the Champions Trophy, was called up for the two Tests against Bangladesh during the players’ strike and was the leading bowler with 13 wickets in the lost series. “He just ambles in but then it is on you,” Kruger said. “He is quick and he got me with a good one – I have got a bit of a headache.”Kruger felt Roach was holding back too. “He was just ambling in there today,” he said. Both Kruger and Wade Townsend, who also scored a maiden century, had some tough moments in the early stages but recovered for a satisfying 243-run stand for the second wicket.”They came hard at us but we batted pretty well,” Kruger said. “It was my day, I had a couple of chances and they were probably recovering from a bit of jet-lag.”The West Indians were not helped by some dropped chances, but Roach expected the performances to improve for the first Test. “There’s more cricket to play and that was only one day,” he said. “I don’t think we will be that bad again.”

Jhye Richardson bagged a five-wicket haul after Western Australia’s surprising decision to bowl first

Alex Malcolm16-Nov-2018South Australia captain Travis Head did his first Test chances no harm with a well-compiled 87 on a fluctuating opening day of the Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at Adelaide Oval.The Warriors caused a shock at the toss opting to bowl first on what appeared to be a good batting surface having picked four specialist quicks.The decision looked vindicated when the Redbacks slumped to 2 for 13. Jhye Richardson made the early breakthrough having Jake Weatherald caught at slip with an excellent late away swinger before Callum Ferguson was bowled not offering a shot to a gem from Matt Kelly.But Head and Conor McInerney put together a 123-run stand in quick time and made the pitch look placid in the process. Both men reached their half-centuries and looked set for big scores before McInerney dragged an attempted pull shot onto his stumps from Richardson then Head was then adjudged lbw to Cameron Green, despite the ball appearing to pitch outside leg stump.That triggered a collapse with the Redbacks losing 6 for 36. Nick Winter and Daniel Worrell mounted a revival adding 69 for the ninth wicket. Winter made his maiden first-class half-century and finished unbeaten on 53. Richardson picked up the last two wickets to claim a maiden five-wicket haul in Shield cricket.WA’s reply started poorly with a new makeshift opening combination. Josh Philippe fell to Worrall in the first over before Hilton Cartwright, opening for one of the rare times in his first-class career, and Shaun Marsh survived the remaining seven overs to stumps.

A first-class career best five-wicket haul for Ivan Thomas, giving the young seamer nine wickets in the match

ECB Reporters Network21-Aug-2018
ScorecardHeino Kuhn and Sean Dickson took full advantage of much improved conditions to compile an unbroken double-century partnership and steer Kent to a three-day victory in their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire.Coming together when the visitors, chasing 253, had been reduced to 38 for 2, Kuhn and Dickson batted with impressive purpose and positivity in scoring at more than five runs an over.After two days of heavy cloud, under which the ball swung the air and nipped around on the previously used pitch, the weather cleared shortly after lunch. The pitch flattened quickly, and in the hot sunshine only Mohammad Abbas offered any sort of consistent threat.Kuhn, who had been first to his half-century, was overtaken by Dickson, who went on to hit three sixes and 12 fours in going to his century off 131 deliveries. He finished on 134 not out, with Kuhn unbeaten on 92, their third wicket partnership of 215 having been compiled in 41.3 overs.Earlier, a first-class career best five-wicket haul for Ivan Thomas, giving the young seamer nine wickets in the match, saw Leicestershire bowled out for 227 in their second innings.Resuming on 126 for 5, Leicestershire lost Ben Raine in just the third over of the day, Harry Podmore seaming a delivery away from the left-hander and finding the edge of the bat, giving Sam Billings a straightforward catch behind the stumps.Callum Parkinson was then bounced out by Thomas, gloving a bouncer to second slip. Harry Dearden, 61 not out overnight, had taken his score on to 74 when he tried to cut a wide delivery from Darren Stevens and succeeded only in top edging a catch to slip, where Dickson took a chest-high catch.Leicestershire were in danger of subsiding, but Dieter Klein put bat to ball, thumping a run-a-ball 41 to extend their lead past 200 before being adjudged leg before on the back foot to the legspin of Joe Denly, and Gavin Griffiths and Abbas added another 20 runs for the final wicket before Abbas slog-swept Denly into the hand of Thomas at deep backward square.Abbas, who had taken six wickets in Kent’s first innings, then had Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind and flattened Grant Stewart’s off-stump to give the Foxes hope of forcing victory – a hope inexorably extinguished by Dickson and Kuhn.

Promotion prospects still alive after openers back up strong bowling display

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2022Worcestershire 87 for 0 (Libby 42*, Pollock 36*) trail Sussex 220 (Carson 58, Coles 54, Hudson-Prentice 51, Leach 4-37) by 133 runsJoe Leach took his 400th first-class wicket as Worcestershire dominated Sussex on day one at Hove to keep their slim promotion hopes alive in the LV= Insurance County Championship.The Pears realistically need to win all three remaining Division Two games and put themselves in a strong position after dismissing Sussex for 220, with Leach claiming four for 37.That modest total represented a recovery by Sussex who had been 23 for five before half-centuries by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, James Coles and Jack Carson revived them.But the pitch held few terrors for Worcestershire’s openers Ed Pollock and Jake Libby who posted 87 without loss before bad light ended play six overs early.After the teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, Leach settled into a probing line to the four left-handers at the top of the Sussex innings, taking three for 16 in his seven-over new-ball spell to leave Sussex in tatters after they had won the toss.Ali Orr played on to his Leach’s fifth ball and he pinned Tom Alsop lbw with the second delivery of his second over, a fullish delivery that swung back just enough. A similar length accounted for Tom Clark in Leach’s fourth over as the batsman played across the line.Dillon Pennington struck with his first ball when he extracted some extra bounce and Oli Carter touched it tamely to the wicketkeeper. Tom Haines, returning from a broken hand, faced 36 balls and batted for 63 minutes for his two runs but the Sussex captain played on to Ben Gibbon’s second ball.But as is so often the case at Hove, batting gets easier once the new ball loses its hardness and Hudson-Prentice, Coles and Carson led the recovery.Hudson-Prentice was dropped at second slip by Jack Haynes on 36 but added 76 with Coles, counterattacking effectively until Pennington found just enough seam movement to have him caught behind for 51 (64 balls, 7 fours) just after lunch.Leach returned and reached his milestone courtesy of a smart low catch by Hayes off Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who has joined Sussex for their last three Championship matches of the season. His side were back in trouble at 106 for seven.But Sussex’s last three wickets more than doubled the score, the fightback led by Coles and Carson, who was playing his first match of the season after recovering from knee surgery.Coles progressed to his second half-century of the season, made in a shade under three hours. At the other end Carson was more aggressive as they added 87 in 18 overs. Coles had just reached his second half-century of the season when Pennington dropped short, and he picked out Azhar Ali on the deep backward square boundary for 54 (132 balls, 9 fours).After Henry Crocombe holed out to mid-off, Carson was last out for 58 (74 balls, 9 fours) when he was run out by Libby’s direct hit coming back for a second run.Ashraf has been brought in to bolster a seam attack without Ari Karvelas and Steve Finn, who are out for the rest of the season but both he and the rest of the Sussex seamers struggled to break through.Pollock gave one chance on 34 but was dropped at slip by Tom Alsop off Haines to confirm it was Worcestershire’s day.