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Scott Borthwick, David Bedingham lay foundation for victory with 196-run partnership

ECB Reporters Network16-Apr-2023Durham 425 for 9 dec (Bedingham 118, Raine 71, Lees 70, Gibbon 4-92) and 242 for 4 dec (Borthwick 108*, Bedingham 86) beat Worcestershire 366 for 5 dec (Haynes 134, Potts 3-110) and 192 (D’Oliveira 42, Haynes 40, Kuhnemann 5-53) by 121 runsMatthew Kuhnemann claimed a five-wicket haul to guide Durham to a dramatic final-day victory over Worcestershire in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash at Seat Unique Riverside.Durham coach Ryan Campbell promised that his side would not settle for a draw, and his team were as good as his word. Scott Borthwick and David Bedingham laid the foundation of the victory with a 196-run partnership in a morning onslaught as Durham’s skipper scored his first first-class century in two years.The Pears required 314 to win from 70 overs after Durham declared. However, after being reduced to 3 for 2, the visitors were in a desperate scramble to rescue a draw. Kuhnemann provided the impetus with his skillful left-arm spin, and was supported by Matthew Potts and Paul Coughlin.Adam Finch and Dillon Pennington almost combined with a late rearguard action to deny the hosts, but Kuhnemann removed the latter to secure Durham’s first win of the campaign.Beginning the final day with a 155-run lead, Borthwick and Bedingham found their rhythm and were able to accelerate the run rate. Borthwick set the tempo and reached three figures for the first time since the 2021 season, and his first hundred at the Riverside since his return to the club.Whereas Borthwick’s innings highlighted his timing and touch, Bedingham offered a brutal assault, scoring four sixes, dispatching one onto the health club balcony, in his 87-ball 86 before being caught one ball removed after being skittled by a Finch no-ball.The declaration came 20 minutes before lunch, and there was time for Potts to make inroads as Jake Libby was caught at the second attempt by Michael Jones at first slip. Ed Pollock blasted the new ball in the first innings, but there would be no repeat performance as the left-hander was well caught by a diving Ben Raine at mid-on.Worcestershire needed to calm proceedings, and it fell upon their first-innings centurion Jack Haynes and Azhar Ali to temporarily halt the Durham charge. However, both Ali and Haynes would make mistakes against Kuhnemann, and two further brilliant diving catches from Raine at deep backward square leg put the pressure squarely back on the Pears.Kuhnemann’s impressive spell continued with a beauty to bowl Gareth Roderick to open up an end for the Durham attack. Matthew Waite and Brett D’Oliveira were in a desperate battle to stem the tide. They put on 44 for the sixth wicket, but Coughlin prised out Waite earning his reward for a tight line before Joe Leach became Kuhnemann’s fourth victim for an 18-ball duck.Durham needed something special to turn a promising position into a victory. It was no surprise that it was Potts that broke the game open. He displayed his international quality by moving the ball just enough to find D’Oliveira’s outside edge. Ben Gibbon was powerless to follow his skipper back the pavilion from the next delivery as Potts put Durham on the brink.Pennington saw off the hat-trick ball, but he and Finch faced the daunting task of fending off 19 overs to see out an improbable draw. The two tailenders put up a great fight and saw out 14 of the 19 overs, but Kuhnemann turned one past Pennington to secure a 121-run win for the hosts.

England quick takes cues from how home attack went about their work

Matt Roller24-Sep-2022If you ever need a reminder of Pakistan’s fast-bowling culture, a quick glance at the honours board of five-wicket hauls in ODIs at Karachi’s National Stadium provides it. The first three names engraved read as follows: Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar.Mark Wood’s name is not on that list just yet but his first outing in Pakistan was enough to set tongues wagging in the way those greats used to, as he nudged 156kph (97mph) on the broadcasters’ speed gun. Waqar and Wasim were close at hand, waxing lyrical on commentary about his express pace.”They are guys I grew up watching,” Wood said. “I look up to them a bit so if they give you any praise, you know you must be doing something right. I value their opinion. It seems like this country produces a lot of fast bowlers and when you look at the pitches, their skill level has to be really high to get wickets and they’ve got that deadly pace as well. They have a mystery about them that makes them deadly.”Wood spent the first two games of the series on the sidelines as England take a cautious approach to his comeback from double elbow surgery, but found himself studying Pakistan’s modern-day crop of fast bowlers in a bid to pick up some insight into how to bowl on the low, skiddy surfaces that have been served up.Related

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“I feel that when teams come to England, they’ll look at how our bowlers bowl and learn,” he said. “You get a feel for bowling the right length and I noticed that the Pakistan bowlers were getting a lot of wickets ‘bowled’ from lengths that would not be a ‘bowled’ length in England. It was back of a length, and the ball was skidding through.”I knew my length could be half a yard shorter and it would still cause problems. I literally tried to whack the wicket as hard as I could from back of a length and some were going through hip-high, some were going through head-high. Last night, I could really let it fly and my margin of error was a little bit bigger because of that.”Wood has kept a close eye on Haris Rauf in particular. “He’s someone that’s my height, my pace, skiddy,” he said. “And he has an excellent slower ball. His arm-speed for his slower ball is very good and that’s something I’m not good at and would like to get better at. Maybe I’ll chat to him and see if he’s willing to share some secrets.”His first wicket on his return was Babar Azam, caught on the deep-third boundary by Reece Topley while slashing at a second successive short ball. It was his first wicket since cleaning up Lanchester CC’s Cam Metcalfe when he made an unsuccessful attempt at a comeback in club cricket for Ashington in July, and his first in an England shirt since dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite in the Antigua Test in March.Babar Azam was given the hurry-up by Wood•Getty Images

“Mo [Moeen Ali] told me: ‘I need you to be aggressive here,'” Wood said. “We’d spent the game before not bowling any bouncers. That was it. I let it fly. I was trying to bowl fast, really. It could have gone either way: they could have smacked me, but we got a couple of wickets. I just tried to charge in and make something happen.”The wicket prompted pin-drop silence from a sold-out crowd. “I was cheering so I didn’t notice,” he said, laughing. “It was loud, proper loud. Babar just walks out to warm up and they go mental. It’s crazy for us English people because obviously it’s not our main sport but here, it is. It means so much to so many people here.”Wood is 32 but a relatively inexperienced T20 bowler – Friday night was his 41st game in the format – and is still teaching himself how to stay “level” after games. “When I have a bad day, I’m disappointed, but I’m not, like, down in the dumps, he said. “If I had a good day then, look, it’s a good day, but I could easily have gone for runs.”He [Babar] could have cut that for six and all of a sudden, I’ve gone for four and six in my first four balls and I’m under pressure. I loved it. I enjoyed it so much, being back out there for England and I felt really happy to get them wickets. If I can bowl quickly and try and help the team that way, that’s what I’m going to try and do.”Wood is unlikely to play in Sunday night’s fourth T20I, suggesting that he arrived in Pakistan expecting to feature once in Karachi and twice in Lahore as England look to ensure he arrives in Australia fit and fresh ahead of next month’s World Cup. He admitted that he felt “rank” after his four overs on Thursday night and the next challenge will be backing his performances up.He hopes to be part of the Test squad that will tour Pakistan in December, having had a taste of the McCullum-Stokes era when he trained with them before the third Test against South Africa, and will take a red ball in his kitbag to Australia. “If they want me, I’ll be ready to go,” he said.

Leaders Surrey lose Dan Worrall to injury – but McKerr deputises with key strikes

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2022Warwickshire (Sibley 43, McAndrew 40*, McKerr 3-39) vs SurreyWarwickshire battled their way to 240 for 8, despite no one passing fifty, after being put in to bat by unbeaten Division One leaders Surrey in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at the Kia Oval.Seven of their top eight got to 22 or more, without going on to a significant score, although allrounder Nathan McAndrew remains 40 not out after a determined effort in the final session of a hard-fought day.Dom Sibley’s 43 was the best individual score, while Surrey’s five-man pace attack all impressed with 19-year old seamer Tom Lawes perhaps the stand-out bowler with figures of 2 for 38 from 20 overs.Surrey were missing their Australian spearhead Dan Worrall, who took 11 wickets in the game in last week’s win against Essex, due to a shoulder injury suffered in the warm-up.Related

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Conor McKerr, called up to replace Worrall, ended the day with 3 for 39 and Jamie Overton took 2 for 47 despite having to lead the field for treatment to a sore finger on his bowling hand, sustained when hit a painful blow at first slip in mid-morning.15 minutes before the toss, McKerr had been at home in Weybridge getting ready for a day trip to London with his wife Paige, but was on the field of play two hours later. “It was a great telephone call to get, telling me to get straight to the ground, although obviously it was bad luck for Dan Worrall getting injured in the warm-up,” he said.”I think sometimes the best way is being thrown in like that, because you just go out there and concentrate on doing what comes naturally. I thought our whole seam attack bowled very well all day today, and everyone has a lot of confidence at the moment so we are all feeding off one another.”On a grassy surface, Warwickshire initially did well to get to lunch at 71 for 2 with Sibley twice dropped on 19 and 28 but always showing typical grit in the tricky conditions.Cameron Steel, on as a substitute fielder while McKerr travelled to the ground, could not hold a difficult low diving catch to his left at a widish fourth slip when Sibley edged Overton and later in the morning session the Warwickshire opener saw Ryan Patel spill a straightforward chance at third slip off Lawes.Surrey’s pace battery also beat the bat with regularity but their only successes before lunch came when Alex Davies, on 23, edged Lawes’ second ball to Overton at first slip and then, at 65, when McKerr – having taken the field just after 12.15pm – struck with the first ball of his second over to have Chris Benjamin held by Will Jacks at first slip for 7, pushing crookedly at one that lifted and left him.The first hour of the afternoon session was a particularly attritional affair and Warwickshire’s first innings looked in danger of grinding almost to a halt when Sibley’s defiance was ended by Lawes, who made a ball lift sharply to have the former England Test opener caught off the face of his bat by keeper Ben Foakes, and Sam Hain was dismissed seven overs later by Jordan Clark.Warwickshire were 107 for 4 in the 54th over when Hain, having made it to 27, edged the persevering Clark to second slip where Ollie Pope held on to the catch at the second attempt.McKerr’s second spell just before tea saw an increase, at last, in the scoring rate with his first three overs back costing 30 runs. But both Michael Burgess, twice, and Will Rhodes were fortunate to see short-arm pulls at the pacy McKerr result in top-edged fours over the keeper and slip cordon and Rhodes also thick-edged the same bowler between slips and gully for another streaky boundary.Burgess, however, fell for 22 to Overton’s fourth ball after tea, in the session’s second over, when he edged an outswinger to Foakes and McAndrew almost immediately needed an on-field concussion test when, trying to hook, he was hit flush on the helmet by Overton.Rhodes was livid with himself for flashing at McKerr, in the 76th over, and edging to Foakes to depart for a 74-ball 34, and Danny Briggs left shaking his head in disbelief when, after scoring a useful 23 in 46-run seventh wicket stand with McAndrew, he chipped a full toss from Overton straight back to the bowler.And Surrey were further boosted when McKerr won an lbw appeal against Brad Wheal, on loan from Hampshire, to dismiss the tailender for 4 with the day’s penultimate ball.

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.

Three successive losses have sucked momentum out of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Now, they’ll have to get it together against a side that has made the playoffs in every season

The Preview by Shashank Kishore21-May-20184:41

Swann: Would stick with Brathwaite over Hales

First, they were called ageing warriors. Then, they had their home advantage taken away. But they were not to be denied a place in the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings have now been here in each of the nine years of their existence. Now, they return to the Wankhede – the venue of their reintegration, to take a step closer to the IPL title that has eluded them since 2011.MS Dhoni has accepted that they aren’t the most agile side. Given the age of their older players, he isn’t even sure they can last another two years. But he wants to make the most of the present. Sealing the final berth on Tuesday gives them two advantages: firstly, it gives them a four-day rest and the luxury of staying in Mumbai. Secondly, their record at Eden Gardens, where they could play hosts Kolkata Knight Riders if they get there, isn’t the most appealing.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings: beat Kings XI by five wickets, lost to Daredevils by 34 runs, beat Sunrisers by eight wickets.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: lost to Knight Riders by five wickets, lost to RCB by 14 runs, lost to Super Kings byeight wickets.

Now, six losses in 10 games can be scoffed at for other sides, given how IPL dynamics of retention and squad building change over time. CSK, with their strong core, comprising Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo, have bucked that trend over the years. So it’s clear that taking the trip to Kolkata is a route they’d like to avoid.Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, are like that Formula One outfit that have clearly outpaced all their competitors at pre-season testing (read auction), qualifying stage (read league phase), but have had engine troubles at the start of the formation lap. It isn’t necessarily threatening their chances of clinching the race yet, but one they can’t completely ignore either. They finished top of the table in the league stage, but are heading into the playoffs having lost their last three games.They’ve been beaten by CSK on both occasions this season, and their bowling, visibly their stronger suit, has shown signs of wear and tear. Rashid Khan has gone wicketless in three of the last four matches, Siddarth Kaul, whose strong performances earned him an India call up for the England tour, has conceded 40-plus in three of the last four games, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has looked a little rusty, following periods of rest to manage his workload.That isn’t their main concern yet. Their middle order hasn’t been able to sustain starts provided by the top three that has accounted for 60.3% of their total runs, the most for a side this season. Manish Pandey has underachieved, Deepak Hooda has failed to lend depth. An injury to Yusuf has added to their woes. Can they overcome these shortcomings and press the reset button before the three lights go off?

Previous meetings

Ambati Rayudu clearly loves the franchise from his hometown Hyderabad. He’s handed Sunrisers a pounding both times the sides have played each other this season. In the most recent outing, on a spicy Pune surface, he walloped a century to shave off a 180-run target without fuss. In their first meeting in Hyderabad, he made a 37-ball 79 to set up a strong total, which was just about enough as Dwayne Bravo defended 19 off the final over. CSK won by four runs.

Strategy punt

Sam Billings has managed just 108 runs at 13.5 this season. Dhoni isn’t one for unnecessary rejigs, but experience of being in a playoff situation before merits continuing with Faf du Plessis. Given Watson will slot back in to open, du Plessis could be used as a floater. This could allow the in-form Rayudu to continue as the second opener, even though his strike rate of 92.3 and 121.7 against Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar respectively is significantly lesser than against the other Sunrisers bowlers.Last week, lack of muscle in the lower order, especially in the absence of the injured Yusuf Pathan, cost Sunrisers a chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore. On Saturday, the decision to leave out Alex Hales and promote Shreevats Goswami to the top opened up a spot lower down for allrounder Carlos Brathwaite. He not only hands them an extra bowling option to an already balanced attack, but could also find the Wankhede’s square boundaries and the surface, where there’s bounce and zip, more suited to his batting. With Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan accounting for 661 and 437 runs respectively, and Goswami offering hitting ability, they wouldn’t necessarily miss Alex Hales, the opener, who is yet to make a half-century in six outings this season.

Stats that matter

• CSK are the only side to have beaten the others at least once this season.
• In the playoffs, Raina has made eight 30-plus scores, seven of which have been converted into a half-century. His 636 runs in 19 matches are the most in the playoffs.
• Lungi Ngidi has quickly established himself as a useful death bowler. He’s conceded at an economy of just seven in the six overs he’s bowled at this stage. The other CSK bowlers have gone at 11.40.
• Harbhajan Singh is one short of 50 IPL wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. Only Lasith Malinga, his former Mumbai Indians team-mate, has more (58).
• CSK’s top three have negated the Rashid Khan threat brilliantly. Rayudu (38 runs off 25 balls) and Watson (14 off 10 balls) have gone after him in the Powerplays. Suresh Raina has been out once, but Rashid’s 15 deliveries have fetched 27.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Shreevats Goswami, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Carlos Brathwaite/Alex Hales, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Siddarth Kaul Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ambati Rayudu, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 5 Sam Billings/Faf du Plessis, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Fantasy pick

Shakib Al Hasan should be your first choice. He lends balance by offering four overs, can provide lower-order batting depth, and has shown consistency this season: 176 runs, mostly lower down the order, and 13 wickets. If you’re looking for a pure batsman, look no further than Rayudu, who has made 179 runs in the two innings he’s played against Sunrisers, without the worry of law of averages. His failure in the final league game against Kings XI Punjab is enough to reignite his hunger.

The Indian captain said Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha deserved credit for taking India 152 runs ahead in Ranchi

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Ranchi20-Mar-2017Following the drawn Test in Ranchi, Virat Kohli has hailed Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha for overcoming a difficult situation and taking India to a position from where they could have won the match. When Saha joined Pujara in the post-tea session on day three, India were 328 for 6 in reply to Australia’s 451. They went on to add 199, and India eventually declared with a 152-run first-innings lead.Australia were four down and still trailing by 89 runs at one stage on the fifth day, with more than two sessions of play still left, but India couldn’t quite push on and win, with Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh batting out 62 overs while adding 124 for the fifth wicket. Kohli said he wasn’t surprised Australia, the world’s second-ranked Test side, fought the way they did.”Everyone has to take responsibility equally on the field and our players want to do that,” Kohli said in his post-match press conference. “Conditions were such in the first innings that it wasn’t easy for the bowlers, the pitch was very good. It played very well in the first two innings. In the second innings, [Australia] batted well so it ended in a draw.”But where we were in the first innings, 450 [451] was the [Australian] score and we were 320-odd for 6. From there to make 600 was a very difficult task. We put ourselves in a position to win, so we feel it was a very good effort from us to get into a winning situation.”But then again, if you are playing against the No. 2 side, you will expect that they will come out and fight, not just roll over. Everyone has his point of view. We will look at our positives and we are happy with where we brought the game to after just one innings. We didn’t need to bat in the second innings. But they had to play for a draw. Like I said, they will look at their positives, we will look at our positives and move forward. There is still one match to go, both [teams] will give it their best.”Kohli said the bowlers had struggled to extract help from the pitch when the ball grew older and softer, but did not want to stress the point and take credit away from Handscomb and Marsh.”They batted very well,” Kohli said. “Four down by lunch, and after that they didn’t lose a wicket in the entire session. So credit to them, when someone plays well, you have to give them credit, we understand that.”But we are also very happy with our efforts. [Ravindra] Jadeja’s bowling was outstanding in this match. All the bowlers bowled very well but Jadeja in my opinion was standout. If you look at his economy, on this pitch it was high-class bowling and showed why he is the joint No. 1 bowler [in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers] alongside Ashwin.”Kohli: ‘Saha is one guy who is always willing to do anything for the team’•Associated Press

Pujara won the Player-of-the-Match award for his innings of 202 off 525 balls, which was the longest ever by an Indian batsman (in Tests with ball data available). That knock took Pujara’s tally for 2016-17 to 1259 runs at an average of 66.26.”You know, sometimes I really feel bad for him,” Kohli said, when asked about Pujara’s contributions through the season. “People don’t understand his importance so much in this team and what a valuable player he is for us. He is the most composed player we have in the team, he is willing to grind for his runs, he doesn’t mind batting under pressure, he likes to take a challenge of batting.”So someone like that is priceless to have in the team. When the pressure situation comes up, he is someone who will put his hand up and play long for the team and hold up one end, which I think is a great quality in him. This season he has been outstanding. I don’t know the number of runs he has scored but he has contributed throughout. He has not been spoken about much or has been in the focus too much but he deserves much more than that. People need to stand up and take notice of what he has done this season, he has been outstanding with the bat and hopefully he will continue that in the last Test.”Saha, Kohli said, was similarly underappreciated. “See, Saha’s knock again was brilliant for us. He’s always stood up when the team needs him and this game was no different. His partnership with Pujara was the reason we had a go at winning this Test. A lot of credit goes to him also.”Again, [he has] not been mentioned too much but he deserves a lot of credit. He’s one guy who is always willing to do anything for the team. Wherever we ask him to bat, he bats. He has no problems in batting after [R] Ashwin, before Ashwin, whenever we want him to do it. He plays any kind of role – positive, defensive, you know, whatever we ask him to do, he never says no.”So you really really feel glad for a guy like that. He’s willing to do anything for the team and put his best foot forward. As I said, I’m really happy he performed in a big pressure match, in a difficult situation and put us in a position to have a shot at winning the game.”Mohammed Shami, who has not played for India since suffering a leg injury during the Test series against England, is making a phased return to action. He bowled in the nets in the lead-up to both the Bengaluru and Ranchi Tests, but has not been named in India’s Test squad yet. He has also played 50-over games for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and on Monday took four wickets in the tournament final against Tamil Nadu. Kohli said he hadn’t spoken to the selectors yet about Shami’s availability for the fourth Test in Dharamsala, but hinted that it could happen.”Yeah, Shami also we sent him to play [the Vijay Hazare Trophy] because we saw him bowling 10-12 overs in a go, and we wanted to give him some match practice.” Kohli said. “I don’t know [about his selection], I haven’t spoken to the selectors still. All kinds of possibilities approaching the next Test.”

The Sixers pulled off the highest successful chase at the SCG to beat the Renegades amidst a confusing last over

Will Macpherson at the SCG09-Jan-2017
Scorecard

Amid a confusing conclusion, Sydney Sixers pulled off the highest successful BBL chase at the SCG – hauling down Melbourne Renegades’ 170 with three balls to spare – to move a step closer to finals qualifications.Finch starvedAaron Finch spoke after Renegades’ defeat to Stars on Saturday about how he was frustrated to keep falling in the 20s and 30s. So, having won the toss and chosen to bat (just the third time that has happened this BBL) he will have been pleased to make 57, his second – and Renegades’ third – half-century of the season. Only problem is, he was starved of the strike when at his most dangerous – in the Powerplay. He faced just eight balls for 12 runs in the first six overs as Sunil Narine, and then Cameron White, were dismissed without making a huge impact.Finch grew into his innings, but with the field spread and the boundaries fairly long, he was unable to accelerate as he would have hoped. Indeed Renegades’ efforts to clear the ropes were not limited to their captain – they hit more twos – 18 – than they did fours and sixes – 17.Ferguson shows his worthMuch has been made of the fact that Australia used four No. 6 batsmen in their six Tests this summer. Well, two of them were on show – and looking in good touch – here. The forgotten man, Callum Ferguson, was perhaps lucky to be retained in the Renegades team ahead of Marcus Harris, but after a slow start he anchored the rest of the innings well. Renegades had gone ten overs without taking ten from an over, but Ferguson – know for his classical strokeplay – smote the first two balls of the 20th over from Sean Abbott into the Bill O’Reilly Stand, with the first travelling 108m, the second longest six of the tournament.Is there anything Aaron Finch can’t do?Opening batsman, captain, death bowler. Now, wicketkeeper. Finch has done the lot this season. Rainfall had made the ground wet and Peter Nevill was hit on the forehead by a skidding throw from the deep and – after a lengthy delay – was asked by the doctor to leave the field for a concussion test. Much to the enjoyment of his team-mates, Finch strapped on the gauntlets. Just an over later, Nevill was cleared to return, but the trick worked – Sixers had been cruising to their target before the incident, but a ball after Finch padded up, Michael Lumb sent Thisara Perera straight to Narine at short third man!Sixers chase – and that thrilling final overSixers’ chase went to the final over because the weight was spread and none of the top four capitalised on impressive starts. Openers Daniel Hughes and Michael Lumb set things up with a stand of 72. Then Nic Maddinson and Moises Henriques both got themselves in and got themselves out, with the former stumped off Narine and the latter picking out the man on the fence off the excellent Perera, whose variations and defensive bowling were outstanding in his first game for the Renegades.And so came the confusing final over, from which Sixers required nine. With Brad Haddin set – but not striking the ball well – James Pattinson found a dot ball. Haddin threw his hands at a shortand wide ball, and got four through point, then – with the umpire’s arm outstretched for a no-ball – scrambled two into the legside. Sixers needed two from three, and from the resultant free-hit, Haddin was brilliantly caught on the fence at long-on by Cooper, but they sprinted through for two. As the umpire incorrectly signalled six, and Finch called for him to check Cooper’s foot, neither team appeared to know the game was over. But after the game, Haddin explained the ingenious strategy he and Jordan Silk used, and made it clear they knew what was happening.”It wasn’t confusing for us!” said Haddin. “Silky just said to get it as high as I can off the free hit and we will run two, which would win us the game. I actually thought that Tom Cooper trod on the fence, but we knew exactly what we needed.”The Renegades were a bit more confused, however. Captain Finch said after the game, “I thought they needed three when Jimmy [Pattinson] bowled that last ball!”

The MCC has announced that Derek Brewer will step down as chief execdutive in the winter of 2017-18

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2016Derek Brewer will retire as MCC chief executive during the winter of 2017-18. In a time of change in MCC administration, the deputy secretary Colin Maynard will also step down next winter, after more than 42 years with the club, leaving a new team to take charge ahead of the 2019 World Cup and an Ashes summer.Brewer took over at MCC in 2011 after seven years as chief executive of Nottinghamshire. His period of office has been characterised by impassioned debate over Lord’s development. The new Warner Stand, the first stage of the development, is nearing completion.Matthew Fleming, the MCC president, said: “It is a mark of the man that he is putting the club’s interests first by handing over at a time to allow his successor the opportunity to become accustomed to life at Lord’s prior to a crucial Ashes and World Cup year in 2019.”In his tenure, Lord’s has cemented its position firmly as the home of cricket, with unrivalled attendances for Test matches and a real focus on providing excellent experiences for members and all who visit the ground. In addition, he has overseen the successful first stage of the redevelopment of Lord’s and been the driving force in establishing the club as one with a real community focus, on a local, national and international level.”Brewer’s community commitment, also apparent in his time with Nottinghamshire, has been seen in the establishing of a Local-to-Lord’s community programme. Away from MCC, he also sits on the board of two organisations: Active Westminster and London Sport, a new strategic body that leads the delivery of grassroots sport in London.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided ‘not to involve’ Mohammad Ashraful in any form of cricket until the ICC’s ACSU submits its report on investigations into suspected match-fixing and spot-fixing in this year’s BPL

Mohammad Isam04-Jun-2013The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided ‘not to involve’ former captain Mohammad Ashraful in any form of cricket until the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) submits its report on investigations into alleged match-fixing and spot-fixing in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The decision was taken at a BCB meeting on Tuesday after Ashraful admitted to his involvement in the activities.”[Mohammad] Ashraful has admitted to his guilt, so I feel he has no chance of staying with the game in the near future,” Nazmul Hassan, BCB president, said after the board’s executive committee meeting. “Ashraful himself told me about his confession. What he has confessed to, I don’t know because I want to read the full report first.”Later, a BCB statement confirmed that Ashraful would be kept out of the game: “The board decided not to involve Mohammad Ashraful in any cricketing activity under BCB’s jurisdiction until further notice. This decision was based on the player’s own confession of involvement in corrupt activities.”After Bangladesh’s admission into international cricket in 2000, Ashraful was its first recognised face and sometimes its only flag-bearer since his debut in 2001. His admission of guilt has had a major impact in the image of Bangladesh cricket, especially at a time when the cricket team has been faring quite well.Hassan said he will deal with the latest controversy in the right way, and take stringent action against those involved in corruption. He has also said that the ACSU report would be made public to clear any doubts about the BCB’s intent to tackle allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing.”I am not going to let anyone off the hook. Everything has to be in a system, within rules. There will be hundreds of problems, but if we go about it the right way and solve them one by one, it will help us,” Hassan said. “We will make public whatever report we get from the ICC ACSU. They offered me bits and pieces of information on Sunday, when I met them. I said I want full details, and I can wait for it.”The BCB chief also explained how the ACSU, which was hired by the board to keep an eye on corrupt practices, went about their investigation during the BPL.”The day after BPL ended, they gave me a list of names [of people] who were suspected to have been involved in illegal activities. I immediately agreed to know the full details. This is the background of how all this started,” Hassan said. “They have taken interviews of a lot of people around the world. They have come to the end of their investigation, except for one last interview. It was supposed to have been taken yesterday, somewhere abroad. They told me that after that last interview, it would take them five to six days to submit the final report.”According to BCB’s anti-corruption laws, a 10-member tribunal is supposed to be formed to decide on the judgment of such cases. But Hassan is inclined to take the decision himself, since the investigation has been conducted by the ICC ACSU, on behalf of the BCB.”Since we couldn’t do the investigation ourselves, I think our decision, too, should be based on ACSU’s report on the matter,” Hassan said. “Whether we need a tribunal or not, we can consult BCB’s and ICC’s legal unit. But I think as a board president, I can take a decision and punish the guilty based on the ACSU report.”One of Bangladesh’s most experienced cricketers, Ashraful played 61 Tests and captained the national side in 13 Test matches, 38 ODIs and 11 T20Is between 2007 and 2009. During a career which extended from 2001 to 2013, he scored 2,737 runs in Test matches at an average of 24. He has also played 177 ODIs and scored 3,468 runs at an average of 22.23.

Australia and West Indies have changed much since their last meeting. Now they may discover how worthwhile those changes have been

The Preview by Daniel Brettig in Bridgetown06-Apr-2012

Match facts

Darren Bravo’s Indian dominance has given way to scratchy form at home•AFP

March April 7-11, Kensington Oval
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

When these sides last met, in Australia in 2009, they played out a series of drama, tension and bracing cricket – if the usual home hiding of an under-prepared opponent at the Gabba is taken out of the equation. At the centre of it all was Chris Gayle, then West Indies captain and the Man of the Series after a considered 165 in Adelaide was followed by the most blistering century in Perth. It is a neat summation of the changes wrought in both sides since that Gayle is no longer there, replaced as captain by the effervescent Darren Sammy, while Ricky Ponting has ceded his leadership to the extremely capable hands of Michael Clarke.Neither Australia or West Indies were destined for great things beyond their 2009 meeting, the hosts going on to be humbled during the next Ashes series, while the visitors spluttered through what has become a long-running cycle of defeats and political recriminations. Those results hastened the aforementioned changes in leadership, and also fostered new support staff and stronger cultures in each side. Australia’s performance has improved markedly since the day the Argus review into team performance was handed down, while under Sammy and the coach Ottis Gibson, West Indies are developing a side that may soon be capable of sustained presence.In Bridgetown they will stare each other down on a surface that will only have a modicum of the pace traditionally on offer. It will be a matter of whether Australia’s adjustment to foreign climes can provide enough of a window for a home side that has talent but is still developing the perseverance and consistency required to last five days. The top three batsmen on both sides will be sternly examined by sturdy bowling attacks: Ed Cowan, David Warner and Shane Watson seeking to establish themselves in much the same manner as Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards.Australian eyes are also on the world rankings, as a strong series victory here will push them closer to the top of the ICC table, having dipped as low as fifth following the Ashes. West Indies by contrast are chasing history, a first Test win over Australia in nine years, a first series win in 19. The consistency and professionalism sought by both sides will either gather strength and vitality at Kensington Oval, or be cowed by a sobering reminder that there is still plenty of work to be done.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
West Indies DLLWD
Australia WWWWL

In the spotlight

Darren Bravo’s velvety strokeplay made him the talk of India and much of world cricket late in 2011, derived as it was from the example of his batting forebear Brian Lara. However those innings receded into the distance during the ODI and Twenty20 series against Australia, in which Bravo did not pass 25 in six innings before being dropped for the final T20. Returning to regional cricket, he made only 13 and 7 for Trinidad & Tobago against Barbados, and looked scratchy in the nets at Bridgetown. Much of West Indies’ hope for the series rests on the ability of this young batsman to assert himself, and he must find the confidence within to do so against well-drilled opponents.Shane Watson begins the third phase of his Test career as a No. 3 batsman, having previously played in the middle order then found some success as an opener. Since he was cut down by hamstring and calf injuries at the outset of the home summer, Watson has been usurped at the top of the order by David Warner and Ed Cowan, leaving him to replace Shaun Marsh at one down following the West Australian’s dire India series. How Watson’s shrewd bowling fits back into a bowling attack that operated happily enough with only four practitioners at home will be a source of fascination, as will his contribution to the guidance and leadership of Clarke’s team.

Team news

Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach are duelling for the final pace bowling spot in what is expected to be a four-man bowling attack. Roach made his name with fiery spells to Ricky Ponting in the two teams’ last series in Australia in 2009, while in 2008 Edwards claimed eight wickets for the match against Ponting’s team in Bridgetown. The recalled Narsingh Deonarine replaces an IPL-tied Marlon Samuels at No. 6.West Indies (possible) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.A race between Ryan Harris and James Pattinson for the third pace bowler’s berth is the only major question for the Australian selectors on tour. Both bowled well in the warm-up against the WICB President’s XI, Pattinson having a little less cricket behind him following a buttock strain. Watson returns for his first Test since South Africa last November, while Matthew Wade will debut.Australia (possible) 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris/James Pattinson, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

There is little grass on the wicket unveiled for the first Test, and its appearance is similar to that used for the second Twenty20 match. Kensington pitches always offer the promise of some pace and bounce, but as it deteriorates there should be useful spin for Devendra Bishoo, Nathan Lyon and their part-time counterparts.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies’ last Test victory over Australia was the record chase of 418 to beat Steve Waugh’s side in the fourth Test of the 2003 series in Antigua.
• Only three members of the Australia squad – Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey – have played Tests in the Caribbean before.
• West Indies have won four and Australia three of the 10 Tests the two teams have played at Kensington Oval, the last draw taking place in 1973.

Quotes

“In India, where teams don’t go there and win, we went out and played and dominated India in two out of three Test matches. Over the last 12 months the team has shown signs of improvement and they’ve been fighting. We’ve just got to continue that. We have a group that believes they don’t only compete but they could win games.”
“No doubt we can take some confidence out of beating India 4-0 in Australia. The expectation, particularly in Australia, is to win in your own backyard and it was really nice that we could do that during the summer. But the hardest part of playing international sport is beating teams away from home in conditions you’re not as used to … different environment, different temperature, different culture, completely different cricket wickets.”