Jake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 after Cameron White struck his 21st first-class hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2018Getty Images

Jake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 on day three at the Adelaide Oval. Cameron White headlined Victoria’s response with a 149 in a must-win match for them, but debutant left-arm medium-pacer Nick Winter struck with a five-wicket haul to hand South Australia a slim first-innings lead of eight runs.Seb Gotch was bowled on the fourth ball of the day by Daniel Worrall while White built on his overnight score of 68 to score his 21st first-class century, collecting a total of 10 fours and four sixes, before handing a catch to Ross off Joe Mennie. Chris Tremain’s 23 helped Victoria narrow the deficit, before Winter bagged a couple of lower-order wickets to add to his previous day’s three-for. Worrall and Mennie picked two wickets each while Winter ended with 5 for 85.Weatherald got South Australia’s second innings underway with a 16-run first over against Peter Siddle, helping them race to 40 inside five overs. Tremain, however, broke the partnership in the next over, removing Kelvin Smith for 10. Even as Weatherald, who followed his century in the BBL final with a duck in the first innings, motored on to his eighth first-class fifty, strikes from Scott Boland and Jon Holland, and a run-out by Siddle, reduced South Australia to 5 for 134. Ross and Harry Nielsen subsequently steadied the innings with an unbeaten 74-run partnership that hoisted South Australia to 208 without the loss of any more wickets.

Zimbabwe will combine tours of Australia and Pakistan into a T20I triangular series, followed by five ODIs against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2018Zimbabwe Cricket, still reeling from their inability to qualify for the World Cup and the sacking of the organisation’s entire coaching staff, will host Australia and Pakistan in July for a T20I triangular tournament and then Pakistan for five ODIs. Neither country will play a Test in Zimbabwe, although the FTP had Australia pencilled in for one Test and Pakistan for two, further underlining ZC’s desire to restructure and avoid costly home Tests.”Playing two of the game’s biggest teams will provide us with a very welcome litmus test as we forge ahead with our plans to develop a stronger Zimbabwe side capable of consistently competing and winning against the best,” Faisal Hasnain, ZC MD said.But ZC’s plans appear, at best, hazy. After hosting West Indies for two Tests in October last year, ZC strongly indicated it would consider playing less longer-format cricket at home, given the costs and the fact that Zimbabwe is not part of the new Test Championship. Instead, it focused its energy on 50-over cricket, in the hopes of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. Failure to do that has left Zimbabwe Cricket in limbo, which came to a head when all coaching staff – from national coach Heath Streak to under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo – were fired. Graeme Cremer lost the captaincy and Tatenda Taibu was relieved of his duties as convener of selectors as well.ZC held a press conference on Tuesday to outline its plans for the resumption of domestic cricket – the 2018-19 season was not concluded as World Cup qualifier preparations began earlier this year – as well as plans for an academy. But the issue of coaching staff was not on the agenda. They would need to attend to the allocation of backroom staff with haste if Zimbabwe are to play international cricket again three months’ time.The prospect of the tours of Australia and Pakistan being curtailed has been looming large for months given the financial state of Zimbabwean cricket, and matters came to a head with the country’s failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup set to hit them hard in the pocket. In February, there was doubt over the fate of Pakistan’s tour to the country, with ZC’s managing director Faisal Hasnain saying as much.”Finances may not allow the [Pakistan] series to go ahead because we don’t get a lot from our TV contract, and the series ends up – the production costs result in huge losses,” Faisal Hasnain, ZC’s managing director had told “Given our current cash situation, in order to balance our books, we may actually have to either renegotiate the format or we may have to postpone it until such time as we are ready to play.”

Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 97 allowed England to reach the close in credit after another troubling top-order collapse

The Report by Andrew Miller29-Mar-2018 England 290 for 8 (Bairstow 97*, Leach 10*) v New Zealand

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere’s a school of thought that England’s best route out of their current Test-match malaise would be to pretend that every innings is a 50-over affair, and thereby guarantee themselves a score of 350 every time they go out to bat.Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood did little to dissuade anyone of this logic on the first afternoon at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, as their harum-scarum eighth-wicket stand of 95 in 18 overs helped transform another flat-lining performance and give themselves a chance of competing on an even footing in a match they must win to claim a share of the two-match series.By the close, a measure of order had been restored, thanks to another virtuoso performance from Tim Southee, whose full delivery to rattle Wood’s stumps on the stroke of the 80th over ended a maiden half-century from England’s No. 9 and secured the bowler a richly deserved five-wicket haul, his seventh in Test cricket.However, England endured to the close, with Bairstow closing on 97 not out from 154 balls, having played out a tense final-over maiden from Neil Wagner, with the debutant Jack Leach alongside him on 10.Their close-of-play total of 290 for 8 was a massive improvement on their prognosis at 164 for 7 in the opening overs of the evening session. It had been a familiar diet of failings from a Test team that has been in arrested development for far too many months now – inconsequential efforts from Alastair Cook and James Vince; promising but unfulfilled performances from Mark Stoneman and Joe Root; and yet another troubling middle-order collapse. But eventually the revival was set in motion by the belligerent blade of Bairstow, whose last innings at this ground had been an eye-popping 104 from 60 balls in the ODI series decider at the start of the month.On this occasion, Bairstow had ground his way to 39 from 80 balls when he was cattle-prodded into overdrive by the limp departure of two more of his colleagues in quick succession. Ben Stokes was strangled down the leg side by Trent Boult in the first over after tea – bringing to an end a determined stand of 57 – before Stuart Broad, suffering from vertigo at No. 8 after the decision to drop both Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, flopped a tame drive off Southee into the hands of Ish Sodhi at mid-off.Bairstow’s counterattack was not entirely flawless. After slogging three fours in quick succession to bring up his fifty, he was dropped by BJ Watling as he cleared his front leg for a mow across the line, then survived an improbably savage bouncer from the medium-pace of Colin de Grandhomme that knocked his helmet clean off and sent it rolling past the stumps. But the moment that proved his luck was in came on 62, when Neil Wagner somehow managed to flick his off stump at pace, without dislodging a bail.But Bairstow made his own luck with the quality of his strokeplay in between whiles. He and Wood traded lusty blows through their buccaneering stand, as if closing their eyes and visualising a white ball instead of red. That was easy enough for Wood, for whom this was a first Test outing since July last year, and his combating driving through the covers and lusty pick-ups over midwicket might as well have been air-dropped from the 45th over of a floundering run-chase.The efforts of Bairstow and Wood could not entirely atone, however, from another troublingly feeble display from England’s flat-lining top order. After being routed for 58 on the first morning of last week’s Auckland Test, the omens weren’t promising as Kane Williamson won another toss and chose to bowl again, and when Cook was extracted for his third single-figure score of the series – England’s scoreline has been 6 for 1 on each of those occasions – pessimism was rampant.Sadly, the arrival of Vince did little to restore any faith. Vince’s recall at No. 3 had been a consequence of Moeen’s absence at No. 8 rather than on any real merit, and he was duly pinned lbw for 18, a self-parody of an innings that featured three boundaries – two of them particularly sumptuous – followed by a leg-sided lbw decision that prompted the decaying sense of another opportunity squandered.England did at least stop the rot in the short term with a third-wicket stand of 55 between Root and Stoneman, but then – not entirely out of the blue, but certainly without the air-raid-siren warning of their Auckland meltdown – they contrived to ship their next three wickets for a solitary run in the space of nine deliveries to plunge themselves back into crisis at 94 for 5.Tim Southee picked up a five-wicket haul•Getty Images

Root, as so often, was the cause of both their serenity while he was at the crease, and their panic when he was gone. He overcame a rocky start, which included a fourth-ball bouncer from Southee that clanged into the badge of his helmet, to ease along to 37 with five pleasingly crisp boundaries, the pick of which was a pearling on-drive off Southee that looked set to click him into a higher gear.Instead, it was the direct cause of his downfall. One delivery later, Root lined up a similar shot, but was utterly suckered by Southee’s ‘three-quarter’ ball, one that gripped from just back of a length, seamed through a wide and gaping gate, and flattened his off stump via a deflection off the back pad.Root, not for the first time this winter, looked crestfallen as he left, knowing that he had fallen short of both his own and his team’s expectations. And the consequences would prove dramatic. Five balls and one run later, Boult was back into the action, as Dawid Malan faced up to his first delivery of the match, failed to get his feet moving, and was pinned plumb in front of middle by a full-length seamer that jagged back into his pads.And before England had rediscovered their bearings, their anchorman was dragged from the crease as well. Stoneman had survived a torrid first hour, including an inside-edged four to get off the mark against Southee, and was beginning to find his fluency when Southee turned him inside-out with another perfect seamer, which nibbled half a bat’s width from just back of a length, and fizzed off the edge into the safe hands of Tom Latham at second slip.It was another infuriatingly half-formed effort from Stoneman, a player who looks to have the temperament to be the rock at the top of the order that Cook, on current form, can no longer be, but whose scores are consistently falling short of matching those impressions. He has made just four single-figure scores in 17 visits to the crease in Tests, but also reached four half-centuries with a best of 56. His 35 was typically middle-of-the-road.That is, however, an improvement on the returns of both Vince (two fifties from 21 innings) and, surely more troublingly, Cook, who has passed 50 just twice in his past 20 innings. Admittedly, those two scores have been the small matter of 243 against West Indies at Edgbaston and 244 not out against Australia in Melbourne – an innings which point to his enduring class, and his enduring ability to make a start count.However, those starts have been fewer and further between for Cook, and he never looked likely to bed in here. He survived a tight appeal from Southee’s first delivery, which struck the pad on the line of leg stump but would have be going over, but with his footwork going nowhere, he was a sitting duck for Boult’s pace and seam movement, and had his off stump detonated for 2.Cook’s current series total of nine runs in three innings epitomises the fact that the New Zealand leg of this long and arduous winter has been no rest cure. But it also confirms a growing sense that his long and distinguished career is reaching a crisis point.

Fortunes waxed and waned on a dramatic last day in Malaysia, at the end of which Uganda and Denmark were celebrating promotion to WCL Division Three

Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur06-May-2018After two matches on Saturday – Jersey v Uganda and Bermuda v Malaysia – were forced to be replayed due to rain, here’s how the dramatic last day unfolded to decide which teams would be promoted to WCL Division Four.

Uganda

What they needed for promotionUganda were in the strongest position at the start of the day. Depending on the toss and first-innings score, Jersey would have had to beat them either by more than 110 runs or chase their target in roughly 20-24 overs to pass Uganda on net run-rate, an exceptionally difficult task in either case on a turning pitch at UKM Bangi Oval.What happened: PromotedAfter being sent in to bat, Uganda struggled to 26 for 5 against the new-ball spin combo of Elliot Miles and Harrison Carlyon. A 60-run stand between Riazat Ali Shah and Kenneth Waiswa stabilised the innings before Waiswa edged an attempted cut off left-arm spinning allrounder Nat Watkins to spark a collapse of 5 for 4. Uganda were bowled out for 90 in 37 overs.Jersey needed to chase the target in 20.3 overs to overtake Uganda on net run-rate. At that stage of the chase, Jersey had struggled to 46 for 5. Because Denmark had begun the day well behind on net run-rate with their tournament slate already complete, only Malaysia could pass Uganda – in the event of a loss to Jersey – on net run-rate at that stage.Those scenarios meant Uganda had clinched a spot in WCL Division Three while Jersey’s chase of 91 was in progress. But the Cranes kept their intensity levels high and dismissed Jersey for 83 in 35 overs, finishing undisputed tournament champions with a 4-1 record.

Jersey

What they needed to gain promotionJersey’s easiest path to securing a spot in Division Three was beating Uganda by a big enough margin to overtake Denmark on net run-rate.What happened: Not promotedJersey’s spinners were marvellous in dismantling Uganda for 90 in 37 overs. The two calculations before them were clear: chase a target of 91 in 36.5 overs to pass Denmark on net run-rate and hope Bermuda would give Malaysia a strong fight; or chase the target in 20.3 overs to overtake Uganda and Denmark to guarantee promotion.After an overeager start that included a run-out in the third over, Jersey slumped to 31 for 5 in the 14th over, leaving them little chance of overhauling Uganda. But with a controlled batting display on a UKM Oval pitch that wasn’t as slow as in previous matches, passing Denmark was their next objective.Peter Della Penna

A 33-run seventh-wicket stand between Anthony Hawkins-Kay and Carlyon took them within striking distance of the Denmark target. At one point, Jersey needed 11 runs in 4.5 overs with four wickets in hand. But Hawkins-Kay’s ill-fated sweep to captain Roger Mukasa triggered a collapse 3 for 0 to leave 17-year-old Carlyon with 11 runs to get alongside No. 11 Elliot Miles. Carlyon took a two and then a single off the fifth ball of the 35th over, leaving Miles one ball to survive. Had he seen it off, Jersey would have needed eight runs off 11 balls to pass Denmark. Instead, Miles was lbw shouldering arms to Mukasa, and Jersey’s fate was sealed.

Malaysia

What they needed to gain promotionHeading into the day, Malaysia’s clearest path to promotion was to beat Bermuda by a big margin and hope Uganda beat Jersey.What happened: Not promotedMalaysia scored 257 after opting to bat. It meant they needed to restrict Bermuda to 161 or fewer, a winning margin of 96 runs, to pass Denmark on net run-rate. Bermuda also needed to win in roughly 30 overs to overtake Malaysia on net run-rate and avoid relegation. Bermuda’s top order was torn apart by left-arm medium pacer Muhammad Wafiq’s new-ball spell that left them at 37 for 6 in the 16th over. Kamau Leverock, batting with a sprained ankle, then had a 97-run partnership with Janeiro Tucker.Leverock’s injury forced him to swing for the boundaries: he heaved five sixes in his top-score of 61 off 111 balls. The 43-year-old Tucker was also cramping, and after Leverock was bowled in the 45th over, he carried on past fifty as Bermuda made it to 162 in the 48th over of the chase. Bermuda’s relegation, however, was already sealed.

Denmark

What they needed to gain promotionUganda to beat Jersey and Bermuda to beat Malaysia. Or Jersey to take more than 36.5 overs to chase 91 against Uganda, and Bermuda to score at least 162 against Malaysia.What happened: PromotedDespair at 11:45 am, when Uganda were bowled out for 90. Clammy hands and cotton mouth at 2:30 pm, when Jersey needed 11 off 29 balls with four wickets in hand, and Bermuda had simultaneously slumped to 29 for 5 in the 12th over. Anxiety at 2:45 pm, after Jersey lost four wickets in 15 minutes to lose by 7 runs to Uganda. Celebrations at 4:25 pm, when Tucker’s two sixes in a 14-run over helped Bermuda reach 162 with 14 balls to spare.

Dale Steyn has proved too hot to handle for the world’s best and Gary Ballance made no excuses after his curious dismissal in a floodlit contest

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters20-Jun-2018
ScorecardGary Ballance seemed to have allayed fears of batting against the pink ball by scoring his first Specsavers County Championship century of the
season.Ballance, who is colour-blind, had previously struggled to pick up the different coloured ball against the white sightscreen, but looked comfortable in his 107.But his flawless innings went wrong when he was dismissed in freak circumstances by Hampshire’s star bowler Dale Steyn shortly before the close.As the natural light dimmed and the floodlights were switched on, just before the dinner interval, Ballance seemed to begin to struggle with seeing the ball.The twilight approached just before 8pm, and he appeared completely blinded to an oncoming fast bouncer from Steyn.Instead of ducking or avoiding a predicted path of the ball, Ballance stood, without footwork, in his stance and wafted his bat to flick the ball to Sam Northeast at mid-wicket.Ballance, in form again after taking a breal from the game because of fatigue and subsequently stepping down from the Yorkshire captaincy, played down his problems.”I love batting here,” he said. “It was a pretty decent wicket and it felt good batting out there in the middle and I think we have a decent score.”When we went back out after tea it took a bit of time to get used to the twilight. But I don’t want to make any excuses, it was a poor shot. I just got stuck in two minds.”After tea, from around 7 onwards, it became harder than when the sun was out in the day.”Ballance had been brought to the crease prematurely after Yorkshire had slumped to 21 for 3 having won the toss and elected to bat on a good looking wicket under blue afternoon skies.Alex Lees lasted just five balls before he was undone by a Fidel Edwards delivery destined to jag back and into leg stump before the ball crashed into the opener’s pads.Chesteshwar Pujara also followed for a duck when he was castled by Steyn – the second time the South African had dismissed the Indian this week, having got him out in the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final on Monday.Adam Lyth, who had scored every run in the first 11 overs, continued the collapse when he was caught behind off Gareth Berg.But the slump was stopped when Ballance and Harry Brook met in the middle as the rebuilding started immediately.Ballance had taken 23-balls to get off the mark, but ground out his fifty in 99 deliveries – which he brought up with an uncharacteristic hook for six off Fidel Edwards.Partner Brook was the more aggressive, albeit not outrageously so, moving past 50 for the second time this season in 74 balls – which included a six down the ground to Ollie Rayner.The former England under 19s captain looked on course for three figures but was undone by the increasingly speedy Steyn – as he was plumb lbw.Ballance had scored a match saving century and double century in the corresponding fixture last season. In the over before the second break, he steered a classy drive behind point for his 15th four to take himself to three figures from 171 balls – before his freak wicket.Jonny Tattersall, on his first-class debut, followed soon after as Steyn grabbed his fourth of the day with an outside edge to Rayner at second slip.Hampshire’s overseas star Steyn finished the day with fiery figures of 4 for 48 from his marathon 25 overs, as his fitness ahead of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka continued to increase.The second new ball, under the lights, caused more problems to the batsmen – Jack Leaning was dropped by James Vince at first slip before he was bowled by Edwards.But Tim Bresnan and captain Steven Patterson negotiated the tricky night session with a 38 run stand as Yorkshire ended the day on 315 for seven.

Finding enough players for a Saturday club game can be difficult enough – but the prospect of a clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final is making leagues and captains sweat

David Hopps04-Jul-2018″Get The Game On” is the name of the campaign devised by the ECB to aid the survival of amateur cricket clubs up and down the country. But they may have an insurmountable task getting sides to turn out for Saturday afternoon’s league fixtures as leagues grapple with the worst headache imaginable – a clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final against Sweden.England’s first-ever victory in a World Cup penalty shoot-out, to win their last-16 tie against Colombia, has brought a rare surge of patriotic fervour. This might not be the most star-studded England side (not yet anyway), but their singular optimism has caught the nation’s mood. When there has supposedly even been a rush to buy waistcoasts – a fashion preferred by their manager, Gareth Southgate – then something is clearly afoot.League officials, often famed for their inflexibility, are grappling with how to respond. An insistence that the games go ahead at the normal time would be bound to bring a rush of conceded matches as many clubs fail to raise an XI, never mind a good one. Meanwhile, prospering clubs will expect to play as normal to maintain the integrity of the competition. Whatever the solution, defunct membership lists stretching back decades will be rooted out from the backs of cupboards, and football-haters plied with beer – and an offer to bat in the top six.Recreational cricket has long since had to contend with dropouts for the flimsiest of reasons. Never mind the routine explanations such as holidays or family illness. Every captain has their favourite story of players who pull out because the lawn needs cutting, a furniture delivery is expected, or my own favourite, “I seem to have woken up on a stag weekend in Amsterdam”.England have reached final stages before, of course. Former clubbies reminisce about the sense of obligation which meant they played cricket on World Cup final day in 1966 with barely a second thought: the same XI was pinned up on the notice board as usual. But society has changed and, for most, cricket is now just one of many optional pastimes to be enjoyed or jettisoned at will.It takes strength of character to phone up a possible player on a Friday night, only to hear him in the background advising his wife: “Tell the fool I’m out.”There are a sprinkling of amateur cricketers who have no interest in football, or who affect to despise it. One cricket journalist looking forward to his weekly fix has tweeted morbidly: “League cricket making contingency for breakfast starts so players can still watch afternoon football on Saturday. There goes that bit of sanctuary…”At the last time of checking, it had gained 0 replies, 0 retweets and 0 likes, as if the whole of Twitter was afraid to intrude on his grief.As clubs fold, leagues amalgamate, and the ECB works to stem the decline, whether it be through its excellent All Stars scheme for juniors, or attempts to grow participation in the inner cities, taking on the England football team might be an ask too far.TV viewing figures for England’s dramatic win over Colombia were an estimated 23 million and pubs, bars and open-air viewing areas were packed. That is the biggest outbreak of national pride since a few million more watched the opening and closing ceremonies in the 2012 London Olympics.A country where millions have routinely felt excluded by, or uncomfortable with, excessive displays of patriotism, has again found, perhaps only briefly, a sense of national identity. Respected newspaper columnists, entering a world they are unfamilar with, write ill-advised columns calling for bigger goals. Arguments rage over whether England represent Brexit or Remain (Remain clearly, not sure why anyone should ask). The size of Harry Maguire’s head has become the stuff of polite conversation.Even getting teams on to the field is only half the battle. If the match does go ahead at the normal time and, approaching 6pm, England find themselves in yet another penalty shootout, woe betide the umpires who refuse to suspend the match. This captain once had little choice but to set four third men, close to the nearest radio, while England lost on penalties. And, to make it even more unseemly, I was one of them.Many leagues, in a welcome show of pragmatism, are seeking to be flexible, offering a range of options if both clubs can agree. These include a change of date, or a tea interval lasting more than two hours (favoured by the Airedale and Wharfedale League, north of Leeds). An early start has also been mooted, although a mid-afternoon kick-off for England in the south-western city of Samara, where Stalin’s bunker is now an underground museum, would mean the first ball would be bowled at some godforsaken time like 9am. There is a heatwave in England, so the pitches are dry and could cope, but Friday night drinking or Saturday morning working are common and it’s hard enough to get people to turn up in time for 1.30pm.Some authorities are folding their arms. The Greater Manchester League has ruled that fixtures will go on as planned “to ensure the smooth running of the league” and urged: “GET THE GAME ON”.It might take more than Caps Lock to pull this one off.

It is the first time in their history that Northants have lost after enforcing the follow-on and the first time since 1924

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2018
Tim Murtagh took his second five-wicket haul of the season to bowl Middlesex to an extraordinary win at Wantage Road to keep alive their hopes of promotion from Division Two of the Specsavers County Championship.Defending 216 after Middlesex had followed-on, Murtagh and 19-year-old debutant Ethan Bamber shared eight wickets as Northamptonshire were bowled out for 187 to lose by 31 runs.It is the first time in their history that Northants have lost after enforcing the follow-on and the first time since 1924 – and fifth instance overall – that Middlesex have won having been asked to follow-on.”It’s incredible the way we fought back, especially following-on. We were pretty ordinary the first couple of days and to come back and win is just an unbelievable effort,” Sam Robson, the Middlesex vice-captain, said. “Ethan was awesome. You’re always nervous in your first game and there was a lot of pressure today so for him to bowl the way he did was an incredible effort.”Obviously Murts we know what he can do but Max and Harry yesterday were so good too.”Northants took just three balls of the morning to bowl Middlesex out for 374 – a remarkable fightback having been 166 for 6 on the third afternoon – and set about their target comfortably, reaching 94 for the loss of Saif Zaib just before lunch. But Luke Procter, who had gone calmly to 35 in a stand of 75 for the second wicket with Ricardo Vasconcelos, drove lazily at Bamber to edge behind and it began an incredible slide.After lunch, Vasconcelos, having passed fifty for the second time in the match in 73 balls with six fours, tried to force Murtagh off the back foot and edged to second slip. Alex Wakely was then lbw for 6 offering no stroke. Steven Crook never looked comfortable and it was no surprise when he too was lbw for 5, also to Murtagh, before Rory Kleinveldt played all around a Bamber delivery and was also given out leg before.It was a collapse of 6 for 36 in 14.3 overs and saw Middlesex suddenly favourites to pull off an amazing comeback. Richard Levi made 18 to offer Northants some hope before he was strangled down the leg side trying to flick James Fuller.Nathan Buck and Brett Hutton at least steered Northants through to tea and as they resumed needing 43 to win with two wickets remaining, the home side were still alive. But Buck drove at Murtagh and popped a catch up to extra-cover and Hutton was trapped lbw by one that slid back in from Murtagh to end the game and complete figures of 5 for 38.Middlesex danced around knowing they had got themselves out of a massive hole having been outplayed for two-and-a-half days. They remain in the promotion race in Division Two and now play Sussex, who they trail by 39 points, at Lord’s next week. With Kent also to play in their remaining five games, the 2016 County Champions could yet bounce back to Division One at the first attempt.For Northamptonshire it was a sickening defeat – their sixth of the season – having had the game in the palm of their hands. They now travel to Durham trying to salvage something from a terrible year.

The India captain also gave credit to India’s lower-order batsmen for applying themselves and allowing him to play with confidence at his end

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-20182:04

Where does Kohli’s 149 rank among his best innings?

Virat Kohli is not convinced his epic 149 against England at Edgbaston is his best Test innings. It was Kohli’s first Test century in England – he had had a torrid time on his only other visit in 2014 – and it helped pull India back into the Test after Sam Curran had wiped out the top order before lunch on the second day. Kohli ended up making more than half the runs India made and, vitally, allowed England just a minor lead of 13 runs.

Anderson on bowling to Kohli

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of play on day three, James Anderson said: “I felt like I was on top of him, so obviously the dropped catch was frustrating.
“The easiest thing for me yesterday was it wasn’t swinging that much, it was doing just enough. I was thinking bowl the same ball every ball, and with natural variation he [Kohli] might just play at one. That the simplest it gets, when all you have to think about is putting the ball in the right spot.
“Early on he was going hard at the balls outside off and I felt in the game. I just thought hang around off stump and he’ll nick one in the end.
“Ben Stokes came up to me and said he’s batting out of his crease, but essentially I was trying to hit that fourth-stump area.”

Kohli admitted that it was a test both mentally and physically to survive the conditions and the England fast-bowling attack led by James Anderson, but he would still rank his second-innings century in Adelaide in 2014 as his best effort in the longest format.Kohli was one of two players, along with David Warner, to record twin centuries in that Adelaide Test. In a high-scoring affair, India were set a target of 364 on the final day. Kohli, who was the stand-in captain at the time, was clear that India would go for the target. India fell short by 49 runs, as Kohli made 141.”I am not sure [that Edgbaston is my best]. This could probably come in second to Adelaide,” Kohli told . “Adelaide still remains very special to me because it was second innings, and we were chasing a target. And I had total clarity that we are going for the target. Not once did I think that we are not. That was a beautiful zone to be in.”That’s not to say Kohli was making light of the hard slog at Edgbaston: “I am very happy … [to have] this opportunity to help the team this way and pull us back in the Test match and compete. That is what we’re here to do: we are here to compete, we are here to fight and we are going to keep doing that.”Kohli said his main aim here was to take the total as close to England’s 287 as possible. “It was difficult, but I told myself that it’s important to enjoy this and take it upon me as a challenge to take the team far and take the innings deep. It was a test of physical and mental strength, but I’m glad that we could come close to their total and remain pretty much in the game.”The fight he waged against England’s bowling attack was a quiet one for the most part. A score of 54 for 2 – at which point Kohli had walked in – had become 100 for 5. Kohli now had just the lower order in allrounders Hardik Pandya and R Aswhin and the tail to rely on. He stitched together a 48-run partnership with Pandya and then 21 for the seventh wicket.Then it was into the tail, and Kohli responded with 92 runs from 116 balls; the three tailenders accounted for 8 runs from 37 balls. Kohli said the lower order and tail gave him ample support, building his confidence. “I have to commend the tail as well; Hardik batted really well after we lost five, and then the way Ishant and Umesh applied themselves… I think it was an outstanding effort from them also. So I have to give a lot of credit to them for getting us this close, because they got stuck in there and supported me really well, and I could feel confident about them being out there, which is very important.”The one disappointment for Kohli was being unable to take a small lead, which became his new target as India advanced towards the England total. However, the prized wicket of Alastair Cook late in the day put the smile back on Kohli’s face. “It wasn’t just about getting to the three-figure mark, but to continue from thereon. I was very disappointed when I got out as well, because I thought we could’ve taken a 10-15 runs lead, but in hindsight we wouldn’t have been able to bowl then.”

The stand-in captain told the players before the Asia Cup to perform as if they were playing domestic cricket. He said it was “to ensure there’s no insecurity within”

Shashank Kishore in Dubai29-Sep-20180:33

We have ticked all boxes in this tournament – Rohit

Rohit Sharma, India’s victorious stand-in captain, wants those auditioning for the Nos. 4 and 6 spots in the ODI XI to get more opportunities in the next few months, even if team dynamics change when Virat Kohli takes over the leadership.”The guys who were here had the ability to win matches for the team,” Rohit said. “They’ve won matches for their state or IPL teams. No one took extra pressure because some players weren’t available. We want to create an environment where boys come in, play carefree, and not think that this is an international match and we need to change our game.”As a management, it is our duty to give the players that freedom to go play like they play at the club or domestic level. At the start of the tournament, we discussed this and gave them a clear message: ‘treat this like you’re playing for your domestic team, nothing to change.’ It was very important to give them this message, to ensure there’s no insecurity within.”At his pre-tournament press conference, Rohit had advocated for continuity, and he stuck to it through the Asia Cup. India gave six straight opportunities to Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav to further strengthen their cases for a middle-order berth with next year’s World Cup in mind.Among them, Rayudu displayed his versatility in batting at different positions. He scored a half-century apiece as an opener and at No. 3 against Afghanistan and Hong Kong respectively, while Karthik made 146 runs in five innings at No. 4, largely playing the role of an accumulator on sluggish surfaces where batting required a certain degree of patience and calm. Those included scores of 33, 31*, 1*, 44 and 37. Jadhav impressed with his wicket-taking abilities in the middle overs, apart from making a crucial unbeaten 23 in the final despite an injured right hamstring.”I think we pretty much have clarity. Those at No. 4 and No. 6 need to get more games as the World Cup comes closer,” Rohit said. “It’s too early to judge or say they’ve sealed the spot. I shouldn’t be saying that because right now is not the time. The next few tournaments that we’re going to play will probably be ideal for us to judge as a management and see where they stand.Associated Press

“When we came here, I wanted to give them the assurance first that they will play all the games. That’s how you make players. You give them the assurance of going and playing freely without taking pressure. If you know that you’re going to be dropped after two games, it’s not easy for anyone. I think it is important to keep that team consistently going, and that is something that we spoke at the start of the tournament. I wanted to give everybody a fair run and play more games. That’s how you will understand a player’s capability because in one-odd game you can’t judge. You need quite a few games.”Rohit himself registered scores of 23, 52, 83*, 111* and 48, thereby proving captaincy had little effect on his batting. He delivered two half-century opening stands and a double-century opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan, all in match-winning causes. The flip side of this consistency was less-than-ideal batting time for the middle order.The near-failed chase against Afghanistan in a tie and their mini-collapse in the final notwithstanding, Rohit was reasonably happy with the middle order’s performances. “As far as the batting goes, middle order didn’t get as many chances as we wanted them to, because the top-order batsmen batted quite a lot in the tournament,” Rohit said. “But whenever they’ve got chances, they’ve shown signs of handling pressure well. It’s a different issue that they didn’t finish it off, but I think they handled the pressure well.”Kathik apart, the only batsman among those who played all matches to have not made a half-century was MS Dhoni. He started the tournament with a duck against Hong Kong, but showed glimpses of solidity in making 33 and 36 against Bangladesh in the Super Four game and the final, respectively. On Friday, Dhoni’s dismissal triggered a lower-order wobble that threatened to pull Bangladesh back into the contest, but India had vital lower-order partnerships involving Jadhav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Associated Press

Bhuvneshwar’s 31-ball 21 at No. 8 helped absorb pressure after India were 167 for 5 and Jadhav had hobbled off with a hamstring strain. Bhuvneshwar added 45 with Ravindra Jadeja, with the pair intent on strike rotation without taking too many gambles. In a sign of his improved power game, Bhuvneshwar also drilled an attempted yorker from Rubel Hossain over long-off for six with India needing 26 off 28.In just the one innings, he showed what India had missed all along while he was injured, a solid No. 8 who could provide the team batting cushion in situations like these. “Bhuvi is a very crucial member of the squad. Not just now, but for a few years,” Rohit said. “In Sri Lanka too, he got a fifty and had a big partnership with MS to win the game. Even today, his runs were so crucial.”He understands that the team wants him to bat as well, and not just bowl. If any player in your team can provide you with something else apart from their main skill, it makes your team better, so that’s what we all look forward to from each player. He takes his batting very seriously.”Rohit was effusive in his praise for Ravindra Jadeja, who made an ODI comeback at the Asia Cup after more than a year. In his very first outing, he bagged a four-for, while his fielding and lower-order batting – the knocks where he failed to finish off notwithstanding – providing soothing signs to a unit intent on finding back-ups for every spot. That Jadeja returned was because of Hardik Pandya’s back spasms that ruled him out of the competition.With the ball, Jadeja’s no-frills variety helped deliver crucial breakthroughs, but his impact on the field earned him plaudits. In the final, he intercepted a drive by putting in a full-length dive to his left at cover, before recovering quickly and having the presence of mind to fire a throw to the correct end. This resulted in the dismissal of the in-form Mohammad Mithun, paving way for a lower-order implosion that cost Bangladesh heavily.Rohit quickly corrected a query on Jadeja’s forced ODI break and then explained why he thought those performances mattered. “I don’t think it was a break, Jadeja was out of the team,” he clarified. “When you’re out, you have the fire inside you, that burning desire to make a comeback and prove to yourself, rather than proving to anyone else. I think he’s proved himself in this tournament that he’s much better than what he was before.”I clearly remember, he flew in the night before the first game and got four wickets immediately. Even today, he didn’t bowl 10 overs, but his batting and fielding abilities are very, very crucial to the team. I think what he did on the field, that run-out of Mithun was the turning point. I think that is something that gave us a way to come back into the game. Also as a team we understand what sort of a player he is, what he brings to the table. His batting again today, although he made around 25-odd, it was so crucial. In the context of a match, it was as good as scoring a half-century.”

She was suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect, on the same day that saw her named in the squad for the World T20

Liam Brickhill09-Oct-2018South Africa’s preparations for next month’s Women’s World T20 have been struck a major blow after offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe was found to have an illegal bowling action and was suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect. The ICC made the announcement on the same day that Ntozakhe was named in South Africa’s squad of 15 for the tournament.Ntozakhe was reported during the ODI against West Indies on September 16 in Barbados and had undergone an independent assessment of her bowling action on September 28 at the University of Pretoria. The assessment revealed that all of her deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.In accordance with ICC regulations, Ntozakhe’s international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction. However, she may still be able to bowl in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of Cricket South Africa, and can apply for a re-assessment after modifying her bowling action.CSA has taken immediate steps to work with Ntozakhe’s remodelling of her action, and she will be based at the CSA Centre of Excellence, working with High Performance manager Vincent Barnes.*”The timing of this issue for Raisibe and for our World T20 squad is clearly inopportune but we need to deal with it,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “We will work hard to remedy her action and have her retested as soon as practically possible. We are fortunate to have invested in an ICC accredited laboratory in South Africa and this will certainly make a quick turnaround possible.”South Africa’s national selection panel is mulling possible replacement options for the Women’s World T20, and an announcement is expected to be made shortly. Should CSA name a replacement player prior to the start of the Women’s World T20 support period on 2 November 2018, it will not require approval from the Event Technical Committee.