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A disciplined bowling effort from India’s seamers led England to scale back their usual aggressive intent

Matt Roller10-Jul-20251:21

Manjrekar in praise of Root’s batting

Shubman Gill declared the return of “boring Test cricket” but England did not care. They scored uncharacteristically slowly – at just 3.02 runs per over – and ground their way into the ascendancy on their slowest-scoring full day of the Bazball era, as Joe Root reached the close a run short of his 37th Test century and his eighth at Lord’s.”Baz-Baz-Bazball! Come on, I want to see it,” Mohammed Siraj was heard telling Root over the stump microphones, as England put their attacking shots away during a wicketless second session. “No more entertaining cricket, lads,” Gill told his team-mates, after Ollie Pope left the ball alone outside his off stump. “Welcome back to the boring Test cricket.”Boring suited England just fine. The crowd at Lord’s was probably anticipating a very different day when they cheered Ben Stokes’ decision to bat after winning his third consecutive toss, but a sluggish surface and a disciplined bowling effort from India’s seamers – including the returning Jasprit Bumrah – led England to scale back their usual aggressive intent.Related

• Reddy credits Cummins and Morkel for bowling improvement

• For Crawley and Pope, the struggle gets real

• Bumrah and Root show their class on bizarre Bazwalling day

• England sweat on Ben Stokes as spectre of injury looms

• Pant suffers blow to finger, Jurel called up as substitute keeper

But India will be heartened by the fact that after a long day in the field, they have kept England in check. The bowling heroes of their 336-run win at Edgbaston, Siraj and Akash Deep, both went wicketless, but timely scalps for Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and two in an over from Nitish Kumar Reddy ensured that England never got away from them.Root walked in straight after Reddy’s first over, which accounted for both England openers and saw Gill drop a tough chance off Pope in the gully, and quickly got his head down. He put on 109 with Pope for the third wicket, then an unbroken 79 with Stokes for the fifth – though Stokes’ apparent groin issue could become a major worry.India had their own injury problem to worry about: Rishabh Pant tried to grimace through the pain after being struck on the index finger as he tried to gather a rare loose ball from Bumrah, but instead spent the last 49 overs off the field. But Dhruv Jurel proved an able deputy, taking a fine catch to dismiss Pope as Jadeja found his outside edge with the first ball after tea.0:57

What explains England’s ‘Blockball’ approach?

Brendon McCullum ordered a pitch with “plenty of life in it” after England’s heavy defeat at Edgbaston but his plea either arrived too late or fell on deaf ears. It was clear within an over that this was a slow surface, with Ben Duckett edging through to Pant on the half-volley; Bumrah, who replaced Prasidh Krishna, immediately called for the slip cordon to stand closer.Duckett was repeatedly struck on the body in the first hour as Bumrah nipped the new ball off the seam, while Crawley was frenetic. He changed his guard several times and threw his hands at the ball; while he nailed three cover drives, he slashed another over the slips and regularly played and missed at both Akash Deep and Siraj.But it was Reddy, wicketless in Birmingham, who made the breakthroughs. He struck first with perhaps the worst ball of the morning, a long-hop on Duckett’s hip which he under-edged to Pant on the pull, but then dismissed Crawley with one of the best, a wicked outswinger which angled in then shaped away late to take the outside edge.Pope was reprieved by Gill in between those two dismissals and batted as though determined to live up to his tag – coined by Steve James in the – as “the worst starter since prawn cocktail”. But he made it through to lunch unscathed, and dug in alongside Root after the interval; early in the second session, they went 28 consecutive balls without scoring.1:15

Manjrekar: India introduced spin very late

Root, the senior pro, recognised that the best way to play Bumrah was from the non-striker’s end: he faced only two balls of his five-over spell after lunch, pinching singles to give Pope the strike back. They added 70 in a sleepy second session, as India’s seamers hung the ball wide outside off stump and waited for a mistake which didn’t come.It finally arrived straight after tea, as Pope flashed hard at Jadeja and edged through to Jurel. He stood disconsolate, bent over his bat handle in disbelief that he had thrown his wicket away. India had another soon after, as the battle between the ICC’s No. 1-ranked Test batter and bowler ended swiftly: Bumrah nipped one back off the seam to peg Harry Brook’s off stump back.Stokes was underway early with consecutive cuts for four, but looked uncomfortable against spin once more and survived an lbw shout from Reddy via DRS thanks only to the on-field umpire’s call. He was in obvious discomfort after a leave against Reddy, but batted on getting treatment from England’s physio during another long delay.Root, meanwhile, cruised along as he does, only once putting his foot down with a rasping slog-sweep off Jadeja. He was a boundary away from his hundred in the final over of the day but could only manage a two and then a single. History bodes well: the previous 16 men to sleep on 99 in Test cricket have all reached three figures the following morning.

Tells former team-mate Michael Holding who could be the future of WI’s fast bowling

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jun-20202:35

Andy Roberts: ‘You cannot coach people to bowl fast’

Former West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts has said that Oshane Thomas will be the first name he will “pencil” in for West Indies’ final Test squad for the three-match series in England, which begins in Southampton from July 8. Speaking to his former West Indies team-mate Michael Holding, Roberts also predicted the young pair of Alzarri Joseph and Chemar Holder could grow to become the “backbone” of West Indies’ fast-bowling attack “within the next five-six years.”All three fast bowlers are part of the enlarged squad of 25 players that landed in Manchester on June 8. But while Joseph and Holder are part of the 14-man primary squad, Thomas – along with Shannon Gabriel – is part of the 11 reserves.ALSO READ – Oshane Thomas: ‘Test cricket is what you want to play to be great’According to Roberts, Thomas has the most basic skill of fast bowling, which at the same time is also unique: “pace”. Roberts believed that it could be turned into a “weapon” when used wisely.”Oshane Thomas would probably be the first name I would pencil on this tour because he has what others want: he has pace,” Roberts said in an episode on Holding’s YouTube channel aired on June 20. “And you should always have somebody like that on your team so that he can create uneasiness amongst batsmen.”Holding himself had said recently he was “a little bit surprised” to not find Thomas amongst the primary Test squad of 14, especially after he had gained prominence as one of the fastest bowlers in the previous year. Thomas has also talked up his desire to make his Test debut because that is the format where “greats” are recognised.ALSO READ – Thomas interview: ‘When I look in a batsman’s eyes and see fear, it’ll pump me up to bowl even faster’The current West Indies fast-bowling contingent is led by Kemar Roach along with captain Jason Holder and Gabriel. However, it is the pool of young fast bowlers like Joseph, Chemar and Thomas that has given the Caribbean selectors renewed hope that West Indies’ pace attack could be built into the sort of formidable unit that was championed once by Roberts and Holding.”I am glad to see there is a sort of a resurgence in the last couple of months, not years, just the last couple of months – there are some youngsters are coming through and I hope that we don’t try and expect too much off them too soon,” Roberts said.He also had a word of advice for the young fast bowlers – he wanted them to use their pace smartly and not let it go to waste. “Alzarri is a good youngster coming up. He has some pace, but I don’t think at the moment he is bowling genuinely fast,” Roberts said. “At the [Under-19] Youth World Cup (2016) I think he was bowling faster than he is now. Maybe if he has some experience and he can bowl within himself and produce the odd fast ball which is required. Because I don’t think anyone should try to bowl every ball at 90 mph. I would like to see the youngsters learn (that).”If you have a 95 mph ball in your armoury, that is a weapon. And you need to use [that] sparingly. You need to have the batsman just guessing: when is this faster ball going to come? Then there is young Chemar Holder. I saw a bit of him and I think he, to me, along with Alzarri will be the backbone of West Indies fast bowling within the next five or six years. I’m hoping that I don’t talk too soon. But you need to have two genuine fast bowlers who can bowl in pairs.”Roberts said Roach was a certainty along with Jason to lead the fast-bowling attack. He was unsure whether Chemar would be ready to be blooded on this tour, but felt Thomas could compete with Gabriel for a slot in the team.”I don’t know how fit Gabriel will be because he hasn’t played since last September,” he said. “And he is not one of the most athletic of our bowlers.”‘Batting to come good’Asked by Holding how West Indies could retain the Wisden Trophy, Roberts said that was possible only by playing “good all-round” cricket. According to him, West Indies’ batting remained a concern especially against the “short” delivery.”I hear many people are talking now about the strength of the fast bowling unit, but then we cannot forget the bating because we are not playing against ourselves,” Roberts said. “And England, at the moment, have some very good fast bowlers. Along with the two old stagers [Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad] they have two youngsters in [Jofra] Archer and [Mark] Wood. We have to be very careful because you know some of our youngsters in the region don’t play the short ball as well as we think they should. And so, first, the batting to come good on that tour.”The West Indies selection panel, led by former offspinner Roger Harper, was forced to ring in some last-minute changes after Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer had opted out of the England tour because of health concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently Holding had said that it was “unfortunate” for both batsmen especially Bravo, who has struggled to find consistency, to miss out on the England tour.Roberts agreed, saying: “They would have played an integral part of the batting. As much as we don’t like the way Hetmyer has been playing, he is one of the batsmen for the future. But somebody has to get into his head and let him realise that you can’t score runs sitting in the pavilion.”According to Roberts, the challenge for most West Indies batsmen was they “don’t really train and practise enough to work the ball into gaps. We believe in boundaries.”West Indies coach Phil Simmons had admitted recently that batting was an area that West Indies needed to strengthen to compete in England. Key concern for Simmons would be the form of his two senior batsmen: vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope – both of whom were the best batsmen on West Indies’ previous visit to England, which they lost 2-1 after a thrilling victory in the second Test in Leeds.While Hope has failed to score another ton, after becoming the first batsman to record twin centuries in the same Test at Headingley, Brathwaite has averaged 25.33 in his last 20 Tests.”If our fast-bowling unit can click then may have some hope, but I am not going to put too much emphasis on our batting,” Roberts said. “Speaking, just by listening, watching and hearing people talk about these batsmen that we have there isn’t much to shout about.”

Arish Ali’s four-for on debut in vain for Quetta Gladiators, who finish season with only four points

Varun Shetty19-Jun-2021Karachi Kings completed the win they needed to make it to the qualifiers, edging Lahore Qalandars on net run-rate after they swept Quetta Gladiators aside by 14 runs on the last day of the group stage. After putting up 176, the Kings needed to defend 32 off the last over with Jack Wildermuth on strike; a delicious bit of symmetry after Danish Aziz had smoked 32 off the bowler during their batting innings – in a 33-run over – to completely change the course of the game. That blitz, a 13-ball 45, propelled the Kings to a total that was too much for the Gladiators, who finished the season with only two wins in ten games.Naseem goes off, Danish goes boom
After taking the ball to start the 19th over, the Gladiators’ Naseem Shah began hobbling immediately. He could barely get a few steps into his run-up, possibly because of cramp on a hot day, and the ball eventually went to Wildermuth, who had struggled early on and struggled once again.Danish, who got an inside edge for four first ball, took complete control – hitting the next four balls for six. The last of them came off a slower-ball-turned-beamer as Danish managed to hoick it over the long leg boundary. It was 29 off four balls at the point, and suddenly there was a very real possibility of six sixes in a row, not to mention an over going for 41 runs. Wildermuth might have been pleased those deliveries ended up going for only four. But the match had swung – 136 for 5 in 18 overs became 176 for 6 in 20.A chase that never took offThe Kings began their defence with captain Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, who went for a combined seven runs. That seemed to set the tone right at the start, as the Gladiators never looked like challenging the bowling till the very end. Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 51 off 33 was a good knock, but neither he nor anyone else in the middle order looked capable of breaking the shackles through the middle overs. The Kings’ spinners didn’t extract as much turn or gain as much control as the Gladiators’ spinners had done. Instead, the win was rooted mostly in the performances of their frontline pacers – Amir, with his economy and a second consecutive slog-overs performance of high quality; Mohammad Ilyas, who picked wickets almost every time he came on; and Arshad Iqbal, whose skiddy, back-of-a-length plan that looked unplayable in the early stages of the innings.The wickets always seemed to be around the corner, despite a rather safe approach to the chase. The one instance of a batter being fearless came late, with Hassan Khan swinging his bat around for a 15-ball 24; but even after that injection of momentum, the score was 123 for 5 in 16.5 overs when he fell. That was indicative of the Gladiators pretty much always being behind the rate in chase.All spin and a dream debut for Arish AliA lot of the Kings’ early runs and momentum came with sixes from Sharjeel Khan, even though both he and Babae Azam struggled for fluency during their 71-run stand. The pitch wasn’t one for free-flowing shots, and Sarfraz brought offspinner Abdul Nasir on in the sixth over. Until the 17th over it was only spin, with left-arm spinners Hassan and Arish Ali filling bowling out their overs. Only 83 came in those 12 overs.The Gladiators came into this game with nothing to play for, which allowed them to play a second emerging player in the XI alongside Khurram Shahzad. Arish hadn’t played at senior level before, but went away with an impressive haul and a statement before the next season.Arish came on in the 11th over, after Abdul Nasir had strangled the Kings and dismissed Azam the previous over. Martin Guptill gave him a wicket off his very first ball, lofting a full one straight to long-off. Sharjeel was already in at this point, and was looking to push on against the left-arm spinner. But he only managed a chopped four past short third before playing on attempting the same shot again, the result of a simple plan from Arish – spin it in from outside off against the left-handers on a pitch that was offering grip and turn.With the Kings trying to rebuild, Arish was in his element. In the end, Najibullah Zadran chopped him on trying the late cut as well. With the way he was going, Sarfraz even asked him to come on in the 17th for his last over – and that resulted in the wicket of Imad, caught at long-on. That made it three left-handers dismissed on his first day in senior cricket.

South Africa captain says lack of match awareness and match fitness also played a role coming into the series

Firdose Moonda30-Dec-20212:29

Cullinan: SA ‘not following the basic principles of Test cricket’

Lack of runs in their first innings rather than leaking runs in India’s first cost South Africa the opening Test against India, according to captain Dean Elgar. After conceding 272 for 3 on the first day, thanks largely to a wayward morning with the ball, South Africa went on to take 7 for 49 on the third to bowl India out for 327. They were then dismissed for 197, where Elgar said the match was lost.”You need runs to compete and it’s safe to say we didn’t get that in our first innings,” Elgar said. “They bowled well with the new ball and the nature of Test cricket is that you’ve got to compete against the new ball. The way they started was something we struggled against. We know what it’s like scoring 250-plus runs here.”Just last year, South Africa piled on 621 runs on this ground, albeit against an under-strength Sri Lankan attack, and in four of their last five Tests here, they scored over 250 in the first innings. That they went on to win all those matches makes clear the importance of first innings runs, but for that you need a strong and somewhat reliable line-up, which can only be achieved with regular competitive game time against quality opposition.South Africa have only played six Tests this year, the last one six months ago. There have only been four rounds of domestic first-class cricket and of this squad only Duanne Olivier and Keegan Petersen played in all four.There is an obvious lack of match time, which both vice-captain Temba Bavuma and Elgar recognise as a weakness.”Playing four or five-day cricket is something you can’t replace but the schedule doesn’t allow for our players to play a lot of first-class cricket,” Elgar said. “So there’s a little bit of (a lack of) match awareness and match fitness. It’s by no means an excuse. We knew that coming into the series. There’s a lot of learning for us that the basics of the game still applies. I don’t think we had that with regards to the batting.”You may immediately ask why Petersen, the only one who played in this Test who has sufficient match practice to his name, was not more successful but there’s a reason for that too. South Africa’s opening stand has been particularly poor and has not crossed double figures in the three Tests Petersen has played.”KP has come in and played in three Tests matches and the three batting conditions that he has experienced have been relatively tough,” Elgar said. “He has had a bit of a rough start and it doesn’t reflect on him as a player. He is an extremely talented player – one of our better players in the first-class system. The stats don’t reflect his ability. I feel for him. I know he wants to make a play and is maybe a little bit anxious. We need to, as a leadership group, try and give him a better opportunity to try and contribute.”Dean Elgar: “In Test cricket facing the new ball and opening is not easy”•AFP via Getty Images

In order for that to happen, Elgar and Aiden Markram have to start better, which they know but can’t guarantee. “In Test cricket facing the new ball and opening is not easy. You get a good ball and you go and sit and watch the rest of the game. That’s the nature of the beast,” Elgar said. “Aiden and I have had the rough of the green but we are very mindful that we need to start well.”Another option is to swap Petersen with the (slightly more) experienced Rassie van der Dussen. “It is something that will be a conversation,” Elgar said.So will changes to the lower order. Olivier should be available for selection and should be an automatic pick at the Wanderers. Ordinarily, that would mean leaving out his replacement Marco Jansen. But the 21-year-old acquitted himself so well in his first Test that the discussion will turn to whether Wiaan Mulder, playing as an allrounder but not really contributing with the bat, should be benched to give Jansen the chance to stake a claim in that position.”Wiaan had a pretty good game with the ball. He is not living up to his standards with the bat which is something we will chat to him about,” Elgar said. “In this environment you have to have those open conversations in order for this environment to grow and for individuals to grow. Marco had a brilliant debut. He was our player of the game. And he came into a really tough situation. He didn’t shy away from his responsibilities within the side.”And Elgar is not hiding from his – as captain of a team that has to turn the corner soon and is feeling more and more sure that they can in three days’ time. “I don’t think we’ll lack any confidence heading into Johannesburg but it’s never nice losing a game especially when we know where we went wrong,” Elgar said. “It’s difficult to correct those wrongs during a game, but building into the second Test, we’ll have some time to reflect around what has happened.”

England Test coach says boards must “work with leagues” so best players remain available for international cricket

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-May-2023England Test head coach Brendon McCullum believes international boards, including the ECB, would be “completely naive” to assume their stars would turn down longterm franchise contracts.Recent reports have suggested that IPL teams are in talks with a number of English cricketers to sign annual deals. Given their investments across other tournaments such as the CPL, SA20, ILT20, Abu Dhabi T10 and the upcoming Major League Cricket in the United States, franchise owners have been working towards a situation where they can extend control over their most valuable assets beyond three months of the year.At the time of writing, it is understood no formal offers have been made to English players. However, Test nations such as South Africa and West Indies have long been at the mercy of franchise competitions when it comes to controlling the movement of their own players, and it seems only a matter of time before the likes of Australia and England must face a similar reality.Related

• McCullum puts faith in CSK to keep Stokes' Ashes ambitions on track

• Key: 'I thought, what's the worst that could happen?'

• Welcome to the IPL, England-style

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, England men’s managing director Rob Key spoke of boards needing to work with players regarding franchise competitions for their own good: “You’re never going to compete financially with these competitions. So you’ve got to try and find a way to actually make sure that you do retain control of those players.”Speaking to SENZ Radio in New Zealand, McCullum echoed those sentiments, urging professional empathy in a fast-changing landscape.”The last few years, there’s been a shifting of the sand somewhat around international cricket,” McCullum said.”We’d be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge amounts of money on longterm contracts for a lot less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket. Those days are fast approaching to be over. It’s definitely a shifting landscape and you’ve just got to be fluid.”What you’ve got to do is you’ve got to work with these players, you got to work with these leagues and try and allow, ideally, players to have their cake and eat it too because you want your best players playing.”The ECB’s more open approach when it comes to the IPL is reflective of the fact it sees no gain in maintaining England’s early antagonism to the competition. This year’s edition has seen a record 17 Englishman contracted, most notably Test skipper Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Harry Brook, who all signed on seven-figure deals.Brook, who has taken Test cricket by storm, is currently on an incremental contract with the ECB, earning around £60,000 (US$75,000) for representing England. That his deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad is £1.3 million (US$1.6 million) speaks of the disparity. While it is due to be rectified in the next round of central contract handouts at the end of the summer, particularly given Brook’s role as a multi-format batter, it is unlikely to be more than the eye-catching figure of his first IPL season.McCullum, however, does not anticipate a situation where he will not be able to call upon his best Test players in the near future. Indeed, he feels making international cricket a more enjoyable and meaningful experience can be an easy remedy as opposed to adopting a hardline stance on those who want to indulge in franchise cricket.”How much fun they’ve had, how much those experiences which they’ve been able to get in an England shirt is so great that they are prepared to continue to put their yards [in] even though it might not be as financially viable as some of the other leagues,” McCullum said.”I think we are a little bit lucky, too, because the amount of money that we can pay players is better than some of the other boards around the world. It’s not good enough to say ‘You know what, if they don’t want to play international cricket for us, then bugger them, we’ll move on and find someone different’.”As a spectator, you want to see the best players in the world representing their countries.”

The head coach also backed captain Sarfaraz Ahmed for his wicketkeeping form over recent months

Umar Farooq08-Feb-2019With under four months to go for the World Cup in England, Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has said the selectors and team management will look at the upcoming PSL and the ODI series against Australia before finalising a squad of 15 for the global tournament. Pakistan play 10 ODIs before the World Cup – five against Australia in the UAE after the PSL and five in England in May – and Arthur said he and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq had 19 players in mind and would want to have two game plans in place for the conditions in England during the summer.”Inzi and I have been on the same page for a long while here. And I’m going to be honest because I’ve told the boys in the dressing room the same thing the other night,” Arthur said in Lahore after returning from South Africa. “I think we’ve got probably 19 players for 15 positions. PSL always throws up one or two good individual performers, so we are going to have a look at some of our borderline players, the guys that we are not sure about. We have to look at them during the Australian series and then we will make our minds up leading into England, obviously we will be taking 15 there. The key is players get clarity in terms of their roles and role clarity is particularly important.”Pakistan have given opportunities to youngsters with the advent of the PSL in the last couple of years. With the T20 league starting in under a week, players will want to impress the selectors particularly for slots in the middle order and the fast-bowling attack. The current probables for the pace attack comprise Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Usman Shinwari and bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf. Among the spinners, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim are the likely candidates to make the trip to England.”The other thing that’s important for us is having an option with two game plans,” Arthur said. “I’m saying two game plans because the weather in England at any given time is very unpredictable, so we need an option where we have our spinners, who are able to suffocate through the middle [overs] because the key for us to win one-day games is about taking wickets through that middle period.”Either we do that with two spinners or little bit of reverse-swing if the weather stays dry, or if the weather is wet over that period of time there we have to have an option of a seam-bowling allrounder who can come in and bat at No. 7 for us. So we’re very close, we’ve covered all our bases in terms of our personnel at the moment.”Pakistan fought hard against South Africa in the ODIs, losing the series 3-2, but their form since they won the Champions Trophy in June 2017 hasn’t been impressive. They have won 15 of their 27 completed matches since then, completing series wins only against Sri Lanka, ranked eighth, and Zimbabwe. In this time they were also blanked 5-0 in New Zealand a year ago, won matches only against Hong Kong and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup in September, and drew the three-match series 1-1 against New Zealand in the UAE in November.AFP

Looking back at the South Africa tour, where Pakistan lost the Test series 3-0, ODIs 3-2 and T20Is 2-1, Arthur said he was proud of the way the team showed their “passion” and “intensity”.”I just think it is really important that I reiterate how proud I am of the cricket team,” he said. “We were two months away on the road. Four-and-a-half months away is a hell of a long time and the intensity and the passion that these guys trained with has been fantastic. So, look I am very very proud, players are very proud, of the development of the lot of our young players.”We’ve played the most cricket over the last four-and-a-half months than any other team in the world. That’s not an excuse, I’m not using it as an excuse because that’s the way it is. We’ve got to handle that. India have a large pool of players available to them. We didn’t rotate our players as much because we are in a process, we need to educate them in all conditions so that’s exactly the decision we’ve made.”Our planning is done. We’ve got our schedules, we’ve got everything in place leading upto the World Cup. Myself, Inzamam and Sarfaraz [Ahmed] have been completely united in the process that we are going forward.”Even though Sarfaraz’s own form has been under scrutiny, he recently got the backing of the PCB to lead the team in the World Cup. He has averaged only 26.62 in 12 ODI innings over the last year, scoring only one half-century. But with his replacement Mohammad Rizwan not impressing much with the bat in two ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa, the pressure on Sarfaraz was not mounting and Arthur, too, backed the captain primarily for his wicketkeeping skills and form.”It’s very simple, we need to be very fluid with out game plans,” Arthur said. “Sarfaraz has done exceptional work for us up and down the order. I think the thing that we’ve got to realise is over a long tour, form comes and goes and players start playing well and then they slip off the radar a little bit, and we need to then be able to send our form players at any given minute. In terms of fluidity in our batting order it’s whoever is in form and what that situation demands at that particular time. If you see all the best teams in the world have the ability to be flexible. We’re trying to be as flexible as we can. If we didn’t give the opportunity to players in those positions we wouldn’t know.”Understand that Sarfaraz’s first and foremost thing is captain and wicketkeeper, people forget wicketkeeping is a specialist position. Sarfaraz’s numbers over the last four-and-a-half months are mindblowing, one catch dropped, one stumping missed. I can tell you I did the research on the plane coming last night, he’s dropped eight balls in four-and-a-half months, so he is not out of form in his core job. His core job is to keep wickets and to take the catches and make the stumpings, he’s done a job over four-and-a-half months.”Sarfaraz will be the first one to admit that his batting form has come and gone. We have worked exceptionally hard on Sarfaraz’s batting going forward. When Sarfaraz plays well, he wins games for us. I want to reiterate I am not worried about Sarfaraz’s form. Sarfaraz Ahmed is a very very good cricketer. He and I work incredibly close together, we’ve got very close working relationship, as good as I had with any captain. I just need to put that to bed.”

Phoenix make it two wins from two games after unbroken partnership worth 78

Charlie Peters15-Aug-2022Birmingham Phoenix cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Trent Rockets at Edgbaston after an astonishing collapse from the visitors saw them slip from 70 for 1 to a sub-par total of 116 for 9.Emily Arlott was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 for 19 including the key scalp of captain Nat Sciver, and was ably supported by Georgia Elwiss and Sophie Molineux, who picked up two wickets apiece for the home side.Rockets never really looked as if they had an answer for the Phoenix’s all-round bowling brilliance, with all bar three batters failing to post double-digit scores.Phoenix then cantered home with the bat in reply, Amy Jones and Ellyse Perry posting an unbeaten 44 and 39 respectively to secure an undefeated start to the season for Phoenix.Rockets initially struggled to find any form of momentum in their innings. Molineux’s first set of 10 deliveries cost her just six runs inside the powerplay, and included the wicket of Bryony Smith for 1, leaving the visitors teetering at 1 for 1.Sciver, making her first Hundred appearance of 2022, and Elyse Villani were then able to build a solid foundation, taking the Rockets up to 70 for 1 thanks to their half-century partnership. It was a partnership of stability rather than intent, however, and when Villani holed out to Perry at long on off the bowling of Elwiss, it signalled the start of a miserable collapse for the away side.Sciver departed not long after for an uncharacteristically quiet run-a-ball 31, before overseas star Mignon du Preez hooked an Issy Wong short ball straight into the hands of Gwen Davies for just 2. Only Kathryn Bryce, Rockets’ No. 10, could register double digits as the visitors crumbled to an under par 116 for 9.Phoenix didn’t exactly get off to a flyer in reply, but then they had no need to with such a low total to chase. Sophie Devine holed out attempting to line up Sciver and departed for 16, while Eve Jones went for 11 not long after, but from then on it was plain sailing. No real risks were required, and Perry and Amy Jones were able to manipulate the field and pick up singles for much of the middle of the innings.Amy Jones in particular looked in fine touch, as she racked up her 44 off 32 deliveries. A succession of glorious shots off England’s Sarah Glenn flew off the bat and over the boundary rope for four to bring her side within touching distance of victory. The second, a reverse-paddle past point, stood out as a moment of brilliance in a largely jeopardy-free chase, as she and Perry accelerated at the death to see them over the line with nine balls to spare.Not even last week’s hat-trick hero Alana King could provide enough magic stardust to successfully defend the total the Rockets had posted earlier. Glenn and Katherine Brunt, too, were unable to find that all important breakthrough, and both finished wicketless as the Phoenix simply proved too much to handle.

The fast bowler bagged his fourth ten-wicket match haul in first-class cricket as Tasmania began their season with a 246-run victory

The Report by Alex Malcolm19-Oct-2018Jackson Bird celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

A seam-bowling masterclass from Jackson Bird helped Tasmania rout Queensland in their opening Sheffield Shield clash of the season at the Gabba.Bird took 5 for 42 in the second innings to complete his fourth ten-wicket match haul in first-class cricket after claiming 5 for 35 in the first innings in a worthy Player-of-the-Match performance.Queensland, the defending champions who beat Tasmania in last year’s final, began the fourth day needing 311 for an unlikely victory with eight wickets in hand.But the chase never got off the ground as six of the last nine batsmen failed to reach double figures. Luke Feldman made the second-highest score of the innings with 12 not out after Joe Burns posted 16 on the third evening.Bird rattled through the middle order with surgical precision. Charlie Hemphrey, Sam Heazlett, Nathan McSweeney and Jack Wildermuth were all caught behind the wicket to leave the Bulls decimated at 6 for 58.There was no rearguard action from the lower order with Gabe Bell and Tom Rogers finishing the job. Bell finished with 4 for 17 as Queensland were all out for 93. Only two Bulls players, McSweeney and Jimmy Peirson, managed to make more than 18 in either innings on their seaming home track.

While Australia are overseas playing ODIs there is much at stake for a number of domestic players in the final month of the season

Alex Malcolm22-Feb-20192:26

Siddle sees positives in lack of recent cricket

Batsmen

(Stats: leading run scorers)Marcus HarrisThe left-hander looked a lock for the Ashes series at the end of the Sydney Test having been the best performer against a top-quality India attack. But his failure to convert starts in that series came back to bite him in the two Tests against Sri Lanka and with the return of David Warner he may yet be forced out. There is no doubt the talent is there, he reached 20 in seven of his 11 Test innings, but only twice did he reach 50. He is the equal second leading run-scorer in the Shield this season with 501 runs having played four fewer innings than the leader Matthew Wade, who has made 572.Joe BurnsAfter being left out for the UAE tour and the India series Burns was finally recalled against Sri Lanka and made the most of the opportunity posting 180 in the second Test in Canberra. He now has four Test hundreds in 16 Test matches yet, somehow, he’s still not a certainty for England. His Shield record overall is what propelled him back into the Test side and he should score runs in the back half of the season. Significant scores in any of the games will carry extra weight and further reinforce his Ashes credentials.Marnus LabuschagneCompared to some others it might be harder for Labuschagne to miss the Ashes tour than to make it based on the positive reviews he has received following his performances in the last three Tests of the summer. He was a Test incumbent at the start of the Shield but a lean start meant he missed out until being somewhat surprisingly recalled for the fourth Test against India and he then made 81 at against Sri Lanka at the Gabba to shore up his place. His record against the Dukes ball in Shield cricket is solid with 707 runs at 39.30.

Sheffield Shield squads

New South Wales Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Greg West
Western Australia Hilton Cartwright (capt), Cameron Bancroft, William Bosisto, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Bradley Hope, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Lance Morris, Liam O’Connor, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Sam Whiteman
Victoria Travis Dean (capt), Scott Boland, Andrew Fekete, Seb Gotch, Marcus Harris, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Will Pucovski, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Cameron White
Queensland James Peirson (capt), Joe Burns, Luke Feldman, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Michael Neser,Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson
South Australia Travis Head (capt), Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Jake Lehmann, Conor McInerney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Chadd Sayers, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter
Tasmania Matthew Wade (capt), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Tim Paine, Alex Pyecroft, Tom Rogers, Jordan Silk, Charlie Wakim

Kurtis PattersonAn unbeaten century in his last Test innings against Sri Lanka will be hard to ignore. He will at the very least go on the Australia A tour. The last four Shield games are a chance to really bed down an Ashes berth. Steve Smith’s return means one of the incumbents in Australia’s Test middle order is likely to miss out in the first Ashes Test plus the ever-present need for an allrounder always means the sixth batsman is vulnerable. Patterson can alleviate any doubts with a stack of runs.Matt RenshawHe finds himself on the outside looking in after being in the squad for the Sri Lanka series but missing out on selection. He found some good form in the closing stages of the BBL tournament and he played well at the end of the last Shield season scoring three centuries post-BBL. Like Burns, he has the challenge of two games at the Gabba and one at the WACA as well one against Victoria.Will PucovskiAll eyes will be on Pucovski in the last four games of the season. He has yet to play two games in a row this season at domestic level and only played two Shield games out of six before the BBL-break due to mental health issues. He has only had four innings in matches since Christmas, two for his club side in Melbourne and two for the Cricket Australia XI. How Pucovski handles four straight games and maybe a final, could determine whether he heads on the Australia A tour.Matthew WadeChairman of selectors Trevor Hohns explained Wade’s omission from the Test squad was partly due to him batting too low in the order for Tasmania. He will get a chance higher up the order, likely at No. 4, with Tim Paine back as wicketkeeper batsman and George Bailey injured. He has an opportunity to do something no player has done in Sheffield Shield cricket for four years: score 1000 runs. Not since Adam Voges and Michael Klinger both did it in 2014-15 has the mark been crossed. It was enough to earn Voges an Australia call-up aged 35. If it’s not enough to get Wade to England then the chorus of criticism from the public and media will reach an unprecedented level.Mitchell MarshHe started the summer as Australia’s new vice-captain and now he finds himself in no man’s land, out of favour for all three formats and unsure of his place in Australian cricket. To make matters worse he will miss WA’s first Shield game following the BBL break after suffering a nasty groin injury. He may need more runs and wickets than most to be recalled after failing to capitalise on his opportunities over the last 12 months.Daniel Worrall celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Bowlers

(Stats: leading wicket-takers)Peter SiddleSiddle has been a victim of his own success in that his trustworthiness and return to form led to him being included in all Australian squads across the summer but he ended up carrying drinks more than playing. Now he gets the chance to settle in for Victoria and bowl a lot of overs with the Dukes balls which will suit him perfectly. He was superb for Essex in England last year taking 37 wickets at 16.40 in just seven matches and he remains likely to be part of the Ashes touring squad.Chris TremainMuch like Wade, there’s nothing he can do other than pile up wickets in the hope of forcing the selectors hand through sheer volume of performances. He has dominated the Sheffield Shield over the last two seasons and is dueling teammate Scott Boland to be the leading wicket-taker once again.Scott BolandHe has been in tremendous form this season leading the Shield wicket-takers with 36 at 17.41. He didn’t get to play much in the back-end of the BBL season for Melbourne Stars and it will be interesting to see whether that affects his rhythm on return. He and Tremain might be in a straight shoot-out for a spot on the Australia A tour and the Ashes.Daniel WorrallThere has been a lot of discussion about Worrall’s chances for the Ashes tour. Injury will be the biggest issue. He is being rested from the first Shield game after the BBL due to concerns over his troubled back. If he can get up and going and play the last three games without interruption, and bowl well, he will almost certainly be part of the Australia A tour.Chadd SayersSayers has quickly become a forgotten man after making his Test debut in South Africa the match after the ball-tampering scandal and claiming the prized scalp of AB de Villiers. Since then he has played only three JLT Cup games and three Shield games earlier this season before needing minor surgery to fix a knee issue. He gets a chance to re-establish himself as one of Australia’s premier swing bowlers over the last four rounds to stake a claim for an Australia A berth.Jon Holland gives the ball a twirl•Getty Images

James PattinsonThe potential of having Pattinson join Australia’s already rapid attack has got tongues wagging. He made a cautious return to the Shield earlier this season after back problems before a side strain injury curtailed his BBL. He won’t be back until next month and remains a long-shot for the Ashes, but that is unlikely to stop the chatter if he gets among the wickets. Durability rather than wickets could be the deciding factor.Jon HollandHe was Australia’s second spinner in the UAE but has scarcely played in this home summer with three Shield games for Victoria out of six before the BBL and an outing for the CA XI where he claimed 4 for 28. How much bowling he gets between now and then might depend on the dominance of Victoria’s quicks, although they are playing on four flat pitches where his services will be needed in the third and fourth innings especially.Steve O’KeefeHe candidly admitted ahead of the BBL semi-final that his prospects of playing for Australia again are very unlikely. But Ashton Agar’s serious finger injury means that experienced spin options beyond Nathan Lyon and Holland are thin on the ground. O’Keefe’s record is exceptional and he can never be discounted.