Tag Futebol

Yorkshire’s dominance of the second day at Trent Bridge will have been watched with unease at Lord’s, Hove and Chester-le-Street

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge22-Aug-2013
>ScorecardSteve Patterson, Yorkshire’s unsung pace bowler, took five wickets in a Nottinghamshire collapse at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

Yorkshire’s dominance of the second day at Trent Bridge will have been watched with unease at Lord’s, Hove and Chester-le-Street. For those who still doubted as much, it amplified the fact that they are the team to beat for anyone with title aspirations.At some point on day three, barring unexpected defiance from a Nottinghamshire side that has thus far offered little, Yorkshire will add 23 points to their total and open up a 33-point gap between themselves and Sussex, who began the week in second place.That, in turn, will put pressure on Middlesex, who may struggle to save a draw at Derby, and Durham, who will need to beat Surrey to stay in touch, given that they travel to meet the leaders at Scarborough next week without their most potent fast-bowling threat, Graham Onions.Yorkshire need six wickets to secure an innings victory in what has been a performance befitting champions-elect. They have batted and bowled better than Nottinghamshire by a considerable margin and might have been heading back to Leeds already but for Andre Adams and one of their former players, Ajmal Shahzad, delaying the follow-on.Their top-order comprehensively demolished by Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Patterson, Nottinghamshire were 65-8 and threatened with the embarrassment of their lowest all-out total since Yorkshire dismissed them for 59 here in 2010 before the two bowlers began to out bat to ball, aided by a sloppy four-over spell from Liam Plunkett.Plunkett, the former Durham and England fast bowler has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes following his winter move to Headingley but not every day can go his way. Either side of a brief downpour, he bowled four overs for 46, teeing the ball up nicely for Adams to swing the bat, at which point Shahzad decided to do likewise.Adams hit three sixes — one of them caught, but out of bounds, by Adil Rashid — in his 39 off 17 balls. Between them, they propelled Nottinghamshire to 150 all out, which was still 257 runs fewer than Yorkshire had achieved but which at least was less embarrassing.Sidebottom, who knows the terrain here as well as anyone, took the key wickets, dismissing both Alex Hales and Michael Lumb without scoring and setting a trap into which Samit Patel obligingly fell when he chipped a catch to one of two short mid-wickets, taken above his head by Phil Jaques.Patterson, as ever the unsung workhorse in the Yorkshire attack, finished with a career-best 5 for 43. With 43 wickets at 19.6, he is the county’s leading wicket-taker in the Championship.Nottinghamshire did a little better following on, although the England trio of Hales, Lumb and Patel have already been and gone. Hales, who still cannot match his one-day-form with anything resembling progress in the red-ball game, was caught behind for the second time in the day, and Lumb somewhat tamely gave Plunkett a return catch. Patel might be counted as slightly unlucky, having fallen victim to a brilliant one-handed catch, falling backwards on the boundary, by substitute fielder Richard Pyrah when he hooked Plunkett.Sidebottom accounted for Steven Mullaney with a ball that the makeshift opener played all round and needs only one more wicket to equal the career first-class aggregate of 596 achieved by his father, Arnie.If they were lame with the bat, Nottinghamshire had also performed fairly dismally with the ball in the morning, when Jonny Bairstow risked following his omission by England with a cheap dismissal here but was rewarded for his boldness.His 62 from 80 deliveries, supported manfully by Patterson with the bat, steered Yorkshire to a fourth batting point. Indeed, they were not far from snatching a fifth, which would have been no mean feat for a side invited to bat first on one of the most taxing squares in the land.

Amrit Mathur, Delhi Daredevils’ consultant and former India team manager, said that it was impractical for franchises to form a formal body to educate and monitor players in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2013Amrit Mathur, Delhi Daredevils’ consultant and former India team manager, said that it was impractical for franchises to form a formal body to educate and monitor players in the IPL. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Mathur said that the concept of a formal body to control activities like spot-fixing would not be feasible as the franchises had control over players only during the tournament. Moreover, he said that incidents like these could not be completely eradicated but, with appropriate systems, could be controlled and reduced.”There’s no provision at the moment for a formal body. At the same time, there is a practical body in the sense that the teams have the players contracted with them for only 45 days,” Mathur said. “Beyond those 45 days, there is no relationship between the franchise and player. So if it’s the 46th day, and a team has to go to its captain, it’s on request mode. If we’re with a player only for 45 days, there’s nothing we can do beyond that. The players are busy, they have no relationship with you, so what kind of programmes or education or anything can you do? It doesn’t work.”Mathur also said there was very little administrators could do in the spot-fixing situation, but advised that systems governing cricket could always be strengthened. “I don’t think the IPL or the BCCI could have done anything more once it was revealed such a thing happened. The IPL or the BCCI doesn’t have the tools or the ability to monitor or police this beyond a point. So, they have to go by what the investigations throw up in terms of evidence or offence of the individual is concerned.”The systems can be strengthened, there could be better monitoring and provisions to ensure such things don’t happen. It’s not that the IPL is not aware of the importance of keeping the league and tournament corruption-free of informing and warning the players of an act of this nature. Before the season, the anti-corruption unit meets each team separately, it’s a pretty serious exercise.”Mathur also stated that there was now a greater understanding of the problem of match-fixing because such incidents had occurred in India, on the county circuit in England and in Test cricket. “I think there is an understanding across the boards, across the countries, across the ICC, across the member nations that this is a serious issue. It will throw up wrong things from time to time and you have to be vigilant, you have to educate, you have to monitor. And at the same time, after all this, if somebody is caught doing it, there has to be some punishment.”Mathur stressed on the importance of a law in India that could enforce stricter punishments for spot-fixing and other related crimes.”That punishment, in England came through the court of law, not through the ECB. Similarly there has to be some procedure through which it comes to court of law in India,” Mathur said. “Apparently, earlier, there was some uncertainty about which provisions of the law does such an act attract. Ultimately, we were informed yesterday that it is under conspiracy and cheating, which do not attract very serious punishments.  So maybe down the line there could be a special legislation which enforces stricter punishments for spot-fixing or any crime of this nature.”In response to a question on how franchises perceived the threat of spot-fixing, Mathur admitted that while vigilance wasn’t as stringent in the first year, franchises began understanding that controversies like these would affect their business.”I think in year one it was just a mad scramble to get things rolling,” Mathur said. “But very soon the understanding reached everybody that: a) it is sport, you can’t have sport sallied by something like this and b) it’s a commercial venture, you invest huge amounts of money into the team, into the franchise and you’re building a business. And the last thing a business wants is a controversy of this kind. It holds the foundation of a business of any kind, let alone a cricket team or a sporting tournament. So even before the ICC’s anti-corruption unit became a part of the IPL, I know many teams were telling their players the need to be clean, the need to be fair, the need to not do anything that would tarnish the brand.”

Fast bowler Pat Cummins has been named in the Australia squad for the one-day matches against Ireland and England scheduled for June this year

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2012Fast bowler Pat Cummins has been named in the Australia squad for the one-day matches against Ireland and England scheduled for June this year. Allrounder Steven Smith and quick Mitchell Johnson have also made a return.Cummins had been sidelined by a bone stress injury in his foot since Australia’s tour to South Africa in October-November 2011. He then missed the series against New Zealand, India and West Indies, and made a return to competitive cricket for Australia Under-19s in a quadrangular series in April. Johnson too has been out of action with an injured foot – he had done severe damage to his ligaments after being struck on the foot while batting in the Wanderers Test last November, resulting in a condition commonly referred to as ‘turf toe’.Smith, who had also last played for Australia during that tour to South Africa, is being rewarded for the fine form he showed late in the domestic season, according to national selector John Inverarity.”He [Smith] has come into strong contention for the Australian ICC World Twenty20 squad to be named in August and the national selection panel is keen to have him in the set-up in England as the reserve batsman, noting that his legspinners would provide good variation to our attack,” Inverarity said. “He [Johnson], also, is in strong contention for the ICC World Twenty20 and needs to be in the set-up and have some quality competitive cricket leading into this.

Australia’s 15-man squad

Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner
In: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Johnson, Steven Smith
Out: Daniel Christian, Peter Forrest, Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill

“We are also excited about the return of Pat Cummins and we are looking to ease him back into the team. He will not be expected to play in all of the eight scheduled games.” Australia are scheduled to play one one-dayer against Ireland, followed by five against England, interspersed with two tour games.The players to miss out from the squad that played the limited-overs games in the West Indies are Daniel Christian, Peter Forrest, Nathan Lyon and Peter Nevill. Mitchell Starc, who featured in the Commonwealth Bank Series against India and Sri Lanka, also missed out. However, Inverarity said, Christian remained in the mix for the World Twenty20.”Dan Christian has shown what a useful allrounder he is, and is making some strong contributions. He has been omitted to make way for Mitchell Johnson, but remains very much in our plans for the ICC World Twenty20, and a distinct possibility for the ODIs and Twenty20s against Pakistan in August-September.”Nathan Lyon and Peter Nevill have not been included as Xavier Doherty has been preferred as the only spinner and Matthew Wade is the only keeper. It is a great deal easier getting replacements to England than to the West Indies, and both Nathan and Peter will be on standby should they be required.”

Daniel Vettori was pleased with the 1-1 series outcome yet fully aware that hard work was in order

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2009BJ Watling’s debut Test, especially his unbeaten 60 in the second dig, pleased his captain•Getty Images

At the end of a 1-1 series that New Zealand can claim to have dominated slightly more than Pakistan, Daniel Vettori was pleased with the outcome yet fully aware that hard work was in order. In hindsight this was a match and series that New Zealand should have won, but after a promising opening stand the Napier weather had the final say and Vettori felt his side was unfortunate not to edge an absorbing series.”I suppose we had an opportunity [but] the rain denied us this afternoon, so we’ll look back at that with a bit of disappointment,” he said. “We’re pleased we fought long and hard enough to give ourselves a chance. Taking six wickets this morning was always going to be a tough ask but we did it really well. And then the way that BJ [Watling] and Tim McIntosh set us up, it looked like if we could continue that we had a good chance of winning.”There was a lot of disappointment in the home camp when the rain came, which Vettori said had not foreseen playing such a large role. “I didn’t think there was ever a case for it to completely take over the game,” he said. “We thought there was the possibility of a little bit but not have a washout.”Vettori said that the belief within the team this afternoon was that if they could get through the first ten overs without giving Pakistan an opportunity to break in, then the game, and consequently the series, was theirs to win. “We just needed to get a platform to build off, and just show some intent. We probably didn’t do that in the first couple overs but once we got past that we really set it up. The fields were spread wide and we were able to dictate play, so if we continued that way we had a really good chance of winning.”It took New Zealand a lot to bowl Pakistan out for 455 on a Napier surface known for the amount of runs on offer. Looking back at the events of the last two days of this match, Vettori felt that different types of pitches needed to be produced to allow the bowlers be better used. “You don’t want the batting to be at its best on the fourth and fifth day,” he said. “The way we went out to bat this afternoon showed that and I think on Test-match wickets you want some variable bounce. On the fourth and fifth days you want it to get harder and harder to bat on, and this wicket just got better and better. Every time we’ve come to Napier we’ve probably said the same thing.”For a side that has struggled to find solidity and consistency at the start of the innings for some time – since McIntosh’s debut in December 2008 this was the 17th opening pair New Zealand have used – the unbeaten 90 that was put on today was an encouraging sign. Vettori was impressed, particularly with Watling’s debut performance.”In his first Test match, to dictate play, and the momentum he took into it, that was always going to be difficult this morning but he once he settled in he really dictated play,” he said. “Pleasing for a guy in his first Test to be able to do that.”Vettori termed the series as competitive, starting with the opener in Dunedin where both sides were on an equal footing when pressing for a win, to Wellington where New Zealand were outplayed, to Napier where the home side had the momentum on a difficult track to bowl on. “We’re happy with it [the series] on a number of aspects, but we’ll continue to look back at that first innings in Wellington as the part of the series that really let us down,” he said.New Zealand still have issues to sort out at the top. McIntosh gave his flagging career a fillip with 74 in the first innings in Napier and an unbeaten 23 in the second, but still has not entirely convinced as an opener. Martin Guptill, used as opener and No. 3, scored 88 runs in five innings. Daniel Flynn’s prospects as an international top-order batsman continue to look slim after he scrapped together 62 runs in three Tests. Peter Fulton, recalled to the side for the first two matches, had a series to forget.”There are issues but a couple of guys stood up over the course of this match. Tim McIntosh in the first innings and BJ today,” said Vettori. “We still put 470 on the board so we have to look at our batting as a collective effort but there are areas of concern within out batting unit.”I think our seam bowlers were fantastic throughout the series and you couldn’t really ask for too much more. Like always, we’ve just got a little bit more to work on with our batting.”Vettori promoted himself to No. 6 for this match and immediately contributed with his fifth Test century, but was not willing to commit himself to that place in the future. “That depends on the make-up of the team,” he said. “I still prefer to go in with six batters and four bowlers but we need a couple of those batsmen to be able to bowl. Look at the likes of a [Jesse] Ryder when he’s fit and [Grant] Elliott when he’s fit, they contribute a number of overs. I’m sure that will be debated with the other selectors but the option for me to go there is there, and it its needed I’ll do it.”

A strong Australian contingent will head to the IPL with plenty to play for ahead of the T20 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan18-Mar-20245:25

Green? Williamson? Rabada? Who makes the cut?

T20 World Cup push for Cameron Green, Spencer Johnson

Twelve or perhaps 13 of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad are locked in. But national selector George Bailey has gone on record saying that IPL performances will be factored into the final decision-making of the spots up for grabs.Cameron Green and Spencer Johnson are at the top of the list with most to gain over the next few weeks. Green was deliberately allowed to focus on red-ball cricket ahead of the New Zealand Test series rather than playing the T20Is and the result was compelling with his 174 not out in Wellington. Part of the selectors’ thinking was they knew he would have a full IPL to work on his T20 game.Related

• The constant and universal appeal of Mitchell Starc

• World Cup hero Travis Head arrives in India for the IPL

• Delhi Capitals sign Fraser-McGurk as Ngidi's replacement

• Green-powered RCB short on legspin and death-bowling options

• No late Sheffield Shield final availability for IPL-bound Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh

“It’s a constant conversation with multi-format players, working out the priority at any given time, and making sure they get what they need but he’s certainly one whose name I think, as we are finalising that 15 for the World Cup, will be firmly in the mix,” Bailey said.If Green hits his straps for Royal Challengers Bangalore (providing he can make the XI), having been traded from Mumbai Indians, his all-round skillset will make him a compelling option. The question could be whether he covers more bases than Steven Smith.Cameron Green has been traded from Mumbai Indians to RCB•BCCI

Meanwhile, Johnson currently sits behind Nathan Ellis in the pace pecking order should Australia take just the four specialist quicks. However, Johnson is doing all he can to force the selectors’ hands having had an impressive BBL before bowling with pace and hostility against West Indies and, briefly, New Zealand. If he lives up to his AU$1.78 million price tag with Gujarat Titans he could be a compelling option.”It’s going to be tight for those last few spots, I don’t envy George’s [Bailey] position,” Matthew Wade said after the recent series against New Zealand. “I wouldn’t want to be picking the 15, there’s going to be a couple of unlucky players. But…there’s always injury around. Guys that are outside the 15 may get opportunities as well so we’re happy we’ve got so much depth.”

The return of Mitchell Starc

It’s been a long time between IPL outings for Mitchell Starc. Through a combination of injury and prioritising Test cricket, his last appearance came in 2015 where he was part of an RCB side with a top three of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Starc’s overall IPL record reads 34 wickets at 20.38 with an economy of 7.16 and in the 2015 season, he claimed 20 at 14.55 with an economy of just 6.76.This time Starc will be with Kolkata Knight Riders and returns to the competition having smashed the record for the highest price with an eye-watering AUD$4.43 million at the auction, shortly after team-mate Pat Cummins had set a new record himself.”No doubt there’ll be some pressure that comes with the territory, but having the extra experience I have from my last IPL hopefully helps,” Starc said shortly after the paddle came down.Given Australia’s focus on Tests and ODIs over the last 18 months, Starc’s recent two outings in the T20I series against New Zealand were his first in the format since the 2022 T20 World Cup.”There’s a T20 World Cup, it’s a nice lead-in to that with the IPL and the quality of cricket that tournament presents. In terms of the [Australia] schedule, it’s much more quiet,” he said after getting his IPL deal. “Instead of bowling in the nets in April and May – generally there’s no batter there – so it’s much more interesting to go and play in an IPL and test myself against the best.”0:45

New SRH captain Cummins banking on inputs from Head, Vettori

Weary bodies and minds

The schedule might be quieter internationally for Australia this winter, but the IPL is yet more cricket for some players who have had a packed couple of years. While there is a considerable gap after the T20 World Cup in June, there will be some fingers crossed that key names aren’t burnt out before that tournament finishes.Travis Head, who will appear for Sunrisers Hyderabad, is a player that comes to mind. After the highs of the ODI World Cup, where he raced against time to enter midway through due to his broken hand, his form tailed off significantly during the home summer with his century in Adelaide the only major contribution. He was given a break during the white-ball matches against West Indies but struggled in the Tests against New Zealand. He is pencilled in to have a key role at the top of the order in the T20 World Cup.”There’s a lot of stresses,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said after the New Zealand Test series. “He was coming off a significant injury through that World Cup, and it takes a lot out of you mentally and physically. There’s no doubt we can learn some lessons on the back of Trav’s entry into all three formats and how to give him a bit of rest in the Australian summer.”Justin Langer returns to coaching in the IPL with Lucknow•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Justin Langer’s coaching comeback

Another interesting Australian angle at this year’s IPL is the return of Justin Langer to the coaching scene for the first time since his acrimonious exit from the national team. He will take charge of Lucknow Super Giants having replaced Andy Flower in the role.Langer will have a strong Western Australia flavour around him with Marcus Stoinis retained and WA and Perth Scorchers batter Ashton Turner picked up at the auction. However, Turner is coming off knee surgery that curtailed his domestic season. He has also brought WA and Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges on as an assistant.Langer had outstanding success with Scorchers in the BBL and was in charge of Australia when they won the 2021 T20 World Cup. But it will be fascinating to see how he deals with the pressures of the IPL, particularly if LSG don’t make a good start.

All the Australia players at the IPL

Cameron Green (RCB), Glenn Maxwell (RCB), Mitchell Starc (KKR), Nathan Ellis (PK), Mitchell Marsh (DC), David Warner (DC), Jake Fraser-McGurk (DC), Jhye Richardson (DC), Adam Zampa (RR), Tim David (MI), Pat Cummins (SRH), Travis Head (SRH), Marcus Stoinis (LSG), Ashton Turner (LSG), Spencer Johnson (GT), Matthew Wade (GT)*The story was amended after Jason Behrendorff’s withdrawal

Scores 148* as visitors turn first-innings deficit of 190 into a lead of 126 with four wickets in hand

Sidharth Monga27-Jan-2024When the day began, we wondered if there would be a day four in the Hyderabad Test. Then Bazball arrived.After England lost four of their first five wickets in the first innings to defensive shots, you could almost imagine their coach, after whom Bazball is named, telling them it is more acceptable to get out reverse-sweeping than defending. That commitment to the sweep of various varieties brought India face to face with Bazball properly for the first time. England claimed the honours on the third day in Hyderabad, converting a first-innings deficit of 190 into a lead of 126 with four wickets in hand.Ollie Pope’s unbeaten 148 was the biggest turnaround from the first innings during which he meekly followed the turn with his hands and edged to slip. In the second innings, he swept and reverse-swept with aplomb to mess around with the spinners’ lines and lengths and capitalise on the enterprising start provided by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. He was rewarded with a first century in India, the highest second-innings score by a visiting batter in India since Alastair Cook’s 175 in Ahmedabad 12 years ago.All told, England scored 79 runs with variants of the sweep without losing a wicket to it. Pope alone scored 41 of those runs, pulling the shot off almost every time a spinner troubled him. Consequently England became the first team since Nagpur 2012-13 to score 300 against India in a second innings in India.India will be thankful you can’t reverse-sweep Jasprit Bumrah. For it could have been worse for the hosts without a rousing spell of reverse-swing bowling just after lunch during which he got rid of Duckett and Joe Root. The pitch offered only slow turn, and England kept nailing high-risk options, but the spinners will still be disappointed that Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers on a day-three surface with figures of 12-3-29-2. R Ashwin went at 4.42 an over for his two wickets, and Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja at 4.60 and 3.88 for one each.Jasprit Bumrah sent back Ben Duckett and Joe Root during a fiery spell of reverse-swing•BCCI

For all the talk of Bazball and the excellent start England managed against pace in the first innings, what had stood out was their top three falling to traditional dismissals. All three were caught playing defensively in front of their body, which leaves you at the mercy of the turn, whose degree you cannot predict with any certainty.Having taken the last three Indian wickets for 15 – led again by Joe Root the offspinner – England played what they practised. Not immediately, though. In his first two overs with the new ball, Ashwin could have had both Duckett and Crawley, but the inside edges fell either side of short leg. That was enough to shake them up. No more, they said.Crawley began with the reverse-sweep against Ashwin before taking Axar downtown. All the sweeping played on Ashwin’s lengths. In order to stay one step ahead, he overpitched far more than usual, and it was only when he went back to a proper length that he drew a forward defensive from Crawley. The ball didn’t turn, and the edge went to slip. By then, though, England had put 45 on the board.Duckett and Pope kept sweeping and reversing India to distraction. That a lot of practice has gone into the sweeps was plain to see. Like Ben Stokes in the first innings, they kept almost switching their stance without changing their grip, which allowed them to play the reverse-sweep powerfully and in front of square.Post-lunch Bumrah began reversing the ball, but was let done by a non-review of a close lbw shout against Duckett. He bowled him top of off after highly skilful bowling across two overs, but England had hit four boundaries in that time. Still, when Bumrah trapped Root in front, India had 73 runs in the bag.Jonny Bairstow was bowled shouldering arms to Ravindra Jadeja•BCCI

Jonny Bairstow proceeded to thwart Bumrah by staying leg-side of the ball to avoid lbw, reacting late if he bowled the outswinger, and picking the slower ones. When it began to look threatening for India, the natural variation from the pitch came to their aid. Jadeja turned one past his outside edge, and the next ball, nearly identical, went straight on to dislodge the off bail as Bairstow left it alone.Then followed about the only period when England allowed the spinners to work on a dismissal. Ashwin craftily pushed Stokes back and dragged him out with his changes of length until he had him playing back to a full ball, which turned past the bat to bowl him. With 27 runs still in the bag, India would have smelled the win here, especially as Pope and Ben Foakes were forced to play defensively.There came a period of 70 balls without a boundary for England as Foakes played more traditionally, and Pope was kept quiet. After tea, though, the floodgates opened again as India began the session, unimpressively so, with Jadeja and Axar. Not for the first time in his short tenure as captain, Rohit Sharma has begun a session with the bowlers who had till then looked the least likely to take a wicket.In the final session, Pope was even more emphatic with his reverse-sweeping, on one occasion even reverse-Dilscooping Jadeja over the keeper’s head. In between he gave the charge once in a while but the backbone of his innings was the sweeping and the reverse-sweeping. By them time he made a mistake with the reverse, he had already scored 110, and even then he was dropped by Axar at backward point.Axar came back to take Foakes’ wicket with one that stayed low, but that was the extent of inroads India would make. At stumps on day three, the new ball was three overs away, which would give India hope. There is every chance that on a pitch with slow turn, and given their spin attack, England might not stretch their lead far enough for this Test but this turnaround could still have implications for the series.

Last ball no-ball drama can’t deny home side as London Spirit fall short in chase of 190

David Diangienda15-Aug-2023Oval Invincibles completed the double over London Spirit in a dramatic last-ball thriller to win by two runs and move clear at the top of the Men’s Hundred table.Matt Critchley threatened to steal the win for Spirit with an unbeaten 32 off 13 balls before a Sam Curran no-ball from what should have been the final delivery of the game gave Spirit a second chance with three needed. But tailender Chris Wood could not make contact as the hosts defended 189, which owed to some big hitting from Match Hero Will Jacks who clubbed 68 off 42 before claiming 2 for 22.Heinrich Klaasen also thrashed 46 not out with Curran adding a blistering 35 despite Daryl Mitchell claiming 2 for 16 from 10 balls.Adam Rossington was instrumental in leading the Spirit chase with four huge sixes as he opened with 61 from 32 balls.The opening stages of the match were difficult for Invincibles as they failed to score from five balls, before Jason Roy and Jacks found their fluency in a partnership of 79. The visitors ended the stand when Mitchell had Roy caught behind with his first ball and then Jacks was taken in the deep by Zak Crawley.Klaasen picked up from where Jacks left off as he scored four sixes and he powered Invincibles at the death, while Curran caught the mood of the match before being caught out on the boundary by Mitchell.With the visitors chasing 189 for the win, the partnership of Crawley and Rossington was influential as they scored 58 for none at the end of the powerplay. Rossington reached his half-century off 22 and while Crawley struggled for his timing Spirit kept rolling as the partnership flourished to reduce the requirement to needing 99 off 55.Invincibles got their breakthrough as Curran bowled Crawley off the thigh pad before Jacks claimed two quick wickets, including the key scalp of Rossington.Spirit’s chase started to falter with Matthew Wade out for 19 off 15 balls as three wickets went down in eight balls. But Critchley then found his groove, smashing Curran for back-to-back sixes, before Wood slogged Zak Chappell for four to leave Spirit needing 17 off Curran’s final set of five.Critchley clubbed the third ball into the crowd and thought he had done the same next ball only for Ross Whiteley to somehow palm it back into play. Curran’s no-ball then gave Spirit once last chance but it was too much for Wood as the hosts held on.

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.”

Ian Bishop “not surprised” by KKR’s call, given the situation they find themselves in in the tournament, but believes the spinner can still turn it around

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-20226:12

What has gone wrong for Varun Chakravarthy?

Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, believes Varun Chakravarthy “needs a Plan B very soon”. His lack of a counter against top-quality batters who have figured out the methods that previously brought him much success could be one of the reasons for his massive dip in form this IPL season, Vettori said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out.On Thursday, Knight Riders left Chakravarthy out of their XI, replacing him with the uncapped seamer Harshit Rana for the match against Delhi Capitals. The change came even as Knight Riders were desperately trying to find form and get a move on on the points table; as on Wednesday, they were eighth on the table.”The numbers aren’t there. It looks like he hasn’t been deceptive like he has been in the past,” Vettori said. “He isn’t a big turner; it doesn’t look like he’s turning the ball as much. It looks like batsmen feel comfortable taking him on. Those factors may have pushed KKR towards taking this decision [to drop him].”Maybe they’re trying to provide a catalyst for him around improvement, around finding his game plans. It just seems like he isn’t the bowler he was last year. It just felt like he wasn’t the bowler who was destructive like in the past.”Chakravarthy’s numbers are telling: four wickets in eight matches at an economy of 8.82. Chakravarthy has been wicketless in each of the three previous matches, while also not completing his quota of overs. He has an economy of over 12 in this period.This is in sharp contrast to his form at IPL 2021, where he picked up 18 wickets in 17 matches, and was a key to their stunning turnaround in the second half of the season that culminated in Knight Riders making the final.”I’m being brutally honest. I’m not totally surprised,” former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop, who was also part of T20 Time Out’s panel of experts, said. “He’s been going for 12 an over for the last three games or so. Four wickets in eight games, and it has come down to a point where KKR have less wriggle room.”Six points [so far] this season. They have to put out the best team at Wankhede to try and get two points. These two points are critical. It’s not quite now or never yet, but it’s kind of getting very close. So, I’m not totally surprised with Varun, in the conditions they’re going to play today.”Bishop feels surfaces haven’t slowed down as much as expected so far, which could be one of the reasons for Chakravarthy’s effectiveness. As such he isn’t a big turner of the ball but depends on minute variations and grip off the decks.”I don’t ever give up on a player. I always feel that at some point, even if it is at an advanced stage of your career, you can learn something. So, while we’ve seen (Yuzvendra) Chahal and Kuldeep (Yadav) do some good things, I still don’t think some of the pitches have offered [much to] Chakravarthy, who doesn’t spin the ball a lot anyway,” Bishop observed. “The ball deviates just that much, so he perhaps needs a little more grip than some of the surfaces [are offering] to be at his very best.”Maybe he’ll come back in at some point later in this tournament itself if the conditions and his confidence and form are right, provided he’s not injured. I won’t give up on him. Maybe they’re giving him a break to say ‘mate, take some time to refresh yourself’, there’s a possibility to come back now or next season.”Vettori also believes the axe could just be temporary and may be a way to revive him, provided it is communicated as much by the team management. Having coached Royal Challengers in the IPL and Brisbane Heat at the BBL, Vettori has had to take similar decisions in the past, like dropping Harshal Patel in 2017 before he returned to win the Player of the Match award.”I subscribe to the theory that when you’re in poor form, there’s a time where you’re waiting to be dropped,” he said. “When you keep playing and playing and playing, you don’t get a chance to work out what’s going wrong. Therefore, if you do actually leave a player out and give them strong communication, they can almost reset themselves.”Like Bish said, you don’t ever want to give up on a player, particularly a retained player, particularly a player with that skillset, how effective he can be at his best. This just may be a reset, he can go away a little bit, work with the bowling coach, work with coaches outside of the KKR setup and just see where it gets him to. He’s also a fresher, so when he goes back into the team, it won’t be about how bad he’s been. He’s had a break, fresh start, let’s see what he’s got.”

Shakib Al Hasan becomes the fifth bowler to take 400 wickets in T20 cricket

Mohammad Isam24-Jan-2022
How the match played out
Andre Russell was in his element, following up figures of 2 for 27 with an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls, as Minister Group Dhaka beat Fortune Barishal by four wickets in Mirpur. This was Dhaka’s first win in three matches in BPL 2022 and Russell’s first major contribution this season.Chasing 130, Dhaka were in early trouble at 10 for 4 in the third over. Left-arm quick Shafiqul Islam bowled Tamim Iqbal in the first over of their chase before Alzarri Joseph dismissed both Mohammad Naim and Jahurul Islam in the second over. When Shafiqul bowled Mohammad Shahzad in the next over, Dhaka were tottering.Mahmudullah and Shuvagata Hom then steadied things with a 69-run fifth-wicket stand before Russell did what he does best: close out games with his big hits. Shakib Al Hasan, however, gave Barishal a reason to celebrate: he became only the fifth bowler to take 400 T20 wickets.Earlier, Barishal had slipped to 23 for 3 in the powerplay, when they lost Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shykat Ali and Towhid Hridoy. The experienced pair of Shakib (23) and Chris Gayle (36) then added a semblance of respectability to their innings. But neither could convert it into a bigger knock, which left Barishal at 94 for 6 in the 16th over. Dwayne Bravo’s unbeaten 26-ball 33 then dragged the side to 129 for 8.All six of Dhaka’s bowlers were among the wickets, with Isuru Udana and Russell taking two each. Meanwhile, Rubel Hossain, Hom and Hasan Murad all bowled economical spells.Big hit
Russell’s big blows – a four and a six clobbered through square-leg off Joseph – gave Dhaka a huge sigh of relief. It ensured Dhaka were in touch with the asking rate before Russell rushed them to victory with a six and a brace of fours off Taijul Islam in the 17th over.Dhaka captain Mahmudullah provided Russell great support at the other end, scoring a run-a-ball 47. He struck three fours and a six before he became Shakib’s 400th victim in T20 cricket.Barishal made a decent fist of their defence, thanks to Shafiqul who bowled with good pace and a bit of movement with the new ball. He was well-supported by Joseph before Russell lined up his West Indies team-mate.Big miss
Tamim missed out for the first time in three matches, getting out for a second-ball duck in this game. Dhaka’s top four managed only single-digit scores of 0,5,4,0. It could be an alarming sign for Naim and Jahurul who are yet to make a sizeable contribution this season.