Category Uncategorized

Test pair took three wickets each as NSW completed their finest ever Sheffield Shield comeback after being bowled out for 64

Alex Malcolm11-Nov-2020New South Wales produced one of the greatest comeback victories in Sheffield Shield history with Test duoNathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc claiming three wickets each to bowl Tasmania out on a dramatic final day.The Blues’ win by 146 runs ranks as the state’s finest ever fightback after being bowled out for just 64 and trailing by 175 runs on the first innings.Tasmania began the final day at 2 for 26 but an excellent partnership between Matthew Wade and Peter Siddle took them through to lunch unscathed and had Tasmania in a comfortable position at 2 for 101 needing 247 in the final two sessions for victory.However, Lyon struck with the first ball after lunch, extracting sharp turn and bounce to have Siddle caught brilliantly at short leg by Nick Larkin who needed two bites to pouch the reflex catch.Wade and Ben McDermott then settled into a 52-run stand. McDermott survived some nervous moments but Wade looked in control against Lyon and Starc to bring up his third half-century of the season. But Lyon changed the game again when Wade tickled a leg glace to a well-placed leg slip, on 59, with Larkin snapping up another sharp chance.The Test spinner knocked over Jake Doran cheaply with a classical off-break that scratched the edge of the left-hander’s groping blade. McDermott reached his fourth half-century of the season but ran out of luck against Starc to give the Blues two wickets in two overs and when, just before tea, Beau Webster inexplicably carved Starc straight to point and the end was nigh for Tasmania.Starc and Harry Conway wrapped things up shortly after the final break, with Starc claiming the last wicket, pinning Test captain Tim Paine lbw to complete the remarkable result.

Anderson first tore his right calf muscle while playing for Lancashire against Durham at Sedburgh on July 2

George Dobell at Edgbaston01-Aug-2019James Anderson has been described by his team-mate Stuart Broad as “a bit distraught” after experiencing a recurrence of tightness in his right calf that is likely to prevent him from bowling for the remainder of the first Test.Anderson, the leading wicket-taker in England’s Test history, first tore his right calf muscle while playing for Lancashire against Durham in Sedburgh on July 2. While the England management was confident he had fully recovered from the injury, he experienced further discomfort during his fourth over of the match at Edgbaston and left the field for treatment.ALSO READ: Jofra Archer given chance to prove Ashes fitness in Sussex gamesWhile he returned to the pitch a short while later, he did not bowl again, and underwent a scan on Thursday afternoon. If that scan shows any new tear, there is a strong chance that Anderson will be ruled out of the next two or three Tests. Even if it does not, it’s hard to imagine that England will risk worsening the injury by asking Anderson to bowl. However, it was confirmed on Friday morning that Anderson would bat. He had done some gentle running during England’s warm-ups.*”He’s a bit distraught,” Broad said after the end of play on day one. “He came and said sorry to the bowlers. He feels like he’s let the bowling group down, which of course he hasn’t. He’s down and he’s frustrated.”The news is bound to raise questions about the wisdom of playing Anderson, who celebrated his 37th birthday earlier this week, and the medical advice the management received.Anderson had, however, bowled without discomfort in training – notably on Monday, when he was one of three players who appeared at an optional net session – though England’s preparations were hit by poor weather and he may not have bowled the number of overs ahead of the game that might have been envisaged. England were forced to train indoors on Tuesday, where most of the seamers did not bowl due to concerns about the risk of impact issues, while the nets were damp on Wednesday, which meant most bowlers having gentle sessions on the outfield.England were tempted to name Jofra Archer in their team for this first Test. The management reasoned, however, that it would be a risk to go into a game with two bowlers coming back from injury. Mark Wood, another man who had nominally been in England’s Ashes plans, is also likely to be out for the season after a slow recovery from the side strain he sustained in the World Cup final.If – as is likely – Anderson is unable to bowl for the rest of the game, it will increase the burden on the four remaining frontline bowlers in England’s attack: Broad, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, plus the offspin of Moeen Ali. They were made to toil in Anderson’s first-day absence by a brilliant century from Steven Smith, who led Australia’s recovery from 122 for 8 to 284 all out.It is not out of the question that Anderson may have bowled his final ball in Ashes cricket. His original calf injury occurred almost four weeks ago, and if he requires a similar spell on the sidelines this time around, his experience in this match suggests that England will not risk playing him without sufficient match practice ahead of the fifth Test at The Oval, which begins on September 12.*11.10amBST, August 2: The story was updated with news of Anderson being able to bat

An Old Trafford pitch used for its third T20 match in a week was too much for Northants as their poor start to the Blast continued

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2018
ScorecardLancashire Lightning’s spinners bowled well on a pitch being used for its third T20 game in a week to set up their side’s very comfortable eight-wicket defeat of Northants Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast North Group match at Emirates Old Trafford.Liam Livingstone’s outfielders also rediscovered their best form as the visitors were limited to 123 for nine in their 20 overs, a target which Lancashire’s batsmen overhauled with 23 balls to spare, Alex Davies making 64 not out, his second T20 fifty in consecutive innings.Steelbacks now have three defeats in a row and are lodged at the foot of North Group, all of which left their coach, David Ripley, frustrated. “Richard Levi fell to a blinding catch but from then on I thought we were a bit naive,” he said. “We should have plotted our way to 150 or 160 and that would have been competitive. Poor batting set us u to lose that game fairly comfortably.We had two lads caught off long hops and that’s poor execution but we were also too defensively minded. We needed to hit the balls into gaps and run better than we did; we needed a more positive intent. We weren’t smart at the beginning, we weren’t smart in the middle and we missed a big finish at the end.”The initial signs were good for Northants, who reached 62 for one off 5.5 overs with Richard Levi unbeaten on 40. Next ball, however, Jordan Clark clung on to a return catch blasted back at him by the South African and that reverse began a spell in which the visitors lost three wickets for six runs in 11 balls.Josh Cobb and Richard Vasconcelos both fell to fine catches by Arron Lilley and Keaton Jennings respectively and none of the other Steelbacks batsmen could dominate a Lancashire attack monopolised by slow bowlers.Apart from Levi, five batsmen reached double figures but no one made more than Seekkuge Prasanna who managed to garner 17 off 22 balls. All but seven of the 20 overs were bowled by spinners with the best analysis being Matt Parkinson’s two for 14 off four overs.Stephen Parry and Livingstone also bowled their full allocation, returning figures of 2 for 19 and 2 for 29 respectively. Lancashire’s fielders supported the attack admirably, taking nine of the ten chances that were offered.In contrast to the Lightning’s performance against Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday, the catching in the deep was faultless and ensured that the Steelbacks innings never recovered the momentum initially established by Levi 21-ball onslaught.Lancashire’s pursuit of their modest target began badly when Livingstone was caught at the wicket off Prasanna for four but Lilley made a sprightly 23 off 14 balls before being caught by Levi at short third man off Graeme White.The remainder of the innings belonged almost exclusively to Davies and Keaton Jennings who steered their side home with an unbroken partnership of 88 for the third wicket in exactly 12 overs. Davies was in particularly fine form, hitting three successive fours off White and reaching his fifty off 36 balls with half a dozen fours and one six.Jennings is currently in fine form in all formats and supported his partner well by making 28 not out. The victory was Lancashire second in three matches but Northants are rooted to the foot of the table.

Rising Pune Supergiant are a win away from securing a playoff berth, but they’ll have to do it without Imran Tahir

The Preview by Shashank Kishore11-May-2017

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Rising Pune Supergiant
New Delhi, May 12, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:41

Hogg: Zampa can match Tahir on economy, not wickets

Head to head

Rising Pune Supergiant lead 2-1, with both their wins coming last season. In their first exchange this season, Delhi Daredevils were powered by a maiden T20 hundred from Sanju Samson and a blistering unbeaten 38, off just nine balls, from Chris Morris that helped them win by 97 runs after scoring 205.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): beat Gujarat Lions by two wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 146 runs, beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets
Rising Pune Supergiant (third): beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Gujarat Lions by five wickets

In the news

Pune will be without Imran Tahir and Faf du Plessis. The pair left for a preparatory camp in South Africa ahead of a limited-overs series in England before the Champions Trophy. Adam Zampa, the Australia legspinner, is likely to slot in for Tahir.Daredevils have a quick turnaround of little under 48 hours since their game against Gujarat Lions. Already without Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Angelo Mathews, who have left for national duty, they are unlikely to tweak their XI barring injuries.

Qualification scenario

Pune are on 16 points, but aren’t entirely safe because of an inferior net run rate. They need to win at least one of their two remaining games to guarantee qualification to the playoffs. Should they lose both, and Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers win their remaining matches, Pune will be knocked out. Unless Kolkata Knight Riders lose their final game, Pune will need to win both their remaining games to finish in a coveted top-two spot.

The likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Zaheer Khan (capt)Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa

Strategy punt

Zampa has dismissed Samson twice in the two games he has played against Daredevils. Considering Samson’s strike rate drops to the 130s against spin as compared to 150 against pace, there’s perhaps a case of Pune opening with Zampa or even Washington Sundar, the offspinner.

Stats that matter

• Rahul Tripathi is the second-highest scorer in the Powerplays this season, just 12 runs behind David Warner’s tally of 264 runs. Tripathi has been striking at 170.27 in the first six overs.
• Among the 26 seamers who have bowled 20 or more overs this season, only two – Andrew Tye and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – have better economy rates than Christian’s 7.25.
• Prior to the ongoing season, Amit Mishra has an economy of 7.23. This season he has conceded 8.57 runs an over, his second-worst since 2014 when he went at 8.92.
• Daredevils are among three teams who have taken 66 wickets, the fewest this season. Their economy of 8.77 is the second-worst among all teams in IPL 2017.
• Tahir is he second-highest wicket-taker this season with 18 wickets at 20.50. He has bowled 47 overs in 12 games. Only Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have bowled more overs. Zampa, who could replace Tahir, has played just two games this season.

Tim Southee won New Zealand a thriller the last time they met Australia in a T20I six years ago, but now, the stakes are almost as high as the altitude as they face off in a crucial encounter in Dharamsala

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale17-Mar-2016

Match facts

Friday, March 18, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0930 GMT)

Big picture

Six years ago, Australia and New Zealand played a highly entertaining T20 match at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Brendon McCullum blasted a 56-ball 116 and scooped audaciously off Shaun Tait, New Zealand racked up 214, Australia matched them in the chase, and Tim Southee kept things tight in the Super Over to seal a memorable win for the home team. And they haven’t met in a T20 match since.Strange as it seems, February 28, 2010 was the last time these Trans-Tasman neighbours played each other in T20 cricket. Now they finally reconnect in the shortest format and the stakes are almost as high as the altitude. Dharamsala is the venue for Australia’s opening match of this World T20, but New Zealand already have a win on the board against hosts India. Another one here and they will be in prime position to progress to a World T20 semi-final for the first time since 2007.New Zealand’s spin success against India in Nagpur augurs well for their hopes in this tournament. Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Nathan McCullum between them picked up nine out of ten wickets against India, and given that Australia can struggle against the turning ball in the short form it may just be advantage New Zealand. A few more runs from the top order would be handy, though – New Zealand were wobbling at 13 for 2 in the second over against India before recovering adequately.Quite what to expect from Australia remains a mystery. Punished at home by India in three T20s, they moved on to South Africa and found some form, but then were outdone by West Indies in a warm-up in Kolkata. They too have three spinners available, including the allrounder Glenn Maxwell, but neither Ashton Agar nor Adam Zampa had played a T20 international three weeks ago. This is a big step up. Australia are preaching “flexibility”, which is admirable, but there is something to be said for stability as well.

Form guide

Australia: WWLLL (last five completed matches)
New Zealand: WWWLW

Watch out for

David Warner has made his name as an opener but suddenly has become a floater in Australia’s T20 middle order. The switch worked well in South Africa, where he scored 20, 77 and 33, and although it is possible he could open again in this tournament, with other options such as Aaron Finch, Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja, that seems unlikely.Mitchell Santner‘s 4 for 11 against India was the best analysis by a New Zealand spinner in T20 internationals, and there is no reason to think he won’t cause problems for Australia’s batsmen as well. Santner has a certain about him – he just seems like a man for any occasion. And the big occasion hasn’t worried him yet.

Team news

There are so many possible combinations Australia could go with that choosing their final XI feels like something of a lottery, which their selection process has more or less been over the past six games. One question is whether to choose all three spinners, another is whether Usman Khawaja can squeeze into the top order, and another is how many fast men are required with a heavy complement of seaming allrounders.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 David Warner, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Nevill (wk), 9 Ashton Agar/John Hastings/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.New Zealand may well be tempted to stick with their winning combination.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Colin Munro, 4 Corey Anderson, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Luke Ronchi (wk), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Adam Milne, 11 Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

A new pitch has been prepared, which may not turn as much as that used by the Associates recently, but spin is still expected to play more of a role than pace and bounce. There is some rain expected on Friday as well, which could lead to an abbreviated game.

Stats and trivia

• Australia and New Zealand have met five times in T20s for four wins to Australia; New Zealand’s only victory was in the Super Over in Christchurch in 2010
• Australia have played only six T20s in 2016 but have used a remarkable 25 players

Quotes

“Yeah, I think you have to have something in mind [for a shortened game]. I don’t think a lot of the game-plans or the way each individual plays changes too much but I think you do have to have a few different game-plans if the game is a bit shorter.”
.”It was definitely a lot of happy team-mates after the game [against India]. But we don’t want to get too carried away. It’s just one game in what is a short and condensed tournament. Lot of games to be played.”

Essex find themselves in a commanding position at Chelmsford, having bowled Worcestershire out for 102, their lowest score of the season, thanks to a career-best 6 for 29 from Reece Topley

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford03-Sep-2013
ScorecardReece Topley’s career-best return fired out Worcestershire•PA Photos

Essex find themselves in a commanding position at Chelmsford, having bowled Worcestershire out for 102 – their lowest score of the season, to date. That was thanks to 6 for 29 from Reece Topley, who responded to criticisms of his red-ball prowess with his career best figures.He was boisterous at stumps, talking up Essex’s promotion challenge after a first day that already sees them on the cusp of a first innings lead of 100. Trailing second-placed Northamptonshire by 44 points with a game in hand, they must feel that victory is essential here.Topley is certainly capable of spells faster than he produced today – not that he did not hurry those unlucky enough to face him – but he displayed impeccable control, as Essex systematically worked their way through Worcestershire’s consistent left-right combinations: a combination that occurred through circumstance rather than design, it must be said.His natural arc of the ball, starting from all of eight feet, cut naturally in to the right-hander and away from the left. But it was his variation of length that allowed him to reap the benefits of pushing the batsmen back as he enjoyed success with some superb full balls. Five of his six wickets came from pitched up, swinging deliveries that either found the outside edge, the pad – both in Jack Shantry’s case – or off-stump.He was gifted a wicket by Joe Leach, who failed to get on top of the bounce when he attempted to hook immediately after lunch, with Ryan ten Doeschate taking a routine catch at mid-wicket.His best delivery of the day brought only misfortune. Having removed Tom Fell the ball before, he produced the perfect outswinger to Ross Whiteley who couldn’t help but follow it. Owais Shah had to dive to his left at first slip, but it really should have been taken.Topley eventually got Whiteley for his sixth, as five Worcestershire wickets fell for just 13 runs. Alan Richardson and Dan Lucas combined to take the score into triple figures, before the innings was closed by a stupendous catch from Graham Napier at deep mid-on, Lucas slapping what looked to be a flat-six over his head, only for Napier to time a dive backwards to perfection, sticking his right-hand out to clutch the ball safely.In reply, Essex were one wicket down in the third over, as Nick Browne was bowled after defending a ball from Richardson which then spun back and hit off stump hard enough to dislodge the bail.But the Worcestershire attack could not build on that early good fortune, as Greg Smith came to the middle and quelled any potential resistance with an innings of high quality.He has played some fine knocks this year, in both the long and short forms of the game, and this must match any of them for fluency and clarity of shots. From a perfectly stable base, his drives echoed around Chelmsford, as a sizeable crowd enjoyed an evening session littered with boundaries.His approach eventually rubbed off on opener Jaik Mickelburgh, who went through the last 26 runs of his fifty with six fours, as they put on 158 in 33.2 overs together. And yet, it could have all been so much better for Essex had they not conspired to give away three wickets before the day was up.Mickelburgh top-edged to slip after trying to paddle Moeen Ali’s off spin around the corner, before Smith could not resist trying to clear Richardson at a three-quarters mid-on, to the same bowler.Shah can be forgiven for his demise; leaving a delivery from Richardson on a fifth stump line that jagged back in nastily and hitting him in front, having offered no shot. It was one of the few balls to do anything out of the ordinary.Ten Doeschate gave us a taster for what to expect tomorrow when he planted Ali down the ground for six and the smeared him to midwicket for four – in the last over of the day, no less. A convincing win with full batting and bowling points is well within reach, and is a necessity if Essex are to catch Northants for that second promotion spot.

Cheteshwar Pujara, returning to the Indian side after a year and a half, says he is treating his comeback as a ‘second debut’

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Aug-2012Cheteshwar Pujara, recalled into the Test squad for the New Zealand series, is treating his comeback as his “second debut”. One of the impressive young batsmen to have come out in the last five years on the domestic circuit, Pujara was a popular choice to take a place in the Indian middle order once the top guns walked out of the game. And with two berths opening up after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Pujara feels he is “motivated and passionate” while not being fussy about his position in the batting order.Pujara, who made a match-winning debut in Bangalore against Australia in 2010, played just two further Tests before a knee injury in IPL 2011 sidelined him for six months. Recovering from the surgery, he missed out on the home series against West Indies late last year, but was eager to get a ticket for the Australia tour. However, the selectors did not have enough confidence since Pujara, who plays for Saurashtra, had not had quality match practice.Pujara made just 200 runs during last season’s Ranji Trophy, but stronger performances on the recent India A tour of the West Indies, where he topped the run-charts, put him back in the reckoning. “I have been working hard on making a comeback. It has been delayed because there were not many games but I did whatever I could in domestic format and with India A. But I do not want to rush. I’m going to be calm and play my natural game,” Pujara told ESPNcricinfo immediately after being picked for the Tests.Making a comeback was never going to be easy. Pujara was hurt by some pundits questioning his fitness levels. But, working alongside his father Arvind, his driving force and mentor, Pujara made the finer adjustments to his batting. “When you come back after a six-month lay-off it is difficult to straightaway catch the rhythm. You need to start from the scratch. But once you cross those hurdles then you get mentally tough,” Pujara said. He knew he could not throw away a lifetime of hard work. “I am fully motivated. This is the moment I have always worked hard for. There is hunger and passion about playing at the highest level. It is once again a debut game for me.”Mentally adept and patient, Pujara, who is only 24, has blended those qualities with his batting skills which have remained sound and fluent from his age-group cricket days. Though the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have made more headlines in the last year, Pujara has remained a favourite to take the important No. 3 slot vacated by Dravid. It was the same position he batted in the nets today in Hyderabad during the Indian training session, with Kohli at No. 5; the other two contenders – Rahane and S Badrinath – batted late down the order.However, Pujara does not want to be picky about his position in the batting order. “It is a team game so most of the time you have to see the comfort of the team, not your own. As a batsman I need to be flexible. I am a youngster who is making a comeback and not someone who is settled in the batting order so I should not be demanding. Yes, once I prove myself at a particular position then I can say I would like to bat at this number.”

England Lions pair James Taylor and James Harris were the stars of the third day of Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay

19-Aug-2011
Scorecard
England Lions pair James Taylor and James Harris were the stars of the third day of Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay.Taylor scored 127 not out, his first Championship century of the season, while Harris claimed 5 wickets for 45 runs from 27 overs – this third five-wicket haul of the summer. Leicestershire declared their first innings on 309 for 7 in a bid to force a positive result. And with an 83-run first innings advantage Glamorgan finished their second innings on 146 for 4 – an overall lead of 229.Glamorgan will probably leave Leicestershire a chase of something in the region of 320-330 runs from 60-70 overs. Leicestershire had resumed the third morning on 140 for 4 requiring a further 103 to avoid the follow-on.In a morning session relatively free of incident, Glamorgan managed to take just the one wicket when Harris claimed his fourth wicket accounting for Wayne White – who had reached his 50 from 80 balls. When Paul Dixey joined Taylor the east Midlands county still wanted 82 to save the the follow-on.Taylor had been very watchful throughout his innings until on 72 he played his first shot in anger –
driving Robert Croft for six over long-on, a shot which should have been caught by Will Owen on the boundary but it went through his hands. Dixey went to his 50 from 95 balls, but in the next over he edged Harris into Wallace’s gloves to give the seamer his fifth victim – his third five-wicket haul of the summer.Taylor went to his first Championship century of the season. It was a marathon effort taking six hours 21 minutes. He faced 255 balls. Just before the declaration Nick James took his first Championship scalp with his second ball, bowling Jigar Naik.After Taylor saw Leicestershire to their third batting point Hoggard declared. Either side of tea Glamorgan lost a wicket – Petersen edged an attempted cut behind off Buck. From 25 for one the home side slumped to 29 for two when Rees was caught down the leg-side in the first over after tea off White.Will Bragg and Stewart Walters steadied the Glamorgan ship in a third wicket partnership of 76 to take the overall lead to 159 before Walters chipped off spinner Naik to midwicket. James became Naik’s second wicket, trapped lbw, before Bragg reached his half-century from 98 balls just before the close.

Somerset limped to their seventh Clydesdale Bank 40 win in seven games by beating the Unicorns by three wickets at Exmouth

08-Aug-2010

ScorecardSomerset limped to their seventh Clydesdale Bank 40 win in seven games by beating the Unicorns by three wickets at Exmouth.Marcus Trescothick’s side shook off the loss of their skipper to a second ball duck to chase down their target of 167 with two overs to spare. A second-wicket stand of 67 in 14 overs between Nick Compton (64) and Craig Kieswetter (30) broke the back of the semi-professional team’s resistance. The result was rarely in doubt after the Unicorns made just 166 for 9.Trescothick was bowled by an inswinger from Neil Saker for a duck, but the ex-Surrey seamer’s opening partner Jonathan Miles then received some punishment from Kieswetter and Compton as they took advantage of the powerplay.Kieswetter eventually pulled medium-pacer Glenn Querl to deep backward square-leg and Devon star Neil Hancock forced Zander de Bruyn to play on in the next over. Compton reached his 50 from 66 balls with four fours and one six, a lofted cover drive off Miles. And Compton and James Hildreth took the game away from the Unicorns with a stand of 58 in 13 overs before the latter was adjudged lbw to Tom Sharp for 29.Jos Buttler has developed a reputation as a one-day finisher in his first full season at senior level and he and Compton took the powerplay in the 34th over. Buttler smashed Querl straight for six but Compton attempted the same shot and picked out long-on. Pete Trego and Ben Phillips then both popped up catches off Querl but by then the game was already over as a contest.De Bruyn had been the pick of Somerset’s bowlers with 3 for 27 from his eight overs. Alfonso Thomas had Jackson Thompson caught behind in the third over before Josh Knappett pulled Trego to square-leg. Chris Murtagh cut de Bruyn to Compton at point before home captain Keith Parsons edged Murali Kartik to Trescothick at first slip for 20.Sean Park flayed de Bruyn high to Trego at third man before top-scorer Michael O’Shea’s 40 came to an end when he skied leg-spinner Max Waller to deep mid-off. Waller had a second wicket in as many balls when Hancock went back and missed a cut to be bowled for 19.De Bruyn’s third wicket saw Sharp edge him behind and Kieswetter also caught Saker to give Phillips a third wicket before Querl (28 not out) helped reach respectability.

Perennial wooden-spooners, they cruised to victory in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy’s final season

ECB Reporters Network21-Sep-2024Sunrisers completed their turnaround from perennial wooden spoon winners to become the last-ever regional winners of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Sunrisers failed to win a match in the first three editions of the competition – first held in 2020 – but Kate Coppack’s 4 for 27 and Cordelia Griffith’s half-century set up a 27-run DLS victory over South East Stars.Coppack’s career-best ripped out the Stars top order to leave them 53 for 4, but Alice Davidson-Richards formed half-century partnerships with Aylish Cranstone and Phoebe Franklin on her way to 93.Stars eventually reached 212, which Griffith attacked with her fourth fifty in her last five innings – and by the time the rain came they were on 121 for 3 and comfortably ahead of the 94 DLS par score.It meant Sunrisers were the last to win the tournament in this format, with counties replacing the regions and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup becoming the women’s 50-over competition in 2025 – although they will still compete to lift the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Sunrisers stuck Stars in and proceeded to dismantle their top order – specifically through the uber-accurate Coppack, who returned her Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy best of 4 for 27.Coppack is one of the game’s most interesting characters. A full-time lawyer, she has played international cricket for Peru and her parents own an alpaca farm. But first and foremost she is a deadly new-ball bowler.The ball to bowl Alexa Stonehouse was seam-bowling perfection, as it kissed the top stump, even if the big hooping inswinger to castle a swinging Paige Scholfield was more aesthetically pleasing.She hit the stumps again, this time to run out Bryony Smith after a mix-up with Davidson-Richards, before pinning Kira Chathli in front an over after the powerplay had ended.Coppack’s exit from the attack after an opening spell of 3 for 17, saw Davidson-Richards flourish into a partnership with Cranstone. The stand, eventually worth 70, was built on Davidson-Richards’ ability of knowing when to use her power and when to push the runs on an expansive outfield.She reached a fourth successive fifty with the former tactic, a picked-up ping through midwicket, in 61 balls. But at the other end, Cranstone was stumped – injuring herself in the process of sprawling backwards and requiring assistance to return to the dressing room.Phoebe Franklin followed in Cranstone’s footsteps to provide the company for Davidson-Richards to thrive. But Coppack’s return saw the back of Franklin – bowled after a well-made 33 – and began the collapse which saw the last five wickets fall for 39 runs, as Davidson-Richards ran out of partners.Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Tilly Corteen-Coleman were carelessly run out, Kalea Moore was lbw and eventually Davidson-Richards ran out of steam seven runs shy of a second Stars century when Mady Villiers dismissed her leg before.Sunrisers’ response started abysmally as Jo Gardner was lbw to teenager Corteen-Coleman for a golden duck. But from there the in-form Griffith saw the ball like a pumpkin with a series of increasingly middled shots to the boundary.Her 54-ball fifty saw caressed cover drives, pumped pulls and sweeps to the boundary, as Grace Scrivens largely just passed over the strike in their 79-run stand.Griffith, a Sunriser since the beginning, departed when she chased a wide Moore delivery to cover before the spinner got one to stick in the pitch to have Jodi Grewcock caught and bowled.About a quarter of an hour later, and 25 overs into the innings, and lighting in the area took the players off, before torrential rain turned the outfield into a lake. At 4.20pm it was called off and Sunrisers had completed their zero-to-hero arch.