Category Uncategorized

The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.Jaques’s deal at Headingley expired at the end of the season, following Yorkshire’s draw at The Oval, and he will now take up a coaching role back in Australia with club side Sutherland in Sydney. But he may return to play for Yorkshire for part of a season should an opportunity arise.Jaques, 34, had eight fruitful seasons in county cricket for Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and in two stints at Yorkshire, for whom he was most productive with over 4,000 first-class runs at 51.12.His father was a Yorkshireman and Jaques embraced the family connection, scoring over 1,000 runs for the White Rose in 2004 and 2005. He returned to Headingley in 2012 playing as a British passport holder and made 792 runs at 44.00 to help Yorkshire win Division Two of the County Championship and scored 770 runs at 36.66 this season as they finished runners up in Division One.At the time, his decision to play for Yorkshire with a British passport was a big commitment, changing his status to overseas in Australia. But the tweak made to the eligibility of domestic players by Cricket Australia, the “Robson rule”, means Jaques could now return to Australia as a home-qualified player.”He’s been a great asset to the club during the two spells that he had with us,” Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “He’s been invaluable not only on the field but off it as well with our younger players; that was one of the reasons we brought him back to help with our young batsmen in particular.”Phil talked about batting and passed on his experience, and the lads picked up bits here and there from him. He talked to us about what he saw technically and whether things needed to change, and I think he fed off us as well with regards to his future career.”Jaques will maintain a link with Yorkshire, with second XI batsman Jack Leaning joining up with Jaques’ club side in Sydney in November. Leaning made his first-class debut this summer and played four matches in the Yorkshire Bank 40.”Phil’s been instrumental in getting that sorted,” Moxon added. “It’s nice to have that connection in Sydney for our young players to get some experience playing over there. I don’t think Phil’s completely given up on the thought of playing, but he doesn’t want to come back to England for a full season. If he does come back it would be for part of a season. Obviously that depends if an opportunity ever arises.”He’s looking to get more into coaching himself. He started last winter back in Australia doing his club side and in the Big Bash. That was a great challenge and experience for him. He learnt a bit from us and he gave our young batsmen some help as well. His nickname is The Pro – and he is. He’s the ultimate professional.”

In-form Durham finished their campaign with a fifth win in six games after beating Sussex by five wickets with a day to spare.

13-Sep-2012
ScorecardMichael Richardson’s half-century saw Durham home•PA Photos

In-form Durham finished their campaign with a fifth win in six games after beating Sussex by five wickets with a day to spare. Michael Richardson struck 58 and Ben Stokes a quickfire 45 as Durham chased down their victory target of 165 after dismissing Sussex for 180 in their second innings.Despite their superb form at the end of the season, Durham had to settle for a sixth-placed finish in Division One after a miserable start to the campaign which saw them fail to win any of their first 10 matches. Sussex, meanwhile, remain 10 points ahead of them and will hang on to the fourth-place prize money unless Nottinghamshire win tomorrow.Durham skipper Paul Collingwood, who took over the four-day captaincy in mid-season, hailed the spirit in his side: “I couldn’t have asked for anything more in the second half of the season. We were in a dire situation but the players have shown a lot of pride and determination. Every single one of them has made a crucial contribution at some point.”Durham seamer Chris Rushworth took the last four Sussex wickets in the morning to achieve career-best figures for the third time this season, finishing with 5 for 38. Luke Wells failed to add to his overnight 51, falling to the 16th ball of the day when he edged Stokes to Phil Mustard, who claimed his 500th first-class victim. Rushworth did the rest, swinging the ball both ways to claim two lbw verdicts and a gully catch before last man Monty Panesar lobbed a catch to mid-on.Durham needed 165 to win and Mark Stoneman got them off to a fluent start, but Keaton Jennings made only one before fending a steeply-rising ball from Lewis Hatchett to second slip. Hatchett also skidded one through Stoneman’s back-foot defensive shot to bowl him for 24 before Stokes emerged at 34 for 2 and immediately cracked him for three fours.Stokes made 45 off 49 balls before lifting Panesar to long-on, then Richardson took over. He pulled Hatchett for his fifth four to reach 50 off 123 balls just before Dale Benkenstein was bowled by Panesar with 27 needed.The target was down to 15 when Hatchett straightened one off the pitch to have Richardson lbw, but previous captain Mustard easily picked off the remaining runs in partnership with his successor Collingwood.”We had a bit of a chuckle as we came off,” Collingwood said. “Phil has been magnificent and the struggle in the first half of the season was not down to his captaincy. It was a blip and it was a shock to us all, but I think the future is very bright.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Warriors

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran22-Sep-2011

Match facts

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Warriors, September 23
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Chris Gayle wowed the Bangalore crowds with his flamboyant batting in IPL 2011•AFP

Big Picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore have a trend to break: they have played the opening games of two IPLs and one Champions League at home and ended up losing all three. They are among the favourites for the tournament, but are up against a side their coach rates highly – South Africa’s Warriors, who were the losing finalists last year.It’s likely to be a straight fight between Bangalore’s batting might and Warriors’ bowling strength. Bangalore have several of the most dangerous overseas Twenty20 batsmen in their line-up, as well as Virat Kohli, who has shown over the past couple of seasons that he can crack the game’s shortest format, and Saurabh Tiwary, who made his name in the 2010 IPL with batting that was unattractive but extremely effective.Ranged against this is the bowling of Warriors. Johan Botha, with his pushed-through offspinners, and the hugely experienced Nicky Boje form the spin department, while the pace attack is filled with players on the fringe of the South African side and a 101-Test stalwart in Makhaya Ntini.One of the big worries for Warriors is that the man who was instrumental in their march to the finals last year, former captain Davy Jacobs, isn’t with them this time around, having chosen to play for the Mumbai Indians. Botha insisted the team could thrive without Jacobs, who repeatedly provided explosive starts in the 2010 campaign.”We’ve known now [that Jacobs won’t be with Warriors] for a few months and we’ve got over it as a team,” Botha said. “Davy did do well in the CL, but after that he was injured quite a few times, and then in our local Twenty20 he had an up and down season, we’ve got young guys who can cover him.” Strong words but at the Pro20 this year, almost all their batsmen struck at a rate below 120, not nearly enough. Can they find a batsman who can turn the game around with a sustained burst of big-hitting?

Watch out for …

His international career may be mired in litigation, but Chris Gayle’s career as a Twenty20 freelancer is going great guns. He was the most arresting presence in the IPL: smashing a league-leading 608 runs at a strike-rate of 183.13. He also chipped in with his flat offspinners, taking eight wickets at the miserly economy-rate of 6.77.Can Johan Botha be the inspirational captain Jacobs was in the previous season? He has shown himself to be a shrewd leader when he got the chance with South Africa. He is also a successful limited-overs bowler, and also made runs when surprisingly pushed up to No. 3 by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Team news

While most of the Bangalore squad have been training since the weekend at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli joined the squad on Thursday morning. They have five world-class players in their team. As captain, Daniel Vettori is an automatic pick; as the man who turbo-charged their IPL campaign, Gayle should start; in the absence of Zaheer Khan, Dirk Nannes should also be in the XI. And in a squad bereft of other wicketkeepers, AB de Villiers should get the nod ahead of Dilshan.In the absence of Jacobs, Warriors will likely open with Ashwell Prince and 23-year-old JJ Smuts. The big question for the management will be choosing the fast bowlers: Ntini was their most successful bowler in the Pro20, Justin Kreusch was their most economical bowler in the Pro20, Rusty Theron is their death overs specialist, and they have two other quicks with international experience in Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Stats and trivia

• Warriors made only one of the 16 highest totals in the Pro20 this season
• With 70 sixes, Gayle is fourth on the list of most sixes hit in the IPL, though he has played less than half the number of matches of the top three
• Bangalore will become the only team to have played all three seasons of the Champions League

Quotes

“At St George’s Park, we get a nice vibe but we only get 15-20,000 people at capacity. The noise level here [at the Chinnaswamy Stadium] will be different for some of the guys who are experiencing it for the first time.”

“My pace has always been my strength. I’m not thinking of slowing down, perhaps speeding up if anything.”

Anil Kumble has said the speed at which teams adapt to the pitches in South Africa will be crucial to their success in the Champions League Twenty20

Siddarth Ravindran04-Sep-2010Anil Kumble, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has said the speed at which teams adapt to the pitches in South Africa will be crucial to their success in a short tournament like the Champions League Twenty20. He also said it was too late to bring in Kevin Pietersen, who has no international commitments during the Champions League after being dropped from England’s limited-overs squads.The tournament will be played from September 10 to September 26 in South Africa. In most countries except England, the cricketing season usually kicks off in September or October, which means many sides will be rusty.”It is the first tournament for a lot of teams,” Kumble said after an interaction with more than 50 Bangalore fans on the eve of the team’s departure from India. “In South Africa, it is the beginning of the season and it is the first game of the season for some of the players in RCB as well. The biggest challenge is how quickly you acclimatise to the conditions and the need to start well in the tournament.”Bangalore reached the finals of the IPL in 2009, when it was held in South Africa, and the team’s coach and several players come from that country, giving them an advantage over other overseas teams. “We can take some confidence going to South Africa having done well there in IPL 2. Our coach Ray Jennings also understands the South African conditions well. With Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn around, those conditions should suit our bowling as well.”The team’s batting is bolstered by heavy-hitters such as Ross Taylor and Cameron White, but they will miss the services of World Twenty20 Man of the Series Pietersen, who was their big-ticket signing last year. “It’s a bit too late,” Kumble said. “We had to announce our squad about a month ago, which we did.”Most IPL players signed three year contracts in 2008 that come to an end after the Champions League. It has been nearly two years since Kumble, who will turn 40 in October, announced his international retirement and he was unwilling to commit on how much longer he would continue to play the IPL.”Once you retire, you have to take it one step at a time,” he said. “So you don’t plan and say that I am going to play for the next three years. Hopefully I will be in good shape for the six games this month and we come back victorious. That will be a great motivation to get into the next year. To think of the next year is very premature.”A week ahead of the Champions League, the cricketing headlines are dominated by the spot-fixing controversy in London. Kumble was confident the right steps would be taken to avoid such episodes during the tournament in South Africa. “Every tournament, every international match that happens is under a perceived threat,” he said. “I don’t think we need to be worried about these things but we can’t close our eyes. ACSU is there to deal with it.”

Former captain predicts a tightly fought series as two teams in transition go head to head

Andrew Miller30-Oct-2024Jason Holder, West Indies’ former captain, says that England’s third white-ball tour of the Caribbean in as many years is a “massive boost to their survival as an international team”, and goes a long way towards repaying the ECB’s debt to his team after they helped to save the finances of English cricket during the Covid summer of 2020.Holder, 32, led the West Indies squad that played three Tests behind closed doors in Manchester and Southampton at the height of the Covid outbreak in July 2020, enduring weeks of lockdown in bio-secure surroundings to help “keep the lights on”, in the words of the former ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison.It was a tour that helped to mitigate the ECB’s losses during the pandemic, which could have been upwards of £380 million had their entire summer schedule been cancelled. Each of those three Tests was worth approximately £20 million as they helped to fulfil the board’s £1.1 billion rights deal with Sky Sports.Speaking at the end of that tour, Holder had warned that the ECB would be obliged to reciprocate the favour to help out cricket’s “smaller countries” who lacked the financial clout to stage matches during a global lockdown. Now, four years on, he believes that England have been fulfilling their side of the bargain.Related

• Pooran, Russell, Hosein and Hetmyer back for England T20Is

• Jason Holder calls on ECB to show gratitude with reciprocal tour

• Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph rested for South Africa T20Is

• England add Jordan Cox and Rehan Ahmed to Caribbean tour

• 'Unknown' Jafer Chohan grateful to SACA after England's leap of faith

“I think it’s a fair way of putting it,” Holder told ESPNcricinfo, ahead of an eight-match tour that will be shown on TNT Sports in the UK. “We’ve obviously had the English coming over for the last three years consecutively. And that has definitely boosted, not only our economy within the Caribbean, but it adds a massive boost to our survival in international cricket.”We rely heavily on series between England and India, our revenues tend to come from those two teams. It’s our biggest series within any calendar year, and, yeah, it’s one that really brings the fans down to the Caribbean and creates a really fun atmosphere.”So, it’s great to have them and to see the fans packing the stadiums as well. There’s always a good banter between the West Indian public and English public. So we’re thankful that we’ve been able to have them so many times in as many years. And long may it continue.”Despite the financial disparities between the two boards, the Caribbean has been a particularly tough destination for England teams in recent years. The Test team, famously, hasn’t won a series in the region since 2004, while the white-ball squads have lost each of their last three series: 3-2 in the T20Is in both 2022 and 2023, and 2-1 in their last ODI campaign in December last year.Jason Holder has been recuperating in the UK after injury and will be a studio pundit for England’s tour of the West Indies•Getty Images

“I’m looking forward to the contest,” Holder said. “Both teams are in a transitionary phase, so it’s going to be keenly contested. England have obviously got a point to prove, and they’ll be trying a few different combinations to see what works. And likewise, with West Indies, we’ve got a lot of youngsters within our cohort, and it is important for them to just gain experience, gain confidence and gain knowledge. I think these series will go a long way to developing our base at a rapid rate.”The youngest player of the lot will be Jewel Andrew, West Indies’ 17-year-old rising star, who made his ODI debut in their most recent match against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Saturday. He has played only a handful of professional fixtures, but having impressed at the Under-19 World Cup, he has been fast-tracked into the international set-up on the back of a breakout first season in the Caribbean Premier League.”The first time I saw him was when I played against him, quite recently, in the CPL,” Holder said. “He definitely stood up. He looks a very easy-going player. He’s got time, and any top-order batter who shows signs of having time is promising.”It’s important for him to learn and work hard, but the sky’s the limit for him. He’s scored runs at the levels below, and he’s coming in with some confidence. We all remember when we first came into international cricket, when we had that freedom to express yourself. And the more he expresses himself and gains knowledge and confidence, that will put us in good stead in years to come.”We’ve never been short of talent,” Holder added. “It’s just a matter of harnessing the talent and making sure that we make full use of it. There’s no doubt that he’s one for the future, and I hope that West Indies put things in place to keep him in and around the system, and make sure he develops a steady rate so that we can utilise him in years to come.”Holder himself hasn’t been involved in West Indies’ white-ball set-up since pulling out of their T20 World Cup plans through injury in June, and will instead be a studio pundit for TNT in the UK throughout the eight-match tour.”I haven’t retired, that is still a long way off,” he said, with an eye on the next 50-over World Cup in 2027. “We’ve still got a few more series to play before then. So I’m just working myself back to full fitness, to get back on the field and be able to play at full capacity.”Looking back on the T20 World Cup, in which England’s Super Eights victory in St Lucia proved critical to West Indies’ hopes of reaching the last four, Holder acknowledged it had been a missed opportunity for a strong squad to do something special in front of their home fans. But, with players such as Evin Lewis – fresh from a comeback century in Sri Lanka – and Shimron Hetmyer set to face England in the coming campaign, he’s confident there will be other chances for this team to compete for global trophies in the coming years.Jewel Andrew, 17, could feature in the series after his ODI debut last week•CPL T20 via Getty Images

“When you look at our overall performance, we probably feel a little bit disappointed that we fell short. But the beauty of this squad is it’s not too old. We’ve still got a quite young-ish side that can stay together for the next two years, to fight for another trophy in 2026. So I don’t think is all is lost. We need to understand our strengths and weaknesses, and just keep improving.”In the meantime, he anticipates another high-scoring showdown between two aggressive white-ball outfits, one in which the Caribbean’s notoriously fickle winds could once again play a big part in the tactical battle that unfolds.”It’s a really crucial point,” he said. “The wind factor has always been a massive contributing factor to whether teams bat or bowl in the Caribbean, because it plays a massive part in the actual game. It tends to sway your tactics a little bit, in the sense where you feel more comfortable chasing because by then you know you’ve got a big side and a small side, for hitting with and against the wind.”It’s always 50/50 in the Caribbean when it comes to that wind factor, because you can set up a team with left- and right-handers, and just continuously use your power throughout the entire innings.”Obviously, in one-day cricket, it’s a bit longer so it’s more strategic, where you have to actually build an innings. But when it comes to going hell for leather, it’s a matter of being as spot on as possible with the tactics, because the ball can travel in the Caribbean.”England, clearly, will be no strangers to the conditions after three bilateral tours plus the T20 World Cup in recent times, and Holder acknowledged that Antigua in particular will be something of a home from home, after four matches there in the past 12 months alone.”The English have been frequenting the Caribbean as much they possibly can. They’ve got a young side, but the majority of their senior players have been to the Caribbean multiple times, and they’ll be able to guide the younger players within this squad as to how to how to get around the conditions in the Caribbean.”Tune in to England’s tour of the West Indies, starting with the first ODI live on TNT Sports 1 from 5.30pm on 31st October. Sign up to TNT Sports and discovery+

Harry Brook stars with 85, but Australia respond in composed fashion in final session

Andrew McGlashan27-Jul-2023Australia 61 for 1 (Khawaja 26*, Labuschagne 2*) trail England 283 (Brook 85, Starc 4-82) by 222 runsThe final match of the Ashes began in similar fashion to the first, with England hurtling along on the opening day with the bat. Harry Brook led the way with a sparkling 85, but this time they could only reach 283 in overcast, bowler-friendly conditions despite Australia shelling five catches along the way.Mitchell Starc, who hurt his shoulder at Emirates Old Trafford but gave another display of his resilience, finished with 4 for 82 to take his series tally to 19 – the best of his four overseas Ashes series – while the rest of the wickets were shared around. Pat Cummins bowled much better than 1 for 66 would suggest while there was a brace for the recalled Todd Murphy, although he was again used sparingly.By stumps, Australia could say they’d had the better of day as they negotiated 25 overs for the loss of David Warner. He and Usman Khawaja added 49 for the first wicket before Warner fell to Chris Woakes for the third time in a row, edging to second slip, having earlier survived a review by England when Stuart Broad thought he found the glove, but it was only arm.Although the destination of the Ashes had been rubberstamped at Old Trafford there was plenty left riding on this final Test – 3-1 or 2-2 makes very different reading. That is especially true for Australia, having held a 2-0 advantage before defeat at Headingley and all-but certainly being saved from another by the Manchester rain.Cummins is not one to worry about what has happened in the past and he showed that by following Tim Paine’s erroneous route from 2019 of asking England to bat when, for the first time on this tour, the coin fell in his favour.For a while it appeared Australia might, again, fluff their lines with the ball; firstly when England’s openers reached 62 for 0 inside the opening hour and then at 184 for 3 as Brook and an injured Moeen Ali forged a rapid century partnership. But, though they again conceded runs at an eye-watering rate, enough chances were created to compensate for the missed ones.The initial drop had come from Warner when he gave Ben Duckett a life at slip on 30 against Cummins’ first ball of the match. It was Duckett who dominated the early scoring, including a thumping drive down the ground against Josh Hazlewood as he leapt out of his crease. His spritely stay was ended with a glove down the leg side against Mitchell Marsh, although Australia needed DRS (having already burned a review for lbw against Zak Crawley) to overturn Kumar Dharmasena’s not out decision.Straight after drinks Cummins, who was under some scrutiny after his struggles at Old Trafford, was rewarded for an excellent opening spell when he had Crawley edging into the slips having previously beaten him three times in a row as he found good bounce from the Pavilion End. When Joe Root dragged on against Hazlewood, England were 73 for 3 and in danger of losing their way.It should have been 78 for 4 a few moments later when Brook edged Cummins but Alex Carey couldn’t hold on, going one-handed to his right in front of first slip. Brook counterattacked while Moeen held firm. There was no playing for lunch by Brook as he swiped Marsh over the leg side for six then hammered Starc for two fours and a six in consecutive deliveries moments before the interval.Brook’s half-century came from 44 balls, but he could have fallen without addition had Cummins managed a hit direct at the non-striker’s end after collecting the ball in his follow through, turning on his heels and throwing.It was shortly after that when Moeen pulled up lame with a groin injury after running a single. Following treatment he continued his innings but was barely able to walk, let alone run, and a frenetic period of cricket ensued which included a huge mowed six over deep midwicket off Cummins and another top-edged to fine leg, as well as a ramp over the keeper, while using his bat as a crutch to limp between the wickets when he had to.The century stand came up in 17 overs. Murphy, who had been recalled in place of Cameron Green, was introduced for the first time in the day for the 34th over. His second ball was dragged down and pulled away by Moeen, but then the next was more of a heave across the line which he missed. How much a role he could play for the rest of Test was uncertain.There was momentary calm as Brook and Ben Stokes tried to set up another partnership, but the England captain received one of Starc’s crackerjack deliveries which straightened late and ripped back off stump as Stokes looked to play to the leg side.Neither did Jonny Bairstow last long as he dragged on against Hazlewood and, four balls later, after another crisp straight drive brought Brook’s 11th four, his dreams of an Ashes hundred vanished when a booming edge was snaffled by Smith at second slip.England had lost 4 for 28 in 55 balls and there were visions of Australia batting before tea. However, Woakes and Mark Wood, the heroes of Headingley, added 49 with more freewheeling strokeplay. Woakes had been given lbw to the first ball of the final session but DRS, asked for almost apologetically, showed a thin edge which even Woakes had not felt. Two balls later, Australia dropped another catch when Marsh spilled Woakes in the gully.Murphy claimed his second of the day when he cleaned up Wood but Woakes, who was also dropped by Murphy off his own bowling, kept swinging including a towering blow for six straight down the ground off Starc before the innings ended with a top edge to deep square leg.

Selectors may ponder batting Ashton Agar batting at No. 7 if conditions dictate a different balance of team

Alex Malcolm04-May-2022Australia could consider playing five specialist bowlers plus an allrounder in Sri Lanka as a way of sneaking three spinners into the side for back-to-back Tests in Galle.They picked three specialist spinners, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar, in their Test squad last week along with three further specialist spinners – Todd Murphy, Matt Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha – for the Australia A tour to take place just prior to the Test series.Chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed that the prospect of playing three spinners in the one Australian line-up was possible, something they did in Bangladesh in 2017 when Agar last played a Test match.Speaking to on Tuesday, head coach Andrew McDonald expanded on the selection conundrum of picking three spinners in the XI with particular reference to both Tests being played in Galle.Related

• Australia keen to expose 'scarcity' of spin stocks in Sri Lanka

• Pat Cummins rested for Sri Lanka T20Is; big guns return for white-ball leg

• McDonald never considered England due to split coaching roles

“It’s always there,” McDonald said. “You pick three spinners in your squad for that exact reason. We challenged ourselves on it in Pakistan but the information we had leading into the games there was probably two spinners at best.”Galle creates another conversation. It’s how you fit them in. Mitchell Starc has an unbelievable record in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka in particular. I think the last tour there he was the leading wicket-taker. So you’re going to be a brave man to leave out either the captain [Pat Cummins] or Mitch Starc to pick a third spinner. So it’s really how it fits.”Can Ashton Agar potentially bat one spot higher to create a bit of space? I think what we’ve done is we’ve given ourselves the options through what we’ve picked and that’s the important part.”We feel as though we’ve got the balance to play multiple ways depending on the conditions. Two Test matches in the one venue back-to-back is an uncommon thing as well. There’s a few variables on the ground. But we’ll hope to make some good decisions when we get there.”Mitchell Starc holds the ball up after taking his second five-wicket haul of the match in Galle•AFP

Starc took 24 wickets for the series on the 2016 three-Test tour of Sri Lanka including 11 wickets in the match in the last Test Australia played in Galle. But Australia were thumped by 229 runs with offspinner Dilruwan Perera bagging 10 wickets as Sri Lanka played three spinners and one fast bowler in the Test, with Vishwa Fernando bowling just two overs for the match. Australia played two spinners and two fast bowlers, with Mitchell Marsh as the allrounder. Lyon played as the sole spinner on debut in Galle in 2011 taking 5 for 34 in the first innings but Australia’s quicks did the damage in the second innings.Sri Lanka hosted four Tests at Galle last year, with left-arm orthodox Lasith Embuldeniya taking 28 wickets while offspinner Ramesh Mendis took 20 in three matches. England won two Tests with a five-man attack picking two quicks and two spinners with Sam Curran playing as the bowling allrounder. Spin duo Dom Bess and Jack Leach took 22 wickets between in the two victories.A five-strong Australian attack of Starc, Cummins, Lyon, Swepson and Agar would require the wicketkeeper Alex Carey to bat at No. 6 and would leave Travis Head vulnerable given Cameron Green’s value as the additional bowling option. It also means there is still no room for Josh Hazlewood who was left out of the last two Tests in Pakistan while Scott Boland has not played since his remarkable debut in the Ashes.However, the need for six bowlers in Galle might be surplus to requirements given there has not been a drawn Test there since 2013, with the last 15 Tests ending with a result.Australia’s ability to bat long and bat big, particularly in the first innings, was pivotal to their victory in Pakistan. Although batting conditions may be more difficult in Sri Lanka, the same blueprint will be used to pave the way for success there as it was in the victorious tours of 2004 and 2011 when Australia had to bat their way out of trouble on several occasions. The inability to counter spin in 2016 led to a 3-0 defeat.McDonald did confirm that Glenn Maxwell’s name had briefly entered selection discussions ahead of the tour given his skill and experience on the subcontinent, but ultimately it was decided to stick with the group that succeeded in Pakistan.”He’s got a great record in the subcontinent, India in particular with that hundred at Ranchi,” McDonald said. “He can give us offspin. Yeah, there was a small discussion around what it would potentially look like but I think the reward for the team that went to Pakistan as well, that squad, the way it went about it’s work, it was always going to be very difficult to change that way of playing.”

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.