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England captain will manage workload to ensure he’s ready for T20 World Cup in Australia

Matt Roller16-Jun-2022Eoin Morgan will rest himself for some of England’s limited-overs international fixtures this summer amid concerns over his fitness, but has insisted that he still feels as though he can “contribute to a World Cup win” in Australia this winter.Morgan injured his right quad in January after playing back-to-back games in Barbados during England’s T20I series against West Indies and suffered a “mild groin strain” playing for Middlesex in the Blast despite managing his workload by missing games, but hopes to play all three ODIs against Netherlands in Amstelveen this week.His position as limited-overs captain has come under scrutiny – he has made a single half-century in international cricket over the last 18 months, and none in domestic T20 cricket – but he intends to stay on at least until the T20 World Cup in October-November.Asked if he would continue into England’s defence of their 50-over crown in India next winter, Morgan said: “That’s a long way away. I need to get to the T20 one first. I’m going to take it as it comes, managing my contribution, my body.”Am I still contributing on and off the field, within the team? I will be as honest as I [have been] with everybody since I started the captaincy. At the moment, I still feel like I contribute and still feel like I can contribute to a World Cup win. That’s an important drive for me.”Matthew Mott, England’s new white-ball coach, threw his support behind Morgan in his first press conference in the role on Wednesday. “He always says he wants to be picked as a batter in that team on form and merit all the way through and when he feels that’s not the case then he would step aside,” Mott said. “I think that’s a long way off being at that point.”Great players go through runs at different times and sometimes you flick a switch and it turns and you wonder what all the fuss has been about. You can tell when he speaks, everybody is listening. That leadership is something that’s probably not as recognised as much from the outside as it is inside. He’s got a lot of great cricket ahead of him.”Morgan said he was “reluctant” to “100% commit” to playing all three ODIs but intends to do so. However, he is likely to miss at least two of England’s six T20Is this summer, with England due to play on successive days during both the India and South Africa series.”It’s unlikely I will be playing every game this summer,” he said, “but that’s purely dependent on how I get from here to that match. If I’m flying and everything is going well, absolutely, but if not, there is no need to try and replicate that for a World Cup because it just doesn’t happen [in ICC events].”In terms of the focus on his position, Morgan said that it was “part and parcel” of the role. “It happens all the time as a player, never mind as a captain,” he said. “I genuinely have the best interests of the team at heart. It’s always been that way: I have trusted that method since I took over. To be in the position I am in at the moment is a privilege.”England have not played an ODI series since their second-string side whitewashed Pakistan in July 2021 after a Covid outbreak and have only played one white-ball series – the 3-2 defeat to West Indies in January – since last year’s T20 World Cup. As a result, Morgan said that he sees this series as the start of their run-in ahead of this year’s tournament, which he expects to “fly around”.Related

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“It revolves around trying to get the right players in the right roles given the squad we’ve brought,” he said. “July’s a huge month for us in preparation for the [T20] World Cup, playing against two very strong sides [India and South Africa] over the course of a month which will test us.”That’s where we want to be in order to try and prepare ourselves best for that World Cup. Then there’s the Hundred obviously, but then we have no more international cricket before we go to Pakistan and then we have three games [in Australia] before the World Cup.”Jos Buttler is likely to shuffle up the order to No. 4, having mainly batted at No. 6 in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup and in the tournament, while Phil Salt is expected to open with Jason Roy and Dawid Malan will be given a chance at No. 3. England’s bowling cartel features five left-arm seamers – though Sam Curran is unlikely to bowl a full 10 overs as the ECB manage his comeback from a back stress fracture.”The fact they are left-armers gives them a different angle, a different strategy,” Morgan said. “Certainly in my experience, left-armers are open to doing more and doing different things, which is great. But the guys who are selected are purely here on merit. Ideally in our best squad, you would like a point of difference: if that’s left-arm or if it’s a guy who bowls 90mph [145kph] plus, then that’s great.”

Faulkner re-aggravated the hamstring injury that he suffered on December 27 and won’t play again in the BBL

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2021Hobart Hurricanes seamer James Faulkner has been ruled out of the remainder of the BBL after re-injuring his hamstring at training on Sunday.Faulkner had not played since he limped off the Gabba four balls into his second over in the Hurricanes’ loss to the Brisbane Heat on December 27.He was on track to return to the Hurricanes side but re-aggravated his hamstring at training ahead of the clash with Sydney Thunder on Monday in Canberra.Faulkner has left the BBL hub and travelled home to Hobart to have scans and begin treatment.The Hurricanes have recalled Surrey batting allrounder Will Jacks into their squad after Colin Ingram departed to the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Jacks hasn’t played for the Hurricanes since December 19.The Hurricanes currently sit seventh but only four points separate the teams between there and second position.

‘Maybe the selectors felt I needed a break. Maybe the team thinks some changes are required. I respect that, and I have no complaints,’ he says

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2019Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t been part of the last two T20I squads India’s selectors have chosen, for the West Indies tour and at home against South Africa, but that hasn’t dented his confidence. Kuldeep was instead picked in the India A side for the second unofficial Test against South Africa A, which ended in a draw in Mysore on Friday.Kuldeep had a reasonable outing in the game, taking 4 for 121 in 29 overs in the only innings India bowled in.”So far, I have done a good job in limited-overs format. I feel very comfortable with the white ball,” Kuldeep told and . “I am not worried about not being picked for the last two T20I series. Maybe the selectors felt I needed a break. Maybe the team thinks some changes are required. I respect that, and I have no complaints. I see this as an opportunity to do well in Tests.”Stats bear out Kuldeep’s assertion. After the 2016 T20 World Cup, he has been among the best spinners in the world in T20 cricket, and one of the top two Indians.In 68 T20 matches since that T20 World Cup, Kuldeep has taken 81 wickets at an average of 22.97 (ninth-best in the world, second among Indians), and an economy rate of 7.60 (fifth among Indians). His strike rate of 18.1 is seventh-best among all spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal has a marginally better average (22.11) and a better strike rate (16.9, third-best in the world), but a higher economy rate of 7.83.”There is no doubt that wristspinners are dominating the world,” Kuldeep said. “But sometimes, when you try to stop runs, you actually turn out to be expensive. We need to work on our accuracy. You need to accept that you do get hit for runs and work on being economical.”The recent T20I series exclusion, however, could be down to India’s desire to have bowlers who can contribute with the bat, as was expressed recently by captain Virat Kohli.That might work towards pushing Kuldeep to hone his red-ball skills, where he is still in the mix, even though he has had little game time of late. Since the start of 2017, Kuldeep has played in just 10 first-class games, six of them Test matches, largely due to his national commitments and being the third spinner in a Test team that already has R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. He has done reasonably well in those games though, taking 40 wickets at 25.87, with three five-wicket hauls.”It’s hard to play red-ball cricket when you aren’t consistently playing that format,” Kuldeep said. “If you aren’t a regular in this format, it takes time to get into your rhythm. When you are consistently playing limited overs and suddenly switch to Tests without much preparation, it will be tough to excel. You need to bowl long spells, play practice games, to understand field placements and to know how to pick wickets. It was important for me to come here (in the India A game) and bowl as many overs as possible. There is still plenty of work to do.”When three spinners like Ashwin, Jaddu and I are in the squad, it’s challenging to pick the right combination. You need to be ready to grab your chance. Of course, there is pressure because you only get a few chances, and you have to make full use of them.”

Sussex’s third win in less than a week secured a knockout place but Middlesex gave them a fright before slumping to a last-place finish in South Group

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2018
ScorecardSussex were given a fright by Middlesex before reaching the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast for the first time since 2015 with a 31-run win at Hove.Skipper Luke Wright, returning after missing two games with a back spasm, made 74 and fellow opener Phil Salt hit 66 from just 25 balls in their 215 for 5 after they had been put in.Rapid half-centuries by Paul Stirling and John Simpson, who shared 122 in 8.1 overs for the second wicket, had Middlesex on course for victory halfway through their reply, but leg-spinner Will Beer removed both in successive overs and Middlesex’s hopes of claiming only their second win of the season effectively ended when Eoin Morgan was run out in the 15th over. They lost their last seven wickets for 26 in 5.4 overs and were bowled out for 184 in 19.4 overs, finishing the group with just two wins.Sussex knew only victory would secure a last-eight place and Salt and Wright set the tone by smashing 80 in the powerplay. Salt matched the 19-ball 50 he made against Middlesex at Lord’s as James Fuller’s first two overs were taken for 38. Salt struck four sixes and eight fours before slicing a drive off James Harris to short third-man from the final ball of the sixth over.Eoin Morgan finds something to laugh about on another grim Middlesex night•Getty Images

Wright became the first Englishman to pass 7,000 T20 runs when he reached 12 and he went on to put on 106 in 11.1 overs for the second wicket with Laurie Evans, whose 36 took him to 492 runs in the group stages.Fuller pegged Sussex back by taking three wickets in four balls during the 16th over. Evans drove his slower ball to cover, Delray Rawlins was caught at short fine-leg off the next delivery and Wright mis-timed a drive to extra cover, having faced 48 balls and hit nine fours in his 44th half-century in the format.Morgan used seven bowlers but was unable to prevent Sussex from making their highest T20 total against Middlesex.Middlesex needed to score at nearly 11 an over but after losing George Scott in the first over Stirling and Simpson laid into some wayward bowling, outscoring Sussex by thrashing 90 in the powerplay. Rashid Khan was missing as he prepares for Afghanistan’s one-day series in Ireland next week and it was his replacement Beer who made the breakthrough when Stirling chopped on for 58 from 29 balls (3 sixes, 6 fours).Beer struck again in his next over when Simpson holed out to long off for 62, made off 29 balls with six sixes and four boundaries, but Sussex were only able to breath easily after taking two wickets in the 15th over. Danny Briggs ran out Eoin Morgan (16) off his own bowling when Morgan failed to make his ground going for a tight single and James Franklin was caught behind off a big top edge.Middlesex subsided thereafter and Chris Jordan finished things off when he yorked Nathan Sowter and Tom Barber with successive deliveries in the final over.Coach Dan Vettori was left to reflect on another poor Midedlesex season. “We’ve run the whole gamut of how to lose T20 games this season,” he said. “We were poor at the start with the ball tonight, but managed to drag it back on a small ground with a tiny boundary to defend.”When we batted we had it comfortably in control but losing four wickets in two overs when you have to face Mills, Jordan and Archer at the death… you almost have to kill the game before that happens and instead we killed the game for ourselves.”

South Africa wrapped up England’s innings midway through the afternoon session on the fourth day, leaving themselves a target of 331 to win the first Test

The Report by Alan Gardner09-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:15

‘Moeen at his best when he is aggressive’ – Root

Do you remember the first time? Joe Root certainly will after England swept South Africa aside to mark his captaincy debut with a crushing victory as 19 wickets fell in a day at Lord’s. Moeen Ali, taking full licence of the attacking brief given to him by Root, ran through a mesmerised South Africa batting order to claim 6 for 53 on the way to a maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests.Having been set 331 to win the first Test, with almost 150 overs in which to get them, South Africa were unable to even take the match into a fifth day. With the pitch offering appreciable assistance for the spin of Moeen and Liam Dawson, they subsided to 119 all out in 36.4 overs, with Temba Bavuma’s 41-ball 21 providing the most prolonged resistance. Faf du Plessis, looking on from the balcony having returned to lead the team at Trent Bridge next week, was left with much to ponder.

England unchanged for Trent Bridge

England have named an unchanged squad for Friday’s second Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge, in the wake of their 211-run victory at Lord’s.
“I didn’t know what to expect but what was pleasing was everything I asked of the lads they were very open to do and responded to it,” Joe Root, England’s captain, said.
“I wanted us to be proactive, to stay ahead of the game and when there was an opportunity, to take responsibility. Everyone at certain points did that and it can’t be a bad thing moving forward.”
Squad Joe Root (capt), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Toby Roland-Jones.

South Africa were in trouble early in their innings, going to tea on 25 for 3, with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock their main hope of giving Root and England a fright. Only once had a team chased as many in the fourth innings to win a Lord’s Test, though Root may have recalled for a moment the occasion when he filled in as Yorkshire captain in 2014 and saw Middlesex ease to a target of 472 three wickets down on this ground.That gained him the nickname “craptain” in the Yorkshire dressing room, but it looks like England will have to come up with something more generous. In truth, Root did not have to resort to much in the way of tactical genius, as his two spinners bowled in tandem for 24 overs to finish off South Africa with time to spare on another sun-drenched evening in north London. South Africa had not lost a Test at Lord’s since 1960 but they broke that record in style.It meant their fightback during the first half of the day, when they claimed England’s last nine wickets for the addition of 114 runs became a distant memory. It could have been better still but Jonny Bairstow, who scored a vital half-century, was dropped on 7 as South Africa replicated the mistakes that were so costly to their chances in the first innings.After James Anderson had made the initial breakthrough, Heino Kuhn removed via a fine, diving catch from Bairstow down the leg side, Moeen picked up his first wicket when he brilliantly held a reflex return catch off Dean Elgar. South Africa’s stand-in captain must have feared the worst at that moment, and their fortunes sunk further when JP Duminy pulled Mark Wood straight to midwicket on the brink of tea.Moeen Ali celebrates his five-wicket haul as South Africa are rolled aside at Lord’s•Getty Images

The selection of Dawson, who made a pair with the bat, was not widely lauded beforehand but he delivered for Root when he plucked out the key wicket of Amla shortly after the interval. Moeen’s first four overs were maidens, bottling up South Africa from the Nursery End, and Dawson then produced a ripping delivery that pitched on middle and leg, spun past the groping bat and hit the back leg in front of off; Amla reviewed but in vain.De Kock and Bavuma dug in for more than 10 overs, lifting the score from 28 for 4 with a 36-run stand, but an increasingly confident England had Mo-mentum on their side. When de Kock tried to relieve some of the pressure by pulling, he only succeeded in dragging the ball into his front leg, from where it fizzed back into his stumps.Bavuma also fell trying to force an attacking shot to break England’s chokehold, a precise delivery hitting the top of off, and Moeen then had Theunis de Bruyn caught at slip and Keshav Maharaj bowled off an inside edge to record his maiden Test ten-for. Having contributed 87 to the first-innings total of 458, he became the first England player to score a fifty and take ten wickets in a Test since Ian Botham in 1980.Botham-like heroics will help keep most Test captains feeling chipper and, following his first-innings 190, Root could reflect on a perfect start to his tenure. It had been a slightly bumpier beginning to the day, however, as England lost nine wickets in 36.1 overs – though the consolation for Root was that the procession of batsmen returning to join him in the dressing room could attest to the increasing difficulty of the pitch.Bairstow was last man out, stumped off Maharaj, the spinner’s four-wicket haul a harbinger of what was to come. At lunch, England’s lead had been 279 but Bairstow and Wood scraped together valuable extra runs during a brisk ninth-wicket stand of 45. Apart from Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance, who added 10 and 11 respectively to their overnight scores, no other England batsmen managed to get into double-figures on the day.Maharaj might have removed Bairstow right at the start of his innings, only for Vernon Philander, who was fit to bowl after injuring his hand batting on the third day, to drop a simple catch at long-off. Maharaj claimed three of the seven wickets to fall in the first session, amid increasing signs of the pitch breaking up. The dismissal of Cook for 69, caught at cover attempting to lift the scoring, precipitated an England collapse of 4 for 10 in 39 balls – which would have been 5 for 19 had Bairstow’s offering been held.The evidence of the first over of the morning was that the Lord’s baize was by now a little rumpled. At least two deliveries from Philander kept low before the last jumped to hit Ballance on the glove. When Maharaj came into the attack shortly before the hour mark, the first ball of his second over went directly to slip out of the rough; the same over concluded with Root being bowled by one that didn’t turn.Cook and Ballance picked up initially in much the same mood as they guided England to the close on the third evening, a couple of tugboats towing their barge along the Thames. They had added a boundary apiece, taking their partnership to 59, before Cook suddenly weighed anchor and drove aerially into the covers, where Bavuma snaffled a sharp, diving catch.Morne Morkel continued his impressive Test by having Ballance caught behind with another exacting delivery that straightened from round the wicket and England slide’s continued with the dismissal of Root for 5 in the following over. Having seen Maharaj spin the ball sharply, Root swept a boundary but was then caught playing back and got an inside-edge on to his stumps.Ben Stokes did not have much time for reconnaissance, pinned lbw for 1 by a delivery that shot through low from Rabada. Stokes started walking as soon as it hit him, while Rabada – suspended for the next Test due to his outburst after dismissing Stokes in the first innings – kept his counsel. That left England 149 for 5 and it ought to have been 158 for 6 when Bairstow lofted Maharaj towards Philander, only for the fielder to drop it on to the rope. He gestured towards the skies, seeming to suggest that Spidercam had distracted him – but little could excuse the scale of South Africa’s defeat.

For Jonny Bairstow, even on the grandest days the debate about whether England should utilise him as a wicketkeeper or specialist batsmen seems destined to ring loudly

The Report by David Hopps10-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKaushal Silva continued to enjoy batting at Lord’s•Getty Images

The highest Test score ever lodged by an England wicketkeeper in a home Test followed by a perplexing dropped catch. For Jonny Bairstow, even on the most exultant of days the debate about whether England should utilise him as a wicketkeeper or specialist batsmen is destined to ring loudly.Bairstow was left unbeaten on 167 as England were dismissed for 416, 45 minutes into the afternoon session on the second day at Lord’s, but Sri Lanka ended the day strongly by reaching 162 for 1 with Kaushal Silva becoming just the second player to score half-centuries in his first three Test innings at Lord’s.Spritely of mind and stroke, Silva delighted in every opportunity to dart his runs between cover and third man. All three England pace bowlers – James Anderson twice at Headingley, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn at Chester-le-Street – had shared in four successive catches from Silva for Bairstow in this series, but on a surface with few devils his outside edge this time looked less compromised. He played with positive intent from the outset to spearhead Sri Lanka’s most productive batting display since they arrived on these shores.Bairstow’s innings was the highest by an England wicketkeeper on home shores and only six runs short of Alec Stewart’s all-time record. His authority as a batsman is growing apace. With three Test hundreds in eight knocks, it was a time for celebration. Here, said some, was England’s Adam Gilchrist.Then came the wobble. Whether it was the Lord’s wobble – the ground is notorious for the ball swinging late after passing the batsman – or the Bairstow wobble – equally notorious – will be debated long into the night. Bairstow did have to contend with some late dip after the ball shaved Dimuth Karunaratne’s edge, but he missed the ball by a considerable distance as it hit him on the thigh.Chris Woakes, an undemonstrative sort, cast his hands apart in disbelief as he was denied a wicket with his first ball; Bairstow widened his eyes as if the ball had turned into a Christmas pudding upon its final approach. Karunaratne was reprieved and Sri Lanka, scooting ahead on another placid Lord’s Test pitch, closed with deserved satisfaction. After two heavy defeats in the frozen north they have thawed out impressively. Sri Lanka love Lord’s.Bairstow is not the first wicketkeeper to be embarrassed by Lord’s capricious ways. Mention of Stewart invites discussion of another England player whose career constantly shifted between a role as batsman or batsman-keeper. Bairstow openly resents the debate surrounding his role far more than Stewart ever did – Stewart preferred a straight-backed Do My Best For England barked response, but it will be discussed all the same.Long before the close of the second day, he looked exhausted. His body ached after 408 minutes at the crease, a bruised finger was on his mind no matter how much he tried to block it out and, considering that his valiant efforts had provided a get-out clause for poor England batting, some of the throws he received from England teammates were lazy enough to have deserved a bawl-out. He was a man in need of an early night.Karanaratne, 28 when he was reprieved, is not the type to punish such an error: his Test career is awash with 20s and 30s. Spared an lbw verdict three runs later when England unsuccessfully reviewed Woakes’ inducker he then became becalmed, as if aware of his reputation, then suddenly spurted like a tap with a faulty washer with three successive boundaries off James Anderson.”Keep going,” tweeted Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, Sanath Jayasuriya, as both batsmen reached half-centuries in the same over, Sri Lanka’s first century opening stand raised for two-and-a-half years Instead, Karunaratne nudged Steven Finn off his hip to Bairstow. Tweets are yet to be read between balls by batsmen at the crease, although one suspects it is only a matter of time.Silva did graze contentedly to the end against an England attack where only Woakes, the fastest England bowler in terms of a single ball and average, possessed much exuberance.Tranquillity washed over the day from the outset. Matt Prior, after ringing the bell at start of play, was invited on to the England balcony to catch up with old mates and down below Bairstow and Woakes made serene progress to their highest Test scores against a Sri Lanka attack that was as unthreatening as England’s was to prove later.England’s slightly dicey overnight position of 279 for 6 was suitably refined to 384 for 7 by the time the clock reached 1pm. Woakes was the only wicket to fall before lunch, frustrated by Herath’s over-the-wicket approach into the footholes outside his leg stump and advancing to chip a return catch. But he did have his first Test half-century, 66 from 142 balls, an innings characterised by genial off-side drives.England have got 400 in the first innings in a home Test and lost before, but not since 1998 when Muttiah Muralitharan was rampant at The Oval and his 16 wickets in the match enabled Sri Lanka to pull off an unlikely heist. A dominant Sri Lankan Saturday, with few wickets lost, would cause a quiver or two.But these days Sri Lanka have no Murali and, indeed, one wonders how long they will have the benefit of the excellent Herath. He is 38 now, and remains a master of little subtleties, drawing one or two nods of appreciation from Bairstow as he coaxed him into minor errors of judgment.Serenity is hardly Bairstow’s calling card. Watch him bat at his most combative and one imagines he could fight his own shadow. But with a century gathered in 11 balls before stumps on the first day, his appetite to take advantage of placid batting conditions was evident from the outset and the moments of fortune that had helped him through the opening day were absent.Woakes shared in a sixth-wicket stand of 144 in 40 overs as Sri Lanka’s seamers made no impression. He is very much the anti-Stokes, as peaceful as Stokes is belligerent; as unobtrusive as Stokes is the centre of attention. If he saw a locker door upon dismissal, he would check it was safely closed not punch it in anger. In such, he does not fit modern fashions, but his first fifty – at the 11th attempt – will have won him respect, if not celebrity status.England’s innings subsided quickly after lunch with the last three wickets falling in the space of six overs. Stuart Broad made a typically insecure appearance before slashing Suranga Lakmal to gully, Finn – after surviving an lbw decision for Herath on review – top-edged the same bowler to deep backward square and Anderson was caught at the wicket, defending a short ball from Shaminda Eranga.

While there is little doubt that USA misses Sushil Nadkarni’s veteran leadership presence in terms of experience, the gap in talent is not as drastic as initially projected thanks to the emergence of Fahad Babar

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis04-May-2015When Sushil Nadkarni suffered an injury relapse which effectively ended his international career at ICC WCL Division Three last October, the drop-off in experience and talent was expected to be significant. Nadkarni had been USA’s most prolific scorer since making his debut in 2006 and was an intimidating presence at the top of the order, both for his explosive shot making and his sheer physical stature.While there is little doubt that USA misses Nadkarni’s veteran leadership presence in terms of experience, the gap in talent is not as drastic as initially projected thanks to the emergence of Fahad Babar. Brought as a reserve batsman on the tour to Malaysia, 23-year-old Babar was thrust into the opening slot when Nadkarni went down and has flourished in the limited opportunities he has had to prove himself.After feeling his way around during his first few games at Division Three against Uganda and Bermuda, Babar reeled off scores of 47, 59, 44 and 63 not out to end the tournament. If Nadkarni had been healthy, Babar might not have seen the field at all but instead he wound up as USA’s leading scorer with 247 runs, which was also good enough for fourth overall in the event. Six months later, Babar showed that a Chicago winter and lack of matchplay hasn’t dulled his senses one bit and he picked up right where he left off against Bermuda in Malaysia to strike an unbeaten 78 on Sunday in Indianapolis.”The main thing is I think fitness,” Babar told ESPNcricinfo after USA’s five-wicket win on Sunday when asked what has been the key to his early success with the national team. “I have been working really hard. I have improved my fitness which has helped me a lot and helped me improve my batting today. I think it was a good job by the whole team.”What was also impressive was the calm he demonstrated despite continually losing partners. Such temperament is hard to find young players who lack the experience of someone like Nadkarni but Babar never once look flustered and instead seemed to thrive as the pressure began to mount late in USA’s chase. His maturity was also evident in who he chose to target in the Bermuda attack.”We have played Bermuda before and I know their bowlers well,” Babar said. “I knew they had one good left-arm bowler [Delray Rawlins] but other than that they were okay bowlers so my main focus was to play out the left-arm bowler.”His performance was made more special by the fact that he was able to do it in front of nine family members who made the three-hour drive in the morning from Chicago to get to Indianapolis in time for the start of play. The last time they were able to watch him play in national colors was more than four years ago in Florida for the USA U-19 team. Babar only scraped together 14 runs in four innings at that tournament so today’s effort helped create happier memories than the ones they had to take with them on the 20-hour drive from Fort Lauderdale back to Chicago.”It was a great feeling,” Babar said. “Thanks to my family they have been supporting me throughout. The ICC tournament is happening in our region so it’s a proud moment for us. Other people were supporting us as well which was great to see.”Though Babar is part of a very raw squad which was the only team in this tournament not to have any practice matches in the month leading into Sunday’s opening matches, Babar believes that the energy and enthusiasm in this squad has been uplifting and that it will help them overcome their lack of experience to hopefully finish with a repeat of USA’s tournament title from 2013.”We have won our last two games against Bermuda so the confidence was there,” Babar said. “We have beaten them twice [in Malaysia] and today we did it again. I think it’s a really good team. They’re all new young guys and I think we have a really good chance for winning this tournament.”

Perth Scorchers players who misbehaved en masse on the team’s Twenty20 Champions League jaunt have escaped any further sanctions following an investigation by the WACA

Daniel Brettig31-Oct-2012Perth Scorchers players who misbehaved en masse on the team’s Twenty20 Champions League jaunt have escaped any further sanctions following an investigation into their conduct by the Western Australian Cricket Association.Instead, the WACA will commission independent review of cricket in the state, and also draft a new code of conduct and behavioural guidelines to provide a clearer policy for the players. There was also an acknowledgement from team management that the culture around the state team had to improve.Following the resignation of Marcus North as captain of both the state team and the Scorchers, and the dropping of Shaun Marsh from the state side for reasons of form, it was expected that others may have faced punishment following the conclusion of the WACA investigation.However the fact that all members of the Scorchers squad but one – Nathan Coulter-Nile who was ill – were present for Mitchell Marsh’s birthday dinner, which later deteriorated into the kind of night that affected training for the following two days, seems to have mitigated against any further penalties.”Fourteen out of the fifteen members of the playing group, as well as two support staff, attended a dinner on the night the team arrived in Cape Town,” a WACA statement said. “All except two players continued to a nearby lounge bar after dinner and were involved in the continuance of the evening to varying degrees.”Team management felt that after a late night and excessive alcohol consumption, some players were not in an ideal state to complete a training session the following morning, and a training session held the following day, that being the day before the Delhi game, was also compromised.”Our advice is there were no other incidents on the night. In light of this and that some players have already been addressed in South Africa, as well as the fact that the behaviour of players on tour aside from the night in question was appropriate, no further penalties will be imposed on individuals.”Problems surrounding WA’s performance have been long-running, prompting concerned comment from the national selector John Inverarity and the Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards in recent days. Having both played with distinction for WA in the past, Inverarity and Edwards expressed hope that the issues brought to a head in South Africa would be addressed.To that end, the WACA board has endorsed the setting up of an independent review of the game in the state.”Team management and the chief executive officer have identified some issues relating to the underlying culture within the Warriors and Scorchers,” the statement said, “and have recommended that steps be taken to ensure that we have a winning culture within all teams representing the WACA.”The WACA Board has approved a recommendation from management for a full and independent review to be carried out to identify underlying issues that may be impacting on teams representing the WACA. A code of conduct and behavioural guidelines will be developed with education opportunities identified and resources made available to both players and staff. There will also be an individual focus on counselling strategies as needed for members of the playing group.”The WACA will continue to examine its structures, processes and culture, and to raise our professional standards to the highest level. We will be judged by our actions going forward rather than our words.”

Former Zimbabwe batsman Dave Houghton has returned to Derbyshire as batting coach

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2011Former Zimbabwe batsman Dave Houghton has returned to Derbyshire as batting coach. Houghton, 54, was the county’s director of cricket between 2003 and 2007 and has also held coaching roles with Worcestershire and Zimbabwe.”David is a premium world-class batting coach,” said head coach Karl Krikken. “His knowledge and experience will be of great benefit to all of our batsmen, as it has been to players in the international set-up during periods of coaching with the ECB.””Clearly David’s vast experience and success in the game will be a major asset to the whole club, and in particular our batsmen,” added chairman Chris Grant.Houghton was first offered the role of director of cricket at Derbyshire in 2003, having cemented his reputation as a good leader during a spell as coach with Worcestershire in the mid-1990s. He is also the uncle of Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, who first arrived in English cricket with Derbyshire when Houghton was in charge.He quit his post with Derbyshire in July 2007, Don Amott – who was the county’s chairman at the time – saying that the parting was amicable.Houghton played 22 Tests and 63 one-day internationals for his country, was their first Test captain and holds the record for their highest Test score with 266 against Sri Lanka in 1994. He also represented them at hockey, as a goalkeeper.

Graeme Smith’s rapid half-century helped South Africa make light work of the 169 they had been set by a promising batting performance from Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta08-Oct-2010South Africa 169 for 3 (Smith 52, Miller 36*) beat Zimbabwe 168 for 4 (Masakadza 72, Chibhabha 52, Parnell 2-29)

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Smith may not have been captain of the side but his powerful fifty led South Africa to victory•Getty Images

Graeme Smith’s rapid half-century helped South Africa make light work of the 169 they had been set by a promising batting performance from Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein.Smith butchered 58 from 29 balls and received able support from Loots Bosman, JP Duminy and David Miller as South Africa rushed to an easy victory. He stepped down as South Africa’s Twenty20 captain to give himself a breather in the hectic international schedule but he came to the fore to spare his successor, Johan Botha, any embarrassment after a shoddy fielding display from South Africa gave Zimbabwe hope at the half-way stage.While Zimbabwe’s batsmen, led by fifties from Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha, may have shown the optimism surrounding the side is not entirely misplaced, the bowlers – shorn of the services of fiery left-arm spinner Ray Price – were not up to international standard.Though Bosman was under some pressure after making 8, 0, 7, and 0 in his last four innings he responded by smiting 33 in 16 deliveries to leave Zimbabwe’s new-ball bowlers reeling. Any time he found the ball in his half he cleanly dispatched it, with a pair of sixes off Ed Rainsford ending up in the stands over cover.Smith, meanwhile, had been almost anonymous in the field, but was back into the thick of the action with the bat. He punished the gentle new-ball offerings with his customary clubbing into the leg side and greeted the part-time medium pace of Masakadza with utter disdain on his way to a 26-ball fifty.By the time he was out, missing a sweep off Graeme Cremer to be trapped on the back pad, South Africa were coasting at 95 for 2 off 7.3 overs but they were given a slight scare as debutant Colin Ingram fell soon after.David Miller and JP Duminy ensured no slip ups though, as they followed in Smith’s aggressive vein. The 21-year-old Miller impressed on his Twenty20 debut against West Indies earlier this year and he again showcased his ability to see his side home. One over from Cremer was taken for 18 as he used his quick feet and power to punish the legspinner. Duminy finished the job in style, smashing a four and a six off the hapless Prosper Utseya as South Africa cantered to victory with 25 balls to spare.The rout masked a lethargic fielding effort from South Africa. Catches were put down and the ground fielding was clumsy as they responded poorly to the pressure placed on them from Zimbabwe’s lively line-up.
Coming into the game all the talk was of the return of 39-year-old Grant Flower after a six-year hiatus but it was Zimbabwe’s young batsmen who impressed as Flower was left marooned at home, unable to leave the country due to a problem with his visa.Flower, who is also the team’s batting coach, would have been impressed with what he saw as Chibhabha broke the record for the quickest Twenty20 international fifty by a Zimbabwean, reaching the landmark off 29 balls, while Masakadza anchored the innings before finishing with a flourish to end on 72 off 63 balls.After a slow start in which South Africa’s new-ball bowlers impressed, Zimbabwe used the injury to Morne Morkel, who limped off the field after twisting his ankle, to their advantage and added 102 in the final ten overs. Though it looked like carrying the tourists to a good total, Smith’s onslaught ensured it wasn’t nearly enough.