Category Uncategorized

Meanwhile former CA chairman Bob Merriman has termed the review “absolute bloody nonsense and a disgrace” while endorsing Mark Taylor for the role

Daniel Brettig31-Oct-20181:56

ACA will be ‘relentless’ in aiming to overturn player bans

Australia’s largest cricket state, New South Wales, will not express public support for Cricket Australia’s current chairman David Peever and his board before further consideration of the findings of the cultural review released publicly on Monday.The Cricket NSW board, chaired by the Credit Suisse Australia chief executive John Knox, convened for a regular meeting in Sydney on Tuesday night and discussed the release of the cultural review, which has handed down numerous highly critical findings about the culture of CA. “The CNSW Board is considering the review,” a spokesman said.As owners of CA, the state associations have the constitutional right to sack individual directors by a two thirds vote of state delegates at an extraordinary general meeting. Should each state’s three delegates for such a meeting vote en bloc, four out of the six states would be required to carry any motion to remove a board director.While the CEOs or chairmen of three states – Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania – have expressed support for Peever, NSW carries considerable influence as the largest of the state associations. It is also the home state of the long-serving board director Mark Taylor, who has been suggested by past administrators as the most appropriate man to take CA forward while carrying out the review’s 42 recommendations.Western Australia, home state of the board director Bob Every who resigned in protest at Peever’s intention to continue for another three years, has also declined to say anything beyond the fact that the WACA is considering the findings of the review. Cricket Victoria, meanwhile, released a statement from its chairman Paul Barker expressing support for CA in general but not Peever specifically.”Cricket Victoria will continue to support Cricket Australia in the delivery of the overall strategy for cricket,” Barker said, “and in the effective implementation of the Ethics Centre recommendations – as supported by Cricket Australia.”There is consternation among the states about CA’s decision to withhold the cultural review to stakeholders until after last week’s AGM, at which Peever was re-elected for three years. Internal discussions, in which the role of the outgoing chief executive James Sutherland was placed at the heart of cultural problems, has also left some states unimpressed.This has been underlined by the fact that it was Peever and the then lead negotiator Kevin Roberts who led the adversarial MoU dispute with the Australian Cricketers Association last year, before Sutherland was compelled to intervene and broker a compromise with a looming Test tour of Bangladesh under threat. Similarly, Peever’s public discussion of the review findings, both at a press conference in Melbourne on Monday and an interview with Leigh Sales on that night’s current affairs program, left plenty of questions being asked about his ability to serve as frontman for the organisation.Cricket Australia chairman David Peever•Getty Images

Colin Carter, joint author of the governance review that brought the current board model into effect, said it was “completely astonishing” that the states found themselves voting for the re-election of the chairman for another three years without having access to the cultural review beforehand.”The one thing I would say is that I am incredibly surprised that the ‘shareholders’ voted on the composition of the board before they had a chance to read the report,” Carter told . “There is a legitimate debate that goes on, to what extent as you move up the chain should senior people be held accountable and even lose their jobs. That’s a debate that goes on in the banks at the moment, in the churches and the Essendon footy club a few years ago. There is a no black-and-white answer to that because the circumstances are all different and stuff like that.”I don’t think it is possible to have a strong view that board members should be re-signed or sacked or whatever. What I do think is completely astonishing is that decisions were made about the composition of the board for the next three years before any of the people who were voting had a chance to read the assessments that were made. From a governance point of view, I think that was not correct.”Bob Merriman, the former CA chairman, has stated bluntly that Taylor should replace Peever as chairman as soon as possible, while also slamming the findings and process of the cultural review. “I believe Mark Taylor should be the chairman tomorrow and the place should get back on its even footing, either Mark Taylor or Earl Eddings. He [Taylor] is one of the greatest captains we’ve had in our time,” Merriman told the . “He’s been on the board for at least 10 years and has experience in what cricket people really want.”We don’t want this kind of crappy, academic bullshit that’s been presented. We want people that know the game and know what to do with the game. I’m concerned for the game, I’m concerned for the leadership of the game. We’ve lost some good people. I don’t know how in the hell we rely upon non-cricket people to make decisions that are so important for the game. I personally think it’s a disgraceful report as to its quality, I’ve read it in detail.”I think the wisest thing that’s happened is James Sutherland has decided to retire rather than put up with this kind of crap. All the actions James Sutherland took to cover and do the right thing in Cape Town were not even mentioned – the fact that he acted so quickly to suspend the captain and the vice-captain – and under his leadership, the administration took every step that was possible. Now we find a situation where, against the better judgment of a number of people, we’ve got people reporting and investigating without the proper quality. To me, the report is an absolute bloody nonsense and a disgrace.”Another former director, the South Australian Ian McLachlan, reiterated his opposition to a fully independent nine-person board, preferring to see a model where six state-appointed delegates mix with three nationally-appointed independents. A former cabinet minister in Federal Parliament, McLachlan led SA’s opposition to CA governance reform in 2011-12, before sitting on the initial nominations committee for the new board that unearthed Peever, Roberts and Jacquie Hey as the first three independents.”Until they let the states elect their own person to the board, the states will simply be told what to do from Jolimont, and that’s exactly not the way to run cricket,” McLachlan told the . “That was the one mistake in the Carter/Crawford report. It says CA is there to represent its owners, and the states are the owners, but it also contradicts that by saying the owners can’t have a direct member on the board. That in my view has led to the owners not knowing anything because they’re not told anything.”

Sarah Taylor’s half-century and Jenny Gunn’s cameo unbeaten 27 helped England fight nerves and a full-blown batting collapse to progress to their fifth World Cup final

The Report by Shashank Kishore18-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSarah Taylor helped England nudge ahead early in their chase•Getty Images

England progressed to their fifth World Cup final but not before South Africa gave them a mighty scare in Bristol. England nearly paid the price for switching off. A cruise when Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight were at the crease turned into a full-blown collapse when they lost three wickets – one of those to a brilliant run-out and another to a rank full toss – in the space of eleven deliveries. At 149 for 5, chasing 219, it was game on.But England dug deep to find a way out. Fran Wilson and Jenny Gunn exhibited England’s batting depth to take them within six runs of victory. Wilson showed tremendous guts – none more than her scoop to a full ball over short third man off Shabnim Ismail with England needing 40 off 38 – to make 30, before falling in the 48th over.It should have been easily from there on, but pressure can do strange things. South Africa were taking every step to make Nelson Mandela Day a memorable one. The game hinged on a knife’s edge as it went into the final over, off which England needed three. Ismail, entrusted with the responsibility of trying to polish off the last three wickets, put down a sharp chance off the first ball to reprieve Gunn. Nerves were jangling. Then with two needed off four, she foxed Laura Marsh with a slower ball. The England players were on tenterhooks now.South Africa needed two wickets. Anya Shrubsole, hardly needed to bat in the tournament, was on strike. She saw width and flayed it through point to bring up the winning runs, runs that were like a dagger through South Africa’s hearts as another World Cup dream crashing down to leave them heart-broken even as a jubilant England side extended an arm of support to the wounded soldiers.If South Africa were to reflect on the heart-wrenching loss, as they would in all likelihood, they’d perhaps rue letting England drift away when Taylor whipped, scooped and flicked her way to a half-century. Up until then, they had managed to pull things back courtesy Ayabongo Khaka’s 10-over spell which yielded two wickets, including that of Tammy Beaumont, the highest run-getter in the tournament.But Taylor’s 78-run stand with Knight had a deflating effect. They also didn’t help matters early in the chase by being a little off-colour on the field. Trisha Chetty, the record-holder for most dismissals in women’s ODIs, had a particularly bad day, fluffing two opportunities along with a number of fumbles to leak runs.All of this meant South Africa had no control over proceedings until Dane van Niekerk brought them back with an inspirational effort – a one-handed pick up at cover to run Taylor out with a direct hit at the striker’s end in the 33rd over. They weren’t the same side from there on. Laura Wolvaardt’s acrobatic effort at square leg off a full toss sent Knight back. When Natalie Sciver was bowled around her legs by Sune Luus, South Africa’s hopes brightened.The tournament’s best batting line-up was seriously being challenged by a gun attack. But England had a Gunn in their ranks too, and she biffed two boundaries off the 47th over to bring the equation to under a run-a-ball, shortly after Mosaline Daniels removed Katherine Brunt. But at the end, South Africa were left to rue a lower-order collapse of their own, which left them at least 30 short of what they should’ve got.Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez struck half-centuries, and together they put on 77 for the third wicket, to set South Africa for a tilt at 250, but they never gained momentum. Once Wolvaardt fell, England simply didn’t let the middle and lower order get away on a slow surface where manufacturing shots wasn’t easy.Yet, Wolvaardt’s control of her batting stood out when runs were hard to come by. She batted with the maturity of a veteran, who knew how to make up for the slow start. At the other end, du Preez improvised, often manufacturing strokes by walking across or using the depth of the crease to either flick or cut and pull.But the first sign of growing comfort resulted in Knight introducing spin. It was a sign that they’d done their homework. Laura Marsh and Alex Hartley tied the runs down in the middle overs, before Knight reaped the reward in her first over when Wolvaardt was out bowled trying to cut a skiddy delivery. Three balls later, a mix-up led to Marizanne Kapp’s run out.South Africa’s last roll of the dice at 250 were Van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon, who replaced Masabata Klaas, only because they needed the middle-order muscle. When she chipped a simple return catch off her third delivery, South Africa’s innings had quickly descended into free fall. It needed a pugnacious unbeaten 76 from du Preez to give them a fighting chance, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Nick Gubbins and Steve Eskinazi revelled in an overdue catch-up as Middlesex’s young batsmen shone against Lancashire at Lord’s

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's28-Jun-2016
ScorecardNick Gubbins registered his first double century•Getty Images

Today was about a tale of Nick Gubbins and Stevie Eskinazi – two who have made their way up the youth ranks at Middlesex together and spent the best part of their Tuesday creating the sorts of memories that best friends never tire of reliving. Gubbins will no doubt lead the reminiscing: a double hundred to savour as he led his side out of Lancashire’s huge first innings shadow. But Eskinazi, as he did today, will interject with his side of the story – an accomplished maiden first class century in his second match in the format.Together, they put on 208 in 361 balls for the third wicket, their time in the middle a welcome treat for Middlesex and Gubbins: “It’s probably the most time I’ve spent with Eski since he got a girlfriend. It was nice that he took time out of his day to spend it with me.”Ah, Gubbins, the proto-Strauss starting to enhance his own name. For many Middlesex fans, the Gubbins-Strauss comparison is tiresome. While the similarities are evident and valid – Radley College alumni, a carbon copy game square of the wicket, identical slack jaw smile and general clumsiness – the annoyance for them is that some use the comparison to extrapolate what Gubbins might achieve rather than lauding what he is achieving right now.At 22 years of age, he has a Division One double hundred at Lord’s. That’s now two centuries and, at the time of walking off when bad light stopped play after tea, 570 runs in his first full season of Championship cricket. Only Sam Robson has enjoyed a more fruitful red ball summer than him. In case you were wondering, Strauss was 34 when he made it past 200 for the first time.His time at the crease is approaching eight hours, having begun this innings 12 overs before lunch on day two. Starting again on 71 on the third morning, he made the most of Kyle Jarvis’ pace on the ball to drive across a fast outfield. He waited for the bad balls, sure, but he also scored off the good deliveries, too: soft hands guiding any balls that left him to third man and firm wrists pushing anything at him into midwicket and mid on. It was only when he went from 89 to 95 in one strike that trepidation entered his game.Scores in the nineties hang over any batsmen: each a sizeable nugget in your conscience that reminds of you of opportunities missed. Comparable to the person at the bar you couldn’t summon the courage to talk to or that spare ticket you fobbed off to what turned out to be the gig of a lifetime. Or that time you were on a flat one at Lord’s and failed to make it count. And Gubbins had three of them before breaching three figures for the first time against Somerset in his previous match at Lord’s. He very nearly added a fourth.On 96 and looking to cut into a vacant backward point, he edged Jordan Clark to Steven Croft, only for the Lancashire skipper to shell what would have been a smart, diving take to his left. After some calming words from Eskinazi, he decided to get there in singles.There was no such hesitancy in the 190s which he admitted were “a bit of a blur”, aided by a nick through third man and then a powerful pull shot off Jarvis which pinged off the advertising boards of the Grandstand. When Eskinazi was asked what his hundred felt like, he used up most of his time lauding the feat of Gubbins’ double.When they weren’t singing each other’s praises, they were joshing – Gubbins scoffing at Eskinazi’s assertion that he was “as British as my friend Nick Gubbins”; Eskinazi at Gubbins’ insistence that the slog sweep for six to take him to three figures was “pretty rogue”.At lunch, Eskinazi, on 91, had an inbox full of encouragement from his friends and family. As joke, he messaged his brother to ask whether or not he should sweep the leg-spinner, Matt Parkinson, for six to bring up his 100. “Absolutely not, not a chance, please don’t!” came the reply from brother, mum, dad, three uncles and two cousins. When he eventually departed for 106, edging Kyle Jarvis to Tom Smith at second slip, came the follow-up texts: “You absolutely cowboy!”This is Eskinazi’s fourth year at the club and is three years away from qualifying fully for England. Born in Johannesburg, raised in Western Australia where he turned out for the state’s Under-17 and 19 sides, while also spending 10 years in England as a kid (his mother was born here). As a wicket-keeper batsman, his first team opportunities had been limited, but he was never far from the lips of the Middlesex members.Like most diehard county fans, any lament of an underperforming first XI brings a stream of 2nd XI names that should be given a chance to do better. In the last few years, Adam Rossington and Andy Balbirnie were names that have echoed around the ground or off the metal finished bar of the Tavern pub: players who have wiped the floor with 2nd XI attacks but whose opportunities further up were limited. Both have moved on. Last season, “Stevie Eskinazi” began to make an appearance as words of “outstanding knocks for the 2s” or “big runs for Stanmore” spread like fantasy folklore. On this day, you saw it for yourself.He could not have asked for a better pitch for only his third first-class knock. Even so, every defensive shot came out of the middle, as he lined up behind every full or short ball. Near the end of the morning session, Lancashire looked to prey on any nerves he might have while Eskinazi was on his maiden first class voyage in the nineties. Parkinson bowled around the wicket into the right-armers footmarks at the Pavilion End, with a two slips and a leg slip for company. He ignored it all, leaving a handful of deliveries across him and pushing the ball out in front before waiting for his mate to go for lunch.Like all Bromance movies, there is a key message here: Middlesex’s investment in youth is starting to pay dividends. While previously it had been senior men steered the team out of trouble, here were two 22-year-olds doing so with all the comfort of a long overdue catch-up.In keeping, Lancashire looked very much like patrons unable to get on with their own plans over the raucous bonhomie on the next table. But rather than lose their will and ask to be moved, they got on with matters. A mini-collapse of 42 for 3 with the new ball brought them some relief.A fourth Lord’s stalemate is in the offing. For all the revelry of the regulars, Lancashire can take solace from the fact that they don’t come here often.

Corey Anderson will play no further part in New Zealand’s tour of England due to a back problem that has restricted his involvement since the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2015Corey Anderson will play no further part in New Zealand’s tour of England due to a back problem that has restricted his involvement since the first Test. Anderson will return home for further assessment on the stress-related injury.The news will also come as a blow to Somerset, with the county having signed him as one of their overseas players for the NatWest T20 Blast.Anderson was recovering from a finger fracture when he arrived in England from the IPL but featured in the Lord’s Test, scoring a counterattacking half-century in the second innings. He was only able to bowl eight overs, however, and missed the second Test and the first two ODIs.An MRI scan subsequently revealed a “bone stress related injury to his lumbar spine”, which requires investigation, ruling Anderson out of the remaining three ODIs and T20.”Corey has been working hard to get back to full fitness for the ODI series but he hasn’t been able to overcome this injury,” New Zealand’s coach, Mike Hesson, said. “We felt the best course of action was to send him back to New Zealand for further assessment.”New Zealand have not yet called up a replacement to their 15-man squad.

Participants’ account of the thriller between Baroda and Haryana in Lahli, only the 14th one-wicket win in Ranji history

Sidharth Monga and Amol Karhadkar27-Nov-2012Lahli in Haryana is a village 14 km from Rohtak, which is a further 70km from Delhi, the nearest city you can trust an average cricket fan in India to know of. It is cold there these days. Temperatures have begun to fall to a low of single digits. On Tuesday, though, two Ranji teams warmed the place up with frenetic action.Fourteen wickets fell in the space of 30 overs and 81 runs, a total of 17 fell on the day, the ball turned and seamed, there was a ‘mankading’, an injured opener batted at No. 7 to help his side, a desperate fast bowler bowled 15 overs on the trot, there was a six hit by a No. 11 batsman with 16 runs to win, and finally the visitors, Baroda, went on to register only the 14th one-wicket win in the history of Ranji Trophy.Only a handful watched the match, and the players don’t know of any reporter’s presence. Yet it was a day everyone was proud to have been a part of. “There was action in every over,” Ambati Rayudu, Baroda’s captain, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s one of the best games of first-class cricket I have been a part of. I am fortunate and privileged to have led the winning side.””An amazing but harrowing day” is how Baroda’s coach, Sanath Kumar, described it.Even the vanquished, although bitterly disappointed, took a lot out of it. “Yes we are gutted,” Amit Mishra, Haryana’s captain, said. “But we also look at it the other way. If we can fight this well when defending 130, we can do a lot more.” Haryana are in need of that belief. They have already registered two of their lowest totals this season – 55 and 66 – and are the only team without a point.The overwhelming feeling, though, remains that of disappointment. They began the day at 127 for 2, with a lead of 98, one of their better starts in recent history. But too soon the craziness began with the run-out of Abhimanyu Khod, in the second over of the day. The partnership was broken, and as it happens with sides low on confidence, Haryana couldn’t arrest the slide.Rayudu had sensed that too. He said Baroda knew they could convert their first-innings lead into an outright win if they could get early wickets. They were relying on reminding Haryana of their previous collapses. It worked. A little more than an hour later, Baroda could sniff those six full points. Haryana had lost their last eight wickets for the addition of just 33 runs.Lahli is set in open fields. The water table is high too. The pitch hardly ever loses its moisture, and the wind keeps the bowlers interested too. Mishra said that the Baroda bowlers managed both seam and reverse swing.”When we got them all out for 150-odd, we felt a target of around 130 shouldn’t take much out of our batsmen,” Sanath said, before adding he couldn’t have been more wrong. For starters, they couldn’t open the innings with their first-innings centurion, Saurabh Wakaskar, who was injured and had been off the field.Mishra, on the other hand, told his side that they have won such games in the past too, and they just needed to keep fighting. He also thought that if they could get a couple of early wickets, Baroda would have everything to lose — not only the opportunity to gain six points, but also the three they had already secured via the first-innings lead.Mohit Sharma, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, began with the wicket of Kedar Devdhar with the first ball of Haryana’s defence. The real collapse, though, began with the run-out of No. 3 Abhimanyu Chauhan in the eight over. That was the last ball before lunch. Thereafter, it became a contest between a bicycle stand and house of cards. Four wickets fell in the next 28 balls, and Haryana were now favourites at 48 for 6.Wakaskar, though, came out to bat, without a runner, and he and Gagandeep Singh took Baroda to 85. The needle was on, and so was the heat. Mishra, who saw the help for the quicks and brought himself on quite late despite a five-for in the first innings, lost the grip on the ball as he was about to deliver. He saw Wakaskar was backing up too far … And this is where the stories from the two sides differ: Haryana say they clearly warned Wakaskar here, Baroda say they didn’t.A little later, Ashish Hooda ‘mankaded’ Wakaskar. Baroda say they were shocked. The umpires confirmed with Haryana whether they wanted to go through with the appeal. Haryana did. And Wakaskar was gone. The Ranji Trophy, where teams try every trick for every single point, is not the place for such charity. Moreover, there is legally nothing wrong with ‘mankading’. Neither side reported ugly scenes. Eighty-five for 7 then.Mishra said it was difficult to take the ball away from Mohit. He was enjoying bowling here, had had a tea break in between, and wanted to continue bowling until he had won the side the game. Three overs after the run-out, he produced the wicket of Gagandeep too, completing his second first-class five-for. At 91 for 8, Haryana were favourites again.However, Murtuja Vahora, who had triggered the Haryana collapse, was not going to watch his hard work being washed away. He hit two boundaries in a crucial 12, taking Baroda to 108 before he fell to Mishra. Twenty-four still required. Just the time for the biggest partnership of the innings.Enter left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt to join offspinner Utkarsh Patel. A reaffirmation that this is the week of spin twins in India (though not necessarily to the benefit of the home side). “When I walked in to bat after Murtuja was dismissed, not much was said in the dressing room,” Bhatt said. “When I joined Utkarsh, all we said was ” [we have to stay at the wicket].”They did more than just stay in. Both began to attack. Mishra was taken on but kept himself on. With 16 required, Bhatt played the shot that rang around Lahli. The ball turned into him, and he stretched and lofted it for a six. “That wasn’t predetermined,” Bhatt said. “We required 16 or 17 then. He tossed it up and I felt I could reach it and stepped out and connected well.”Mishra opted for Sachin Rana now. He felt the different pace could do the trick, but it didn’t. “It was sensible batting,” Sanath said. “They were positive, very positive. When the ball was there to be hit, they played their shots. One over of Mishra – they hit him for 12 runs. They were scoring off the balls that needed to be scored off. As a result, they didn’t let the tension rise.”In 3.5 overs, the two added 25 to take Baroda to the top of the table in Group B, and broke Haryana’s hearts. A game of four days was won or lost in the final 23 balls.

Steven Finn capped a personally outstanding tour with the superb figures of 3 for 22 in only his second Twenty20 international, as a chastised England team produced a spirited display in the field to limit India to an obtainable 120 for 9

The Report by Andrew Miller29-Oct-2011 England 121 for 4 (Pietersen 53) beat India 120 for 9 (Raina 39, Finn 3-22) by six wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSteven Finn looked the part once again for England, as he finished with 3 for 22•Getty Images

England finished a tough tour of India on an upbeat note, as they preserved their world No. 1 ranking in Twenty20 cricket with a hard-earned six-wicket victory in Kolkata. Steven Finn, with 3 for 22 in four fast and accurate overs, was England’s inspiration with the ball as they limited India’s powerful line-up to 120 for 9 after MS Dhoni had won the toss. Then it was over to Kevin Pietersen, who overcame an anxious start, and a fourth-ball life, to silence a raucous and expectant crowd with a blistering 53 from 39 balls.Given how poorly England had fared in their 5-0 whitewash in the ODI series, they began the match on a hiding to nothing. However, from the moment they claimed two wickets in the first eight deliveries of the match, they were the team dictating the pace of the contest. Suresh Raina, with 39 from 29 balls, threatened for a time to restore the status quo, as did the Indian spinners who dominated the thrust of their attack. But when Raina dropped Pietersen at backward square leg off R Ashwin in the fifth over of the innings, India squandered the chance to ramp up the pressure that had led to England’s collapse of 10 for 47 on the same surface in Tuesday’s fifth ODI.Pietersen’s response was far from instantaneous, however. Although he showed no ill-effects from the chipped thumb that ruled him out of the final ODI, the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja helped to limit him to 2 from his first nine balls before a stunning change of approach reaped the richest of dividends. In the space of his next three balls, he dropped to his knees to scoop Yusuf Pathan over his head for his first boundary of the innings, before flipping to a left-hander’s stance and butchering a perfect switch hit over the fence at what had been deep extra cover.Craig Kieswetter had already fallen to a mistimed lofted drive off Jadeja, and when Alex Hales holed out to deep midwicket off Pathan, both of England’s openers had fallen with 40 runs on the board. However, Samit Patel’s combative hitting proved to be the ideal foil for Pietersen, and their 60-run stand from 46 balls broke the back of the run-chase. Patel played second-fiddle for much of their stand, not least when Pietersen pumped the last two balls of the eighth and nine overs for three fours and a six. But he was not averse to taking the aerial route himself, as he proved when he flogged Vinay Kumar into the stands at long-on.Typically, the denouement was not without its alarms for England. With 100 on the board, Patel sliced Virat Kohli to cover to depart for 21, and one over later, Pietersen was also on his way – courtesy of a shocking lbw decision from umpire Sudhir Asnani, who was perhaps distracted by another change of stance from Pietersen when he put up his finger for a delivery that clearly pitched outside leg. However, Ravi Bopara got away with a plumb appeal in Raina’s next over, as he and Jonny Bairstow sealed the match with 10 balls to spare.If nothing else, the victory – England’s first in an away match against India since 2006 – was due reward for an outstanding month’s work from Finn. By trusting in the same virtues of line, length and pace that had earned him eight wickets in the ODIs, he claimed the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane with the fourth ball of the match, courtesy of an outstanding one-handed pluck in front of first slip from Kieswetter, then later returned to remove two dangermen, Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, with consecutive deliveries.Finn conceded three boundaries in his 24 deliveries, one to Virat Kohli when he overpitched in his first over, and two to Raina – a clean swipe for six, back down the ground, and a rare poor delivery on the pads when he returned to the attack to start the 12th over. The rest of the time, however, his rhythm and accuracy was unrelenting, and it was his key extraction of Raina, who cut loosely to backward point in Finn’s third over that was the pivotal moment of the innings. One ball later, Jadeja chopped on for a golden duck, and at 74 for 6 with eight overs remaining, India’s habitual acceleration was thwarted.It wasn’t a one-man show from England’s bowlers, however. Tim Bresnan bounced back from a disappointing ODI series with a second-ball strike to remove Robin Uthappa for 1, and also cut short a threatening performance from Kohli, who had moved along to a run-a-ball 15 when Alex Hales on the deep midwicket boundary pulled off an excellent running catch inches inside the rope.Graeme Swann’s struggles with the ball continued when Raina pumped him for 16 in his first over, but his captaincy was certainly on the ball. Patel fizzed through his first three overs for 13 and bowled a frustrated Manoj Tiwary when he attempted to slog his way out of a rut, while Bopara pulled off some impressive changes of pace to deliver a double-wicket maiden in the 17th over of the innings. Yusuf Pathan missed the change-up after two slower balls and was bowled; two balls later Praveen Kumar had a mow and went the same way.MS Dhoni, inevitably, was on hand to provide some late resistance as he and Ashwin scalped 25 runs from India’s final two overs, but a run-a-ball chase was always within England’s grasp – even allowing for the depth of their failings on this most disappointing of one-day campaigns.

The ECB has decided to keep the Twenty20 fixture list next summer despite the fears of dwindling interest, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2010The ECB have decided to retain the Twenty20 fixture list for next summer despite the fears of dwindling interest, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.The Friends Provident t20 lasted an eye-watering 151 matches in the 2010 season and was widely criticised for failing to draw the big crowds earlier versions of the Twenty20 Cup had brought.Yet the smaller counties rely on the income generated from the long fixture list and won their battle to resist change at a meeting at Lord’s on Tuesday.The counties have been hoping the ECB could resolve the scheduling issue soon in order to begin their marketing campaign for next summer, and there is a growing dissatisfaction over the lack of leadership shown by the ECB over the matter.The counties suffered poor financial returns last season which has made the fixture problem more acute. Many grounds are in the expensive process of upgrading their facilities in the search for lucrative international hosting rights. Almost all of last season also suffered the interruption of the football World Cup dominating the summer as well as the neutral Test series between Pakistan and Australia. The hope is that without these distractions the 2011 season will be easier to sell to the public.

Sussex have confirmed that they have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown to have talks with Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown takeover as captain.

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009Sussex have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown, the 22-year-old allrounder, to talk to Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown take over as captain.Hamilton-Brown has played just eight first-class games and is currently with England’s performance squad in Pretoria as a level B player, meaning the selectors view him as being one to three years away from international level.Sussex, who signed Hamilton-Brown from Surrey in 2008, did not welcome the approach initially, saying they had no intention of losing Hamilton-Brown and had already offered him an improved contract before Surrey’s approach.On Wednesday, Jim May, the Sussex chairman, reiterated the club’s position but admitted they would have to allow Hamilton-Brown to speak to Surrey.”The position of Sussex remains unchanged in that we have no wish to see a player of Rory’s potential leave the Club and our immediate aim is to agree an extended contract with him,” he said. “However, we recognise that to achieve this aim it is appropriate to give Rory time to talk to Surrey about their opportunity.”At this stage, the Club has granted permission to talk only. We remain strongly of the view that Rory’s cricket development is best served by remaining at Sussex and we will be meeting him subsequent to his meetings with Surrey to discuss matters further.”

Sri Lanka’s Test captain is disappointed at his team’s schedule and considers it a “big disadvantage”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-20250:49

Dhananjaya de Silva: Pitch won’t spin from ball one

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva has described his team’s Test schedule this year as “really disappoining”. He believes it is a “big disadvantage” for a team such as Sri Lanka to play as few Tests as they have scheduled this year.Beyond this two-match Australia series, Sri Lanka only have two home Tests against Bangladesh to come in 2025. Their next World Test Championship cycle has only 12 Tests scheduled for now – an average of six Tests a year.Related

• Can Kamindu overcome fresh hurdles after a stellar 2024?

• Australia, Sri Lanka and a touch of the dramatic

• Smith says Australia need to 'be proactive'

“It’s really disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests,” Dhananjaya said on the eve of the two-Test series against Australia. “Honestly, it is a big disadvantage, especially considering ours is a good side, as well.”I’m hoping we can get more fixtures than we have. We’re hoping to discuss the opportunity to play more Test series and hopefully we get an open window for that. Hopefully Sri Lanka Cricket can organise something. But all we can do is control what we can, and play good cricket in the matches that we do get.”Sri Lanka were among the teams with a chance of making the World Test Championship final. If they had won one of the two Tests against South Africa, they would have come into this Australia series still in the hunt. But having been more-or-less trounced in South Africa, the best Sri Lanka can hope is to finish just behind the finalists, Australia and South Africa. Even for that to happen, they’d have to win this series 2-0.”We were close to getting to the WTC final,” Dhananjaya said. “We have a good side and we were unlucky in a couple of games. If you take the two Tests we lost to Pakistan [at the start of the cycle] that was a big drawback. But we need to finish the cycle strong. If we can get to No. 3, then we will be satisfied.”

“We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it”

Matt Roller15-Oct-20231:27

What made the Afghanistan spinners so good against England?

Afghanistan’s fixture list sees them play New Zealand in Chennai less than 72 hours after they pulled off the most famous win in the country’s sporting history by beating England in Delhi on Sunday night. But their coach Jonathan Trott’s message to his players was simple: “It’s important that you celebrate your victories.”Despite having won only one of their previous 17 matches at World Cups before their 69-run victory over the defending champions, Afghanistan’s ambition in this tournament was to qualify for the semi-finals. As a result, Trott admitted he needed to guard against complacency when they head south.And yet, drawing on the experience of his own playing career, Trott said that it was only right that his players should bask in their success. “I’m very keen not to put a dampener on things or tell them to focus on the next game,” Trott said. “I know from my career and my experience, I never soaked up enough, or enjoyed moments [like these].Related

• Presenting Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the allrounder in the making

• The Great Upset: Afghanistan bring World Cup to life with England conquest

• Buttler: England must 'let defeat hurt' after Afghanistan spring World Cup shock

• Forget Bazball, this was Gurbazball

• Rashid Khan hopes for 'big celebration' in earthquake-ravaged Afghanistan after England win

“I’m certainly going to say to the guys, ‘enjoy tonight, spend some time together, whatever you want to do.’ As soon as we land in Chennai, in 12-18 hours’ time, we switch on for the next game and it’s back to business. It’s important you celebrate your victories, because they’re so hard and they’re always such a challenge.”We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it. But also, [that they] take stock and realise when they get a certain amount of things right in the 50 overs or the 100 overs, what they can achieve and the level of teams that they can put under pressure and compete with and win cricket matches.”The spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman did the trick for Afghanistan•Getty Images

Trott suggested that his players had benefited from the experience of playing with and against England’s players in franchise leagues, realising that despite their status as world champions, they were “human” too. “They get to know the ins and outs of each player, so there’s that familiarity and also the confidence,” he said.”Sometimes, I think when you see big Test-playing nations, you hold them in high regard. Playing with players like that, you see that they are human, and you are just as entitled to win or do well [as they are]… that’s the beauty of the World Cup, isn’t it? That’s what cricket is about.”I’m just chuffed with the players. The things that we’ve spoken about as a side, we’ve agreed if we get these things right, we can compete with anybody in the world. These guys work incredibly hard. I’m really impressed with them. They will see the rewards, and this will encourage them to kick on even more.”Trott also acknowledged the bigger picture of Afghanistan’s win. Last weekend, over 1,000 people were killed and many more injured in an earthquake in the west of the country. The players wore black armbands in memory of the victims during their defeat to India on Wednesday, and several players have donated substantially to relief efforts.”It’s not just cricket that the guys are playing for,” Trott said. “The guys are very knowledgeable of the things and the hardship that some people are going through because of the natural disaster, and for various other reasons. If this can give a smile to people’s faces anywhere in the world, but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket wherever they are in Afghanistan, then that’s the goal that’s been achieved.”It’s very pleasing. There’s a lot of confidence that will hopefully come from this when competing against the bigger nations and it’ll have a knock-on effect to all the other games – not only in this World Cup, but for the future as well. [It shows] just what Afghanistan cricket can achieve… we don’t fear anyone. Every game we are here to play, and we are here to win.”