All posts by n8rngtd.top

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2022Ben Stokes’s celebration proved premature as replays revealed a no ball•PA Photos

Ben Stokes to Brad Haddin, Adelaide, 2013It had already been a lengthy stint in the field for England, with Australia strongly placed on 367 for 5, when Stokes, making his debut, thought he had removed Haddin for 51…What happened next? There was a heated exchange between Stokes and Haddin who would go on to make 118 in Australia’s 570 for 9 decMark Wood thought he had his first Test wicket, but had overstepped•Getty Images

Mark Wood to Martin Guptill, Lord’s, 2015Wood, a Durham team-mate of Stokes, was making his debut against New Zealand at Lord’s. England had made a useful 389, but New Zealand’s openers had started well when it appeared Wood had broken through by removing Guptill on 24…What happened next? Guptill went on to make 70 in an opening stand of 148 with Tom Latham. Wood eventually claimed Brendon McCullum as his maiden scalpTom Curran thought he’d claimed his maiden Test wicket, until he was shown to have bowled a no-ball•Getty Images

Tom Curran to David Warner, Melbourne, 2017England had kept Warner waiting in the 90s after he had skipped effortlessly towards three figures. But, on 99, they thought the plan had workedWhat happened next? Warner reached his century next ball but would only add three more runs before edging behind against James Anderson.Mason Crane roars the appeal that became void by the no-ball decision•Getty Images

Mason Crane to Usman Khawaja, Sydney, 2018England had managed to extract Steven Smith short of another hundred and in the final over of the morning session Crane had a huge appeal for lbw against Usman Khawaja, on 132 at the time…Crane to Khawaja, 1 no ball, huge appeal for lbw! Crane is imploring and Root has called the review. Did Khawaja play a shot, doesn’t seem so – thrust his pad at the ball, bat a long way from it. Well, is this a no-ball? Yes, it’s a no-ball! England won’t lose the review, but would it have been out? Yes, it would have been out, providing the third umpire had determined there was no shot played! Was hitting off stump with Khawaja just padding it away. England angered by the no-ball call, but it seemed fair on the replay. Oh boyWhat happened next? Crane eventually got his man, but not before Khawaja had batted on for another 26 overs and 39 runs. He was eventually drawn down the pitch to fall for 171 and give the spinner his maiden Test wicket.Saqib Mahmood was denied the wicket of Jermaine Blackwood after overstepping•Getty Images

Saqib Mahmood to Jermaine Blackwood, Barbados, 2022His fellow debutant Matt Fisher had struck with the second ball of his Test career, but as Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood bedded in for a century stand on an unforgiving surface, Mahmood was into his 14th over, across four spells, before seemingly getting his moment of catharsis …Mahmood to Blackwood, 1 no ball, Knocks him over! Mahmood has his first Test wicket… wait a minute! He’s overstepped! Inch-perfect yorker, 85mph/136kph and dipping low to crash into the base of middle stump. But it doesn’t count, because the third umpire has spotted an overstep. Ecstasy to agony.What happened next? Blackwood, on 65 at the time, reset himself against his favourite opponents and pushed along to his third Test century – his average against England, 45.77, is more than 15 points higher than his career mark of 30.66. At the other end, and unperturbed, Brathwaite nudged along to his tenth Test century, and third against England, to drag his team closer to parity…This article was first published in January 2018

Andy Balbirnie, the Ireland batsman, has been released by his county Middlesex after he was ruled out of the 2016 season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2016Andy Balbirnie, the Ireland batsman, has been released by his county Middlesex after he was ruled out of the 2016 season. Balbirnie underwent hip surgery in April and a lengthy recuperation period meant that he would not be able to take part for Middlesex this season, at the end of which his contract was due to expire.”It’s always extremely sad to release a young cricketer, especially when they are as likeable and as committed to the game as Andrew,” said Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director. “He is expected to make a full recovery from his operation, is a very good cricketer, and everyone at the club wishes him well for the future.”Balbirnie, who is a graduate of the club’s academy, played two first-class, three List A and seven T20 games for Middlesex. He has been a regular in Ireland’s squads, including at the recent World T20.”I would like to thank everyone involved in Middlesex County Cricket Club over the last five seasons who have helped me develop not just on the field but off it too,” Balbirnie said. “It’s been a huge honour to represent this great club and one that has been thoroughly enjoyable. I wish the squad and the staff the very best for the remainder of the season.”

Sussex spread their resources in a disciplined retreat to hold on for a draw with Worcestershire at New Road

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2016
ScorecardRoss Taylor’s half-century helped Sussex battle their way to a draw•Getty Images

Sussex spread their resources in a disciplined retreat to hold on for a draw with Worcestershire at New Road – a fifth stalemate in a row for two teams who have yet to win in the County Championship this season.Ross Taylor, Matt Machan and Harry Finch, with a Championship-best 57, all made half-centuries in clearing a deficit of 213 and opening up a lead of 198 when the game ended with their total on 411 for 9.Contrary to a dismal overnight forecast, a 10-minute delay in the morning was the only disruption from the weather as Sussex set about blunting the home team’s seamers. Resuming at 137 for 3, still 76 behind, they restricted Worcestershire to two wickets in the morning and two in the afternoon.Taylor put on 52 with nightwatchman Lewis Hatchett and 48 with Machan, who then added 55 with Finch before he was out for a quick-fire 66 from 70 balls. Machan’s pull for six off Matt Henry before lunch wiped out the arrears and they were approaching a secure position when Finch and Ben Brown added 60 in 15 overs before tea.The key to the recovery was Hatchett’s confidence in staying with Taylor through the first hour. When the breakthrough came, it was emphatic, Joe Leach knocking out Hatchett’s off stump as the left-hander pushed forward.To establish some momentum, Worcestershire needed to follow that up straightaway but Taylor carried on to a second half-century for the county in 98 balls.Henry eventually won a battle between two New Zealanders by bowling Taylor after he had hit nine fours, but Machan was then going well with five fours, as well as his six, on his way to 50 from 40 balls. In all he batted for 23 overs until wicketkeeper Ben Cox held a one-handed catch from a good delivery by Leach.As the runs continued to pile up, Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell came on to bowl for the first time this season and with his fifth delivery he held a return catch from Finch – his first Championship wicket in three years.Henry launched one last effort after tea and in quick succession he trapped Brown in front and had Steve Magoffin caught at mid-off for a final return of 4 for 122 from 31 overs. He probably deserved better. But Ollie Robinson, unbeaten in the match with scores of 51 and 29, saw out time with last man Stuart Whitingham.

Kagiso Rabada has signed to play for Kent for four weeks in this year’s county season, encompassing six T20s, two one-day games and one first-class match

Firdose Moonda18-Feb-2016Kagiso Rabada has signed to play for Kent for four weeks in this year’s county season, subject to receiving an NOC, encompassing six T20s, two one-day games and one first-class match. ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that Rabada will join the Division Two county, who did not sign an overseas player last year, after South Africa’s ODI tri-series in West Indies, which ends on June 26.”After the World T20, he has to come back, rest and get strong. And then he decided he wants to play county cricket this year because he is not sure when he will get the opportunity to do it again,” an insider told ESPNcricinfo. “He wants to play in the IPL one day but for his own career, he thought a county stint would benefit him at this time.”Rabada had been expected to pursue a county deal after opting not to go into the IPL auction this year, as part of his own plan of progression. Many counties had already agreed their overseas signings for the coming season but he was linked with Durham before joining Kent. In announcing the signing, Kent chairman George Kennedy said they had “been hugely impressed” by Rabada’s performances against England.He finished the leading wicket-taker in the Tests, despite not playing the first match, and picked up another nine in four ODIs. Rabada said: “I will play hard and try my best. I want to learn from the experience – particularly bowling in different conditions. Most of all I am looking forward to enjoying the experience.”Rabada’s decision could also be an advantage for South Africa, who are due to tour England in 2017 – first for the Champions Trophy and then for a four-Test series. “The nice thing for him is that South Africa will be touring there next year,” Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s T20 captain said. “He hasn’t bowled with the Dukes ball, he hasn’t played in those conditions and I think its massively important for a young guy to go and play because you basically play every second day. You learn a lot about traveling and playing.”But du Plessis warned that Rabada’s workload will need to be managed. “The key for him is not to bowl too much when he is over there. If you are playing in county cricket, the overseas bowlers can come back three feet shorter,” du Plessis joked, although he conceded that a month in county cricket it would be less of a strain on Rabada than a full IPL.”In the IPL, you are going to bowl a lot. You are playing 18 or 19 T20 games and practising every day. You bowl a lot,” du Plessis said. “In county cricket, someone can have a look and monitor his overs a little bit better. It’s about not over-bowling him in this part of his career.”Given that the bulk of Rabada’s county stint will be in the shortest format, he is likely to have enough time off, something even South Africa will look to give him in the build up to the World T20. “It’s going to be key for a young guy to stay injury-free,” du Plessis said. “It’s going to be the challenge of the next five years but we are also looking at it now. Leading up to the World T20, we will give him some rest over the next five games.”Rabada may not play in all five home internationals but, when he does, du Plessis is confident he will make an impact. Since his debut in November 2014 to date, Rabada has played eight T20s and improved in each one. “Every game that he has played, he has gotten better,” du Plessis said. “When he played his first T20, you could see he was still unsure of what he was trying to do and then the last game we played in India, it was like he had played 50 or 60 games, with the experience he gained in that time.”Rabada enjoyed one of the best returns of that match, when he took 1 for 18 in four overs to ensure South Africa sealed the series 2-0. “The great thing about KG is that he always wants to improve, he is always asking questions and as a captain that’s great because you know a player wants to improve. I am very happy with where he is at,” du Plessis said.”He doesn’t think he is the finished article. He has got such a great head on his shoulders. He wants to go there to get used to those conditions and be a better player after that. And then he is so young, he’s still got lots of years to play in the IPL.”

Hosts recover from 100 for 5 to end the day 34 runs ahead of visitors

Danyal Rasool13-Aug-2021Stumps West Indies and Pakistan’s last Test match four years ago was a classic, and if the events at Sabina Park are anything to go by, we may be in for another one. On an attritional day of Test cricket that didn’t swing as much as it just gently swayed, the two teams continue to be neck-and-neck. Simple math would dictate the hosts have the edge, leading as they do by 34 runs with two wickets still to spare, but with Yasir Shah in the fourth innings a historically significant factor, all bets are off.Kraigg Brathwaite (97) dominated the day, surviving almost through to the end after having to settle nerves after the frenetic finish of last night. He saw off each of Pakistan’s pace bowlers, the first new ball, a dangerous middle order collapse, the introduction of Yasir and two full sessions. But then it all changed as West Indies’ most threatening partnership – 95 between the captain and his predecessor was broken.Jason Holder was playing with delightful fluidity as his side pushed past 150 and bore down on Pakistan’s first innings score ominously. Yasir, not nearly at his best, was dispatched to the boundary repeatedly, and soon enough, a backfoot punch off Hasan Ali got Holder to his 11th half century. Eight runs later, though, he was gone, a victim of Faheem Ashraf’s subtle seam movement.Brathwaite, of course, remained and was even eyeing up a personal three-figure score – ideally before having to face the new ball in darkening conditions. It is hard to say if that played a role in his decision to hare back for a couple down to fine leg, taking on Hasan, whose direct hit caught the opener well short of his ground. He had departed three runs shy of what would have been a splendid hundred, with the wicket coming at a time when West Indies had firm control over the Test.Once Brathwaite fell, the visitors had a real opening, but wayward lines with the new ball, particularly from Shaheen Afridi, saw the lower order continue to eke out runs as Joshua Da Silva manipulated the strike intelligently. By the time the umpires began worrying about the light, West Indies already had a decent lead they will be keen to build on tomorrow.In overcast conditions in the morning, Mohammad Abbas had picked up exactly where he left off the previous day and was the pick of the bowlers, peppering the corridor of uncertainty between a good and full length. Roston Chase and Brathwaite had to be especially sure of their footwork, with the seam movement Abbas was generating an additional challenge.Afridi let his high standards dip somewhat, beginning with two leg-side deliveries that trickled away for four leg-byes each. It settled West Indies’ nerves, and once Chase drove Abbas straight down the ground, the runs off the bat became more frequent. Before long, they had brought up a half-century stand.But just as West Indies looked poised to take control, Pakistan struck. Hasan, who had been testing the pair in his first three overs, especially when they got on the front foot, coaxed an expansive front-foot drive from Chase that wasn’t really on. It produced a tickle through to Mohammad Rizwan, with an anguished look from the batter revealing quite how ordinary the shot was.The second session was a dogged, scrappy affair that – one sensational over from Afridi aside – West Indies negotiated with relative conviction. The problem for them, though, was that this time would be defined by four balls from Afridi more than anything any batter could manage.Just after West Indies brought up their hundred, Pakistan broke through with the wicket they had threatened before lunch. Jermaine Blackwood’s punchy counter-attacking knock might have been evocative of Rizwan’s cameo on the first day but it wasn’t nearly as assured, with all four of his boundaries coming off shots he wasn’t in control of. Afridi landed one in the slot for him to go after, but with the ball wobbling in the air, Blackwood only managed to toe-end it to Abbas at long-on. The very next ball, Kyle Mayers was struck full on the pad, and found himself departing for a golden duck.It might have gotten worse for West Indies. Two balls later, the irrepressible Afridi had Holder trapped in front, with the umpire raising the finger. The allrounder would survive by the barest of margins, with the review showing the ball pitching just outside leg stump.Holder understood the magnitude of the moment, and dug in. He did not score until a straight drive off his 12th delivery, and didn’t score again for 22 more balls. He knew the chance would eventually come, and launched into a wayward Yasir over towards the back-end of the session.Brathwaite, meanwhile, was pretty much batting on a different surface. His patience was exemplary, his shot selection immaculate. When Pakistan appeared to be having one of their purple patches, he had the awareness to retreat completely into his shell and place an even greater value on his wicket, and with Holder keeping the scoring ticking over at the other end, West Indies began to take control.The quick departure of both let Pakistan back in, though, and it feels increasingly as if it might all come down to fine margins again. Just as it did in 2017.

Stand-in captain Assad Vala scored an unbeaten 144 in the first innings to set up Papua New Guinea’s 199-run rout of Namibia at Port Moresby, their first I-Cup win at home

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Assad Vala struck his second successive I-cup century•IDI/Getty

Stand-in captain Assad Vala scored an unbeaten 144 in the first innings to set up Papua New Guinea’s 199-run win over Namibia at Port Moresby in their first Intercontinental-Cup match at home. It was PNG’s second win in the competition, moving them past Scotland and Hong Kong into fourth place with 40 points from four games and putting them just six points behind Netherlands for third.Vala, who took over captaincy for the injured Jack Vare, elected to bat and scored his second century in as many I-Cup matches after making 120 in January against Ireland. It set up PNG’s first-innings total of 311. Namibia struggled in reply after medium-pacer Norman Vanua took 3 for 39 to reduce the visitors to 52 for 6.Captain Sarel Burger produced an unbeaten half-century to keep Vanua at bay and added 52 for the eighth wicket with JJ Smit. Part-time bowler Lega Siaka broke the stand, removing Smit lbw for his maiden first-class wicket and then finished off the tail to hold Namibia to 146, giving first-innings points to PNG with a lead of 165.PNG elected not to enforce the follow-on and Vani Morea opened their second innings with a brisk 61 off 86 balls. Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz kept Namibia in the match by ripping through PNG’s middle order to take 6 for 65, to finish with 11 for 170 in the match. His effort helped keep the hosts to 189 in their second innings, setting up a target of 355 for Namibia.As they had done in the first innings, Vanua and Siaka did most of the damage early. Vanua helped reduce Namibia to 14 for 4. Siaka finished with 4 for 38, and a match haul of 7 for 54.