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Warwickshire have moved back to the top of the County Championship Division Two after recording a comfortable 86-run win over Durham

ECB Reporters Network28-Jun-2018
ScorecardWarwickshire have moved back to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two table after recording a comfortable 86-run win over Durham at Emirates Riverside.Jeetan Patel was the star man for his side in the second innings as he took the 32nd five-wicket haul of his career, ending with figures of 6 for 83.Durham were left to rue batting collapses from their middle order to slump to their second defeat on the spin. The visitors got back to winning ways in the Championship after their defeat at Kent last week, clinching their fifth victory of the campaign to reclaim their place on the summit.Warwickshire began the day with a lead of 279, and it was clear from the off that they were in a hurry to push on their total beyond 300. Keith Barker and Tim Ambrose were able to put on a partnership of 60 before Ryan Pringle broke the stand. The off-spinner claimed three wickets in a single over as Patel and Chris Wright were dismissed in back-to-back deliveries.Oliver Hannon-Dalby played a loose drive to continue the procession of wickets before the visitors declared on 185-9, leaving Durham 313 to chase in their final innings. Warwickshire put the pressure on the home side early on as Cameron Steel knicked off to Ian Bell at third slip.Tom Latham and Will Smith stabilised the innings, heading into the first break of the day one wicket down. The duo reached their fifty partnership after the restart, but soon lost Smith when he edged a short delivery from Hannon-Dalby through to Ambrose. Latham soon followed when he fell lbw to Patel, while Paul Collingwood fell in the same over edging behind.Slight resistance came forward from Graham Clark and Gareth Harte, making the visitors work hard to earn a further breakthrough. However, Clark lost his discipline against Patel, playing a loose drive to become his third victim of the innings. Ryan Davies scored boundaries to try to put the pressure back on Warwickshire.Ryan Sidebottom’s arrival into the attack produced the wicket of Harte as he picked out Dominic Sibley. The theme of the innings continued as one became two when Davies was out in the next over to Patel. Bell continued his fine performance in the field to remove Ryan Pringle, claiming a stunning catch at mid-wicket.Patel notched his fifth wicket when Matt Salisbury departed for a hard-fought 19 when he edged behind to Ambrose. Wright should have ended the innings when Nathan Rimmington drove straight to Wright, only to be dropped while a run out attempt was missed by the bowler. Rimmington offered late fireworks, blasting his maiden fifty for Durham off 51 ball, including eight fours and a six.Rimmington was the last man to fall when he was bowled by Patel to allow the visitors to secure the victory by a comfortable margin.

Two days after being picked up by Rajasthan Royals for USD 1.125 million in the IPL auction, the Sussex allrounder was signed as a replacement for Carlos Brathwaite at the PSL draft

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2018Quetta Gladiators picked Sussex’s rising sensation Jofra Archer as a replacement for allrounder Carlos Brathwaite who will miss the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and will instead play for West Indies in the World Cup qualifiers in March. Archer’s Sussex team-mate Tymal Mills was roped in by Karachi Kings in place of former Australia quick Mitchell Johnson, who had pulled out of the tournament, citing personal reasons.In a replacement draft held in Lahore on Monday, all six franchises tweaked their roster, replacing players unavailable for various reasons ahead of the third edition of the league, scheduled to be played from February 22. Only five players who had been originally drafted in will miss the tournament in its entirety – Johnson, Brathwaite, Luke Wright, Angelo Mathews and Colin Munro. The other replacement players have been brought in as cover for players who are partially available.Two days after being picked up by Rajasthan Royals for USD 1.125 million in the IPL auction, Archer grabbed the spotlight again. A 22-year old allrounder from Barbados who plies his trade at Sussex, Archer extended his county form into the Bangladesh Premier League and then the Big Bash League. He claimed a double-wicket maiden on BBL debut for Hobart Hurricanes and continued to impress with his rapid pace. In addition, he has a strike-rate of 143.93 with the bat, which makes him an exciting prospect.England opener Luke Wright, meanwhile, pulled out of the PSL because of fitness concerns. Wright had played for Quetta in the first two seasons, before being selected by Karachi this season. They replaced him with another England opener in Joe Denly who was the top scorer in the Natwest T20 Blast in 2017 and later went on to play for Dhaka Dynamites in the BPL and the Hurricanes in the BBL.”Sadly I’ve had to pull out of the PSL this year,” Wright tweeted. “I’ve been carrying niggles all winter and they aren’t getting better so, to be fair to both Karachi Kings and Sussex, I respectfully have to miss it. Great tournament. Hope to play in it next year.”SLC denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Mathews, forcing Lahore Qalandars to pick New Zealand’s Anton Devcich instead. Lahore also drafted in West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin to replace Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, who will be available for a few games before joining the Bangladesh side. Islamabad United brought in Sri Lanka allrounder Asela Gunaratne, England quick Steven Finn and West Indies batsman Chadwick Walton to replace JP Duminy, David Willey and Alex Hales.”We brought in an extra keeper (Ramdin) as back up for Umar Akmal, in case we want to play Umar as batsman only,” a Lahore Qalandars spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “We had originally picked Mitchell McClenaghan to fill in for Mustafizur’s absence, so we have an extra fast bowler if we need one.”Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan – who are both part of defending champions Peshawar Zalmi’s squad – will also only be available for the first four games of the tournament. They will then join the national team for a tri-series that also involves Sri Lanka and India. Quetta’s Mahmudullah, also unavailable for the same reason, was replaced by Australia fast bowler John Hastings. Peshawar also brought in Dwayne Smith and Liam Dawson as cover.

The move stems from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium becoming a sought-after venue for hosting T20 leagues, which, as a result, is coming in the way of Pakistan’s scheduling in the UAE

Umar Farooq17-Feb-2018The UAE’s future as a ‘home’ venue for Pakistan is under threat as clashes between T20 leagues and international commitments have forced the PCB to look to Malaysia as a host venue. Pakistan is due to host New Zealand and Australia later this year, series which would ordinarily be played in the UAE. But Sharjah’s growth as a destination of choice for various T20 leagues means venues could be limited for the PCB.Sharjah is set to host a new Arabian Cricket League run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), every year in January, just before the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is scheduled in February. The new Afghan T20 League this year, meanwhile, will be played primarily in Sharjah, and coincides with Pakistan’s schedule against Australia and New Zealand. Those two series, in October and November, include five Tests, at least five ODIs, and a few T20Is.”We have been informed by the ECB that they wish to host the Afghan Super League and also the Arabian Cricket League,” Najam Sethi, the PCB chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “The Afghan League is tentatively scheduled by them at a time when our Australia and New Zealand series [will be] taking place in the UAE and they are denying the Sharjah facility to us because of the Afghan League. So that’s a problem for us.”Secondly, they want to hold the Arabian League in the month of January every year, whereas our [Pakistan] Super League is scheduled for February, so this will come before us and precipitously close to us, which will create difficulty for us, especially if they want our players to participate in both the leagues.”Therefore, I am going to Malaysia to explore the prospects for at least shifting our Australia and New Zealand series if they insist on denying the Sharjah facility to us during the Afghan League. Nothing is certain right now. I am going to look at all the options and try and persuade them to shift their dates if possible, so that there is no conflict.”Pakistan have had a longstanding, mostly trouble-free association with the ECB, with the UAE hosting a major chunk of Pakistan’s home cricket since 2009 as well as the PSL. In recent years, however, the relationship has taken an occasional hit.In 2016, for instance, the eventually doomed Masters Champions League (MCL) nearly put the opening season of the PSL in jeopardy as the ECB refused to lease out the three stadiums in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to Pakistan, arguing that the MCL had already locked in the venues. The PCB explored Doha as an alternative venue but ended up negotiating a settlement with the ECB which allowed the PSL to go ahead, side by side with the MCL.At other moments too the PCB has pondered moving to venues such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia and even Bangladesh, citing the high costs of hosting low-yield series in the UAE. The UAE itself has expanded its role in that time as a venue for high-profile cricket; Afghanistan often host their games in the country; it is a busy host of Associate cricket events; and now it is staging other short-format events, such as the T10 League, which eat into the calendar and usage of the three international venues. As it is PSL franchises were not especially happy with the T10 league eating up their commercial space in the region.The development only highlights the need for the PCB to try and push more and more cricket back to Pakistan, lest it finds itself in a situation where it can play neither at home nor too much at its adopted home. As it is the PCB and ECB never entered into a formal long-term deal, instead working together through informal agreements for the PSL and bilateral international fixtures under the Future Tours Programme.”Our first preference will remain the UAE, but if what they are trying now ends up hurting our interests, then we will explore other options,” Sethi said. “So I am just going to Malaysia to check out their facilities and cost and expenditures of holding our bilateral FTP [series] there for the time being. There is no certainty [about it]; we are simply exploring options.”Malaysia holds Associate membership but is hardly an established entity as a venue. It has hosted the Under-19 World Cup in 2008 and staged various junior-level cricket tournaments for the Asian Cricket Council and the ICC. In 2006, it also hosted a triangular ODI series involving Australia, India and West Indies, which was played at the Kinrara Academy Oval – the only internationally recognised stadium in the country. Eight years later, in May 2014, two ODIs featuring Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the UAE were also played at the stadium. But this will be the first time any Full Member country will explore the possibility of hosting a Test in Malaysia.There are a few cricket venues, though, across the country, with the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur having also hosted a first-class game between Malaysia and the UAE in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup. Most of the other venues have hosted List A matches during the 1998 Commonwealth Games. One problem Pakistan may face is the rainfall the country receives in October; the country expects rainfall every second day on an average during the month.

India are expecting their T20I captain to be back for the Asia Cup in September

Shashank Kishore04-Aug-2025Suryakumar Yadav, the India T20I captain, had his first batting session at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru late last week following a surgery for sports hernia in Germany in July.Suryakumar is currently under the supervision of BCCI’s medical staff as he recovers from surgery on his lower right abdomen. His workload will be increased progressively over the next few weeks and he’s believed to be on track for the Asia Cup beginning on September 9 in UAE.ESPNcricinfo understands his rehabilitation was planned with a likely return for the T20I leg of the Bangladesh tour in late August – a series that was deferred to 2026.Suryakumar’s most recent outing was for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the Mumbai T20 League in June, soon after the completion of IPL 2025. He hit 122 runs in four innings. He was also in consideration to be named in the West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy but will probably miss that tournament.India’s squad is likely to fly to the UAE in the first week of September for the Asia Cup, and West Zone don’t play until September 4 after being given a direct entry to the semi-finals. As part of his build-up to the tournament, Suryakumar might play a few practice matches and undergo simulation exercises organised by the CoE in the final week of his rehab.The Asia Cup marks the start of India’s runway to next year’s T20 World Cup, which they co-host with Sri Lanka. If he plays, it will be Suryakumar’s first multi-nation tournament as T20I captain since taking over the leadership in the shortest format from Rohit Sharma following their T20 World Cup win in 2024.

Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister and patron of the PCB, has rejected the board’s new proposed domestic cricket model, insisting that departments should have no role in the game

Umar Farooq27-Mar-2019Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister and patron of the PCB, has rejected the board’s new proposed domestic cricket model, insisting that departments should have no role in the game.The PCB put together a model in which department teams such as HBL, WAPDA and PIA would remain relevant stakeholders alongside regional sides – although initially even the PCB had decided to strip departments of their playing rights. But this idea was knocked down by Imran, who does not want departments in the system in any capacity. He has instead directed the PCB to rework the structure to include just six provisional teams – two from Punjab, and one each from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.Imran was a strong advocate of a domestic structure with only regional sides for much of his playing career, enamoured especially by the Australian Shield Cricket structure. There are many now – as there were then – who believe such a model will not work in Pakistan, where the population is nearly nine times that of Australia. The prime minister believes that the sizeable talent in the country must not be allowed to go to waste, with it being the PCB’s responsibility to provide a conducive environment for that talent to flourish. He was also concerned about the exodus of cricket talent over the years.With all this in mind, a PCB task team worked out a plan to reduce the number of regional teams in the system, but also kept the departments alive, making them sponsor of the regional teams and in effect, giving them a significant role in the domestic circuit.A presentation on the new model was prepared by Haroon Rasheed, the PCB’s director of domestic cricket. A team of PCB officials then called on Imran for a briefing. While the model came close to what Imran had asked for, the role of the departments in any capacity was instantly ruled out.The proposal was based on a structure that included eight regional teams, either from a city or from a province, while the various departments like HBL, WAPDA and PIA – long the backbone of Pakistan’s domestic cricket – were constituted to finance each region. The idea behind this proposal was to make each region self-sufficient, with funding from both the PCB as well as the departments.The PCB confirmed such a meeting had taken place, but sought to downplay any rift between the prime minister’s objectives and the PCB’s, telling ESPNcricinfo they had been proceeding in accordance with Imran’s directives.There are currently 16 teams on the domestic circuit playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – eight from the regions and eight departments. The new model aimed to cut down the number of top-tier teams to just eight, with only the regional sides allowed to play first-class cricket.

The visitors went to the break at 72 for 2

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2025

Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill chat in the middle•Getty Images

A sudden downpour in London forced India and England back into the changerooms early after 23 overs of play at The Oval. Shubman Gill, having lost the toss yet again, was in the middle dealing with challenging batting conditions but profiting thanks to a drop in the quality of bowling among the opposition. The visitors went to the break at 72 for 2.Gus Atkinson, one of four changes for England, acquitted himself very well, playing his first Test two months. He provided the first breakthrough, trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw in the fourth over of the day. The on-field decision was not-out prompting stand-in captain Ollie Pope to review and finally get one right. He had not had any luck with his previous 14 calls but this one was perfect. Atkinson finished the session with figures of 6-1-7-1.KL Rahul was solid again but fell for 14 off 40. With 8mm of grass left on the pitch and most of the session taking place under overcast skies, the batters were very careful when the ball was pitched up in the 4-6m area but anything either side they knew they had to attack. Chris Woakes bowled short but not wide enough for the cut. Rahul went for the shot because of the pressure that had been built – England had given only five runs in the previous six overs – and was bowled off the inside edge.That brought Gill to the middle and he ticked past 732 runs, which means he has the most runs by an India captain over a Test series. Sai Sudharsan was at the other end, looking solid as well and exposing the drop offs between Archer and Stokes, who couldn’t play this game, and Josh Tongue (11 runs in wides in his first over) and Jamie Overton (3-0-16-0) who replaced them. A portion of the bowlers’ struggle was also because the landing area didn’t seem sturdy enough after the overnight rain.

The Englishman made his international umpiring career in 2006 and stood in his first Test two years later

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2019English umpire Ian Gould will retire after the 2019 World Cup to finish a 13-year career as an official in the international game.Gould, who played 18 ODIs for England and was part of the 1983 World Cup, joined the ECB’s first-class umpires’ list in 2002 and made his debut as an international umpire in a T20 between England and Sri Lanka in 2006. He stood in his first ODI a few days after that and his first Test – between South Africa and Bangladesh in Bloemfontein – two years later.This year’s World Cup will be Gould’s fourth and he is one of 16 ICC umpires confirmed for the tournament.”Ian has made an outstanding contribution to the game over a long period, particularly in the last decade as an international umpire for the ICC,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC general manager of cricket, said. “He has always put the interests of the game first, and in doing so has earned enormous respect from his colleagues and players across all countries. His presence on the field will be missed, but I am sure his lifelong association with the game will continue.”To date, Gould has stood in 74 Tests (alongside being the TV umpire in a further 25), 135 ODIs and 37 T20Is.ICC umpires for 2019 World Cup Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson, Michael Gough, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Paul WilsonICC match referees for 2019 World Cup Chris Broad, David Boon, Andy Pycroft, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Richie Richardson

They have also received one demerit point each for separate incidents during their side’s T20I match against Sri Lanka in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2018Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and reserve player Nurul Hasan have both been fined 25% of their match fees for separate incidents during the T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Both players have also received one demerit point each for breaching Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct.In the final over of a tense chase, Shakib gestured towards the Bangladesh batsmen Mahmudullah and Rubel Hossain to come off the field, from the edge of the boundary, while remonstrating against an umpiring decision. He was found to have indulged in “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.Nurul was seen arguing with Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera after he was sent by the team on to the field of play to pass on a message to the two batsmen. He was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.2, which deals with “conduct that brings the game into disrepute”.This was the first time either player had picked up a demerit point since the system came into effect on September 22, 2016. The BCB said in a release that it “regrets the unfortunate happenings” and that the conduct of the Bangladesh team “in certain instances was unacceptable on a cricket field”.”We understand that the events may have transpired due to the importance of the match and the pressure that comes with it but feel that the expected level of professionalism was not exhibited by the team while dealing with a tense situation in the game,” the BCB release further said. “The Bangladesh Team members have been reminded of their responsibility in upholding the spirit of cricket at all times.”On Saturday morning, both Shakib and Nurul pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Chris Broad and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.”Friday’s incidents were disappointing as you don’t want to see such player behavior during any level of cricket,” Broad said in a statement. “I understand that it was a tense and an edge-of-the-seat match with place in the final on the line, but the actions of the two players were unacceptable and cannot be condoned as they clearly went overboard. Had the fourth umpire not stopped Shakib and the fielders remonstrating, and then the on-field umpires not intervened between Nurul and Thisara, things could have become worse.”The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Raveendra Wimalasiri and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, third umpire Ranmore Martinesz and fourth umpire Lyndon Hannibal.

He has been among the runs as well as wickets in the Major League Tournament, Sri Lanka’s domestic first-class competition, this season

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2025Ramesh Mendis has been added to Sri Lanka’s squad for the second Test against Australia, while seamer Vishwa Fernando and top-order batter Lahiru Udara have been released from what had been an 18-member squad. Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda confirmed the changes, and said Ramesh had joined the squad on Monday.Ramesh had been dropped both from the Test XI, and later from the squad entirely, on account of what Sri Lanka’s team management believed to be a sub-par bowling performance against New Zealand in November.But having conceded 654 for 6 in the first innings of the first Test against Australia in Galle, Sri Lanka have brought back Ramesh. Partly this is down to his bowling form in the ongoing first-class competition – the Major League Tournament – in which he has claimed 24 wickets at an average of 21.91 plus scored 260 runs at an average of 52 from six innings.His bowling returns among the top Test teams has been more modest, however, though he has played all 15 of his Tests so far in Asia. Against Australia, for example, he has seven wickets at an average of 40.85 from two matches that were played in Galle in 2022.Sri Lanka will seriously consider him for a spot in the XI given the inexperience in their spin attack. In the previous match, in which Sri Lanka slipped to their worst Test defeat in history, Sri Lanka had two frontline spinners playing their second Test.The second Test starts in Galle on Thursday.

Durham keeper will come into contention for second Test in New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2024Ollie Robinson, the Durham wicketkeeper, has been called up for England’s Test tour of New Zealand to replace the injured Jordan Cox.Cox was ruled out of the tour after sustaining a fractured right thumb on Sunday ahead of the second day of England’s warm-up match against a Prime Ministers’ XI in Queenstown.The uncapped Cox had been primed to take the gloves for the duration of the series with Jamie Smith away on paternity leave. Ollie Pope subsequently took the gloves for the first Test, which got underway in Christchurch on Thursday, with Jacob Bethell handed his maiden Test cap.Related

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Like Cox, Robinson began at Kent before taking his talents to Durham where he has thrived. Since moving to the north-east, he has averaged 53 in the County Championship, with five centuries among 1,802 runs – at an impressive strike rate of 86.22 – helping Durham achieve promotion in 2023, then stabilise as a Division One side this summer. He has also 92 dismissals behind the stumps to his name in the previous two seasons.Robinson, who turns 26 on Sunday, was unlikely to make it to New Zealand in time for the first Test in any case, but will only arrive in Christchurch on Saturday – the third day of the first Test – because he had begun the process of renewing his passport when he received the call up. A regular in the Lions set-up since 2019, he was due to tour Australia at the start of next year.He will immediately come into consideration for the second Test in Wellington, which begins next Friday (December 6). Robinson was unlucky to miss out to Smith at the start of the summer when England went searching for a new wicketkeeper but could get an opportunity to state his case in the next three weeks.Bizarrely, he is the second player with the same name to win an England call-up in the last three years. He is no relation to the other Ollie Robinson, though both players were born in Kent and share a birthday, December 1.