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Record partnership helps reigning champions to comfortable victory

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2024England past Georgia Elwiss and future Freya Kemp recorded their highest Charlotte Edwards Cup scores as holders Southern Vipers comfortably beat Sunrisers by 19 runs.Elwiss and Kemp put on an unbroken 110-run stand – a Vipers record for any wicket – with 73 and 55 respectively to set Sunrisers an imposing target of 172. Mady Villiers and Jo Gardner – who bagged her maiden CEC half-century – put on 75 to give Sunrisers hope but Vipers’ attack squeezed and secured them their first victory of the campaign – as they aim for a three-peat.Charli Knott got Vipers off to a flier after they were stuck in, with three boundaries in the first over as she took the aggressor role in the early stages. It proved her downfall as with the penultimate ball of the powerplay she was sublimely caught by Cordelia Griffith at cover, with Vipers ending the first six overs on 47 for 1.Spin duo Jodi Grewcock and Mady Villiers stemmed the tide with their first four overs only conceding 17 runs. But it was Nicola Hancock who reaped the rewards of the pressure, as her reintroduction found Georgia Adams splicing to mid-off.Throughout the spells of profligacy and struggle, Elwiss had kept the scoreboard ticking along and was compensated with a 43-ball half-century – her first in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.With a platform of 105 for 2 and wickets in the shed, Elwiss and Kemp went ballistic to get Vipers above par – with 66 runs coming from the last five overs.Kemp scored all but two of her runs either on the leg side or straight, as she prioritised power – summed up by hitting all three sixes of the innings – to strike her second Vipers fifty, and first in T20s. She ended up with 55 off 35 balls, placing a full stop with a last-ball maximum, while the experienced Elwiss returned with a 57-ball 73, having gone at a run-a-ball for much of the innings.Their 110 beat Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier’s 108 in last year’s Eliminator as Vipers’ best alliance and slots in as the CEC’s all-time seventh-highest.In reply, it took just two balls for Freya Davies to breakthrough as Knott stuck out her right hand to catch high above her head at cover to dismiss Amara Carr. Griffith was bowled through the gate by Linsey Smith in the following over, but Gardner and Villiers countered against Adams and Smith to reach 46 for 2 by the end of the powerplay.Gardner play the role of anchor – albeit with a life on 25 – which allowed Villiers to free her arms, stride past her previous CEC best of 36 but fall six short of fifty as she was stumped off Knott.It ended a 75-run stand and swung the momentum to the visitors and while Gardner reached her first CEC fifty, in 47 deliveries, the run-rate was always slightly out of reach.Lissy Macleod and Hancock holed out in successive Mary Taylor balls before Davies and Adams saw out the last two overs, despite some late Gardner power-hitting after the game had gone.

England fast bowler signs on with his third BBL club for full season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2019Perth Scorchers have signed Chris Jordan, the England seamer, to complete their squad for this season’s Big Bash.Jordan, who was England’s standout bowler in their T20I series in New Zealand, has previously had stints at Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder, and joins compatriot Liam Livingstone in the squad. Both players will be available for the full season.”Playing in Perth can be quite hostile [as an opposition player],” Jordan said. “Obviously it’s a sea of orange and everyone is rooting for the Scorchers.”I know from experience when the opposition hit a boundary in the stadium there’s no noise, but when the Scorchers are up and about and doing well everyone’s backing them to the hills… I’m looking forward to having some of that on my side.”When the opportunity for Perth came up it was as pretty hard one to turn down, I know from playing against them how competitive they are, how successful they are so I’m really looking forward to joining such a great franchise.”Adam Voges said that Jordan provided an “all-round package” thanks to his brilliance in the field and lower-order hitting.”We’re really excited to have Chris on board,” he said. “He’s got great experience in T20 cricket and will do a terrific job with ball, particularly his skills at the death.”He also provides the all-round package with athleticism in the field and strong batting skills which will be great for the fans. Chris is very professional and will fit in well in the Scorchers set-up. I haven’t heard a bad word about him.”We have a dynamic squad that covers all bases really well, some fresh faces and fan favourites returning… it’s a squad that will be entertaining to watch.”The Scorchers will start the season without two of their fast bowlers, with Jason Behrendorff out for the season and Andrew Tye expected to miss most of the tournament with an elbow injury.

Their 232-run stand helped Saurashtra recover from 92 for 3 and go into day four trailing by just 43 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2023A fourth-wicket partnership of 232 between centurions Sheldon Jackson (160) and captain Arpit Vasavada (112*) spearheaded Saurashtra’s charge in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Karnataka in Bengaluru.After scoring 407, achieved mainly due to Mayank Agarwal’s marathon 248, Karnataka had Saurashtra wobbling at 92 for 3 half hour into play on the third day. Then, they ran into Jackson and Vasavada, who battled for a better part of the day to run them ragged. Saurashtra ended day three on 364 for 4, trailing by just 43 runs.Vasavada has Chirag Jani (19*) for company in their quest to take the lead. With just two days remaining, Saurashtra will fancy their chances of entering their second final in three seasons given they bat till No. 10. The pitch hasn’t deteriorated as much as Karnataka’s bowlers would’ve liked, and the swing and seam movement that was on offer for much of the first day has given way to easier batting conditions since.Harvik Desai fell in the fifth over of play when he was struck plumb in front by V Koushik for 33. That was the only bit of joy for Karnataka in the first two sessions as Jackson counterattacked at every available opportunity. At the other end, Vasavada, who was hit on the helmet on nought and then had to be cleared for concussion, took his time to get his eye in before opening up to play some wonderful shots, especially against spin.Particularly impressive was his ability to step out and hit against the turn off Gowtham. Jackson fell for 160 with an hour to go for stumps when he played back to a sharp-turner from Gowtham that kept low to strike him in front of middle.By then, he’d defied Karnataka’s attack, scoreboard pressure, serious sledging, a bump-catch appeal that the hosts celebrated and some cramps on a moderately hot day to put Saurashtra in a commanding position.

“It’s still early days with the bubbles. We don’t know how long it’s going to last for. There’s an uncertainty there”

Daniel Brettig30-Oct-2020Steven Smith has declared he has “absolutely no chance” of appearing in the Big Bash this summer due to the demands of lengthy stints inside biosecure bubbles and hubs on national duty. The likes of David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are also expected to follow suit.Cricket Australia’s broadcast rights holders, Seven and Foxtel, had been desperate for top international players to take part in the latter stages of the BBL, particularly Smith, Warner, Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.But the realities of the schedule and bubble arrangements – Starc for instance has had just 30 hours at home in Sydney since August even though he did not go to the IPL – make this highly unlikely.”I’ll be honest with you – absolutely no chance,” Smith told of his prospects for the BBL.In assessing the wider toll of bubbles, Smith said there were now a range of extra considerations for players, selectors and coaches to need to have, such as the order of preference for places should a team member elect to spend time at home with family and miss matches as a result.”It’s still early days with the bubbles. We don’t know how long it’s going to last for. There’s an uncertainty there,” Smith said. “It’s just going to be about having open conversations with coaches, general managers, whoever, to ensure that people are keeping their head space in a reasonable place.”Then there’s obviously going to be questions around selection. If someone takes some time off because they’ve been in the bubble for a long time and then someone comes in and plays well, do they take their spot?”When guys are starting to find things a bit tough mentally from just living in the bubble, being able to get out – even if it might just be a few days of being normal might be a real help. Those conversations need to be had.”

Home side beaten in rain-affected match but can still qualify for quarter-finals

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2023Sussex 228 for 7 (Bopara 108) beat Kent 117 for 4 (Cox 37*) by 11 runs (DLS method)A superb century from Ravi Bopara helped the Sussex Sharks beat the Kent Spitfires by 11 runs in a rain-affected Vitality Blast match at Canterbury on Friday night.Bopara played a magnificent, almost chanceless, innings to record his highest-ever T20 score of 108 from 53 balls, with 18 fours and just one six, as Sussex posted a massive 228 for 7, Tom Clark getting their next-highest score with 47.Kent were 31 for one in reply after 3.2 overs when heavy rain began to fall and they were set a revised target of 129 from 10 overs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method. Needing to hit out as soon as play resumed, they lost wickets too regularly to seriously threaten Sussex and finished on 117 for 4, although they remain in the top four.There was another Friday night sell-out at the Spitfire Ground, but Kent’s decision to bowl first soon backfired as they struggled to cope with damp and blustery conditions.Jack Leaning bowled Harrison Ward for 5 with the fifth ball of the night and Oli Carter also went early, chipping Matt Quinn to Michael Hogan at mid-on for 3 but from 14 for 2 the Sharks launched a blistering counterattack. Bopara cover drove his first ball for four and took 14 from the over. Clark then took 18 from Leaning’s next over and it was 73 for 2 by the end of the powerplay, by which time persistent drizzle was falling.Clark looked in incendiary form, but when he tried to take a single off Joey Evison he was sent back by Bopara and run out by George Linde. Shadab Khan came in and hit Linde for successive sixes, but when he tried to repeat the feat he was caught by Jordan Cox on the boundary for 15.Michael Burgess hit 21 from 14, but after switch-hitting Linde for six he was caught behind off the next ball.Bopara responded by taking 19 from Grant Stewart’s 15th over and he reached three figures with an elegant cover drive off Hogan for two in the 19th. Hogan had Fynn Hudson-Prentice lbw for 16 and Bopara finally went for 108, perhaps unluckily, when he hit a waist-high full toss from Quinn to Alex Blake.Kent knew they’d have to eclipse their previous highest run chase of 207 to win a T20 match but just three came from the first over and Tawanda Muyeye then played on to Ari Karvelas and was bowled for 1.Blake went in at No. 3 for his first appearance of the season and immediately went on the charge. He hit the first ball of Tymal Mills’ fourth over for four and dumped the next into the Sainsbury’s next to the ground for six, but at this point the umpires decided the rain had become too heavy and when they returned Kent needed 98 from 40 balls.Daniel Bell-Drummond, having scored 480 runs across formats in the previous week, had to retire hurt on 7 and although Sam Billings was dropped by Clark off his first ball, before the over was out Blake holed out for a 12-ball 30.Linde hit 12 from three before he was run out chasing a second but Billings and Cox just about kept Kent in it. The former was run out chasing a non-existent single and after Mills went for just six in the 19th, Kent needed 26 from Nathan McAndrew’s final over. They could only manage 14 but results elsewhere mean they can still qualify if they win at Taunton on Sunday.

Twin spinners undo resistance of Lammonby, Goldsworthy as Somerset face tough final day

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2024Half-centuries from Lewis Goldsworthy and Tom Lammonby could not prevent Surrey from squeezing Somerset into near-submission at the Kia Oval, where the champions will be pressing for a first win of the new Vitality County Championship season on the final day.Goldsworthy made 58 and Lammonby 51 to add to his first-day century, but at stumps Somerset were only 61 runs ahead at 204 for six in their second innings, with Dan Lawrence picking up three for 45. Surrey had earlier reached 428 in their first innings, after resuming already 73 runs to the good at 358 for six.It was the spin of Lawrence and Cameron Steel which did the initial damage for Surrey, with Lawrence having Sean Dickson well held behind his pads by keeper Ben Foakes for nought with just his second ball after being given the new ball alongside Jordan Clark in a three-over pre-lunch mini-session.Lawrence’s offspin also accounted for Matt Renshaw, leg-before for 16 as he aimed a sweep from well across in front of his stumps. And, after a 58-run third wicket stand between Lammonby and Goldsworthy, the legbreaks of Steel provided further breakthroughs for Surrey in a lengthy spell by the 28-year-old from the Pavilion End either side of tea.First he had Lammonby leg-before as he propped forward defensively and then Tom Banton, on 11, top-edged a cut to lob up a comfortable catch to Lawrence at backward point. Steel took two for 53 from his 21 overs.It was Lawrence again who claimed Somerset’s fifth wicket, turning one to take the edge of James Rew’s bat to have the young left-hander superbly-held at boot level by Jamie Overton at slip for 22.Goldsworthy’s 131-ball resistance was finally ended by Gus Atkinson’s pace and a thin edge through to Foakes and Somerset might have lost a seventh wicket when Kasey Aldridge, on nought, was dropped by Overton at slip off Lawrence despite a juggle with the ball after it had hit his wrist as he dived to his left.At stumps, however, Aldridge had moved on to 20 and Somerset captain Lewis Gregory was also still there on 23 not out. The seventh-wicket pair have put on a creditable 42 so far, although Surrey remain heavy favourites to wrap up victory.Surrey had earlier taken 24.2 overs to add a further 70 runs to their overnight score, with the whole-hearted Aldridge picking up three of the last four remaining wickets to finish with deserved figures of five for 64.Clark was unlucky to be strangled down the legside on 13, in the day’s sixth over, and Steel – who resumed on 35 – was brilliantly held by a leaping Lammonby at gully as he cut hard at paceman Aldridge.Overton and Atkinson added 40 for the ninth wicket before Atkinson (15) was caught off Migael Pretorius aiming something violent and Overton’s useful 35 came to an end when he under-edged a pull into his own stumps.

Behrendorff claimed 3 for 14 and Richardson 2 for 32 as Victoria were bowled out for just 107, with WA chasing it in 23.4 overs to claim a bonus point

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2023Jhye Richardson made a successful return from injury as Western Australia crushed Victoria by six wickets in their Marsh Cup match at the WACA Ground.Player of the match Jason Behrendorff snared 3 for 14 off five overs on Monday and Richardson chipped in with 2 for 36 as Victoria were skittled for 107 in 21.1 overs.In reply, WA raced to victory with a whopping 158 balls to spare, giving them a bonus point and a perfect 3-0 start to their title defence. The Marsh Cup ladder-leaders have now won 12 straight matches in the 50-over competition and again loom as the team to beat having won the last two titles convincingly and three of the last four overall.Sam Whiteman (38 not out off 51 balls) and D’Arcy Short (39 off 39) made light work of the run chase in an easy win for the hosts.WA captain Ashton Turner’s decision to bowl first proved a masterstroke as Victoria crashed to 22 for 3. Richardson, playing for the first time since hamstring surgery last summer, got the ball rolling with the early scalps of Sam Harper and Campbell Kellaway.But it was Behrendorff’s spell that truly ripped the heart out of Victoria’s batting line-up. Behrendorff trapped opener Tom Rogers lbw before having Jonathan Merlo caught at gully. The 33-year-old then produced the ball of the innings to knock over Peter Handscomb for 7. Handscomb simply had no answer as Behrendorff’s delivery swung back sharply to crash into the top of leg stump, leaving Victoria reeling at 45 for 5.Jason Behrendorff took 3 for 14•Getty Images

AJ Tye and Lance Morris joined in on the fun to leave Victoria at 62 for 8 and in danger of not passing their lowest score in the competition, 65 against Queensland in 2003.Tailenders Fergus O’Neill and Todd Murphy ensured Victoria avoided a new nadir. O’Neill top scored for the innings with 22 while Murphy scored 20 all in boundaries but the total was never going to be enough against a stacked WA line-up.Victoria’s insipid display came just a day after Jake Fraser-McGurk, who moved from Victoria to South Australia for greater opportunities, scored a 29-ball century for the Redbacks in their loss to Tasmania. Fraser-McGurk’s final score of 125 off 38 balls comfortably eclipsed Victoria’s team total on Monday.The heavy defeat capped a bad few days for Victoria, who lost to WA by an innings and 53 runs in the Sheffield Shield on Saturday.Richardson, who has been plagued by shoulder and soft tissue injuries in recent years, is aiming to produce a strong summer in order to work his way back into the international arena. His performance on Monday was an important first step, though it remains to be seen when WA will unleash him in red-ball cricket.

The “Protea Fire” brand, cultivated under Graeme Smith in 2010, has been put on pause

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2020The South African national team should never again be a place where players experience isolation or feel unable to express their feelings, and should foster respect, belonging and empathy in the future. Those resolutions were the major outcomes of the 32-member South Africa squad’s culture camp which was held in the Kruger National Park last week, in the aftermath of the myriad stories of racial tensions that emerged from former players in recent weeks.Although none of the current crop of players have indicated that they have been subject to discrimination, stories from players as recent as Aaron Phangiso – who last played for South Africa in February 2018 – have exposed divisions in the set-up, which Cricket South Africa (CSA) is now aiming to address. The culture camp had been planned for several months ago but its occurrence at this time has allowed players to review their environment and identity. As a result, the “Protea Fire” brand, cultivated under Graeme Smith in 2010, has been put on pause and may make way for a new mantra which speaks to the existing needs of the squad.”We need to create a space where people will be able to share how they feel, be able to put themselves in somebody’s shoes, be supportive and always make sure they don’t see things only from their side. This allows for the value of absolute equality,” Khomotso Volvo Masubelele, the team manager, said.Unlike a skills-based camp, the men’s team spent most of last week in “regular conversations and soft-skills work,” which Masubelele said is “as critical to the team as on-field strategies”. Given the diversity of backgrounds in the squad, areas like communication were addressed in detail, with CSA making use of outside facilitators to lead activities.”The players have demonstrated the capacity to learn, to have hard conversations and how to prioritise and to listen to understand but not to respond,” Masubelele said. “They have learned to move away from arguing their way through conversations to feeling their way in each conversation by using concepts of storytelling, guided conversation and first-person narrative.”We went from addressing issues to engaging people, from contention to conversation, from moving against to moving with as a collective, and it highlighted the need for education.”The process of reflection yielded three pillars that will form the foundation for the team going forward. “The first one was respect. We have to understand that we all have our own unique history and we need to be more mindful of how that influences the views and beliefs of your team-mates and to create full understanding on how to ideally work with one another,” Masubelele said. “The second one was belonging. All team-mates must be allowed to be themselves in a team environment and not worry about having concerns of being judged. That creates the inclusive environment and this will allow them to represent themselves to their full capacity on the field and off the field.”The third value was empathy. That was actually one of the most critical ones.”The men’s team has no confirmed assignments to date, so it is unclear when the players will be able to showcase their new values. A T20I series against India, touted for August, may not take place in the current financial year, given the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the rest of the FTP is yet to be resolved. South Africa are also due to host Sri Lanka and Australia this summer.The South Africa women’s team has not had a camp of the same description, nor have the same issues cropped up in public. Instead, a 24-member squad, sans captain Dane van Niekerk who is injured, will meet for a six-day camp from tomorrow with the main aim at preparing those who will be traveling to the WBBL in Australia in October. Though the women’s team was denied permission to travel out of the country for a proposed series against England next month, individual players are allowed in and out, subject to their being Covid-19 compliant, which has allowed several men’s players to fly out to the UAE to participate in the IPL and will see women’s players head to the WBBL.

Veteran seamer has taken 11 wickets at 24.09 across three County Championship appearances

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2022Stuart Broad has “found his rhythm” ahead of England’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand, according to his Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores.England confirmed this week that Broad – along with his long-time new-ball partner James Anderson – had been recalled to their squad for the first two Tests against New Zealand after their shock omission for the series defeat in the Caribbean.He has eased himself back into bowling after a long break following the Ashes, playing three games in the County Championship for Notts in the last month, all of them at Test grounds – two at Trent Bridge and the other at Lord’s, the venue for the first Test on June 2.Related

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Broad has taken 11 wickets at 24.09 and chipped in with some quick lower-order runs, and Moores said that he will go into the Test series “in great shape”.”Stuart has done really well in his three matches for us,” Moores said. “He has done what you would expect from an international bowler. He gets better with every innings he plays, he has found his rhythm, which always takes a little bit of time – and he hasn’t played since January.”He has done what Stuart does: he leads the attack, he’s great to have around the lads, he’s a brilliant team man. I think he goes into those Test matches in great shape.”He has got some overs under his belt, he has bowled on flat pitches, which is what Test match pitches are like, and he will go along to the first Test feeling he can start his summer off, and England’s summer off, with a real bang.”

Her mother and daughter will now stay at a hotel outside the CWG village

Umar Farooq12-May-2022Pakistan Women’s captain Bismah Maroof’s infant daughter, Fatima, has been denied accreditation to access the Commonwealth Games village. As a result, Maroof was deliberating over her participation in the event, which is to be held from July 25 to August 8 in Birmingham. But ESPNcricinfo understands she will travel for the games, with her daughter and mother, who will take care of Fatima, staying at a hotel outside the village.It has been learnt that the PCB had asked the CWG Federation for two extra accreditations to accommodate Maroof’s mother and daughter in the village. In response, the federation asked the PCB to remove two personnel from their allowed 22-member travelling contingent, which includes officials as well. But the PCB stated that it was in no position to omit any players or officials from the touring party.ESPNcricinfo has written to the Games’ media department for the official version of their parental policy but they were yet to respond at the time of this story being published.Related

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Maroof had recently travelled to New Zealand for the 2022 Women’s World Cup with her daughter and mother. The PCB’s maternity policy allows a mother “to travel with a support person of her choice to assist in caring for her infant child”, with travel and accommodation costs shared equally between the board and the player.The PCB has also confirmed that Maroof will continue to lead the national team for the 2022-23 season. Pakistan are set to play 25 matches this season, starting with the home series against Sri Lanka in Karachi, which gets underway from May 24. After that, the team will head for Belfast to play a triangular T20I series against Ireland and Australia from July 12 to 24. This will be immediately followed by the Commonwealth Games.”I want to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for its immense support throughout my career and especially in helping me strike the right work-life balance after the birth of Fatima,” Maroof said. “There was a time when I contemplated giving up on my passion of playing cricket, but the PCB ensured it never came to that with the introduction of the maternity policy, which has made the game as inclusive as it can be for the women in our country. I also want to thank my family and especially my husband, Abrar, who has been a great support throughout my career and has provided me encouragement to continue to play for Pakistan.”Maroof was handed the T20I captaincy in 2016, replacing Sana Mir and was named the ODI captain after the 2017 World Cup. Last April, Maroof had taken an indefinite maternity leave, and the PCB’s new parental policy helped her return to cricket and captaincy earlier this year.On being retained as captain for the 2022-23 season, Maroof said: “It is truly an honour for any cricketer to captain their country and it is a great privilege for me to continue in this role. The 2022-23 cricket season is the busiest for Pakistan Women’s side and we are excited and geared up for the challenges it presents. Every match in the upcoming season is important for us as a team as bilateral ODIs will determine whether we qualify for the next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the T20Is provide us opportunities to prepare for the all-important T20 World Cup in February next year.”