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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.

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

• Notts set up final-day run chase after Derbs lower-order resistance

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• Potts is latest quick off northeast production line

• Nicholas: England have found three good men; they need another two

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.”

Unlike with the red ball, the pace of pink ball goes up when the lights come on, says the India vice-captain

Sidharth Monga15-Dec-20202:00

Rahane: ‘Batting in twilight period will be challenging’

India captain Virat Kohli has often spoken about not losing focus and having that one awful session that loses you a Test. He didn’t mean sessions where the opposition had kept you under pressure for long periods and then reaped the rewards. He meant when India had largely been in control of the game and then given it all up in one quick burst.The two clearest examples were Durban 2013-14 and Brisbane 2014-15. On both occasions, India had won the toss and looked in control in the first innings. In Durban, they went from 198 for 1 to 199 for 4 – and then eventually bowled out for 334 to lose the Test – against reverse swing. In Brisbane, they scored 400-plus in the first innings, got off to a good start in the second, looked set to save the Test, and then an injury in the nets kickstarted a collapse on the fourth morning to lose them the Test.Since then, India haven’t really had such standout poor sessions out of nowhere, but the many variables in a day-night Test bring about the possibility of one. Vice-captain – and captain-elect for the last three Tests – Ajinkya Rahane has called for increased focus all the time during the day-night Test because it can be like playing two entirely different innings. If the set batsmen lose their way in the twilight period, it can be extremely difficult for the new batsmen to start an innings, which is a recipe for collapses.Related

• Fact or myth: Does twilight really make a difference in day-night Tests?

• Gill as opener, Pant as keeper – Gavaskar, Border give their views on India's XI

• Steven Smith absent for Australia net session after tweaking back

• Gill: India have 'plenty of moves' for Australia's chin music

India have played only one day-night Test so far, in India with the SG ball. Rahane did speak, though, from experience of the one first-class game he took part in as build-up to the Adelaide Test. He made an interesting observation that the pace of the ball increases once the lights come on.”The pace of the red ball stays the same throughout the day,” Rahane said. “With the pink ball, the pace changes completely in those 40-50 minutes. Of course, the new ball moves a little for a while but it gets easy to bat after that. Then the twilight period can be challenging because the pace of the ball increases. Both off the wicket and in the air. If we focus hard during this period, it can get slightly easy again.”It behaves differently during the day and behaves differently once the lights are on. So that is a challenge. So as a batsman focus will be the key. As long as you can focus and concentrate, communication will be the key among the two batsmen. Batting in twilight, those 40-50 minutes is the key. If you bat well in that period, it becomes really good.”As David Warner has shown in day-night Tests in Australia, there are periods of cashing in but you have to earn them. Rahane, who likes to start rapidly before settling into an innings, knows that and knows he will have to be more flexible given the time of the day he walks in.”I feel when you bat at No. 5-6, you have to read the situation and play according to the situation,” he said. “For me it is all about playing with intent, playing what the situation is and what the team demands from me. I visualise that and play accordingly. It is all about having that intent. Intent means not going there and playing all the shots. Intent comes with your defence, your leaving the ball. That positive mindset I feel is really important. It’s not like I decide every time to go out there and play my shots but I think having that intent helps me a lot.”

Both India and West Indies have new faces, a result of injury and absences, and this series may be the one where they start putting the pieces together for next year’s T20 World Cup

The Preview by Saurabh Somani02-Aug-20195:11

Dasgupta: A toss-up between Rahul and Pandey at No. 4

Big Picture

One of the things Virat Kohli spoke about in his press conference before leaving India was the opportunity the cricket calendar – with three forms of the game – afforded in getting over defeats that sting. India have had almost a month to lick their wounds after the loss against New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 semi-final. Now, with the World Test Championship getting underway and the T20 World Cup in 14 months, there are already fresh challenges to prepare for.Their tour of the Caribbean begins with the three-match T20I series, with the first two matches in Lauderhill. The last time these teams played at Lauderhill, one match was rained out, and the other ended in a thrilling manner, with West Indies winning by just one run. Three years on, the current series forms an interesting clash of cricketing ethos. While India have often brought an ODI approach to 20-overs cricket, West Indies played large tracts of the World Cup as if in T20 mode.These games could be the first ones in which each team begins putting together pieces for the T20 World Cup next year. India have an influx of younger players, with some changes enforced by absence and injury. West Indies are without Chris Gayle, whose international future even in the medium term seems uncertain at best. That could be a blessing, because it will allows West Indies to try out a replacement, keeping the T20 World Cup in mind.

Form guide

India LLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

In the spotlight

You could argue that there is never a moment when Virat Kohli is under the spotlight, but there are a couple of factors that could intensify the focus on him. The rumblings about a rift with vice-captain Rohit Sharma had kept swirling, until Kohli emphatically denied them. Whether there is a rift or not, or a bromance, or a normal disagreement between colleagues that is commonplace and transient – there will be extra meaning attached every time Kohli and Rohit come within each other’s radius. India are without MS Dhoni for this tour. Ever since Kohli became the full-time limited-overs captain in early 2017, he has played just four T20Is and three ODIs without Dhoni in the team. But with Dhoni’s future uncertain, the Indian think-tank might need to get used to life without the senior pro, and that puts greater onus on Kohli, the captain.The last time Sunil Narine played for West Indies was back in September 2017. Since then Narine has been part of various T20 leagues – the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League – but hasn’t played an international match. He’s even played List A matches in the Super50 Cup in the Caribbean. He opted out of selection for the World Cup, citing concerns about his fitness to last 50 overs and bowl his full quota of 10, but he’s back in national colours for his favourite format. Narine has also evolved as a potent batting force, though he’s unlikely to get to bat in the Powerplay, where his hitting has been at its most effective.AFP

Team news

India have some new faces in the squad, but there’s still an abundance of options who are most at home batting in the top three. Regular openers Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan are back together with Dhawan having recovered from his broken finger, and there’s Kohli. In addition, they have KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. At least two of those three seem certain to bat out of position, which can be a distinct contrast in a 20-overs game. The wristspinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested, which should give the team management the option to try a number of exciting options.India XI (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Manish Pandey/Shreyas Iyer, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar/Navdeep Saini, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Rahul ChaharAndre Russell was expected to be one of the players igniting West Indies’ World Cup campaign, but the only things that flared up were his knees. He has since had surgery and was named in the T20I squad, subject to a fitness test. On the eve of the first T20I, Cricket West Indies said the allrounder experienced some discomfort during the GLT20 Canada, and has been replaced by Jason Mohammed. Even without Russell, captain Carlos Brathwaite has plenty of power – hitting and bowling – at his disposal.West Indies XI (probable): 1 John Campbell, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Khary Pierre, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Keemo Paul/Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Overnight rain meant the covers had been on all through the morning on the eve of the match, forcing India to cancel their practice session. They did train on Thursday even though they couldn’t on Friday. There is a general threat of rain, but thunderstorms in south Florida usually come nearer the late afternoon or evening, and both T20Is here are scheduled for 10.30 am. The pitch is expected to be one where batsmen prosper, with the ball coming on to the bat nicely.

Stats and trivia

• In three T20Is against India, Evin Lewis has hit two hundreds. One of them came at this very venue, in 2016. Lewis hasn’t hit a T20I hundred against any other opposition.
• Rohit Sharma became India’s leading six-hitter in ODIs during the World Cup. He now has the chance to become the world’s top six-hitting batsman in T20Is. Rohit has hit 102 sixes in T20Is, easily the most for India, and is just three shy of Chris Gayle’s mark of 105, which is the current record.

Quotes

“Dhoni’s experience has always been a crucial factor. But having said that, it’s a great opportunity for Rishabh Pant to really unleash his potential.” –

Morne Morkel claimed match figures of 9 for 120 as Surrey wrapped up a win that extended their lead at the top of Division One

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge24-Jul-20182:07

Morkel stars as Surrey smash Notts

Surrey 592 (Burns 153, Clarke 111, Stoneman 86, S Curran 70) beat Nottinghamshire 210 (Morkel 4-60) and 199 (Patel 55, Morkel 5-60) by an innings and 183 runs

ScorecardRealistically, this match was only ever going to end one way with Nottinghamshire one down overnight and still 325 runs short of requiring Surrey’s openers to pad up again. Yet the supporters who turned out anyway might have expected to be entertained a little beyond 1.58pm, which was scarcely long enough to digest lunch.This is a Surrey side, though, that takes no prisoners, as their opponents in their last five matches have discovered. That sequence includes Hampshire and Somerset as well as Nottinghamshire, all beaten by an innings by the middle session of the third day. Yorkshire, beaten by and innings at the Kia Oval and seven wickets at Scarborough, at least managed to detain them until the final morning.Rory Burns and Ollie Pope are the leading scorers in a powerful batting unit, Ben Foakes is a very useful wicketkeeper-batsman and Surrey can assemble a seam quartet as formidable anyone’s. Nottinghamshire think there’s is none too dusty but Morne Morkel, Sam Curran, Jade Dernbach and Rikki Clarke outbowled them comprehensively here. Add to their capabilities the fresh potency of Amar Virdi’s offspin and Surrey are a side with no obvious shortcomings.

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They stretched their lead over Nottinghamshire to 43 points from one game fewer and even if Somerset overtake the Trent Bridge side and go second by completing a win over Worcestershire at New Road they will still have a daunting gap to close with only six fixtures remaining. It is hard to see any destination for the title now other than The Oval, but then it has looked that way for a while.Surrey are reaping the benefits, too, of having players, such as Burns, Pope and Foakes, who are on the radar of the England selectors but are not imminent picks; others, such as Curran, Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman, who have been considered worthy of a look but are not currently needed; and a third category, into which Dernbach and Clarke fall, who have substantial experience at international level but are not likely to add to it.Burns again reinforced his candidacy here with the keystone innings of the Surrey innings, in which the patience, stoicism and astute judgment his supporters have been talking up for at least the last 12 months were his most reliable assets. He is growing nicely into the role of captain, too.It was one of those days when, with the outcome almost guaranteed, it would have been easy to go through the motions, let things drift. Instead, he kept thinking, trying different things to make sure the batsmen did not settle and to keep his bowlers on their toes.Morne Morkel has been an influential Surrey signing•Getty Images

It worked handsomely. Will Fraine, the 22-year-old debutant in a Nottinghamshire team that is in transition, did himself no harm at all, extending his stay to almost 90 minutes against bowling, from Morkel in particular, that was as challenging as anything he has faced so far and though he was disappointed to be out on 30, well caught by the diving Foakes off a decent delivery by Clarke, he had many reasons to feel pleased with himself.Otherwise, only Samit Patel threatened to be an obstacle in Surrey’s path and his half-century was a breezy affair rather than anything with a stubborn quality. He was undone easily enough by Morkel, who tempted him into a loose drive that saw him comfortably caught at second slip by Borthwick.Patel’s wicket prompted the final collapse, the last seven Nottinghamshire batsmen disappearing for 46 runs in eight-and-a-half overs as Surrey applied the boot to the throat. Morkel, who bowled with a controlled hostility throughout that only Luke Fletcher on the Nottinghamshire side was anywhere near matching, finished with 5 for 60 and 9 for 120 in the match. Five Surrey bowlers now have between 24 and 30 wickets each, which is a factor as important as any in where they are.”To bowl them out in under two sessions today was really outstanding,” Burns said afterwards. “Morne Morkel takes the plaudits with a five-for today but the way the bowling unit went about it to bowl out a very good Notts side for 200 twice shows the way we are going about our business.”We are winning our games in a dominant fashion and it makes it easy for me as captain but we have to keep on going about our processes the right way and doing what we have done well so far.”Peter Moores, the Nottinghamshire head coach, believes the title is Surrey’s to lose. “They look a good side so credit to them,” he said. “They’re in a great position and if they keep playing this cricket they’ve got a great chance. Morkel is key. He opens things up for them.”If we win our last five games we can create a bit of pressure but in this game we have to accept that we didn’t bat, bowl or field well enough.”

Michael Carberry and Rilee Rossouw agonisingly missed out on centuries but Hampshire remained in control against Middlesex at the Ageas Bowl

ECB Reporters Network16-Apr-2017
ScorecardKyle Abbott was again in the wickets to leave Middlesex under pressure•PA Photos

Michael Carberry and Rilee Rossouw agonisingly missed out on centuries but Hampshire remained in control against Middlesex at the Ageas Bowl.The pair produced magical and brave innings before a rare moment of ill-judgement saw them off for 98 and 99 respectively.Despite the near misses the hosts stayed on top thanks to Kyle Abbott’s evening inroads into the visitor’s top-order as Middlesex ended the day 29 runs ahead.The day began with Carberry falling two runs short of a much merited and universally wanted century after waiting since May last year to taste three figures in the Specsavers County Championship and missing the second half of last season through cancer treatment.

‘Heartbroken for Carbs’

Kyle Abbott on Rilee Rossouw
“I thought he had the second run, I know he is quick through the wickets, but it was a shame. He took it quite badly. He took a while to unpad. He realised the opportunity of a hundred but it isn’t the end of the world. From what I can understand he was in a lot of pain but he is a tough Afrikaan so he won’t sit down and roll over.
Abbott on Michael Carberry
“I was heartbroken there for Carbs. I just wanted to be out there with him when he got that first hundred after what he had been through. Carbs has had an amazing attitude since I’ve come back. He seems to be free and it shows in his cricket.”

He watchfully negotiated the nearly overs, desperate not to gift his wicket away, after starting the day on 84. But two balls after moving to 98 with a thick edge through the slip cordon he opened his shoulders for the first time since the previous evening and edged behind leaving the Ageas Bowl in stunned silence.Abbott, elevated to nightwatchman on the second evening, had been in flowing mood on the drive throughout the morning and reached his maiden Championship fifty off 77 balls. He had put on 80 with Carberry before the opener and Lewis McManus fell soon after each other – the wicketkeeper gloving to third slip.Carberry’s dismissal had brought Rossouw to the crease, after being forced to move down the order due to a chipped finger in his left hand. He was hit twice on the same hand twice during his counter-attacking stand with Berg with the pair adding 86 for the eighth wicket.The pair both struck massive sixes in a speedy stand before Berg was caught and bowled by Dawid Malan, with Brad Wheal being caught behind next ball. Rossouw was inexplicably dropped by Malan in the covers when the ball barely picking up speed off the bat to loop through the fielder’s hands.Fidel Edwards, who injured his hamstring while bowling, completed a walking wounded partnership for the last wicket. Rossouw had often needed to take his bottom hand off the bat and after taking on a never-there two he was run out by Sam Robson one short of his century.Despite a lead of 82, with the two first innings having taken until deep into the third day to complete the odds appeared to favour a draw, but Abbott had other ideas. He ripped through Sam Robson with a beauty which seemed to lift and straighten on the opener.He then accounted for Nick Gubbins with a superb delivery, his 50th in the Championship wicket, angling slightly across the left hander to kiss the edge of the bat to second slip. Abbott almost had a third when Sean Ervine dropped a tough chance at first slip with Stevie Eskinazi on 6.Wheal used his impressive pace to take the third scalp as Malan left a hooping in-swinger. Eskinazi and Adam Voges made a recovery to take Middlesex back into the black, but the former’s late-in-the-day swipe behind for 45 off Abbott left Hampshire with a chance of making it back-to-back victories.

Afghanistan’s captain, Asghar Stanikzai, has said that his team will be in it to win it when they face South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday

Andrew Miller in Mumbai19-Mar-2016Afghanistan’s captain, Asghar Stanikzai, has said that his team will be in it to win it when they face South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, and backed his spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Hamza Hotak to cause plenty problems in a contest that their opponents cannot afford to lose.Coming off the back of a spirited display against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, in which the experience of Tillakaratne Dilshan held firm in a tense five-wicket win, Stanikzai believes that the hard surface and short boundaries of Mumbai could play into the hands of his team.”The Wankhede is famous for big scores and big targets so definitely, if one team sets a big total, the other team will be trying to complete it because the boundaries are not big,” he said. “It will be a good game, but we hope we bowl well because our spin is our strength.”We have a good spin attack, the leggie Rashid, Nabi a good offbreak [bowler], and Hamza the leftie, throughout the tournament they have bowled very well.”In their eight overs in Kolkata, Nabi and Rashid claimed combined figures of 2 for 52, plus the run-out of Chamara Kapugedera, to keep their side firmly in the hunt until the closing overs. Having witnessed the relative success of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali amid the seam-bowling carnage in Mumbai on Friday night, and having hit his own stride with the bat in a whirlwind 62 from 47 balls against Sri Lanka, Stanikzai believes his side has the confidence and the balance to prosper.”Every batsman, when he plays well, gets more confident for the next game,” Stanikzai said. “Definitely I got more confident, most of our guys are currently in form and confident. We will play South Africa like we play every country, with our own [brand of] cricket. We give a tough time to every team, we not only play with them, but want to beat one or two of them as well.”Afghanistan are battle-hardened in this tournament, after fighting through a tough qualifying round in which only one nation from each of the two groups was invited to progress. And with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Manoj Prabhakar firmly embedded in their ranks as coach and bowling coach respectively, there is a seam of top-level experience in the back-room staff.”The first round was very tough, but we qualify for the second round and we are currently playing very good,” Stanikzai said. “We have definitely improved our cricket at international and elite level. As long as we play more cricket with Full Members we will get more experience, and be able to identify the weak areas we need to work on to compete at the elite level.”Afghanistan are now into their fifth ICC global event, having first appeared at the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010. And that determination for self-improvement is helping the sport to embed itself back home.”There is a big craze for cricket in Afghanistan nowadays,” Stanikzai said. “We have very good support everywhere, people know each and every one of our players by name, they are heroes and role models. And the main positive is that whether we are winning or losing, they are supporting us. They are telling us, we can do better, which is the most important thing.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board have confirmed the itinerary for India’s tour to England in 2014, beginning on June 23 to September 8

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2013

India in England 2014

• Tour match v Leicestershire – June 26-28, Leicester

• Tour match v Derbyshire – July 1-3, Derby

• 1st Test – July 9-13, Trent Bridge

• 2nd Test – July 17-21, Lord’s

• 3rd Test – July 27-31, Ageas Bowl*

• 4th Test – August 7-11, Old Trafford

• 5th Test – August 15-19, The Oval

• 50-over match v Middlesex – August 22, Lord’s

• 1st ODI – August 25, Bristol

• 2nd ODI – August 27, Sophia Gardens

• 3rd ODI – August 30, Trent Bridge

• 4th ODI – September 2, Edgbaston

• 5th ODI – September 5, Headingley

• Only T20I – September 7, Edgbaston

*Venue to be confirmed after final facility inspection

England face one of their most condensed home Test series after next year’s schedule for India’s visit was confirmed with five Tests to be held over just 42 days. It will be the first time since 1959 that India will have played five Tests on an England tour while the trip, which runs from June 23 to September 8, also includes five ODIs and one T20.The Test matches have been crammed into a period from July 9 to August 19 with no other tour matches scheduled between any of them. In comparison, this year’s Ashes series was spread over 47 days with reasonable breaks between the second and third then fourth and fifth Tests.India will begin their tour with two three-day matches against Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The first Test will be played at Trent Bridge from July 9, while Lord’s will host the second Test, which begins on July 17. While the ECB has listed the Ageas Bowl (Southampton) as a venue for the third Test it still needs to pass a final facility inspection before being rubber-stamped.The third Test is also slated to begin on Sunday, July 27, a break from conventional scheduling in England, where Tests are usually slotted to include a full weekend. The last two Tests will be played at Old Trafford and The Oval, from August 7 and August 15, respectively.The five ODIs, scheduled between August 25 and September 5, will be held in Bristol, Cardiff, Trent Bridge, Headingley and Edgbaston. India are also scheduled to play a 50-over game against Middlesex between the Test and ODI series. The only T20 match on the tour will be played at Edgbaston on September 7.ECB chief executive David Collier said demand for the tickets is expected to be high: “We anticipate significant demand for tickets both for the Investec Test series, and for the One-Day International series which will be the first encounter between these two countries in the 50-Over format since India’s triumph in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy competition at Edgbaston earlier this year.”India previously toured England in 2011 when they were whitewashed 4-0 in the Tests, during which England went to No. 1 in the world, and they also lost the one-dayers 3-0.

A century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method against Essex

27-Aug-2012
ScorecardDawid Malan smashed the Essex attack around Lord’s in his 108-ball innings of 134•Getty Images

A century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter against Essex. But there was no joy with the bat for Ravi Bopara as he became one of three victims for 20 year-old Gurjit Sandhu, who was making his debut in the competition.England allrounder Bopara was given the opportunity by the ECB to play in this match in the hope of rediscovering his form after a recent period of absence from the game for personal reasons, but he had scored only two when he edged a lifting delivery from the young pace bowler behind.In contrast, the 24 year-old Malan played splendidly, deploying controlled and clean hitting aggression in his innings of 134 from 108 deliveries out of a total of 288 all out after he had lost fellow opener Joe Denly without a run on the board.Malan, though, was soon issuing notice of intent, striking four successive deliveries from paceman Maurice Chambers to the boundary and he found an admirable ally in Gareth Berg who came to the crease with the home side 90 for 3. The pair added 132 in 20 overs before Berg edged a ball from Bopara, having struck 61 from 58 balls, to give wicketkeeper James Foster his third catch of the innings.But Malan continued to dictate. His century arrived from 89 balls and by the time he was caught by Chambers at deep long-on, he had hit three sixes and 12 fours.Some shoddy work in the field by the visitors and the concession of six penalty runs for slow-over-rate left them with a challenging target for victory. Their hopes were boosted by a fourth-wicket partnership of 102 in 16 overs involving Tom Westley and Owais Shah who both completed half-centuries. Westley hit 68, his third fifty in his last five CB40 innings, while Shah returned to his former stomping ground with 53 but both were dismissed in successive Paul Stirling overs.With 10 overs remaining, 120 further runs were required with five wickets intact but the task proved well beyond the visitors as the run-rate steadily increased while they also had to contend with fading light.And it was the gloom that brought about a premature end with 29 balls remaining when umpires Rob Bailey and Steve Garratt called off proceedings with Essex 198 for 9 and leaving the impressive Sandhu as the most successful Middlesex bowler with figures of 3 for 28 from six overs.

A round-up of the seventh match-day of the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2011Nitish Kumar racked up the tournament’s highest score, 150, only to see it bettered by Christopher Kent, who scored 166 to help Papua New Guinea Under-19s chase Canada Under-19s total of 261 at Woodvale Road with two balls to spare. Kumar’s knock, and starts from both openers, had put Canada in a strong position at 172 for 2 in the 35th over. But late wickets meant Canada could not push on as they might have wanted to, but they still managed a challenging total, which looked more imposing when PNG slipped to 13 for 3. Kent counterattacked, playing shots all around the wicket, and reached his half-century in 40 balls. He steadied himself in the middle overs, before launching into another attack in the end. PNG needed 15 runs off the last two overs, and Kent got boundaries off the first two balls of the 49th. They still needed five in the last over, and Toua Tom finished things off by crashing a boundary to midwicket.Kent, who was declared man of the Match said PNG’s focus would now be to end the tournament on a high. “I was just thinking of playing every ball on its merit,” he said. “I wanted to bat right through the innings. Two more good days and our dream could well be true.”Nepal Under-19s have caught up with Ireland Under-19s on five wins after beating them by 10 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method at the Bready Cricket Club. Nepal only managed 187 for 7 after a spell of 10-4-15-3 from Ireland captain George Dockrell, but Nepal’s own left-arm spinner Rahul Vishwakarma came up with figures of 4 for 28 to wipe out Ireland’s low order, and go to the top of the tournament’s wickets-chart in the process. Vishwakarma’s four scalps completed a collapse that had been begun with the run-out of Adam Coughlan for 48 and the dismissal of Dockrell for 55. Those two had taken Ireland out of trouble to 161 for 4. Ireland still needed 25 runs off 19 balls to be ahead of the D/L par score at the end of 46 overs when Coughlan departed, and the late wickets ensured they did not get there. Nepal’s total had been built on Sagar Pun’s half-century, and contributions from Vishwakarma and Krishna Karki down the order.Soctland Under-19s took advantage of Ireland’s slip-up, and went to the top of the table, after a 40-run victory versus Namibia Under-19s at the other ground at the Bready Cricket Club. The game was reduced to 43 overs, and was another low-scoring affair with Scotland only managing 180 for 9, and then bowling Namibia out for 140 in 39.5 overs. Scotland’s top order laid a solid base, with each of the top three getting starts, but the middle and lower order did not contribute much. Namibia lost wickets in a cluster at the beginning of their chase and then again at the end. Pelham Myburgh scored 43 and battled till the 24th over but his side were never in the game after the early blows.United States of America Under-19s handed Vanuatu Under-19s their seventh-straight defeat in a rain-affected match at the Drummond Cricket Club. The match was initially reduced to 32 overs, and Vanuatu managed 128 for 8 after being put in to bat. USA scored quickly in the chase, and when rain stopped play after 22 overs they were 42 runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. Steven Taylor who made an unbeaten 33 for USA was named Man of the Match. “In the last three games I had not done well,” Taylor said. “I was glad to have made a contribution to the side’s win again. The side is gelling well now and we are looking good as a combination right now.”In another shortened match, at the Limavady Cricket Club, Afghanistan Under-19s put together a whirlwind chase, going past Kenya Under-19s’ total of 154 for 5 in just 18.4 overs. The match had been reduced to 24 overs, and Kenya scored at 6.41 in their innings, with Rahul Vishram scoring 59 off 40 balls. Afghanistan scored at 8.30 in the chase; Javed Ahmadi smashed five sixes in his 86 off 51 balls, while Hashmatullah Shaidi got 63 off 58 balls.