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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.

The stand-off between suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi and the BCCI has intensified with the board preparing to file charges against Modi in the run-up to its next annual general election

Sharda Ugra and Osman Samiuddin27-Aug-2010The stand-off between suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi and the BCCI has intensified with the board preparing to file charges against Modi in the run-up to its next annual general election. The BCCI’s action is expected to reduce the heat on its secretary N Srinivasan, who this week has faced allegations, which he has denied, of intervention in the second IPL auction in January 2009.The move to file charges in a Chennai court against Modi – confirmed to Cricinfo by an official – is a continuation of decisions taken at a special general meeting of the board in June this year at which it was decided to institute a disciplinary committee and begin action against Modi. “It has taken us this long because the secretary had to prepare the papers and the complaint was to be vetted by our legal experts,” the official said.Working against Modi was the pressure on the BCCI by the various agencies investigating the financial irregularities in the IPL’s business deals, particularly the controversial ‘facilitation fee’ deal between MSM and WSG and franchise ownership patterns. “The agencies said to us that if you don’t put up a complaint against him, there can be no impact of our work”, the official said.Insiders believe the move is also a means by which the BCCI can isolate Modi from its ranks in the only designation he still holds in name as the IPL chairman with a five-year term, even though in a suspended state. The matter could be discussed on Saturday when the BCCI’s final working committee meeting before its September Annual General Meeting takes place in Mumbai.The allegations against Srinivasan, which have gained momentum in the Indian media over the past few days, revolves round the plan by Chennai Super Kings to secure the services of Andrew Flintoff at the IPL’s 2009 auction. Srinivasan is head of India Cements, the company that owns Chennai Super Kings.A set of e-mails between Modi and Srinivasan – written around the time of the auction, and which Cricinfo has accessed – suggests that they communicated over Flintoff’s availability; he was eventually bought by Chennai, who bid higher than Rajasthan Royals.”What a nightmare to convince them not to terminate [Sohail] Tanveer and also not to take Flintoff,” reads one email, from Modi to Srinivasan. “[Shane] Warne [the Rajasthan captain] went off the handle. But have managed it by using stick and carrot strategy.” In response, a mail from Srinivasan thanks Modi.For his part, Modi told Cricinfo via e-mail on Thursday that Srinivasan and, through him, Chennai, “pressurised the [IPL] operating team” to get the Flintoff auction to work in the franchise’s favour. Other than Chennai, only two other teams had bid for Flintoff, with Kings XI Punjab first standing down and Rajasthan losing out with a bid of US$1.5m as against Chennai’s $1.55m.Asked whether there were many similar cases to Flintoff’s, Modi replied, “Yes to my knowledge”. He refused to go into detail, saying, “Flintoff’s was the only case at that auction.”Srinivasan denied the allegations of collusion,. “I am a sportsman myself, a golfer, and I believe in playing fair. Why would I ever resort to such means?” he told . “I had the money and could have gone up to US$ 2 million to outbid them. Let’s get one thing clear — it was the franchisee with the bigger purse that won the bid. I never asked for anyone’s favour to acquire Flintoff.”The BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, also backed Srinivasan. “I can produce papers which prove that the charges levelled by Mr Modi against Mr Srinivasan are blatant lies,” Manohar said.A Rajasthan spokesman denied allegations of having been part of the alleged fix, saying their participation in all IPL auctions “have been entirely transparent at all times” and refused to comment further on “any insinuations.”

Afghanistan were 95 for 2 at stumps, staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit

Sreshth Shah27-Dec-2024Bulawayo was buzzing on the second day of the Boxing Day Test as the home fans celebrated one landmark after another, with Zimbabwe creating history against Afghanistan by getting to their highest Test score of all time. Overnight centurion Sean Williams posted his personal best in Tests, the captain Craig Ervine scored his fourth Test ton in a 13-year career, and Brian Bennett struck a dramatic maiden hundred, taking Zimbabwe to 586.Williams set the tone early with a cut through point to pass 150. He looked to be aggressive to the leg side but mistimed a pull off Naveen Zadran to deep midwicket, adding only nine to his overnight score before departing for 154 in the day’s sixth over.The No. 7 Bennett, playing only his second Test, then looked busy upon arrival. His early strokes allowed Ervine, starting overnight on 56, to get his eyes in, and together they put on 82 in only 20.2 overs for the sixth wicket. Ervine showed off his ease against spin to dominate square of the wicket. He reached triple figures with a flick towards backward square leg in the 109th over, took off his helmet, and revealed a smile that bore a feeling of satisfaction.Left-arm spinner Zia-Ur-Rehman had Ervine nicking to the keeper for 104 two overs later, followed by Brandon Mavuta’s dismissal for 0 in the same over, those two wickets did not bring any respite for the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling unit. The turn was predictable, the pacers were ineffective, allowing Bennett and the lower-order to score freely.Bennett, a few streaky boundaries aside, peppered boundaries through the covers, and after lunch the message was clear that the remaining batters would also play positively. Teen debutant Newman Nyamhuri, known for his left-arm seam bowling in the domestic circuit, showed he can also contribute with the bat. He was out on 26 to Zahir Khan, but not before bringing up Zimbabwe’s 500 with a big six down the ground. It ended a 21-year wait for Zimbabwe to breach that mark in Tests.Naveed Zadran celebrates the wicket of Sean Williams•Zimbabwe Cricket

The mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar didn’t have much impact either, with Bennett and Blessing Muzarabani (19) crunching sixes off his overpitched deliveries. As Zimbabwe pushed towards their previous highest score of 563 for 9, achieved against West Indies in 2001, errors crept into the Afghan fielding effort too. Fumbles and misfields allowed singles to become doubles, and Muzarabani survived a dropped chance at deep midwicket too.However Muzarabani fell with Zimbabwe at 550 for 9, earning Azmatullah Omarzai a maiden Test wicket, and with only the No. 11 remaining, Bennett, on 82, moved to fifth gear. A six off Zia-ur-Rehman through midwicket took him to 89, and back-to-back twos in Trevor Gwandu’s company got him closer to triple digits. His 96th run also took Zimbabwe to 564, a new high in their 32-year history in the format.But that was not enough for the crowd. Only a Bennett century would make the innings perfect, and it arrived in cinematic fashion in the 135th over. Zadran had set up a short-ball ploy with two sweeper fielders in the deep on the leg side, but Bennett went for the pull anyway. The fielder in the deep took the catch, only to see that he had stepped into the boundary line, and Bennett roared “come on” in the direction of his family on the grass banks, which included his father and twin brother. He would pin another six next ball over the same region before Ghazanfar picked up his third wicket by removing Gwandu, leaving Bennett unbeaten on 110.”[It is] not just my first Test century but my first century for Zimbabwe, so it’s a great feeling,” Bennett said after the day’s play. “To get a Test match hundred at Queen’s [Sports Club] with my family watching, with Sean Williams and Craig Ervine also getting hundreds and putting on a record score for Zimbabwe in Test matches. I don’t think there’s any better feeling to that. So, yeah, I’m just very proud.”At first, when I saw it going, I thought it was six, but when I saw it coming down, I was like, oh shucks, I’m in trouble here,” he recalled the drama. “But you know what? You create your own luck in cricket. And when it stepped over the boundary there, I was lost for words, actually.”It wasn’t too much about me getting to my hundred. It was more about us getting a big score and getting the Afghan guys out on the field for as long as possible. So credit to the tail-enders as well. They did a good effort for me to get my hundred but also, I think we were six down, and with our tail, we added 120 [121] runs.”Afghanistan’s reply to 587 began in overcast conditions after tea, and Sediqullah Atal lost the battle of the debutants to Gwandu trying to flick across the line in the second over. Gwandu got a ball to swing in and shape away late to gain his maiden Test scalp. The seamer would bowl four overs before an injury while fielding ended his day early.Muzarabani was metronic from the other end, bowling in the channel around off stump, and challenged Abdul Malik’s bat on occasion. It needed someone of Rahmat Shah’s experience at No. 3 to get the runs flowing. His strong off-side play earned him four fours in the space of as many overs bowled by Gwandu and Nyamhuri. Malik, instead, offered soft hands when possible, with his only boundary a gentle glance towards fine leg.With the pitch still good for batting and the effects of the new ball wearing off, both batters milked the Zimbabwe bowling, but looking to make something happen Ervine brought Muzarabani back and the idea worked. Malik, who had mostly offered defensive shots, was proffered a short ball by Muzarabani and the rising delivery forced the error, straight to Ben Curran at fine leg.Hashmatullah Shahidi, at No. 4, battled against the fading light to face some tricky overs of spin from Williams and part-timers Mavuta and Bennett. He struck three boundaries in 24 balls, while Rahmat moved to 49 after surviving one catching chance at slip. Bad light stopped play three overs before close, with Afghanistan on 95 for 2, staring at a mammoth 491-run deficit.

Amelia Kerr claims 4 for 13 as Spirit crush hosts by 73 runs

ECB Reporters Network24-Aug-2023London Spirit rounded off their low-key Women’s Hundred campaign on a high with a commanding win as they hammered Birmingham Phoenix by 73 runs at Edgbaston.Grace Harris’ belligerent 87 off 47 balls lifted Spirit to 172 for 5 after they were put in by a Phoenix side already doomed to finish bottom of the table. Harris and Richa Ghosh thrashed 48 in 25 balls to ensure a daunting target.Phoenix replied with 99 all out in 76 balls with Amelia Kerr taking 4 for 13 as Spirit ended their staccato campaign with a second win to go alongside four defeats and two ‘no results.’ For Phoenix, the drubbing was one final instalment of a nightmare which has seen them lose seven with one washout.In a gesture which rather summed up Phoenix’s accident-prone campaign, the main scoreboard at Edgbaston went ‘phut’ just before the start of the match and remained blank throughout the first innings. It missed a perky start from Spirit openers Danielle Gibson and Harris, who added 46 in 20 balls. Gibson struck four of the ten balls she faced for four before being yorked by Charis Pavely.Kerr chipped to mid on and Sophie Luff was well held by Issy Wong at deep square but Harris advanced to a 31-ball half-century, reached with her tenth four, a sweet sweep which crested the rope in front of the dormant scoreboard. The Australian celebrated with successive sixes, off Erin Burns and Sophie Devine, and Ghosh also cleared the ropes in a blitz which brought 19 runs in four balls.Ghosh was run out after a mix-up but Harris continued to bat with power and purpose, adding 13 fours to her two sixes before she was run out off the final ball of the innings.Phoenix needed something spectacular with the bat but lost their top five in 45 balls. Devine was superbly caught by Kerr at deep square from the third ball of the innings and Tess Flintoff was bowled, sweeping at Charlie Dean.Sterre Kalis’ counter-attack of 28 from 16 balls was ended by an lbw decision for Sarah Glenn before Kerr took two big wickets in five balls. Amy Jones was caught by Dean at extra cover and Burns sought six over long on but found only Gibson right on the rope.That left Phoenix skipper Eve Jones with 104 to find from 55 balls and only the lower order for company. Her departure, bowled through a slog at Kerr, only accelerated the procession and when the ubiquitous Kerr caught Wong at long on, Spirit were home and dry and left to ponder what might have been if they had produced performances of this power earlier in the tournament.

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

• Bismah to lead unchanged squad for Ireland tri-series, Commonwealth Games

• The little big hit! Bismah Maroof's daughter steals the show after intense India-Pakistan contest

• PCB announce year-long calendar for women's cricket, revive U-19 domestic tournament

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.”

Karachi Kings did what had been on the cards for most of the game. But boy did they take the scenic route.

Danyal Rasool14-Nov-2020
Karachi Kings won the Super Over
How the game played outKarachi Kings did what had been on the cards for most of the game. They edged out Multan Sultans to reach their first final in PSL history, but boy did they take the scenic route! When they required 26 off four overs with seven wickets, including Babar Azam, still in hand, it looked like a Karachi cakewalk. In the end, Multan would take it to a dramatic Super Over, but set 14 to win, Mohammad Amir bowled a near-perfect Super Over, for Shan Masood’s side to fall five runs short.Winning the toss, Karachi opted to bowl, with the decision paying dividends almost from the outset. Wickets fell swiftly, with Adam Lyth dismissed early and a couple of run-outs, one brilliant, one farcical, further strengthening Karachi’s position. Multan’s mini-recovery from 40 for 4 to set Karachi 142 to win – thanks to cameos from Ravi Bopara (40) and Sohail Tanvir (25*) – ensured there was still life in the game.But Karachi had Babar, who’s scintillating form, combined with support from Alex Hales at the other end, appeared to be guiding them to a straightforward win. But, as happens in this format so often, Babar failed to close it out, and when he edged behind in the 17th over, panic suddenly set in for Karachi, who were a batsman light.Four wickets fell for six runs, with veteran Tanvir turning in an outstanding bowling spell. Multan seemed to be closing in on a stunning win, before a priceless little knock from Imad Wasim, capped off with a boundary off the last ball to send the game to the Super Over, allowed Karachi a lifeline, which Amir gleefully accepted.Star of the daySnubbed by Pakistan and with his international career in limbo, Amir responded in the most befitting way to show Pakistan what they might be missing. He might not have picked up any wickets with the ball, but one of the run-outs he effected was responsible for altering the course of the Multan innings. When Zeeshan Haider slapped him back down the ground, Amir had the presence of mind to stretch his toe so it made contact with the ball before cannoning into the non-striker’s stumps, leaving Masood stranded.In the Super Over, he put on a magnificent exhibition of death bowling, nailing the yorker ball after ball to Rilee Rossouw, who simply couldn’t find a way to get underneath one. Only six runs came off the bat, with Multan never allowed the faintest chance to threaten the target. It was Amir at his match-winning best.Turning pointChasing all those below-par targets against Zimbabwe in the T20 series looks to have been decent practice for Babar. The 141 Multan put up didn’t look enough for a pitch that was very conducive to batting, and just as Babar had punished Zimbabwe for failing to rack up the runs, he didn’t spare Multan either. Easing, with characteristic inevitability to his fifth consecutive half-century, he extended his lead at the top of the PSL run charts with 65 off 53. But once again, he will rue failing to finish the game off, and it nearly cost him until Wasim bailed him out at the death. A canter suddenly turned into a nail-biter, and Babar really had no business letting it.The big missIt might be harsh to say it, but Karachi did almost nothing special with the ball, and yet found themselves having restricted Multan very efficiently. That was partially down to some suicidal running by Rossouw, whose importance to Multan had grown exponentially since they lost a couple of early wickets, one to a freak Masood run-out at the non-strikers end.But Rossouw had no one to blame when he was run out two overs later, setting off blind with no clue where exactly the ball was. Zeeshan Ashraf rightly sent him back, but he was so far down the keeper had time to throw it to the bowler, who was backing up at the striker’s end, and whip off the bails with time to spare. Rossouw has been instrumental to whichever PSL franchise he has been a part of, and when he fell that cheaply, it felt like a big moment. It was.Where the teams standKarachi are through to the final, while Multan will play an eliminator tomorrow against the winner of Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, with the winner joining Karachi in the final.

Fifties for Paul Horton and Hassan Azad but Leicestershire stumble after Carse’s three wickets

ECB Reporters Network19-Aug-2019Three wickets from Brydon Carse has put Durham in a strong position after day two of their Division Two clash against Leicestershire at the Riverside.The hosts were able to capitalise on their excellent performance from day one, recording their highest total of the campaign. Ned Eckersley scored an unbeaten half-century in his first game as captain before declaring on 544-9.Leicestershire’s openers Paul Horton and Hassan Azad provided resistance as both players notched half-centuries, but Carse struck three times with his extra pace to reduce the visitors to 152-4 at the close, still 392 runs behind the hosts.

Azad pens new deal

Hassan Azad, Leicestershire’s opening batsman, has signed a new two-year deal with the county. Azad graduated from the University of Loughborough with a degree in Chemical Engineering this summer, and has piled on over 800 runs in his first Championship season, winning the PCA’s player of the month award for July. “It still has not sunk in that this is what my life is now,” he said after winning that award. “Going to the ground every day, training and playing in games… I am really grateful.”

Durham began the morning session with the opportunity to build on their platform from day one. Nathan Rimmington scored quick runs to move the hosts towards the 400-run mark. The nightwatchman hit two boundaries through the off side against Will Davis, but the bowler had his revenge to bowling Rimmington for 25. Eckersley arrived at the crease and guided his team over the mark, reaching maximum batting points for the first time at home since August 2017 against Derbyshire.Liam Trevaskis worked his way patiently to 37 after being dropped by Harry Swindells. However, Gavin Griffiths broke through his defences, pinning the left-hander lbw to deny him a half-century. Eckersley continued his knock after the break, although the pace of the home side’s innings was disrupted by the weather.The newly-appointed skipper found his timing after missing the Vitality Blast fixtures, recording his third half-century of the season from 59 deliveries, including three boundaries. Carse at the other end upped the ante as the hosts pushed beyond the 500-run mark, eclipsing their highest total of the campaign. Eckersley was given a life on 63 as fatigue appeared to wear down the Leicestershire attack when Griffiths dropped a simple chance at fine leg.Carse attempted to push for his half-century, but was run out seven runs short of the milestone by Wright. Eckersley immediately called time on Durham’s innings, walking off with an unbeaten 71. Leicestershire needed a solid response from their openers and received it from Azad and Horton. Both players survived lbw shouts, but were able to grind out their fifty partnership in the 15th over.After tea, Horton was also caught short of his ground by Carse at the non-strikers end, with the ball just missing the stumps. The latter made the most of his escape, scoring his third half-century of the season from 81 deliveries. Leicestershire were finding the pitch to be tame, blunting the home side’s attempt to take control of the contest.Horton brought up the century stand for the first wicket with a single down to fine leg. However, from the first delivery of the next over he produced a loose drive to a rising delivery from Carse and was caught at slip by Durham debutant Angus Robson. The Durham quick notched his second wicket of the over as Neil Dexter feathered an edge behind to Eckersley. Azad resisted at the other end with a strong defence, reaching his fifty from 117 balls.Trevaskis made further inroads for the hosts when he turned one through Mark Cosgrove’s bat and pad, dismissing the veteran for 21. Azad’s stoic knock was ended by a brilliant delivery from Carse, with the opener helplessly gloving to Peter Handscomb, who produced a fine diving catch at leg gully to hand Durham momentum at the close.

England captain insists that a change of coach would be a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, and says it’s up to the team to improve

George Dobell at Headingley31-May-2018Joe Root has defended Trevor Bayliss after speculation that the England coach could be sacked if England lose again in Leeds.Were England to lose in Headingley, it would be their third series loss in a row and their seventh defeat in 10 Tests. They would also slip to No. 7 in the ICC’s Test rankings.And while it seems unlikely Bayliss would be removed from his position as limited-overs coach – England are rated No. 1 in the world in ODI cricket, after all, and reached the final of the more recent World T20 tournament – it is possible he would be replaced as Test coach if Pakistan prevail in the second Test.But Root, the England captain, insisted such change would be a “knee-jerk reaction” and instead suggested it was his team who should take responsibility for playing “below par these last six months”.”I love working with Trev,” Root said. “I think he does some really great things for this team.”As Jimmy Anderson said yesterday, he can’t do it for us on the field. Ultimately we need to play better. We’ve been below par these last six months.”I don’t see why there’s a need for a change. I think it’s the easy thing to have a knee-jerk reaction and change everything.”Although Root accepted the England dressing room was “low on confidence” and the potential loss of Ben Stokes through injury was far from ideal, he said there was no place for self pity and urged his side to see the game as an opportunity to put things right.”We’re low on confidence after a difficult winter,” Root said. “But there’s no place for “poor-mes” in international sport. We have some very talented players across all departments. It gives opportunities when someone misses out.”The approach is to go out there and put it right. And maybe prove a point to certain people. That can be a driver. I’m looking forward to getting out there straight away and hopefully turning things round.”There’s always noise. When you’re playing well you can lull yourself into thinking you’re playing better than you are. It can be the same the other way round. I’ve been consistent for a while and not kicked on. The same challenges are there for me.”Mentally, I’m really up for that challenge and that fight. Whether that be the captaincy or my batting. I’m really looking forward to this week and I’m glad it’s come about so soon. Now it’s just going and doing it.”

Kusal Perera made a roaring return to Sri Lankan colours, cracking 77 off 53 balls to lead the hosts on a successful hunt of Bangladesh’s 155 for 6

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUpul Tharanga and Kusal Perera struck a 65-run opening stand•Associated Press

Kusal Perera made a roaring return to Sri Lankan colours, cracking 77 off 53 balls to lead the hosts on a successful hunt of Bangladesh’s 155 for 6. That Sri Lanka had so few to chase was partly the work of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, who made breakthroughs whenever a partnership threatened, though they were helped to that end by off-colour Bangladesh batting.Mashrafe Mortaza, who as it turned out, was playing his penultimate game in the format, was by a distance the visitors’ best bowler. He claimed 2 for 32 from his four overs, and only one other bowler – Taskin Ahmed – mustered a breakthrough. Sri Lanka sauntered to the target with seven balls and six wickets to spare.This match was Kusal’s first international since his unseemly Test outing in Port Elizabeth, for which he was dropped from the Test XI, then subsequently axed from the limited-overs squads altogether. Having returned to national reckoning via good innings for Sri Lanka A, Kusal outlined his value to Sri Lanka in an innings that showcased a little batting nous as well as characteristic brutality. The bludgeoned drives and whipped pick-up shots over midwicket did eventually come, but not before he had laid low for the first four overs; and the big shots were, in any case, well devised as well as nicely executed. Instead of trying to clear fielders as Kusal often does, he strove to hit even his most ambitious shots into gaps.

Over-rate fine for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka were found to be one over short of their target in the first T20I, and have been fined by the ICC. While captain Upul Tharanga was fined 20% of his match fee, the rest of the team were fined 10%.

Having made only 5 off his first eight balls, Kusal smoked four fours and a six off his next seven, to help move Sri Lanka to 57 for none at the end of the Powerplay. Upul Tharanga, who had given the innings its initial impetus, departed in the seventh over, but Kusal stayed long enough to almost see the chase through. He reached his fifty off 31 balls, and when he fell in the penultimate over, Sri Lanka needed only nine runs, which they would proceed to gather over the next four balls. Seekkuge Prasanna was not out with 22 off 12 at the close.Though their bowlers responded poorly to Kusal’s shellacking, Bangladesh may reflect that it was with the bat that they made the more substantial mistakes. They had flown to 57 for 1 after five overs, for example, but then Sabbir Rahman ran a poor line to get himself run out, and Soumya Sarkar holed out in the same Vikum Sanjaya over. Suddenly, at 57 for 3, all that momentum they had developed was surrendered.Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan fell playing expansive shots to slow bowlers, who should, in fact, have been less effective on this track, which retained a little grass and had been rolled until hard. Mosaddek Hossain and Mahmudullah put on 57 off 42 together to lift their side from 82 for 5, but could not quite crack enough runs through the back-end of the innings to lift Bangladesh to a winning score.Lasith Malinga was especially good through this period, giving away seven and eight in his last two overs, in which he took the wicket of Mahmudullah with a searing yorker, having also done the same to Tamim Iqbal with the second ball of the match.Rain before play had delayed the start by 45 minutes, but no overs were lost.