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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.

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

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

Michael Clarke has moved up to second in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, following his 187 in the fourth Ashes Test

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2013Michael Clarke has jumped three places to second in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen, following his 187 at Old Trafford against England for which he was also named as the Man of the Match.Clarke, who had earlier topped the rankings during the 2009 Ashes, is now just 20 ratings points behind South Africa batsman Hashim Amla, whom he can overtake with another strong performance in the fourth Test in Chester-le-Street.England batsmen Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen have also moved up in the rankings. Bell, who is leading the batting charts in the Ashes with 381 runs, is now placed 10th, while Pietersen’s century at Old Trafford helped him jump two places and he is now 14th on the list.In the bowlers rankings, Australia fast bowler Ryan Harris leaped four places to achieve a career-best ranking of 11th, while Graeme Swann’s match figures of six for 233 took him to sixth, ahead of team-mate James Anderson.South Africa’s Dale Steyn continues to head the bowlers’ table with teammate Vernon Philander in second place, and Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath in third position.

Simon Kerrigan, the Lancashire left-arm spinner, took six wickets to put England Lions into a strong position against Australia A at Old Trafford

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford09-Aug-2012
Scorecard
Simon Kerrigan’s spell helped earn England Lions a useful lead•Graham Morris

They are curious things, the wheels of fortune and opportunity. Just 27 days ago Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan was bowling to Kevin Pietersen in a County Championship match at Guildford. Pietersen made 234 not out off 190 balls while the young spinner’s figures were 23-0-152-1.Immediately after that brutal Friday, Kerrigan sought advice from a bevvy of slow bowlers, salved his wounds and got on with the job of being a professional cricketer. In the same few weeks Pietersen has made a Test century studded with many jewels of unarguable brilliance and also bared his soul a couple of times. As a consequence it is a matter of major public debate where his cricket career is heading.As yet no one is even sure whether Kerrigan, 23, will play international cricket at all. But at least for an hour or two on Thursday afternoon he offered an exciting alternative to the Piet-and-Tweet shemozzle for cricket followers whose passion is stirred more by what happens on the field than by what occurs in cyberspace.Employing most of the skills beloved of spinners through the ages – drift, change of pace, flight and, not least, hard spin itself – Kerrigan took six wickets in 73 balls to help bowl out Australia A for 277 on the third day of the first unofficial Test at Old Trafford.Kerrigan, the Lancashire slow left-armer, had sent down 13 wicketless overs before he had Tim Paine athletically caught by Jonny Bairstow at slip for 19, and he ended the Australian innings he had helped to wreck with figures of 6 for 59 from 25.3 overs. Kerrigan is still learning the many skills of his craft and not so sullen art but he has the knack of getting good players out and doing so when it matters.Yet if the young twirler snares the headlines and the plaudits, Kent’s James Tredwell also deserves a massive amount of praise for helping England Lions gain a first innings lead of 38. Indeed, by close of play Tredwell had even taken on the role of nightwatchman helping Bairstow extend the Lions overall advantage to a healthy 196 going into the last day of the game.In the morning session Tredwell’s offspin bowling had been of a very high-class. He made the first breakthrough when he extracted a lot of bounce and a smidgeon of turn from the Manchester wicket to have Australia A skipper Ed Cowan caught behind off the glove for only the second 99 of his first-class career.Twelve overs later Tredwell had Michael Klinger snaffled by short leg Joe Root for 66. Hitting Kerrigan for a couple of sixes on Wednesday evening had no doubt given South Australian Klinger plenty of kicks; predictably, therefore, he was a victim of Root, 66.Despite Tredwell’s persistence, Australia A were reasonably placed on 207 for 3 at lunch and many were talking about the injustice of Cowan’s excellence not being rewarded with a century.An hour later all well-intentioned sympathetic thoughts had been abandoned as Kerrigan bagged three wickets in ten balls, including Test players Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon with successive deliveries. Johnson gave a bat and pad catch to Root while Lyon was lbw on the back foot when completely deceived by a quicker ball.The innings was in free fall and no one had thought to pack a parachute. The end, from an antipodean perspective, was predictably grisly; the predominantly Lancastrian crowd, on the other hand, are never shy about enjoying Australian misfortune and they cheered every one of Kerrigan’s successes. For a moment or two they even forgot that Glen Chapple’s team had dropped into the relegation places in Division One of the County Championship.Cowan’s men collapsed from 214 for 3 to 231 for 8 in twelve overs; Tom Cooper’s unbeaten 26 staved off further embarrassment but his partners, Jon Holland and Jackson Bird, both fell to Kerrigan; Holland stumped by Craig Kieswetter, Bird taken by Bairstow at slip. It was eye-catching stuff, although Kerrigan’s successes were, in the view of his partner at least, no more than his due.”Simon’s picked up six wickets today and he fully deserved to,” said Tredwell, who had never even met him before the Lions squad gathered for the game at Old Trafford. “He bowls at a nice pace which makes it hard for the batter because there’s not much time to change your decision, particularly on a wicket offering a bit of turn.”Once it breaks and turns you want to be beating the batsman in his decision-making. Simon can also bowl cutter deliveries which on a real dry wicket can be really beneficial because on that surface some turn and some don’t. He can bowl in a variety of different ways on a variety of different pitches and he seems to have shown that even in this game.”And in the last session of the day there was yet more joy for the Manchester crowd, albeit that it came from two precociously talented Yorkshiremen. Bairstow and Root added 128 for the second wicket in less than 30 overs, both batsmen displaying a marvellous audacity and range of shot against a flagging attack.Bairstow has had a Test call already this summer. The day when Root dons a full England sweater cannot be too long delayed. For all that he was dismissed for a 104-ball 70, slicing Holland to Liam Davis, Root’s driving and timing had offered further evidence that he is a special talent.By the close England were 158 for 3, Eoin Morgan having been caught without scoring pulling Bird in the third over and Samit Patel taken at slip 15 minutes before stumps. On the final day the Manchester crowd have the prospect of seeing Bairstow resume on 73 not out, Cowan bat once more and England’s spinners in full cry on a turning wicket. You know something, it may be even be more fun than tweeting.

A round-up of the action from the second day of the Emerging Players Tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2011Australian Institute of Sport beat New Zealand A by 14 runs at Peter Burge Oval in Brisbane to hand them their second defeat in as many games. New Zealand won the toss and had the early ascendancy when Andy McKay removed AIS opener Sam Whiteman for a third-ball duck. Tim Armstrong however ensured AIS did not suffer too much from the early setback, with an unbeaten 74 off 66 balls. He shared in two substantial partnerships for the second and third wickets, with Tom Beaton and captain Ryan Carters respectively, to steer the hosts to a strong score, despite a closing-overs slump. New Zealand’s chase ran into early trouble as they lost four cheap wickets, including two to run-outs. Luke Woodcock struck a fighting half-century to keep the chase alive, but Ben Cutting’s stifling spell (3 for 15) ensured New Zealand would fall well short.South Africa Emerging Players sneaked to a thrilling four-wicket win against India Emerging Players in a game that ended off the last ball at Fred Kratzman Oval in Brisbane. Asked to bat first, India were propelled by an aggressive 45 off 33 balls from S Anirudha. Ajinkya Rahane contributed a quick 29, but the innings owed a lot to Saurabh Tiwary, whose four sixes in 40 off 32 balls provided the final kick. Mthokozisi Shezi was impressive in picking up 2 for 15 in his four overs. Chasing 157, South Africa stumbled thanks to early strikes by Jaidev Unadkat, but Temba Bavuma reignited the innings with a decisive 57 not out off 31 balls. Obus Pienaar and Mangaliso Mosehle provided just enough support to take their side home off the last ball.New Zealand A bounced back after losses in their first two games, with a 13-run win against South Africa Emerging Players at Peter Burge Oval. Neil Broom anchored New Zealand with 47, while Doug Bracewell and Derek de Boorder contributed scores in the 30s to steer their side to 156. South Africa started off superbly with Richard Levi smashing 74 off 40 balls with five fours and five sixes. Reeza Hendricks supported him well with 32 off 40 balls, but South Africa collapsed spectacularly after their exits. Bracewell was at it with the ball as well, snapping up two wickets for 16 runs in three overs, while Trent Boult picked up 2 for 19, as South Africa finished well short of the target.India Emerging Players wound up the day’s action with a six-run win over Australian Institute of Sport at the Fred Kratzman Oval. India chose to bat, and while many of their batsmen got off to starts, there wasn’t a single half-century in their innings. Captain Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu made 30 apiece, while Saurabh Tiwary launched three sixes in 29 off 14 balls. Manoj Tiwary complemented him with 36 off 23 balls and India were set for a big score, but Ben Cutting stalled them with a series of late strikes that earned him a five-wicket haul. India opened their bowling with left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla and his two early wickets pushed the hosts on to the back foot immediately. Glenn Maxwell turned things around with a rousing 59 off 23 balls, which included seven sixes, as Jaidev Unadkat and Bhargav Bhatt suffered. Umesh Yadav managed to end Maxwell’s carnage, and Australia’s chase lost steam steadily. Vinay Kumar finished with a three-wicket haul to give India their second victory in three games.

The ball talked in the morning, Ishant Sharma impressed, Lasith Malinga thrilled and Rangana Herath became the unlikely hero

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera20-Jul-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rangana Herath’s knock took Sri Lanka out of trouble and put them in a commanding position•AFP

It was a strange and fascinating day full of the unexpected: The ball talked in the morning, Ishant Sharma impressed, Lasith Malinga thrilled and Rangana Herath became an unlikely hero. Ishant had everyone spellbound in the morning with captivating seam bowling but Herath and Malinga – yes, you read right – stole his thunder with entertaining half-centuries to ensure Sri Lanka retained control on the first Test.India lost Gautam Gambhir to the second ball of their innings, Rahul Dravid to an error in judging a run, and Sachin Tendulkar to faulty shot selection and it was left to Virender Sehwag to keep them afloat. He did his best but the day belonged to Sri Lanka and, especially, to an unlikely pair of lower-order batsmen.The 115-run partnership between Herath and Malinga was as delightful as it was unexpected. Herath impressed with several high-quality shots and Malinga alternated between defence and fury during a joyous effort. Within his first six deliveries, Herath had declared his intent with two boundaries. The outstanding shot of his stay was a thunderous six off Abhimanyu Mithun: Herath smoked a short-of-length delivery on the up over long-on. It certainly wasn’t the shot of a lower-order batsman.As you would expect in such an innings, there was an edged boundary and a slashed four over slips but, for the main part, Herath was composed and confident. There were several on-the-up shots, a few well-judged leaves, and a few tight defensive strokes. What really stood out was how well he paced his innings. Herath counterattacked at the start as he pursued quick runs but, realising that India’s spirit had evaporated in the afternoon sun and that Malinga was not going to be blown away, he started to play second fiddle. Post Malinga’s fall, Herath once again became the attacker and charmed the crowd with an audacious inside-out hit over covers off Mithun.Malinga took the opposite route. He started slowly, scoring 1 off 15 deliveries, before he decided to indulge himself. He pulled and dragged Ishant for on-side boundaries and flat-batted him straight. He then looted Ojha for three boundaries in an over. Malinga wasn’t done with Ojha, though, and he swaggered down the track to clear long-on twice in succession.The start to the day presented a stark contrast to the carefree hitting of the afternoon. The second day’s storm and overnight rain had left the pitch damp and the Indians exploited the seam movement on offer. With his second delivery, Ishant induced Tharanga Paranavitana to edge one that slanted away from off stump.Ishant returned later with the new ball to harass Jayawardene and set the tone in his first over: he got the third delivery, a legcutter, to leave Jayawardene late. The next one cut in and Jayawardene left it on the bounce. Or was he expecting it to go other way? The fifth darted in, cut the batsman in half and somehow missed off stump. Jayawardene lunged forward desperately to the final ball to take the lbw out of the equation and was hit on the inner thigh by another incutter.In his next over Ishant produced an edge with his only delivery at Jayawardene – a legcutter – but the ball ran past gully and to the boundary. In the third over of the spell, Ishant prompted an appeal from behind with another legcutter at Jayawardene. The contest ended immediately after when Ishant seamed the ball back in to catch Jayawardene in front of leg stump.Angelo Mathews then showcased his cricketing acumen. After Jayawardene’s departure, Mathews, who was focusing on survival until then, jumped to plan B. He pulled Mithun to the midwicket boundary, carved Ishant to the point boundary, lifted him over mid-off and slashed through covers. He fell, edging Ishant to slips, but the crowd had more entertainment from the Herath-Malinga show.After his fifty, Malinga gave the fans one more reason to smile at the end of the day. He mis-fielded at mid-off and distracted Dravid into thinking there was an extra run. To Dravid’s horror, he was not even in the frame when Malinga fired an accurate throw at the non-striker’s end. Malinga laughed, the crowd roared and more joy came their way when Tendulkar chose to sweep a full delivery from Muttiah Muralitharan and was trapped in front.Only Sehwag stood tall. He scored at almost a run a ball but never appeared to take any risks. Every bad ball – and those marginally off line or length – was put away. He played all his signature shots: The back-foot punchy drive through point, the crashing cover drive, the paddle sweep and the charge down the track. But with the top-order batsmen combusting around him, India have their task cut out for them. Sehwag made a classy 85 but it seemed just a footnote on a strange day.

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

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

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

“I’ve never seen tactics shift so dramatically on the back of a decision,” Australia coach says, but admits that his batters “should have been able to navigate that”

Andrew McGlashan02-Aug-20231:43

McGlashan: Bazball puts oppositions under such pressure

The ball change which took place during Australia’s second innings at The Oval continues be a significant talking point, with Australia head coach Andrew McDonald saying he had never seen a replacement ball have such an impact on a game.When Usman Khawaja was struck on the helmet by a short delivery from Mark Wood in the 37th over of Australia’s chase, umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Joel Wilson ruled that the ball had been damaged enough to warrant being replaced. The ball that was chosen looked considerably newer (England had been trying to get the previous one to reverse swing) and, after play had been curtailed on Sunday by rain, provided the quicks with considerable assistance on the final day.Khawaja and David Warner were both removed by Chris Woakes after an opening stand of 140 while Wood claimed Marnus Labuschagne. However, Steven Smith and Travis Head got Australia down to needing 120 with seven wickets in hand when the defining collapse occurred after a two-hour rain delay.Related

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“I’ve never seen tactics shift so dramatically on the back of a decision,” McDonald said. “Went from catchers in front of the wicket to behind the wicket, and there’s no doubt in some ways changed the shape of the game and the tactics within the game.”So I will say that ball change did have a significant bearing on the tactics, the way that England went about it. But in saying that, I think we still should have been able to navigate that.”There were two clumps where we lost 3 for 30 and 5 for 50, and that’s part of us owning it. The umpires are out there to make a decision and they had a box of balls to choose from, and they made the best decision at that time from what they saw was there.”It ultimately meant that Australia had to settle for a 2-2 Ashes scoreline for the second time in four years, which allowed them to retain the urn but left them short of the ultimate ambition of a first series win in England since 2001.”We didn’t quite achieve what we set out to achieve,” McDonald admitted. “We clearly wanted to come here and win the Ashes but the cricket we played, the cricket both teams played was fascinating.”I think the whole series was fascinating. People should be proud of what they’ve been able to achieve, even if we didn’t quite get to where we wanted to in winning the Ashes.”McDonald stood by the team’s preparation and planning for a tour that included six Tests overall, including the World Test Championship final where Australia claimed the title with victory over India.”There’s no doubt in some ways [the new ball] changed the shape of the game and the tactics within the game”•AFP/Getty Images

There was some rotation among the quick bowlers with Josh Hazlewood held back for the Ashes – where he played four games out of five and sat out at Headingley – but captain Pat Cummins was part of all six and Mitchell Starc, who was named Australia’s Player of the Series against England, appeared in five.Australia had a great chance to close out the series at Headingley when England were still significantly behind at lunch on the second day with only three wickets in hand. But England fought back, won that game by three wickets, then dominated at Old Trafford before two days of rain. The Oval Test was closely fought, but missed chances in the field by Australia and the lack of a sizeable first-innings lead was another opportunity squandered.”We felt as though we were as fresh as what we could be,” McDonald said. “The mental and physical toll of this tour, before we got here, what we were in for. And to have guys still running in and still hitting top speed late in the series I think was a true reflection we got that side of it right. And I wouldn’t say that we dropped off.”The Manchester [Test], we owned that result but Leeds and [The Oval] I think everyone was in the game and both teams had their chances, and we had a really good look at winning this series.”And that’s probably the part when we sit back and reflect, once we let it all settle down and go back through it, there was definitely some opportunities for us to win. And I think England can equally say the same. As it settles, two-all seems about right, and I think everyone’s said that.”

Visiting side build commanding lead after Leicestershire stutter despite Lewis Hill’s 93

ECB Reporters Network09-Apr-2022Opener Ed Pollock smashed a maiden first-class century to put Worcestershire in complete control of their LV Insurance County Championship fixture against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground.The former Warwickshire player, who moved to Worcestershire with the aim of playing red-ball cricket, hit ten fours and two sixes as he raced to three figures from 113 deliveries during a protracted final session that closed shortly after 7pm with the visitors leading by 369 runs, and an overnight declaration expected from captain Brett D’Oliveira.Pollock and fellow opener Jake Libby put together a stand of 163 when they began Worcestershire’s second innings, scoring at over five an over after Leicestershire had been bowled out for 213, allrounder Joe Leach taking 4-37 to go with his first innings 70.Resuming on 42 for 3, Leicestershire suffered a big early blow when captain Colin Ackermann, having added only four to his overnight score, was given out leg before when he left a delivery from Leach that came back and hit his back pad, though replays suggested it had not done nearly enough to hit off stump. Lewis Hill battled on, reaching his 50 with a cut to the point boundary, but had an escape when another attempted cut came off the top edge and flew high to first slip, where Pollock got both hands to the ball but could not hang on.Hill and Harry Swindells raised a 50 partnership for the fifth wicket before Swindells was bowled by a swinging delivery from Ed Barnard, and the Worcestershire seamer struck again soon afterwards, Ben MIke checking an on-drive and giving Azhar Ali a simple catch at mid-on.When Hill himself was bowled for 93, chopping a wide delivery from Dillon Pennington into his leg stump, the prospects of the Foxes saving the follow-on looked remote, the more so when Callum Parkinson (somewhat unluckily) and then Ed Barnes (plumb) went leg before, to Charlie Morris and Joe Leach respectively.Another 34 runs were still needed when last man Beuran Hendricks joined Chris Wright at the wicket, but the two played sensibly against the ageing ball, and when D’Oliveira tried spin, Wright hit the young left-armer Josh Baker for three fours down the ground to ensure Leicestershire at least avoided that particular humiliation.They were soon chasing leather, however, as Pollock and Libby thrashed the bowling to all parts, Pollock hitting 16 off the very first over, bowled by Wright. Libby was eventually bowled off the inside edge by MIke, who went on to pick up a flattering 4 for 27 as Worcestershire’s batsmen chased quick runs, Pollock holing out to midwicket.