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Tom Curran starred with the ball while Jordan Silk and Moises Henriques helped Sixers start 2019 on a winning note

The Report by Alex Malcolm01-Jan-2019Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk have delivered the Sydney Sixers the perfect start to the New Year executing a brilliantly timed chase to ensure Brisbane Heat remain winless.The pair came together with the Sixers needing 84 from 51 balls. Henriques made an outstanding 57 from 37 balls before falling with 44 still needed from 23. But Silk and Josh Philippe ran the Heat ragged and maneuvred the ball to the vacant boundaries behind square with extraordinary skill. Silk fell for 46 from 25 balls with just six runs to win but Tom Curran finished the job.Earlier, Chris Lynn held together the Heat’s batting with a powerful 84. Youngster Max Bryant made an electric start in the Powerplay but he and Lynn were the only players in the Heat’s top six to reach double figures. At one stage they were targeting a total of 150 but Lynn and Jimmy Peirson finished the innings superbly to set the Sixers 165 to win, but it still wasn’t enough.Bash Brothers’ new siblingThe Heat opted for a change at the top of the order, dropping Brendon McCullum down to No.4 and promoting Sam Heazlett to have a left-right combination. Heazlett only made 2 but he was involved in a 34-run opening stand from the first 2.5 overs as the newest Bash Brother bucked his head. Max Bryant, 19, had shown glimpses in the first two games and he exploded here. The Sixers opted for spin from both ends and Bryant showed Ben Manenti and Steve O’Keefe no respect. He was savage on O’Keefe, who has been untouchable in the Powerplay this season, clubbing three fours and a six in the second over. He showed smart footwork against the veteran finding the rope off both the front and the back foot. He failed to go with his start though, holing out to long on in the fourth over for 34 from just 18 balls.The lives of LynnLynn had gone 21 T20 innings with a fifty, including seven T20 Internationals late in 2018. That was set to be 22 when he hit a towering sky ball to deep midwicket on 13, but Manenti was strangely positioned in the key spot instead of Silk, and looking into the sun he spilt the opportunity. Lynn reached 19 off 20 balls with just one boundary before he unleashed on Manenti with a huge six over long on. But he had to reign it in again as he lost Joe Burns and Ben Cutting in quick succession. He played wisely picking the gaps and biding his time. He launched his second six to bring up his fifty in the 15thover. He then unfurled his trademarks strikes. He hit Sean Abbott 98m over midwicket and Tom Curran’s slower ball 93m over long on. He gave another life on 73, with Daniel Hughes unable to hold onto to a ball sliced over his head at backward point. It cost the Sixers another 11 runs before he was out for 84. Lynn got great support from Jimmy Peirson who made an excellent 23 off 17 balls to raise the total above 160.Avendano air walkThe Sixers finally made a change at the top of the order dropping Jack Edwards and promoting 25-year-old North Sydney batsman Justin Avendano. It was an inspired move. Avendano struck two huge sixes and a boundary and the Sixers only lost one wicket in the Powerplay. Henriques joined the debutant after the fall of Joe Denly and the pair steadily built, never letting the required run-rate climb above 10 an over. But Avendano had a brain snap in the 11thover. After squeezing out a yorker to short third man, he was called through for a single. Ben Cutting threw at the non-striker’s end and hit but Avendano didn’t ground his bat and had his feet in the air. He would have made his ground easily if he had simply grounded his bat. Daniel Hughes fell five balls later as the required rate climbed to 10.25.Silky finishHenriques and Silk didn’t panic. They faced just three dot balls in a 40-run partnership. Lynn had held back Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s last over, after he conceded just 18 from his first three, hoping to bowl to a new batsman. But Henriques and Silk forced Lynn’s hand in the 16thover. With Henriques set and ready to target the quicks, Silk gambled and slog swept Mujeeb for six and took 12 from the over. Henriques fell off the first ball of the 17th. But Silk and Josh Philippe never stuttered. They ran brilliantly to force fielding mistakes. Philippe played an incredible falling ramp shot to fine leg for four forcing a field change before Silk was able to pick the gap at deep square after the change had been made. Silk holed out from the last ball of the 19thbut had the presence of mind not to cross with Philippe so the set player was on strike for the start of the last. Philippe couldn’t find the boundary but Tom Curran did to get the Sixers home with three balls to spare.

The 25-year-old allrounder had represented South Africa women in 3 ODIs and 1 T20I in 2013, and was active with coaching at the grassroots level after that

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2019Elriesa Theunissen-Fourie, the former South Africa women’s allrounder, died in a road accident on April 5.Theunissen-Fourie, who would have turned 26 on May 2, played three ODIs and one T20I for South Africa, all in 2013. She was part of South Africa’s squad for the Women’s World Cup in 2013, and made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka women in Cuttack. She last played for South Africa in a series against Bangladesh Women in September that year.In domestic cricket, she represented the North West Dragons and was described by Cricket South Africa as “very active at the grassroots level, coaching at the local community hub until she had to take maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child”.CSA said she died in a “motor car accident in Stilfontein, North West. The life of her child was also lost in the accident.””This is a dreadful tragedy in the true sense of that word,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “This is devastating news for all of us. Elriesa did so much for the community in which she lived and gave excellent service both as a national player of note and in the work she did at grassroots level to help in the less fortunate communities.”On behalf of the CSA family I extend our deepest sympathy to her husband, Rudy, her family, friends and all her cricketing colleagues.”

The CoA is divided over the inquiry committee’s report, which doesn’t find the BCCI CEO guilty of sexual harrassment

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2018Rahul Johri is set to continue in his position as chief executive officer of the BCCI with the Committee of Administrators unable to reach a consensus on what action should be taken against him, after the panel investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Johri did not find him guilty of those charges. The day’s developments have evoked strong reactions from several people who testified before the panel, including the BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry.ESPNcricinfo understands that Johri has already resumed charge and even sent a note to the CoA of his rejoining work.The summarised report reveals a sharp difference between those who formed the majority opinion – Justice (retd) Rakesh Sharma of Allahabad High Court and Barkha Singh, a former head of the Delhi Commission for Women – and the third member, women’s rights lawyer Veena Gowda. Sharma called the allegations “false, baseless” and Singh called it “motivated and fabricated”; both recommended Johri continue in his position.Gowda, referring to one of the charges against Johri, relating to an incident in Birmingham, called his conduct “unprofessional and inappropriate, which would adversely affect its [BCCI’s] reputation” and said it was “essential that… [Johri] undergo some form of gender sensitivity counselling/training.”The two members of the CoA – Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji – have also differed sharply over the interpretation of the panel’s findings.Rai, in his note to the report, referred to the opinion of Sharma and Singh that Johri may be permitted to function as the CEO as before. He also wrote that he inferred from Gowda’s opinion that, “going forward, Johri needs to be counselled as aforesaid but there is no recommendation to take any other action against him.”Edulji’s note made it clear that she did not agree with the conclusions of Sharma and Singh. She felt “the fact that Ms. Gowda has recommended that Mr. Johri should undergo gender sensitization counselling/ training is sufficient for her to arrive at the conclusion that he is not fit to be the CEO of BCCI”. She also said it was her view that the report was “actually a split 2:1 verdict” and so Johri should be asked to resign.”Since there is no consensus between the two members of the Committee of Administrators regarding what action should be taken against Mr. Rahul Johri, the Chairman [Vinod Rai] stated that the natural consequence would be that Mr. Johri continues as the CEO of BCCI and is entitled resume office,” a CoA release said. “Ms. Edulji disagreed with this.”However, the Chairman reiterated that Mr. Rahul Johri should continue as the CEO of BCCI and resume his duties, as a natural consequence.”The final verdict did not go down well with the BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, who was among those who had deposed before the inquiry committee.”This is clearly not a clean chit as is being propagated by a section of officials,” Chaudhry said in a statement. “Ms. Veena Gowda, a member of the Inquiry Committee has observed that the Conduct of Mr. Rahul Johri at Birmingham, as a CEO of an institution such as BCCI is unprofessional and inappropriate which would adversely affect its reputation and the same has to be looked at by the concerned authorities.”This is extremely shocking to say the least and this cannot be willed away by someone just because one may be in a position of authority. What makes it even more serious is that the time period referred to is one where the Hon’ble Supreme Court was monitoring the administration of the BCCI through the CoA. We cannot lose sight of the fact one member of the CoA i.e. 50% of the CoA appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court believes this to be serious enough to make the position of the CEO untenable in an organisation such as the BCCI.”It is understood that one of the two women who levelled the allegations against Johri is a friend of the former Mumbai cricketer Shishir Hattangadi, who testified before the committee. Hattangadi said he could not understand the “dichotomy” of opinions in the report.”One of them is trying to paint Johri as the Pope, the other one is saying he needs counselling. Who am I supposed to believe?” Hattangadi told ESPNcricinfo. “Do we have to now judge the wisdom of these three people (in the committee) because they are completely contrary to each other? …”The person who was asking the most questions was Veena Gowda. She was the most authoritative and the most proactive in the probe, the most pertinent questions were asked by her. And she was the conductor of the whole procedure. So as an observer her word for me would hold weight, because of the way she was so clear… and that is why I came out and made a statement [that] I am happy with the probe.”That is what has surprised me in this whole probe – if they had said not enough evidence, not enough documentation, it is fine, that is your opinion, but here, one is giving a clear indication that something is amiss, and the other two are saying the opposite.”Among others who testified before the committee was Neeraj Kumar, former commissioner of Delhi Police. Asked today for his reaction to the decision, Kumar told ESPNcricinfo: “It’s odd that on one side a member of the committee is advising counselling (for Johri) and on the other side, the person who deserves to be counselled is being asked to resume his duties.”Aditya Verma, the Cricket Association of Bihar chief who also testified before the committee, said he would raise before the Supreme Court “the conduct of Rahul Johri and Vinod Rai when it comes to women employees”. The Supreme Court will next week resume hearing the case of the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations to the BCCI; Verma is a party to the case.

The fast bowler is flying home to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin the team in India after her funeral

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2018Kemar Roach will return to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin West Indies’ squad in India after her funeral. This means the fast bowler is likely to miss West Indies’ two-day tour match against the Board President’s XI in Vadodara. The match begins on September 29, and is West Indies’ only warm-up match before their two-Test series against India, which begins in Rajkot on October 4.Roach, as a result, could go into the first Test without any recent long-format match practice; his last red-ball match was the first Test against Bangladesh in Antigua in the first week of July. He took five wickets in the first innings of that Test match, but also picked up a hamstring injury and was rested for the second Test in Jamaica.Since then, Roach’s only top-level cricket has been a pair of T20 games for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League in August.The 30-year-old Roach is the most experienced of the five fast bowlers in West Indies’ squad, having played 48 Tests since his debut in 2009. Shannon Gabriel (37 Tests) and Jason Holder (34) are the two other senior quicks, with Keemo Paul having played just the one Test so far and Sherman Lewis – who replaced the injured Alzarri Joseph – yet to make his debut.

Sri Lanka two wickets down after being made to follow-on, but Mendis and Mathews steady

Madushka Balasuriya19-Mar-2023New Zealand’s bowlers propelled their side to the brink of a 2-0 series whitewash over Sri Lanka, picking up ten wickets on the third day, forcing a follow-on and leaving the visitors still 303 runs behind with eight wickets and two days of cricket still to go.At the crease for the visitors were Kusal Mendis, unbeaten on 50, and Angelo Mathews on 1 – the pair that had so memorably saved a Test at the same ground back in 2018. Back then they had batted out the entirety of the fourth day before rain intervened on the fifth to help secure the draw, and Sri Lanka will certainly be hoping history repeats itself – with rain forecast over the coming days.But even the help of the weather gods might not be enough if Sri Lanka repeat their poor batting display from the third day.While credit must go to New Zealand’s bowlers for sticking to their plans diligently and maximising the conditions on offer, Sri Lanka’s batters were undoubtedly guilty of far too often failing to put a price on their wickets.While the nightwatcher Prabath Jayasuriya received a delivery he was far too ill-equipped to deal with, one that pitched on a length and seamed away taking his edge in the process, Mathews could have no such excuse, edging a similar – but wider – delivery when fending outside off. This left Sri Lanka four down for 34 with barely an hour played in the morning.But that setback would be followed by a solid period of consolidation between Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, with the Sri Lakna captain, in particular, looking in good touch. He was patient with deliveries outside off, but not averse to punishing any that were overpitched. Together the pair would put on 80 for the fifth wicket, and the hope heading into lunch was that they could continue to make steady progress having already got in.What followed though was Sri Lanka’s most inexcusable period of the entire series, losing their final six wickets for just 55 runs in the period between lunch and tea.Michael Bracewell picked three wickets in the first innings•Getty Images

It was Chandimal that would trigger the capitulation. Having swept Michael Bracewell, who was finding some extra turn and bounce for his offbreaks, for four, Chandimal would charge him just a delivery later only to have the ball turn through bat and pad and offer Tom Blundell a straightforward stumping. A brain fade at the most ill-advised moment.This was followed by Dhananjaya de Silva coming down the track and chipping an easy catch straight to short midwicket – put in place for precisely such a stroke – shortly after.At 116 for 6, this would see Nishan Madushka, the debutant, enter. He would string together a 40-run stand with Karunaratne at the other end, who was continuing unfazed despite the chaos around him. In this period, Madushka even produced some stellar stroke play, especially when driving through the offside. But eventually he too would fall, courtesy of the extra bounce the pitch was more consistently producing, edging through to second slip.After Kasun Rajitha was run out, Karunaratne’s patience would finally wear thin, uncharacteristically looking to beat the man in the deep, and holing out at long-off for a 188-ball 89. Last man Asitha Fernando would not last much longer either, as Sri Lanka were bowled out 164, with Matt Henry and Bracewell taking three wickets apiece.With a 416-run lead, Tim Southee then had little hesitation in enforcing the follow-on, and back out came Karunaratne for his second essay a little over 10 minutes after he had been dismissed.Sri Lanka’s second effort with the bat definitely fared better, but two wickets lost against the run of play may still come to haunt them.Oshada Fernando, who’s had a tour to forget, ended up flicking one off his hips straight to square leg, but the wicket that will hurt the most is that of Karunaratne’s.Having struck at a rate of 47.34 in the first innings, Karunaratne’s second outing ticked along at 61.44, showing a more proactive streak and an inclination to take on the New Zealand bowlers. Alongside a similarly positive Mendis, the pair frequently took on a splattering of short stuff served up by the seamers on an increasingly bouncy track.It would be the relative comfort with which they handle pulling and cutting however that will likely grate Karunaratne as he looks back on his dismissal this evening, as it was an umpteenth short ball that he wound up top edging to deep midwicket. It having come after reaching his second fifty of the day would only have been salt in the wounds.Mercifully for Sri Lanka, they would lose no further wickets, with Mathews especially happy to shut up shop during his 40-ball knock for just a solitary run, but the visitors will know they’ll need to do much better if they’re to survive the next two sessions, let alone the next two days.

They’ve already taken down West Indies and England; can they pull off another giant-killing act?

Himanshu Agrawal03-Nov-20223:00

Uthappa: No better opportunity for Williamson to get a big score

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With seven wickets in hand and 27 balls remaining against England, New Zealand were 54 runs away from sealing a semi-final spot. But New Zealand lost, and that complicates things before their final Group 1 game against an unpredictable Ireland. One more defeat, and a window opens up for both England and Australia to sneak past them into the final four.Related

• Stability or strike rate? Williamson finds himself in the middle of this dilemma

All of New Zealand’s success at this World Cup has come batting first and defending totals. Against Australia, they smacked 66 in the last six overs and then folded the hosts up for 111. Against Sri Lanka, they hammered 65 in the final five before reducing their opposition to 8 for 4.The first time they had to go against that template, against England, their bowlers struggled early and their batters appeared to succumb to the pressure of the required rate.Finn Allen and Devon Conway made a bright start to the tournament against Australia, but they haven’t scored too many runs since then•ICC via Getty Images

New Zealand will want to rectify errors from the England game before a bigger platform, and a tougher opponent, comes calling. But pushing Ireland aside will be no mean task. They’ve already upset England in a rain-shortened game, not long after thumping West Indies by nine wickets and hunting down 177 against Scotland from a position of 61 for 4.Barring Lorcan Tucker’s attacking, unbeaten 71 against Australia, however, Ireland’s batters have struggled in the Super 12s. Against New Zealand, they will be tested once more. However, there’s nothing quite like pulling off another landmark win, even if their chances of making the semis are negligible.

Form guide

Ireland LWLWW (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLWJosh Little has been Ireland’s only real wicket threat at this World Cup•Getty Images

In the spotlight

New Zealand’s top three have all struggled in recent games. Devon Conway has 96 runs all tournament with 92 of them coming in one innings, Finn Allen has fallen off after blasting a 16-ball 42 against Australia, and the No. 3 Kane Williamson has scored his runs at less than a run a ball. They’ve been helped by Glenn Phillips stepping up with 178 runs in four innings, but the top three will not want to rely on the batters who follow them in this potential banana-peel fixture.Wickets have been hard to come by for Ireland’s fast bowlers, barring Josh Little. Barry McCarthy and Curtis Campher have averaged in the high 30s, while Mark Adair has gone wicketless in his last four games, getting carted for 59 in his four overs in the most recent of them, against Australia. They now have one last chance to make an impact on this tournament.

Team news

Ireland have three unused players in the squad: uncapped opener Stephen Doheny and fast bowlers Graham Hume and Conor Olphert. While Doheny might not find a place at the top, Ireland wouldn’t mind giving a chance to one of the seamers given the current group’s indifferent returns.Ireland (probable): 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Gareth Delany, 8 Mark Adair/Graham Hume, 9 Fionn Hand, 10 Barry McCarthy/Conor Olphert, 11 Josh Little.New Zealand have used only 12 players in this World Cup, with a fit-again Daryl Mitchell taking the place of Mark Chapman after the first game. Fresh injuries aside, they are likely to field the same XI.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Lockie Ferguson.

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be pleasant, with no rain forecast in Adelaide on Friday. Given the long straight boundaries and short square boundaries at the venue, expect the bowlers to stay away from the shorter lengths.

Stats and trivia

• The only time these two teams have met at the T20 World Cup was way back in 2009, with New Zealand posting a comfortable 83-run win. Stirling is the only player from either of the current sides to play that game.
• Williamson needs another 46 runs to become his country’s highest run-getter across T20 World Cups.

All bases will be covered in the squad but Travis Head could have an increasing part to play with the ball

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2023Using three frontline quicks remains an option for Australia on their tour of India with Pat Cummins keeping an opening mind about the balance of the side that they will need.The last time they won in India, on the 2004 tour, their bowling attack was based around the three-pronged pace of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz alongside the spin of Shane Warne and then some part-time overs.Australia have the resources to go with a similar shape of team this time although the emergence of Cameron Green has given them greater flexibility. However, Green is expected to miss the first Test in Nagpur due to his broken finger so the selectors will need to decide whether to stick with the two-quick, two-spinner method employed against South Africa or back what is traditionally Australia’s strength in pace bowlers.Nagpur has not hosted a Test since 2017 and Australia’s previous game there was the VCA Stadium’s maiden fixture in 2008 when Jason Krejza took 12 wickets in the match on debutRelated

• Starc ruled out of first India Test, Australia select four spinners in 18-member squad

• Cameron Green 'touch and go' for Nagpur Test

• Australia's summer: Cummins has everything he needs, but ageing side has tougher tests ahead

• Australia don't make big spin gains at SCG ahead of India tour

Mitchell Starc is also unlikely to be fit for the first Test – and things may yet be tight for the second in Delhi – due to his broken finger suffered at the MCG, but Josh Hazlewood’s impressive return from injury in Sydney, where he was threatening with reverse swing, means he could get more opportunity than presented itself on last year’s trips to Pakistan and Sri Lanka where he only played once.Scott Boland was left out of the final Test against South Africa and has yet to play a game overseas, but it could be an option to field him, Cummins and Hazlewood together unless the pitch is so persuasive of including another spinner.”Potentially,” Cummins said when asked about playing the extra quick. “[When] Cam Green bats at six you’ve kind of got three quick bowlers which is a bit of luxury as it is. [Josh] showed his class out there. No qualms picking him, you know what you are going to get and it’s quality. Each game in India we might need to chop it up slightly differently, maybe one game it’s three quicks and another it’s one quick. We’ll get over there and see.”Australia’s second spinner at the SCG was Ashton Agar who went wicketless through 22 overs in his first home Test, nearly 10 years after making his debut. Agar is assured of his place on the India tour, and Australia are keen on having a left-arm spinner in their attack, but Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy are also in the mix for the tour.Travis Head could get plenty of work with the ball•Getty Images

However, there is an option where Australia rely on a combination of their part-time spinners to supplement Nathan Lyon, with Travis Head’s development of his offspin making him a viable option. Head has taken seven wickets at 13.99 in his last seven Tests having not struck before then.”It’s a real option,” Cummins said. “Think the squad will have all possibilities there. Really comfortable [with the part-time spinners] especially Trav, he’s a slightly different offspin bowler to Nathan, a bit flatter, which could be really helpful over there. Probably underbowled him in this game so he’ll be a big part over there.”Away from the bowling, the batting options for the tour are likely to include Peter Handscomb, who was drafted into the SCG squad when Marcus Harris was released to play BBL. He is the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer this season with 571 runs at 81.57 and coach Andrew McDonald said he was unlucky not to originally be selected for Sydney when Matt Renshaw was preferred.”He’s a huge chance over in India, he’s played really well in Bangladesh, India he’s been there before,” Cummins said. “He’s earned the right by scoring a lot of runs in Shield cricket. I’m sure come selection time he’ll be there or thereabouts. Always nice having a right-hander as well, we’ve got plenty of left-handers.”The squad is expected to be named later this week and will depart at the end of the month. There are plans for a short training camp in Sydney with the tour itself not including a warm-up match before the opening Test in Nagpur from February 9.

With signs of a Durham revival, Paul Collingwood is again reluctant to call time on a first-class career that began deep in the last century

Jon Culley23-Aug-2018At 42 years old, Paul Collingwood knows that, sooner or later, he will have to face the inevitable and decide that a playing career in cricket that began in the last century really is over.With the end of his 24th season looming into view, that decision might not be far away. He was going to call it a day this time last year but changed his mind – for a second time. Don’t be surprised if he puts it off again.The knowledge that not being on the field will leave an aching void is still there. But this time there is more to the dilemma than whether he can live without playing the game.Durham are through to the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, in which they face Sussex at Chester-le-Street on Friday evening. After a thumping win over Glamorgan in Cardiff, they have a chance – an outside one, but a chance nonetheless – of returning to Division One in the Championship.

Stokes boost for Durham

Ben Stokes has been added to Durham’s squad to face Sussex on Friday, 24 hours after being made unavailable by England. Stokes was initially withdrawn because of a minor knee injury sustained in the third Test against India, but will now be able to play as a batsman only in the quarter-final after being re-assessed by England’s medical team.

After the bleakest period in the club’s history as a first-class county, when the need for a financial bale-out from the ECB nearly two years ago came with relegation and point deductions attached as a “deterrent” to others, there are glimmers of hope.”It feels exciting again, it’s not all doom and gloom any more and it hasn’t felt like that for quite a while,” he said. “There have been times since the sanctions were put on us that I’ve talked with Jon Lewis [Durham’s head coach] and it felt like after all the hard work that had been done we were back to square one, that we had taken the biggest hit we possibly could have.”People looked at the relegation and the points deduction and talked about it as a two-year penalty but when you factor in the players who left, top players like [Mark] Stoneman, [Scott] Borthwick and [Keaton] Jennings, it is more like five or six years because you’ve then got to bring new players through.”But we’ve got a new chief exec now in Tim Bostock who is trying to do things differently and I’ve never known a chairman with more passion than Beefy [Ian Botham].”Financial pressures also seem to have lifted slightly. Axar Patel, an Indian spin-bowling allrounder, has signed for the last six Championship games and Alex Lees, released by Yorkshire after a long run of failure, will seek faith and form in the north-east.”The great thing is we are able to recruit again,” Collingwood said. “To be able to afford to bring in players like Patel and Lees for the rest of the season in the Championship is huge for the club.”We think we’ve got a chance to do something special in Championship. There is light at the end of the tunnel now and, you know, I feel like I want to be part of it.”The improvement in Durham’s T20 form has been startling. After just three wins in 14 last season, which would have put them bottom of the North Division irrespective of the four-points deduction imposed as part of the ECB package of penalties, nine victories this season put them second to Worcestershire only on net run rate.Tom Latham, a New Zealand batsman without huge pedigree as a Twenty20 cricketer, had a strong season as captain and opening batsman and Imran Tahir contributed to several victories.”But generally we are a team without many big names,” Collingwood said. “We went on a little road trip early on in the competition where we won back-to-back games at Edgbaston and Nottingham, games which feel like beating Man U at Old Trafford in football parlance. That gave us a lot of confidence.”We have been almost workmanlike, really. We’ve developed a kind of strategy, especially at the Riverside where the playing area is so wide and big scores are harder to get, of essentially trying to outrun the opposition.”That can be quite hard for a 42-year-old but it has worked for us and hopefully it does again on Friday night.”As for the make-your-mind-up time that he knows he cannot put off for much longer, he remains open-minded.”To be fair to the club, a decision will have to be made pretty soon if there is one to be made but as yet I really don’t know,” he said. “I’ve had a bit of an Achilles problem this year but it did not stop me playing four T20s in six days the other week. I’m still enjoying playing and I still feel I have something to offer.Coaching opportunities are already offering him other alternatives.”I’ve loved every minute of my coaching work with England and we will have to see what opportunities arise but I’ve no God-given right to walk into a job with the ECB.”Honestly, we’ll just have to wait and see. I have not made a decision as yet and there has been no pressure for me to do so. Until I have to make a final decision I’m just putting every effort into winning games for Durham, starting on Friday night.”

Rain once again on the radar as South Africa and Zimbabwe brace for their Super 12s opener

Firdose Moonda23-Oct-2022

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It doesn’t have quite the same hype as the Trans-Tasman or subcontinent derbies, but the meeting of two southern African neighbours has all the makings of a classic match-up.There’s an obvious favourite: South Africa, who have never lost a T20I to Zimbabwe and only been defeated by them in two ODIs. One of those was at the 1999 ODI World Cup, where the result had a direct bearing on South Africa’s opponents in the semi-final, and we all know what happened there. So, Zimbabwe have some claim to being noisy neighbours, determined to cause an upset, even if their last decade has been quiet.Related

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• Temba Bavuma battling a sea of uncontrollables

• Boucher unveiled as new Mumbai Indians head coach

They haven’t appeared at an ICC event in six years and have not made it to what we can call “the main section” of a T20 World Cup since 2012, before a first round was introduced. In that time, they’ve gone through administrative crises that only South Africa can rival. Zimbabwe Cricket was temporarily suspended from the ICC and so could not compete in qualification for the 2021 T20 World Cup.Cricket South Africa have previously been banned by their sports minister from bidding for or hosting major events as punishment for the slow pace of transformation and had a board directive to collectively take a knee imposed on them at last year’s tournament.The T20 World Cup presents an opportunity for both teams to demonstrate a turning of the page, so to speak. For South Africa, it’s their last event under coach Mark Boucher, who will leave to take charge of Mumbai Indians, and therefore a culmination of his work with the squad. Anything less than advancement to the knockouts will not be received well at home.For Zimbabwe, it’s their first major tournament under coach Dave Houghton, who has brought back the element of fun and given the players freedom to play without fearing the consequences of making mistakes. He has tasked them with “doing some damage,” in the Super 12s, while being realistic of their chances of progression to the knockouts. For both teams the journey starts here where South Africa have everything to lose but Zimbabwe, everything to gain.Will Wayne Parnell keep his place in the side?•BCCI

Form guide

(Last five completed matches; most recent first)
South Africa WLLWW
Zimbabwe WLWWL

In the spotlight

There’s no one under more scrutiny in the South Africa XI than their captain Temba Bavuma , who has scored just 11 runs in four international innings since returning from an elbow injury that sidelined him for three months. Bavuma is also coming off an illness that kept him out of South Africa’s last two ODIs in India and the warm-up match against New Zealand, and he has only just returned a clean bill of health. He doesn’t have much time to find his feet with the spotlight firmly on his strike rate and Reeza Hendricks’ recent form breathing down his neck. Bavuma has had a difficult 2022, with only 64 runs in seven T20I innings and will know that has to change if South Africa’s campaign are to have a successful campaign.Sikandar Raza has carried Zimbabwe over the last few months•ICC/Getty Images

Sikandar Raza has emerged as a superstar and now he has an opportunity to do it against some of the best teams in the world. This year, Raza has scored 652 T20I runs at an average of 40.75, including five fifties, and taken 20 wickets at 17.35. He has single-handedly carried Zimbabwe over the line in tough situations and could use the tournament as a shop window for a T20 franchise deal. His coach, Houghton said he hopes, “a lot of people around the world in franchise tournaments are looking because he’s a fantastic T20 cricketer.” IPL, SA20, ILT20 – are you watching?

Team news

Bavuma promised “no surprises” in South Africa’s team, especially in their batting line-up, which means it’s likely they will go in without Hendricks, despite his hot streak earlier in the year, and a top three of Quinton de Kock, Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw. They will have to make a decision over which of Heinrich Klaasen or Tristan Stubbs will be preferred in the middle-order and whether Wayne Parnell will continue to hold the allrounder’s berth or if Marco Jansen gets in ahead of him. The first-choice seamers should all be deployed, with room for only one spinner.South Africa: : (possible) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rilee Rossouw 4 Aiden Markram, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen/Tristan Stubbs 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Anrich Nortje 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Kagiso Rabada.Regis Chakabva’s form (scores of 0, 13 and 4 from the opening round) could be a concern for Zimbabwe, but his experience is likely to see him keep his place in the Super 12s opener. Zimbabwe have not found room for left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza yet and, with Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams and Ryan Burl at their disposal, he may continue to sit out. Tendai Chatara, Richard Ngarava, Luke Jongwe and Blessing Muzarabani give them a four-pronged pace pack.Zimbabwe: (possible) 1 Regis Chakabva (wk), 2 Craig Ervine (capt), 3 Wessly Madhevere, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Milton Shumba, 7 Ryan Burl, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Tendai Chatara, 10 Richard Ngarava, 11 Blessing Muzarabani.

Pitch and conditions

From the first round of matches, teams could tell that it was difficult to score off the new ball at the Bellerive Oval and bowlers benefitted from employing hard lengths upfront. There’s something for the seamers and spinners, and scores of around 160 are fairly competitive at this venue. But that’s only if a full 20 overs are possible. It’s cold and rainy in Hobart for most of this week, which does not bode well for the late match on Monday. The rain forecast of 20% through most of the day increases to 70% by 5pm and 80% by 8pm and the chances of a reduced match are in the offing.

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe have never beaten South Africa in a T20I. They have played five matches against them, and lost them all, most recently in 2018. These two teams have also never met at a T20 World Cup.
• Luke Jongwe is two away from fifty T20I wickets.

Quotes

“As a South African, I’m obviously happy that a fellow African country has made it through from the qualifiers. They’ve had a few good performances. We are excited and looking forward to the clash against them. They are definitely not a side to be taken lightly.”
“The mood in the camp is very upbeat. Everybody’s very excited for what lies ahead for us. But we know that it is a quick turnaround, and we’ve got South Africa here in Hobart tomorrow, which is going to be a tough start to the Super 12s for us, but everyone is really looking forward to it. I think just looking forward to these new challenges up ahead.”

John Simpson, Joe Cracknell set up victory with 91-run stand in low-scoring affair

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2022Middlesex 143 for 3 (Simpson 46, Cracknell 43*) beat Kent 141 for 9 (Green 2-18) by seven wicketsJoe Cracknell and John Simpson put together a shrewd partnership of 91 as Middlesex snapped their six-match Vitality Blast losing streak, defeating South Group stragglers Kent Spitfires by seven wickets.Cracknell, with an unbeaten 43 from 37 balls, and Simpson (46 from 35) shared the only sizeable stand of a low-scoring game to set up Middlesex’s triumph with 15 deliveries to spare.Defending champions Kent, who languish at the foot of the table, limped to 141 for 9 after opting to bat, stifled during the middle overs by Middlesex’s spin trio of Chris Green, Thilan Walallawita and Luke Hollman.Although the Spitfires gained a glimmer of hope with two wickets in quick succession, the third-wicket pair batted sensibly to extinguish that and keep Middlesex’s faint hopes of qualification alive.Joe Denly, whose century had underpinned the Spitfires’ first success of the tournament when the sides met at Canterbury, lasted only 10 deliveries before he was caught behind swishing at Tom Helm.Opening partner Zak Crawley – returning to the side in between his England Test duties – soon followed, attempting to hook Martin Andersson and Simpson judged the skier perfectly.Questionable shot selection, combined with tidy bowling by the Middlesex spinners, meant wickets continued to fall regularly, although for a while it seemed Sam Billings might steer Kent out of trouble.The skipper survived a series of close calls – including two catches that fell fractionally short of the fielder and Andersson’s shy at the stumps as he changed his mind over an audacious single – to make 29.However, Billings perished reverse-sweeping Hollman into the hands of point and it wasn’t until the 17th over that Kent registered the only six of their innings as Jack Leaning clipped Jason Behrendorff into the Mound Stand.Despite Leaning’s effort of 20 from 14, the visitors’ total looked unlikely to be enough and Middlesex made a steady start in reply, with Stephen Eskinazi and Max Holden putting on 42 from 28.Eskinazi had just swung Fred Klaassen for his second six when he attempted to repeat the shot and top-edged to deep midwicket, but the captain’s departure appeared to reduce the flow of runs to a trickle.Spin duo George Linde and Qais Ahmad rattled through six consecutive post-powerplay overs, all of them without conceding a boundary as Cracknell and Simpson concentrated on avoiding risks and collecting singles.Once the seamers returned, Cracknell cast off the shackles, pulling Klaassen over the fence and then cutting him square for four more as Middlesex began to accelerate towards the target.Simpson swatted Klaassen for six to bring his side within four but, although the seamer took his revenge by trapping him leg before, Jack Davies squirted his first ball to the rope, sealing a rare victory.