Can Hales take the T20 route to Ashes glory?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Alex Hales continues to excel in limited-overs cricket, so much so that it invites the thought whether an Ashes call-up this winter can be entirely ruled out

Will Macpherson31-Jul-2017We know all about Alex Hales.He has England’s only T20I century, and three of their five highest scores in the format, as well as the biggest ODI century (he has four others, too). Only this month he blasted the biggest and most outrageous ton ever seen in a domestic final on these shores.When he gets in, he stays in, all imperious long levers and personable smiles. He’s been at it again, with his first Twenty20 hundred for Nottinghamshire. His blistering 47-ball 101 (on the same day as Clarke and Collingwood’s tons) helped Notts chase Yorkshire’s 223 with five balls to spare. Outrageous.An interesting road lies ahead for Hales: is the thought of him making the Ashes tour so ridiculous? We know things did not work out as a Test opener; he was in his shell and uncomfortable on fourth stump.He does not want to do that anymore, even at Championship level where, when opportunity (rare, admittedly) allows, he now bats in the middle order. That is where his Test ambitions lie, and only a fool would suggest England’s side looks settled. He could yet be a good fit at No 5, and he would suit the hard decks of Australia. He loves life as the centre of attention.It’s just a thought, and may be fancifully reading too much into his continued white-ball excellence, but it would certainly be fun.If it does never work out at Test level, fine: he’s well on his way to becoming England’s greatest white-ball opener and is looking likely to be part of the first generation – see also Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan and, who knows, even Adil Rashid? – to become English cricketing legends without ever making waves at Test level.

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Skipper Allenby plans winning goodbyeJim Allenby was quick to praise a “world-class attitude” from “my team” as Somerset saw off Sussex in the rain at Taunton. But it will not be “my team” much longer as Allenby has been told he will be part of a clear-out at the end of the season.Somerset’s players have been informed that the club’s focus is Championship cricket. This, in some ways, is admirable, in an increasingly white-ball world and considering the pickle they find themselves in in the Championship.But it is also unquestionably curious, given the appetite for T20 in Taunton (Somerset have sold out their last 17 T20s) and their last shot at silverware this summer comes in the Blast.On the morning of their game against Hampshire on Wednesday, the club informed four members of the squad for that game (the captain Jim Allenby, Max Waller, Michael Leask and Johan Myburgh) that they would not be offered deals for next season and, if they chose to, they could leave with immediate effect.All four have stayed, but that day it was announced that Adam Hose, a fine talent who had come through Somerset’s system and was enjoying a breakout season, would leave for Warwickshire. He began life there with 76 in a win over Lancashire on Sunday. Somerset’s loss, you sense.Nevertheless, in the Blast, Somerset find themselves second in the South Group with five games to play. They are a flexible side with a fluid batting order – Corey Anderson, when fit, seems ready to float, while Lewis Gregory’s promotion to pinch-hitter looks inspired – and there seems no reason they can’t make Finals Day. Which wouldn’t be bad, for a format that isn’t a priority.

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Paul Collingwood is having a canny old season•Getty ImagesThe old dog and the new tricksAfter six defeats, Durham got off the mark with a win in a seven-over thrash against Leicestershire, but remain in negative points – the draconian nature of their punishment from the ECB has been inescapable all summer.With Keaton Jennings away with England, for now, they went down their tried and tested route and handed the white-ball captaincy to their most sought-after talent, Paul Coughlin (before him: Mark Stoneman and Jennings).For a player with no obvious captaincy credentials, he is handling it pretty well: he is underbowling himself, but bats well and is one of the best outfielders in the competition, as evidenced by his brilliant diving catch to get rid of Adil Rashid last week. He can leave at the end of the season for Division One cricket, but does not seem that likely to, at this stage.Durham’s perma-leader, Paul Collingwood, is providing very able support for Coughlin, and tops the side’s runs, wickets and overs bowled charts.He’s having a brilliant season in the Championship, too, but his Blast season has been the tale of a canny old operator adapting to the situation. Until David Willey smote him over the ropes twice in succession in his 3 for 32 against Yorkshire, no bowler had delivered more balls without being hit for six in the competition.Then, at Worcester, at the grand old age of 41, he scored Durham’s first ever T20 century, and the first of his 132-game career, too. His unbeaten 104 came from 60 balls with 10 fours and four sixes, but it mattered little: thanks to Joe Clarke’s 53-ball 124, the Rapids hauled in Durham’s 201 with a whopping 11 balls to spare. The future of England’s middle order trumping its past, perhaps?There is one record that Collingwood might hold for a while, though. At 41 years, 65 days, he became the oldest professional cricketer to hit a Twenty20 hundred. Not the sort of thing he felt like celebrating, but proof of his longevity all the same.

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Rain strain Rain is a grim reality of cricket in England. We all know this, and, whether the competition is played in a block or spread across the season, there will be washouts, probably by the bucketload. In which case, a bit of patience, humour and willing is required, from players and fans.In this light it was disappointing to see Ross Taylor become the second Kiwi captain, after Brendon McCullum, to refuse to talk to the media, this time through fury at the umpires for keeping his Sussex side on the field in their DLS defeat to Somerset.County cricket still exists as the largest professional cricket league in the world partly because of a sense that everybody involved shares an investment in the game’s survival. It would be sad if overseas professionals, rushing from one T20 tournament to another, unthinkingly contributed to a change in its nature.The weather is testing the Seasiders’ resolve. They sit bottom of the South Group with three times as many washouts as wins, and they also tied a rain-affected game against Kent. They can moan all they like, but Glamorgan top the South Group and have lost more games to rain than any other side (four).

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Lord’s leap – or do they? Middlesex, with their guns-for-hire Kiwi coach and captain, the England skipper, and an array of fringe internationals be very good at T20 cricket.Are they finally stirring? Their win over Essex at Lord’s was the consummate T20 performance. Inspired by that man McCullum (whose only other innings of note, 88 against Kent, also set up a win), they romped to 203; Tom Helm, a Test cricketer in waiting, then took 5 for 11, the best figures for the county.Pleasingly for Dan Vettori, the kids are doing alright, too. We know by now about Ryan Higgins, and in the washout at Hove, he was joined by 21-year-old George Scott to stick on an outstanding 53 in five overs. With eight points from nine games, and McCullum now checking out to head to the CPL, they have plenty left to do.

'Today the dream has come true'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Congratulations poured in as Test cricket welcomed two new members, Afghanistan and Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2017The enormity of the news overwhelmed players and coaches from both nations. Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi was overcome with emotion.

As was former Ireland offspinner Kyle McCallan.

Former West Indies allrounder Phil Simmons, who coached Ireland for eight years to make them a leading Associate nation, was also overjoyed.

Ireland batsman Gary Wilson highlighted the many people whose hard work was necessary for Test status.

Kevin O’Brien, one of the longest serving members on the Ireland side, followed suit, remembering those from generations past who had contributed towards this feat.

Afghanistan fast bowler Mirwais Ashraf joined team-mate Nabi in congratulating his countrymen on a momentous day in their cricketing history.

Former Ireland cricketer Michael Halliday, who represented Ireland in the years before their matches had international status, was among the old-timers around to celebrate the occasion.

Chris Carter would barely have been ten years old when Ireland beat Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, but he was among those who appreciated the enormity of the two sides’ achievements.

The reaction to the news was overwhelmingly positive the world over.

Ireland’s newly elected prime minister also had a message to share.

As did Afghanistan’s chief executive.

'I want to be the best left-arm spinner in the world'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Twelve months ago, Alex Hartley endured a debut to forget. But she’s kept the faith, and turned her fortunes around, to become an integral figure in England women’s World Cup bid

Raf Nicholson21-Jun-2017Alex Hartley is refreshingly honest about her England debut against Pakistan last June: “I bowled really badly.””Most people go into their debut thinking ‘This is going to be the best day of my life’ – and it was the best day of my life. But I was so nervous and my routines all went out of the window.” She finished the game wicketless and waywardly expensive to boot: “I thought my career was over before it had even started.”Coach Mark Robinson kept the faith and she eventually made the squad for England’s tour of the Caribbean – but three months after her disastrous debut it all went wrong again, in one of the tour warm-up games.”I had an even worse game than my debut. My first ball I got a wicket, but the ball bounced twice. My next ball was then four wides and then it was a no ball.””I had a complete meltdown, out there on the pitch.”No doubt many cricketers experience something similar at some point in their careers. The incredible thing in this instance is that, four weeks after her “meltdown”, Hartley was celebrating becoming England’s leading wicket-taker in a bilateral series, having taken 13 wickets at an economy rate of 3.4. England won the ODI series 3-2.Now, just a few months down the line, she will be taking part in her first Women’s World Cup, tasked with winning England’s first world trophy since 2009 at home. Her left-arm spin is likely to play a key role against the world’s top sides.It says something about the type of person Hartley is that the turnaround happened so quickly. “I’ve always been a bit of a fighter,” she admits. She has had to be. Kicked out of the England Academy aged 15, told that her batting and fielding would never be good enough for international cricket, she has spent the last eight years clawing her way back into contention.Along the way she has spent many hours driving to and fro along the M6 between her home in Clitheroe and North London, having joined Middlesex back in 2013 to ensure she could keep playing in Division 1 of the Women’s County Championship. It has been a hard slog but the support she has received at Middlesex has made it all worth it: “I owe them my career,” she admits.Alex Hartley was England’s leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean•WICB Media/Athelstan BellamyBeing accustomed to setbacks stood her in good stead out there in the West Indies. She can see, now, exactly what the problem was: “I just put too much pressure on myself. I want to be so good and want to do so well. Robbo [coach Mark Robinson] just said ‘calm down. It’s not going to define you as a person’. And at that moment it clicked. And I was like, you know what? Yeah. I’ve got nothing to lose. I’ll go into the series and show what I can do.”She went off by herself for the day, bowled at a friend, generally dialled things down and took the pressure off. In the first match she took 3 for 27 and the rest, as they say, is history.She seems now to be in a pretty good head space, but admits that it has been an “intense six months”. Coping with the pressures of professionalism has been a new challenge – both physically and psychologically. In December she was awarded a two-year central England contract, and in April she took part in a training camp in Abu Dhabi with the rest of the squad. “I remember my first week as a professional cricketer,” she laughs. “I thought: ‘is this what I want to do?’ I couldn’t even get out of bed! It’s tough, but it gets easier.”Psychologically she has protected herself since that first international outing by refusing to read about her performances. “I remember reading one comment about myself after my first game. Something like, ‘this is why Alex Hartley has never played for England before’. And I thought that’s it, I’m coming off Twitter.””You just don’t need to see stuff like that. Even positive stuff – your highs can get too high as well. I remember in the West Indies I really stayed off Twitter because I didn’t want to get too big-headed or be like ‘I’ve done really well here!'”Big-headed is one thing she certainly isn’t. Hartley knows she has got where she is through hard work and now is not the time to slack off. She has been working intensively on her batting and fielding (as well, of course, as her bowling) in the build-up to the World Cup and, as coach Robinson attests, is generally the last one to knock off at the end of a day’s training. “I’ve made a big stride from this time last year to where I’m at now,” she says. Her ambition for the future is clear: “I want to be the best left-arm spinner in the world.”In the short-term, she is looking forward to her first World Cup, confident that the squad have prepared well in the UAE and that captain Heather Knight – who sustained a metatarsal stress fracture in her left foot – will be fully fit come their first match against India on Saturday. On her own role she is equally confident: “I’ve bowled well for a few years now, so knowing that I can bowl well on English wickets and knowing that I can take wickets on English wickets is a real confidence booster.”One thing seems clear – last year’s “meltdown” is behind her. When I remind her towards the end of our interview about her status as England’s leading wicket-taker in a bilateral series (“I knew I’d broken a record but I couldn’t tell you what I did!”) her reaction is telling:”That is good. I’ll break it again though!” she grins.It’s hard not to believe her.

Cheerleader de Villiers stays chirpy in South Africa's adversity

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

AB de Villiers has been the ghost at South Africa’s feast during their tour of England, but his chirpy presence on social media has hinted at a conflicted mindset

Firdose Moonda at Old Trafford06-Aug-20172:39

Talented South Africa haven’t performed

Twenty-eight tweets. More than the batting average of half the South Africa top six on this tour.Almost 4,000 characters. Greater than the total number of career runs of three of the current top four.As much as South Africa should not be bogged down by looking at what they don’t have, AB de Villiers’ social media presence has served as a constant reminder of what could have been.Currently on a sabbatical from the longest format, and one that seems certain to end in retirement when a new coach is announced before the home summer, de Villiers has spent this series as a cheerleader, spurring his mates on – a clown-doctor of sorts, trying to make them smile even though their problems need more than jokes to fix, and a confused elite sportsman, whose tone carries a hint of conflict between country and commercial obligations that compete for space on his timeline, and in his life.De Villiers’ first tweet came before 5am on the opening morning of the series. Perhaps that’s the time he would wake up when he used to play Test cricket, when the butterflies he described as active even as his career matured to the point where they should have been stilled, fluttered. Or perhaps he was up early tending to his young son, who has just turned two, and whose presence in his life helped prompt a rethink of his own priorities. Either way, de Villiers was excited and expectant.

Like many fans, he was engaged throughout the first hour. After Vernon Philander had dismissed the England openers, de Villiers praised the seamer for being “on a different level”, and was impressed with the bowlers “hunting together”. But before the day was up, Joe Root had scored a hundred and de Villiers conceded England had won it. “Credit to Joe Root & Eng for a good fightback! Still in it, we can roll them tomorrow with the new ball.” The next day England added 101 runs before lunch to post 458.De Villiers reserved comment until the end of the second day when he responded to a message from a well-known comedian, Joey Rasdien. “We’re gonna win this Test. The boys will fight all the way,” de Villiers said. South Africa were 214 for 5.A silent third day caused de Villiers to go into overdrive on the fourth. First he called the comeback from the South African bowlers, especially Morne Morkel and Keshav Maharaj, “special”. South Africa took 9 for 114 to set themselves a target of 330. De Villiers would have preferred “under 300”, but decided it was “not impossible” for South Africa to successfully chase it down. He wanted Heino Kuhn and Dean Elgar, who “both know how to score big”, to get in and, “they’ll get us in a position to pull it off”.Instead, the pair were out inside 10 overs, both for single figures, and South Africa were shot out for 119. De Villiers was gutted but somehow saw valiance in what most, including Faf du Plessis, assessed as a limp and error-filled performance:

Exactly 14 minutes later he had moved on, to reality television.Between the first and second Test de Villiers retweeted condolences Cricket SA sent out to Russell Domingo following the passing of his mother and then fulfilled a sponsor obligation to advertise a luxury wrist-watch. Then it was back to business.He acknowledged Hashim Amla’s achievement of 8,000 Test runs, which came up 15 minutes into the Trent Bridge Test. South Africa were already one-down. Ordinarily de Villiers may have been padded up to bat next. Instead, South Africa had a middle-order wobble and lost four for 56 in the evening session. “Too many wickets”, according to de Villiers. He backed Vernon Philander and Chris Morris to take the score over 300 and they did in a 74-run “match-changing partnership”, as de Villiers put it. “This is what this team is all about.”The second day underlined that resilience. South Africa bowled England out for 205 and were 75 for 1 by the close. “What a day for SA Cricket,” de Villiers purred.When the victory was wrapped up, he became nostalgic and then reminiscent. He described South Africa’s performance as “beautiful cricket”, and said there was “nothing better than a Test victory”. He would know. He sounded like he wanted to know again.A 10-day break followed in which de Villiers’ second child was born, the reason he would probably have missed some part of this series even if he had not opted out of it entirely. And then on the eve of the third Test, de Villiers posted a photo inviting sports-loving South Africans to light up some of Graeme Smith’s new product – braai-wood – and enjoy some grilled meat before the game. Another endorsement and this one close to cricket, though Smith is understood to have raised an eyebrow at de Villiers’ social media engagements and, as he said on commentary, “lack of clarity over his future”.For the time being, his only say is on the current series and before the second day of the third Third Test began, with England on 171 for 4, de Villiers was at it again. “Early wickets and we’re right in it” he said. South Africa’s first scalp came at drinks and England were batting until just before tea.By the time de Villiers tweeted again, South Africa were in a mess at 61 for 7. Their top-order had failed again; the No.4 spot still a problem. Dropping JP Duminy seemed a no-brainer but there were now questions over Quinton de Kock’s promotion. The No.4 spot used to belong to de Villiers but, instead, he could only offer support from the sidelines. “A tough day at the Oval,” he posted, “no doubt the guys will keep fighting.”South Africa were bowled out for 175 and then conceded 313 in England’s second innings. They were set an improbable 492 to win, or four sessions of blocking to save the game. De Villiers thought it was possible. “We can still do it if we don’t lose more than 4 today. Keep fighting boys, we’ve done this before! @tbavuma10 & @deanelgar there at the end.”His enthusiasm was well-founded, except that when the ‘we’ had done it before, the ‘we’ included him. In Adelaide in 2012, in Johannesburg in 2013, even in Colombo in 2014, de Villiers was there. This time, they’d need someone else and they didn’t have it.With the chance to win the series gone, South Africa had to prepare for a must-win match at Old Trafford. In that time, de Villiers spent some time at the University of Pretoria Academy and wore his expensive watch again before wishing Faf du Plessis and “the boys” well. As the final Test got underway, de Villiers had just completed a satisfactory trip to a dental spa. “Great team, great service,” he posted, without any intended irony.AB de Villiers is expected to announce his Test retirement this month, but he clearly misses the team vibe•Getty ImagesOld Trafford has so far been an action replay of The Oval but both the team and de Villiers have stayed positive. On the first day, he encouraged the bowlers to get a “good start” on the second morning and the batsmen to show some “grit” to put the team in a “great position”. Forty minutes after lunch on the third day, with England three down, he figured the right result was still in South Africa’s grasp. “Proteas fighting! Love it. Keep going lads. Hoping for a target under 300.”England’s lead swelled to 360 by the time rain stopped play. South Africa’s hopes of saving the series have shrunk and they will return home with questions about the quality of the players the domestic system is producing. They will also return home with uncertainty hanging over them.It is all but confirmed that Ottis Gibson will take over from Russell Domingo but what that means for de Villiers is not known. He has previously said the decision over the coaching position will influence his future and has made it plain he wanted Domingo to continue in the role.It seems as though de Villiers still cares about the South African team and it is obvious that they still need a player of his proven talents. But it is increasingly hard to see how he would manage to fit Test cricket into his life, given his other commitments. His absence in England has become glaring, though, everywhere besides social media.

Latham sweeps in to begin new role in style

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

New Zealand have brought a reshuffled batting order to India and at the first time of asking they produced a memorable chase to defy the Mumbai heat

Vishal Dikshit at Wankhede Stadium22-Oct-20174:49

Chris Harris: Latham’s game against spin took pressure off Taylor

Such have been New Zealand’s struggles to plug their batting-order holes in recent times that they have had to take some audacious decisions for this series against India. Given the skewed odds of beating India in India these days, New Zealand were left to find a new opening partner for Martin Guptill and even fill the gaping middle-order cracks.To deal with the first issue, they picked Colin Munro – Guptill’s fourth opening partner after Tom Latham, Dean Brownlie, and Luke Ronchi, since Brendon McCullum’s last ODI. In his ODI career of 24 matches until Sunday, Munro had never opened before. For the No. 5 spot left vacant by Neil Broom’s poor form in the Champions Trophy, New Zealand pushed Latham down from his opening position; a batsman who did not even get a game in the Champions Trophy.Latham is a solid batsman, without doubt, but he began the year with scores of 7, 0, 0, 2 and 0 before heading to Ireland for the tri-series also involving Bangladesh where he regained form but then lost his position. It meant, for the series against India, New Zealand had decided to add inexperience to the top order and some uncertainty in the middle. They were clearly hedging strongly on their Nos. 3 and 4 – Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor – although Latham’s warm-up form, where he made 59 and 108, at least meant he went into the series with confidence.”With that [new] line-up we know we can attack at the top and it does put the onus on the bowlers to perform and Munro did a great job,” Taylor said. “To bring Tom in here, he was one of our best batters last tour and with him with the extra keeping responsibility, it might be quite tough to come out in that situation and open the batting. But for positions five and six, we’ve been searching for a bit of consistency and Tom, not only in the new role as keeper but to bat at five, to score a very successful fifty, hundred and hundred, hopefully he can continue that and the balance of our side improves with Tom batting at five.”Latham, like Taylor explained, brought with him the familiarity of batting in Indian conditions as he had accumulated 438 runs last year in the Test and ODI series, including five half-centuries, and ended with a respectable average of 44. But those were all scored as opener. Now pushed down, could he cope with the prospect of playing a lot more spin in the middle overs?To overcome that, he did not do anything extravagant. Most of his runs off the spinners came from either back in the crease or off the front foot, and, most important, the sweep shot which he employed both with and against the spin. His highest scoring area was behind square on the leg side that fetched him 30 runs, 26 of them coming off the sweep. He swept and reverse swept off 20 balls in all and scored as many as 35 runs off them; that’s a remarkable strike rate of 175 against the wristspinners.”He employed the sweep shot over here last time in the Test matches and did it to good effect,” Taylor said. “Indian batsmen have very quick feet when they play spin and traditionally, us New Zealanders aren’t as nimble on our feet. With the sweep shot we’re able to put pressure on the bowler and adjust their lengths and I thought he did that outstandingly well. I told him to reverse sweep and he did it, and he kept doing it. So, I hope he keeps that up because he said he had never done it in a game, he practiced it a lot but it was nice for him to get some success out of that shot today.”Taylor’s numbers from the India tour last year were nothing he could take confidence from. In 11 innings across the three Tests and five ODIs, he managed only 208 runs, including three ducks, at an uninspiring average of 19. For this series, Taylor knew he had to resort to new tactics with the bat, such as not employing the pulls and slog-sweeps most of the time. In this match, he used the cut to good effect; the shot fetched him 18 runs as he collected 28 in all behind square on the off side.”I’ve had a conscious effort – I’ve come here many a times before whether it’s international cricket or IPL – that I’m not getting any younger and just wanted a bit of a push and just had a bit more intent I think,” Taylor said. “Through those middle stages in the past, you take up a few too many dot balls so I’ve taken a conscious effort of being a bit busier in the crease, work on a few shots and open up the off side. Tom and I got some runs in the warm-up game and it was nice to bring that form into Wankhede today.”While Latham struck a fifty and Taylor scored 34 in the first warm-up, they stitched a partnership of 166 for the fourth wicket in the second warm-up, going on to score centuries each at more than run a ball. That Munro opened in both matches, and Taylor and Latham batted at Nos 4 and 5 respectively meant they were already set in their roles coming into the first ODI.To prepare for this series, New Zealand also arrived a good 10 days before the opening ODI, spending all of those in Mumbai to acclimatise themselves with the heat and humidity. The real test came on Sunday when they had to field first for 50 overs in the heat of over 30 degrees and the humidity that crossed 70%. It took a toll on Colin de Grandhomme in the first half of the match, when he vomited on the field in the middle of his fourth over. Once it was New Zealand’s turn to bat, the reserve players ran out with towels and hydrating resources every few overs so that the heat would not get to the batsmen. Taylor even suggested that the weather was more challenging than the task of chasing 281.”I think it was more the humidity and the heat,” he said. “Having to field out there for over three and a half hours, we knew we had to get off to a good start and try and negate their spinners. Traditionally, New Zealand come here and struggle up front in our innings. Being able to rotate the strike in the right-left combination with Tom worked. You’ve got to give credit to the bowlers as well, it was pretty warm out there and Boulty bowled outstandingly well.”The New Zealand management must be credited for taking such brave decisions in a three-match series. With a victory to their name already, it means the pressure is now on the hosts to win both matches or they will lose their first series at home in two years.

Bangladesh need to learn the virtues of restraint

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

In a time of shrinking attention spans, the Bangladesh players will move on quickly but night in Colombo should forever remain a lesson

Mohammad Isam21-Mar-2018Colombo’s partisan support for India on Sunday evening bordered on the surreal. More than 20,000 people turned up to renew solidarity with India but, really, it felt more like a vociferous protest against Bangladesh.It would’ve made sense if the support for India was because Bangladesh knocked Sri Lanka out. However, it was a little more than that. Bangladesh’s behaviour in the dying stages of their final league game and the reactions that followed immediately after may have ended any bonhomie there may have been with the crowd.No amount of sweet-talking from Shakib Al Hasan after those incidents helped. He spoke of friendship between Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan cricketers, between the two nations and their cricket boards, but it didn’t seem to work. Every four, six or a wicket they claimed in the final was met with silence. Shakib was also booed at the post-match presentation.Shrinking attention spans mean that the Bangladesh players will have other things on their mind in the coming weeks and months. They will not be talking about this until their next tour of Sri Lanka, but some of their actions from that game cannot be left unquestioned or go without further analysis.In that entire episode, Shakib’s attempt at conceding a walkover was the most talked about. Captains have taken the same route in moments of extreme anger with the umpiring. Sunil Gavaskar and Arjuna Ranatunga tried it in Australia two decades apart, but were talked out of it. Inzamam-ul-Haq did it infamously at The Oval in 2006 although, strictly speaking, he walked off for tea and just never came back out.Bangladesh have also had moments in the last 15 years when they have been aggrieved enough with the umpiring; in the 2003 Multan Test, it was widely felt that umpiring errors cost them a historic first win. Players from that era have often said certain umpires treated them with disdain just because they were newbies. In the 2010 Dhaka Test against England, the then coach Jamie Siddons protested the umpiring from the boundary rope.A disputed no-ball in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against India led to protests in Bangladesh, from the then ICC president Mustafa Kamal right down to university students burning effigies of the umpires.Eventually Bangladesh moved on.Andrew Fernando/ESPNcricinfoBut Shakib felt so aggrieved in Colombo, again by events sparked off by a disputed no-ball, that he considered a walkout – as opposed to talking about it later in the media, or letting the BCB send a protest letter to the ICC. As someone leading his country, a cricket-mad nation, Shakib should have shown restraint. He set a bad example, even if he did apologise.More was to follow, no doubt enabled by Shakib’s behaviour. As soon as Mahmudullah hit the six to seal the game, Shakib ran out swinging his t-shirt in his hand, while the rest of the team broke out in the ” dance”. Ordinarily, this would’ve been harmless; after all, it was also at the R Premadasa Stadium that Chris Gayle and Co did the “Gangnam Style” dance after their 2012 World T20 win over Sri Lanka.But there was a bit of history to this, a retort in an unsavoury tit-for-tat dance battle. Danushka Gunathilaka impersonated Nazmul Islam’s trademark celebration during a T20I in Sylhet. Then Mushfiqur Rahim joined in, aiming it squarely at Gunathilaka after he hit the winning runs in their first league game at the Nidahas Trophy.Social media stepped in to stir the pot. Some Sri Lankan players dished out their own versions when the sides met for the second time, but with a win under their belt, the Bangladesh players gave their own back.It wasn’t over there. A couple of the Sri Lankans appeared to push a Bangladesh player. Tamim Iqbal was seen restraining Kusal Mendis who became involved with some of the Bangladesh players. Mahmudullah scolded Nurul.And then, of course, pictures emerged of the shattered dressing room door.Over the last three years, Bangladesh have ensured the opposition has heard them. Their send-off to Jos Buttler in 2016 and their sledging of Australia last year is seen as a reflection of their growing confidence as international cricketers. They were chatty against India in the 2015 ODI series win, too.But what would Shakib have achieved with a walkout? It is unlikely that it would lead to better or worse umpiring in the future. As so many examples remind us, that isn’t how it works.Despite complaining about the apparent unfair treatment they have received from umpires over the years, Bangladesh haven’t ensured better quality umpiring in their own home. A number of unsavoury incidents have taken place. The BPL has also seen disturbances near the boundary line, and misbehaviour with umpiring has, on many occasions, gone unreported.Old-timers will say that Dhaka’s league cricket used to be a true test of character for every cricketer, but those from this generation are certainly more widely abused than ever before because of how easily they can be reached on social media.Ultimately, Bangladesh’s cricketers have to be extra careful about their behaviour. They are, after all, the biggest celebrities in the country; every eye is on them. Just like many on-field cricketing lessons, that night in Colombo should remain forever a lesson – in the virtues of restraint. It is to be hoped that these players never again venture down that wild path.

Jos Buttler remains bullish after England are caught cold by Kuldeep Yadav

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Penalties triumph in Moscow helps lift mood in England dressing-room after first white-ball defeat of the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-20181:04

Feels like playing an away game – Morgan

At the end of a disappointing defeat against India at Old Trafford on Tuesday, Jos Buttler had two consolations to take on with him to Friday’s second T20I in Cardiff: the continuation of a stellar run of personal form which now comprises seven T20 half-centuries in eight innings, and the chance, shortly after the end of India’s run-successful run-chase, to watch England’s footballers prevail in their World Cup penalty shoot-out against Colombia in Moscow.”We’ve had some penalty heartache before haven’t we?” Buttler said, after footage of the cricketers watching the match and launching into their celebrations in the dressing-room had done the rounds on social media. “Watching it with the lads, a lot of football fans, it was incredible. We loved it.”England’s debrief after their first white-ball defeat in seven outings this summer had to be shoehorned into “half-time in extra time”, Buttler added, as the desire to join in the national zeitgeist proved irresistible. “We were very disappointed to lose but with the game on, the lads were keen to watch that and support.”Buttler himself was exempt from much of the post-(cricket) match navel-gazing, after his rollicking innings of 69 from 46 balls had set the platform for what looked likely, until Kuldeep Yadav fired up his left-arm wrist-spin, to be another imposing team total. Nevertheless, it was still Buttler’s seventh 50-plus score in ten England innings this summer, a remarkable run of form across all three formats.”Consistency-wise, it’s probably my best-ever form, and that’s the most pleasing thing,” Buttler said. “To leave performances behind and practice the next day with hunger and desire, not to rest on previous performances. You see guys around the world doing that and it’s been a case of trying to work out how they do that. It’s about accessing the mental side of the game and that’s been pleasing, to work out good routines and staying in the moment in games.”The secret of Buttler’s success, in T20s at least, has been his promotion to the top of the order, first for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and now for England too.”I’m really enjoying it,” Buttler said. “It’s a fantastic place to bat. It’s been another good challenge for me in my career and refreshing. Whether that’s me opening forever, I don’t know, I’d hope to retain the flexibility. But I do think it’s the best place to bat. But it comes down to the make-up of the team.”One potential downside to Buttler’s promotion, however, came in the tumble of wickets in England’s middle order. With Alex Hales enduring a grim struggle to pick the spinners’ variations, and with both Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root being done first-ball by big-turning wrong’uns, it seemed that the man who really needed to be coming out to start his innings cold against such quality mystery-spin was the very man who was already not-out at the non-striker’s end.Jos Buttler celebrates his half-century•Getty Images”It’s about understanding that you shouldn’t get too flustered,” Buttler said. “With spin it can all happen quickly, suddenly you have faced a few balls and aren’t off the mark … so it’s not allowing that to affect you. You have to get used to the action and once you have faced them a bit more it gets easier. You have a bit more trust and might pick up a few cues.”[Left-arm wrist-spin] is very rare and he’s a very good bowler,” he added. “It’s now down to the guys to gain an understanding. You see it a lot in international cricket that guys burst onto the scene and then people get a handle on them. It’s getting used to the angle, wrist-spin is usually right-arm. He’s a good bowler and, as we have seen, wristspinners have been a big weapon in T20. We know we are a lot better than we showed during that little phase of the game. We just didn’t manage to capitalise on the start.”Either way, the Old Trafford match provided a wealth of ominous signs for England at the start of a lengthy India campaign that culminates with five Tests in August and September. With the current English heat-wave showing no sign of abating, and with the vociferous pro-India crowd leading Eoin Morgan to concede that the match felt like an away game, the conditions look likely to get tougher and less “English” as the tour develops.”The weather and the pitches will be dry but it can get this way here,” Buttler said. “Old Trafford has always been good for wrist-spin and reverse too, we see that at Lancs in T20. The pitches will be what they are, so it is down to us to react. We had this in the Champions Trophy last year and 2013 too … we have to deal with it, counteract that and play in all conditions – that is international cricket.”As for the crowds, “it does take a bit of getting used to,” Buttler conceded, “especially coming off the back of an Australian series, which is very pro-England. But we know what to expect, India is a huge cricketing nation with fanatical support. Being a diverse country, we have a lot of Indian supporters and it makes for a great atmosphere. We just have to accept that, and they get that support everywhere in the world. We know our home and conditions but it makes it a challenge against a very good team.””It’s one game. It’s T20. We are confident, we will stick to what has served us well, stay true to ourselves and come back hard at them in the next game.”

The England v India T20I series we needed (heck, deserved)

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

It had great batting, great wristspin, golden-duck stumpings, and a catch of planetary proportions

Andy Zaltzman11-Jul-2018Many T20 international series live short in the memory. A brief splurge of schedule-filling thwackery, lacking the narrative interest of a franchise league, with no evident connection to the broader canvas of international cricket, they are a passing diversion, a bag of sweets at a motorway service station, whose packet will be found under the passenger’s seat in 18 months’ time. “Yes, I think I remember eating them. Was it on the M4 on the way back from a romantic trip to see the new roadworks near junction 14?”The England-India series, by contrast, was a sumptuous soufflé of rivalry-renewing, scene-setting, appetite-tingling sporting contest. It was a minor classic in itself, and a perfect prelude to the longer-format series to come, baked in sunshine, sold out, and sprinkled with some luminous cricketing brilliance.India’s cricket blended the hyper-modern skills of the T20 era with old-school echoes of cricket’s past – batsmanship of classical style and Trumperian élan, wristspin bamboozlements (Kuldeep’s five-wicket haul was the first by a left-arm wristspinner against England since Chuck Fleetwood-Smith was befuddling Gubby Allen’s team in the 1936-37 Ashes), and, to please the hardcore nostalgists, some thoroughly retro fielding bloopers.England made blazing starts at Old Trafford and Bristol, fired by Jos Buttler’s stroke-concocting genius and the crisp pummellings of Jason Roy, but subsided into middle-over confusion against the Indian bowlers’ carnage-restricting craft. England had played only 14 T20Is in the 27 months since they brilliantly won 97.5% of the World T20 final against West Indies in Kolkata, and, at times, it showed. They were excellent with the ball in Cardiff, but without early wickets in the other matches, were weaponless, and the better, more flexible, more T20-hardened team deservedly won.A couple of two-ball periods of cricket stood out in particular (I am reliably informed that the minimum span for a “phase” of cricketing play has been officially reduced by the ICC to two balls). At Old Trafford, Kuldeep twirled out a pair of droolingly tempting googlies, their flight so bewitching that had he delivered them in the 17th century, he would have been dunked in a pond or burned at the stake. Bairstow and Root, stumped for golden ducks – even in the age of compulsory hyperbole, this was as close as cricket comes to something genuinely unbelievable.To illustrate quite how extraordinary this was, it was the first occasion in the entire history of international cricket – in all formats, men’s and women’s – that two top-seven batsmen had been stumped for nought in the same innings. Let alone for golden ducks, off successive deliveries.Furthermore, it was Bairstow’s first first-baller in 157 innings for England in all formats, and only the second time in 258 innings that Root had gilded the mallard. Furtherfurthermore, both batsmen had previously been stumped only three times each in international cricket. In terms of probability, therefore, while it may not quite rank alongside Monty Panesar smiting a match-winning run-a-ball double-century to win the Ashes, or Inzamam-ul-Haq winning an Olympic gold in the pole vault, or the ICC coming up with a satisfactory format for a World Cup, it was among the more outlandish things seen on a cricket field.Drunk on cricket: a cocktail of great weather, full houses, and an engaging contest between bat and ball•Getty ImagesThe second of the two-ball micro-epics came in Bristol, in the sixth over of India’s chase. They had already made a dazzling start to their pursuit of 199 to win, with four sixes and six fours in the first five overs, when Jake Ball bowled a very-mildly-short-of-length delivery to KL Rahul, who relocated the ball into the upper rows of the deep-square leg grandstand with a shot of almost illegal grandeur and time-suspending ease. Once the traumatised leather had been returned from its majestic arc into the crowd, Ball dropped his pace to draw a mistimed launch from Rahul, which sent the ball flickering into the consciousness of Bristol airport’s air-traffic-control tower and towards an unoccupied area of the ground. This area swiftly became occupied by Chris Jordan, who took an over-the-shoulder catch (difficult) while sprinting (difficult) and diving full-length (difficult) as the ball plummeted from an idiotic height (difficult). Difficult4.At this point, the umpires should have stopped the game for five minutes, so that everyone could have a little time to think about what they had just witnessed, two glittering examples of the broadened horizons of cricketing possibility in the modern age.Jordan’s catch ought to be replayed on a giant TV screen at the start of all future United Nations General Assembly sessions just to show the world’s leaders what is feasible on this planet. His one-man masterpiece of judgement and athleticism did not prove to be the turning point that England craved, however, as Rohit Sharma smoothblasted India to victory, aided by another surgical (if surprisingly curtailed) chase innings by Kohli. India’s skipper has now batted 25 times in the second innings of T20Is. His lowest score is 16, he has passed 50 in 12 innings, scored over 40 in three more, and has participated in 19 successful Indian chases (India, since September 2012, have won 24 of 32 T20Is in which they have batted second).In those 19 victories, Kohli has scored 904 runs – an average contribution of 47.5 per innings (with 11 not-outs, his conventional average, for whatever that is worth in T20 cricket, is 113). Of the 128 batsmen who have batted in five or more successful T20I chases, Kohli’s runs-per-innings figure is second only to Alex Hales – 574 runs in 12 winning chases for England (47.8 per innings) – who leapfrogged him with his 58-run role in England’s Cardiff victory, a well-constructed atonement for his eczematically scratchy 8 off 18 balls in Manchester, the joint second-slowest 18-ball sequence by an England batsman in T20I history.England have won just seven of 17 matches since Carlos Brathwaite edged the last 2.5% of that World T20 final (without even having to use the final 33% of that 2.5%). They are overstocked with top-order batsmen (as are most T20 sides, given that top-order batsmen are the only ones who have the opportunity to post apparently successful conventional statistics). Unless they send in four men to open, hidden in pairs in pantomime cow outfits, there is no obvious solution.Chris Jordan: let’s get him a superhero movie, already•Getty ImagesAt Old Trafford, and against Australia at Edgbaston, Bairstow and Root came in at Nos. 5 and 6, towards the end of England’s innings. Prior to that, Root had not batted outside the top four in any T20 match since 2013, and had come to the crease before the halfway point in 22 of his 23 T20I innings. Bairstow had begun an innings after the 11th over of a T20 game just once since 2012. (To add to their difficulties, Root had played just eight T20 matches since his outstanding performances in the 2016 World T20, and Bairstow had batted seven times in all T20 cricket since July 2015.)After his Old Trafford duck, Bairstow adapted well to his unfamiliar later-overs role (28 off 18, and 25 off 14), but England were, in essence, asking Beethoven to write a disco hit for Sister Sledge. The self-styled Sangakkara of the Sonata could probably make a decent fist of it, but equally, it might take him a little while to crack the correct groove.This series was a blueprint for how international T20 cricket should be in between global tournaments. Two full-strength teams, in a series long enough to undulate and evolve, scheduled in concert with the longer formats.The ODI series now allows England to return to their best form of the game. They have obliterated some moderate opposition in their recent home series. Both sides are missing their best ODI pacers (Chris Woakes and Jasprit Bumrah). Both were undone by Pakistan when looking like potential winners at last year’s Champions Trophy. England have a deeper batting line-up and are (collectively if not individually) more explosive; how they fare against Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep will probably decide the series. With a Test series to follow, and a World Cup looming less than a year away, the cricket should be spectacular, and will be fascinating.

A tale of two Lads: one family, two teams

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Father and son duo Dinesh and Siddhesh Lad were on opposing teams as Mumbai took on Railways in the Ranji Trophy game in Delhi

Sidharth Monga in Delhi02-Nov-20180:56

‘I made sure I show my dad how I bat in first-class cricket’

Dinesh Lad is a Mumbai cricket tragic. He played for Western Railways, went straight into coaching at the school level, was impressed with an opposition offspinner, approached him and took him under his wing. That offspinner has now scored three ODI double hundreds. Apart from Rohit Sharma, Lad has given India Shardul Thakur. Lad still coaches on at school level, at his academy, wherever. Sometimes he sponsors kids, often giving shelter to young cricketers in need. A student of the great Ramakant Achrekar, he is carrying the legacy.Lad is sitting in the stand at Karnail Singh Stadium, quietly observing play from square on, right under a new electronic scoreboard. He has been employed once again by Indian Railways to be an observer for their side, which finished at the bottom in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year. It is easy to strike up a conversation about cricket. Soon the Karnail Singh Stadium curator, Rakesh Mehrotra, joins in.At around 11.40am, Railways take the third Mumbai wicket, leaving them in a precarious position at 98 for 3, but about now Lad loses some of that relaxed air about him. Lad’s son, Siddhesh, has walked out to bat. For Mumbai. Father and son, on opposite sides.Dinesh Lad (left) watches his son Siddhesh bat for Mumbai•Sidharth Monga/ESPNcricinfoAlthough the Lads could afford better, Siddhesh said his father made him travel by local train to make him tough and disciplined. He has earned a reputation now for scoring tough runs if not big runs for Mumbai. He has scored six hundreds in 42 games. They are not big ones – 150 is his highest. They are not scored at a strike rate that grabs your attention, like his team-mate Shreyas Iyer’s do. But his runs are valued in the dressing room. As they are in this innings. He starts off slowly in the company of Suryakumar Yadav, who survives a couple of early chances. Lad doesn’t offer chances, his scoring rate gradually picks up, he takes Mumbai to safety and ends the day unbeaten on 80.On the next morning, Dinesh is seated in his stand again, hoping possibly for a hundred but not much more. On 99, Siddhesh gets an overpitched delivery, and, on a pitch that hasn’t offered much turn, plays for the straighter one. He is bowled by the first delivery that has really turned. Dinesh has mixed emotions. By the end of the day, Mumbai are firmly in a dominant position, having taken six Railways wickets for just 115, a lead still of 296 runs.When Siddhesh comes out to talk to journalists, Lad senior is giving pep talk to the Railways players in the background. He is happy his father could make the trip because he rarely comes to watch him. Even if it means the trip is part of a job, and that job is to work for the side that is his opposition. “I wanted to make this trip worth it for him,” he says. ‘Hopefully I have shown how my first-class game is. I am happy about that.”I haven’t been talking to him during this game. Just hi-hello. He is on the opposite side, so there is no point talking too much. Now I will ask him if he wants to come for dinner this evening.”Father and son will be on the same side this evening.

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