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West Indie level series with England 1-1

The Report by Valkerie Baynes22-Feb-2019
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryShimron Hetmyer’s century set the stage for West Indies, while Sheldon Cottrell drew the curtains on England with some stellar bowling to hand the home side a 26-run win in their second ODI and level the series.Hetmyer has been widely applauded as a star of the future, but he claimed top billing for the first act in Barbados on Friday with an unbeaten 104 off just 83 balls as Chris Gayle was forced into a cameo with his half-century in West Indies’ respectable total of 289 for 6.Given England’s history-making chase at the same ground to win the opening match on Wednesday, their latest target of 290 looked highly achievable.Enter Cottrell, whose career-best 5-46 in the second stanza wrecked England’s hopes, while Jason Holder played the best supporting role by claiming three wickets at crucial times to snuff out any prospect of the tourists stealing the show.Gayle scored at a faster clip than in his previous innings, picking off four sixes, including one lost ball over the stands, on his way to 50 off 63 deliveries.Adil Rashid, kept out of the attack until the 34th over in the first match, made a much earlier entrance this time, joining the action in the 19th and with good effect. He conceded just two runs to Gayle off six balls and made the crucial breakthrough in just his second over, with a sharp-turning legbreak that beat Gayle’s swipe and clattered into off stump.Rashid enhanced his contribution with a wonderful direct hit when Hetmyer set off for a single after turning a Tom Curran delivery towards short third man, where Rashid swooped and fired the ball in to catch Darren Bravo well shy of his ground.Hetmyer compiled a confident innings highlighted by deft stroke play and, when the situation called for it, sheer power. On 98 with two balls remaining in West Indies’ innings, Hetmyer brought up his ton with a boundary off Ben Stokes, his seventh for the match, and he celebrated by skipping down the pitch and punching the air before removing his helmet and raising it in the air, revealing a bright yellow hair-do as he did so.Until Hetmyer stepped up, West Indies’ decision to drop a batsman – Nicholas Pooran, who made his debut in the previous match, for another bowler in Cottrell – looked to have left them short, particularly after Holder, batting up the order at No.6, was run out cheaply by a superb direct hit from Jason Roy to put the home side at 237 for 6.But Hetmyer’s salvage job, combined with Cottrell’s opening spell, appeared to put paid to that argument.Cottrell’s first wicket, claimed with his second ball of the innings, was poetry, a full, fast delivery which slammed into the pad on middle stump, leaving Jonny Bairstow in no doubt about his fate.Cottrell began his second over with another important wicket as Roy, whose 123 helped drive England’s history-making chase in the first game of the five-match series, dragged on having scored just two runs. That prompted Cottrell to parade his saluting sergeant major send-off with even more gusto than in the previous over.Joe Root, who also scored a century in the series opener, looked ready to settle in, his six fours struck with typical elegance and poise. His dismissal on 36, however, was anything but as he fluffed his lines in trying to uppercut a short, wide ball from Oshane Thomas and sent a top-edge through to the keeper.By that time, England were 60 for 3 but, with their seemingly indomitable batting line-up, there was no sense of panic yet.Eoin Morgan was dropped twice, once by Hetmyer on 41 and then by Ashley Nurse on 51. He went on to score 70, but when Cottrell returned to the attack, it took him just eight deliveries to make an impact with Hetmyer playing a part to keep himself in the limelight. Morgan knew he was in trouble when he lofted Cottrell down the leg side, letting out a groan as Hetmyer raced in to claim the catch.Even then, with Jos Buttler appearing at the crease the target seemed within reach, although England’s run rate had been hovering below that required for quite some time.Stokes made a well-crafted 79 off 85 balls and he was bitterly disappointed to be out edging Holder to Shai Hope for caught behind, with the DRS confirming he had put bat on ball as well as hitting the ground, which prompted his appeal. Walking off, he struck his pad furiously and, once he had reached the dugout, he threw his helmet, bat and pads on the ground in disgust.With 10 overs remaining, England needed 62 runs off 60 balls but then Holder turned the match with two wickets in as many balls, the first a clever piece of bowling and the second sheer luck.Introducing some variation, Holder produced a timely offcutter, which Buttler chipped into the air, for Hetmyer to claim the catch. Holder then had Curran out lbw with a ball Hawk Eye showed was missing over the stumps by some margin but, with no DRS appeals left, England were helpless.Holder dropped a sitter off Rashid, spooning Devendra Bishoo to short cover, but then Cottrell removed Rashid and Moeen Ali, before Holder caught last man out, Liam Plunkett, off the bowling of Carlos Brathwaite and England were all out with 14 balls to spare.

It will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is introducing the Debbie Hockley Medal at this year’s annual awards ceremony, to honour the outstanding female cricketer of the year. The medal will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year, and will be a regular feature at the NZC’s annual awards. This year’s awards will be held on March 23 in Auckland. Hockley herself will present the new award on the night.Hockley played 118 ODIs and 19 Tests for New Zealand from 1979 to 2000. She was regarded among the best batters across two decades in the 1980s and 1990s and is considered a pioneer of the women’s game. She is the only woman to win the New Zealand Cricketer-of-the-Year award, in 1998, 13 years before the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal was introduced.”I feel honoured, personally, of course – but also thrilled that the country’s outstanding women’s cricketer of the year will be recognised on an annual and ongoing basis,” Hockley said. “It’s been wonderful to watch the progress of the women’s game in New Zealand over the past five or six years and this is another very positive development.”Women’s cricket is going from strength to strength; the growth at all levels has been amazing.”I’m looking forward to presenting this award to the inaugural recipient in March.”Hockley was the fourth woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, in 2013, after Australia’s Belinda Clark and England’s Enid Bakewell and Rachael Heyhoe-Flint.Hockley held several records during her playing and captaincy days. She became the second-youngest captain in a woman’s Test at the age of 21, she is still the format’s fourth-highest run-scorer and the highest for New Zealand, she finished her Test career with an average of 52.04, scored the joint-second-most Test centuries (four), and scored ODI hundreds in consecutive innings, among a host of records.Hockley scored over 4000 ODI runs while averaging nearly 42, including four centuries. She was the first woman to cross 4000 ODI runs, and also the first to play 100 ODIs.She was the first woman to be elected NZC president.

Batsman warns same tactics used against South Africa may not work against Kiwi swing and pace

Mohammad Isam at The Oval04-Jun-2019How Bangladesh began their World Cup opener against South Africa had a lot to do with the result. Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal put together 60 runs for the opening stand and although both fell within 11.4 overs, they had done more than enough to alleviate any nerves in the dressing room about the first match of a major tournament, in front of a big crowd, in foreign conditions and against a strong bowling attack.Soumya’s 30-ball 42 put the pacey South African attack on the back foot and they couldn’t recover. However, he believes the same method against a different bowling attack may not work all the time. Particularly against New Zealand, Soumya believes that they would have to keep swing and pace in mind.In the ODI series in February, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the first ten overs twice in three games. They lost the series 3-0. In the ten matches since 2015, Bangladesh have only gone through two wicketless first Powerplays against New Zealand, winning one of those games. At the Champions Trophy in Cardiff two years ago, Bangladesh lost three early wickets, after which Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah struck centuries in an incredible fourth-wicket partnership.

Bangladesh in first Powerplay since 2015 World Cup

• Lost two or more wickets in first Powerplay v New Zealand in four out of nine ODIs

• Averaged 48 runs in the first Powerplay

• Lost two or more wickets in first Powerplay in 23 out of 62 ODIs

• Averaged 40 runs in first Powerplay

Soumya said that going wicketless in the first ten overs, a factor that has helped them in their last four consecutive wins, would take them a long way in gaining confidence against New Zealand. He also said The Oval pitch would be a new one for this game, unlike the South Africa game which was played on a used pitch.”It will certainly have a big impact,” Soumya said. “If we do not lose a wicket in the first ten overs, it will really help us. Their strength is to swing the ball in the first ten overs. They take early wickets. If the wicket assists the batsmen, it will create pressure on them. We may not bat the same way as we did against South Africa. I think the simple fact is the type of wicket would be different.”We played on a used wicket against them, while we will play on a new wicket against New Zealand. Their bowlers have swing with pace, which we have to tackle together. We have to play according to the merit of the ball. If there’s swing, we have to play out the first few overs.”Soumya vowed to try and keep his form intact, having scored three fifties in his last four innings, including his match-winning effort in the tri-series final against New Zealand couple of weeks ago.”I will try to play my way,” he said. “Sometimes it is a quickfire knock, while at other times it may be a long innings. I try to give the team a good platform, whether I am scoring twenties or thirties, or a hundred. I want it to be helpful for the team. It is my personal plan. If my way of batting puts the opposition under pressure, it helps my team. I try to stick to my plan.”One of the major features – and also a change – in his approach has been the choice of shots that Soumya has made. He hardly goes for wild swings or slogs after he has hit a few boundaries, a problem he had between 2016 and 2018. The discipline has so far given him runs, although a more focused approach is required for a better conversion rate.He has scored two ODI hundreds among his twelve 50-plus scores, but a bigger concern is the 16 innings in which he got out between the scores of 20 and 45.But if Soumya, Tamim and the rest of the Bangladesh batsmen can temper their freewheeling strokeplay against New Zealand on Wednesday, even if it is for at least the first ten to twelve overs, Bangladesh may be able to control more of the match.

If Dubai was anything to go by, Australia have shown they’re up for a fight. For a bruised Pakistan, nothing but a win will do

The Preview by Shashank Kishore15-Oct-2018

Big Picture

The first Test reinforced a few age-old lessons about cricket in the UAE: dead as the tracks may appear to be, do not jump the gun until both sides have batted once. It may all look dull and dreary halfway into the Test, but a blink and the game springs to life when you least expect it to. Pakistan would certainly vouch for it. Just when statisticians and pundits had begun to check for record double-century opening stands, Australia collapsed dramatically.The collapse handed the advantage to Pakistan, but they weren’t in the mood to take it. A decision to bat on didn’t do them any favours. This has now added to the scrutiny around Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy, and nothing but a Test win in Abu Dhabi can sooth a bruised side that is yet to win a Test in UAE in over two years. There isn’t a better time to reverse that, for it would at least give their beleaguered captain some breathing space after a spate of ordinary results, including the ones at the Asia Cup last month.Australia are just beginning to wriggle out of a crisis under a new leadership group. Justin Langer, the head coach, has been quite vocal about the need to not just be satisfied with what they’ve achieved so far. This tour has been in the making for three months now, and has its roots in India, where they played a stream of matches against the A sides of South Africa and India. They’ve even managed to integrate two young Indian domestic spinners into the set up to help prepare them for Tests on dry turners.Visualisation techniques, spin lessons, simulation, matches – they’ve all been checked. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and if Dubai was anything to go by, Australia have shown they’re up for a fight. Langer will expect much more from his boys if they are to move to the next level and for that, the rest of the batsmen have to show the resolve of Usman Khawaja and captain Paine. This could in many ways direct the course the team takes ahead of a big home summer against India.

Form guide

Pakistan: DLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: DLLLW

In the spotlight

Fakhar Zaman has played just two first-class games since the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final in 2016-17 that brought him into national reckoning. Since then, he’s built a reputation of white-ball destroyer. At the Asia Cup last month, he struggled from what coach Mickey Arthur called a ‘confidence crisis.’ He’s had two weeks to rejuvenate. A finger injury to Imam-ul-Haq means he’s set to receive his maiden Test cap. In that final, he made a quickfire 170 not out. Now, against a potent Australia attack, he may have to shelve some of his flamboyance. Can he display another facet to his game?Even Shaun Marsh will struggle to explain his decade of underachievement since international debut in 2011. Injuries, poor form, and competition may have contributed to him being in and out of the side, but even that can’t explain why he has played only 33 Tests. Now, with Steven Smith and David Warner serving bans, there is an opportunity for him to make the No. 3 spot his own for the immediate future. Scores of 7 and 0 in Dubai – he was out nicking behind in both innings – will add to his itch to make an impression before the bigger challenges later in the summer. Against an unrelenting attack, the pressure isn’t likely to be any less, but he’ll still have to find a way out, even if it means curbing his natural instinct of looking to drive on the up on docile surfaces.

Team news

Imam’s injury means Fakhar is set to become Pakistan’s 234th Test cricketer. But Pakistan will be asking two other questions. Bilal Asif’s Test initiation with a six-for quickly dissipated after a wicketless show on the final day. This could make them ponder over the inclusion of legspinner Shadab Khan, who has been troubled with a groin strain lately. Also, what of Wahab Riaz, who bowled 27 wicketless overs across two innings? Mir Hamza could come in as a like-for-like replacement, which potentially means two new Test caps for Pakistan.Pakistan XI: 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Babar Azam, 6, Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Mir Hamza/Shadab Khan, 9 Bilal Asif, 10 Mohammad Abbas, 11 Yasir ShahMarnus Labuschagne failed with the bat, but his legbreaks were more than useful. This could earn him another opportunity, even though Matt Renshaw is knocking on the doors for a middle-order berth. They will possibly hand a debut to one of two fast bowlers – Brendan Dogget or Michael Neser – in place of left-arm spinner Jon Holland, who had a forgettable outing in Dubai.Australia XI: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschangne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland/Ashton Agar/Michael Neser

Pitch and conditions

A time-lapse from three days prior to the game will reveal how the tinge has changed from green right through to biscuit brown on match-eve. The heat will ensure the track will break as the Test progresses, allowing the spinners to come into the game on days four and five. It should be the best for batting early on. No prizes for guessing what the captain winning the toss will do.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan’s previous Test win in the UAE came in Abu Dhabi in 2016. Since then they haven’t won a Test in the UAE in four attempts, losing three – one to West Indies and two to Sri Lanka – and drawing the first Test of this series in Dubai.
• Azhar Ali needs 59 runs to go past Misbah-ul-haq as the batsman with second highest Test runs in the UAE, He is going through a bit of a lean patch of late though, averaging just 17.10 from this last 10 Test innings.
• Nathan Lyon averages a poor 84.85 from three Tests in the UAE. Elsewhere in Asia, he’s taken 80 wickets at an average of 27.01.
• Mohammad Abbas is one wicket away from being the joint-fastest Pakistan pacer to 50 Test wickets.

Quotes

“Can’t say if the pressure will be more on Pakistan or Australia. We are the home side and obviously, people expect us to win and so there is pressure. Having said that, these are favourable conditions for us and we have to make the most of it.”
“It’s one of those things, you can get nailed for it either way, so it can be a hard job, but I’m sure they know what they’re trying to do, we certainly know what we’re trying to do, and what matters to us is what’s inside our four walls and I’m sure Sarfraz and Pakistan are the same.”

The outfield for the ground’s first game of the BBL season came in for significant criticism with the tournament boss saying it was “presented poorly”

AAP24-Dec-2024Cricket Australia will consider avoiding Marvel Stadium until later in the summer in future BBL seasons, as Melbourne Renegades great Aaron Finch called for the club to weigh up abandoning the venue for Geelong.Finch was among those to be scathing of the venue on Tuesday when the Renegades’ Monday-night win over Perth Scorchers was overshadowed by a patchy-looking outfield. The pitch also proved difficult to bat on after the roof was closed for two days due to wet weather, with Scorchers struggling to score early.Related

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The issue came just two days after similar issues at Sydney’s Engie Stadium where large parts of dirt didn’t have any grass covering during the Sydney Smash.Both grounds are multi-purpose venues with Pearl Jam concerts having headlined a raft of events to have fallen between the AFL and BBL seasons. An annual RMIT university graduation was also held at Marvel Stadium last Wednesday, before Monday’s match.”Marvel was shocking last night. I was out on the ground and it was slippery,” former Renegades and Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch said on ESPN’s . “There has to be questions, are Marvel Stadium serious about hosting cricket.”Because each and every year the first couple of games the same thing happens there. If they’re not interested in hosting cricket, take it somewhere else. Take it to Geelong, they’ll have it.”BBL boss Alistair Dobson also admitted on Tuesday he was “disappointed”, conceding the ground was “presented poorly”.”By and large they present good outfields and good wickets, particularly as we get further into the season,” Dobson said on SEN. “That [multi-purpose aspect] does come with some trade offs, but we don’t expect it to be the size of the trade off we saw last night.”Dobson said his organisation was open to not scheduling BBL games at Marvel Stadium until close to January in the future, if it would ensure a better surface. But in reality that would cause more issues with the MCG also offline in the lead up to and during the Boxing Day Test.”Last night would certainly give us cause to reflect on that and whether we schedule in a different way going forward,” Dobson said. “The trade off on that though is you end up with a lot of games of BBL in a short period. It’s a balance between the best possible preparation and spacing games out to give fans a chance to go.”The other concern for CA is the way the poor outfields showcase the BBL overseas, in a summer where crowds and TV ratings are up by 30 percent domestically.AAP has been told Finch’s proposed full-time Geelong move is unlikely, given officials believe Melbourne needs two teams to service it both on and off the field.Dobson also rejected any suggestion the Renegades should abandon Marvel Stadium and join Melbourne Stars at the MCG.”We have two clubs in Melbourne that have different identities and different fan bases and different history,” Dobson said. “The Melbourne Stars are iconic to the MCG and the Renegades are keen to have a point of difference on that.”

England Under-19s produced a brilliant performance to clinch their series against South Africa by winning the second unofficial Test by four wickets

ECB Reporters Network18-Jul-2018
ScorecardEngland Under-19s produced a brilliant performance to clinch their series against South Africa by winning the second unofficial Test by four wickets at Emirates Riverside.The home side were bowled out for 133 in their first innings, trailing the Proteas by a sizable margin. However, the bowlers responded as Adam Finch led the way with four wickets, while Jack Plom and Sam Connors struck twice to dismiss the tourists for 90.There was still work ahead for the batsmen to chase down 167 to win the contest. Early wickets put the pressure on the middle order, but contributions from Tom Banton, Jack Haynes, George Lavelle, Harrison Ward and Jack Davies allowed England to seal the win to secure the Test series.England resumed day three on 121 for 9, and Finch found the boundary on a couple of occasions. However, the innings was ended when Connors was caught behind off the bowling of Gideon Peters, with the home side still 76 runs behind.The Proteas made a solid start to their innings, taking their lead beyond 100 runs before Plom produced a brilliant over to bring the home side back into contention. First the Essex seamer produced a superb delivery to remove Joshua Richards’ middle stump.Louis van Schalk fell first ball courtesy of a suicidal run out as Plom had time to run to the stumps and whip the bails off at the keeper’s end. The collapse continued as Wandile Makwetu edged behind to Davies to hand England their third wicket in three balls. The bowlers kept the pressure on the Proteas and Connors claimed his first strike when Jacob Miltz was caught behind.South Africa lost their fifth wicket on the stroke of lunch when Sinethemba Qeshile attempted to sweep Ward, but missed the connection and was out lbw for 14. After lunch, Connors returned from the Lumley End and nipped one back off the seam to pin Jason Niemand, putting the pressure on the tail.Finch came into the attack to remove Jade de Klerk, who was caught by Lavelle. His dismissal sparked a collapse in the innings as the Worcestershire bowler wrapped up the tail cheaply. Thando Ntini was the first to fall before Mondli Khumalo and Kgaudisa Molefe were out in within the space of four deliveries.England’s reply got off to a bad start in their chase of 167. Ntini clean bowled Ollie Robinson in the second over, while Ben Charlesworth followed his opening partner back to the pavilion for four as Gideon Peters produced a good delivery. Skipper Banton turned the momentum back in his side’s favour, hitting 17 off a Peters’ over before the tea break.Banton continued to make progress, but was then out lbw attempting a reverse sweep off Molefe, ending a stand worth 61 with Haynes. Ntini returned for a second spell from the Lumley End and in his fifth over he removed Haynes, who was caught behind for 27. Lavelle upped the ante with five boundaries to try to put the pressure back on the tourists. However, his dismissal for 25 to Khumalo offered a South Africa hope of snatching the victory.Ward and Davies held their composure to reach their fifty partnership off 126 balls, and although Ward fell to Peters, England were still able to close out the victory.

He was fined 100% of his match fee and earned three demerit points for a breach of the ICC’s code of conduct during the second Test against India in Hyderabad

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2018Coach Stuart Law has been suspended from West Indies’ first two ODIs against India, and will not be allowed to share the dressing room with the team. Law was fined 100% of his match fees and earned three demerit points for a breach of the ICC’s code of conduct during the second Test against India in Hyderabad.Law was already carrying a demerit point from a previous sanction in May 2017, from a Test against Pakistan in Dominica. Having reached the threshold of four demerit points, Law earned two suspension points in accordance with Article 7.6 of the ICC’s code of conduct, which means he misses either one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first.The incident occurred after West Indies opener Kieran Powell had been given out on the third and final day of the second Test. Powell fell to a low catch in the slips by Ajinkya Rahane, and the third umpire ruled that Rahane had caught the ball cleanly after watching numerous replays. According to an ICC release, Law went to the third umpire’s room and made “inappropriate comments”. He then “walked to the fourth umpire’s area and, in the presence of the players, again directed inappropriate comments at the fourth official.”Law was found guilty of breaching Level 2 Article 2.7 of the ICC code of conduct, which relates to “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an International Match or any Player, Player Support Personnel, Match Official or team participating in any International Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made”.Law accepted the offence and the sanction, so there was no need of a formal hearing by the ICC.The suspension will cut short Law’s remaining time with West Indies. The tour of India is his penultimate assignment as West Indies coach. The Australian, who will turn 50 on Thursday, had announced he would quit his position once West Indies completed their tours of India and Bangladesh, and move to England to take charge of Middlesex.This is the second time in the last three months that an international coach has been suspended, with Sri Lanka’s Chandika Hathurusingha also forced to miss matches due to ICC sanctions over a ball-tampering offence.

Bowler glad to have repaid Warwickshire’s faith after injury-wrecked season

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Sep-2022It says a lot about Liam Norwell’s drive that he hopes his 9 for 62, which dragged Warwickshire to safety with a five-run victory over Hampshire, will allow his team-mates and fans to forgive him for his absences this season.Norwell’s figures – the 12th best in first-class cricket for Warwickshire – saw a fourth-innings target of 133 defended on a remarkable final day of the 2022 County Championship season. It brought just a second win of the season for Warwickshire but one that lifted them above Yorkshire, who will play Division Two cricket next season after defeat to Gloucestershire on Wednesday opened the door for their relegation rivals.Warwickshire were spared the ignominy of going down as defending champions, a success Norwell was very much a part of, with 49 dismissals at an average of 18.26 in 2021. This season, however, back issues, a concussion sustained in the second match of the season against Essex and a right elbow injury restricted him to three Championships appearances coming into this last round. Such ailments are an occupational hazard for bowlers but Norwell seems to have taken them to heart.Related

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That he was even available to play here was a surprise to many. Following consultation with doctors, his prospects of playing again this summer were rated at “10%”. After getting through all eight games in the Royal London Cup, the club felt the best course of action was to sit out the remainder of the season to avoid pushing it too far.However, with the bowling stocks low, especially after Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Siraj returned to India, Norwell put himself forward to head coach Mark Robinson as a possible solution. And how. Even with little preparation and lacking full match fitness, he dug deep to bowl all but three of the 23.5 overs sent down from Edgbaston’s Pavilion End, and was relentless throughout.”I feel like I’ve let the lads and the management down quite a bit this year,” an exhausted Norwell said afterwards.”Personally, I’m as frustrated as anyone about how the season has gone. Back issues, concussion, tearing my elbow – I’m as frustrated as anyone. I believe, without trying to sound arrogant, if I played more this season, we wouldn’t be in this position… I just have that confidence in myself. And I hope I proved that today.”Of that, there can be no question. His performance, which began with 4 for 36 in the first innings, will go down as one of the most remarkable in the club’s history. Indeed England have closely monitored Norwell, as someone with both the frame and skills to challenge batters of the highest quality. This display simply confirmed what they saw in the former Gloucestershire man.Back in March, he was the first bowling reserve for the tour of West Indies, and was close to a full call-up as Mark Wood struggled with an elbow injury of his own in the first of the three Tests. Norwell, however, revealed he would not have taken the call, let alone the opportunity. A couple of weeks after he was told to wait on standby, his newborn contracted meningitis and nearly lost his life.Thankfully, his son – their second child – is healthy now. And after such a finish, the attention of selectors will be piqued once more. Test captain Ben Stokes was clearly impressed, championing the spell on social media. Norwell, however, feels his time has passed.”I’ll be honest, now I’m 30 and there are younger lads come in like [Matthew] Potts, I don’t think I have got a chance. But I will keep putting in performances and you never know.”After not wishing to be arrogant by rightly claiming greater availability would have prevented Warwickshire being involved in a dog fight at the end, dismissing his own England prospects is perhaps a dip too far into modesty. Understandably, his focus is on resting up, getting fitter over the winter and playing all of next season. But the skills on show, whether unerring accuracy or clever use of the knuckleball, were sure signs of a bowler with a strong command of his craft.The mindset, evidently, is already there. Not just coming back from injuries, or the character showcased in the two match-deciding spells but even at the tea break when he took himself to one side to maintain his focus. “I sat by myself, to be honest with you,” he said.”I felt quite emotional at tea and I wanted to make sure I was the man to drive us over the line. I got our physio to get me some food and I just sat in the table in front of the viewing area and just looked out onto the pitch. It’s what I did last year when we won the Championship, just to try and keep myself focused. I thought if it worked last year it might work this year. Luckily it did.”He did admit to one moment of weakness. Upon taking the wicket of Keith Barker, bowling the left-hander to make it 91 for 7, his left hamstring began cramping, causing more discomfort than the right elbow which was sore but manageable. At the end of the over – Norwell’s 14th – he asked his captain Will Rhodes if he could come off. The reply could not be misinterpreted.”I have to give Will credit. I tried to take myself off after the Keith Barker wicket. I was cramping. I won’t use the language he used but he basically said ‘you’re bowling until the end of the game’. Him and Dom Sibley just kept getting around me and they kept pumping me up and getting me going.”Along with encouragement from his team-mates, he had Warwickshire’s physio for company down at fine leg. At the start of his last over, defending just five, he produced a beauty to uproot James Fuller’s middle stump when the bowling allrounder looked set to win Hampshire the game. Four balls on, a full, inswinging delivery wrapped Mohammad Abbas on the pads to confirm the win and survival.”I just went a bit mad,” Norwell said of the final celebration. “All the emotions came out, I was nearly in tears. It means a lot to me – I feel like I’ve let everyone down this year by not playing.”Helping us stay up and put in that performance I hope is repaid the lads and supporters for not playing.” It is safe to say it has.

The games will be played in Dehradun, a north Indian city that has not hosted international cricket before

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2018Ahead of their highly anticipated Test debut against India next month, Afghanistan will also host Bangladesh for three T20 internationals in Dehradun, the capital of the state of Uttarakhand in north India.The matches are all day-night fixtures beginning at 8pm IST and will be played on June 3, 5 and 7. They will be the first significant fixtures held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun.”From the report I got, the ground looks fine and there are enough facilities. The hotels are also quite good,” Akram Khan, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said. The only slight problem being the hotel is about 45 minutes from the ground. Otherwise everything seems fine. I think we will also be playing a practice match ahead of the three-match series.”The two countries have played each other only once previously – at the 2014 World Twenty20 in Dhaka – where hosts Bangladesh routed Afghanistan by nine wickets. Afghanistan are currently ranked eighth on the ICC T20I team rankings, and Bangladesh are tenth.The Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said: “The ongoing training camp in India in which players from the national and U-19 teams as well as top performers from domestic cricket will help the selection committee to select a strong side for the T20I series against Bangladesh. These matches will be important for both sides to gain valuable points in the ICC rankings and the lead up to the 2020 ICC World Twenty20″.”This promises to be a very competitive series,” BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said. “Afghanistan have some fine players for this format and they will have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions in Dehradun. However, the Bangladesh team is a confident and experienced unit and we are really looking forward to the matches.”Afghanistan’s one-off Test against India begins in Bengaluru on June 14.

Ninth-highest first-class innings of all time sees Leicestershire lose despite posting 584

ECB Reporters Network23-Jul-2022Sam Northeast made an unbeaten quadruple-century before Glamorgan pulled off an astonishing victory on an extraordinary day of records in the LV= Insurance County Championship at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.Spectators at Leicestershire’s Grace Road headquarters had witnessed one of English cricket’s three greatest feats of batting as Northeast finished with a monumental 410 not out in a total of 795 for 5 declared in reply to Leicestershire’s first-innings 584.Then to cap it all Glamorgan dismissed their opponents for 183 in 59.4 overs to win by an innings and 28 runs.The victory – which lifts Glamorgan to second place in Division Two – capped an amazing day in which Northeast joined Brian Lara, Archie MacLaren and Graeme Hick as one of only four players in the first-class game in England to score more than 400 runs in an innings.The Leicestershire total of 584 is the highest in county cricket by a team that subsequently lost by an innings – smashing the previous mark of 527 scored in an innings defeat against Northamptonshire in 1995 – and is thought to be the highest in first-class cricket to suffer that fate anywhere in the world.Glamorgan’s coach, Matt Maynard, said: “To have a man, Sam Northeast, in your side who has joined only nine other players to have scored more than 400 in an innings is incredible. It was a remarkable feat and he batted selflessly as well, when we needed to up the scoring rate.”A lot of things go into a score like that. You have to maintain a high level of concentration but he never seemed to deviate from his plans until right at the end, when he started to be more aggressive.”I don’t think anyone here will have witnessed a better innings. The way he went from 200 to 300 on Friday, it was as if there were no fielders. Every attacking shot he played went for four. I’ve seen some good players, I’ve batted with some good players, but to see someone maintain that level for so long was just incredible.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Glamorgan won after declaring with a lead of 211 at lunch on the final day. They scored a breathtaking 232 runs in the pre-lunch session, a rate of scoring that left Leicestershire with 65 overs to survive – a task that proved beyond them as Michael Hogan (4 for 43) and Michael Neser (3 for 60) combined with spinner Andrew Salter (2 for 36) and James Harris (1 for 27) to blow them away.Northeast, who had never during his 16-year career imagined making 300 until he did so on Friday, now possesses the ninth-highest individual score in world cricket, behind only Lara’s all-time high of 501 not out for Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1994 and MacLaren’s 424 for Lancashire at Taunton in 1895 as the third highest in England. Hick’s 405 not out for Worcestershire, also at Taunton in 1988 is nudged down to fourth place.Northeast numbered 45 fours and three sixes, sharing an unbroken stand of 461 in 71.3 overs with wicketkeeper Chris Cooke, who finished unbeaten on 191 – by coincidence Northeast’s career-best before this game.The stand was the eighth-highest partnership in County Championship history and, as far as a sixth-wicket stand was concerned, it was the highest ever recorded in English first-class record and the second highest in history.It was also a record total for Glamorgan, whose total is the ninth highest ever made in the county championship.Leicestershire will not need reminding that Cooke was dropped on just 3 and again on 15 on Friday – both comfortable catching chances – or that they missed Northeast at slip on 96.That error, one of only a handful in the entire marathon innings, seemed a distant memory as Northeast led the players off at lunch with almost every spectator on their feet prior to Glamorgan’s declaration after a morning session that saw 232 runs scored and a string of records set.