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Netherlands’ total swept aside by unbroken stand worth 163 in 20.1 overs with Jos Buttler

Matt Roller22-Jun-2022England blazed down a target of 245 in 30.1 overs to seal a 3-0 clean sweep against Netherlands in Amstelveen and go top of the World Cup Super League in the process.Jason Roy and Jos Buttler put on an unbroken 163 for the third wicket in just 20.1 overs, with Roy reaching an 86-ball hundred – his first ODI century since the 2019 World Cup – off the final ball of the 30th over, driving Bas de Leede through mid-off for four; Buttler crunched the next ball, off Tim Pringle, over the media tent for six to seal the win.Netherlands were well-placed at 203 for 3 with a ball left in the 40th over after being asked to bat first by Buttler, deputising for the injured Eoin Morgan, but lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs and were bowled out with four deliveries unused.David Willey was the pick of the England attack with 4 for 36, returning to mop up the lower order after dismissing Vikramjit Singh for the third time in the series, and Netherlands were clearly some way short of par on a fresh, dry pitch on another beautiful day in Amsterdam’s suburbs.Scott Edwards, who has replaced the retired Pieter Seelaar as Netherlands’ captain, made his third half-century of the series while de Leede and Max O’Dowd also reached 50, but none could press on and convert their starts into something substantial.Roy was dropped twice, on 51 by Edwards off Aryan Dutt and inexplicably on 75 when Fred Klaassen, playing his first game of the series after county commitments with Kent, induced a leading edge with a slower ball but put down a straightforward caught-and-bowled chance.Paul van Meekeren, who had recovered from an ankle injury he suffered while playing for Gloucestershire, struck twice at the end of the powerplay after England had set off at a relentless pace: Phil Salt was bowled by a nip-backer for 49 off 30 balls, and Dawid Malan set up on off stump only to be bowled around his legs without scoring.But Roy and Buttler – bizarrely, batting together in an ODI for only the third time – continued to attack and flogged each of the six bowlers that the Netherlands used. Buttler took 26 from a van Meekeren over, including a merciless slog over square leg as a back-of-the-hand slower ball went wrong, but there was still time for Roy to complete his hundred.Buttler was again promoted to No. 4, a role which he seems increasingly likely to fill in the 2023 World Cup as England look to make the most of his talent, and shuffled his bowlers well in Morgan’s absence, confirming his status as the out-of-form captain’s heir apparent.After Willey had removed Singh, plinking a pull to short midwicket, David Payne, making his England debut at the age of 31, was unfortunate not to pick up an early wicket as he found some nip off the seam with the new ball. With the final ball of his third over, he induced a top-edged pull from Tom Cooper, but Liam Livingstone lost the ball in the sun and pulled out of the catch, letting it drop a few metres away from his feet.David Willey finished with 4 for 36•Getty Images

After a sedate start, the Netherlands upped the tempo to reach 47 for 1 at the end of the powerplay with Cooper, who looked increasingly fluent as his comeback series has worn on, stroking Willey for three boundaries in an over.Brydon Carse, auditioning for the Liam Plunkett role as England’s enforcer, was thrown the ball in the middle overs and stuck to his guns, continuing to bang the ball in despite being pulled for four twice in his second over. He had Cooper caught at deep backward square leg on the hook, Livingstone managing to pick the ball up through the sun thanks to a flatter trajectory.Buttler turned to spin after drinks and it was Livingstone who removed the set O’Dowd for exactly 50, the ball after he had brought up a 68-ball half-century. O’Dowd’s fifty was his second of the series and his fourth in his last five ODI innings, but he had to drag himself off after a thin edge behind while looking to rotate the strike.Edwards and de Leede had to rebuild after the loss of two set batters and the Netherlands went more than 10 overs without a boundary in the middle overs, though both batters rotated well. Edwards was dropped at fine leg by Dawid Malan when top-edging a pull off Carse, shortly after de Leede – the coming man of Dutch cricket – had brought up his maiden ODI half-century.He fell soon after, top-edging a pull off Carse to Adil Rashid who ran round from midwicket to square leg, and as the Netherlands looked for a grandstand finish, their innings unravelled: Teja Nidamanuru was sharply stumped by Buttler off Rashid, Logan van Beek chipped Willey to mid-off, and Pringle was run out after a mix-up with Edwards. Willey also removed Dutt and van Meekeren to finish the job, with Payne picking up his maiden ODI wicket when Edwards failed to pick his slower ball and miscued to mid-on.

R Ashwin points to the stand-in captain’s calming influence for giving the team stability at the MCG

Sidharth Monga30-Dec-2020A single tucked to the leg side, no raised bat or arms, no plucking of stumps, no removing the helmet, just casually walking off knocking fists with others. Looking at Ajinkya Rahane, it might seem he had won against Railways Canteen Staff XI in a weekend club game and not against the No. 1 Test side in their own backyard a week after getting rolled over for 36. And that calmness of the stand-in captain has come in for praise from coach Ravi Shastri and spin frontman R Ashwin, who played a key role in the attack in the absence of two first-choice players.Related

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• Mental strength and trust in skills help India bounce back

“I think getting bowled out for 36 was never going to be easy in a country like ours,” Ashwin told Channel 7 after the win. “We are quite a proud cricketing country and losing Virat [Kohli] as well, him going back was a bit of a setback as well. We stuck on very well.”Jinks [Rahane], Puji [Cheteshwar Pujara], myself and Jassi [Jasprit Bumrah], all of us, we got a great bonding inside the team. And Jinks’ calmness inside the dressing room really provided us that stability to go out there and express ourselves in this game, and a good first day set us on the road.”At the press conference after the eight-wicket win at MCG, Shastri was asked if he thought Rahane was more of a bowlers’ captain. “I don’t know,” Shastri said. “I am hearing it [‘bowlers’ captain’] for the first time. What is a bowling captain? There is no definition as such for that.”But he [Rahane] is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding for the game. A good reader of the game. And I thought his calm composure out there in the middle helped the debutants [Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj] as well, helped the bowlers as well. There was a calming influence out there.Virat Kohli is more expressive as captain than the quieter and calmer Ajinkya Rahane•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“In spite of losing Umesh [Yadav, who hobbled off with a calf injury in his fourth over in the second innings], he did a great job out there.”The praise didn’t come at the exclusion of the regular captain, Kohli, who left the tour for the birth of his child but followed the action and kept tweeting encouragement at the end of each day’s play. “Both are good readers of the game,” Shastri said. “Virat is very passionate. Ajinkya, on the other hand, is very calm and composed. It is their character. Virat is more in your face whilst Ajinkya is prepared to sit back in a very calm and composed manner. But deep inside he knows what he wants.”Ever since Rahane took over, he emphasised on not over-analysing the one bad hour that cost them the Test in Adelaide but focusing on repeating what they had done on the first two days of the Test, which was to bat as well as they could and then stifle Australia with their tight lines and lengths.”We decided there is no point thinking about Adelaide,” Rahane told Sony Sports Network. “Just one bad hour and we lost the game but before that first two days were really good. We bowled well and batted well as well. But it was all about coming into the Test match with that intent, with that attitude on the field. Collective effort from each and every individual. That was the message from me and Ravi . That’s what we decided.”

Opener ends the day unbeaten on 125 as England move to within touching distance of taking the lead

The Report by Andrew McGlashan02-Aug-2019It didn’t quite have the backstory of Steven Smith’s century, but for the second day running the opening Ashes Test witnessed a hugely significant hundred as Rory Burns showed tremendous resilience to score his first for England. He finished unbeaten on 125, forming a substantial partnership with Joe Root of 132 and another steadying stand with Ben Stokes, which carried England to 267 for 4 and within sight of what could be a critical lead.Burns endured a lean Test against Ireland last week with twin scores of 6, his technique, which is unorthodox anyway, appearing out of sync. Before that his Test experience was six games overseas against Sri Lanka and West Indies on tough surfaces, but already the pressure was growing. However, plenty of work between matches and the mental strength that he is renowned for by those who know him well brought rich dividends in what has been a hugely troublesome spot for England.If Australia had reviewed an lbw appeal against Nathan Lyon he would have gone for 22 and if Usman Khawaja had produced a direct hit he was short on 75. Then he spent more than half an hour in the 90s and sweated nine balls on 99 before scampering a single to mid-on from his 224th delivery. Burns celebrated as soon as he crossed the crease, but had to wait a few moments for the official verdict as it went to third umpire. All was fine and he could soak up the applause of a raucous Edgbaston crowd. Given the emotion of the moment, it was to his immense credit that he kept his focus throughout the rest of the day.Australia started the day well, picking up the early success of Jason Roy – James Pattinson’s first Test wicket for three-and-a-half years – and hit back strongly after tea when a ball change produced one which swung significantly to dent the middle order. They didn’t have much luck, either, regularly beating the bat or finding the inside edge, but a long day in the field early in the series will fuel the debate about the balance of the side, particularly with Pattinson managed in reasonably short spells. There was considerable help for Nathan Lyon, to suggest batting last will be tough, so it will have been a disappointment that he went wicketless through 28 overs.After facing a couple of overs on the first evening, in the aftermath of Smith’s astonishing innings, Burns and Roy resumed in slightly less febrile conditions – if facing Pattinson and Pat Cummins can be put in such terms. Roy fell in the sixth over of the morning, edging Pattinson low to Smith at second slip, but that would be Australia’s only success for the first half of the day.In contrast to the often frenetic nature of England’s Test batting, Burns and Root bided their time during an opening session that brought 61 runs in 27 overs. Lyon’s first delivery of the day forced people to sit up and take notice as it spun back sharply to nearly take Root’s off stump. Root also had an extraordinary left-off on 9 when he was given caught behind against Pattinson – Joel Wilson going by a woody click – only for replays to show the ball had clipped off stump but not dislodged the bail.It took Root 70 balls to score his first boundary – he had also been saved by the DRS when given lbw on 12 despite a thin inside edge – but his and England’s rate lifted during the afternoon. Burns kept Australia’s slip cordon interested with a collection of edges along the ground and in the air which eventually persuaded Tim Paine to plug the gap and go without a fine leg for a brief period, but also drove strongly and nudged through his favoured on side.Just when Australia were beginning to look flat, Root bunted a return to catch Peter Siddle who stuck out his right hand. Having converted fifties into hundreds against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies this was a missed opportunity for the captain. He thumbed the staircase of the dressing room in frustration.Either side of tea Joe Denly produced a couple of pleasing drives, but at the end of the 60th over the umpires changed the ball and the first delivery with the replacement – albeit a big full toss – swung miles for Pattinson. Suddenly he and Cummins had a spring in their step. Denly was trapped lbw by a full delivery and Jos Buttler squared up by Cummins, sending a low catch to third slip, as England lost 3 for 40. The latter two fell with Burns stuck in the 90s, his scoring dried up as Australia pushed the ball outside off coupled with the pressure of the looming milestone.With the century bagged, and having focused on not giving things away to the part-time offerings of Matthew Wade and Travis Head, attention turned to seeing off the second new ball. Stokes was one of the players to miss the Ireland Test but looked to have brought his World Cup batting form with him. The strains of the day showed with Cummins and Pattinson given just two overs apiece with the new ball in the final half hour. They will need to be refreshed in the morning if Australia are to keep any deficit to acceptable levels.

Meanwhile, Titan Law, the firm that represents the Zimbabwe players, says it has resurrected the players’ association that was disbanded in 2015

Firdose Moonda15-Jun-2018Zimbabwe Cricket have undertaken to pay all outstanding salaries of players by July 25, a month after the players’ deadline.The players threatened to “review their availability for selection” if their initial deadline wasn’t met, which threatens to derail next month’s T20 triangular series involving Australia and Pakistan. The series is slated to be held between June 28 to July 8 in Bulawayo and Harare.In a letter addressed to the players, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, newly-appointed ZC consultant Vince van der Bijl has reiterated the board’s commitment to “pay all outstanding monies up to your June salary by 25 July and July salary by end of July.”The letter also states the timeline is “conservative” and that ZC are “hopeful” of making payments sooner. The board is also hopeful of paying the Sri Lanka tour fees by end of June. ZC is expected to receive their next payout from the ICC in July.Despite the assurances, ESPNcricinfo has learnt that a section of the players are unhappy with the proposed plans and consider it to be “unacceptable”.In a separate statement, Titan Law, the firm that represents the Zimbabwe players, confirmed that they had resurrected the players’ association that was disbanded in 2015. The body formed on June 1 is likely to seek affiliation from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).

It was just after tea when the question arose in the Edgbaston press box: ‘Has any side ever lost their first three Championship games in a season by an innings?’

George Dobell at Edgbaston22-Apr-2017
ScorecardIt was just after tea when the question arose in the Edgbaston press box: ‘Has any side ever lost their first three Championship games in a season by an innings?’Whether they have or not*, the fact that the question came up provides a fair reflection of the mood around Warwickshire at present. Kumar Sangakkara had just reached his 50 with a pull so dismissive you half expected him to ruffle the bowler’s hair and ask him what he wanted to be when he grew-up and Mark Stoneman had just reached his second Championship century against Warwickshire this season. Warwickshire still had a first innings lead of almost 100 but the sense persisted that, if Surrey decided to make pelts from the Warwickshire players before the end of this match, there wasn’t much to stop them.In the grand scheme of things, the Warwickshire performances this season don’t even register in a ‘top 10’ of their shockers of the last 20 years or so. And, in a way, that is more of a worry. Because it’s not that they’re playing that badly. They’re just up against sides that are substantially better than them.The second day here exemplified it. Presented with a flat pitch and a strong batting line-up, Warwickshire’s bowlers might have been a fraction tighter. But, basically, they put the ball in pretty good areas, they showed their variations and they demonstrated their heart. But they lacked the pace, the skill or the assistance to break through against a strong side and might reflect that, playing against Sangakkara with one boundary as short as this is like covering yourself in bacon and going to pet a tiger.The truth is, Warwickshire failed to make use of a good batting surface in their first innings. While they undoubtedly had the more testing conditions on the first day, it is worth remembering that they were 126 without loss at one stage. And it’s worth remembering, too, that they were 290 for 4 when Surrey took the second new ball. The final six wickets added only 42 and that included a tenth-wicket stand of 28.Why? Because Surrey’s bowlers – younger, hungrier and yes, a bit quicker – gained a little bit more from the surface and in the air. And Warwickshire’s batsmen, all too often crease-bound and flirty, were not equal to it. Surrey will bowl much better than this in much more helpful conditions.Perhaps Warwickshire were a bit unfortunate. The weather was substantially brighter on the second day and there was no need for floodlights. But by losing their final seven wickets for 69, they pretty much forfeited the opportunity to bat in such conditions. Besides, they still had four wickets in hand when they resumed on Saturday.Most of all, they were unfortunate to come up against two fine batsmen. Stoneman, who has now scored three centuries in his last five Championship innings (he finished his Durham career with one against Hampshire), looked terrific. Having made 165 against Warwickshire on his Championship debut for the club a couple of weeks ago, he dealt with Keith Barker’s swing expertly and looks hungry to ensure this move to Surrey brings the rewards he wants. That career average – in the low 30s – is no reflection of his class.Maybe, on another day, he might have been dismissed without scoring. Certainly his first scoring stroke was his least convincing with Ateeq Javid, at point, flinging himself to his right but finding the sliced drive just out of reach, while later, on 83, William Porterfield at gully should have held on to a sharp chance offered off the admirably persistent Chris Wright.Those moments apart, he looked wonderfully solid and unhurried. He played within himself and, when the bowlers strayed, either picked them off with deflections – he took 18 off one Barker over without needing to play a shot in anger – or cut or drove without fuss or trouble. He added 116 with Scott Borthwick, the pair of them running so fast that it proved impossible for Warwickshire to stem the flow, and then 140 with Sangakkara. It was some surprise when he was adjudged to be leg before and not just because it seemed a little high.As for Sangakkara… to see him skip down the pitch and thread his drive off Jeetan Patel between the fielders in the covers; to see him pull and upper cut sixes when the seamers dropped short; to see him somehow cut Patel behind square so that the ball gained speed as it split the field… however many times you’ve seen him bat, however many centuries you’ve seen and whatever you think of the standard of county cricket, it was refreshing, it was classy, it was beautiful. If you’re in the Edgbaston area on Sunday – hell, if you’re anywhere near the Midlands – it may be worth coming to witness him reaching the 58th first-class century of his career. There won’t be too many opportunities and they really don’t come along like this very often.Not that Warwickshire will be thinking in those terms. They have to believe they can turn around this match – they do still lead by 33, after all – and this season. We’re not even in the last week of April. The sense from those watching, though, is that while they may not have sunk yet, they have struck the iceberg.*Admit it, you were wondering about sides which had started the season with a hat-trick of innings losses, weren’t you? Well, thanks to statistician Andrew Samson we know that Somerset (in 1899) and Glamorgan (in 1922) both lost their first four Championship matches in a season by an innings. But no team has ever lost three by an innings before the end of April. Warwickshire supporters will be hoping they are not on the cusp of history.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy has backed his batting line-up to come good in support of their star man, opener Chris Gayle

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai15-Mar-2016Chris Gayle. Destructive. Chris Gayle. Massive. Chris Gayle. Best T20 batsman. Right from the time West Indies arrived in India, Darren Sammy has summoned courage from these words, even using them as incantations to rouse confidence.Unlike some captains who prefer not to talk up their gun player – as much to not add to the pressure as not wanting to jinx him – Sammy has no problem harking back to Gayle every time. Wobbly middle-order? There’s Gayle to make up for it. Areas of concern? There are some… but then we have Gayle.Sammy is confident it won’t overwhelm Gayle. “There is never too much pressure on Chris.” Sammy is probably right. Evidence of that, if you need it, can be seen at West Indies’ practice. Gayle ambles to the nets, pats a few balls, misses some and in due course larrups successive deliveries into the vacant stands over deep midwicket. The routine plays out on loop for some time before Gayle has a seat in the shade.

‘We support Russell’ – Sammy

West Indies captain Darren Sammy has thrown his weight behind allrounder Andre Russell, who faces the possibility of a lengthy ban for committing an “anti-doping whereabouts violation”, according to the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission. Russell reportedly missed three tests in a 12-month period, which equates to a failed test under doping laws, and could face a possible two-year ban if found guilty.
“We always have setbacks. We thrive on things like that to use that as motivation to go out and play well,” Sammy said. “When we especially play well, no other team can match it. The vibes we bring, and we as a team have supported Russell. We are confident he will be taking part in the full tournament and having an impact like he has done in all the four tournaments he has played around the world.”
Russell, who can continue to play while his case is investigated, has been in good bowling form lately and finished as the highest wicket-taker in the Pakistan Super League.

As the sun begins to set he is messing with a media person from the ICC who is interviewing with him. Gayle has taken a liking for his interviewer’s fancy camera and is fiddling with it. It is the media guy’s turn to be asked a question: “Which team are you supporting?” When the answer isn’t West Indies Gayle mock threatens to take his camera away. All in a day’s work.Watching Gayle go about his thing it is hard to imagine a team beset with off-field worries. Equally hard is getting your head round the fact that here is a team preparing for its opening game in the World T20. Gayle’s statesmanlike presence – not that he lugs such baggage around – in a young, exuberant side hits home only when you notice the smattering of grey on his beard”Whichever dressing room Chris Gayle is in, because he such a destructive figure – there always seems to be pressure on him to perform,” Sammy said. “But Chris is just gearing up to do what Chris has done throughout his T20 career. That’s why he is the leading run-scorer in T20s and has, I think, 12 or 13 hundreds [16] and the next person has seven or six.”What is also hard to overlook, however, is how the batsmen that follow Gayle have fared. In West Indies’ warm-up game against India, the middle-order froze against the spinners after Gayle was dismissed for 20 off 11 balls. In their second warm-up game against Australia, they were spiralling downwards at 72 for 6 in a chase of 162 before Sammy manufactured a heist. The likes of Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin did better in their four practice matches in the UAE recently but there are question marks over how consistently they can notch up such performances, especially against spin in the middle stages.Sammy, though, vouches for his senior players, and feels Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali won’t be hard to counter on a surface more hospitable to seam bowling.”If you look at our middle, where you have potentially Marlon [Samuels], Bravo, Ramdin, [Andre] Russell at six. Bravo is one of the most experienced as he has been playing in these conditions,” he said. “Wankhede is a more seamer-friendly track; the games that have been played at the IPL tell you that.”You have Bravo, Russell, Sammy, Jason [Holder], Carlos Braithwaite… that’s a lot of power, so the key for us is each player accepting their own personal role in the team and be responsible and not leaving it for any one person.”Darren Sammy’s hitting rescued West Indies in their warm-up game with Australia•AFP

Sammy cited the Australia game as an example of West Indies becoming more efficient in finishing games. While Sammy ransacked an unbeaten 50 off 28 balls, Braithwaite blasted 33 off 14 and Russell 29 off 15 as they reached their target with a ball to spare. Sammy feels that a robust lower order has ensured his team remained unfazed by tall scores or dire situations. He may not admit to it but they have also covered for the batsmen higher up a little too often, maybe, for West Indies’ comfort.”Playing T20 all over, you gain experience,” Sammy said. “I am 32 years old and I have gained a lot of experience playing and being in the situation, especially batting at six or seven, most of the times you will get maximum eight overs unless the team really collapses.”So I have developed a formula for my game. I have watched [MS] Dhoni do it all the time, just take the game all the way down to the last over, give yourself the best chance. As a captain, that lower order of ours always makes me smile. Russell, the last three tournaments he has played, he has been MVP. You have the young and exciting Carlos, and myself. That game against Australia gave us more belief that from whatever position we are, the job could be done.”At the end of a long training session, though, there were other things to be worried about. Gayle and Bravo were curious to know if a full house would turn up at the Wankhede on Wednesday night. The West Indies are ready to put on a show.

Durham struck a significant blow in the Championship title race by inflicting only a second defeat in 31 matches upon Yorkshire

Graham Hardcastle at North Marine Road31-Aug-2013
ScorecardScott Borthwick played a key role with bat and ball on the final day•Getty Images

Durham struck a significant blow in the Championship title race by inflicting only a second defeat in 31 matches upon Yorkshire. A second batting collapse in two days cost the league leaders, who are just five and a half points ahead with three games to play. With Durham having four to play, they are the ones in pole position to clinch a third title in six seasons.Anything other than a draw seemed a long shot this morning with Yorkshire in a position of great strength at 276 for 1 in their second innings despite having been asked to follow-on 299 runs adrift.Yorkshire were even thinking about pressing for a most unlikely win themselves given a good first session and a half of batting. What followed was quite the opposite to leave their visitors chasing 121 in a minimum of 37 overs after tea for a maximum 24-point haul and a second successive triumph.Ben Stokes, excellent throughout this match ahead of his commitments in England one-day colours next week, picked up the key early scalps of Kane Williamson for 97 and Phil Jaques for 152 before Scott Borthwick’s leg-spin later wrapped up the innings for 419 with the last three wickets.Borthwick then passed 50 for the seventh time this season, hitting 65 off 85 balls, with a great deal of gusto as Yorkshire’s inconsistent attack forlornly searched for a way back.Durham’s game in hand is against Sussex at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, and a jubilant captain Paul Collingwood admitted: “It couldn’t have gone any better. Hats off to everyone who keeps on putting big performances in. I have to keep pinching myself when I’ve come off after winning a game like that.”The boys just keep doing it at the right time. I sound like a broken record, but whenever there’s a chance to win the game the boys put in big performances.”The way the boys came out in that first innings to bowl them out for 270 on a wicket like that and an outfield like that – it was like a billiard table out there – was pretty much the reason we won the game.”The loss of Williamson and Jaques, caught at gully and behind respectively, and Jonny Bairstow during the morning meant Yorkshire were only 52 runs ahead with five wickets in hand at lunch. They were three of four wickets to fall after a loss of seven for 63 had hurt them in the first innings during yesterday’s third morning.Wickets continued to tumble after lunch. Adil Rashid was caught at mid-on off Chris Rushworth from the first ball of the session before Gary Ballance departed caught behind off Stokes. At that stage, the writing was on the wall. Liam Plunkett’s 42 against his old county delayed the expected before Borthwick wrapped up Yorkshire innings having gone 35 overs wicketless.With a session to save themselves, Yorkshire made the perfect start with the ball after tea through Ryan Sidebottom, who had first innings centurion Mark Stoneman caught at third slip for a golden duck off the first ball of the innings.Yorkshire’s seamers bowled well without luck with the new ball. There were a number of lbw appeals, a few beat the outside edge and Keaton Jennings was dropped by Ballance in the slips. But Borthwick took advantage of the hosts’ desperate need for wickets with 12 fours and a six.Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie was magnanimous in defeat. “We were thoroughly outplayed in all departments. It’s a disappointing loss,” he said. “Full credit to Durham. The pressure situations, they handled them better than us.”If you play better cricket than the opposition over four days, you’ll generally come out on top. That’s what happened here. We believe that we’re a strong side, so we’ll dust ourselves off and meet our next challenge head on.” That comes against Sussex at Hove a week on Wednesday.

Andrew Strauss has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a 10-year career at international level for the last three of which he was England’s Test captain

Andrew McGlashan29-Aug-2012Andrew Strauss has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a 10-year career at international level, the last three of which he was England’s Test captain. Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, will take on the Test job.His decision comes after a week of soul-searching during a family break following the 2-0 loss against South Africa which meant England lost the No. 1 Test ranking and also comes at a time when Kevin Pietersen’s exile from the team has dominated the agenda.Strauss played down the significance of the current Pietersen situation in his decision saying it “was not a factor at all” and retiring was on his mind before the series against South Africa started. He did, though, admit that his lack of runs had played a major part.Strauss’ decision ends a career that began in 1997, an international career that started in 2003 and captaincy reign that began early in 2009 in the wake of the Pietersen-Peter Moores fall out.”After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket,” Strauss said. “It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.”There are too many people who have helped me on this incredible journey to mention them all by name, but I would like to thank all the Middlesex and England players I have played alongside, as well as the phenomenal coaches and support staff with whom I have been fortunate enough to work.”Particular mention has to go to Andy Flower and Duncan Fletcher in that regard. It would also be remiss of me not to thank Middlesex, the ECB and the PCA for their support and guidance over the years.”No one can play international cricket for any length of time without having an incredibly strong support network around them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for going through it all alongside me over the course of my England career.”I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket’s greatest moments have occurred. I have loved every minute of it. All that remains is for me to wish Andy, Alastair and the rest of the team the very best for the coming months. I will be an interested spectator.”Strauss, 35, played his 100th Test at Lord’s against South Africa and after the loss he said he still had “a lot of desire” but did not categorically declare his intention to continue leading the side. Strauss said at the time he was keen to take a break and then discuss the future with the coach Andy Flower.ESPNcricinfo were the first to suggest immediately after the Test that perhaps Strauss was
considering resignation.The South African series was a difficult one for Strauss, who not only had to deal with the ongoing Pietersen saga but also his own struggle for runs – his best score during the three Tests was 37. Cook, who took on the ODI captaincy last year, will now step into the Test role and will start with the tour of India later this year.Cook said: “Andrew’s contribution to England cricket in recent years is evident to everyone who follows the sport but only those of us who have been lucky enough to share a dressing room with him are fully aware of his immense contribution to our success.”He has been a fantastic captain, has led from the front for three and a half years and is a true ambassador for the game. To have played 100 Tests for your country is a phenomenal achievement and I want to congratulate him on a superb career. I know this can’t have been an easy decision for him and everyone in the dressing room will be sad to see him go.”I’m very excited by this new challenge, it is a huge honour to be appointed Test captain and am very much looking forward to captaining the side in India this winter and beyond, but my immediate focus is on this current NatWest one-day series. Once the series is over I will turn my attention to the Test captaincy and building on the work Andrew has started.”David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said: “On behalf of the ECB and everyone involved in cricket I’d like to thank Andrew Strauss for his outstanding contribution to the game.”Andrew has been a highly successful captain and opening batsman for Middlesex and England, who will be remembered for leading the side to two Ashes victories and to the top of the Test rankings. He has shown tremendous integrity, dedication and commitment both on and off the field and under his leadership the side has grown immeasurably and reached new levels of professionalism.”Andrew’s calmness and authority when dealing with some of the most difficult moments in our sport in recent times should be applauded and I have no doubt that his contribution as an ambassador for the game will be recognised by anyone who has had an opportunity to spend time with him. His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come and we now need to continue to build on the progress we have made under his leadership.”Strauss made his debut for England in 2004, scoring a century against New Zealand at Lord’s in a performance that was enough to push former captain Nasser Hussain into retirement, and his most recent Test against South Africa was his 100th Test. When talking recently to mark the occasion he spoke about his desire to continue but events of recent weeks, including the controversy surrounding Pietersen, appear to have changed his mind.As captain, Strauss led England to new heights, including back-to-back Ashes triumphs in 2009 and 2010-11 plus the No.1 Test ranking which they held for a year before losing the series against South Africa. That was the first home Test series England had lost under Strauss’ leadership and just the third of his entire stint.However, the runs had largely dried up for Strauss in recent years. The two hundreds he scored against West Indies earlier this season hinted that he could recapture some of his best form but reality hit home against South Africa when he scored 107 runs in six innings. Having started his time as captain with three hundreds against West Indies in 2009 he managed just four more. He will finish with 21 Test centuries, one behind the England record held by Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond.In his 100 Tests Strauss has scored 7037 runs at 40.91 and in the 50 Tests he captained (which included four before being appointed fulltime captian, against Pakistan in 2006) he won 24 of them.Strauss is the third England captain to resign either during or after a series against a South Africa side led by Graeme Smith. Hussain stood down early in the 2003 series and Michael Vaughan ended his time as captain after South Africa won the 2008 series with victory at Edgbaston.

Murray Goodwin made the second Twenty20 hundred of his Sussex career to help his side reach the quarter-finals for the third successive year

15-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Murray Goodwin made the second Twenty20 hundred of his Sussex career to help
his side reach the quarter-finals for the third successive year. Goodwin scored an unbeaten 100 off 59 balls as the Sharks, after scoring 178 for 8, beat Surrey Lions by 11 runs in front of a 6,500 sell-out crowd at Hove to secure a last-eight home tie against Lancashire Lightning.The 38-year-old struggled physically and needed his inhaler at one stage after suffering from breathlessness. He barely had the strength to raise his bat to the crowd when he reached his
hundred off the third ball of the last over but his stroke-play and placement were outstanding.Goodwin had to lead a rebuilding job after Sussex lost Luke Wright and Lou Vincent in the second over of this Friends Life t20 clash. Sussex were a modest 20 for 2 after four but Goodwin cut loose by taking 17 off the fifth over from Stuart Meaker.Goodwin added 76 from 49 balls for the third wicket with Matt Prior and even when the England Test wicketkeeper holed out in the 10th over for 26 Sussex were able to maintain momentum as Chris Nash and Goodwin added a further 42 from 26 balls. Sussex lost some impetus towards the end of their innings when four wickets fell in the space of seven balls, but their total always looked competitive on a sluggish, two-paced pitch.Not surprisingly, Goodwin did not field during the Surrey innings and the visitors looked to be in charge as openers Jason Roy and Steven Davies launched their reply with 75 in eight overs.
However, Sussex had the happy knack of taking wickets at important times, with Roy holing out shortly after reaching 50 from 42 balls – striking four boundaries and two sixes in the process – while Nash picked up Zander De Bruyn (16) on the long-on boundary in his solitary over.Surrey might still have fancied their chances of scoring 40 off the last four overs with seven wickets in hand, but Sussex’s leading wicket-taker Chris Liddle picked up three wickets in two overs including former team-mate Rory Hamilton-Brown.Surrey needed 27 off the last over and although Tom Maynard hit 14 off the first three balls from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistani foxed him with his slower ball and Sussex were on their way to a home tie against Lancashire.

United States of America thrashed Tanzania by 10 wickets in their ICC World Cricket League Division Four match, reaching the target of 129 in 12.4 overs

Cricinfo staff15-Aug-2010United States of America thrashed Tanzania by 10 wickets in their ICC World Cricket League Division Four match in Navile, reaching the target of 129 in only 12.4 overs.USA openers Sushil Nadkarni and Orlando Baker hammered the Tanzania bowlers all around the park on their way to unbeaten half-centuries. Nadkarni hit three fours and eight sixes in his 68 off 31 deliveries while Baker hit seven boundaries and four sixes in his 63 off 44. Tanzania offspinner Kassim Nassoro went for 47 runs in his three overs.Nassoro was earlier responsible for his team getting to three figures, after they were reduced to 63 for 8 at one stage, USA offspinner Muhammad Ghous being the chief destroyer with figures of 10-2-15-4. Nassoro resisted with an unbeaten 49 off 37 deliveries hitting five fours and three sixes. However, fast bowler Adrian Gordon took the remaining two Tanzanian wickets to finish with 3 for 21 off 8.1 overs.In Pianoro, Nepal won a low-scoring game by five wickets, chasing down the target of 72 in 25 overs.Electing to field, Nepal put in a disciplined bowling effort to dismiss Italy for a paltry 71. Amrit Bhattarai took 3 for 8 off 6.1 overs. Three other Nepal bowlers took two wickets each as six Italy batsmen failed to reach double figures.The Nepal chase had its share of hiccups, with the score reading 55 for 5 at one stage. However, Mahaboob Alam kept his cool to steer Nepal home.The game between Argentina and Cayman Islands was abandoned without a ball being bowled. It will be replayed on Monday.