The broadcaster has claimed that starting the BBL in the state was “commercially irrational”

Daniel Brettig02-Dec-2020Tasmania’s state government has emphatically denied allegations from Channel Seven that it provided financial inducement for Cricket Australia to play the opening rounds of the BBL in a hub in the island state.In an affidavit lodged with the Australian Federal Court on Monday, Seven’s head of sport Lewis Martin sought to outline the network’s claims that CA has breached its broadcast contract by not prioritising the broadcaster’s interests at every turn of a year that has been overturned in planning terms by Covid-19.Among the claims was that CA had scheduled the opening matches of the BBL in Tasmania, a decision Martin described as “commercially irrational unless CA were otherwise incentivised, presumably by arrangement with the government of Tasmania, to do so”.ALSO READ: Seven sues CA for not being centre of cricket universeCA has stated that commencing the BBL in Tasmania gave it far greater flexibility to travel elsewhere once the tournament gets underway, due to the state’s low instances of Covid-19 and low risk status with other state health authorities as a result.”It appears to me that CA’s scheduling decisions may have been motivated by CA’s broader interests in relation to the BCCI, Foxtel and also a positive incentive given to CA by the State of Tasmania,” Martin wrote. “If my belief is well-founded I expect that Seven’s damages claim may be for many millions of dollars given the significance of cricket coverage to Seven’s advertising revenue and the magnitude of the scheduling changes made by CA.”The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, was quick to respond to the allegations on Tuesday night. “The Government welcomes the BBL games being played in Tasmania, in view of the COVID-safe nature of our state and to provide opportunities for Tasmanians to experience world-class cricket. We are thrilled to host the 10 world-class games, which is a huge win for Tasmanians and puts our state on a global stage,” he said in a statement.”The Tasmanian Government continues to provide funding to Cricket Tasmania to support cricket development and the hosting of Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League matches in the state, but there were no incentive payments made.”Andrew Gaggin, the long-serving Cricket Tasmania chairman, followed up on Wednesday, referring to Seven’s allegations as “Trump-like” in their distortion. “The Trump-like allegations concerning the Tasmanian State Government are patently absurd and untrue,” Gaggin said. “The Tasmanian Government has certainly provided an incentive. Its proactive and responsible Covid-19 policies have ensured that Tasmania is one of the world’s safest places and the perfect location to host the start of the Big Bash.”However, let it be clear that no financial incentive was provided by the Tasmanian Government to Cricket Australia for BBL matches to be played in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Government continues to be a great supporter of all cricket in Tasmania.”Tasmania has long been the grassroots champion of Australian cricket, having provided a host of great players and the current Test captain. It is pleasing that Cricket Australia has acknowledged this and we look forward to an amazing start to the tournament.”Cricket Tasmania is an equal owner of Australian cricket and will continue to push for world class content to be played in this State. Tasmania has successfully hosted international cricket for over 30 years and will continue to do so.”

Pucovski “not just in good form, he’s in great form,” says selector Trevor Hohns

Andrew McGlashan12-Nov-2020David Warner will be sounded out about his opening partner for the Test series against India, but national selector Trevor Hohns has no doubt that Will Pucovski would be ready for the role despite just two matches in that position in first-class cricket.Those two games have, of course, brought the small matter of two double-centuries – 255 not out and 202 – in recent weeks which have propelled Pucovski to the brink of a Test debut.The big decision for the selectors is whether he now replaces the incumbent Joe Burns, who was part of the side all last summer and has a good partnership record alongside Warner: the pair averages 50.55 from 27 innings opening the batting.ALSO READ: Will Pucovski, Cameron Green and Sean Abbott named in Australia’s Test squad“Of course we talk to David, he’s a very senior player, he’s very experienced and it’s important he’s comfortable as well, provided we are, of course, with the person he opens with,” Hohns said. “It goes a long way in forming an opening partnership. You have to be comfortable with your partner and we certainly do consult players on such issues.”While insisting that the decision between Burns and Pucovski still had to be made – with the Australia A matches shaping as the deciders – Hohns was confident that from both a technical point and regarding his mental wellbeing Pucovski was ready for Test cricket.David Warner congratulates Joe Burns on his fifty•Getty Images

“Will’s in fantastic form. He’s not just in good form, he’s in great form. I think that’s undeniable,” he said. As far as Will goes, and that goes with all our players, we check their health and wellbeing. Not just Will but all of our players. Will’s good to go.”He has the game to handle that [opening] as we’ve seen already. Okay it’s only a couple of games but prior to that he’s been batting at No. 3, he certainly has the technique to handle the opening position if required.”One of the other questions facing the selectors is how to manage the all-format players through the six limited-overs matches which start the tour at the end of November. It is expected that those returning from the IPL – especially Warner, Steven Smith and Pat Cummins – may be rested at some point, but Hohns conceded there was a balancing act to appease broadcasters.”We’re currently working through that right now and waiting for the IPL players in particular to return home,” he said. “We are working on that at the moment in the background and, of course, we have to take into account the broadcasters and make sure if we are going to give a player a break or players a break, they’re not all missing from the one game.”While the majority of Australia’s Test squad have been part of the Sheffield Shield hub in Adelaide this week, those returning from the IPL will not have any long-form cricket before the Test series and instead will prepare with nets in Adelaide while the second Australia A game is going on in Sydney.

Plunket Shield at start of the season was “great for the guys to get into that mode of the longer form”, says Latham

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2020After their thumping 2-0 series sweep over West Indies, New Zealand have strengthened their chances of making to the final of the World Test Championship. But while Tom Latham, who captained them in the second Test in the absence of Kane Williamson, is excited about that “possibility”, he wants the side to look too far ahead and focus on the upcoming Pakistan series – which begins on Friday with three T20Is, followed by two Tests – instead.New Zealand (62.5%) are currently third on the WTC points table – behind Australia (82.2%) and India (75.0%). If they beat Pakistan by 2-0 as well, they will be pushing India to face favourites Australia at Lord’s next year. What has worked in New Zealand’s favour is they play Pakistan at home as well, and wouldn’t be travelling to Bangladesh anymore due to the Covid-19-enforced schedule rejig.Related

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“I guess that’s the way with the schedule of the Test Championship at the moment,” Latham said after the win in the second Test against West Indies. “In our conditions, we certainly know how to play in these conditions which is great. Whatever team we face with, we are certainly willing to learn on the back of previous performances. Looking forward to Pakistan in a week’s time – a new opposition, different challenges, so it’s important to adapt.”At the moment, we will enjoy this victory and then we will shift [focus] to Pakistan. I think the beauty of this group is we focus on each game at a time, each series at a time. When you look too far ahead, sometimes you can get caught a little bit. So our focus will shift to Pakistan and then whatever happens post that, then we will access. The goal at the start of the Test Championship was to get to the final, and if we play well and give ourselves a chance, that may be a possibility.”Just like coach Gary Stead did after the first Test, Latham called the side’s performance “clinical” as New Zealand wrapped up the second Test on the fourth morning to register their second successive innings victory. He also said that playing Plunket Shield at the start of the domestic season helped the players to get into the groove for Test cricket.”Clinical is probably the word to use again, I think,” Latham said. “The way we were able to set the game up here, in the Wellington with the bat, on the back of Henry’s [Nicholls] innings was outstanding. Put in to bat first, putting up 460 on the board was outstanding. We talk about from the batting point of view is that your first innings score is a big one and in these conditions, to put a score like that on the board was great and on the back of that, we were able to do the job with the ball. To put in a team to bat twice in two Test matches was not going to be easy for the bowlers in terms of the demands on their body but they kept coming time and time again and did the job with the ball yesterday and today, which was outstanding. So yeah, I think clinical is probably a good word to use.Kyle Jamieson celebrates after taking a wicket•Getty Images

“I think we are lucky we start our first-class season with four rounds of Plunket Shield, which is great for the guys to get into that mode of the longer form of the game. A fine testament to the guys who came back from the IPL, the way they were able to quickly adapt to this format. I think nowadays in international cricket, you need the ability to adapt as quickly as possible whatever that format may be. The way they were able to adapt to this format was great. The guys will shift quickly to T20s in a few days’ time and then we will have to shift back to the red-ball stuff. So, yeah, the ability to shift back and forth is vitally important in international cricket nowadays.”In both Tests, New Zealand went in with a four-pronged pace attack with Kyle Jamieson joining the tried-and-tested trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. Jamieson finished the series as the second-highest wicket-taker with 11 strikes from two outings. In the first Test, he also scored his maiden Test half-century. His all-round performance meant he was named Player of the Series.”His contribution was outstanding,” Latham said. “In the short Test career he has had so far, he has come and had success straightaway. He is a guy who is always willing to learn, always willing to pick the brains of other guys in the group, which is outstanding. And to continuously learn and to come back this year with a few new skills is a testament to himself and he thoroughly deserves to be the Player of the Series.”I think his record probably says it [that he is an allrounder] and if he is able to do that with ball and bat which is great for our side. He has obviously done it with the ball initially, and then the performance he put on with the bat in the first Test was great and for us, if we are able to have contributions down the order, as many as possible, that’s obviously great. As I said, he is a guy who is willing to learn, willing to put in the yards in the training and I am sure he will keep continuing to work hard on that aspect of his game too.”

Captain hails team’s ability to overcome adversity after hard-fought 2-0 win

George Dobell25-Jan-2021Joe Root believes England will go into their series against India with “a huge amount of confidence” after completing victory in Sri Lanka.England’s six-wicket win in Galle represented their fifth successive Test victory both overseas and in Asia. And while Root, England’s captain, admitted his side’s preparations for the India series were not ideal, he felt their experiences in Sri Lanka held them in “good stead” as they go into it.India have not lost a Test series at home since England’s victorious campaign in 2012-13 – indeed, they have only lost once at home since the end of 2004 – and, despite a host of absences, recently completed a series victory in Australia. On England’s most recent visit in late 2016, Virat Kohli’s men exacted revenge for that previous loss with a 4-0 victory.But Root feels the character England have shown in adversity and the experience they have gained means they “couldn’t be in a better place” to take on such a challenge.”What we have got is a huge amount of confidence coming out of these two games,” Root said. “We’ve had to manage different situations and all of that will stand us in really good stead.”Now we’ve got four very important games against arguably the best team in the world in their own conditions. We’ll have to play right at the top of our game to win out there. But we couldn’t be in a better place to go and challenge them.”England overcame far-from-ideal preparation – including Moeen Ali’s pre-series Covid diagnosis and subsequent isolation, as well as rain during their intra-squad warm-up game – to prevail in Sri Lanka and Root knows they will have to do show similar “resilience” in India. They will arrive on Wednesday and spend six days in quarantine before they have just three days of training ahead of the first Test.James Anderson’s penetration in tricky seaming conditions was a big plus for England•SLC

“It’s going to be strange,” Root admitted. “We’ve got to be quite realistic: we are going to have seven or eight days with no cricket now with six days in quarantine. Then we will have three very important days of preparation ahead of the series.”We had a lot of things out of our favour [in Sri Lanka]. We lost the toss in both games and we managed to find a way in very difficult conditions with very little build-up to the series. In the past, we’ve been guilty of being slow starters, whether it be home or away. So for us to start as well as that was very pleasing, but also to keep growing as a team and improving throughout the two games is quite impressive.”Although Root himself was England’s stand-out performer with two big hundreds and 426 runs in the series all told, a range of different players produced telling moments with bat and ball – including Stuart Broad and James Anderson with their incisive, economical seam bowling; the spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess who picked up 22 wickets between them despite rarely being at their best, and a pair of junior batsman, Dan Lawrence and Dom Sibley, with a crucial half-century in each Test.Related

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“The most impressive thing this week was that, for a large proportion of the second Test, we were behind the game,” Root said. “For our seamers to be effective as they were on that wicket shows the improvement we have made in taking wickets in these conditions. We’ve struggled with that in the past.”More than anything, it was impressive the way we dealt with pressure on the last day, both in the field and with the bat. For our spinners to restrict them to a total we could chase down was a brilliant effort.”And then for our batters to stay as calm and as poised as they did and that partnership [of 75, between Sibley and Jos Buttler] towards the end was really impressive. It’s probably one of the hardest things to manage in this part of the world.”But Root is realistic that India will be another set-up for his improving team, as they build towards the first Test in Chennai on February 5.”Now the challenge is to replicate that over and over again as a team,” he said. “We have to look at this as a platform and not be happy with what we’ve achieved.”We’ve got so far to go, still. We have a lot of young players who are learning all the time. We have to take as much experience from this series as we can and keep looking to build and improve.”We’re going to need everyone to look to improve. We’re going to have different challenges, different surfaces, different situations to manage in India. So it is about reacting to that and having that same attitude, that same character and desire to go on and win like we have here.”Root’s confidence was exceeded by that of Mickey Arthur. The Sri Lanka coach said England “can go to India with every chance of winning” having been especially impressed with their “wonderful” bowling attack. But he agreed the difference between the sides was player of the series, Root.”I thought England have been really good,” Arthur said. “They’ve been very professional. They’ve some players in good form, their bowling attack is wonderful, their seam-bowling attack is great. We saw good signs for England with Dom Bess and Jack Leach and Root has batted at another level on this tour.”

Zimbabwe captain praises the fight his team showed even though they lost the second Test to Afghanistan

Hemant Brar14-Mar-2021Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams lauded the way his side fought back in their second innings of the second Test against Afghanistan even though they lost the match on the fifth evening, thus missing out on a series win.After winning the first Test in under two days, Zimbabwe would have fancied their chances but a returning Rashid Khan thwarted their hopes with an 11-wicket match haul. Still, Zimbabwe almost pulled off a Houdini-esque escape.Following on, Zimbabwe were reduced to 142 for 7 – still 116 in arrears – before Williams (151*) and Donald Tiripano (95) added 187 for the eighth wicket. Their resistance meant Afghanistan needed to bat again and score 108 in a minimum of 45 overs; they reached there in 26.1.According to Williams, this Test would serve as a good learning experience for his side, especially when they host Pakistan for two Tests (and three T20Is) next month.”We got ourselves into trouble and then we managed to fight through that,” Williams said after the match. “We got close to the top of the mountain but didn’t quite get there. It was a good learning curve and it shows what mental and physical strength you need to get through Test matches like this.”The young guys showed a lot of fight. Being 60 minutes away from winning the series, having one hand on the trophy and going through that fighting period was extremely important for them as a learning curve. Also, the senior players pulling the team together and showing that we would do anything for each other was important.”I think it’s a huge thing going into the Test series at home. Not only what has happened here but being at home is going to be huge, our wickets, our conditions. So yeah, I am looking forward to that series.”When Afghanistan came out for the chase, the Zimbabwe seamers bowled plenty of short stuff. Williams said that was part of the plan and if there were more runs on the board, they might have salvaged a draw and won the series.”It was a tactical move because the wicket was up and down and there were a lot of cracks in it. It was very hard to score with seamers bowling cross-seam and slower balls. If we had more runs on the board, we would have won the series. We had three seamers, so going into day five in the last session, they would have pulled us through.”While Zimbabwe impressed overall, Wesley Madhevere, who made his debut in the first Test, had a torrid time with the bat. After a first-ball duck in his only innings in the first Test, the 20-year-old bagged another pair here. Williams, though, backed the youngster to come out stronger.”With Wesley, it was purely a technical fault,” Williams said. “But I think mentally he is in a good place and we just keep on supporting the guys to make it through the tough times. Everybody goes through a tough stage, be it cricket or life in general. We just keep on supporting, keep on growing, we don’t stop. We just told him not to give up.”

The fast bowler’s remarkable catch to remove Liton Das added to an impressive list in Wellington

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2021Denesh Ramdin, 2013
Boult has done it again, this time in the field! Anderson was certain that was going to be a boundary as Ramdin got up on his toes to play a rasping cut shot but Boult leaps up and was horizontal with the ground as he reaches his left hand out and grabs an absolute stunner! The entire team mobs Boult as Ramdin walks back and the West Indies tail is exposed.Ajinkya Rahane, 2014
Boult has done it again! What is with him and one-handed screamers! It was a fullish delivery with just a bit of room. Rahane makes his own by staying leg side of the ball and lofts it. But he hasn’t got hold of it. it’s a skier. It was always going to need some catching. Boult was hurtling in from the boundary, dives forward and to his right and sticks out his right hand and clings on! Terrific catch to end a terrific innings as the New Zealand players come and shake hands with RahaneKumar Sangakkara, 2015
Boult has just taken a stunner. And should you be surprised? Ends what has been a truly fantastic innings from Sangakkara, who is accepting all the congratulations from the on-field players. This is definitely an early candidate for best catch of 2015 as Boult leapt high to his left to pluck this in mid-air at backward point, before crashing to the ground.Trent Boult claims a stunning return catch to remove Mitchell Marsh•Getty Images

Mitchell Marsh, 2016
How about that for a disgruntled fast bowler? If DRS denies me, I’ll pluck a one-handed, rip-roaring catch all by myself. Falls face-first into the pitch and then comes up with an expression of utter disbelief. Mouth agape in a big ‘O’ and eyes wide as saucers. This was fuller, but might have just held in the pitch considering Marsh was sucked into the drive and was trying to check it. Boult was in his follow through, stuck out his right hand and it was just too magnetic. He has a knack for picking up screamers. Took one that made it to Sportscenter’s Plays of the Year, if I’m not wrongLiton Das, 2021
Trent Boult has pulled off a blinder. A length ball outside off, Liton went for the pull only to top edge it towards third man. Boult ran to his left, dived full length and plucked it out with his outstretched left hand. Fingertips. Henry cannot believe it as he picks up his third wicketVirat Kohli, IPL 2018
Get out of here Trent Boult! Someone check if that isn’t a robot there! This is sensational. A one-handed leap to his right at deep square after being wrong-footed to his left, then a landing backwards and a cobra pose to keep his chest from touching the rope! Soft signal out. Replays say – OUT. Wow. Unbelievable. It’s a full toss on the pads and it’s flying, flat over Boult’s head because Kohli has got good power on that flick. It’s a stunning recovery from Boult. A leap backwards, holding on with the right hand, landing on his stomach and then stopping all that momentum to complete it. Gets back on his feet and even he’s in shock.

The three-time IPL champions will start training in Mumbai on March 26

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Mar-2021They had their worst IPL season – finishing seventh – in 2020, and as the Chennai Super Kings look to bounce back and add to their three titles, they have received a shot in the arm in the form of Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja joining their bio-secure bubble in Mumbai this week. While Jadeja linked up on Friday, Raina had joined on Wednesday. Both of them will undergo a week-long quarantine before joining the team’s training, which takes off on Saturday.For Jadeja, the IPL will mark a return to cricket since he dislocated his left thumb while batting in the Sydney Test against Australia in early January. Jadeja underwent surgery in Sydney before heading to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to complete his rehabilitation. The injury had ruled Jadeja out of the all-format home series against England.Earlier this week, Jadeja posted a video from the NCA, showing him holding the bat and bowling for the first time since the Australia tour. The franchise had originally expected Jadeja to join in the first week of April, but his early release from the NCA has ensured that he gets at least a week of training before the Super Kings play their first match of the season, against the Delhi Capitals in Mumbai on April 10.Related

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‘Tell them, I have come back’- Raina
While Jadeja would be expected to settle in quickly, the focus is bound to remain on Raina, who entered the Super Kings hotel quietly on Wednesday. This, in a way, is Raina’s re-entry to the Super Kings ranks following a controversial exit on the eve of the 2020 IPL.The Super Kings tweeted a picture of Raina in his hotel room with a title saying: “Vandhutennu Sollu! From namma Chinna Thala!” That translates to: “Tell them, I have come back”, a line from , the popular Tamil film.While there were questions about Raina’s future with the franchise following stern comments from franchise owner N Srinivasan after the developments last season, Raina was retained ahead of the 2021 auction. Raina, who retired from international cricket along with MS Dhoni on August 15 last year, has kept himself fit by turning out for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Raina’s return restores the balance in the batting department for the Super Kings, who struggled to find momentum until the latter stages of the league phase in 2020 IPL. Dhoni & Co to begin training at Brabourne
It was also a particularly bad season for Dhoni the batsman, as he struggled to get into any sort of rhythm, scoring just 200 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 116. As he signed the yellow No. 7 jersey for players for rival teams, speculation grew whether he would be retiring after the season.”Definitely not,” he said after the Super Kings’ final match last season, to put an end to the speculation.Dhoni reached Chennai to be part of the preliminary training camp, which comprised a small group of mainly uncapped Indian domestic players. That camp was also conducted in a bio-secure environment with everyone involved adhering by the mandatory quarantine protocols set by the BCCI.Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings’ chief executive officer, told ESPNcricinfo that the players and coaching staff who were part of that bubble wouldn’t need to undergo the seven-day quarantine in Mumbai. “Our first day of practice will be tomorrow (Saturday),” Viswanathan confirmed, revealing that the first two training sessions would be at Brabourne Stadium.Ngidi to arrive on April 5
Head coach Stephen Fleming and assistant coach Michael Hussey are among the overseas members of the set-up to have reached Mumbai already.Viswanathan confirmed that Faf du Plessis would arrive on March 26, and it is understood that Lungi Ngidi would be released from the ODI squad – along with other IPL-bound players – for the series against Pakistan on April 4, the day of the second of three games.The Super Kings are one of the four teams – along with the Capitals, the Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan Royals – who will play the initial part of the league phase in Mumbai.

Second hundred of season drives Worcestershire but Luke Fletcher keeps Notts competitive

Paul Edwards22-Apr-2021
There are times when one thinks no cricket ground could carry the weight of emotion that is borne each April by New Road. Flooded in many Februarys, it emerges on mornings like this, sparkling in Springtime, a testament to hours of labour on bleak days. In drier years, broadsheet editors hoped the season would begin here, for then they could dispatch their photographers to Worcester, comfortable in the knowledge that their back pages would feature sweatered cricketers against the backcloth of the cathedral. And a scene already laden with connotation and symbol was further enhanced today when some marvellous sport was fittingly enriched by Jake Libby and Luke Fletcher, two of the county game’s very many good guys.Libby dominated the first half of our cricket and made his second century in four innings, thereby bringing his aggregate for this immature campaign to 318 runs. Until Ed Barnard and Alzarri Joseph put on an unbroken 89 for Worcestershire’s eighth wicket in the final 100 minutes or so of the evening, the former Nottinghamshire opener’s batting had done most to determine the early shape of this contest.Libby’s cuts and drives had been firm and well-chosen and his leaving the ball was particularly judicious. Nothing expressed his superiority more clearly than the manner with which he reached his hundred after nearly four hours’ batting. That came when Dane Paterson, Nottinghamshire’s South African seamer, attempted an ill-advised bouncer. Instead of being hard and potent, though, the delivery was limp and useless: a clear case of projectile dysfunction. Libby heaved the ball over square leg for six and clenched his fist, a shade ostentatiously, perhaps.At Chelmsford nearly a fortnight ago Libby made 180 and was at the crease for longer than it takes the traffic-jams to clear in that city. The first-class season has now occupied nine days and he has batted for nearly three of them. But while Libby will have taken pleasure from the fact that this hundred was scored against his former colleagues at Trent Bridge, one rather doubts he gloated over the matter. And in any case his innings of 117 was countered by Fletcher, another of the English game’s noble servants, who bowled tightly, took two good wickets, including Libby’s, and pulled off a run-out that will surely feature when Steven Mullaney’s players hold their Christmas party.Fletcher’s value to his team’s attack had been plain well before he enjoyed obvious success. While the other Nottinghamshire bowlers were conceding more than 3.5 runs an over, Fletcher was leaking barely a single. It was, therefore, simple justice that he took the first wicket when Daryl Mitchell drove at a wideish ball ten minutes after lunch but merely feathered a catch to Tom Moores, who was standing up to the stumps, thereby chaining Mitchell to the crease.Related

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Nottinghamshire’s need for a breakthrough was becoming desperate; Libby and Mitchell had put on 140 for their side’s first wicket. Home supporters watching on the live stream will have enjoyed the opening overs when the pair’s cover-drives and cuts ran to the off side boundaries and Mullaney had been forced to post only a single slip after 16 overs. Until Fletcher intervened, distant spectators had been offered the prospect of grand consumption, one that recalled the salad eras of Cyril Walters and Don Kenyon on this ground.Instead, Fletcher’s removal of Mitchell for a well-made 59 began Nottinghamshire’s best period of the day. Almost immediately Tom Fell was leg before when he overbalanced while trying to clip a ball from Zak Chappell to leg. Then Gareth Roderick groped rather stiffly at a wideish delivery from Paterson. But that most conventional of dismissals, an edge to the keeper, was followed by a quite extraordinary one as the formidably proportioned Fletcher ran out Brett D’Oliveira for 3 when the batsman hesitated over an achievable single and was beaten by a direct hit from backward point. Fletcher’s reaction when he saw Russell Warren’s finger raised was to hold his arms aloft in triumph and gallop madly towards the cathedral. Perhaps he thought God would like to exchange a few high-fives with an equal; certainly there was something miraculous about the event.Worcestershire lost their fifth wicket as the Earl Grey was brewing when their slow left-armer, Liam Patterson-White, produced a beauty that turned and hit the top of Riki Wessels’ off stump. Ten minutes into the evening Libby nibbled at a ball he didn’t have to play and Moores completed the catch. But any thought that Nottinghamshire might have to bat tonight on a wicket that is already taking spin was dispelled by Barnard and Joseph, whose partnership offered something of a gentle epilogue to this rich day. Both batsmen resisted any temptation towards wanton aggression, instead settling for careful accumulation in the sunlight. Once again one’s eye was taken by the towered tracery of the cathedral, the improbable beauty of the setting, the familiar things at Worcester of which one never tires. The Ladies’ Pavilion remains closed, of course, but we still had cake for tea.

NZ make enterprising declaration after stalemate looked set following third-day washout

Alan Gardner06-Jun-2021There are often many different ways to end up at the same destination. The first Lord’s Test in two years had seemed destined for a draw after losing the entire third day to rain, and drawn it surely was as the teams shook hands at just gone 7pm on the final evening.But there was peril and intrigue along the route, as New Zealand sprung a declaration on England after a brief shower brought about an early lunch. The carrot of chasing 273 in 75 overs had been dangled, though England were clearly wary of the offer. The home side looked outmatched for much of this first Test and the nerves were palpable when they fell to 56 for 2 shortly before tea, a wicket away from their youthful middle order being exposed.In the end, there was not enough life in the pitch nor sand in the hourglass for New Zealand to make a concerted victory push. Dom Sibley batted more than five hours for a barnacle-encrusted half-century, as he and England’s captain, Joe Root, ensured against jitters with an 80-run stand that stretched into the evening session.Even if there was no great final-day drama, the crowd were nevertheless keen to get in on the act, cheering the sweaty indefatigability of Neil Wagner – who went against type to crowbar out Rory Burns, England’s first-innings centurion, and Root across two canny spells of searching swing bowling – as well as Sibley’s almost heroically shot-shy approach to accumulation. Sibley ended a run of six consecutive innings without reaching double-figures to record his highest score since making 87 in Chennai earlier this year.New Zealand have only won once before at Lord’s, during their previous series victory in England back in 1999, but they resolved to give themselves a chance of another after resuming their second innings with a lead of 165. They took that on by more than 100 for the loss of four wickets during a lively morning session, which was curtailed by the arrival of rain, and then chose to set England what would have been the third-highest chase on the ground.With Sibley searching for form and Burns playing in typically lugubrious fashion, the opening pair signalled England’s intent. If not exactly shutting up shop, they were certainly prioritising a stock take out the back. Signs of variable bounce did little to coax greater intent, and Burns was struck a painful blow on the hand when Tim Southee got the ball to kick up from a length.England had taken more than 23 overs in adding 49 for the first wicket when Wagner broke through. Following the blow from Southee, Burns almost fell to the same bowler when he gloved the ball just short of slip, and the introduction of Wagner’s left-arm angle of attack only played on his uncertainty. After nine dot balls, which included an unsuccessful swipe, Burns fenced uncertainly to send an outswinger low to second slip.With the atmosphere getting tense, Sibley edged Wagner through the cordon for four, and then with tea approaching Zak Crawley threw the bat to be caught in the gully. As in the first innings, he had fallen for 2 driving ambitiously at a full, wide delivery from Southee.That left New Zealand needing eight wickets going into the final session, with England notionally looking to score 217 from 43 overs. Root eked his way to 4 off 38 balls, confirming that there would be no attempt to ruffle Kiwi feathers, and although he fell to Wagner, pinned on leg stump despite a review with the shadows beginning to lengthen, New Zealand could muster no further inroads.The morning began with Wagner in the thick of the action, too, as New Zealand’s nightwatchman carved and clipped a pair of boundaries in Stuart Broad’s opening over. Wagner fell in the next, top-edging a pull to give Ollie Robinson his seventh wicket on debut, but frustration began to mount for Broad, who had gone five consecutive innings without success, as he saw Tom Latham dropped by the diving Crawley at midwicket. He soon had a moment of succour, though, when trapping the New Zealand opener lbw for his first dismissal in 488 deliveries.With the watchful Latham gone, Ross Taylor upped the tempo during an innings of 33 off 35 that saw Robinson swung into the Tavern Stand and Mark Wood sliced over the rope at third man. Another swipe at Wood resulted in an edge behind, and with the players staying out during a rain shower, Henry Nicholls also fell trying to lift the scoring, as he gloved a reverse-sweep off Root’s offspin. New Zealand’s declaration was another enterprising move but the series will now be decided by the next week’s encounter at Edgbaston.

The two teams will meet again in Qualifier 1 on Monday, the winner of which will move to the final

Danyal Rasool19-Jun-2021There was little riding on this game, but that didn’t mean conventional PSL rules ceased to apply. Give Islamabad United a below-par chase, and they’ll eventually run it down.In yet another exhibit of that maxim, Shadab Khan’s side coasted – despite the slightly frantic final-over finish – to an impressive four-wicket win against Multan Sultans thanks to a commanding bowling performance towards the back-end of the innings. Sultans’ collapse saw them lose all ten wickets for 56 runs after losing none in the first 9.3 overs and the 150 United needed was knocked off fairly routinely.Both sides were aware this was little more than a dry run of the high-intensity qualifier they will contest on Monday and, as such, there was an experimental element to the contest. United rested their key openers as well as Hasan Ali, but Sultans made the early running with a sizzling 93-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood. But when Iftikhar Ahmed and Fawad Ahmed prised out the top three, the bottom hollowed out, allowing Mohammad Wasim – who’s also had a breakout tournament, a clear crack at the tail.United’s start was authoritative without being explosive, but with an asking rate of 7.50, it didn’t need to be. Mohammad Akhlaq and Umar Amin followed the team philosophy of trying to exploit the Powerplay overs, and the 54 they managed in the first six was more than adequate to keep them on course. A stuttering innings from Shadab, who looked severely affected by stifling heat at one point, still saw him compile 35 off 27, before Asif Ali was sent in to inflict the knockout punch. In his kind of form, under virtually no pressure, his 16-ball 25 took his side ever closer.United may be annoyed at how deep they allowed Sultans to take it, with the contest appearing over long before the final leg-bye was actually taken. United perhaps lost focus slightly as Sultans continued to burrow their way back into the contest after Asif fell. Usman Qadir removed Brandon King and Shahnawaz Dahani’s stunning catch in the final over got rid of Talat, which suddenly meant United needed three off four. They got there in the end, making what should have been a thumping win look like an attritional one.Mohammad Wasim strikes backThe heroics of Dahani and the fast-moving nature of the PSL meant Wasim flew under the radar for much of the past week. That wasn’t helped by a horror start to his day when he came in to bowl while Masood and Rizwan were in full flow. He was tonked for 18 in his first over. He was hauled off, but when he returned ten overs later, he seemed a transformed bowler.Choosing his variations with guile and executing them with high class, he accounted for four Sultans batters, conceding just 13 further runs in his remaining three overs. Given the task of polishing up the tail in the final over, he did that, and then some. On Friday, Haris Rauf had ceded the momentum to the Sultans by leaking 24 in a similar situation, but Wasim’s final over permitted just two. He ended up taking three wickets in those final six balls, bowling out a Sultans side that hadn’t lost a single wicket till the tenth over.Masood shines, no one else does Sultans might have been trying to offer up a live-action animation of the phrase “innings of two halves” when they were put in to bat. Rizwan and Masood got them off to a start that was both blistering in its urgency and elegant in its implementation. There were few risks taken as Masood placed and timed his way to a sumptuous half-century; even the sixes he hit were risk-free drives through the line of the ball. They were rollicking along at nearly ten an over by the tenth over, the stage set for what might possibly be an immense finish.In the tenth over, though, Iftikhar, off all people, struck in the only over he bowled, and once Masood departed, bedlam ensued. Multan went on to lose their ten wickets for a mere 56 runs, compiled painstakingly over a further 63 balls as an innings that promised so much petered out with no more than a whimper. United have a formidable record chasing totals; they have lost just 5 of 31 such games, and 150 was never going to challenge them.Where they stand The game guarantees Sultans will finish second, and play Islamabad United in the first qualifier, which takes place on Monday. Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings finish third and fourth respectively. Lahore Qalandars – fifth – were eliminated over poor net run rate, tied on points with the teams at second, third and fourth.