James Hildreth continued his fine form but was unable to help chase down an imposing 342

ECB Reporters Network22-May-2018
ScorecardLuke Wright smacked 105 off 87 balls as Sussex ended Somerset’s unbeaten start to the season with a 75-run Royal London One-Day Cup win at Taunton.Wright blasted 10 fours and three sixes to lead his side to 341 for 7 after winning the toss. David Wiese hit 58 not out and Michael Burgess 56, while there were three wickets each for Max Waller and Tim Groenewald.In reply, Somerset made 266 all out, the in-form James Hildreth top-scoring with 87. Matt Renshaw made 55 on his List A debut for the county and Steve Davies 56, but despite their efforts the hosts finished well short.Danny Briggs turned the match in Sussex’s favour, removing Hildreth and Craig Overton in the 40th over, with the outcome apparently in the balance. Ishant Sharma was the most successful bowler with 3 for 47.It was Somerset’s first defeat in any form of cricket this season and they could have no complaints, having been under pressure from the opening overs of the game.After Luke Wells had fallen cheaply to Craig Overton, Wright collected his first maximum off the same bowler and was soon timing the ball sweetly on a true pitch in bright sunshine.He found an able partner in Harry Finch and the pair accelerated in good style, putting on 107 in 16 overs before legspinner Waller ended the stand by dismissing Finch lbw for 35.Visiting skipper Ben Brown fell for only 8, but Wright blossomed to take the total past 200 before falling to a well-judged catch by Tom Banton at deep mid-wicket off Waller.Laurie Evans contributed a bright 43 before also departing leg-before to Waller, whose handy mid-innings spell brought 3 for 52 from ten overs.But Sussex needed a big score in the conditions and they got it thanks to Wiese and Burgess, whose half-centuries were full of aggressive, cleanly struck shots.Still Somerset would have fancied their chances at the halfway stage. But they lost Johann Myburgh and Peter Trego, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Tom Abell, with only 24 on the board, both to Oli Robinson.Hildreth, a centurion in the previous game against Glamorgan, again looked in fine form. But Steve Davies, having been dropped twice on the way to scoring 56, was unlucky to play a ball from Abi Sakande onto his stumps and when Tom Banton fell to a poor shot the home side were 101 for 4.Hildreth went to fifty off 62 balls and Renshaw hit the ball sweetly to reach a half-century off just 36 deliveries before being caught behind flashing at a wide ball from Wiese.The departure of Hildreth proved decisive. He was caught and bowled by Briggs off a leading edge and when both Overton brothers, Craig and Jamie, went in quick succession Sussex were as good as home.Roelof van der Merwe was unbeaten on 34 at the end, but his side were well beaten.

Sam Northeast was booed by Kent supporters but also played a key role as Hampshire made a record total for a domestic one-day final

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's30-Jun-20181:00

‘I’ll take all the bad luck in the world and win a final’ – Rossouw

ScorecardHampshire’s record total for an English domestic one-day final, built around Rilee Rossouw’s 125, proved more than enough for them to secure the Royal London Cup in what became a rather one-sided showpiece with Kent’s chasing failing to really ignite.Having been put into bat – Kent’s preference for chasing rather than conditions being the key factor – Hampshire’s top-order put in a commanding performance, set up by an opening stand of 136 in 22 overs between Rossouw and Tom Alsop. Sam Northeast, welcomed to the crease by loud boos from the Kent supporters – part of a crowd of over 20,000 – who hadn’t forgiven him for his acrimonious departure pre-season, finished unbeaten on 75 off 60 deliveries as Hampshire went past Warwickshire’s 322 (made from 60 overs) against Sussex in 1993.Still, it felt a little light given they had been 193 for 1 after 30 overs – modern expectations saying 350 was a minimum from that position – as Kent clawed the innings back well, largely through Joe Denly’s legspin which claimed 4 for 57 including a wicket maiden in the 44th over and two wickets in three balls in the 46th. Without Denly’s all-round capability, Kent would have had huge problems with Calum Haggett only entrusted with three overs in the innings after an expensive start.Kent had emphasised their chasing skills in the semi-final against Worcestershire and made a positive start through the prolific Heino Kuhn, but his run out – a direct hit by Gareth Berg as he underarmed into the stumps – was a significant blow. Daniel Bell-Drummond was shaping to play a similar role to Rossouw but couldn’t convert into the three-figure score needed and though Sam Billings’ 75 was timely on a personal level, it came too late. Liam Dawson was impressive with the ball and Hampshire had enough runs to soak up the difficulties faced by legspinner Mason Crane.Hampshire’s openers had started by hitting fielders with a little too much regularity for their liking, but the innings was kickstarted when Haggett’s opening over was taken for 18 including three boundaries for the left-handed Alsop.Through cult hero Darren Stevens (who else?) and Denly, Kent did manage to keep a lid on the scoring rate to a degree – it was rarely above six-an-over for the first 20. The stand was broken by Imran Qayyum’s second delivery when the left-arm spinner had Alsop stumped. Qayyum later added a second when he removed James Vince, who had eased along at a run-a-ball, with a catch to long-on.Rossouw, the former South Africa batsman who had one previous century in the competition this season, played a classy innings, scoring all round the wicket but slightly favouring the leg side where he collected his three sixes. He had made 201 of his 269 runs in the tournament leading into the final from two innings in late May – a century against Essex which followed 90 against Surrey – so it was a timely moment to find top form against the white ball again; a Championship hundred against Lancashire last week will have left him in good heart.His century came off 97 deliveries with the one significant alarm being when he was close to being run out, backing-up as a straight drive by Vince clipped Stevens’ fingers. He celebrated with gusto, a roar of emotion and a punch of his chest, and had plenty of time to make a huge individual score. He got as far as 125 when he fell to Denly at which point Hampshire’s innings stuttered.Northeast ensured there remained a direction – a six over extra cover off Harry Podmore the pick of his shots – and his half-century was marked with a mixture of applause from the supporters of his new county and further boos from those of his old. It was about as feisty as the reception at this ground could be. There is clearly no love lost.In all, the final ten overs of Hampshire’s innings brought just 68 runs but, even in an age where white-ball scores are only heading one way, the added pressure of a run chase in a final still made 330 formidable.After more than 650 runs to take Kent into the final, Kuhn’s departure – which almost brought a nasty collision between batsman and fielder – was a hammer blow but there were still others who could do his work. However, none could quite get going as was required to keep the hefty target within view.Denly top-edged a leg-side hoick against Berg and though Bell-Drummond played very nicely, he needed someone to score at a greater rate alongside him. Sean Dickson struggled to get going – save for one beautiful straight drive for six – and fell to a top-edged slog sweep against Crane. Then, when Bell-Drummond dragged on against Chris Wood the requirement was too much.For Crane, who had an injection in his back to play through the pain for this match and may not feature any further this season after a recurrence of his stress fracture, the day ended with much more celebration that it appeared it may when his first three overs went for 29. Vince had to get through a few fill-in overs, but having seen the asking rate touch nine-an-over gave his legspinner another chance. Consistency remained scarce, but the emotion when he claimed the wicket spoke volumes for a player who has had tough times since his Test debut in Sydney.Better, still, was to come when he produced a direct hit from the deep to run out Alex Blake. Blake had played a starring role in the semi-final run chase and if he had cut loose Kent would have had a glimmer. As he trudged back, Hampshire had one hand on the trophy.

Virat Kohli knew that if India’s batsmen could stand up and fight, they had the bowling to win the Test and keep the series alive

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2018India were behind by 2-0 going into the Trent Bridge Test, but it seems there wasn’t too much panic in the dressing room. After sealing an emphatic 203-run victory, that kept India alive in the series, Virat Kohli revealed that the only thing the team was concentrating on was “putting runs on the board” because “the bowlers were doing so well”.”We only spoke about the fact that we were outplayed in only one Test out of the last five overseas, which was at Lord’s and there was no need for us to change anything because Birmingham was close,” he said at the post-match presentation. “As a batting group, we spoke about how the bowlers are doing so well and if we just stepped up as batsmen we will definitely be on top and that’s exactly what we did.”India made 329 in the first innings, having overcome a tough period in the morning to make runs in the sunshine. Then in a reversal of events from the last Test, the clouds returned when it was England’s turn to bat. Harnessing the help on offer, Hardik Pandya picked up five wickets in six overs to bundle the hosts out for 161.”The bowling group was eager to take 20 wickets again. It was just a question of as batsmen what we can do to provide them with that cushion of going hard at the opposition and that’s exactly what we did in this game. When both skills come together with slip catching, you win Test matches and I’m really happy to see everyone taking the responsibility at the right time. Couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”James Anderson shakes hands with Virat Kohli after the match•Getty Images

An important contributor to the victory was India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. He came out to bat on the back of a string of low scores – 15. 2. 19 and 13 – but changed the “complex of the game” with a fine half-century, his first in 14 innings.”Jinx was very clear with his mindset. That’s something that we really love about him. He’s very positive in his set up. He prepares that way and when he goes out and plays like that he’s very attractive to watch and he changed the whole complex of the game. Exactly what he did. We just kept talking about how we need to keep building a strong and a big partnership and just march on from there. It was all about getting stuck in, not throwing our wicket away, having that patience to grind out the opposition. They’re a quality bowling attack but you need patience grit and determination to score against them. I think Jinx in the first innings and Puji in the second showed that immensely.Kohli and Rahane put on 159 runs in 40.2 overs and then tagged in the bowlers and this time it was Jasprit Bumrah’s turn. Long considered a white-ball specialist, he broke through England’s resistance in the second innings dismissing the centurion Jos Buttler and hastening India’s rush to victory with figures of 5 for 85.”We dominated the game because we put runs on the board and then the bowlers were waiting and ready as always. Someone like Bumrah stepping in, Pandya taking five, Ishant experienced as always, Shami running in as well, Ash as well with his injury bowled so well.”The most pleasing thing for me to see in the morning was the four fastest bowlers in the series so far have been all Indians. That’s something that we’re really proud of. We’ve worked on our fitness levels. We’ve worked one our mindsets and we’re just eager to go out there and make a play for the team. Cutting down any loose deliveries or loose phases. We want the opposition to bat well to get runs, not gift them any. So these guys are getting into that kind of mindset as they’re playing more and more Test cricket. It’s just such a delight to watch guys running in and going hard at the batsmen because as batsmen you understand how hard it is to get Test runs and you want to make it as hard for the opposition as well and these guys are doing it beautifully.”

English cricket’s custodians have been warned to return more of the game to free-to-air television or face the prospect of a further shrink in the game’s audience

Daniel Brettig01-Aug-2018English cricket’s custodians have been warned to return more of the game to free-to-air television or face the prospect of a further shrink in the game’s audience, in the wake of sluggish ticket sales for the Edgbaston Test match.David Barham, the Australian television executive who helmed the Ten Network’s lauded Big Bash League coverage from 2013 to this year and has now moved to the new Cricket Australia broadcast rights holders Seven, has been consulted by visiting delegations from the ECB and counties over several years.He told ESPNcricinfo that a strong free-to-air television presence was vital for sports that wished to remain visible and relevant to large audiences, pointing to the relative struggles of the football A-League in the competitive Australian marketplace as an example of a sport taking pay television dollars over bigger viewership. Barham has been encouraged by the ECB’s decision to award a sprinkling of matches to the BBC from 2020 onwards, fully 15 years after cricket was hidden behind Sky’s paywall.”It’s been interesting and I’ve had a lot of visits over the last few years from people coming out here trying to figure out what happened with the BBL and county cricket … I think three years in a row there was a posse of county cricket bosses coming out,” Barham said. “I think if you’re not on free-to-air you’re in a lot of trouble.”I think the BBL proved one one thing, and that is by looking at the A-League [football] and the BBL [audiences]. The A-League, where are they? Almost dead. BBL went from a slim TV audience to a million, and even crowds went from about 12,000 to 30,000 over five years, mainly on the back of free-to-air TV. You’ve got to be on free-to-air to have a chance. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in England with their league.”Caught between sceptical television networks and self-preservationist counties, the ECB has been taken aback by the reaction to their proposals for a fourth format of the game which is even shorter than Twenty20. Barham said that the length and entertainment value of sporting contests had been a matter of concern for numerous governing bodies when negotiating with broadcasters in recent times.”Short, sharp,” he said. “I know a lot of other sporting bodies started to look at the length of their game because of the BBL, even the AFL looked at how long they’re going. It’s appropriate that KFC sponsors the BBL, because it’s like fast food. Grab something, eat it, you beauty. But all sports are looking at how long they go and what they do, because the attention span of kids is decreasing.”Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has underlined the difficulty of turning back more than a decade spent ignoring free-to-air broadcasters, leading to the creation of The Hundred. “This was an opportunity for free-to-air to do something different with a format that had never been on terrestrial TV in prime time,” Harrison told SportsPro Magazine last year.”That opportunity is tremendously exciting. It’s still very challenging for free-to-air TV to schedule long-form cricket – either ODI or Test match cricket. That’s not to say that that can’t happen in the future, but for this particular moment in time where, traditionally to pay-TV, the BBC are losing rights, this was a moment where they could celebrate something returning – a major sport coming back with significant investment behind it.”Another Australian, Matt Dwyer, recently resigned from his role as head of growth and participation for the ECB, but before his departure made it clear that English cricket had to present a radical idea to broadcasters in order to get the game back to being seen by a wider audience.”We’re just saying for a five-week period, cricket is going to market itself, like the Olympics does for athletics,” Dwyer told Wisden Cricket Monthly in May. Cricket’s back on free-to-air, and we’re not asking you, as the cricket fan, to compromise very much.”The shift in the narrative when it went from the BBC, saying that cricket has not been a part of their plans for 17 years, to telling them we’ve got something new and revolutionary, you could see the change. Four out of five people in this country just see cricket as boring. So what are we doing to attract them? Something different.”Otherwise the broadcasters wouldn’t compromise their traditional model. And it had to differentiate itself from the Blast, so we don’t just have traditionalist cricket fans turning up again. And then, ultimately, we need it to link back to participation. So, rather than ask if we’ve gone too far, my question would be – have we been radical enough?”

When Lancashire were 63 for 4 they appeared set to be plunged closer to relegation, but they completed a magnificent chase that could yet save their Championship season

Paul Edwards31-Aug-2018
ScorecardEarly this morning, before any spectators had arrived, a Lancashire cricketer strolled out to the middle at Trafalgar Road. He assumed his batting stance at the Harrod Drive End, then at the Grosvenor Road. He played a few shots to imaginary balls and, one assumes, contemplated that which he would be called upon to do. His name was Dane Vilas.Now let us scroll forward some eight hours. Vilas is facing Josh Tongue and there are some two thousand pairs of eyes upon him. He clips the ball crisply to the square leg boundary to reach his third century of the season. The applause drowns out the rumble of a passing train, but even that cacophony is exceeded a few minutes later when Josh Bohannon hits Tongue for consecutive boundaries to seal the four-wicket victory over Worcestershire which administers the kiss of life to Lancashire’s chances of avoiding relegation.Perhaps just as significantly, the victory gives unbounded joy to most folk in the crowd at Trafalgar Road. They cheer and will not stop. The suited ones cheer in the marquee and men in daft shorts cheer on the popular side. The players in the dug-out cheer and shake hands with anyone they can find, fifty-year-old songs from a great age in Lancashire cricket are resurrected and belted out anew. Few have seen this coming. Vilas finishes on 107 not out while Bohannon, the deuteragonist in the great drama and a Boltonian battler to his marrow, ends unbeaten on 78. The pair have added an unbroken 139 for the seventh wicket and if you had told Lancashire supporters early this morning that their team would be bowled out for that many, they would have grunted an acceptance.

Bohey’s maturity was incredible – Vilas

Dane Vilas, Lancashire matchwinner: “The team has some great players and guys who have scored runs over countless seasons. We know we have let ourselves down at times, we can’t hide from that. But when this team, when the questions are raised, the guys stand up. Most important for me was the guys who came in to help me out. In the way that Bohey [Josh Bohannon] came in in only his second game, the maturity was incredible.”
Kevin Sharp, Worcestershire head coach: “I don’t think we’ve done much wrong to be honest. The pitch has probably got a bit better to bat on. I thought we might win this but that innings from Vilas is a class innings, a match-winning innings. There’s lots to look forward to and important games to come against teams in the bottom half of the division. We will sulk for an hour, get on the bus and go home.”

It was impossible, of course. No one had ever chased down 314 to win at Trafalgar Road and the pitch was nipping around. But records are there to be eclipsed and the view that this wicket was a mere club surface on which centuries were impossible was exposed as utter bunkum. It turned out that all you needed was a tight technique and faith in your own ability. So Vilas anchored the innings and gave one difficult chance to slip on 84 while Bohannon stayed true to his pugnacious nature and took the game to Worcestershire. And Worcestershire’s bowlers did not like it up ’em.In his book Mike Brearley remembered Tony Greig’s first Test century, at Bombay in 1973. “He played calmly, from his own centre,” writes Brearley. Both Vilas and Bohannon played from their own centres. Dear God, they made it look almost easy.But surely it was impossible. That much had been clear when Lancashire had withered to 63 for 4 inside the first 75 minutes of play. People talked of an early afternoon finish. First to go was Haseeb Hameed who hit three sweet fours, two of them cover-drives, but then came forward a little woodenly to Ed Barnard and edged behind for 14. Two deliveries later Rob Jones attempted a similar stroke with the same result and collected an eight-ball pair. Any lunatic optimism felt by spectators on this blissful morning was then thoroughly doused twenty minutes later when Alex Davies tried to pull a ball but only skied a catch. “Mine” called Ben Cox loudly enough to petrify Formby’s red squirrels: 63 for 4 and some in the corporate hospitality marquee decided to make their early sharpener a large one.A memorable day for Dane Vilas•Getty Images/Action Plus

And who could blame them on this last day of meteorological summer? “Gone, gone again, / May, June, July, / And August gone” wrote Edward Thomas in “Blenheim Oranges”. Soon we will be deep in the month when cricketers harvest their year’s work. September also brings other farewells. It was announced on Friday morning that this game would be the last in the 27-year career of Matt Procter, Lancashire’s PA announcer. Ever the loyalist, Procter attempted to destabilise Lancashire’s opponents by announcing that Hameed had been “caught Cox bowled ” Matt will be missed but the catch wasn’t.Steven Croft, another faithful servant, began to play himself in. The suited ones retired to the marquee, where they lunched well and either toasted Timothy Taylor or danced the optic tango. By the time they emerged again Croft had driven and cut half a dozen fours through the off side and Lancashire were well past three figures.All the same, it was surely still impossible so why wouldn’t Vilas be told? Worcestershire’s bowlers remained threatening and their fielders lively. Cox kept wicket with the brim of his sunhat tilted back and looked for all this precious world like an echo from the Golden Age: I Zingari, perhaps, or the Worcestershire Occasionals.Croft made 36 before he could do nothing with a fine ball from Tongue and edged behind. Jordan Clark made 31 but then lofted the slow left-armer Ben Twohig to Brett D’Oliveira at deep mid-off. Bohannon, bristling with “are you looking me”, strode out to join Vilas. Quite soon he had driven boundaries and the crowd warmed to him. Vilas, untroubled by anyone, continued to bat just as he had visualised early in the morning. Club members, who work for months to make this game a success, realised that dear old Trafalgar Road was singing more tunes of glory.It is nearly dark on the last day of August. The lights are bright on the tennis courts on the day when Lancashire mounted their highest run chase for 13 years. But the tunes of glory are heard still as out in the middle Dane Vilas plays shadow shots to the bowling of a ghost.

Nick Compton was capped 16 times in Tests for England, playing his part in memorable series wins in India and South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2018Former England opener Nick Compton has announced his retirement from the game. Compton, 35, did not feature for Middlesex during the 2018 season – which was also his benefit year – but will remain working for the club in an ambassadorial role.Compton played 16 Tests for England, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Denis. He was Alastair Cook’s first opening partner after the retirement of Andrew Strauss in 2012, and played his part in memorable series wins in India and South Africa.His last cap came during the summer of 2016, a season which ended with Middlesex lifting the County Championship for the first time since 1993.”After almost two decades of professional cricket, I am announcing my retirement from the game I love so much,” Compton said. “It has been a privilege to play first-class cricket for Middlesex, Somerset, and the MCC.”Of course, the pinnacle of my career was following in my grandfather Denis Compton’s footsteps, having achieved my dream of playing and winning Test series for England. I am particularly proud of my successful opening partnership with Alastair Cook and our series victory in India, the first time in 28 years an England team had won in India.”In contrast to his famously dashing grandfather, Nick Compton was a dogged top-order accumulator who carved out a reputation for making hard runs.Having started out at Middlesex, the club closely associated with his family, Compton moved to Somerset in 2010. It was there he found the form that would win him England recognition; in 2012, he scored 1494 runs at 99.60, narrowly failing to become the ninth man in history to score 1000 first-class runs before the end of May.He made his international debut in Ahmedabad that winter and was part of the England side that came from behind to win 2-1 in India. Compton scored hundreds in Dunedin and Wellington on England’s next tour, a 0-0 draw with New Zealand, but lost his place ahead of the 2013 Ashes despite an opening partnership with Cook that averaged 57.93.A second coming in 2015 saw him score 85 and 49 at No. 3 as England won in Durban on the way to a 2-1 series victory, but Compton only played three more Tests, making his final outing against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.”There have been some challenges that I have had to confront, but in spite of these I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this career of mine,” he said. “For one, being named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in the 150th Anniversary Edition [in 2013] alongside both my cricketing hero Jacques Kallis, and my school friend Hashim Amla.”Other highlights include being chosen as PCA Player of the Year by my peers after coming so close to being the first cricketer for 25 years to score 1000 runs before the end of May is another, up there with making my Test debut in India and receiving my cap from England legend Graham Gooch.”I treasure the 16 Test matches I played for England, especially my back-to-back Test hundreds which I scored in New Zealand. On the domestic front, what a team I played in at Somerset. And winning the County Championship at Lord’s on the final day of the 2016 season for Middlesex provided all involved with an experience that we will savour for the rest of our lives.”In all, Compton scored more than 12,000 first-class runs at an average of 40.42, the last of his 27 hundreds coming for Sri Lanka Ports Authority during a spell playing Sri Lankan domestic cricket in February.He had already begun to explore options for his post-playing career, working as an analyst during the summer for Sky and ESPNcricinfo. “I look forward to pursuing my other interests, particularly in the media and photography as well as working on a few business ventures,” he said.Middlesex’s chief executive, Richard Goatley, added: “It is a sad day for us that Nick Compton has retired from professional cricket. Nick has been a very special servant to the club, culminating in his key role in the Championship winning success of 2016.”Nick is highly valued by Middlesex Cricket and we are delighted that he will remain with the club in an ambassadorial role. We welcome his all-round ability, and want him to add further value by helping to inspire our future success in an off the field capacity.”He has contributed effectively towards the club’s off-field work in the past, both with our senior leadership team and the commercial team at Lord’s, and we look forward to extending that work in the future. Nick Compton will always be welcome at Lord’s.”

Peter Handscomb, Chris Tremain and Peter Siddle have also been included in the 14-man squad to face India

Daniel Brettig22-Nov-2018Marcus Harris, the Victoria opening batsman, has been rewarded for consistency over several seasons by vaulting into Australia’s 14-man Test squad for the first two Tests against India, while Peter Handscomb has also been recalled after a winter’s technical work as part of a team seeking to overcome the absence of the banned Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.The inclusion of Harris comes after consecutive seasons in which he has tallied 1,514 runs at 42.05 and followed up with 437 at 87.40 in four Sheffield Shield rounds this season, including an unbeaten 250 against New South Wales. His selection sends a strong message about the sort of sustained performances the coach Justin Langer is seeking, while also opening up the question of Australia’s opening combination.

Australia squad

Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Chris Tremain, Peter Siddle, Peter Handscomb

Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja formed a successful union in the Tests against Pakistan in the UAE, before the latter fell prey to a knee injury he has only just recovered from in time for the final Sheffield Shield round. While praising Harris, Langer said he was still pondering how to array the batting order in Adelaide.”I really like the synergy of Finch and Khawaja in the UAE. Like a lot of opening partners a bit of an odd couple about them, and often really good partnerships are like that,” Langer said in Melbourne. “You think about [Chris] Rogers and [David] Warner, [Gordon] Greenidge and [Desmond] Haynes… they’re very different and I just like that synergy and a good relationship. Uzzy’s very chilled out, Finchy is a bit more combative, they have a nice feel about that partnership.”There’s a lot of talk about Finch can’t open in Australia and all that sort of stuff, I’m not sure about that. He’s opened all through [with the] white ball, did a really good job in the UAE, conditions might be a bit different, we’re not playing at the Gabba or the WACA either. That’s one of the things we’re mulling over at the moment, the perfect combination, we also respect that the Indians have got really good spin bowlers, we’ve got five left-handers in that seven at the moment potentially. All those things we’re going to play around with and make sure we get the best combination we can.”Despite his strong words about Finch at the top of the order, Langer insisted he would allow Victoria to make their own call about where he batted in the Shield match between Victoria and Queensland in Brisbane from Tuesday. This means Harris will likely be accompanied by his usual partner Travis Dean at the top, with Finch slotting in further down.”Marcus Harris has forced his way into the squad after an impressive start to the Sheffield Shield campaign for Victoria, and in recent times has performed in high-pressure matches, including Sheffield Shield finals,” the national selector Trevor Hohns said. “Not only has he made plenty of runs, he’s displayed the mental application we believe is required to compete at Test cricket.”When he made the move from Western Australia to Victoria, Harris was farewelled with some curious comments by the then Warriors coach Langer, who referred to him as “mediocre with flashes of brilliance”, while adding that “our system isn’t for everyone”. However he has always maintained that his relationship with Langer remained strong, and on the day of his call-up received a message from the coach with the cheekily affectionate words “welcome to the brotherhood you little bastard”.His call-up also leaves the left-hand opener Matt Renshaw on the sidelines once more, after he was left out of the Test team in the UAE. Marnus Labuschagne has also been dropped, but Travis Head retains his place. A late run by the Tasmanian Matthew Wade, now a specialist batsman alongside the Test captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine, was not enough to win inclusion.”Marnus Labuschagne played the last two Tests and looked really good at times, and there was talk about his legspin bowling as well. They’re all unlucky, but you can only fit 14 into the squad,” Langer said. “But you’ve got to reward performance and they’d be the first to say… Matthew Renshaw I think has got huge potential, but he hasn’t got the runs on the board at the moment.”Marnus, the same, he’s come back and his numbers aren’t great for the first four Shield games, so he’ll be disappointed because no one works harder than he does. And Matthew Wade, we all know he’s a fantastic competitor, a really good competitor, doing well, but you can’t fit them all in.”Looking over the remainder of the batting order, Langer declared that Head would “100%” play in the middle order in Adelaide, and also defended the retention of Mitchell Marsh – a poor tour of the UAE was followed by strong Shield displays from him. “Mitch Marsh is an incredibly talented player, I don’t get some of the criticism of him and his brother,” Langer said. “Test cricket’s a very tough school, and I think sometimes people forget how tough Test cricket is.”Handscomb, who has worked extensively with the former Test opener Chris Rogers on his movement at the batting crease, is the extra batsman in the squad, nominally as cover for Khawaja, who will return from a knee injury in Queensland’s final Shield game before the Test. “We’ve been really impressed with the way Usman Khawaja has applied himself through his rehabilitation and he’s left no stone unturned in his bid to return in Adelaide,” Hohns said. “Barring any setbacks, all the signs are indicating he will be available for the first Test. We saw how well he performed against Pakistan in the UAE, and we hope he can recapture that form over the summer.”A vast collection of fast bowlers has been assembled, with Chris Tremain, uncapped at Test level, and Peter Siddle standing in reserve behind the frontline trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Hohns added that the 14-man squad will be cut to 12 names before each of the first two Tests with the next round of Sheffield Shield matches acting as a mini Test-trial for those aiming to further their case.”We will select a final team of 12 prior to each Test, and the two remaining squad members will be released to get important match time in the Sheffield Shield. We believe all players chosen deserve their selection in the squad, and we’re confident given the opportunity all will apply themselves well against India.””With another round of Sheffield Shield matches to play, players have the chance to strengthen their cases for selection before we finalise the 12 in the lead up to the first Test.”None of the frontline pace trio of Cummins, Hazlewood are Starc are expected to make the trip to Perth for their state New South Wales’ final Shield fixture before the Adelaide Test, with back-to-back matches against India expected to stretch their endurance. “There’s no concern for Mitch, Pat and Josh,” Langer said. “They’ll be ready to go.”

The pair put on their second double-century opening stand of the season, leaving the Blues just 157 runs behind in the first innings with 10 wickets in hand

The Report by Alex Malcolm08-Dec-2018The second double-century opening stand of the season from New South Wales pair Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin dragged the Blues back into the game against South Australia at the SCG.Just three weeks after piling up a 251-run stand against Queensland in Canberra, the pair again made twin hundreds to leave the Blues just 157 runs behind in the first innings with 10 wickets in hand.Both men showed extreme patience. Larkin struck just four fours and two sixes in his third first-class century. Hughes absorbed 254 balls for his 105 not-out and only found the boundary seven times, in his fifth first-class century.The Redbacks cycled through seven bowlers without making the breakthrough.Earlier, Alex Carey made his second Sheffield Shield century. He finished 110 not-out as the Redbacks were bowled out for 380. Tom Cooper wasn’t able to make his third hundred of the Shield season falling for 89 early in the morning. He was caught brilliantly down the leg side by Peter Nevill from a regulation leg glance.Carey didn’t get much support from the Redbacks tail but they hung around long enough for him to reach his century with a powerful strike down the ground off Steve O’Keefe. Blues debutant Greg West finished with 3 for 88.

He also said India’s 250 for 9 is a good total on a pitch that was two-paced and was a lot more difficult to bat on that is apparent on tv

Sidharth Monga in Adelaide06-Dec-20182:15

Top-order should have batted better – Pujara

After playing “one of my top five innings” in Test cricket, Cheteshwar Pujara feels he has taken India to a decent total mainly because the pitch in Adelaide is difficult to bat on. It is one of those that doesn’t look difficult on television because there isn’t exaggerated movement, but it was two-paced, which made stroke-making difficult.”I would say it is a decent total because there is enough turn,” Pujara said of India’s 250 for 9. “Ashwin will also come into play. Sometimes when you are seeing it on TV, it doesn’t look like it is doing a lot but when I batted in the first and second sessions, I felt it wasn’t easy to bat on. I will share my experience of what line and length to bowl on this pitch with our fast bowlers.”It is the grass. The odd ball is skidding on, and the odd ball is holding a bit more from the grass. I would say it is kind of a two-paced pitch, not easy to bat on.”Having made 123 off 246 balls, Pujara said it took him two sessions to figure out what shots he can play on such a surface. That is perhaps why he would have liked a little more application from the other batsmen. “To be honest, we should have batted better but they also bowled well in the first two sessions and I knew that I had to stay patient and wait for the loose balls,” Pujara said. “They bowled in the right areas. I also felt that our top order should have batted better, but they will learn from the mistakes and put up a better show in the second innings.”The batsmen were there to show their gratitude, though. “It is one of my top innings in Test cricket, I could say top five,” Pujara said. “The way the team-mates appreciated it, they were saying it was one of the best.”Pujara had to struggle with a hamstring niggle as he accelerated with the tail for company, but it was a case of mind over matter in the end. “It was tough but I was set and I knew I could play my shots, especially when we lost the seventh wicket,” Pujara said. “Myself and Ash were having a good partnership but once we lost Ash, I thought I had to accelerate. I knew what shots I could play on that wicket because I had batted for two sessions, and I think it was tough it was considering the weather. It was quite hot, we are used to it in India but still…”The hamstring will be assessed overnight. “My leg got stuck into the pitch, and when I was trying to go for the second run, I had a little bit of a pull in my hamstring but I am going to consult the physio now,” Pujara said. “Hopefully it is not too bad.”He was run out off the last ball of the day and though it has been a problem in Pujara’s career, you can’t blame him this time. He had to take the risk in order to manipulate the strike, he had a dodgy hamstring, and he was also undone by a sensational piece of fielding from Pat Cummings. Still, if India’s bowlers and batsmen can follow Pujara’s lead on the coming days, he might have played one of the most significant knocks for India.

The board made the announcement on Tuesday with the man himself hoping to return to international cricket in March

Umar Farooq05-Feb-2019Sarfaraz Ahmed may have recently served out an ICC-imposed ban, but the PCB stated in emphatic terms that he will be captain when Pakistan play the World Cup in May 2019.The 31-year old was suspended for four matches over some of his on-field remarks against South Africa in January but the the PCB remained firmly on his side even as the episode unfolded. Its president Ehsan Mani even said, “Somewhere common sense was overruled by bureaucratic process.”Now, the board has made a fresh show of its support by naming him captain for the 2019 World Cup three months before the event.”Sarfaraz has been an integral part of the Pakistan’s World Cup preparations. He has proved to be a good strategist, leader and performer,” Mani said on Tuesday. “He led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy 2017 title as well as to top of the ICC T20I rankings.”Mani also confirmed that Sarfaraz’s position as captain will only be re-evaluated after the World Cup.”There were a lot of speculations around captaincy in media but I can confirm that he is our captain and he will remain for the upcoming series against Australia until World Cup,” Mani said. “I had no doubt about it but it’s unfortunate the uncertainty is making rounds over and over in media. We are not concerned at all about what is being discussed around.”So nobody should doubt him as captain. He is captain and will remain captain until next decision is taken. Yes, questions have been raised about the performances but in a bigger picture results have been good so far. I spoke to selectors, coaches, director operations and the entire board is behind him.”Mani, formerly the ICC chairman, recalled Sarfaraz’s captaincy during the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. “I first met Sarfaraz 13 years ago during ICC Under-19 World Cup in Colombo and his leadership quality was great,” Mani said. “Pakistan believed to have lost that game after scoring 109 against India but the way Sarfaraz led the side and got India out for 71 runs was outstanding. I couldn’t forgot that match and even wrote a letter to the then-chairman Shahryar Khan praising Sarfaraz’s leadership. There is no doubt at all in Sarafarz’s contribution to Pakistan. He has led at from Under-19 to Karachi, for PIA and then Pakistan.”Pakistan are scheduled to play 10 ODIs ahead of World Cup in May – five against Australia in UAE in March followed by five against England.Sarfaraz, who is currently preparing for the Pakistan Super League in February, said that Mani’s support has lifted his spirits. “I thank PCB for trusting me,” Sarfaraz said. “This support has always been there and I’m thankful for the reassurance. It is a big honour for me to lead Pakistan at World Cup and stand among those who did in past people like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq.””Pressure is always there during captaincy. But with the chairman and board’s support I feel motivated more than ever. I now would like to transfer the same to the team for the upcoming Australia series and World Cup.”