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Derbyshire set Durham an unlikely target of 361 to win after half-centuries from Tom Lace, Harvey Hosein and Matt Critchley

ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2019Durham’s openers stood firm to halt Derbyshire’s victory charge on day three of the Division Two match at the County Ground. Alex Lees and Gareth Harte battled through a testing last session to reach 10 without loss at the close in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 361.Derbyshire had taken control with Tom Lace making his maiden first-class half-century before Harvey Hosein and Matt Critchley also scored fifties as Derbyshire reached 334, with Matt Salisbury taking 3 for 65. That left Durham an awkward 17 overs to survive and Lees and Harte dug in to deny Derbyshire before bad light ended play early.Although Derbyshire went into the day with an advantage of 133, Durham still had a chance if they could take early wickets but they managed only one in the morning as Lace and Alex Hughes wore down the bowlers.The ball moved around in murky conditions but although the bat was beaten numerous times, Durham had to wait 18 overs for the breakthrough. Lace and Hughes played with discipline and restraint until Lace fenced at a wide one from Harte and was caught at second slip.Hosein provided some acceleration to take the lead past 220 at lunch and after Hughes had been caught behind off Harte for a three-hour 39, Critchley took the game away with some punishing strokes. He reached 50 off 60 balls and Durham’s frustration grew as both Hosein and Critchley survived dropped catches that should have been taken.Both fell before tea but by then, Derbyshire were 320 ahead and they batted on with Ravi Rampaul striking Liam Trevaskis for two big sixes before he was last out pulling Salisbury to midwicket.Durham were set what would be the second-highest successful fourth-innings chase at Derby and although the pitch had flattened out, they faced a tricky period before the close.At least conditions were better for batting but there was some swing with the new ball and Tony Palladino almost found the edge of skipper Lees’ bat in the second over. Lees responded by punching an overpitched delivery down the ground but generally the batsmen were content to leave as many balls as possible with survival until stumps the prime objective.Only nine runs came from the first 11 overs as Lees and Harte concentrated on defence and their application was rewarded when the umpires took the players off the field two balls into the 15th over.

Suresh Raina’s 41-ball 61 proved in vain as Tamil Nadu chased down 163 with four balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2018Washington Sundar’s all-round effort and Sanjay Yadav’s 32-ball 52 helped Tamil Nadu register a five-wicket win over Uttar Pradesh in a Super League encounter in Kolkata. Uttar Pradesh captain Suresh Raina’s 41-ball 61 proved in vain as Tamil Nadu chased down 163 with four balls to spare. Raina’s half-century came a day after he scored an unbeaten 126 against Bengal.Electing to bat, Uttar Pradesh powered away to a strong start despite losing opener Samarth Singh in the third over. Raina and Shivam Chaudhary (38 off 33 balls) put on 70 for the second wicket in 8.1 overs. After Chaudhary’s dismissal, Raina and Akshdeep Nath, the other hero from Uttar Pradesh’s win over Bengal, raised 53 runs. By the time Sundar struck to remove Raina, the left-hand batsman had finished with seven fours and a six. Nath remained unbeaten on 38 off 28 balls even as Sundar finished with figures of 2 for 32. Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar and legspinner M Ashwin, who is expected to be on IPL franchises’ wishlists, took a wicket each.Sundar (33 off 30) and Bharath Shankar (30 off 19) got Tamil Nadu off to a brisk start in the chase. With No. 3 Yadav striking at a brisk pace, including two fours and three sixes, and N Jagadeesan scoring an 11-ball 20, Tamil Nadu got home without too much discomfort even as Ankit Rajpoot and Mohsin Khan took two wickets each. Despite a steep reserve price of INR 1.5 crore, Sundar, who made his international debut in the recent home series against Sri Lanka, is expected to be a hot pick at the IPL auction.

Group B round-up: Ishan Kishan’s rearguard effort, Karnataka’s last-wicket stand between K Gowtham and S Aravind highlight opening day of fifth round

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2016Ishan Kishan’s second century this season, an unbeaten 162, helped Jharkhand recover from 80 for 4 to end up with 359 for 6 at stumps on the opening day of their fifth-round Group B fixture against Delhi at the St Xaviers College ground in Thumba. Unmukt Chand, leading in Gautam Gambhir’s absence owing to national duties, went in with three seamers, and the decision seemed justified until Kishan walked in to bat at No. 6. He first forged a 116-run stand with Ishank Jaggi (55) and followed that up with a 120-run stand with Kaushal Singh (39). Kishan’s runs came at a strike rate of 76.06; he hit 14 fours and six sixes.Karnataka recovered from 120 for 7 to post 267 against Vidarbha in Baroda. Their No. 10 K Gowtham, also the side’s leading wicket-taker so far with 18 scalps, top-scored with an unbeaten 60 to somewhat negate the damage inflicted by medium pacer Lalit Yadav, who scythed through the middle order. He finished with 5 for 67. Vidarbha failed to strengthen their grip as the last-wicket pair of Gowtham and S Aravind added 78, before Yadav returned to complete his maiden five-wicket haul. Vidarbha were 10 without loss at stumps.Four of Rajasthan’s top five failed to capitalise on strong starts on an attritional day against Odisha in Patiala. They went into stumps on 249 for 5 in 78 overs, with SF Khan, on first-class debut, unbeaten on 65. The fifth-wicket stand of 76 between Mahipal Lomror, the 16-year old who represented India at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, and Khan was the highest of the innings so far. Five Odisha bowlers shared the spoils, with Dhiraj Singh being the most economical among the frontline bowlers.Intermittent showers meant no play was possible between bottom-placed sides Assam and Saurashtra at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Play will start 30 minutes early on each of the remaining three days, weather permitting.

Attack leader says England are aiming to replicate the one facet of the 2012 series that did go well for them

Andrew McGlashan in Abu Dhabi11-Oct-2015On one hand, England hope history does not repeat itself against Pakistan in the UAE. On the other, they are aiming to replicate the one facet of the 2012 series that did go well for them.England’s bowling was not the problem during their 3-0 defeat on the previous visit. In the second and third Tests James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar combined impressively and looked to have sealed each match in turn. In Abu Dhabi, a chase of 145 was botched spectacularly as England collapsed to 72 all out, then in Dubai England removed Pakistan for 99 in the first innings, only to be thwarted by Azhar Ali and Younis Khan second-time around.Anderson and Broad are among the five surviving players from that tour to make it here again (Cook, Bell and Finn the others) with Anderson set to return as the father-figure of England’s pace attack having missed the final two Ashes Tests due to a side injury. He and Broad shared 22 wickets during the 2012 series and will be delving into their banks of experience over the next few weeks to help an attack that remains raw.”When conditions are this alien to a lot of the younger guys it’s important we try and give them as much information as possible so they can prepare themselves. Passing on advice is crucial,” Anderson said”Last time we were here we had a decent amount of success, myself and Stuart and the two spinners, so we know how to get 20 wickets out here. We know we’ll have to bowl very well to do that. It’s an exciting challenge; the conditions, the heat, if we do perform well it will be very satisfying.”James Anderson bowls in the nets ahead of the first Test•Getty Images

Anderson will resume his Test career on 413 wickets – in a neat twist, given the opposition as well as the Lancashire connection, one wicket will bring him level with Wasim Akram at joint 10th on the all-time list. His preparation has been limited – 12 overs and one wicket, with a catch down the leg side – but he is not alone in that and at least ended the season playing county cricket.There has been the notion floated that, in a horses-for-courses selection, similar to that justifying Moeen Ali opening, Anderson’s place could be under threat as his greatest strengths are likely to be diminished in the prevailing conditions where traditional swing is a rare sight.At 33, his days as the leader of the attack are numbered but you don’t easily shelve 400-plus Test wickets. Even if there is just a modicum of swing for a short period Anderson should still be better than most at finding it.”I’m itching to get going again,” he said. “It was frustrating to miss the last couple of Test of the summer but I’ve played a bit for Lancashire which was good, got some wickets, so felt in good in form and since being out here all of us have acclimatised quite quickly and are raring to go.”Despite the acclimatisation, conditions will remain very tough for England and Anderson knows it is vital, especially for the quicks, that they make every over count. In such searing heat, spells will rarely exceed five overs so they will need to assess very swiftly what tactics should be employed.”We saw Steven Finn bowl seven [in the warm-up], that’s probably pushing it a little bit, but we are aware we’ll have to be used in short spells,” Anderson said. “Me and Broady have brought it up with the lads already, when we came out here last time we bowled four-five overs maximum which means you have to be on the money from ball one and that puts a bit of emphasis on you as a bowler – you can’t just ease into a spell. You have to nail it.”You’ve got to assess the situation very quickly, if the ball isn’t swinging you have to go to Plan B,” he added. “You have to quickly assess if it will reverse-swing, while cutters and little changes in pace are crucial as well. It’s about finding the right skills for the situation, the pace of the pitch is important, whether you bring the slips out and things like that. It’s about being sharp and aware.”Anderson acknowledged that success in this series would rank alongside the away wins in the Ashes in 2010-11 and India in 2012-13, but insisted that the team – in the spirit that carried them through the home season – are not overawed by what is in front of them.”We put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” he said. “We want to improve on the performances from the summer. We know we can play better than we did even though we won that series, we want to continue to improve and show people how exciting we can be.”We are aware of how we performed last time we were here. As we saw in the Ashes, we lost them in 2013 but then won them back, so it’s all about how you prepare and play in that particular series. What happened in the past doesn’t really matter that much.”Except, of course, if you are remembering how to take wickets.

At the end of the second day, Yorkshire were 233 runs in arrears with nine wickets standing and facing a battle to save the match

Paul Edwards at Headingley11-Apr-2013
ScorecardSussex captain Ed Joyce led by example•Getty Images

This was a day when Sussex viewed the loss of wickets as necessary tariffs to be paid on the pathway to greater prosperity. Like TE Lawrence’s dreamers of the day, they sought to make their wishes reality by bold strategem and admirable risk-taking. It worked, too.Beginning the morning on 104 for 3, a lead of eight, Joyce’s men added 252 runs in 51.5 overs to be bowled out for 356. They then removed Alex Lees, caught at slip by Chris Jordan off Steve Magoffin for 4, before bad light and rain ended play 34 overs early. Already, just two days into the County Championship season, Yorkshire’s batsmen are 233 runs in arrears and face an interesting test of their technique and resolve in the top tier of English cricket. The forecast for tomorrow may predict dull weather but the sport on view at Headingley should be gripping.There was scarcely a moment in Thursday’s play when Sussex did not try to seize the game by its very throat. Rory Hamilton-Brown set the tone in the first hour by spanking five boundaries in a breezy 26 and Joe Gatting made 20 off 23 balls before he skied Azeem Rafiq’s first ball to wide mid-off where Jack Brooks ran round to take a good catch.Sussex’s tactics were plain. With bad weather predicted – it didn’t arrive until 3.45pm – the batsmen were intent on taking every chance to force the pace and establish a large lead. This approach was best expressed by the batting of Ed Joyce and Ben Brown, who added 120 in 23 overs either side of lunch as the Yorkshire attack was eviscerated. Joyce, who insofar as the innings needed an anchor had done the job, made 92 off 140 balls before he edged Brooks to slip. He deserved a century but not as much as Brown, whose batting was something of a revelation.The Sussex wicketkeeper hit 14 fours, some of them sublime, on his way to 93 and three figures seemed his for the taking when a full delivery from Brooks rattled the ash. Yorkshire were encouraged by these successes and Brooks celebrated by having Jordan lbw next ball. But by then the lead was over 200; Sussex were over the hills and far away as far as the match was concerned. The loss of the last five wickets for 38 runs still left Joyce’s bold adventurers with a first-innings lead of 260.It was an interesting day for Rafiq, who conceded 70 runs in his 15 overs, and even more so for Yorkshire’s Championship debutant Brooks. The ex-Northamptonshire seamer’s first 9.4 overs in the innings cost 60 runs; he then took four wickets in 15 balls at a cost of 15 runs and finished with 4 for 76 off 13 overs. At least he stuck at it but it was interesting to compare his figures to those of the admirable Ryan Sidebottom, who took 4 for 72 in 21.5 overs.At the end of the day Brooks was talking with conviction about Yorkshire chances of winning the game if they “bat long”. “Really?” the sceptical Leeds crowd might reply in unison. Most White Rose diehards would be very happy with a draw on Saturday evening. Unless a lot of weather intervenes, even that would be a significant achievement. But this is Headingley after all and perhaps Brooks will be celebrating his four wickets with a bottle of the ’81 this evening.

A round-up of the matches in the One-Day National Cup 2012, Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2012Usman Arshad rescued Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) with a steady, unbeaten 70, leading them to a four-wicket victory against Peshawar Panthers at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.Having chosen to field, SNGPL managed to dismiss Peshawar for 179, with Asad Ali and Raza Ali Dar taking 4 for 38 and 3 for 30 respectively. Mohamamd Rizwan (65) and Gauhar Ali (31) were the only batsmen to make contributions of note to the Peshawar total.Peshawar, however, were strong at the start of the defence, reducing SNGPL to 30 for 5. Adnan Akmal, Azeem Ghumman and Ali Waqas were dismissed for a duck. But Arshad, along with Raza Ali (36) and Yasir Shah (35) ensured victory with 18 balls to spare. Riaz Afridi and Waqar Ahmed took two wickets each for Peshawar.SNGPL have finished their league matches, winning two and losing two to earn four points. Peshawar, despite losing this game, are at the top of table with four points and one match to go.

Tasmania took firm control against Western Australia at the WACA, bowling them out for 160 courtesy a six-wicket haul from Luke Butterworth

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2011
ScorecardTasmania took firm control of their Sheffield Shield encounter against Western Australia at the WACA in Perth on day one, bowling them out for 160 courtesy a six-wicket haul from Luke Butterworth, before ending the day on 79 for no loss.Being made to field by Marcus North, Tasmania made early inroads as Butterworth picked up two wickets in the sixth over to leave Western Australia at 2 for 10. The hosts never recovered, losing wickets in rapid succession. A 35-run stand for the ninth wicket was the best partnership they could manage in the innings. Butterworth’s 6 for 51 is his best effort in first-class cricket. He’s the leading wicket-taker in the competition.Tasmania’s openers Nick Kruger and Ed Cowan got their side off to a solid start, remaining not out at stumps. Just the start to the match Tasmania were looking for, as an outright win here should guarantee them a spot in the final.

On the day that Vettori marked his 100th Test he was once again the star for New Zealand

Brydon Coverdale in Hamilton27-Mar-2010Daniel Vettori’s wife calls him the Captain of Everything, which goes back to when he was appointed skipper in all three formats and plans for split leadership with Stephen Fleming were shelved. It could also refer to his role as the team’s best bowler, most consistent batsman and their general in the field. New Zealand have relied so heavily on Vettori so often that despite being in his 100th Test he has celebrated fewer wins (31) than Michael Hussey (33), who is playing his 50th.On the day that Vettori marked his milestone he was once again the star with four wickets, a direct-hit run-out and some well-thought-out field placements. But this time, he had support. From the moment New Zealand strode on to Seddon Park to the time when Vettori led them off to a standing ovation, his men looked sharp. Catches were held, pressure was maintained and Australia were skittled for their lowest total in New Zealand in a decade.Nothing would please New Zealand fans more than seeing Vettori finally enjoy a Test win over Australia. The same intensity will need to be shown over the coming days but Vettori gave his men a good start. They rushed to their captain to congratulate him when his throw from mid-off ended the innings of Ricky Ponting, who has sung the team song after beating New Zealand in nine Tests during his 12-year rivalry with Vettori.It was a big wicket. Tim Southee had picked up Shane Watson early but Ponting and Simon Katich had looked comfortable and the run-out sparked something from the New Zealanders. Southee, who said the team wanted to lift for their captain, went on to collect four wickets and it is only when the fast men back Vettori that New Zealand look at their best.Then there was the plot conceived by Vettori to place a man at deep mid-on, hoping Michael Clarke would try to clear the field off Jeetan Patel. The trap worked. Southee held a good catch – none were spilled during the innings – and although some of the wickets fell to batsman error the bowlers stuck to their plans with diligence.That the pressure built on Australia was yet another tribute to Vettori. He bowled tight, giving the Australians no freedom to attack, and Marcus North and Brad Haddin fell at the other end to Southee when they sought to find runs off him instead. Vettori won his personal rewards at the finish, with three lower-order wickets to finish the innings with 4 for 36 in his 20th over.”It was a good day,” Vettori said. “To turn round from where we were at the Basin, by only being able to take five wickets, and to step up today on a pretty good wicket was impressive. I couldn’t really have asked for too much more from the day’s play. Losing that last wicket right at the end put a little bit of a tarnish on it but I think our track record suggests it has to be five good days as opposed to one.”The first day of his 100th Test could hardly have gone any better. The previous night his father Renzo, who was born in a small village in the Dolomites of Italy, had been invited to present Vettori with the cap for his milestone game.Across the road from Seddon Park, a supermarket was stocking kiwi-fruit imported from the world’s biggest producer of the item. It wasn’t a deliberate tribute to Vettori’s heritage but the abundance of Italian kiwis was especially fitting this week.

Hosts flounder in pursuit of 164 to finish 88 short – the largest margin of victory in the history of The Hundred

ECB Media17-Aug-2025London Spirit 164 for 6 (Chathli 69, Harris 34, Arlott 3-25) beat Birmingham Phoenix 76 (Lamb 23, Gray 2-13, Dean 2-16) by 88 runsA cracking partnership of 47 from just 21 balls between Spirit’s breakout opener Kira Chathli and the megastar Grace Harris took the game away from Phoenix, who floundered badly in pursuit of 164, losing three wickets inside the first 33 balls to eventually finish 88 short – the largest margin of victory in the history of The Hundred.The result propels Spirit to joint-top of the table with a slightly superior run rate to Southern Brave, and leaves the Phoenix down and virtually out, on just four points from five matches.The hosts will be disappointed with their campaign. Just a single tournament half-century, to Emma Lamb, and little to show for the efforts of their Australian pair, the great Ellyse Perry and the national team’s new star opener, Georgia Voll.Both made single-figure scores here as Phoenix stuttered up top against some disciplined new-ball bowling from Spirit’s left-arm spinner Bex Tyson and the rejuvenated Issy Wong, who yet again burnished her credentials as one of the best young seamers in the English game.Reigning champions Spirit, under Charlie Dean, who bowled beautifully to pick up two wickets including that of England team-mate Amy Jones, are again building at just the right time.Chathli in particular has been a revelation. Her 35-ball 69, containing 13 fours, is her most impressive knock to date in the tournament, while Harris is the heartbeat of their middle order, a woman in the form of her life who’s now plundered 199 tournament runs this term at a ferocious strike rate of 180. Her knock today may have occupied just 15 balls, but she still planted four of them over the rope.They needed it too, after losing Georgia Redmayne and Cordelia Griffith in the powerplay and then Charli Knott soon after, the impressive Phoenix seamer Em Arlott picking up three more wickets to draw level, on 10, with Lauren Bell as the most prolific wicket-taker of the tournament so far.Chathli, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “In The Hundred that’s definitely my best performance to date. They bowled really well up top – as did our bowlers as well – but the key is to give yourself a few balls, and after that it got a little easier.”We just focus on what do really well as a team, which is to play positive cricket and there’s no doubt in my mind that every member of our team backs each other to deliver their skill.”

Shardul Thakur throws spotlight on crammed Ranji Trophy schedule after hitting game-changing ton against Tamil Nadu in semi-final

Shashank Kishore03-Mar-2024India allrounder Shardul Thakur has called for longer breaks between Ranji Trophy games to facilitate better recovery and preparation for players, keeping in mind the lengthy nature of the competition. Mumbai, for example, would’ve played 10 first-class games in under 10 weeks should they reach the final.Shardul termed the current schedule – where teams have had just three days between games – as “difficult” with schedules getting “tighter and tighter.””If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country,” he said after hitting a maiden first-class century to rescue Mumbai from 106 for 6, as they went on to open up a 207-run lead with one wicket remaining.”Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it, and give more [of a] break. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, good seven to eight years back, [the] first three games used to have [a] three-day break, and then it was [a] four-day break, and knockouts were played [with] five-day breaks.”With the IPL window only getting bigger, the BCCI has had to force-fit all senior men’s competitions over a smaller window than usual. This has led to several prominent first-class cricketers lamenting privately about the relevance of tournaments such as the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, the zonal first-class and one-day competitions, which open the domestic season.Injuries aside, teams have also had to grapple with travel fatigue because of this short window. Gujarat, for example, had their flight to New Delhi cancelled the following day after their home fixture against Karnataka in Ahmedabad.Then on the second day, their onward flight to Delhi was delayed, and when they finally arrived in the capital, they were stranded in the airport overnight. It meant driving amid heavy fog to Chandigarh on the third morning which left them with no net sessions prior to the game, which was eventually fogged out.”Now this year, we have seen that all the games have been played [with a] three-day gap. It is extremely tough on domestic players to expect them to play ten games in a row with just three-day gap if [a] team makes it to the finals.”Also, when nine teams were in the group [in the old format], one team would get a break in [the] round-robin system. Now with only eight teams being in one group, everyone plays each other, so that [extra] break has gone now.”Thakur cited Mumbai’s example, while explaining how it was particularly gruelling on fast bowlers. “Yeah, 100% because Mohit [Avasthi] also had an injury in the sixth game.” Avasthi was rested by Mumbai from the league stage contest against Chhattisgarh, believed to have developed a hamstring-related issue.”He played five games in a row. He had a huge workload because Tushar [Deshpande] was also selected for India A,” Thakur said. “He was not available. Dhawal [Kulkarni] was playing alternate games looking at his age and workload. Royston [Dias] is fairly new.”He [Mohit] operated a lot in those first five games, and then he had an injury so he had to miss a game. I think that is because there is not enough spacing between the games.”Tamil Nadu captain and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who has led his side into Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time in seven years while also crossing the 50-wicket mark this season, agreed with Thakur.”A few players feel the same thing,” Sai Kishore said. “Fast bowlers are extra tired because you travel on one day. For me, I don’t train much because of the three-day thing. I bowl directly match-to-match, so the load on my body is fine. I don’t strain myself in training pre-match. I am managing myself that way, but it should be harder for the fast bowlers.”