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James Vince struck an unbeaten 99 to move Hampshire ahead of Kent at the top of South Group on a foggy night at Canterbury

ECB/PA13-Jun-2015
ScorecardJames Vince finished a ball short of his hundred was Hampshire went top•Getty Images

Hampshire’s James Vince hit an unbeaten 99 and made light of a double-digit asking rate to fire Hampshire to the top of South Group with a six-wicket win over previous leaders Kent Spitfires.In pursuit of 184 at a required rate of 10.22 in a game reduced to 18 overs per side by an early evening thunderstorm, Vince, the tall England Lions right-hander, clattered a season’s competition best 99 not out from 57 balls to see Hampshire home at a misty Canterbury with one delivery to spare.The visitors had made a poor start to their reply when Michael Carberry fenced at the fourth ball of the reply from Matt Coles to edge to Spitfires’ keeper Ryan Davies, making his T20 debut behind the stumps.Davies was in the action again in Coles’ next over, tumbling to his right to take a bottom-edged catch that dismissed Jimmy Adams for 16 as Hampshire reached 46 for 2 after their Powerplay.

Insights

These two sides served up a cracker once more and it was the same men – Sam Northeast, Alex Blake and James Vince – dominating with the bat. The two teams went about their batting very differently, however. In the first 16, Kent didn’t take more than 11 from a Hampshire over before Blake and Adam Ball pilfered 21 from each of the final two. Hampshire were far steadier. They notched boundaries in all but three and, prior to the last, took 12 or more from six (only three cost less than eight, too) to stay ahead of the rate and not require a blockbuster finish from Vince. – Will Macpherson

As fog descended on the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Hampshire had 75 on the scoreboard when Owais Shah walked across his stumps aiming for the short, mid-wicket boundary only to miss out and go lbw to Darren Stevens.But with first-choice bowlers David Griffiths and Calum Haggett out injured, Kent’s threadbare attack struggled in the middle overs as Hampshire’s Sean Ervine and Vince raised their side’s hundred after 10.2 overs to maintain the asking rate.Vince reached a 36-ball 50 and celebrated by clubbing his third six of the night over mid-wicket off deposed England spinner James Tredwell, but Ervine’s stay ended for 36 when he clipped Adam Ball to long off to conclude a stand that added 58 in 5.1 overs.Vince ploughed on however, plundering a fourth six off Ball that endangered the staff in a mobile burger bar positioned near the Old Dover Road as Hampshire edged home for a fourth win in six starts.Batting first after winning their fourth successive T20 toss, Kent’s Joe Denly opened his boundary account with an on-drive to the ropes against Fidel Edwards, who responded next ball with a yorker that pegged back Denly’s leg stump and sent the right-hander packing for six.Sam Northeast, the competition’s leading run-scorer going into the game, found his range with consecutive fours off left-arm spinner Danny Briggs to take Kent to 47 for 1 after their shortened, five-over Powerplay but, without addition to the score, Daniel Bell-Drummond missed a leg-side clip to be bowled by Yasir Arafat’s first ball of the night.Fabian Cowdrey moved to 13 with a rasping cover drive for four against Danny Briggs but, he missed an attempted cut to the left-arm spinner’s next ball to be bowled and leave Spitfires on 77 for 3 at the mid-point of their innings.Northeast launched a six over extra cover on his way to a 29-ball half-century – his fourth time past 50 in seven south group starts this season – but, four balls later, he holed out to long on to give Edwards a second scalp.Alex Blake and Stevens upped the tempo with a brace of sixes, the second of which took an out-of-sorts Stevens to 23 – his highest score in this season’s Blast event – but two runs later Stevens skied to long-off.Blake, who hit an unbeaten 71 off 30 balls in last month’s reverse fixture at the Ageas Bowl, took 21 off Arafat’s final over and a further two boundaries against Edwards took him to an unbeaten 49 from 25 balls and his side to 183 for 5.

Warwickshire will welcome back Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner who took 51 wickets in their Championship-winning campaign last season, as their overseas player for 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2012Warwickshire will welcome back Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner who took 51 wickets in their Championship-winning campaign last season, as their overseas player for 2013. Patel’s form was a key part of Warwickshire’s title success and also helped win him a recall with New Zealand.Patel has played for Warwickshire in three of the last four seasons, taking 74 first-class wickets at 25.72. New Zealand play two Tests in England in May 2013 but Daniel Vettori’s expected return to fitness may mean Patel is not required.”Winning the County Championship with Warwickshire is one of the highlights of my career and with such a strong squad available, I see no reason why we can’t push harder for success in all formats next season,” Patel said. “The new facilities at Edgbaston have made it one of the best grounds in the world and Birmingham has certainly become my adopted home. I’m looking forward to returning in 2013 and hopefully playing a major part in more success for Warwickshire.”Warwickshire will being their title defence against Division Two champions Derbyshire on April 10, with Patel available for the start of the season. One person who won’t be there to welcome the offspinner back is director of cricket, Ashley Giles, who will take charge of England’s limited-overs teams in January.”Jeets is a world-class spinner who’s produced many outstanding performances, and is a great role model to the younger players in the squad,” the outgoing Giles said. “Whilst I’m moving on to my role with the England team, I’m delighted that the club has been able to secure him as the overseas player for the 2013 season before I depart. His 51 wickets were crucial to winning the County Championship last season, and I know that everyone is looking forward to his return.”

A round-up of the first day’s play in the fourth round of Division One matches in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2011Sixteen wickets fell on an eventful opening day between Sialkot and Water and Power Development Authority at the Jinnah Stadium. Sialkot chose to bat after winning the toss but were wrecked by Sarfraz Ahmed, who claimed 5 for 36, and dismissed for 139 in 48.2 overs. Ahmed was supported by Azhar Attari and Imran Khan, who took 2 for 48 and 3 for 43 respectively. Opener Jawad Ahmed top scored for Sialkot with 38. WAPDA’s batsmen fared no better during their first innings, and ended the day on 101 for 6, battling for a first-innings lead. The wickets were shared by Sialkot’s bowlers, with Mohammad Abbas being the most successful with 2 for 39. WAPDA’s captain Ahmed Sajjad had top scored with 25.An unbeaten, brisk half-century from Ikramullah Khan helped Abbottabad recover from 134 for 6 to reach 278 for 9 against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. SBP’s bowlers struck frequently after they sent Abbottabad in, preventing all the top-order batsmen from coverting starts into substantial innings. Saad Altaf, Mohammad Naved and Rizan Haider took two wickets each. Abbottabad were 192 for 9 at one stage before Ikramullah, who scored 70 off 81 balls, joined forces with Mohammad Naeem, who was unbeaten on 23 at stumps.Aqeel Anjum remained not out on 119 to lead National Bank of Pakistan to a commanding position against Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium. Anjum added 133 for the second wicket with opener Khurram Manzoor, who scored 69. He then put on an unbeaten 64-run partnership with Fawad Alam, who was unbeaten on 29, as NBP reached 271 for 3 at stumps.Habib Bank Limited‘s (HBL) top order produced a strong performance to end the first day in a comfortable position against Islamabad at the Diamond Cricket Ground. Khaqan Asral scored an unbeaten 119 at No. 4, while opener Ahmed Shehzad made 80 off 97 balls. Hasan Raza also contributed 52 before he retired hurt with the score on 242 for 3. Asral led HBL to 341 for 4 at stumps. Zohaib Ahmed took 3 for 54 for Islamabad.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) finished the first day against Karachi Blues on 285 for 5 at the National Stadium. Their openers Agha Sabir and Kamran Sajid scored 48 and 41 and put on 88 for the first wicket but both fell in quick succession. It was left to Sheharyar Ghani to hold the innings together and he did so with an unbeaten 106. PIA lost three wickets quickly to slump to 159 for 5 but Ghani had an unbroken stand of 126 for the sixth wicket with Sarfraz Ahmed, who was also not out on 62. Mohammad Sami was the best bowler for Karachi Blues, taking 2 for 37.A four-wicket haul from Iftikhar Anjum helped Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) reduce Rawalpindi to 297 for 8 on the first day at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi had a promising start, with the openers adding 98 for the first wicket. Shoaib Nasir made 54 while Naved Malik scored 72. ZTBL began to strike regularly after that, and apart from Usman Saeed, who held up one end with 94, no one else made a sizeable contribution. Saeed missed his century when he was stumped by Zulqarnain Haider, who claimed five dismissals, off Zohaib Khan.

Despite a winless tour, Zimbabwe have generally committed themselves admirably in South Africa – the Benoni debacle aside – and team captain Elton Chigumbura insisted that the experience of playing top-level opponents would be helpful as Zimbabwe seek to

Liam Brickhill in Benoni22-Oct-2010Despite a winless tour, Zimbabwe have generally committed themselves admirably in South Africa – the Benoni debacle aside – and team captain Elton Chigumbura insisted that the experience of playing top-level opponents would be helpful as Zimbabwe seek to continue their development.”It’s been a positive series for us, despite the results, especially on the batting front,” Chigumbura told ESPNcricinfo. “Today was just a bad day for us all round. But for the tour as a whole, it’s been a positive thing for us because now we know where we are.”Zimbabwe may well have pushed South Africa a little harder had Chigumbura been in better form, but he struggled with both bat and ball in the one-dayers, managing 37 runs in three innings and picking up just two wickets for 129 runs in 16 overs. His struggles with the ball, in particular, contributed to a wider malaise in Zimbabwe’s bowling and the visitors’ seamers struggled to make an impression.”There’s plenty of room for improvement, especially in our bowling,” conceded Chigumbura. “We just need to get our skills to the top level, which has been the biggest let-down of the whole tour. We still have lots of work to do when it comes to control in our bowling. We are alright in the field, but our execution with the ball is where we’re not getting it right.”Chigumbura suggested that a preponderance of flat, batsman-friendly wickets had exposed Zimbabwe’s frailties rather more harshly than might have been the case if conditions had been more suited to seam and swing. “That’s the big difference,” he said.”If you play on flat wickets your margin of error is so small, and that’s when your real skills come into play. Our skills on flat wickets are not yet where we want them to be, and that’s something we need to work on with the World Cup coming up in the subcontinent and our tour to Bangladesh.”Zimbabwe’s next assignment is a trip to Bangladesh. Although the fixture list has not yet been finalised, the tour will give them vital experience in conditions similar to what they’ll encounter at the World Cup in February.”It’s going to be good to be playing Bangladesh in their sort of conditions. In a way it was also good to play against top level opposition on flat decks here, so hopefully when we go to Bangladesh our skill level will have gone up and we’ll have a better understanding of the importance of control in our bowling. I have been following their series against New Zealand, they’ve been playing very well. You know what to expect from them – they’re going to use their spinners to attack – so when we go home we’re going to be working on playing spin and also on our bowling. But our batting is good at the moment.”A noticeable omission from Zimbabwe’s squad on this tour was that of Ray Price. Since Zimbabwe’s series against Bangladesh in January last year, Price has picked up 49 wickets at just 25.46 – and that average drops to 23.73 in the 17 games Zimbabwe have won in that time – and Chigumbura suggested his absence had been keenly felt.”We missed Ray price on this tour. Pricey plays a really big role in the team. Unfortunately his father isn’t well so he wasn’t with us this time, but hopefully when we go to Bangladesh he’ll be with us and he’ll help a great deal on the bowling side.”

A round-up of the third day’s action from the fifth round of matches from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009

Group A

Pakistan Customs stitched up a comfortable win, their first of the season, over Lahore Shalimar at Muridke. They began the third day with a lead of 181 and could only add a single run to that this morning, but by keeping Lahore Shalimar to 244 they allowed themselves an easy chase. Mohammad Iftikhar, the right-arm medium-pacer, struck twice early and then down the order to apply the pressure and the only batsman to reply was Sohail Idrees. Idrees batted 158 deliveries for an unbeaten 104, which contributed 59% of the total. However, it could ultimately only help set a target of 63, which was knocked off in 7.3 overs despite the loss of the openers.Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) dominated the first half of the day, thanks to Kashif Daud’s six wickets, but a batting collapse handed the momentum right back to Habib Bank Limited(HBL) at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. From an overnight lead of 122, ZTBL added a further 117 to their score as Daud ran down the order for a career-best 6 for 72. The captain Hasan Raza’s 33 and an unbeaten 36 from Mohammad Aslam at No. 9 could yet prove to be crucial given the situation at stumps. Set a target of 240, ZTBL slipped to 91 for 5 with Sarmad Anwar taking three wickets.In Rawalpindi, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) finished a fine day’s work needing another 70 runs to win with eight wickets in hand. That this was the result was down to their work in the field, when they dismissed Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) for 180 after their own innings came down for 293. No major partnerships were allowed to flourish as four of the five bowlers used restricted KRL. There was just one half-century, from Ali Khan, and despite losing two before stumps, including the opener Naeemuddin for a first-ball duck, SNGPL are in prime position to achieve their fourth win in a row.Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) didn’t buckle under a weight of runs – not yet, at least – and held out for another day against National Bank of Pakistan in Faisalabad. From an overnight 274 for 2, NBP declared at 441 for 5 with Rashid Riaz (63*), Mansoor Amjad (45) and Qaiser Abbas (38) piling on the misery for SSGC. Trailing by 259, SSGC replied with a steady second innings to ensure NBP will have to work a little harder on the final day. There were no substantial contributions but SSGC reached 143 for 6, leaving NBP four wickets to take for their third win of the season.An interesting tussle between Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Gaddafi Stadium ended with the latter chasing 262 with ten wickets. PIA began the third day with a lead of 55 and extended it to 279 thanks to key roles at the top and down the order. Rafatullah Mohmand (48) and Adil Nisar (61) added 106 for the opening wicket but suffered a wobble after they and Jahangir Mirza (52) fell. However, the last five wickets rallied to add 129 and that set PIA a tough target. In the 2.3 overs left in the day they knocked off 17 of those.

Group B

Young fast bowler Mohammad Rameez capped an outstanding match by adding a career-best 8 for 27 to five in the first innings, helping table-toppers Rawalpindi beat Peshawar by 75 runs at the National Ground. Rameez was unstoppable with the new ball and utterly flummoxed Peshawar for a paltry 77. It was a stunning turnaround from Rawalpindi who, after being forced to follow on after making just 81, were carried to 334 thanks to Usman Saeed (79) and Zahid Mansoor (81). The pair rallied the top order confidently and a couple key hands down the order helped set Peshawar a target of 153. They didn’t even get near, with
Rameez slicing them apart amazingly. Rawalpindi have won four from four.A tidy outing in the field set up a nine-wicket win for Sialkot over Quetta at the Jinnah Stadium. Kamran Younis carried from an overnight 147 to 182 and the wicketkeeper Ahmed Butt made 94 to help the score to 354 even as Arun Lal took four more to finish with 7 for 87 against a lack of support. Then Quetta folded for 156 in 39 overs to Sialkot’s seam attack, and a target of 16 was easily achieved.Faisalabad, despite making 309, were forced to follow on by Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. The pressure of trying to get near Islamabad’s first innings of 485 told as no big stands were formed; the 84 for the second wicket was the best Faisalabad managed. Imran Ali battled with 73 from the top but received little support and Faisalabad needed 52 from Mohammad Salman and an unbeaten 39 from Zulqarnain at No.10 prop up the scorecard. Shehzad Azam (4 for 121) and Nasrullah Khan (3 for 96) shared seven wickets. Following-on, Faisalabad were 0 for no loss at the close.Chasing 316, Multan finished day three on 99 for 3 against Karachi Blues at the National Stadium. Multan only added nine to their first-innings total in the morning, after which Rizwan Haider and Zulfiqar Babar ran through Karachi Blues to dismiss them for 167. The duo struck all down the order and didn’t allow the opposition to dominate; there were no half-centuries while Shahzaib Hasan (42), Asad Shafiq (32) and Tanvir Ahmed (33) were cut off after they got starts. Shahzaid finished with 5 for 74 and Babar 4 for 43. Multan lost a couple wickets early on but were steadied by the No. 3 Rameez Alam’s unbeaten 58.Lahore Ravi replied well to Hyderabad’s 377, thanks to the opener and captain Kashif Siddiq’s 121 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Siddiq, who resumed on 70, saw his side slipped from 114 for 2 to 149 for 6 but found assistance from the lower order. Waqas Ahmed (33), Mohammad Irshad (65)and Adbul Ghaffar (27*) were superb in getting the score up to 348. In their second innings Hyderabad finished the day on 61 for 3, a lead of 90.

“We should appreciate the players for throwing themselves in the den without being exposed to these conditions,” Pakistan’s Test captain said

Danyal Rasool27-Jan-2025Pakistan captain Shan Masood said he expected the team to continue their recent experiment of heavily turning tracks at home, and that they would be replicated across domestic cricket as well. After falling to a 120-run defeat at home against West Indies that levelled the series 1-1 and confirmed Pakistan’s position at the bottom of the current World Test Championship cycle, Masood maintained there were “encouraging signs” that Pakistan would seek to build on.”Domestic cricket will be played like this,” he said. “We’ve already talked about this. The more we’ll play the better we’ll get at it. We’ve shown encouraging signs. After the four matches, we’ve won three in these conditions. We dominated the first hour of the first day which could have swung the match in our favour. It’s just about winning those key moments and ensuring we’re consistent with these conditions domestically and internationally.”Since Pakistan lost the first Test against England on a flat wicket in Multan, they have reverted to producing tracks that break up and spin from the first day, rendering fast bowling almost redundant. The last four home Tests have seen Pakistan take 80 wickets, with just one falling to a seam bowler. Fingerspinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali have dominated the bowling attack, taking 70 of the 80 wickets, and frequently opening the bowling attack in each innings. It has turned around Pakistan’s straggling home form, allowing them to beat England 2-1 at home and easing to a victory in the first Test against West Indies. This Test, however, the visiting spinners turned the script around on them, with left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican of West Indies walking away with both the Player-of-the-Match and Series awards.Related

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“It’s a game of all stakeholders. We should appreciate the players for throwing themselves in the den without being exposed to these conditions. We know we haven’t played domestic cricket in these conditions. In some ways, it’s a kind of bravery to expose ourselves to these conditions. We practiced, but this is new for us. But we need to replicate this in domestic cricket, give our batters exposure so we play in these conditions and get runs in them. In the fourth innings, anything over 150 is a competitive score, where spinners will always have the edge.”An unavoidable outcome of such surfaces is the outsized role the toss plays. All four times, the side winning the toss has batted first, walking away with victory three times. While Pakistan were able to flip that script against England in the series-decider, West Indies’ win once more demonstrated the way these pitches can slant a game in favour of the side bowling last.Mohammad Rizwan was bowled by Jomel Warrican, who took the match and series honours•AFP/Getty Images

However, it didn’t appear that way when Pakistan bowled in the first hour, having reduced West Indies to 54 for 8, and letting that situation slip through their fingers frustrated Masood most of all. “We didn’t get the result we wanted. The positive thing was when you field first and you know the fourth innings will be difficult. So you try to restrict the opposition in the first innings. We bowled brilliantly for the first eight wickets. But we’ve talked about the first innings batting and bowling combining to do well, so you have the advantage in the third and fourth innings. If you look at our batting and bowling, and the mistakes we made collectively, that was a crucial time because their last two wickets cost us dear.”Then, with the bat, we went from 119 for 4 to 154 all out. When these collapses happen and the other side puts on partnerships, they can set you back. If we’d got them out early and got a 100-run lead, the Test match would be completely different. With Test matches on these pitches, you can’t wait to make a move, because things are decided on day one, and that is where you can win or lose matches.”This is the end of a cycle, an unhappy one for Pakistan, and for its leader. Pakistan have lost nine of their last 12 matches, all five away from home and four of seven at home. Despite starting off with a crushing away win in Sri Lanka, they have finished bottom of the WTC table, and do not play another Test for nearly nine months.Masood acknowledged Pakistan had fallen short of expectations, but did not believe the side required a complete overhaul, pointing out fine margins made the difference in this Test, and could be worked on.”The tail not getting wickets is an area of concern, and we need to finish off sides quicker,” Masood said, echoing his frustrations in South Africa, where the last two wickets adding too many runs cost them dear in the first Test at Centurion. “Against Australia, who have the best tail in the world, we got them out cheaply, but not here, or against Bangladesh or South Africa.”Batters have been proactive, but we need more contributions. You may not get hundreds here but 30s and 40s contribute to the winning conditions. Kraigg Brathwaite was an ideal example. He took the game on. One batter will need to step up in these conditions especially when the ball is new.”It’s not about holding someone responsible. This isn’t an accountability bureau. This is a team effort. Our mistake as a team was the first two innings. That was what set us back, and gave the opposition a degree of freedom. If we had a 100-run lead, I do not think they’d have been able to play in the way they did. We need to understand the direction of matches will be decided very quickly, as early as day one.”

Salt admits disappointment to slipping down pecking order but keen to seize opportunity

Matt Roller21-Sep-2023A sodden Headingley outfield delayed its arrival by three days, but England’s latest white-ball opening partnership will stride out to the middle together at Trent Bridge on Saturday with an opportunity to show that they are not just a stop-gap, but a viable long-term option at the top of the order.Phil Salt and Will Jacks were due to open the batting against Ireland before Wednesday’s ODI was abandoned without a ball bowled and both men know that this series is about much more than results. Instead, it represents a chance for them to show that they should be part of a regenerated England side after this World Cup.Salt and Jacks have batted together before, though only six times and all in T20s, rather than 50-over games. They opened together in one of England’s seven T20Is in Pakistan this time last year, and were also opening partners for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 in January. That they were due to open, with Zak Crawley in the middle order, confirms their status as the next men in.In style, they are similar to the Jason Roy-Alex Hales prototype, the opening pair that launched England’s white-ball revolution. Jacks, like Hales, is the taller of the two, and particularly strong through the covers; Salt, like Roy, is slightly shorter, but a powerful, leg-side dominant player. Unlike Roy and Hales, they both offer secondary skills: Jacks bowls useful offbreaks, while Salt can keep wicket.After England’s humiliating group-stage exit at the 2015 World Cup and ahead of their next full series against New Zealand, Roy and Hales were given an extended run at the top of the order, given licence to fail as long as they played in the team’s new attacking style. Salt and Jacks could be in a similar position – even if England’s white-ball teams are now in a very different place.There is healthy competition between Salt and Jacks. Salt turned 27 last month, Jacks’ 25th birthday is in November, while Salt has 30 international caps and a T20 World Cup winners’ medal to Jacks’ 10. But Jacks was picked ahead of Salt to open the batting in last month’s T20I series against New Zealand, with England keen to give him a run of games.”I was disappointed, I can’t lie to you,” Salt said. “I had a good IPL, but I didn’t do myself justice when I came back for the Blast. Playing for England is where I want to be… if anything, it’s given me motivation to get back in the team and reclaim my place.” He sought feedback from Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler, who explained there had been “a little shift around in the pecking order.”With Hales now retired from international cricket and Roy’s World Cup omission likely to draw a line under his England career, there will soon be spots up for grabs. “I’d like to think so, yeah,” Salt said when asked if he saw himself taking one of them. “There’s a lot of guys in my position also thinking the same thing.”Will Jacks made his T20I debut as Salt’s opening partner•Getty Images

Of course, there is no guarantee that there will be dual vacancies at the top of the order. Buttler recently cautioned against what he sees as an English obsession with age, saying: “We are always looking for the next thing… If people are still performing, age is irrelevant.” After all, England will likely head into next year’s T20 World Cup with Buttler and Jonny Bairstow as their openers.But in ODIs, England will start building towards the 2027 World Cup – and the 2025 Champions Trophy – when they travel to the Caribbean in December. Their fringe players have lined up that tour for further potential opportunities and will make themselves available even if it means limiting their time for franchise cricket; both Salt and Jacks are in demand worldwide, and are likely to be retained for next year’s IPL.”Playing for England is a priority,” Salt said. “There’s a lot of franchise opportunities out there, but every game I can get in an England shirt, I want to take the opportunity with both hands. Some people are at the stage of their career where they are prioritising earning money… [but] right now, I just want to play as many games as I can for England.”After those three fixtures against West Indies, which are followed by five T20Is, England will not play another ODI until September 2024, when they host Australia at the end of the summer. With the country’s leading white-ball cricketers involved in the Hundred rather than the One-Day Cup, the ongoing Ireland series provides rare exposure to 50-over cricket.”It is slightly strange: you’ve got to remember the rules,” Jacks joked on Wednesday. “I’ve barely played [50-over cricket]: I’ve played two games in the last five years.” Salt believes that most players are able to adapt: “The fundamentals and the basics are very, very similar. It’s just spread out over a bigger period of time.”More immediately, they will just hope to get on the pitch: mercifully, Saturday’s forecast for Nottingham suggests they should at least manage that.

Surrey have now lost three Blast matches in four and are flagging at the wrong time

David Hopps03-Jul-2022Will Smeed is still awaiting his first T20 hundred, but he is wasting no time in ticking off the 90s one by one. After treating a capacity Taunton crowd to another typically bullish innings, he now has a 98 to his name to add to a 99 and 97 for Quetta Gladiators and a 94 earlier this season in the Vitality Blast against Glamorgan. All of them made since the turn of the year.Smeed and his captain Tom Abell, in delightfully contrasting styles, ensured that Somerset joined Surrey in securing a home quarter-final in the Blast next week with a 48-run defeat of the Brown Caps at Taunton. Surrey, unbeaten in all formats for the first stage of the season, have now lost three Blast matches in four and are flagging at the wrong time.It took 73 from 35 balls from their captain, Chris Jordan, to keep up appearances. Somerset, by contrast, are in form. But both will take some beating and Derbyshire and Yorkshire will head south with trepidation. Surrey play Yorkshire on Wednesday whilst Somerset must wait until Saturday before facing Derbyshire.Somerset’s third-wicket stand of 165 in 70 balls between Smeed and Abell was a delight for any West Country loyalist on a perfect night when the sun flooded onto the Quantocks and the crowd was awash with smiles. On nights like this, with the ball flying to all parts, there is no happier place in T20, perhaps no happier place in cricket, perhaps (for cricket fans of a certain disposition) no happier place in the world.In the hands of Smeed and Abell, joy was unconfined. Smeed, at 20 is already a hulking presence. He sits on the back foot with an uncomplicated intention to wreak havoc, and included 10 fours and five sixes in his 51-ball assault. But his game is broadening, as it should, and there were a couple of rasping square cuts in his repertoire to keep bowlers thinking.There may be better batters in the Blast – more dynamic, more destructive – than Abell. He has never played for England so that suggests as much. If England are looking at anybody, especially in their current mood, it is likely to be Smeed. But for the sheer delight of an educated batter at the height of a 360-degree game, choosing the best option and executing it brilliantly, there are few better sights in the domestic T20 game. Smeed is a potential colossus, and doubtless lifts sales of teenage-friendly dumb bells, but Abell is fast becoming one of the most respected players in Somerset history.At 194 for 3 with 21 balls remaining, they should have made 230. They had to settle for 218 for 8 as Surrey summoned a response once Abell’s slog sweep against Reece Topley had been brilliantly caught over his head by Gus Atkinson, running back towards long leg. Abell injured himself batting and did not field. Smeed was undone by a slower ball from Topley which he hauled to deep square. The thought of a couple of quiet singles for his maiden hundred does not seem to enter his mind and, in a format where no ball should be wasted, he is all the more impressive for that.Related

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• Hampshire warm up for quarter-finals with ninth win in ten matches

• Tom Hartley applies the long handle as Lancashire leap into home quarter-final

As an enticing sub-plot, attention also focused upon on Overton v Overton 2. Jamie returned to Taunton last month following his move to Somerset and felled Craig Overton and Josh Davey in successive overs with wicked bouncers.This time, he introduced himself with a 60-metre throw from deep square after Tom Banton risked a second. Banton spent a lot of time calculating the odds as he assessed Overton’s progress towards the ball while he ran the first, but did not quite compute one of the strongest arms in the game pulling off a direct hit.Craig demanded even more attention when it came to his turn as he had three Surrey wickets to his name in his first seven deliveries. Will Jacks attempted a pull on the charge and was caught second ball; Tom Curran, again trying the pull, this time without the charge, added a second-ball duck of his own; by way of contrast, Jamie Smith pushed at one and was caught at first slip.Jordan and Laurie Evans then rescued that in an untroubled stand of 82 in 46 balls. Evans had fluffed a couple of chances in the field, including Smeed on 76 at deep square, to the derision of a section of the crowd, and was bent upon revenge, but his 39 ended with an excellent diving catch by Ben Green at long off. Jordan struck 23 off an over from Lewis Gregory, who was standing in as captain for Abell in the field, and he was to carry his resistance into the 17th over, particularly impressive over long off and extra cover, until Peter Siddle shrewdly plugged extra especially for him and the sub, George Bartlett, held a good catch.But the crowd wanted to see: COverton vs JOverton, sibling rivalry write large, and they were not disappointed. With his penultimate delivery, Craig had Jamie caught at the wicket, cross-batting, and set off on a sprint of celebration. “I owed him after being hit on the head a couple of weeks back so it was nice to get one back,” he said.Perhaps only Surrey among the 18 professional counties can potentially act as if money is no option and Aaron Hardie, the Australia A and Western Australia allrounder, has been called for the end of the group stages (with qualification already assured) as well as the last-eight tie.Hardie has just finished the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka where he scored 226 runs at an average of 75, was part of the Perth Scorchers’ Big Bash-winning squad and starred in this year’s Sheffield Shield final, guiding Western Australia to victory with an unbeaten 174 as well as taking three wickets opening the bowling. He has yet to fire for Surrey – one wicket and 26 runs in two knocks, Roelof van der Merwe bowling him on this occasion – but he is acclimatised for the quarter-finals and is dangerous.

Pakistan secure clean sweep of trophies after holding nerve in tricky run-chase

Firdose Moonda14-Feb-2021Pakistan subjected South Africa to their first T20I series defeat in the subcontinent and fourth successive T20I series loss, leaving them empty-handed from their first tour to the country since 2007. In an entertaining finale at the Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan relied on Mohammad Rizwan and the lower order to take them home, while Babar Azam enjoyed his best knock of the series after scores of 0 and 5 in the first two matches.This victory was Pakistan’s 100th T20I win, making them the first team to register a century of success in this format.South Africa have no similar good news to report. They saved one of their worst batting collapses for last and lost seven wickets for 55 runs to slump to 65 for 7 just after the halfway stage of their innings. It was up to David Miller to prop them up and he pulled off one of his most authoritative knocks while ushering the tail to take South Africa to a competitive total.The side fielding second has found it difficult to control the ball in the wet conditions but South Africa put on a spirited effort when their turn came. However, their frontline seamers were all expensive and untidy, allowing Pakistan to win with eight balls to spare. If anything, South Africa will take heart from the knowledge that their second-string side fought hard in Pakistan, but it won’t take away from the pressure building on this outfit. South Africa have only won two out of eight trophies in the Mark Boucher era, dating back to December 2019.Dream Debut Zahid Mahmood was called up to the Pakistan squad in place of the injured Shadab Khan and had to wait for the last match for an opportunity but he made the most of it. He started with a short ball that Janneman Malan smashed through long-on but soon recovered to take two wickets, and could have had a third in his opening over to celebrate a dream start to international cricket.Mahmood’s first victim was South Africa’s stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen, who tried to sweep the first ball he faced but didn’t account for the extra bounce. He top-edged to Usman Qadir at short fine-leg. With the next ball, Mahmood had Malan trapped in the crease by the topspinner in front of middle stump. It was given not out initially but Mahmood convinced Babar to review with three seconds left on the clock and ball-tracking showed that Malan was out.Three balls later, Mahmood thought he had Andile Phehlukwayo when a full ball hit him below the knee roll but the review showed it had pitched just outside leg stump. But Phehlukwayo didn’t last much longer. He slog-swept the next ball he faced to deep mid-wicket, leaving South Africa 48 for 6.Mahmood enjoyed more success in his third over when he bowled Dwaine Pretorius with a delivery that turned gently as Pretorius attempted to mow it over midwicket and missed.David Miller revived South Africa with an outstanding counterattack•AP Photo

Miller Time David Miller wanted to have an influence on South Africa’s performance and he ended up scoring more than half of their runs and sharing in a 58-run ninth-wicket stand with Lutho Sipamla to ensure they set Pakistan a challenging target.Miller had only faced one ball when South Africa slumped to 48 for 6, in the eighth. Though the situation was dire, it meant he had more than half the innings to bat, giving him time in the middle that he does not usually benefit from. Miller’s first boundary came from a sweep shot off Qadir, whom he also swiped through square leg. But he really cashed in on Mahmood’s final over, sending him for two sixes over long-on to put South Africa in sight of a hundred.With only the tail to bat with, Miller waited to get as close to the death as possible before he took the bowling on. He took two fours off Shaheen Shah Afridi and a monstrous six off Hasan Ali before tearing apart Faheem Ashraf’s final over, with four sixes. Miller benefitted from some ordinary captaincy from Babar, who did not let Qadir bowl out, and poor lengths from Faheem, who bowled short throughout the over and then dished up a full toss at the end.In total, South Africa scored 54 runs off the last four overs, and Miller scored 45 of those. He was leg-side dominant and scored 57 in that area, including five of his seven sixes and four of his five fours. This knock was also Miller’s first half-century T20 cricket in almost two years. His last one came 13 innings ago, also against Pakistan, when he scored an unbeaten 65 to set South Africa up for a match-winning total in Johannesburg in March 2019.Rizwan falls short of record Rizwan’s magical week has ended. After scoring his first Test century last Sunday and his first T20I hundred on Thursday, Rizwan was on track to join Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle as one of only three players to reel off four fifty-plus scores. He took on South Africa’s left-arm spinners, Bjorn Fortuin and Jon-Jon Smuts and pulled, cut and slogged anything short, wide or slow but was undone by Tabraiz Shamsi.The wristspinner almost bowled him with a delivery that was low on leg stump and squirted past, and could have had him caught behind but Klaasen could not hold on to a tough chance from the bottom edge. Shamsi’s next ball was yorker-length, Rizwan tried to sweep and missed and was struck on the boot in front of middle stump. He reviewed, in hope, but ball-tracking showed his leg stump would have been disturbed and he had to go for 42. Shamsi’s star rises After spending the early part of his career playing second fiddle to Imran Tahir, Shamsi stood up as South Africa’s best bowler in the country of Tahir’s birth. He collected career-best figures of 4 for 25 in this match to cap off a sterling series in which he turned the ball more than the home spinners and consistently challenged batsmen who can pick and play spin.After taking a wicket with his first ball and threatening Rizwan twice before getting rid of him, Shamsi bowled Hussain Talat with a straight ball, as Talat played for spin and left off stump exposed, and then had Asif Ali caught at long-on looking for six but failing to get hold of the ball. Shamsi finished the series with six wickets for 61 runs at an economy rate of just over five runs an over.

Jess Jonassen’s 63 not-out off 29 balls extended Brisbane Heat’s lead at the top of the WBBL table

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2019Adelaide Strikers‘ Sophie Devine continued her scintillating form in the WBBL with an unbeaten 63, her third straight unbeaten half-century, fifth in a row and sixth this season, to make short work of the modest 113 chase against Sydney Thunder in Wollongong. With 475 runs, Devine is second on the run-scorers’ list, behind Brisbane Heat’s Beth Mooney. After opting to bat, Thunder saw only one of their batters strike at over 100 – captain Rachael Haynes struck 33 off 27 – as their top order could only take them to 2 for 72 after 15 overs. They managed only two more fours after that but relied on singles, doubles and a few extras to score 40 in the last five overs and post 4 for 112. Megan Schutt finished with an economical 4-0-15-0 and Devine struck once to end with 4-0-21-1. Devine then opened the batting with Suzie Bates for a stand of 53 in under 10 overs to set the tone for the chase. Thunder took three quick wickets – two of those by Nida Dar – but Devine’s blows and the modest total meant the Strikers were home with five balls to spare.Nicola Carey’s unbeaten 55 and Belinda Vakarewa’s four-for helped Hobart Hurricanes to their first win in eight games, and their third win this season, as Sydney Sixers lost by five wickets with 10 balls to spare at the North Sydney Oval. Having elected to bat first, Sixers had their top four batters dismissed cheaply within the first six overs by Vakarewa. Tayla Vlaeminck then dismissed Maddy Darke for a duck to leave Sixers reeling at 5 for 30. Marizanne Kapp fought back with an unbeaten 40-ball 55, helping the hosts past 100, making a 56-run stand with Lauren Smith (23 off 31 balls) and a 35-run stand with Dane Van Niekerk (17 off 9 balls). In the 134-run chase, Hurricanes’ top three batters fell early to Kapp and Stella Campbell. But Carey then took charge, playing cautiously as she brought up her half-century off 45 balls. Chloe Tryon joined Carey for a 48-run sixth-wicket stand, and with the requirement reduced to eight runs off 12 balls, Tryon hit two sixes in the 19th over to seal the chase for Hurricanes.Half-centuries from openers Amy Jones (70) and Meg Lanning (68*) headlined Perth Scorchers‘ 150 chase and helped them seal victory with nine wickets and five balls in hand against the Melbourne Stars at the Junction Oval. Scorchers are now placed fourth with 12 points, ahead of Melbourne Renegades who lost to Brisbane Heat in the first match of the day. Jones and Lanning nearly earned a 10-wicket win but their stand of 147 came to an end when Jones edged one to wicketkeeper Elyse Villani for her 70 off 55 balls with nine fours. Natalie Sciver hit the winning runs on the next ball, with Lanning unbeaten on 68 off 59. Earlier, the Stars saw a half-century opening partnership between Villani (59) and Lizelle Lee (24). No. 3 Mignon du Preez also chipped in with 38 off 22 to take them past 100 but their middle order couldn’t capitalise on the start to help them past 150. Medium-pacer Samantha Betts dismissed Lee, du Preez and Annabel Sutherland to finish with 3 for 21.Getty Images

Jess Jonassen’s sparkling 63 not-out off 29 balls extended Brisbane Heat‘s lead at the top of the WBBL table with a six-run win against the Melbourne Renegades at the Junction Oval. Renegades gave the visitors a scare as they needed 21 from 12 balls, and later 15 off the last over, but they lost three wickets in the last four balls, including two run-outs, and fell short to remain on ten points. Heat got a stable start courtesy of opener Maddy Green’s 32 off 31 before Jonassen walked out at the halfway mark, at 57 for 2. Wickets fell around her but Jonassen propelled the run rate from under six to over 7.5 per over by smashing six fours and three sixes. Heat collected 42 off the last three overs, with five fours and two sixes from Jonassen alone to post a strong 5 for 153. Renegades got a promising start with Danni Wyatt’s 40 off 18, but once she holed out to deep midwicket off Amelia Kerr in the eighth over, the hosts found it tough to stay on top of the chase, with only two more batters able to score at more than run a ball. Jonassen finished with 1 for 27 from her four overs to be named the Player of the Match.