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Lancashire kept their NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final hopes alive by brushing Worcestershire aside in their penultimate North Group game at Emirates Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2017Jos Buttler guided the chase with an unbeaten fifty•Getty Images

Lancashire kept their NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final hopes alive by brushing Worcestershire aside in their penultimate North Group game at Emirates Old Trafford, winning by seven wickets with 15 balls to spare.The lowly Rapids were stifled by spin as they posted only 127 for 8 on a pitch used for a Women’s Super League game earlier in the day. Lancashire’s quartet of spinners returned 4 for 66 from 13 overs combined, with in-form leggie Matt Parkinson the pick of them with 1 for 14 from four.Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone then shared a third-wicket stand of 76 in eleven overs. Livingstone hit 36 off 37 balls without a boundary, while Buttler finished unbeaten on 52 off 40 with four fours and two sixes. Offspinner Arron Lilley struck twice and later hit a brisk 31.The Lightning move up a place to sixth with their fifth win. They have 13 points from as many games and host Birmingham Bears on Friday. They must win and hope other results go their way to qualify.Parkinson’s economy rate was much-talked about even before this game having returned 4 for 23 in defeat to Yorkshire last Friday. Here, he bowled Daryl Mitchell with a big-spinning leg break in his latest miserly spell.Of all bowlers who have bowled more than three overs in this season’s Blast, the 20-year-old’s economy rate of 5.78 runs per over is the best. He has 13 wickets from eight appearances.Left-armer Stephen Parry opened the bowling and struck in the seventh over to get Mitchell Santner caught at deep midwicket. Pakistan overseas seamer Junaid Khan also claimed two-for.Only captain and opener Joe Leach, who fell to a brilliant one-handed diving catch by Buttler off Ryan McLaren, and Brett D’Oliveira made it into the twenties for the Rapids, with 24 off 17 balls and 30 off 33 respectively.Josh Tongue got rid of Jordan Clark courtesy of a fine tumbling catch at short fine-leg by debutant Patrick Brown four balls into the Lightning chase.Lilley then hit three fours in a row off Tongue at the start of the fifth over to take his side to 34 for 1 and ahead on Duckworth Lewis Stern with rain threatening the Manchester area. He had hit five fours by the time he was trapped lbw by legspinner D’Oliveira as the score fell to 47 for 2 in the seventh.Livingstone and Buttler took the score to 68 for 2 after 10, and when the latter hit Alex Hepburn’s medium-pacers for six over long-on to take the score to 90 for 2 in the 14th, it was the first boundary in almost eight overs. The half-century stand came up off 45 balls in the next over before, with net run-rate in mind, the last 30 runs came in double quick time for the loss of only Livingstone.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is hopeful that the funds it has expended in clearing Kusal Perera of doping charges will be covered by the ICC

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-2016

‘WADA code ineffective in safeguarding clean athletes’

Tony Irish, the executive chairman of FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), has expressed his concerns over some of cricket’s anti-doping regulations following the ICC’s withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings against Kusal Perera.
“We are pleased that the right result has been achieved and welcome the decision, however, this case brings to light several issues in regard to anti-doping regulation in cricket” Irish said in a statement.
“The damaging impact of the error on Kusal’s career is not to be underestimated. He has been removed from the game for a significant period of time in the middle of a developing career, for reasons which have been found to be unjustifiable.
“The case highlights many of the pre-existing concerns held by FICA and athlete representatives around the world around the inflexibility and unfairness of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code, the requirement for sports to be compliant and its appropriateness for sophisticated team sports such as cricket. We have voiced these concerns to the ICC over the past year, and will seek to discuss this further.
“The concerns raised have included the view that the WADA programme is ineffective in safeguarding the interests of clean athletes and is open to penalties being imposed on players who are not ‘cheats’.
“FICA is supportive of fair, proportionate and appropriate measures to ensure that cricket is a clean sport. However, the game must ensure that any measures are effective and tailored to the game of cricket.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) could not rule out further legal action after the ICC withdrew its charges against wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera, board president Thilanga Sumathipala said. SLC is unlikely to initiate a lawsuit against the ICC, but was hopeful that the funds expended in clearing Perera will be covered by the governing body. The Qatar-based lab whose findings led to Perera’s five-month suspension will also come under scrutiny.”We have to definitely get our costs back,” Sumathipala said. “By that I mean the direct costs. The indirect costs are colossal. So we will discuss that separately.”Sumathipala said the board had spent at least 13 million rupees (approx. USD 92,000) on the case. This included the money spent on a polygraph test on Perera, a hair analysis commonly used in forensics and a separate urine test, the results of which all helped leverage Perera’s case and bought his legal team time. SLC had also paid for the consultation of UK-based Morgan Sports Law firm, during the challenge on the lab’s findings.Sumathipala said the board would discuss the matter with Perera and the nation’s sports ministry before any further action is decided upon.”We got the hard part right and now we have a definite claim, now that we have proved our player is innocent,” Sumathipala said. “I’m sure Sri Lanka Cricket will go forward and discuss with ICC. We can’t sour the relationship also. If the sports minister has a directive that is separate, we want to discuss that as well. Definitely the player has a claim.”Sumathipala also likened the results of Perera’s case to Muttiah Muralitharan’s campaign to have his action, and later his doosra, cleared by the ICC. On that occasion, Muralitharan’s action proved a catalyst for further scientific testing, which ultimately led to a landmark change in the ICC’s playing conditions – specifically, 15 degrees of flexion was deemed legal, as almost all bowlers were found to straighten their arms.In addition to consulting local and foreign legal teams, SLC and Perera’s management also approached chemical pathologists and independent lab operators for their views.”We decided to go the scientific route,” Sumathipala said. “We have seen SLC do the same thing in the past with the straightening of the arm issue. We did it after Murali was no-balled in Boxing Day 1995. Then we did it again when the doosra was banned. Once we concluded that route, we were that much stronger with the ICC.”Prompted by our scientific evidence, we have taken the ICC to a different level about how they should process this kind of situation in the future. We’re happy about that. We’ve taken an approach that we’re not sure anyone has taken in the past. We were very happy.”Sumathipala said the board believed in Kusal from the outset. His board had initially set aside five million rupees to fight the case, but that figure was repeatedly revised upwards.”We spoke about this at the board and we decided that we trusted him, and that he was telling the truth. We decided to represent him as best we can. We thought that we would be able to get him cleared, so we set aside 15 million rupees to spend on him, which is unprecedented for this board.”Perera is eligible for selection for Sri Lanka with immediate effect, but the selectors have not yet decided whether to add him to the Test squad currently in England.

Umar Amin’s 99 led Pakistan A to 244 for 5 on the first day of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2015
ScorecardKhurram Manzoor hit 82 off 128•AFP

Umar Amin’s 99 led Pakistan A to 244 for 5 on the first day of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo. Amin and Khurram Manzoor provided the guts of the visitor’s effort, putting on 135 for the second wicket after Umar Siddiq had fallen early. Manzoor hit 82 off 128 balls before being given out lbw to offspinner Tharindu Kaushal.Amin was involved in a 51-run stand with Ali Asad after Manzoor’s departure, but was out on the brink of what would have been his 11th first-class ton. Kaushal claimed his wicket as well. There was little else of note in Pakistan’s batting card. Siddiq and Ali Asad made only minor contributions, and Ali Waqas was out for a duck.The two offspinners – Kaushal and Dhananjaya de Silva – took two wickets apiece. De Silva returned the day’s best figures of 2 for 28 from 13 overs.

Australia’s captain and selector Michael Clarke has flatly denied reports that Brad Haddin’s Test career has been terminated, opening the way for his younger rival Matthew Wade to take the gloves for the first Test of the summer

Daniel Brettig15-Oct-2012Australia’s captain and selector Michael Clarke has flatly denied reports that Brad Haddin’s Test career has been terminated, opening the way for his younger rival Matthew Wade to take the gloves for the first Test of the summer against South Africa in Brisbane.Clarke and the rest of the selection panel, comprising the national selector John Inverarity, the coach Mickey Arthur, Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel, met in Sydney on Monday afternoon following Cricket Australia’s season launch for a planning meeting. However Clarke was adamant that no decision had been made on whether Haddin would reclaim the Test place he gave up for personal reasons in the West Indies earlier this year.”I’m one of five selectors and if you’re asking me as a selector that’s completely false, it hasn’t been discussed,” Clarke said. “It obviously is a topic for discussion and will be spoken about over the next couple of weeks that’s for sure. It’s probably one of the most important decisions that needs to be made leading up to the first Test match, and whoever gets left out it is going to be tough on them.”Not only have they both performed at the highest level, Hadds has a lot of experience and has been successful over a long period of time, Wadey’s done every single thing in his power to make the most of his opportunity – he got a hundred in his last Test match. So it’s going to be a tough decision. I know the selectors and I will be discussing that over the next couple of weeks.”We need to talk about it, the selection panel need to talk about it. We need to see both sides, and we’ll pick the best XI for that game, that opposition, those conditions. That’s the only way you can do it. It’s not personal, it’s about what we think is the best team for that first Test.”It has been a tough time for Hadds – any single one of us would’ve made the exact same decision that Brad did in regards to going home and making sure he was there to support his family. He certainly knows how I feel about that and I have openly supported him on that.”The other side is Matthew Wade cannot do anything more to be selected for that first Test. He has performed as well as any player, he has made the most of his opportunities, he’s an amazing talent, and he’s going to be a big player for Australian cricket over a long period of time.”Since his early exit from the Caribbean, Haddin has undergone a full pre-season with New South Wales and made a century for the Blues in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at Bankstown Oval before flying to South Africa to lead the Sydney Sixers in the Twenty20 Champions League. Wade, meanwhile, had his struggles on the ODI tour of England and had limited batting opportunities in the UAE and Sri Lanka, though he kept soundly throughout.However a match-turning innings of 89 for Victoria against Queensland on a lively Gabba pitch last week may prove pivotal in the duel for the keeping spot, as Wade demonstrated his capacity for making runs in the sort of pace-friendly environment likely to be relished by South Africa’s vaunted trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander next month.Ricky Ponting, having watched Haddin’s entire Test career from up close, said the 35-year-old still had plenty to offer, but acknowledged the difficulty of the decision. “There are arguments for both at the moment, Hadds is a great mate of mine and we’ve got lots of off-field memories,” Ponting said. “I saw him up close and personal a couple of weeks ago in the Shield game in Bankstown and he played beautifully, hit the ball really well and kept very, very well.”So I know his game’s in really good shape. Then you look at Matty Wade, he has really grabbed his opportunity, made a brilliant hundred in the Caribbean, he has had a great game up in Brisbane last week, so there are two great arguments to be put there as far as selection is concerned. Every Australian side that’s picked, there are always a few guys who think they’re unlucky or hard done by, and one of those two guys is going to miss selection for Brisbane.”I’ve got no doubt in my mind that Hadds has a lot to offer, and I saw it up close in that Shield game. I don’t think anyone will be writing Brad off, he’s a great character to have around the team, and he’s an unbelievable talent with bat and gloves.”The most influential voice at the selection table may well be that of Marsh, the former gloveman who has worked extensively with Haddin in the past. More recently Marsh was a tour mentor for Wade, spending plenty of time with the younger man on the West Indies tour as he fought an ultimately successful battle to adapt to extremely unfamiliar and challenging conditions for both wicketkeeping and batting.

Former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons has come out in support of Shakib Al Hasan, the recently-sacked national captain

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2011Former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons has come out in support of Shakib Al Hasan, the recently-sacked national captain. Shakib, Siddons said, has the ‘perfect credentials’ for a captain, but lacked the support required to lead the team.”He [Shakib] is the only person to lead the side,” Siddons, who now coaches Wellington in New Zealand, told Bangladesh newspaper, the . “A captain must be consulted on everything regarding the team and must be listened to when he speaks or raises an issue. This does not happen with Shakib or any other captain at present. He is a great thinker, and is also the team’s best and most-respected player, perfect credentials for a captain.”Shakib and his deputy Tamim Iqbal were axed earlier this week following Bangladesh’s poor performance during last month’s tour of Zimbabwe, with indiscipline being cited as one of the reasons for their removal. Shakib has always had strained relations with the board, having questioned team-selection more than once. Current Bangladesh coach Stuart Law had expressed surprise at Shakib’s removal and said he had the respect of his players.Siddons had coached Bangladesh between October 2007 and April 2010, and moved to the Wellington job after his contract was not renewed following a disappointing World Cup and home series against Australia. Siddons and Shakib worked together in the capacity of coach and captain for close to two years, barring brief spells when Mashrafe Mortaza took charge.The selectors have not named a new captain, triggering speculation about who could be ready to take over. Mushfiqur Rahim, who has played 24 Tests and 98 ODIs, and is one of the few players who is a regular part of the national XI, is tipped as a frontrunner for the job. Siddons, though, said he did not think the players were eager for the post. “Not one other player in the side apart from maybe Ash [Mohammad Ashraful] is willing to take it [captaincy] on. They know there is no support around them and they will be blamed for any results.”Siddons also said he did not understand the need to have a selector or observer in the dressing-room during matches. During the tour of Zimbabwe, Siddon’s successor Stuart Law had reportedly expressed displeasure over selector Habibul Bashar and ‘tour observer’ Shafiqur Rahman Munna’s presence in the dressing room.”I believe a selector should be allowed to visit the dressing-room and sit in there to discuss or chat at times, but should not make it his home during a game,” Siddons said. “I have never understood the reasoning behind having an observer with the team, and especially not in the [dressing] room. This is a blatant mistrust of the coach and players, and is never a positive.”

Doug Bollinger insists he and Michael Hussey will be prepared for the first Test against India starting on Friday, despite having only just joined the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Doug Bollinger insists he and Michael Hussey will be prepared for the first Test against India starting on Friday, despite having only just joined the squad. The pair flew in to Chandigarh on Tuesday, having helped Chennai Super Kings to a Champions League triumph on Sunday in Johannesburg.Their Australian team-mates have adjusted to the conditions with a warm-up game but Bollinger and Hussey have only two days of net sessions to get themselves up to speed. However, India are in a similar situation, with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and M Vijay also having made the last-minute dash to Chandigarh from South Africa.”We’ll be right to go, we’ve got a good couple of days of training coming up and we’ll look after ourselves and we’ll be fine,” Bollinger told AAP. “We’re a little bit tired, it’s been a long flight, but we’re good and we’ll just chill out for a couple of days and make sure we’re right to go.”Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke spoke of players putting their country before other competitions, but said it was a positive that the two men had been playing tough cricket in South Africa. Hussey is a well-travelled cricketer and he believes it is possible for him and Bollinger to be in good shape for the Test.”It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do, we’ll just make sure we’re really smart the next couple of days and get ourselves prepared as best we can,” Hussey said. “I’m sure we’ve got good background staff and they’ll get us in the best possible shape to get going for Friday.”We’ve been playing cricket and training every other day, so it’s not like we’re coming in underdone or anything like that, we’ve got plenty of cricket behind us, obviously it’s a totally different format but it’s a mental adjustment as much as anything. The next couple of days we’ve got to get the head right and get thinking more Test match cricket.”Bollinger is likely to form part of a three-man pace attack with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus for the first Test. Hussey will slot back into the No. 5 position he occupied during the Test series against Pakistan in July, when Clarke was promoted to No. 4.

Wood from bats used by the two players have been made into the new trophy

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Nov-2024New Zealand and England will compete for The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, honoring the legacies of the late Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe.The trophy, made from wood sourced from a bat from each player, in collaboration with NZC, ECB and the families of each player, will be unveiled on Thursday morning in Christchurch ahead of the start of the three-match series. The trophy was designed by David Ngawati of Mahu Creative, who also designed the Tangiwai Shield for New Zealand’s Test series with South Africa.Both Crowe and Thorpe enjoyed hugely successful Test careers. Crowe, regarded as New Zealand’s finest batter, averaged 45.36 with 17 centuries. Thorpe, who tragically passed in August, averaged 44.66 with 16 hundreds.The bats gifted by the two families to create the trophy carry special meaning for these two sides. Crowe’s was the Gunn and Moore with which he scored his century at Lord’s 1994. Thorpe’s Kookaburra was the one used for back-to-back hundreds against New Zealand in 1997.Crowe and Thorpe went on to become mentors for latter generations, including members of both squad who will compete for this three-match series.”It is absolutely an honour,” said Joe Root, who worked closely with Thorpe during his time as a batting coach with the ECB. “What a great man. For me personally, to have someone who you watched growing up and took a lot from, then to get the opportunity to work with him as a coach. The amount he put into to my game, to have the opportunity to play for something with his name on it is really quite special and a nice way to remember his legacy and a player.”It’s a side that he had a lot of success against, a brilliant double hundred. He told us many times about that innings here in Christchurch [an unbeaten 200 in 2002], normally over a glass of sauvignon blanc.”It’s a really fitting way to remember two of England and New Zealand’s great players. How both sides play represents how they played the game pretty well. I expect a really exciting series, like the previous one was. It will be a really fitting way to remember two brilliant players.”In a statement released on Tuesday, NZC CEO Scott Weenink added: “Today’s generation of players are standing on the shoulders of those who went before them, players like Graham and Martin. It’s good that we recognise this and respect their legacy. Both those players were seriously good batsmen who understood the game intimately – they commanded respect wherever they went.”ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “Martin and Graham are two legends of the game, and it is fitting that Test series between our two men’s sides will now be contested in their name.”It’s heart-breaking to have lost both men so early, but by honouring them in this way I hope we can help ensure the memories and legacies of two of our nations’ finest cricketers live on long into the future.”The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy will be unveiled by Deb Crowe (Martin’s sister) and former England Test captain Michael Atherton at the Hagley Oval ahead on the national anthems on Thursday.

Australia pick two spinners as Agar returns from injury to partner Zampa. Green to bat at No.4 and Inglis to play as a specialist batter

Alex Malcolm07-Sep-2023Australia have confirmed that David Warner and Travis Head will open in the first ODI against South Africa in Bloemfontein. Mitchell Marsh will bat at No. 3 and Cameron Green at No. 4 in the absence of Steven Smith in a side featuring two spinners in Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar.Australia have named their XI for the first of five matches in South Africa with Marsh to captain in an ODI for the first time while Pat Cummins is still unavailable due to his wrist injury. Marsh made a triumphant debut as Australia’s interim T20I captain with a 3-0 series sweep of South Africa last week.One of the debates surrounding Australia’s ODI side heading towards the World Cup was whether or not Warner and Head would remain together at the top of the order after Marsh’s phenomenal series against India earlier this year when he opened in all three games. Marsh only opened because Warner was recovering from a fractured elbow and missed the first two matches. When Warner returned for game three he was forced to bat at No. 4 for the first time in his ODI career, and not open for just the second time, as Australia stuck with the combination of Head and Marsh who had dominated the series to that point.Related

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But Australia have returned to their trusted pairing of Head and Warner. The duo have only opened together in seven ODIs, three coming after the retirement of long-time captain Aaron Finch late last year, but have compiled three partnerships of 284, 147, and 269 across those seven games. They also have another century fifth-wicket stand and average 85.07 as a pair in the format overall.Marsh will instead bat at No. 3 where has been dominant in T20Is over the last couple of years but he may slide further when Smith returns for the India series and the World Cup that follows the tour of South Africa, although Australia are hoping to be fluid with their top order depending on their needs with Marsh’s power in the 10-over powerplay keen to be utilised at times if the surfaces require it.”There’ll be potentially a few moving parts with our squad throughout these five games, I’m guessing it’ll be the same as South Africa,” Marsh said on Wednesday. “It’s a heavy schedule, building to the World Cup. So we’ll have certain guys batting in different areas, but I’ll start at three.”Green has been named to bat at No. 4 for the first time in his ODI career in a sign ahead of the World Cup that he could move higher up the order having batted at Nos. 6-8 in 11 of his 12 ODI innings to date. Four is by far his best position in List A cricket having made two centuries in seven innings there including one for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in Colombo last year.There is no room for Tim David in game one despite Australia being keen to use him at some stage in this series with concerns remaining over Glenn Maxwell’s fitness ahead of the World Cup. Josh Inglis is named to bat at No. 5 and could play as a specialist bat at times in the World Cup after being named in the 15-man squad even though Alex Carey is the first-choice wicketkeeper.Australia will play seven batters and four bowlers, including two spinners in Bloemfontein. It is one of three combinations they are likely to use in the World Cup and likely to be the one they need on spinning pitches like Chennai where they will play their opening match against India on October 8. It is the structure they used with success against India in Chennai back in March to close out their last ODI series. Agar is returning from a calf injury but will leave the touring squad at the back end of the South Africa series to return home for the birth of his first child, hence the selectors’ keenness to play the two spinners in combination in game one in Bloemfontein in preparation for the World Cup.Sean Abbott and Josh Hazlewood will play as the lone specialist quicks in the absence of Cummins and Mitchell Starc (groin). Abbott edged out Nathan Ellis for the final spot in the provisional 15-man World Cup squad on the back of some outstanding recent form.Australia’s other team combinations likely include playing seven batters, three quicks and one spinner, or playing eight batters and just three specialist bowlers, with four allrounders batting in the top eight provided Marsh, Green, Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are all fit to bowl to make up at least 20 overs of bowling.Australia XI for first ODI vs South Africa: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Danny Lamb, George Balderson share six wickets as Will Williams impresses on debut

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2022Warwickshire 292 (Hain 130, D Lamb 3-43, Balderson 3-68) vs Lancashire Sam Hain’s high-class century kept Warwickshire afloat as Lancashire’s bowlers impressed on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.The home side was all out for 292 just before the close with Hain the last to fall for 130. The accomplished knock continued the 26-year-old’s excellent red-ball form, his last four championship innings having brought 449 runs for twice out.After choosing to bat, Warwickshire leaned heavily on Hain as other batters got in but then found ways of getting out against a Red Rose attack which persevered well on a good batting pitch.