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West Indies Test captain will head straight to the BBL after the Test series against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2020West Indies Test captain Jason Holder has signed with BBL champions the Sydney Sixers for a three-game stint following the Test series against New Zealand.The travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand allows Holder to enter Australia without having to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Following the two-Test series in New Zealand, he will head straight to Hobart to play in the December 20 clash with the Adelaide Strikers. He will also be available for the December 26 fixture against the Melbourne Stars and the December 29 match with the Melbourne Renegades.Holder, 29, comes in as cover for England bowler Tom Curran who needs to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving from England’s limited-overs tour of South Africa. He joins fellow West Indian Carlos Brathwaite and England batsman James Vince as part of the Sixers’ overseas contingent.”I’m really excited to be coming to the BBL and the Sydney Sixers,” Holder said. “I’ve wanted to for a few years now and this year I have the opportunity to come in and make some appearances and hopefully do a bit for the Sixers.”Holder said he was looking forward to reuniting with Sixers skipper Moises Henriques, having played alongside him in the IPL.”BBL cricket is an interest for me and the Sixers have been successful over the past few years. Moises and I played together at Sunrisers and I really enjoyed that. It will be good to do it again.”

All the latest news from the Vitality Blast, including over-rate penalties, Durham’s death-bowling duo, and Worcestershire’s unlikely pinch-hitter

Matt Roller05-Aug-2019Somerset have set the gold standard among counties for streaming their games, and have had to find a way to manage an influx of traffic after the signing of Babar Azam.Ben Warren, Somerset’s digital marketing executive, had to upgrade the club website’s server capacity after their first game of the Blast, a win at Glamorgan that was not streamed live, as fans in Pakistan were so desperate to follow their star batsman’s progress.But the change appears to have been worthwhile: their home defeat against Sussex last weekend, in which Babar made 83, attracted over 1.5 million views on YouTube.It remains a source of frustration for several clubs that due to the technicalities within the broadcast deal between the ECB and Sky, streams on YouTube have to remain ‘unlisted’ – meaning they do not show up in the search bar, and have to be found via hyperlinks.It may seem like a minor difference, but counties are convinced they are missing out on substantial traffic because of it, and hope that after consultation with the governing body, a change will be implemented ahead of next season.***James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell celebrate a wicket•Getty Images

Lancashire have stormed to the top of the North Group thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s runs, Liam Livingstone’s all-round exploits, and a bowling attack which offers genuine pace and high-quality spin.They could be forgiven for looking forward to the quarter-finals already, but the knockouts pose a real conundrum for them. The quarter-finals are scheduled for the same week as the Old Trafford Ashes Test, which gives Lancashire a headache if they finish in the top two.As reported on Saturday, the club are in discussions with the ECB as to their potential options – Sky would struggle to show a game at any of their outground options, and they will be loath to give their opponents home advantage, so a neutral venue might be an avenue worth exploring.Further, it has emerged that Maxwell will be unavailable if they are to reach Finals Day, as he will be returning to Australia in time for the start of the domestic season, with James Faulkner likely in a similar position.Article 3.5 of the ECB’s regulations on player registration – commonly known as the “Bravo Rule”, since it was introduced after Dwayne Bravo’s ill-fated Finals Day appearance for Essex in 2010 – means that a potential replacement for the knockout stages would have to have played at least one group game, meaning Lancashire would likely go in without an overseas player.And while Jos Buttler is usually available for Finals Day, he may well be made unavailable by England this time around after a hectic summer. Lancashire are flying high, but could soon be in danger of suffering from vertigo.***Durham are set for a scrap to reach the quarter-finals for a second year running, a sentence which must have seemed improbable at the start of last season.What they lack in high-profile names – D’Arcy Short and Peter Handscomb are the only real stars – they more than make up for with wholehearted contributors, which is perhaps epitomised best by their unlikely death-bowling duo.Nathan Rimmington, the diminutive 36-year-old Australian seamer who plays on a British passport, has combined with 20-year-old Matty Potts to great effect so far, and the pair find themselves leading the way among regular death bowlers.Rimmington’s economy rate at the death is 7.01, and his 59 balls in overs 16-20 have brought only four boundaries, while Potts has an almost identical record to last year’s breakout star Pat Brown – both have conceded 65 runs in 48 balls at the death, though Brown has one wicket more.There is another improbable face just behind Rimmington, in Ravi Rampaul, who is quietly enjoying a stellar Blast for Derbyshire, while Tom Helm (12.22) and – surprisingly – Harry Gurney (11.00) find themselves at the wrong end of the rankings.***Wayne Parnell roars in celebration after seeing Worcestershire home•Getty Images

Wayne Parnell is best known for his left-arm seam and a feisty on-field attitude, though he is not completely without pedigree with the bat.He had regularly been deployed as a pinch-hitting opener by Cobras, his domestic team in South Africa, and before the start of last week, had batted in every position from Nos. 1 to 11 in T20, except one.As if to try him out in the only role he was yet to have a go at, Worcestershire promoted him to No. 4 for their run chase against Derbyshire. And the risk paid off in some style: he belted 81 not out off just 46 balls to see them home, before adding an 18-ball 27 in the win against Yorkshire two days later.***Michael Klinger questions an over-rate penalty with Umpire Ian Gould•Getty Images

Gloucestershire were left fuming on Sunday, as their attempts to defend 159 against Sussex were derailed by a six-run penalty applied due to their slow over-rate.The main sources of contention appeared to be the umpires taking some time to confirm Luke Wright was out, after a boundary-rope catch by AJ Tye, and a lost ball, with Michael Klinger convinced his side had not been given sufficient extra time in which to bowl their overs.It meant Sussex only needed eight from the final over rather than 14, which Delray Rawlins knocked off easily enough. Gloucestershire allrounder Benny Howell risked sanction from the ECB by tweeting afterwards: “Such an unfortunate end to a great day and exciting game. The umpires need to be held accountable for costing us a potential 2 points.”Even that controversy, though, could not take the shine away from a memorable occasion, as both teams wore specially-designed shirts to raise awareness for the charity Grief Encounter.Tom Smith, the Gloucestershire and ex-Sussex spinner, lost his wife to a rare form of liver cancer in 2018, and the charity has provided him and his daughters with support and counselling since. For further details, visit www.griefencounter.co.uk/about-us

An off-day in Manchester suddenly leaves hosts in must-win as they ponder team balance and batting flexibility

The Preview by Shashank Kishore05-Jul-20182:22

Dasgupta: Don’t see India making any changes to their XI

Big picture

It is hot and dry, the pitches are flat and there will be lots of spin awaiting England. Add to this a huge Indian contingent that will be cheering their team at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. If there was any doubt before, there is none now – the main challenge of the summer has arrived.A game down, England know one thing already: scoring truckloads of runs against Ashton Agar was clearly no preparation for India’s spin variety. Already, discussion of wristspin and their failure to cope against left-armer Kuldeep Yadav has become a talking point. The second T20I, therefore, gives them an opportunity to prove the Manchester nightmare was an aberration.It is one thing executing badly against this rare bowling style, another not picking them at all, as was the case with four of the five England batsmen in the series opener. While two days between games is unlikely to change their foundation towards approaching spin, it sure could have given England time to ponder over batting strategies – knowing whom to target – and perhaps batting positions. Joe Root, for example, was a complete misfit at No. 6, especially when having at come in as late as the 14th over. His strike rate in T20Is since 2016 a modest 105.74 in seven innings.India have decided to play five specialist bowlers, leaving them vulnerable at times to a bowler having an off day and little else to fall back on. That perhaps explains the team management’s preference for Suresh Raina over the in-form Dinesh Karthik, because he can offer part-time offspin. England must look to capitalise on this.A game down, India may have discovered their best batting line-up too. KL Rahul’s success at No. 3 could mean an end to the musical chairs at No. 4, with Virat Kohli all but likely to settle there for the time being. The success may have come in the shortest format, but India are approaching what would otherwise be a context-less T20I series, with an eye on next year’s 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

England LWWLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight

Moeen Ali took 12 wickets in five ODIs against Australia, but has little to show with the ball in the two T20Is since. Against Australia, he was clobbered for 58 off his four overs. On Tuesday, his 2.2 overs went for 37. He didn’t look great with the bat, either, out to an ugly hoick when England needed to arrest the slide in the wake of Kuldeep’s strikes. England may well be tempted to play a specialist bowler in his stead, given their batting depth. However, should they persist with Moeen, the onus is on him to deliver.Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s lead bowler, and one bad outing is unlikely to change that. He’s graduated to become a bowler who isn’t always dependent on swing and seam, and will want to get back to his usual ways after two wicketless matches in Dublin and Manchester. Umesh Yadav’s stunning IPL form that earned a comeback and his fiery spells since have given him a headstart. Should Bhuvneshwar also find his groove back, it will give the team management a healthy headache when Jasprit Bumrah recovers from his thumb injury.

Team news

England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Alex Hales, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Root, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidIndia (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Cardiff has tended to play much slower than other surfaces in the UK, the average score here is just 144. Weather-wise, all of UK is set for a scorching weekend. No prizes for guessing which team is happier.

Stats and trivia

• Umesh Yadav is the highest wicket-taker in Powerplays in T20s this year. In 16 innings, he has 17 wickets; he averages just 14.29 in this period. The only England-based bowler in the top 10 – never mind, he doesn’t qualify to play for them yet – is Jofra Archer (eight wickets in 22 innings at 34.75).
• Jos Buttler’s 69 in the series opener was his seventh fifty-plus score in his last eight T20 innings. All of them have come as an opener.
  Four of England’s top five – Buttler, Roy, Hales, Morgan – have been dismissed at least thrice to wristspinners in T20s. Buttler has been out the most: nine times in 16 innings.

• England are undefeated in four T20Is in Cardiff
• Tuesday’s win was India’s first in T20Is against England in England.

Quotes

“It has been made very clear that there will be few changes in the team and as a batting unit we need to flexible in our heads to be able to perform any role or responsibility that has been given to us by the team. We are all working towards it like you said, I might bat at No. 3 or 5 or 6. Someday we might want to promote MS Dhoni or Hardik Pandya if we get a good start to go and get us a few sixes or get the run rate up. So we will be flexible keeping in mind the World Cup.”

“It was a good spell from Kuldeep Yadav, first of all, and then a very good innings from KL Rahul. They thoroughly deserved the win, but we’ll be looking to bounce back come tomorrow.”

Plans to include Salman Butt in the Test squad to tour the West Indies were afoot, but the PCB has decided to shelve them for now in the wake of the PSL spot-fixing affair

Umar Farooq20-Mar-20170:47

Quick Facts – Salman Butt

Plans for an international recall for former Pakistan captain Salman Butt have been shelved for now, in light of the continuing fallout from the recent corruption allegations emanating from the PSL.Butt has no connection to the PSL corruption issue, but his role in the spot-fixing scandal in England in 2010, for which he was banned, has forced a selection rethink ahead of Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies. The PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had publicly cleared Butt’s potential selection earlier this year, but it appears he will have to wait longer for a comeback.ESPNcricinfo understands Butt was even informed by a selector last month that he was being considered for the national side. But last week he was told that those plans had been set aside for now, as the present circumstances were not ideal for his return.Five players – Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed – were provisionally suspended for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing during the PSL and face various corruption charges. The PCB was thus keen to avoid criticism by recalling Butt, who has not featured for his country since returning to domestic cricket from a five-year ban for corruption.Butt’s name had cropped up in recent selection meetings – headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq – as a reflection of Pakistan’s continuing struggle with opening batsmen. There was reluctance among some members of the management but the proposition wasn’t rejected outright, and the chairman’s clearance was seen as a green signal.Since his return Butt has impressed on the domestic circuit. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the National One-Day Cup with 536 runs at 107.20 in 2015. He resumed his first-class career in 2016, as captain of the WAPDA side which won the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, and scored 749 runs at 49.40 in the season, including twin hundreds in the final. He was also the second highest run-getter in the National T20 Cup last year.Butt was 26 when he was banned, having played 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is. Since then, he has attended anti-corruption rehabilitation programmes conducted by the PCB, taken part in social work and publicly apologised, though he had pleaded his innocence until 2013. Butt, who was Pakistan captain at the time, was also sentenced to 30 months in jail for his part in the Lord’s scandal. The two other players punished at the time, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, have also returned to cricket after completing their bans. Amir has been successfully re-integrated into the national set-up, and so forms a precedent of sorts for any more returns.Butt’s selection had also been mooted ahead of Pakistan’s tour to England in 2016, when the captain Misbah-ul-Haq admitted he was impressed by Butt’s form.”We have a settled line up between numbers three and seven but the opening slot is not as consistent as the rest of the order,” Misbah had told ESPNcricinfo last year. “There are issues and we are looking at a couple more options including Shan Masood and Salman Butt. Salman is playing well and overall I didn’t see any such difference since he left [in 2010]. He is a good prospect and he has also scored ample runs after his comeback.”With an average of 30.46 from 33 Tests, Butt was never prolific at Test level, but a dearth of other options has made Pakistan look towards him again. Ahmed Shehzad has not played a Test since being dropped from the side in 2015 and Masood has struggled to cement his spot at the top of the order. Mohammad Hafeez’s inconsistency has made him a less attractive option at the top.Sami Aslam had impressed with twin fifties in his first Test against England last year but faded away, with only one score above 22 in his last nine innings. Sharjeel’s suspension has deprived Pakistan of yet another opening batsman, and the only bright spark has been Azhar since being pushed up as a makeshift opener.

UAE’s hopes of a fourth successive win in the Asia Cup were snuffed out by Lasith Malinga, who struck twice in the first over and took 4 for 26 in the match to lead his side to a 14-run win

Mohammad Isam25-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:10

By the numbers – Malinga’s 12th T20 four-for

At the innings break, UAE would have had hopes of a fourth straight win in the tournament, having restricted Sri Lanka to 129 for 8. Those hopes, however, were snuffed out in the first over as Lasith Malinga struck twice to wreck UAE’s chase and ultimately lead his side to a 14-run win. Malinga marked his return to international cricket with a haul of 4 for 26.The UAE bowlers had done well to restrict Sri Lanka for a less than average score of 129 in Mirpur. In fact the 129 for 8 was one run less than what UAE captain Amjad Javed had said he wanted to restrict his opponents to, after he decided to field. But their batsmen were not as inspired as their bowlers and were shut out for 115 for 9 in 20 overs.Malinga, playing his first competitive match since November 2015, trapped Rohan Mustafa leg-before off the first ball of the chase with a fast, straight and full ball that was only destined to hit the stumps. Off the last ball of the first over, Mohammad Shahzad was duped by a 113.7 kph slower ball, and was bowled for 1.Nuwan Kulasekara got into the act, too, removing Muhammad Kaleem and Muhammad Usman in the fourth over. Kaleem lofted one needlessly to mid-off before Usman’s uncharacteristic slog ended in a simple catch to Chamara Kapugedera at first slip. UAE finished the fourth over at 16 for 4.Shaiman Anwar quickly counter-attacked in the next over, striking Angelo Mathews for fours through midwicket before Swapnil Patil played a pull off Mathews for a beautiful six over the same region.UAE, however, had more bad news around the corner. Rangana Herath, playing his first T20 international since the 2014 World T20, was brought into the attack and straightaway removed UAE’s last hope, Anwar, with an arm ball that took a thin outside edge on its way to the keeper.Herath then removed Saqlain Haider in his next over, reducing UAE to 47 for 6 at the halfway mark of their innings. But Patil held firm, hitting Herath for a six, playing a late cut off Milinda Siriwardana for a boundary and taking two fours off Dushmantha Chameera in the 15th over to bring the equation to 53 off the last five overs. Patil kept trying to find the boundaries but he, too, fell to a Malinga slower ball, giving the bowler a simple return catch. Patil top-scored with 37 off 36 balls with the three fours and two sixes, and he added 38 runs for the seventh wicket with Javed, who scored 13 off 18 balls.Malinga completed his four-wicket haul when he removed Mohammad Naveed in his last over. Kulasekara took 3 for 10 while Herath finished with two.The first half of the game, however, was an altogether different picture as Javed took three wickets while Naveed and Shahzad picked up two each. Mustafa also took one wicket as Sri Lanka slumped after a strong start.Sri Lanka had raced to 72 for 1 in the first ten overs but added only 57 in the next ten, for the loss of seven wickets. The first few wickets were down to their eagerness to find the big hits but UAE also curbed the runs at the death, conceding only three fours in the last five overs. They had started well enough with openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal adding 68 runs before the former was easily caught at the deep square leg boundary to give Javed his first wicket.Dilshan was hit on the hand and on the helmet in his usual effort to destabilise the bowlers. Siriwardana, who like Chandimal was given a batting promotion, fell to Javed’s short ball two overs later, with Saqlain Haider taking a great running catch at the deep midwicket boundary.From 79 for 2 in the 12th over, Sri Lanka could have been looking at 200 but Chandimal fell one ball after raising his 50 off 38 deliveries. His knock included seven fours and the only six of Sri Lanka’s innings. Shahzad took a tumbling catch at midwicket on top of the 30-yard ring to send back Chandimal and give Javed his third wicket.Dasun Shanaka gave Anwar a simple catch at mid-off to make it 98 for 4, and Sri Lanka faltered after Mathews fell leg-before to Mustafa and Shehan Jayasuriya was bowled trying to play a second successive scoop. Shahzad snapped up the wickets of Kapugedera and Kulasekara in the last over to give UAE the momentum and confidence they needed to cause an upset.That, however, was a bridge too far for the side, who will now look forward to their match against Bangladesh on Friday.

Richard Levi crashed 70 from 43 balls as Northamptonshire edged closer to a Friends Life t20 quarter-final spot after beating Worcestershire by five runs at New Road.

21-Jul-2013
ScorecardRichard Levi blasted six sixes in his 70•Getty Images

Richard Levi crashed 70 from 43 balls as Northamptonshire edged closer to a Friends Life t20 quarter-final spot after beating Worcestershire by five runs at New Road.Levi, the big-hitting South African opener, smashed six sixes and five fours while monopolising partnerships of 46 with Kyle Coetzer and 56 with Cameron White. A lower order slump then pegged Northamptonshire back to 137 for 6 but that proved enough for the group leaders to complete a quick turnaround from Saturday’s defeat by Warwickshire.Although Worcestershire dragged themselves into contention with Andre Russell’s 44 from 31 deliveries, they had too much to do after David Willey’s match-clinching return of 3 for 13 in four overs. Willey crucially had Russell well caught on the long-off boundary by Alex Wakely and despite Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 38, the home side could not get close to the 21 required from the last over.Joe Leach managed a four and six off Lee Daggett and in making 14 from the six balls faced the young batsman at No. 8 – fresh from a maiden championship century against Gloucestershire – made a case out for a higher position in the next match.Ultimately the result was all about Levi’s ability to dominate, as he did last Tuesday in blasting an unbeaten 110 from 62 balls against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. Worcestershire were blown away when he launched another onslaught with three consecutive sixes off Leach when taking 22 off the fifth over.Three other bowlers were targeted for further sixes and Worcestershire only found a way to stem the carnage when turning to Gareth Andrew for the 15th over. The eighth bowler to be used, Andrew made the breakthrough when Levi powered his first delivery to deep square leg where Russell was almost knocked off his feet in hanging on to the chance.There was little else to come from Northants as wickets fell to the spinners, Shaaiq Choudhry with 2 for 21 and Moeen Ali, 1 for 17. The last five overs produced only 30 in a disappointingly flat finish to the innings, but it did not prove costly in the end.

Warwickshire clung on in the fading light as Middlesex were left three wickets short of victory against the Division One leaders

Jon Culley at Edgbaston24-Aug-2012
ScorecardTim Ambrose was at the crease when rain and bad light brought an early finish•Getty Images

Warwickshire remain favourites to win the 2012 County Championship despite putting in one of their least-impressive performances of the summer. Having left themselves an enormous task by taking 91 overs to bowl out Middlesex at a cost of 412 runs, the likelihood of their chasing down 367 from 83 overs to win always seemed remote. Yet they cannot have imagined they would struggle to secure a draw.In the end they probably had the weather to thank for sparing them a defeat. Five down when rain in mid-afternoon caused a loss of 16 overs, they were 152 for 7 when bad light 20 minutes into the final hour ended the match, with a minimum of 8.2 overs still to be bowled.Nonetheless, thanks to rain denying Sussex a win at Taunton, Warwickshire increase their lead from 11 points to 12. They have three matches to play, second-placed Sussex have two. Nottinghamshire, in third place and also with three matches left, are a further 15 points behind. They are at Edgbaston next week for a match that could be the title decider.Although Boyd Rankin and Chris Wright took five wickets each in the second innings – sharing 15 in the match – the Warwickshire bowling lacked discipline overall, with too many boundaries conceded and a high count in no-balls. The batting was not particularly impressive, either, with a couple of exceptions. Afterwards, director of cricket, Ashley Giles, conceded that his players might have lost a little intensity, perhaps thinking the job was already done.”We have slightly lost focus and for us we were a bit ragged,” Giles said. “We lost our discipline a bit with the ball. There were too many boundaries and no-balls crept in.”With the bat we were 223 for three in the first innings and then lost five wickets in an afternoon session. What we have done well this year is that someone has come and seen the new ball off, we have consolidated and gone again.”We didn’t do that and that was a bit of sloppiness. We need to re-focus on the day-to-day stuff because I think our eyes moved too far towards the middle of September rather than what is happening now. Middlesex played very well and will feel hard done by but perhaps we have played well often enough this season to have earned that bit of luck.”That was by far our worst week in the Championship this season but somehow we have got through it and actually stretched our lead slightly. We need to play better than that if we are to win the title but we have dodged a bullet and I think we will be all right now.”Resuming on 351 for 5, Middlesex were already 305 in front but at that stage were more interested in insuring themselves against defeat and batted on. If they had a declaration in mind, it probably would have come with another 50 or so added but in allowing the innings to follow its natural course they reached that point anyway, more or less.The new ball was available and Warwickshire took it immediately. They had success in the second over with it when Wright had Dawid Malan caught behind for 140, three short of his career best. But another half-a-dozen expensive overs passed before Steven Crook was caught behind edging a pull shot. He and Gareth Berg put on 42 in that time but the last four Middlesex wickets went in consecutive overs. Berg’s 73 contained 10 boundaries, which was an accurate reflection of how often Middlesex were offered scoring opportunities.Warwickshire probably never seriously entertained pursuing their target and after losing both openers inside the first six overs were certainly not interested. Ian Westwood, after his first-innings century, perished for a duck, caught well by Adam Rossington, diving low to his left behind the stumps. Varun Chopra simply played a poor shot, top-edging a pull that looped easily to mid-on.William Porterfield and Darren Maddy, who have struggled for runs all season, did themselves no favours as Giles weighs up his options for next week. Porterfield propped forward to the first ball bowled by Ravi Patel, the young left-arm spinner, missed it and was stumped. Maddy was leg-before wicket playing across a straight one from Berg.Rikki Clarke, only half-forward, was lbw to Toby Roland-Jones and at 86 for 5 Warwickshire were in such trouble that they were grateful for once that the showers threatened in the weather forecast duly turned up.When they had passed, there were still 36 overs left in the day, more than enough time, it seemed, for Middlesex to give themselves an unexpected boost if the pattern continued.By then the light was poor and the umpires made it clear that Middlesex would have to use only their slow bowlers if they wanted to stay on the field. In the event, Patel bowled with a good deal more confidence than he had in the first innings and claimed a significant wicket when Jim Troughton, who was by then Warwickshire’s best hope for a steady hand, was surprised by a ball that bounced and turned and gloved a catch that Rossington took on the leg side.Tim Ambrose defied the pain of a sore knuckle that had required a precautionary trip to the X-ray department earlier in the day but Ian Blackwell increased the tension when he carelessly drove one straight back to Patel, after which Warwickshire greeted a further deterioration in the light with some relief.

England and Sussex allrounder Luke Wright will play for the Melbourne Stars in this year’s Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2011England and Sussex allrounder Luke Wright will play for the Melbourne Stars in this year’s Big Bash League.Wright is the first overseas player to be added to the Stars squad and joins David Hussey, Cameron White and Adam Voges in the Melbourne ranks, while Victorian bowling trio James Pattinson, John Hastings and Clint McKay have also been signed.Wright, 26, part of England’s successful World Twenty20 team in the Caribbean last year and was also a member of their squad for the World Cup in the subcontinent. He also has plenty of Twenty20 experience with Sussex, having scored 1,139 runs – including one century – and taken 41 wickets for them.”Wright is an impressive young man who can open the batting or bowling,” said Melbourne coach Greg Shipperd. “He provides options for the team as he can play any role through the middle to finishing overs. We are extremely pleased to have him as one of our foundation players.”

England duo Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn batted out the last 12 overs as Middlesex held on for a draw against Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship at Uxbridge

24-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Monty Panesar had the better of Andrew Strauss on his way to a five-wicket haul, but could not force a win•PA Photos

England duo Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn batted out the last 12 overs as Middlesex held on for a draw against Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship at Uxbridge. Monty Panesar had looked to have put leaders Sussex on course for a dramatic victory as he took five wickets to help reduce Middlesex to 175 for 8 in pursuit of a target of 343.But after England colleagues Andrew Strauss and Owais Shah both failed, Morgan dug in for over two and a half hours for his unbeaten 58 and got good support from Finn to frustrate Sussex, as Middlesex finished on 204 for 8.The visitors had started the day 211 ahead with five remaining wickets but lost nightwatchman Lewis Hatchett in the sixth over to give Steven Finn his third wicket of the innings and sixth of the match. First innings centurion Luke Wright and Michael Thornely put on 86 for the seventh wicket in 21 overs, reaching their half-centuries off successive balls. Wright got there first with his taking 65 balls while in comparison Thornely’s lasted three hours and 133 balls.Thornely’s stay came to an end soon afterwards when he chopped a ball from Neil Dexter onto his own stumps while Wright departed to the first ball he received after lunch for 62, trapped lbw by Shaun Udal. Udal then had Ollie Rayner caught on the boundary which prompted Sussex skipper Mike Yardy to declare on 240 for 9 and leave Middlesex chasing a target of 343 from a minimum of 58 overs.England skipper Andrew Strauss began positively having made just eight in the first innings but was lucky to be given two reprieves by Sussex. First Rayner was unable to hold on to a difficult chance at second slip when Strauss was on 14 and then Matt Prior missed a tough stumping opportunity off Panesar when he was on 18.Panesar also saw Lewis Hatchett put down John Simpson before three wickets fell in the space of 21 balls to give Sussex hope. Panesar trapped Simpson lbw as he padded up to a straight one and had Dawid Malan caught at short leg, while Owais Shah was caught behind for just 14 off part-time seamer Thornely.Strauss’s luck finally ran out when he was bowled by a quicker ball from Panesar for 37 to leave Middlesex in trouble at 89 for 4. Neil Dexter and Morgan looked to have ended Sussex’s hopes of victory with a partnership of 71 in 23 overs but then Middlesex lost four wickets in seven overs to blow the game wide open again.Dexter and Gareth went in the space of three balls to Rayner before Panesar picked up the scalps of Udal and Tom Roland-Jones to finish with figures of 5 for 89, but it wasn’t enough.

Welsh Fire held on for a vital win at Trent Bridge with the hosts dazed by spin in consecutive matches

ECB Media03-Aug-2024Jonny Bairstow edged out his long-time teammate Joe Root in the battle of the England legends as Welsh Fire beat Trent Rockets in a thrilling encounter at a raucous Trent Bridge in The Hundred.Rockets appeared to be favourites for most of the match until the final dramatic moments, when a series of brilliant outfield catches by Fire flipped the game in their favour. David Payne and Haris Rauf then delivered a nerveless final set to clinch the win by four runs.The spectacular finale saw four wickets fall in the final 10 balls, with Rashid Khan – the first of the four to fall – becoming the second Rockets batter to be run out after Root had earlier been dismissed in slapstick fashion for 17, via a brilliant throw from Joe Clarke at backward point.Sam Hain was involved in both mix-ups, and although he remained unbeaten at the death, his 26-ball 22 was not enough to get the job done.With Fire asked to bat first, Bairstow was the most fluent of all the batters on show, his 45-ball 55 proving to be the standout knock of a game in which the spinners held sway.His contest with Root, who bowled a series of round-arm off-breaks from around the wicket, going for just 19 runs from his 20-ball quota, was one of numerous subplots as Fire fought for every run they could scavenge on a pitch taking appreciable spin.Their 129 for 6 represented a fighting score, but with Root going nicely in reply after a brisk start from Alex Hales and Tom Banton, Rockets looked to be in control. A win would have taken them top of the table; instead, due to that extraordinary comeback, Fire have roared back into the mix.Meerkat Match Hero Jonny Bairstow said: “We’ve had a couple of close ones, it’s that kind of competition, and it’s bringing out different qualities in different players, especially the way our bowlers closed the game out, and the way that Abes [Tom Abell] captained – being brave at times when he needed to be.”In the field if you can get two run outs, it’s always pretty handy. It’s two wickets that the bowlers don’t have to get, and the fielding was exemplary from all the boys. We’ve had a couple of defeats but nobody’s got too downbeat, everyone’s stayed pretty level, and we’ve spoken about going out and relishing he challenge.”On his contest with his great friend, Root: “He bottled it didn’t he! He didn’t even chuck one up! I said to him before he came on, ‘It’s me or you here’ and next thing I see he’s bowling lower than Malinga!”