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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.

West Indies’ captain Darren Sammy did nothing to quash talk after defeat at Lord’s that Chris Gayle should be invited to strengthen his side in the rest of the Test series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2012West Indies’ captain Darren Sammy did nothing to quash the theory after his side’s defeat at Lord’s that Chris Gayle should be invited to strengthen his side in the rest of the Test series against England, as well as the one-day matches that follow.Gayle’s involvement in IPL is over after Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from the tournament and such has been his troubled relationship with the WICB that any emergency dash to the UK in time to play in one or both of the remaining two Tests seems hard to imagine.But Sammy refused to close the door on the possibility after West Indies’ five-wicket defeat against England at Lord’s put them 1-0 down in the series, suggesting that both he and the coach, Ottis Gibson, would be content to accommodate Gayle’s late arrival.”Whatever happens outside this squad takes its own course,” Sammy told Sky Sports. “Whoever comes in we will welcome them into the team and hopefully they will help. It is up to the selectors to select the team.”I think Chris has said he is available for Test cricket, one-day cricket and T20 so it is up to the selectors. We have been having some difficulties at the top of the order and if he comes in we would all welcome him, myself, Ottis and all the guys.”One change West Indies will consider for the second Test at Trent Bridge on Friday, and one which needs no political machinations, is the inclusion of Shane Shillingford, the Dominican who took ten wickets in his last Test, against Australia on his home ground in Roseau in April.Shillingford, according to Sammy, had been omitted at Lord’s partly because he could not cope with the cold weather – and with higher temperatures forecast in the build-up to Trent Bridge that could change.”Shane was experiencing a bit of difficulty gripping the ball but in the course of this Test match he has done some work and hopefully his fingers will be warm enough and ready for him to play for us in the next match,” Sammy said. “He played a crucial role in the last series and once he is ready to master the cold we will have him in.”

Kurtis Patterson, the New South Wales batting prodigy, has knocked back an offer to take Phillip Hughes’ place on the roster of the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, in order to build conventionally on his history-making state debut

Daniel Brettig19-Dec-2011Kurtis Patterson, the young New South Wales batsman, has knocked back an offer to take Phillip Hughes’ place on the roster of the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, in order to build conventionally on his history-making state debut.A freewheeling 157 for the Blues against Western Australia in November made the 18-year-old Patterson the youngest debut centurion in Australian first-class cricket, and among the most talked about young batsmen in the world.His innings drew superlatives not only for its dimensions but also its style, characterised by fearless shotmaking and poise beyond Patterson’s years as he batted in the company of the vastly experienced Simon Katich.It caught the attention of many, and when Hughes elected to withdraw from the Thunder last week in his quest to rejuvenate his failing international career, the BBL team’s general manager John Dyson made an offer for Patterson to take the vacancy.However Patterson rebuffed the approach after some thought, preferring to concentrate on the forthcoming National Under-19s carnival, to be played in Adelaide in January, and a second XI appearance for New South Wales.Amid the hype and flash of the BBL, Hughes and Patterson have both elected, for differing reasons, to stay out of the spotlight.Hughes is playing for a CA Chairman’s XI against the Indians in Canberra over the next three days and has the chance to begin his journey back from the confusion that engulfed his batting in Brisbane and Hobart against New Zealand.”I talked with Pup [Michael Clarke] and Mickey Arthur about it after the Hobart Test and they both supported my thinking,” Hughes said of his decision to withdraw fro the Thunder. I then approached John Dyson [Sydney Thunder] and Pat Howard [Cricket Australia] to ensure that they would be comfortable for me to step away from my contract.”Selfishly, it’s the right decision for me but I’m obviously concerned that I have made this decision on the eve of the Thunder’s first game. Everyone has been extremely understanding and I wish the boys all the best for a successful Big Bash season.”It is expected that after this match Hughes will be given time to return to his family farm in Macksville for a chance to clear his head, and will then resume training in the New South Wales stable under the guidance of his personal coach Neil D’Costa.A similar sequence of rest followed by training a year ago helped Hughes emerge from the difficulties he experienced during the concluding three Tests of last summer’s Ashes series, resulting in burst of run-scoring that allowed him to retain his opening spot for the tour of Sri Lanka.

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.

South African’s drawn Test series against Pakistan on placid pitches in the United Arab Emirates left their bowlers craving livelier surfaces. Their cravings for responsive tracks are set to be soothed soon

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-2010South African’s drawn Test series against Pakistan on placid pitches in the United Arab Emirates left their bowlers craving livelier surfaces. Their cravings for responsive tracks are set to be soothed soon. The three-Test series against India gets underway in exactly three weeks time and India’s batsmen should start bracing themselves for more bounce and pace than they are comfortable with.”We’ve got to take our strengths into consideration, and hopefully we have wickets that will play to those strengths and help us rather than the opposition,” South Africa coach Corrie van Zyl said at the team’s arrival press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday. “We will hope for conditions that suit our type of players and our type of bowling should come into it.”With that reliance comes with the danger that South Africa could be lulled into complacency, safe in the knowledge that their own conditions could be their 12th man on the field, but van Zyl insisted they wouldn’t be over-reliant on familiar, pace-friendly pitches. “To do that is bit of a Russian roulette approach, and I wouldn’t go that far. We don’t want to make it a lottery and we don’t want the outcome of the series to rest on how the wickets play.”Part of the reason for South African’s new sense of wariness is that in the last two years Indian batsmen have had the opportunity to play on bouncier South African tracks during tournaments such as the IPL, Champions League and Champions Trophy. “They’ve obviously had a lot more exposure on our wickets, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We’ll have to see how well-adapted they are,” van Zyl said.Despite the practice India’s batsmen have had, van Zyl still believes their biggest weakness when playing away from home may come back to haunt them. “When you’ve played on a certain type of wicket for a long time, and all of a sudden you come and play on a bouncy wicket it’s still going to be a handful.”South Africa want to maximise their advantage on seamer-friendly pitches. They will add a pace bowler to their starting XI to work with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis. “The fourth seamer is definitely going to play a role in SA,” confirmed van Zyl. Who that extra pace man will be is a mystery. Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell were both part of the touring party against Pakistan, but did not feature in either of the two Tests.The fourth seamer means that South Africa is likely to use only one spinner against India. Johan Botha, who played as the second spinner in the Tests against Pakistan, doesn’t think it will be him. “Paul [Harris] has done a good job, and he’s done it for a few years now. I think he’s still number one against India. I doubt we’ll play two spinners, but hopefully I’ve done enough that if there’s a gap I would take it.”South Africa’s Achilles’ heel has been the lack of an attacking spinner and the series against Pakistan gave the slow bowlers an opportunity to stake their claim as part of the wicket-taking clan. For the most part they failed to do so – barring a three-wicket burst from Harris and Botha after lunch on day five of the second Test. Van Zyl wasn’t concerned with the lack of penetration, however. “We felt that two spinners would do the job,” he said. “But the pitch turned out not to deteriorate the way we wanted.”With the Indian batsmen’s level of comfort against spin, particularly of the mediocre kind, South Africa may want to cast their net out for a wicket-taking turner. They’d have to look no further than Pakistani-born Imran Tahir, who has claimed 30 wickets in four first-class games this season at an average of 22.00. Tahir was selected in January this year to play against England but was ineligible to play for South Africa because he did not have the necessary documentation. There is a strong feeling that he will be picked as soon as his papers are in order and he he becomes available.”When?”, is the question even van Zyl is asking, as no-one seems to have a date for Tahir’s status as a South African citizen to be rubber stamped. “The authorities are assisting him”, said South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee. “But he will have to tell us when he receives his papers”. Tahir is expected to be eligible from December, but the exact day is anyone’s guess.South Africa have plenty to think about on the bowling front and almost as much on their minds about batting. Graeme Smith suffered a fractured finger during the series against Pakistan and is likely to miss at least the first Test against India. “I’m hopeful that he will be ready for the first Test. But to say I’m not nervous that he won’t be wouldn’t be honest,” said van Zyl.Hashim Amla also has an arm injury after being painfully hit by a Misbah-ul-Haq pull shot while fielding at short leg, which means van Zyl could be without both two of his top three. “The blow he took yesterday caused a contusion to his left forearm,” Moosajee said, but added that the on-form Amla “should be fine” in time for the first Test on December 16 in Centurion.The three Tests will be followed by a Twenty20 and five ODIs. Van Zyl said he will use the last outing before the World Cup to fine tune his combinations. “By this Indian series we want to be as close to the World Cup 15 as can be.” South Africa beat Pakistan 3-2 in the ODI series in the UAE and, according to van Zyl, gained valuable experience from the close contest. “This tour has given us a lot of answers. To play in what amounted to a final and to win that has given the guys a lot of confidence.”Botha believes India will present an ideal challenge ahead of the team’s quest for ICC silverware in February. “The one-day series will be good preparation for the World Cup. You want to bowl against quality players, and you know the Indian team is a world class unit. If you do well against them you are going to have a lot of confidence going into the World Cup.”

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.

He says India are favourites “if they get the right balance of youth and experience”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-20232:07

Can Samson cement his place in India’s ODI middle-order?

Is India’s ODI top six loaded with too many right-handers at the moment? Former head coach Ravi Shastri seems to think so and would like to see at least two left-handers in India’s top six for the ODI World Cup later this year.”You need to strike the right balance. Do you think a left-hander will make a difference at the top? It does not have to be opening, but in the top three or four. You have to weigh all those options. Ideally, in the top six, I would like to see two left-handers,” Shastri told .With Rishabh Pant not playing any competitive cricket this year due to injuries suffered in a car accident, India have lost a key left-hander in one-day cricket. They have gone with Ishan Kishan for a few games this year. Ravindra Jadeja is another option but he doesn’t have a lot of experience batting in the top six. Yashasvi Jaiswal made it to India’s Test squad for the West Indies series, but his name remained absent from the ODI list.Related

• Gavaskar defends 'loyal servant' Pujara: 'Why make him the scapegoat for our batting failures?'

• Jaiswal a far cry from Dravid and Pujara, but can make No. 3 his own

• Kishan to head to NCA for strength and conditioning ahead of WI tour

• Rishabh Pant's recovery progressing faster than expected

• Samson, Gaikwad and Mukesh called up to India ODI squad for West Indies tour

The World Cup is set to start on October 5. Pant, if he gets fit in time, will likely get his place back, but what are the other left-handed options?”You have Ishan Kishan. In the wicketkeeping department, you have Sanju [Samson]. But the left-handers, you have [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, Tilak Varma. There is enough left-handed talent that can replace any senior player at the moment.”Shastri was also adamant that India needed to form a pool of youngsters and get them in the mix ahead of the World Cup. While he voiced concerns about India’s red-ball depth, he was pretty happy with talent coming through in white-ball cricket.”There are so many youngsters. There is Jaiswal and, I might miss out a few here, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera. There is [Sai] Sudharsan, who played so well in the [IPL] final. There is Jitesh Sharma,” he said.”Among the bowlers, there is a crop of young fast bowlers. Quite a few, there is Mukesh [Kumar], names do not come to my mind now. But, there are at least four or five who can be groomed around that 135kmph-140kmph mark. So I am not worried about the talent in white-ball.”You have a lot of injuries these days. I always like a pool of 15-20. You should always be prepared, you should have a plan B, plan C.”Shastri: Sanju Samson is a “match-winner”•BCCI

Another name that Shastri was quite vocal about was Sanju Samson. The Kerala batter has been in and out of the India side but has been included in the squad for the ODIs in the West Indies next month. Shastri likened Samson to a young Rohit Sharma and felt the wicketkeeper-batter could be the “match-winner” India are looking for.”There is Sanju [Samson], who I believe is yet to realise his potential. He is a match-winner. There is something that is missing. I will be disappointed if he does not finish his career all guns blazing. It is like when I was the coach, I would have been disappointed if Rohit Sharma had not played in my side as a regular Test player. Hence, his opening the batting. I feel similar with Sanju,” he said.Shastri felt that with a number of youngsters ready to knock the door down, India should get started on succession planning. “There are seniors ready to be phased out and there are youngsters ready. No question about it when it comes to T20 cricket. Lesser in 50-over cricket and even fewer in Tests,” he said.”Because of the IPL, you see an abundance of high-quality, young, white-ball players. But, one should not get carried away by that and think they should be automatic red-ball choices. No, I would rather see the red-ball record. I would sit with the selectors and find out more about who the [red-ball performances] were against, in what conditions, what are their strengths, what is the temperament of the bloke like.”For me, temperament is key. It is paramount. Does the guy have the stomach for a fight? When it gets hot in the kitchen, is he is ready to bite the bullet? These are qualities I look for in a [Test] player. When I use the word fearless as a coach, these are the qualities that make a fearless cricketer. Backing his own ability and his strengths, and not wavering.”Luckily for India, the volume of players that play the game, compared with other countries, [is high]. I think you should always have a strong bench across formats.”Shastri was confident that India go into the ODI World Cup at home as favourites, and could “win this one” if they got the balance of the side right. “They are playing at home. I think they are one of the favourites. I am telling you now; I think they can win this one. Provided they get the right balance of experience and youth. And there is enough time to identify the squad that you want. And if you get your full-strength side, I think India are favourites, with England and Australia.”

In the aftermath of the Christchurch attack, both NZC and BCB decided that sending an age-group side to one of the worst affected countries would be insensitive

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2019New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have cancelled their Under-19 team’s tour to Bangladesh, slated for this month, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques in which at least 40 people had been killed.NZC chairman Greg Barclay said both the NZC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) agreed that sending an age-group team to one of the countries worst affected would be insensitive and inappropriate.”We have conveyed our deep sense of regret over the circumstances leading to this mutual decision, and the BCB have been both understanding and generous in response,” Barclay said. NZC have nothing but respect for the BCB and believe this development has only served to bring our countries closer together, and to strengthen our bond through cricket. In reply, the BCB has expressed ‘solidarity with NZC and the peace-loving people of New Zealand’.”However, Barclay said both countries remain committed to playing bilateral series across all levels, including “Developmental” and “A” tours, starting with the Bangladesh Under-19 team’s tour to New Zealand in September.Members of Bangladesh’s senior side were just “about 50 yards from the mosque”, which was the site of one of two terror attacks in Christchurch last month. They managed to escape through Hagley Park and shortly after the tour was called off.The aftermath of the attack had also seen Canterbury pull out of the final round of the Plunket Shield.

Jos Buttler and Joe Root are set to go head to head in Friday night’s Vitality Blast Roses match, as well as Lancashire’s Championship match against Yorkshire starting on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2018Jos Buttler and Joe Root are set to go head to head in Friday night’s Vitality Blast Roses match, as well as Lancashire’s Championship match against Yorkshire starting on Sunday, after the ECB confirmed the availability of England players at the conclusion of the ODI series with India.

England player availability

• Moeen Ali: available for everything

• Jake Ball: available from Friday

• Jonny Bairstow: available for Championship

• Jos Buttler: Friday Blast and Championship

• Sam Curran: available from Friday

• Tom Curran: playing 2nd XI as batsman

• Dawid Malan: available from Sunday

• Eoin Morgan: available from Friday

• Liam Plunkett: available for everything

• Adil Rashid: available for everything

• Joe Root: Friday Blast and Championship

• Jason Roy: available if fit

• Ben Stokes: Friday Blast and Championship

• David Willey: available for everything

• Mark Wood: available for Championship

Jonny Bairstow will only be available for the Championship match at Old Trafford, which could also feature James Anderson on his comeback from injury. Anderson and Stuart Broad, who has had a painkilling injection in his ankle, will be assessed by England’s medical staff but should be free to play for Lancashire and Nottinghamshire respectively.Durham’s Mark Wood, who recently spoke of his desire to be involved in the Test series against India, has been rested from the Blast but can turn out in the Championship against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. Ben Stokes is available for both games.Among others who have featured in the ODIs, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and David Willey will all return to their counties without any restrictions on their involvement.Dawid Malan, currently playing for England Lions against India A, will be unavailable for Middlesex’s two Blast games this week, but will continue to tune up for the India Tests in the Championship fixture against Warwickshire. The five-Test series begins at Edgbaston on August 1.

On a pitch that turned batting into a lottery, South Africa failed to buy their ticket

The Report by Sidharth Monga26-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:45

Manjrekar: South Africa should play Ashwin off back foot

On a pitch that turned batting into a lottery, South Africa failed to buy their ticket. This might read odd, but their bowlers bowled poorly to India score 173 after they let the hosts get away to 215 in the first innings. In between, South Africa’s batsmen were brought face to face with the true horror of batting on this pitch, and were bowled out for 79 in the face of relentless accuracy from R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the lowest Test total against India. The visitors were left needing 278 runs with eight wickets in hand to preserve their nine-year-old unbeaten streak in away series.Bowlers from both sides bowled many unplayable deliveries on a pitch that you needed a lot of luck to survive on, but South Africa bowled far too many of those outside the operational areas, taking the pitch out of the equation. Ashwin and Jadeja kept pegging away in those zones, and the pitch did the rest. South Africa’s first innings lasted 33.1 overs, the longest wait for a wicket was 5.2 overs, and the highest score was JP Duniny’s 35, and that included dollops of luck and application.Modern batsmen draw a lot of flak for their lack of survival skills, but this might just have been a case of a crooked floor. Literally. Or even an out-of-shape ball. This pitch did not have mere turn: it had variable turn, variable bounce and variable pace. It is easy to say the batsmen did not get to the pitch of the ball often enough, but the batsmen were not reacting to balls coming across 22 yards, but to ones whose behaviour was impossible to predict until after they had pitched four or five yards from them. Just that knowledge was enough to mire feet in cement and minds in panic.AB de Villiers’ dismissal summed the pitch up. Jadeja absolutely fired one into the middle of the track around leg-stump line, but this hard cricket ball almost turned into a balloon upon pitching, took some of the surface with it, and turned and stayed slow to take the leading edge for an easy return catch. This was after one had skidded through after pitching in a similar area. The de Villiers’ duck left South Africa 12 for 5, their lowest score at the fall of their fifth wicket. They had begun the day at 11 for 2.It is quite possible that such a pitch and such a situation left India’s fielders complacent too: had Virat Kohli, at gully, not dropped a sitter off JP Duminy in the 18th over, South Africa would have been reduced to 35 for 7, and would have been a fair shot to beat the lowest totals in India – 75 and 76 by India against West Indies and South Africa. Duminy went on to miraculously score 35, but he needed all the luck to go with his excellent batting. He danced down and hit Jadeja for two sixes, he swept, he defended like his life depended on it, but there were almost an equal number of edges falling safe. The one that reached a fielder was dropped.India players react bemusedly when asked of the pitches, wondering what the fuss is all about, but really they should know why the pitch and not the cricket was the talking point. Ashwin, who is bowling beautifully, drifting the ball late, bowling a seam-up topspinner that swings back in to the left-hand batsmen, will have to contend with his 14th Test five-for being reduced to a footnote. He got Dean Elgar in the first over of the day with that seam-up delivery, drawing an inside edge from the cut. His other wickets were Hashim Amla (back of the bat on the sweep as the ball bounced, turned and came on slowly), Simon Harmer (not padding up properly to a carrom ball pitched well outside leg), and Morne Morkel (a return catch off a leading edge).Jadeja was near unplayable given his pace, accuracy and flatter trajectory. Apart from de Villiers, he got Faf du Plessis (bowled when playing for turn) and Dane Vilas (bowled by a ball that turned past the outside edge) on the second morning. He was certain to get a five-for until Kohli took him off after 12 straight overs for 33 runs and four wickets. Amit Mishra, brought on to replace Jadeja, took Duminy out.On a pitch where no batsman had passed 40, on a pitch that all a spinner needed to do was bowl fast and relatively accurately, the South Africa spinners bowled a lot of bad balls. Keeping with their strategy of using Imran Tahir for the tail, South Africa bowled Harmer and Duminy before the legspinner. They sent down long hops and overpitched deliveries, which Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara took full toll of. Then, after a 44-run partnership between them, the pitch played up again. Pujara read an offbreak from Duminy, played for the turn, but the pitch took it straight on. This was just the one good ball in an expensive spell.Tahir was brought on just before tea, and he responded with three wickets in three overs. Two of those were half-volleys that still had time to misbehave. Rohit Sharma scored an important 23, added 21 with Amit Mishra, and before they inevitably got out, took the target beyond the realm of one freak innings. South Africa were left needing at least two freak innings to win this.The freak innings was not coming from Stiaan van Zyl, who fell to Ashwin for the fifth time in five innings. This one would have been the most disappointing of the lot: he and Elgar had put together South Africa’s longest partnership of this match and their best opening stand of the series (17), but van Zyl drove an offbreak straight down the lap of short cover. The pitch had nothing to do with this dismissal. Just before stumps, nightwatchman Imran Tahir fell to a Mishra legbreak that didn’t turn, becoming the 20th man to be dismissed on the day, equal highest in a day’s play in India.