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Fast bowler welcomes clampdown on online abuse but says more needs to be done

George Dobell14-Sep-20201:48

Holding: Sportspersons have the platform to make a difference

Jofra Archer has claimed Michael Holding “doesn’t know anything that is going on behind the scenes” after he criticised England and Australia for failing to take a knee during their limited-overs series.Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has been a vocal advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months. As well as providing impassioned testimony of his experiences on Sky and with ESPNcricinfo, he welcomed the decision of the England, West Indies and Ireland teams to register their respect for the movement by taking a knee ahead of their Test and ODI fixtures earlier this season.But he described the failure of Pakistan, Australia and England to do so ahead of their recent matches as “lame” and suggested individual players could unilaterally make the gesture if they wanted to “send a signal” to show they “accept things need to change”.But Archer, England’s Barbados-born fast bowler, has insisted nobody involved within the England set-up has “forgotten” about the movement and claimed progress is being made “in the background”.”I’m pretty sure Michael Holding doesn’t know anything that is going on behind the scenes,” Archer said. “I don’t think he has spoken to [ECB chief executive] Tom Harrison.”I’ve spoken to Tom and we have stuff running in the background. We’ve not forgotten. No-one here has forgotten about Black Lives Matter.Jofra Archer, back in the light blue of England’s ODI team•Getty Images

“I think that is a bit harsh for him to say that. I think it is a bit harsh for Mikey to not do some research before criticising.”The “background” measures referred to by Archer include the ECB setting up an Inclusion and Diversity taskforce, a commitment to increasing the representation of non-white individuals in leadership roles, a game-wide anti-discrimination charter and a bursary scheme for young black coaches, with a focus on “leadership, education and opportunity”. There will also be a further drive to reintroduce cricket in primary schools, with a focus on ethnically diverse areas.But Holding, responding to Archer’s comments, told ESPNcricinfo there should be no conflict between taking action in the background and continuing to make a gesture in public.”Taking a knee does not prevent other action from taking place,” Holding said. “Those who take a knee are not substituting the gesture for other positive action.ALSO READ: Holding on Black Lives Matter – England excuses are ‘lame’“Nobody should have a problem with it. It is a worldwide recognition of calling attention to racial prejudice and injustice.”Meanwhile, Archer welcomed the crackdown by social media companies upon those making racial abuse online. But he did suggest legislation “might have to go a bit further” given that he continues to receive abuse on a regular basis.”I think a lot of stuff is being put into place now,” he said. “People can be prosecuted a bit easier, but I think it might have to go a bit further because some people still aren’t worried about what can happen to them.”I had one the other day; the guy blamed it on being drunk. My mum would always say ‘you can’t think for people’. As long as there is social media and the person doesn’t have to confront you it will still go on.”I feel the love from fans, too. But there’s still a small percentage, you know? I may be doing well but I saw one lady comment on my [gold] chains. Chains have nothing to do with cricket. If she knew me she would know I’ve worn chains from the time I was 14 or 15 years old. You can’t make everyone happy, but the majority of people in England are happy and that makes me happy.”All we can do is try to act accordingly, report it and do what’s best. At the end of the day I think I’m strong enough to deal with it, but what happens when they start targeting someone who isn’t as mentally strong and it starts affecting them? We’ve got to try and stamp it out as much as possible now.”

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

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

Virender Sehwag has called for more patience from India’s batsmen, which they can learn from their England counterparts, but he knows it can only help them in the upcoming matches

Sidharth Monga08-Dec-2012Virender Sehwag has called for more patience from India’s batsmen, which they can learn from their England counterparts, but he knows it can only help them in the upcoming matches. About this Test, he merely stated he wasn’t an atheist. “We have to work hard in the next game,” he said. “We are still fighting. Hopefully something happens tomorrow and we can save the match, but I… only god can help us.”In his press conference, Sehwag said at least three times that the batsmen lacked patience. Asked if it was embarrassing that a No. 8, R Ashwin, made batting look easier than the specialist batsmen, Sehwag said: “It’s not embarrassment. He is also part of our team. He is a good player. He knows how to score runs and how to survive. Depends on an individual to individual. My batting style is different, and others are different, and Ashwin’s is different. If you apply yourself on that wicket, it’s not difficult to score runs.”It’s Test cricket, and if you show some patience, you can score some runs on this wicket. Key was patience.”When asked how the England bowlers managed to make the pitch look more threatening, Sehwag chose to focus on the batsmen. “Their batsmen showed patience more than ours,” he said. “Their batsmen batted really well. Full credit to the way Cook batted and everyone else batted. Our bowlers did everything, they tried everything. They bowled slow, they bowled quick, they bowled flighted, they bowled flat, but England batted really well, I can say that.”We tried everything. When we were bowling, the ball started reversing after 10 overs. They played well also. They showed patience. They waited for loose balls, they hit those loose balls. We didn’t show enough patience.”Sehwag said the youngsters in the middle order needed time before being judged. “When [Cheteshwar] Pujara scored runs, double hundred and hundred, you guys only said we have found a replacement for Rahul Dravid,” he said. “You didn’t wait for a couple of matches. Now you are saying that because Rahul Dravid and [VVS] Laxman are not there we are losing. It is a transition period for us, you have to give time to the youngsters.”We will bounce back, we will score runs. In this series we haven’t put runs on the board, especially in the last two games. The moment we put up the runs, 500-plus, it’s a different ball game.”Asked if he would consider moving down the order to lend experience to the middle order, Sehwag said it was not about experience. “Yuvraj Singh has played 40 Tests, Virat Kohli has played 13,” he said. “He has been playing international cricket for two, three years. He got that ICC cricketer of the year and the BCCI award. He is mature enough. It’s not about new and young.”Sehwag might have been struggling outside Asia but he looks every bit a dangerous player on pitches lacking bounce and lateral movement. Once again he got India off to a good start, but his wicket led to a big collapse. Asked if he felt India relied too much in him, Sehwag said, “Our team is very good team. We have six batsmen who are capable of scoring hundreds and double hundreds. It’s not that they are depending on me. It’s a team game.”

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.”

Durham opener stars on second day of tour game but CAXI openers made inroads in chase

ECB Reporters Network15-Jan-2025Cricket Australia XI 176 (Hearne 106, Cook 4-15) and 97 for 1 (Ward 39*, MacMillan 11*) need another 164 runs to beat England Lions 223 (Davies 54, Gannon 5-27) and 213 (McKinney 94) Durham’s Ben McKinney fell just short of a century for England Lions, as a Cricket Australia XI took control of their four-day encounter at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane.On a day when wickets continued to tumble, with 12 falling in all, the 20-year-old McKinney stood tallest to strike a composed 94 as the Lions were bowled out for 213 in their second innings.The home side reached 97 for one at the close, needing another 164 runs on day three to seal victory. Tim Ward was unbeaten at the close on 39 from 80 balls, having added 77 for the first wicket with Jayden Goodwin.Sonny Baker had earlier wrapped up the CAXI first innings without addition to their overnight 176. He dismissed centurion Lachlan Hearne with his first ball of the day to finish with four for 43, as the Lions took a 47-run lead. Sam Cook, who ran through the top-order yesterday, finished with four for 15.A youthful Lions batting line-up, featuring nine players aged 22 or under, were then unable to fully capitalise on their advantage aside from former Under-19s captain McKinney.The left-handed opener reached his half-century with a textbook cover drive to the rope but had been left with the tail when he pulled Gabe Bell and was caught on the boundary just short of his century. Last man Cook made a handy 23 from 19 balls as he and Baker added 28 for the last wicket. The CAXI wickets were shared around, with Bell and Charlie Anderson claiming three apiece.Bashir claimed the only wicket of the home side’s chase when Goodwin, son of former Zimbabwe and Sussex batter Murray, was trapped lbw on the back foot by Bashir for 35. Raf MacMillan was 11 not out at the close.