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New Zealander had “overseen period of transition” since joining club in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2022Durham have announced that James Franklin, their head coach, will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.Franklin has been at the club since 2019 but has overseen a disappointing 2022 season: they sit third-bottom in Division Two heading into the final month of the County Championship and failed to progress in either white-ball competition.Durham said in a statement that Franklin had “overseen a period of transition” and that the club has “seen progress made on the field and behind the scenes during his spell in charge”.Alex Lees, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts have all made England debuts during his tenure.”I have enjoyed my time at Durham,” Franklin said. “It has been a privilege to work with my fellow support staff and a great group of players.”The progression of pathway players into the first team and first-team players onto the international stage has been pleasing. The Royal London Cup campaign in 2021 [when Durham reached the final] was a particular highlight.”The time is now right for me to explore other opportunities to develop my coaching career. I would like to thank everyone at Durham Cricket and wish the club every success for the future.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “We would like to thank James for all of his efforts over the past four years. He has been completely dedicated to the club since his first day in post and shown unwavering commitment to develop the squad.”

Alzarri Joseph again bowled well for West Indies but their chase never really threatned

Andrew McGlashan07-Oct-2022David Warner and Tim David produced sparkling innings as Australia wrapped up a 2-0 victory over a West Indies side still working into their World Cup build-up. Warner dominated the first half of the innings and David turned on the power in the latter stages before West Indies’ chase struggled to build a consistent tempo then faded away.Warner and Aaron Finch, who this time batted No. 3, added 85 for the second wicket of which Finch contributed 15. A brief wobble, where three wickets fell for five runs, was then righted by David who struck at over 200.Brandon King was the most assured of West Indies’ top order but when he charged and missed at Adam Zampa no one else threatened to take the chase on. Mitchell Starc top and tailed the innings to take a career-best 4 for 20.Related

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West Indies now continue their preparations with two official warm-up matches against UAE and Netherlands while Australia – minus their first-choice bowlers and Glenn Maxwell – head to Perth to face England before two more games in Canberra.Warner goes it alone
It wasn’t so much Australia against West Indies early on, but Warner against West Indies. Of the 45 runs in the powerplay, Warner made 37. Of the 96 when he was dismissed, he had made 75. His first six was a sweep off Jason Holder’s slower ball and the timing was impeccable throughout with his last six, a straight drive off Obed McCoy, among the best of his strokes. Given the way he had dominated the scoring, and the fact the innings was only just past halfway, there were thoughts turning towards what could be possible when he was caught and bowled by Odean Smith.David fires, rest of middle order not so much
It was an innings of contrasts from Australia. While Warner motored, Finch stuttered with an ungainly 15 off 19 balls. Then as David lit up the latter part of the innings, life was much harder for Steven Smith who managed 17 off 16 deliveries. To add to that was Maxwell’s run out, which ultimately looked his error albeit Smith had started to come, and it meant another short stay. Maxwell’s lack of recent runs makes it a little curious he is missing the next game in Perth. However, David did what he has done so many times around the world in recent times – leather the ball into the stands with awesome power. And again he gave himself a little bit of time: 12 off 10 balls became 42 off 20 in the blink of an eye.When Mitchell Starc gets his yorker right, it really is a sight to behold•AFP/Getty Images

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West Indies were so slow that they had to have an extra fielder inside the ring for the final two overs. But they contended with it well, the last two going for 16 runs as Australia didn’t quite pull off the ideal finish. After David’s dismissal they made just 21 off the last 19 deliveries. A big part in the good finish from West Indies was Alzarri Joseph who went for 11 in his last two, completing an impressive pair of outings early in the tour. Australia, too, were slow and bowled their last over with five inside the ring. Neither team faced severe consequences for this error tonight, but that may not be so lucky at the World Cup.Can West Indies find the batting balance?
Both powerplay scores were identical: 45 for 1. So it may seem harsh to single out West Indies, but the 24 dot balls they faced in the first six suggested there were a few runs left unscored. Australia faced 18 in the same period. The batters are still trying to find touch after a long journey, but there was a significant amount of swinging and missing, especially from Johnson Charles.Another Gabba special from Starc
It didn’t quite have the same impact or feeling as his first ball in the Ashes to Rory Burns, but Starc again did something special in his first over at the Gabba. After Kyle Mayers, who played a shot for the ages at Metricon Stadium, produced a wonderful straight drive for six, Starc somehow managed to grab hold of a fiercely struck straight drive in front of his shin. It was a good evening for Starc who also claimed the key wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Holder as West Indies never really threatened to chase the target. They have work to do before their World Cup begins.

Fast bowler proud of squad’s resilience as they look to finish tough series on a high

Andrew Miller21-Jun-2022Had the events of the final day at Trent Bridge panned out differently, and had England tripped over themselves in their eagerness to chase a remarkable 299 for victory, then Trent Boult would surely have emerged as the Player of the Match. On a belter of a batting surface, his indefatigable seam bowling kept New Zealand competitive throughout as he emerged from a bruising contest with figures of 8 for 200 in 49.3 overs.Instead, Boult bore the brunt of one of the most astonishing onslaughts in Test history, as Jonny Bairstow emerged after tea to belt a 77-ball century and 136 from 92 balls all told, in a thrilling five-wicket victory. And though Boult got his man in the end, it wasn’t until he’d been thrashed for three fours and three sixes from Bairstow’s previous ten balls, as England raced to victory with 22 overs of their allocation unused.”He’s pumped me a couple of times, actually, Jonny,” Boult said during the build-up to the third Test at Headingley. “The way he played in that final day was very special. He really took the game by the horns and didn’t let go. He’s definitely a big player for them in the middle order and we know how destructive he is, he’s done it many a time.”To be on the wrong side of that result was pretty tough, but I think a lot of credit’s due to some phenomenal cricket that’s been played there,” he added. “Nothing too much changes for us [at Headingley] but hopefully we get into him nice and early with the ball a bit new, and we’ll see what happens.”The result meant that New Zealand, the reigning World Test Champions, are already 2-0 down in the three-match series, after losing the Lord’s Test by five wickets as well. Boult conceded it would be hard to rally for what is now a dead-rubber, WTC points notwithstanding, but insisted they would be ready to go again come Thursday.”I suppose it’s hard being 2-0 down in the series,” he said. “But there’s a lot of pride in that changing room from some of the performances we’ve put out over the last few years. If we’re fair we probably haven’t been at the standards we want to be as a group, it’s nice to have one game to go out and play like we know we can.”The scoreline arguably hurts all the more for New Zealand given that one of their own has been such a key factor in the series. Brendon McCullum’s impact as England’s head coach has been astonishing, given that the team had won one match in 17 prior to his arrival last month, and Boult was impressed by the speed with which they had absorbed his message of positivity.”They are playing like I thought he told them to,” he said. “It’s a new change for English cricket. What a start, both games so far have been thrillers really. For Test cricket as a whole, hopefully we see many more games like that, and get many more eyes watching.”A major factor at Trent Bridge, however, was the absence through injury of Kyle Jamieson, who felt a sharp pain in his lower back while bowling in the first innings, and was unavailable to share the load when the going got tough in the second. He’s since been ruled out of the whole series – his first major setback in a previously stellar arrival in Test cricket.”It’s hard for Kyle, I know he’s disappointed with walking off with an injury, every fast bowler is in that situation,” Boult said. “He’s played some great cricket over the last couple of years. You look at some of the guys on the sideline, everyone wants to put their hand up and go out and perform for the side. There’s a guy called Neil Wagner who’s keen to get out there as well, I’m not sure if he’ll walk straight back in, but I know the XI who are selected will go out there and be desperate to do well.”Related

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Another guy who is set to walk back in is New Zealand’s captain, Kane Williamson, who was withdrawn on the eve of the match after testing positive for Covid. Michael Bracewell and Devon Conway have since undergone five-day periods of isolation after also picking up the virus, but Boult said they were all fit and ready for selection.”He’s a big player for us,” Boult said of Williamson. “His record speaks for itself, everyone’s healthy and available for selection. It looks like another good wicket, so we’ll see what happens.”[Kane]’s always hungry to get in the nets. He was disappointed to have to sit out the last game. It was a big game for us. He’s hungry to get out there to lead the side and desperate to get some runs. I know the boys are looking forward to the challenge. There have been some good chats going on off the ground. Hopefully we can let the bat do the talking and we’ll go from there.”Boult’s key role in the series for New Zealand is all the more impressive given his limited preparation time. Due to Rajasthan Royals’ qualification for the IPL final, he arrived in the country with just 48 hours to acclimatise ahead of the Lord’s Test. However, he impressed in that game too with three first-innings wickets in England’s collapse to 141 all out, and insists he’s got the stamina and the motivation to dig deep once more.”I flew through Dubai, then came to here… and then just really cracked on with it really!” he said. “The Dukes ball is always exciting to get in your hand and it’s nice to see the ball move around a little bit. It’s one of those things, a lot of the guys in that group have a lot of passion to put the Black Cap on their head and the motivation for everyone is there to go out and perform. So it was an easy choice for me.”I enjoy the conditioning side of things and the stuff that goes in off the field,” he added. “It’s a big challenge. Test cricket is called Test cricket for a reason and it’s the format I’m definitely the most passionate about. So when there is an opportunity to put the Black Cap on and the whites, I try to grab it with both hands.”It’s been a busy couple of months for me coming from the IPL. It is a challenge as a modern-day fast bowler to move between the formats but I love the challenge, I love the opportunity to run in for my country and the group of guys in there as well. It was nice to get away and refresh a little bit and the guys are energised and really looking forward to the next couple of the days. “Boult emerged from the Trent Bridge Test with an additional cause for pride, after two battling innings of 16 not out and 17 took him clear of Muthiah Muralidaran’s longstanding record as the highest-scoring No.11 in Test history. He currently has 640 in the position, 17 clear of Murali’s 623, but with James Anderson still threatening to claim the title for himself with 618 in third place.Asked if he was more proud of his runs than his tally of 313 Test wickets, Boult joked: “The runs. No… I enjoy my batting.”

Four uncapped players – Arjun Thyagarajan, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq and Prashanth Nair – have been picked in a USA team that will play a Caribbean Premier League Invitational XI on Friday in Florida

Peter Della Penna in Florida29-Jul-2016Four uncapped players – Arjun Thyagarajan, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq and Prashanth Nair – have been picked in a USA team that will play a Caribbean Premier League Invitational XI on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The game will be played as a curtain-raiser ahead of that night’s CPL match between St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders.The players were chosen by USA selectors and announced by USA national selector Barney Jones at the conclusion of the team’s training session at the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) on Thursday. Speaking shortly after the team announcement, ICC Americas high performance consultant Tom Evans said the selectors were looking to see a mix new players but also see how some of USA’s most recent squad members perform against players of CPL standard.”The 12 for tomorrow is a bit of a combination,” Evans said. “Twelve guys that we want to have a look at. Some guys who have played a bit, some guys who haven’t. Twelve guys who we’re keen to have a look at.”

Squads for the invitational match

USA: Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Adil Bhatti, Akeem Dodson, Elmore Hutchinson, Prashanth Nair, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq, Saqib Saleem, Jessy Singh, Nicholas Standford, Arjun Thyagarajan
CPL squad: Shamarh Brooks (capt, Patriots), Steven Katwaroo (wk, Amazon Warriors), Kyle Corbin (Tridents), Nitish Kumar (Zouks), Jeremiah Louis (Patriots), Gidron Pope (Zouks), Kristopher Ramsarran (Zouks), Alex Ross (Tallawahs), Shemar Springer (Tridents), Hamza Tariq (Knight Riders), Steven Taylor (Tridents), O’Shane Thomas (Tallawahs)

Six of the other eight players in the team were part of USA’s most recent tournament squad, in Ireland, at the 2015 World T20 Qualifier. Two of those six, leading scorer Akeem Dodson and batsman Alex Amsterdam, were also part of the ICC Americas squad that travelled to Trinidad in January for the Nagico Super50 competition.Similarly, three other ICC Americas squad members have been named in the CPL Invitational squad, including USA’s Steven Taylor, who is part of the Barbados Tridents. The other two are Canada’s Hamza Tariq and Nitish Kumar, who are contracted with Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks respectively. Kumar played in the first two games this season for the Zouks but has not appeared since July 3, while Tariq has yet to play for Knight Riders. Taylor started the first give games for Tridents but was dropped after making just 55 runs with a best of 37 in the season opener against Knight Riders.One overseas player outside of the ICC Americas members had also been included in the CPL Invitational XI: Australian Alex Ross of the Jamaica Tallawahs. The CPL XI will be captained by Shamarh Brooks and coached by CPL international director of cricket Tom Moody, assisted by St Lucia Zouks assistant coach Trevor Penney.The 30-man USA national squad arrived in Florida on Wednesday night and Thursday morning for the start of a week-long camp. The team’s training session on Thursday at the CBRP included a fielding masterclass coordinated by the ICC and CPL led by Penney and Moody.USA squad players will be given the opportunity to shadow CPL squads throughout the weekend in Florida – Nosthush Kenjige and Danial Ahmed (Amazon Warriors); Japen Patel and Francis Mendonca (Tridents) had the privilege for Thursday night’s CPL game – before commencing with three 50-over intra-squad trial matches on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A final 14-man squad is then expected to be picked following the matches to compete for USA at WCL Division Four in Los Angeles from October 29-November 5.

Garry Sobers has delivered an emotional lament on the state of West Indies cricket, attributing the decline of West Indies side to the rise of Twenty20 leagues

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo22-Oct-2015Garry Sobers has delivered an emotional lament on the state of West Indies cricket, attributing the decline of West Indies side to the rise of Twenty20 leagues. He made his comments in Colombo, ahead of the second Test of the Sobers-Tissera series, which he is attending.Sobers was particularly sorrowful as he reflected on what he felt was a dearth of motivation and pride in playing for West Indies, among modern players. West Indies are currently eighth on the Test ranking list, and seventh in ODIs. “My whole obligation was to West Indies cricket,” Sobers said. “As I’ve always said, I have never made a run for me. I have always played for the West Indies team and it was such a pleasure and joy to be able to do what I did. You know, records meant nothing. The team was important.”I don’t think we have that kind of person today. We might have them in different countries – we might have them in Sri Lanka, in England, in Australia – but I don’t think we have that kind of person in West Indies cricket anymore, who is quite prepared to play and give it everything for their country. And that hurts. Until we can get people who are willing to play for West Indies in the right way, I think we’re going to be struggling for a long time. Other countries are going to surpass us. “Sobers suggested that some West Indies players even focus on Test cricket only as a means to landing an IPL contract. There have been several instances of Caribbean players prioritising domestic leagues over playing for West Indies in the past few years. In January, Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine declined the retainer offered by the West Indies Cricket Board, ostensibly to remain free to play in domestic T20 tournaments.”I think T20 competitions are certainly destroying West Indies cricket, I’ll tell you that,” Sobers said. “When you look at the point of view of the players from the West Indies in particular, they come from very humble backgrounds. So if the opportunity is there for them to make money so they can help their families, then you can’t really blame them. But I think they should be able to use discretion and understand the difference. I don’t think Twenty20 will run away. I’ve always believed that Test cricket was the utmost, and if you were a cricketer, that was the sort of cricket that you’d want to play.”Sobers said that other cricket nations had maintained the primacy of international cricket much better than West Indies had. He believed, however, that the Caribbean could still produce talented cricketers who were capable of regaining some of West Indies’ former glory.”In the 1980s and 90s, West Indies were champions for about 15 years. I don’t think you’ll see that again in the history of cricket. At present we have lost a lot of that because I suppose we got too lazy. T20 cricket seems to be affecting West Indies more than any other nation. We’re all rebuilding. But some seem to be doing it faster than others. All the other countries seem to be doing it faster than the West Indies.”But I think we’ve got a lot of good players in the making, and I think they just need a bit more time. If they are handled in the right way and are given the right ingredients, I am quite sure that West Indies cricket will blossom again.”