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South Africa have named Tabraiz Shamsi, the Chinaman bowler, in their ODI squad to play a triangular series in the Caribbean that also involves West Indies and Australia

Firdose Moonda06-May-20162:39

O’Brien: Shamsi’s variations brought him SA spot

Changes in SA’s ODI squad

In: Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Tabraiz Shamsi
Out: Marchant de Lange, David Miller, David Wiese

Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi’s summer of success has reached its dream conclusion. After being the leading spinner in South Africa’s first-class competition and earning his first IPL contract, Shamsi has received a maiden call-up to the national side.He is one of three spinners included in the ODI squad to play a triangular series in the Caribbean in June. Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso complete the spin-bowling contingent.South Africa have also recalled Wayne Parnell, who last played international cricket in July 2015 and has not played ODIs since last year’s World Cup. Parnell is one of two allrounders alongside Chris Morris, and joins Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada as one of five frontline quicks.Neither Dale Steyn nor Vernon Philander were picked with Steyn rested ahead of the home Tests against New Zealand in August and Philander not considered despite making a return from injury. David Miller, David Wiese and Marchant de Lange, who were part of South Africa’s ODI squad that took on England earlier this year, were dropped.Shamsi’s inclusion came on the back of T20 performances, rather than fifty-over efforts, and prior experience in West Indies. Shamsi played in last year’s CPL and was the joint fifth-highest wicket-taker with 11 scalps at 13.27. He was also part of the Titans team that won the South African domestic T20 competition and was their fourth-highest wicket taker with nine scalps at 26.88. Currently with the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL, Shamsi has played four matches and taken three wickets. They were three big ones too: David Warner, Brendon McCullum and Ajinkya Rahane.”He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors said, while also outlining South Africa’s selection approach to the series. “We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side.”That was also the reason South Africa are not rushing Steyn back after he missed six out of eight Tests last summer. Although he is at the IPL and will play in the CPL, Steyn’s absence from ODI cricket will raise questions.”In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top-ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour,” Zondi said. “He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead. He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year.”Instead Morkel, who was left out of the World T20 and was rumoured to be considering his limited-overs future, will lead the attack. Philander may have been hoping that responsibility would fall on him, but after sitting out all but the last two weeks of the South African season with ankle ligament tears, he will have to wait to regain his place.So Parnell got the nod. He finished the domestic one-day cup as the third-highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets at 23.00 and has the chance to stake a claim for a regular spot. “Wayne has the ability to become a quality allrounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form,” Zondi said.South Africa’s batting line-up had a more familiar look to it with the inclusion of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, who is nursing a finger injury. Du Plessis broke the ring finger on his left hand at the IPL and underwent surgery on Tuesday. He needs four to five weeks to make a full recovery and has been ruled out of the first game of the series.That will likely provide an opportunity for both Rilee Rossouw and Farhaan Behardien early on, but the pair are likely to compete for a place in the top six once du Plessis recovers.Miller played his last ODI in October 2015. He was in the squad for the home series against England, but did not get a game. Now that he has been dropped for the West Indies tour, it appears he will have to find form in domestic competition to be reconsidered.The Caribbean tri-series, which also features Australia, starts on June 3.South Africa squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi

Michael Clarke has conceded he is far from guaranteed to be fit in time for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane next month, while James Pattinson may miss the Ashes altogether

Daniel Brettig03-Oct-20130:00

Clarke doubtful for Brisbane Test

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has conceded he is far from guaranteed to be fit in time for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane next month, as his chronic back trouble grows increasingly stubborn.Having been ruled out of the limited overs tour to India that precedes the home series against England, Clarke showed unusual pessimism about his fitness when discussing his chances of returning to full strength and flexibility in time for the Gabba.There were grim tidings also from James Pattinson, who had originally hoped to recover from a back stress fracture he picked up in England in time to contend for a Brisbane pace berth.Instead he admitted he was now well behind that schedule, and was looking at a place in the Perth Test as one of four fast bowlers as his earliest chance to resume in Test matches.Since returning home from England, Clarke has undergone daily treatment on his back, and between now and the start of the Ashes the Australian team physio Alex Kountouris is readying himself to make frequent flights from Melbourne to Sydney to spend as much time as possible with his most pivotal patient.However the process of constant work to strengthen Clarke has been progressing slowly, and there is always the danger of a relapse such as the one that curtailed his Champions Trophy campaign before the Ashes in England.”There’s certainly no guarantee at this stage,” Clarke said at the national team’s pre-season camp in Sydney. “It’s hard for me to say that because I’m trying my best not to look at it like that. I’m always positive and if they ask me, I’ll say I’ll be fit in a week’s time. But you ask Alex who knows me very well, and he’d say there’d be doubt I won’t be right. Making sure I’m doing everything I can to give myself the best chance … plenty of rehab and recovery getting strength back in the areas that support my back. It’s a lot of hard work but I’m willing to do the work to make sure I’m right for that first Test.”Where I sit right now is I don’t know when I’ll be back playing cricket. We have no idea how long it’s going to take. But in Australia I’ve got the physio in Sydney I’ve been working with since I was 17, I’ve got the machine, the medics machine that’s helped me stay on the park for as long as I have through my career, and I’m in consistent contact with Alex Kountouris who will fly back and forth from Melbourne to Sydney to see me and make sure I’m improving.”Clarke’s ideal preparation for the Gabba will be to regain full mobility in time to play in the Sheffield Shield matches scheduled to lead-in to the Ashes, granting him the chance to gain confidence and batting form before facing England’s pacemen once more. “My best preparation has always been to play cricket and score runs doesn’t matter what form of the game,” Clarke said. “If I’m playing games of cricket and performing that helps me take it into one day cricket or test cricket. I probably train harder than what you have to do in game so playing is probably easier for me mentally and physically with the work that goes into it.”Pattinson had fought back tears when his Ashes campaign in England was ended during the Lord’s Test by back pain that was revealed to be a fracture. While speaking more happily with the benefit of a few months in the recovery room, he is yet to resume running let alone bowling, and remains a long distance from fitness.”I’m not even running yet which is not great,” Pattinson said. “I get a scan in two weeks time which is a 12 week scan to determine whether the fracture has healed or not. Go from there, get results back from scan start running, should be fine. My back feels fine at the moment, I have no pain. Just a bit of a long process. I’m probably a month off bowling.”I won’t be back for the first Test, don’t think I’ll be right for the second … but all things going well I could push for that WACA Test. If it’s a bit green we could play four quicks up there, but I’ll know more when I start bowling. I’m probably rushing a bit if I’m trying to get back for that first Test and last thing I want is for that to happen again and push my body too far and it’s hard enough going through it once without going through it again. Long term is where I’m looking.”

Jos Buttler’s international career finally came alive at Edgbaston and in an instant his stock has rocketed

David Hopps16-Sep-2012Even in the instant world of Twenty20, it takes some believing that a single over can change the mindset of a team, never mind the player involved. But the 32 runs that Jos Buttler took off one over from Wayne Parnell in the final dregs of the English summer has become emblematic for an England squad seeking proof that they have the capacity to win the World Twenty20.Before his Edgbaston escapade, Buttler was just another skilful young player seeking to justify the faith shown in him. After one brief but violent assault he has instantly become one of the most talked-about players in town. “Which one is Jos Buttler?” is now a contender for the top ten questions in the hotel lobby, proudly ranked alongside other essentials like “is my room ready yet?” and “can you give me some change for the tuk-tuk driver”.For more than a year, Buttler’s T20 career was stillborn. He had 10 caps, but in six innings had reached double figures only once. Those who had watched him at Somerset yearned for his ability to overflow. But he got out twice in Dubai to his signature ramp shot and as well as enquiring of the batting coach, he even asked the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, if he should keep playing it. Bawden told him to trust his instincts as sports psychologists tend to do.Buttler, as he did in the aftermath of Edgbaston, spoke in Colombo of the confidence this has brought him, that he “feels calmer, more myself, more relaxed,” that his ability to repay the faith has given him a greater sense of belonging. A few days before the biggest tournament of his life it could not be better timed.”After the first one I hit, I thought ‘this is good fun, I can enjoy this’,” he said. “It was just one of those overs: he bowled it where I guessed and it just came off. I’m excited about gaining a bit of recognition or getting noticed. That can only be a good thing; it means you must have done something right for sides to know who you are.”But it is the positive impact that Buttler’s innings has made upon the England team that is so striking. England admittedly are defending champions, but they do not play much T20 and have little involvement in IPL. As one of the last sides to arrive in Sri Lanka, they could easily feel like visitors rather than contenders.Eoin Morgan, who in the absence of Kevin Pietersen is the batsman with IPL-cred, enthused about the wider impact of Buttler’s innings. “It was absolutely brilliant,” he said. “It gives everyone else around them belief that he can perform at any given time especially when it is to that extremity.”I’ve been watching Jos train for nearly a year now, and he’s phenomenal. We’ve all been waiting for this to evolve. The fact it has now is awesome for his own confidence, knowing that he can pull out a performance like that, and it is also great for the team.”It wasn’t easy for him in Dubai where it was reverse swinging, and it was among his first couple of innings. There were a lot of contributing factors to why he didn’t have a chance to go out and play the way he could. It is very timely he has now. Like anything, until you go out there and prove to yourself and you know inside you can perform, all the reassuring words run off your shoulders really.”The value of Buttler’s assault is even more important if you accept Morgan’s assertion that T20 is evolving so quickly that experience is often passed in the reverse manner, from young to old, rather like teenage sons showing fathers how to download an App. Morgan might pass on advice in team meetings about how to keep things simple, but he gets a lot back in return.”Everyone that comes through, you learn a hell of a lot more from,” he said. “You’re always a generation behind when you’re passing on experience. The way the game’s going, people are always bringing in new things.”England play the first of two warm-up games against Australia in Colombo tomorrow, at Nondescripts CC, a club with a name that Buttler need no longer fear sums up his international career. Pakistan follow on Wednesday before Group A matches against Afghanistan on Friday and India two days later.”I’ve played Afghanistan before, when I played for Ireland, and have been on a losing side against them, so I won’t be taking them for granted at all,” Morgan said. “They have a lot of up-and-coming players, and it’s a potential banana skin for us. If we don’t perform, there’s a chance they could sneak over the line.”But survive that and England move to Pallakele for the Super Eights, to face – barring shocks – West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand and with the October monsoon approaching a little unsettled weather might help their cause, if not assist the batsman-friendly tournament for which the ICC must yearn.”Pallekele is similar to English conditions – it does do a bit,” Morgan said. “Research suggests it nips around which I’m not sure will be the most attractive Twenty20 cricket. But there’s every chance of these conditions, especially with the rain around – which we’re more used to after the summer we’ve had.”As for Pietersen-watch, he is about to arrive in Sri Lanka as an expert pundit for ESPN Star Sports. “I’d no idea he was coming,” Morgan said. “I look forward to seeing it. It could be quite funny.”The Pietersen imbroglio, he said, was not a dressing room obsession, but neither was it a banned topic of conversation. “No, it’s not like Voldemort, it’s alright,” he said.As Stuart Broad, England’s T20 captain, has occasionally been compared to Malfoy, this raises interesting possibilities. Harry Potter fans will tell you that Voldemort gives Malfoy a hug – an awkward, unfeely hug, but a hug nevertheless – in the final edition of Harry Potter. The first time he bumps into Stuart Broad, England’s T20 captain, in the hotel lobby could be quite touching.

England’s overwhelming success in the Test series against India has been reflected in the latest ICC player rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2011England’s overwhelming success in the Test series against India has been reflected in the latest ICC player rankings. Ian Bell has moved into the top five for the first time in his career following his double-hundred at The Oval while Kevin Pietersen jumped five places to enter the top ten again.Bell, who made 504 runs at 84.00 in the series, gained four places to sit level with England team-mate Alastair Cook at third and with Jonathan Trott in the sixth position England can boast four batsmen in the top ten.The bowling list is also strong with Tim Bresnan climbing five spots to No. 11, meaning that England’s five bowlers used in the series sit in the world’s top 11. Dale Steyn, however, is still some way ahead of James Anderson as the best bowler.Things aren’t so bright for India, unsurprisingly, though Rahul Dravid’s reward for an outstanding series – where he made three centuries against a fine England attack – is a return to the top ten.The news is not so good for his team-mates, though, with Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni all losing ground in a list that has South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis at the top and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara second.Meanwhile in the ODI rankings fast-bowlers Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Lasith Malinga have enjoyed spectacular rises following the recent Sri Lanka-Australia series.Johnson, who along with Malinga was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 11, has gained four places to No. 3 while Malinga, who recorded the third one-day hat-trick of his career in Monday’s ODI, jumped 19 places to claim the 11th spot.Bollinger’s nine wickets in the series has helped him return to the top 10, taking seventh position in the list that is still headed by England’s Graeme Swann..

Sussex put themselves in a great position to win promotion with a game to spare by dominating Northamptonshire on day one of their match at Hove

07-Sep-2010
ScorecardSussex put themselves in a great position to win promotion with a game to spare by dominating Northamptonshire on day one of their County Championship Division Two match at Hove. Needing eight points to secure an immediate return to Division One, they bowled out their visitors for 125 after winning the toss this morning.Sussex openers Chris Nash and Michael Thornely had no such trouble with the pitch, however, as they launched the reply with a 228-run partnership in 44 overs. Thornely, dropped at second slip on 24, made the most of his reprieve to hit 11 fours and a six as he compiled a career-best 89 before he was bowled by Jack Brooks, who also picked up nightwatchman James Anyon just before stumps.Nash was utterly dominant as he scored his third century in five games. He got to the milestone with his 12th boundary and at the same time established a new county record for the first wicket against Northamptonshire, beating the 193 by Ted Bowley and Maurice Tate at Hastings in 1985. Nash ended the day unbeaten on 122 with Sussex already 111 in front on 236 for 2.The visitors had produced some pitiful batting earlier in the day with only wicketkeeper David Murphy, who top scored with 47, providing any real resistance as they were dismissed in 46 overs. Extras was the next highest score with 16.There was some seam movement with the new ball which was expertly harnessed by Pakistan paceman Yasir Arafat, who bowled three of his four victims. But too many batsmen got out to loose shots and it took Murphy and David Lucas, who added 56 in 14 overs for the ninth wicket, to show what could be achieved with a modicum of application.Arafat struck in successive overs after Corey Collymore had made the breakthrough when Mal Loye was caught low down by Andy Hodd – one of three wicketkeepers in the Sussex side – driving outside off stump.Seam movement accounted for both Stephen Peters and Alex Wakeley and, although David Sales and Rob Newton effected a recovery of sorts by taking the score to 43 for 3, four more wickets fell in 12 overs before lunch.Three of them were claimed by seamer Anyon, who extracted extra lift in a hostile eight-over spell down the slope. Newton gloved Anyon’s first ball to Hodd and James Middlebrook fell in similar fashion after captain Andrew Hall had become Anyon’s second victim courtesy of a fine slip catch by Ollie Rayner.Monty Panesar got in on the act against his former county when he picked up Sales in his first over with an arm ball, but Murphy and Lucas made batting look a lot easier either side of lunch with Murphy pulling Collymore for six.A 20-minute rain stoppage seemed to fire up Sussex again and they took the last three wickets in 23 balls as Arafat yorked Lucas and Brooks while Lee Daggett offered a simple bat-pad catch to give Panesar his second success.

England decline to enforce follow-on after remarkable maiden hundred sets up 231-run lead

Andrew Miller30-Aug-2024Gus Atkinson’s magnificent maiden Test century set the tone for another dominant England performance at Lord’s.By the end of a second day that had begun with England sitting pretty on 358 for 7 in their first innings, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope were back out there in their second, nudging the lead along to an already imposing 256. Pope, in need of a score after 13 runs in his first three innings as captain, endured a handful of jitters but endured to the close unscathed, after Dan Lawrence had been given out on review for 7, England’s only truly duff note of the day.In between whiles, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 196 in 55.3 overs, a first-innings deficit of 231, having relied once more on the indomitable skills of Kamindu Mendis to haul them out of a familiar top-order tail-spin.By the time he was last man out for a punchy 74 from 120 balls, Kamindu had rescued his side from a nadir of 118 for 7 – and briefly lifted his remarkable Test average back above 100 – with his sixth fifty-plus score in only eight Test innings. However, none of his colleagues could manage more than Dinesh Chandimal’s 23 and, with more than three days remaining on a pitch that is already showing signs of turn, England never gave the follow-on any serious consideration.While it lasted though, Kamindu’s latest onslaught was proof of the spirit that still courses through this Sri Lanka team, even in the midst of another desperate display. On his watch, a previously dominant England attack were given the run-around by an innings containing eight fours and three sixes, one which flew through the window of the MCC Committee Room, and another which left a spectator by the pavilion steps needing treatment for a painful, but thankfully non-serious, blow to the head.Olly Stone dismissed two of Sri Lanka’s top-three on Test return•AFP/Getty Images

Until his intervention, Sri Lanka’s performance had been every bit as off-colour as their dreadful display on the third day of the first Test at Old Trafford. Then, as now, their foothold in the contest came loose during a muddled morning with the ball, with Atkinson the prime beneficiary as he converted his overnight 74 not out into a sublime 103-ball hundred. It was the first of his professional career, and the first by a designated England No.8 or lower since Stuart Broad’s 169 on this same ground against Pakistan in 2010.Despite having had the chance, overnight, to overthink his opportunity, Atkinson’s cool head proved to be almost as remarkable as the feat itself. Just as had been the case on his debut against West Indies in July, when Atkinson had earned himself a total of three honours-board entries with five-fors in each innings and 12 wickets in the match – the prospect of another remarkable slice of Lord’s history could not faze him in the slightest.Facing up to a ball that was only eight overs old, Atkinson launched his day with back-to-back boundaries as Kumara strayed either side of the wicket, and though he was then given out lbw by Paul Reiffel third-ball, the collective groan of the Lord’s crowd quickly turned to cheers as Atkinson’s review showed the ball to be missing leg.From then on, there was no stopping him. Milan Rathnayake offered him another leg-stump freebie, tickled through fine leg, and having powered through to 99 with another pull and a drive off the erratic Kumara, Atkinson needed just three more balls – compared to Joe Root’s 12 on day one – before another firm and focussed push through long-off landed him his milestone from just 103 balls, the sixth-fastest century in a Lord’s Test.Kamindu Mendis was at the centre of Sri Lanka’s resistance again•Getty Images

Atkinson’s disbelieving smile as he saluted all four corners of the ground was the only slight hint that this was no ordinary day out. Matthew Potts, who had played a key role in an 85-run stand for the eighth wicket, fell soon afterwards as Asitha was belatedly called into the attack to strike with a third-ball outswinger.Sri Lanka soon reverted to a short-ball tactic, which initially suited Atkinson fine as he thrashed two more fours behind square off Asitha. But, in his attempt to dump the same bowler into the Grandstand, he finally came a cropper, courtesy of a wonderfully timed leap from Rathnayake at deep midwicket, who dived towards the rope – feet in the air – to cling on over his shoulder and end a mighty innings.And though the bumper ploy wasn’t the best use of Asitha’s merits, he did at least land a deserved moment of personal glory when Stone swung through another short ball to pick out deep fine leg for 15. With figures of 5 for 102, that made him the first Sri Lanka bowler to claim five wickets at Lord’s since Rumesh Ratnayake in 1991.That left Sri Lanka with a tricky 45 minutes to negotiate before the break, and for the third innings in a row, Nishan Madushka wasn’t up to the task. He should have fallen for a duck in Woakes’ second over when Jamie Smith failed to react to a snick that Root couldn’t reach at first slip, but he had made just 7 – his highest score of the series – when Woakes instead found an inside-edge onto his stumps.Then, in the final over of the session, Stone capped his return to the side with his first Test wicket in three long years, by inducing another inside-edge, this time off Dimuth Karunaratne, who wrecked his own stumps as his poor series continued with 7 from 26 balls.Forty minutes and five balls later, Stone had his second. Pathum Nissanka, who could have been run out on 3 by Dan Lawrence’s instinctive shy from short leg, instead fell for 12 as he aimed a gullible flick off the toes and picked out Potts, stationed for that precise shot at leg slip.Angelo Mathews and Chandimal, two of the mainstays of Sri Lanka’s fightback at Old Trafford, picked up the pieces in a fourth-wicket stand of 48. But into the attack came Potts, who was excellent if under-rewarded in the second innings of that first Test.With a relentless stump-to-stump line, allied to a hint of each-way movement, Potts duly struck with the first ball of his fourth over, as Mathews was turned inside-out by one that nipped round his edge and into the top of off. Then, three balls later, Dhananjaya de Silva was caught for a duck, off the splice at second slip by another ball that straightened off the pitch, and Kamindu’s innings had barely begun when Chandimal, looking tentative after another blow to his injured thumb, flicked weakly off his toes to Lawrence at leg gully to leave the innings in tatters on 87 for 6.Thereafter, however, England didn’t find the going quite so easy. Rathnayake, like Atkinson, is flushed with confidence after his unlikely batting heroics at Old Trafford, and he launched his own innings with 14 runs from four balls before Woakes returned to the attack to snick him off for 19, with Smith completing a fine diving take.England then turned to spin, with Shoaib Bashir – finally given a spell at Lord’s after going unused in the West Indies Test – settling into an excellent rhythm before prising out Jayasuriya for a previously resolute 8 from 46 balls, as he finally lost patience to be bowled through the gate on the charge.Kamindu then got a life on 62 at Root, at deep square leg, made a hash of a top-edged pull off Stone and, with sturdy support from Kumara, whose 22-ball duck ended with a direct-hit run-out from Pope, he set about restoring a veneer of respectability. Atkinson, however, lured him into one too many liberties to finish his day on the high it had deserved. By the close, and even allowing for Lawrence’s latest disappointment as a makeshift opener, it didn’t look like changing the destiny of this match, or this series.

Alex Davies, Rob Yates fire chase of 147 before Ben Raine gives Durham a glimmer

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2023Jacob Bethell held his nerve under pressure in the final over to guide Birmingham Bears to a two-wicket victory over Durham in a thriller at Seat Unique Riverside, keeping the visitors on top of the Vitality Blast North Group.The Bears were miserly with the ball after winning the toss. Hasan Ali was excellent at the top of the order and collected figures of 2-15 from his four overs, while Danny Briggs also claimed two strikes. Ollie Robinson and Ashton Turner notched fifties, but Durham’s total of 146 for 5 looked short of par at the interval.Alex Davies and Rob Yates led an explosive start to the Bears’ chase, sharing an opening stand of 80 to put the visitors ahead of the rate. But, Nathan Sowter continued his impressive campaign with two wickets to halt the Birmingham charge. Ben Raine then set nerves jangling with two in two in the 17th over and he performed heroics again with the same feat in the 19th.The game turned again when Bethell held his composure from the final over to smash a six and a four in back-to-back balls to steer Birmingham over the one with three balls to spare, edging them closer to a quarter-final berth.After Graham Clark scored three early boundaries, Durham’s momentum was halted by losing both openers within three balls. Chris Woakes made the breakthrough on his return as Alex Lees was undone by a slower delivery before Clark was bowled by Hasan.Hasan produced a brilliant spell with the new ball, bowling three overs for the cost of just seven runs, limiting the hosts to 29 from the powerplay.The Bears continued to restrict the Durham batting ranks as the run rate hovered at just below six an over. The pressure to score allowed Briggs to strike in successive deliveries. Michael Jones was caught on the fence by Jake Lintott, who produced a clever catch on the rope to prevent a maximum, while Brydon Carse fell first ball.At 60 for 4, the hosts could ill afford to lose further wickets. Robinson and Turner duly responded with an excellent partnership worth 86 to allow Durham to post a competitive total. Turner found his timing against the Birmingham spinners and raced to his half-century from only 29 balls with seven fours and slog-sweep six against Lintott.Robinson was more sedate compared to his team-mate, but still brought up his fourth fifty of the season with a massive strike over the rope against Woakes. He tried to add another off the final ball from Hasan, only to be caught on the relay by Lintott and Ed Barnard.Birmingham had no difficulty adjusting to the pitch in the powerplay and made the chase seem straightforward. Davies and Yates found the boundary with ease without taking risks, racing to fifty after 4.2 overs. The Bears were a staggering 37 runs ahead of the home side at the end of the powerplay, ending the opening six overs 66 without loss.Davies and Yates both fell for 40 as Liam Trevaskis and Wayne Parnell prevented the visitors from racing away with the chase. On his 400th T20 appearance, Glenn Maxwell’s attempt to reverse-sweep Sowter to the rope ended his knock for 14 and the legspinner sent Dan Mousley on his way to put the pressure on.Raine set up a tense finale by matching Briggs’ exploits removing Chris Benjamin and Ed Barnard in successive deliveries. The right-armer then performed similar heroics to dismiss Woakes and Hasan with two in two in the 19th. But, Bethell dispatched Trevaskis for a six and four to guide his team to victory in the final over.

Ben Compton, Jordan Cox score half-centuries but Kent fail to get out of jail on final day

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2022Hampshire routed Kent by an innings and 51 runs in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, after dismissing the hosts for 296 in their second innings on day four. Kyle Abbott took 5 for 29, mopping up Kent’s tail with three wickets from four balls, while Felix Organ spun his way to 3 for 63 as the visitors secured a maximum 24 points, while Kent managed just four.Ben Compton and Jordan Cox had given Kent hope of a draw after batting through the morning session on day four, but they were out for 89 and 64 respectively after lunch. Cox’s dismissal was particularly contentious as he was given caught off a delivery that seemed to hit his thigh, but having been outplayed for most of the match Kent could have few complaints about the final result.Home hopes of avoiding a second consecutive defeat seemed to hinge largely on Division One’s leading run scorer Compton, who had come within maybe 40 minutes of getting them out of a far tighter situation against Lancashire the previous Sunday.He had scored 37 of the hosts’ overnight tally of 78 for 3, but they were still 269 behind when play resumed. Mohammad Abbas found his edge when he was on 49, but the chance didn’t carry and he took a single from the next ball to reach his half-century.Cox, on 3 overnight, played and missed at Barker when on 13 and a googly from Mason Crane somehow eluded his stumps and went for four byes, but otherwise he offered few chances and at lunch Kent were 161 for 3, with the visiting bowlers getting increasingly frustrated.Keith Barker broke through 15 minutes into the afternoon session when Compton was given out caught behind to a leg side delivery. Whether it was out of disappointment or anger, Compton was shaking his head as he trudged back to the pavilion and Ollie Robinson was out for 9 in the next over. The skipper hit Organ for boundaries off the first two balls but edged the third to Ben Brown.By now Organ was extracting some serious turn, but Darren Stevens brought up 200 for Kent when he swiped him for six and Cox hit Abbas through cow corner to pass fifty for the second time in the match.Stevens should have been out when he hit a rank full toss from Mason Crane straight to Liam Dawson, but the fielder spilled the catch. The game’s most controversial moment came when Cox was given out, caught at short leg by Joe Weatherley off Organ, to a ball that replays showed had initially hit him halfway up the thigh. Abbas then accounted for Matt Milnes, who misjudged a pull shot and was caught by Weatherley for 13.Hamid Qadri joined Stevens and survived till tea, at which point Kent were 287 for 7, but he fell to the third ball after the restart, edging Abbott behind for 11. Abbott’s next ball removed Nathan Gilchrist for a golden duck, caught by Weatherley at short leg. Jackson Bird hit Abbott’s hat-trick ball for four but he was lbw to the next delivery, leaving Stevens unbeaten on 41 as Hampshire celebrated raucously on the pitch.

Queensland’s decision to bat again gave Burns another innings but he fell for 11

Alex Malcolm10-Nov-2020Australia Test opener Joe Burns faces a nervous wait to see whether he retains his place for the series against India, after his lean start to the summer continued with another low score against South Australia, as calls for Will Pucovski’s inclusion in the Test team grow louder.Burns was out for 11, bringing his season’s Sheffield Shield tally to just 57 runs from five innings, while Pucovski has scored 457 runs in two innings and has only been dismissed once.Queensland opted not to enforce the follow on after South Australia were bowled out 342 runs behind on the first innings early on day three at Glenelg Oval.The decision allowed Burns another chance to get some valuable time in the middle, albeit with the Bulls looking to accelerate to set up a declaration and leave enough time to take another 10 wickets for a victory.ALSO READ: Australia Test squad: who has staked their claim for a call-up?Burns started brightly but got a thin edge attempting to pull a bouncer from Chadd Sayers that was above his head and wide of his off stump. It was the second time he has fallen attempting to pull or hook from outside off stump in two games after he got a top edge off Sean Abbott against New South Wales.It has been a tough start to the season for Joe Burns•Getty Images

Two of his other dismissals also have commonality. He was bowled through the gate attempting to drive Tasmania’s Peter Siddle on the up in the first game of the season while he was given out caught behind off the inside edge attempting a similar shot to Daniel Worrall in the first innings at Glenelg.Burns, 31, was recalled to Australia’s Test side last summer and played all five Tests after missing out on the Ashes tour completely, despite making 180 in the last Test prior to the tour. He started last season with a bang making 97 against Pakistan at the Gabba in a 222-run stand with David Warner.He made 53 in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand but acknowledged he had an underwhelming summer overall while Warner and Marnus Labuschagne plundered six centuries between them at the top of Australia’s order, including a triple and a double.Burns has scored four Test centuries and averages 38.30, a record that has oddly seen him dropped from the Test side on five separate occasions.Pucovski, 22, has made an almost irresistible case to be elevated to Test level as soon as possible after successive double-centuries in his first two innings of the Shield season – his first two innings opening the batting in first-class cricket – have left little doubt as to his credentials.Fellow Victoria opener Marcus Harris, 28, is also making a case after losing his spot to Burns last year, having made 239 and 71 in his only two innings of the summer so far.The Australia Test squad is due to be announced at the conclusion of this round of Sheffield Shield matches after which the competition will break until after the BBL in February with the latter part of the domestic calendar still be confirmed.

Derbyshire recovered from 95 for 7 but could still only muster 200 as Ryan Higgins and Josh Shaw shared eight wickets

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2019A five wicket haul from Ryan Higgins gave promotion contenders Gloucestershire the edge on the opening day of the match against Derbyshire at Derby. Higgins bowled superbly to take 5 for 54 from 22 overs as Derbyshire were bowled out for 200 with Josh Shaw finishing with 3 for 50.Alex Hughes top scored with 39 on his return to the Championship side but Gloucestershire’s batsmen also struggled in bowler-friendly conditions as they closed on 46 for 2.Gloucestershire’s decision to make first use of a grassy pitch brought immediate rewards as Derbyshire lost both openers with only 5 on the board. David Payne found bounce and movement to have Billy Godleman caught behind without scoring before Higgins began his impressive pre-lunch shift by finding Luis Reece’s outside edge.Higgins was rewarded for maintaining a full length and repeatedly making the batsmen play to leave the field with outstanding figures of 3 for 13 from nine overs, six of them maidens. Wayne Madsen, who came into the match averaging nearly 50 against Gloucestershire, was bowled by one that swung in late to knock out middle stump and a similar ball trapped Tom Lace in front two overs before the interval.In between, Leus du Plooy had edged a loose drive at Shaw to second slip and Gloucestershire’s domination continued after lunch as Harvey Hosein edged Higgins to first slip. When Matt Critchley was struck in front by Ben Allison making his first-class debut on loan from Essex, Derbyshire were 95 for 7 but Hughes and the lower order carried the home side to an unlikely batting point.Hughes faced 138 balls and batted for nearly three hours until he was beaten by another full length ball from Higgins that moved late to end a stand of 55 in 16 overs with Fynn Hudson-Prentice.Shaw tempted Hudson-Prentice into fishing at a wide one but some muscular blows from Logan van Beek, including a straight six off Payne, frustrated Gloucestershire until a smart slip catch removed Ravi Rampaul.The visitors had 19 overs to negotiate and after beating the bat several times, Reece had James Bracey caught behind for 5 in the 12th. Rampaul then struck in the next over when Gareth Roderick could only edge a ball that left him late low to third slip where Critchley took a smart catch.